dad-deee

I miss you Dad-Deee. Thank you for coming home and playing ball with me. I love you and can't wait to see you on Wednesday. Can we have waffles for breakfast!?

Love,

Malia

the joys of working part time

I have officially been a part timer for two weeks now, and man it is AWESOME. I'm so thankful that we as a family have this opportunity. I thought I would share just a few pictures of some of the things Malia and I have been up to.

The first week, we left Wednesday night to travel to Charlottesville to be with Keoni. We stayed until Sunday evening- no pictures to share, but as always, a wonderful blessed time shared with the daddy man.

Last week- Keoni decided to 'journey' home for the weekend. Since Keoni has class until Friday, this would allow Malia and I time to just 'relax' and be at home. I don't know if I ever did relax. I cleaned our place from top to bottom and bottom to top. Malia even pitched in and helped vacuum and 'fold' laundry.

Malia and I made Keoni a special treat- homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes. I saw these at starbucks a while back and instantly thought- I can make these. My grandmother makes the best red velvet cake in the world, which Keoni adores, so we made many small 'cakes'.

The cupcakes were delish, and Keoni LEFT THEM HOME WITH A PREGNANT WIFE when he returned to Charlottesville. He mentioned something about a record PT exam- I don't get it- everyone performs better on cupcakes :)


Ok, so enough babbling, here are a few pictures of chunky monkey being her sweet, adorable self!

(okay, I lied- here is one picture of our first week visiting Keoni- can we say sleepy)

(Malia wanted to inform me that she had Cookie Monster on her shirt)

On a side note, I think it's safe to say that Raffi has become my all time, number one, favorite children's cd. It last about 20 minutes (one song is already skipping) and then it repeats! If you are a mother of small children, this CD is a must- along with all of his others!




I hope you have a wonderful week! Tomorrow is my FRIDAY :)

'sweet sixteen' (must say title like MTV's sweet sixteen intro)

Yesterday was March 6.
Yesterday, my baby girl turned 16 months.
Yesterday, our growing baby bear turned 16 weeks.

Malia update:

She is enjoying being a toddler. Her new favorite thing is to push the buttons on the elevator while we are visiting daddy in Charlottesville. We are on the second floor and 9 times out of 10, she wants to ride the elevator. And as luck would have it, the alarm button is the lowest button to hit. Clearly a mother did not invent elevator button placement.


She had a bad teething spell the past week or so- four teeth to be exact- two on top, two on the bottom, with a grand total of 10 pearly whites! With the addition of the new teeth, I have made teeth brushing a routine habit. Malia enjoys listening to Raffi sing Brush Your Teeth- super cute- she even does a little hand brushing movement when the song goes 'You brush your teeth ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch....'

At her 15 month check up (sorry no results were posted) she finally reach the 20 pound bench mark!!! We've decided to still keep her rear facing because she is so petite. The car seat we purchased 2-3 months ago allows for rear facing up to 45 pounds- Malia will be in kindergarten

Baby update:

I am completely over the morning/all day sickness. Things are pretty back to normal- minus the ever growing belly. I'm still shocked that I'm already into some maternity clothes and I'm only 16 weeks. I don't think I started showing with Malia until closer to 20 weeks! I remind myself that I'm showing earlier because my body has already 'stretched'- it's sorta like your favorite pair of jeans that stretch with each use, until you wash them- except when I shower, I don't shrink, I just wonder how much longer I will see my toes.


I have an OB appointment on Friday for a normal check-up then we schedule to find out the sex! It's crazy to think that next month, April, we will find out if we are having a girl or boy. For the record, I'm thinking girl, Keoni thinks boy- Keoni was right the first time around!

On a final note, I was tagged in this picture Wednesday afternoon. Needless to say, Malia was too tired for lunch....

(ps- sorry for the crazy spacing)

Malia's BIG news

Malia has been dying to tell everyone her big news. We told her that she was finally able to share with her friends her big, exciting news!


hkl fjsljfl teiwogaiothg gop'ogsjfagiodahd agh8r9e483957q0p 6 (love, Malia)

To translate: Malia is going to be a BIG sister! That's right- you read correctly. We are having a second baby.


Things were rather rough through the 1st trimester, and I am so thankful that we have made it past the 'all day sickness' and into the 2nd trimester. This pregnancy has really taken a toll on me. I chalk it up to already having one toddler running around, that what little energy I do have after working is quickly consumed by our little chunky cheeks.


I found out that I was pregnant on December 9th. For Christmas, Keoni wanted a baby, and nothing else. Well man, how lucky was I! I kept the secret for almost 2 week until the dreaded morning sickness started. Earlier in the week, Keoni and Malia came down with a nasty head cold, and I was starting to get sick as well. The problem- Keoni REALLY wanted me to take medicine. My only excuse was that I was still nursing Malia at night and I've been really, really good about not taking any medicine when I've been sick to protect Malia. Well, finally, on Wednesday the 22nd, I broke down and had Keoni and Malia open an early Christmas box. The box contained the movie Knocked Up and a I'm a Big Sister Book. Keoni's face was priceless. I don't think it really hit him that I was pregnant until he put the pieces together.


Needless to say, we are so excited to be sharing our exciting news with you! We would ask that you please pray for Malia, our baby and my health during the next 24 weeks. I promise to keep you updated as we progress.



Baby number two is due August 21st!

everything but a bedroom retreat...

I need help... decorating help... so please, please help!

I am getting tired of our master bedroom duvet cover, etc. We currently have a taupe duvet cover with the matching 9 yards- sheets, shams, etc. I'm getting bored, and depressed with the way the room looks, even more now that I'm alone, and the one who truly suffers. I want a room that I feel excited to be in, and this is definitely not the room anymore...


Therefore, I want to find a new duvet cover for the room. This is my problem- our bedroom furniture is a medium oak, which I feel cuts color choices in half. I think I know what doesn't look good, but need help finding what does...


I would love to hear any suggestions- colors, fabrics, anything to help get me out of the master bedroom funk!!


Below is a picture taken from a furniture site that is roughtly the color of our bedroom furniture.

Part Time Treat

So I decided I needed to treat myself for getting to this exciting point in my 'career' where I officially go PART TIME. I went back and forth- a new purse, shoes, trip, anything to treat myself for this long awaited accomplishment. Before I share my little treat, I want to share what led us to this 'career' change!

The summer of 2007 was a crazy one. Keoni and I graduated from WVU in May, became husband and wife in June and started our fun filled adventure to Richmond in August. Keoni enrolled as a full time law student at UR and I started my first 'big girl job' as a Constituent Services Representative for our Congressman. I worked full time as Keoni went to school. In November of 2009, we were blessed with our baby girl Malia. After taking 8 weeks of maternity leave, I knew going part time was something I wanted, and wanted it immediately. Unfortunately, this wasn't something we could financially swing, plus I had a signed contract to stay till May once my student loans were paid off. So, May 2010 rolls around, and the option to go part time has arrived. Then reality set in- Keoni was studying for the bar and wouldn't be available to work until August. Oh and on top of everything else, the job market went down the tubes. Fortunately, after falling on our knees several nights praying that doors would open for Keoni to get a job. That door finally opened-Keoni got a job offer to become a JAG Officer in the United States Army. We were elated; however the job wouldn't start till February....

Which brings us to where we are today. Today is my LAST full week, my LAST Friday in the office, the LAST work day that stands in my way of becoming part time.

What will I be doing in my 'free time'?! Standing back in amazement, watching my precious daughter be a kid. I've so looked forward to this period in my life where I can be the stay at home mom that I've always dreamed of becoming, and the dream becomes a reality at 5:01pm!

So, this if what I've decide to treat myself to : the Tiffany Twist Ring by Tiffany & Co. I plan to wear this ring all the time- to daily remind myself of the accomplishments and sacrifices made to get us to where we are today!

I realize that a true blog post is not an official blog post without a picture. This picture sums up why I've wanted to be a stay at home mom since Friday, November 6th at 5:21pm.

Malia's 'exciting' journey to UVA

This past weekend, we spent the three day weekend in Charlottesville. Keoni left Thursday afternoon to begin the long 10 week session at the JAG School near the UVA Law School. This portion of the program is law school for the Army.


Of all the many things we did, one of the highlights was taking Malia to the lawn. The last time she was 'here' I was about 15 weeks pregnant, celebrating Jack and Julie's graduation. We couldn't help but laugh at how 'excited' Malia was to be touring UVA- what can I say, she is a Mountaineer mind, body and soul!



Sunday evening, we joined a group of JAG officers and their families for our first 'family dinner'. I know it will really work to our advantage to start a support group this early, even if its only for another 16 weeks.