Grandkids get away with everything

So when I was younger, we were not allowed to play ball in the house...ever. Imagine my surprise when not only was Makaela allowed to kick the ball inside the house, but I found my mom and dad playing soccer with her in the hallway. My mom got a bit competitive though and kicked a ball that whizzed right over Makaela's head to the point that Makaela was touching her hair to make sure it was still in place. However, the next kick from my mom, hit Makaela square in the forehead. At this point, my mom threw up her hands and said, "Now this is why we are not allowed to play ball in the house!"

Visitng Uncle Mike at the Firehouse

One of our first stops in NY was to visit uncle Mike at work. At first she was all shy, but soon she was wearing his mask and hopping behind the wheel of the rig turning on all the lights. While Makaela was behind the wheel, the fire alarm rang and as all the men were scrambling around to get ready, Makaela refused to get out of the seat. When Mike was begging her to get out she said, "No uncle Mike, I drive you"- she wanted to drive them to the fire! We literally had to yank her out of the seat so the men could get to the call.

A little comic relief

A big reason why we headed back to NY was to see Poppy Hammel who was diagnosed with cancer in June. With Pop not feeling so well, the family has been spending a lot of time together and Makaela definitely lightened up the mood a bit. She was running around with bowls on her head, making everyone paint with her and spilling everything in sight (no sippy cups at Pop's house). Poppy Hammel had her betting on the "horsies" and she won $40 with him the first day. He gave her an additional $5 to buy ice cream with and as we were leaving the house, we asked her what kind of ice cream she was going to buy, she said "I put this in the piggy bank, mama buy me the ice cream". At least she knows the value of saving, huh?

Painting with Cuzzy Flo and Grandpa

Late night dip

Our first day in NY, Makaela was still very much on Hawaii time, so at 7pm, she was ready to go swimming. Luckily, Uncle Joe was home to serve as the lifeguard/swim instructor. She had a great time being thrown up in the air and Joe even had her swimming underwater for a few minutes. By the end of the evening, she was telling Joe to let her go and swim by herself. She is not actually ready to do that yet, but she had a great time showing off to Grandma and Grandpa.

On our way to NY

Makaela has been very excited to go to Grandma's house since we told her we were going to NY although her OCDness kicked in when we picked her up from preschool. Once again, she went through the checklist with me to make sure I packed everything I needed to (of course all the items were items which pertained to her). She was great on the flights and slept most of the way. We arrived in NY at 11:30am, so when we arrived at my parent's house, Makaela asked for her coat. I didn't understand so I told her she didn't need a coat because it is summertime. She looked at me all puzzled and said, "Ok, I want me jacket". Again, baffled, I asked her "Why?" She said, "So I can go and play in the log cabin". My parents still have the log cabin we had as children in the backyard, but the last time Makaela played in it, NY had a foot of snow, so she had to wear her coat when she played in the cabin...it's amazing how much they remember.

Bye Bye Matt

Today we had to drive Matt out to the airport so he could fly out for training in San Diego. We have all been dreading this day and were amazed how quickly it snuck up on us. Unfortunately, we had to get him to the airport at 5am, so the morning goodbyes were quick (which may have been a good thing in the long run). Matt woke us at 4:30 and Makaela and I piled into the car in our PJs. We thought Makaela would fall back asleep, but oddly, she was wide awake and taking everything in. We have been prepping her for this day, but it seems that she understood more than we gave her credit for. I was hugging Matt's arm as he drove to the airport and she tried to console me by saying "It's ok mama, I here, I here". Then when we stopped she told Matt she wanted to go on the plane with him which of course broke his heart. As we were driving home she asked where we were going and when I said home, she said, "But daddy no go home right?" Her teacher reported that she had two crying episodes at school over missing her daddy, but was able to be redirected quickly. Her friend Micah has been very attentive in bringing her tissues and wiping away her tears when she cries. How I wished I could have captured that moment on video. Regardless, this will be a very long year.

Visiting the Dinosaurs

While Matt was recuperating from his farewell party, Makaela and I headed to the Mall to see the Dinosaur exhibit. I was a bit concerned about how she would react, because I heard mixed responses from friends, but she was all about it. She did two dinosaur train rides back to back and by the end, she was trying to lean out of her seat to "pet" the dinosaurs.

Matt's Going Away Party

Today we had a going away party for Matt at Nimitz Beach. A lot of people showed up and both Matt and I were touched at all the people who came out to see him off. The kids entertained themselves with wagon rides and playing in the sand while the adults entertained themselves with horseshoes and beer-in-hand wiffleball. We are so lucky to have so many supportive friends. Matt's absence is going to be tough on everyone, but knowing that Makaela and I (and Mia) are surrounded by such great people, helps immensely.

Makaela hiding out at first base with Auntie T.

Second base was the refill station for the game.

The real gathering spot.

Day 2

Today we woke up and headed for a walk to the zoo. I had forgotten Makaela's stroller at home, so we took a nice family stroll through Waikiki (broken up by a breakfast pit stop at Moose's). Makaela definitely got the best seat in the house riding on Daddy's shoulders. Matt said it was good practice for all the weight he would be carrying on his back in training and Iraq (not like her 28 pounds even compares to the weight he will be carrying). Makaela loved showing Daddy around the zoo since she remembered where most of the animals were located.

After nap, we headed out to the pool. As everyone knows, I am very forgetful. Overly so and it seems that Makaela has picked up on this. So far this weekend, I forgot to pack her stroller and any underwear for her (she was not happy having to wear pull ups) and have forgotten the camera in our room so far, sunblock, and her swimmy, which forces us to ride the elevator back up to the room and delay pool time. As we were leaving our room to head down to the pool, Makaela thought she would help me out by giving me her mental checklist. We were walking down the hallway, when she stopped, turned around, threw her hand on her hip and said, "Ma, you got sunbwock?" "Yes" "You got me swimmy?" "Yep." "You got camera?" "Yep" "You got me cereal?" "Yes Makaela, I have it" "Ok, we go now". What would I do without her?

we got to the pool and basically, she rode the waterslide until closed. It was such a great pool. I love seeing how independent she is getting. She is very proud of her new swimming abilities (aka drowning, but whatever). Our perfect day ended with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and a strawberry shortcake. I love vacation!

Makaela and Daddy being silly.



Makaela heading down the waterslide.

Our "Stay-cation"

We decided to book a few days at the Hilton Hawaiian Village to do some family bonding before Matt left. Makaela has been so excited about the hotel stay that she has been telling her teachers about it all week. First thing we needed to do was to hit the pool and waterslide and did she ever! The little daredevil was actually pushing me away and yelling for me to not catch her as she slide down into 4 feet of water. There was a lot of floundering and water swallowing, but she never once complained and just kept going. After the pool fun, we headed out to Benihana's for a delicious culinary show (our favorite way to do Japanese food). Then to an ice cream parlor for our second helping of ice cream that night (which we learned Makaela loves green tea ice cream) and finished the night with Makaela showcasing her singing talent to all of those who would listen (and others who couldn't avoid it).

Kaena Point Hike

The forecast for this weekend didn't seem like it was the best for the beach, so we decided to go out for a hike. We went to Kaena Point, the western tip of Oahu. The hike is basically a flat coastline walk, but it is usually a hot one with little tree coverage, so we took advantage of the overcast skies. It ended up being a perfect day- got some exercise in, had a picnic lunch at the very edge of Oahu, spent some time in nature, cooled off with a swim at Pokai Beach and finished the day off with a sunset dinner on the beach. Makaela and Gavin hamming it up during lunch. Matt hiking with Makaela on the more precarious section of the hike. Makaela did not enjoy the daring part of the hike.

Makaela and Gavin (and the older kids) entertained themselves during lunch by throwing rocks.

Brooke and Jackson's 2nd Birthday

Today we all celebrated Brooke and Jackson's 2nd bday at the Weida's pool. The kids enjoyed the pool, lots of cupcakes and sugar, wagon rides and pool chair forts. Can you imagine what these faces are going to look like when they are 16?

Wagon rides for everyone.Makaela looking coy in the fort Uncle Brian made them.

Makaela jumping in the pool.

Pirate Ship Sighting

Makaela and I headed to Ko'olina today to meet up with the Buelows and Martins and while we were there, we spotted a pirate ship. Pirates of the Caribbean is being filmed in Hawaii right now, so the kids got a kick out of seeing the ship and of course, swimming. The afternoon ended with Uncle Mark teaching the kids some wrestling moves, but the only one that got pinned was Uncle Mark.

Our latest ultrasound

Matt and I had another ultrasound today and our baby is growing wonderfully. She is about 15 oz right now and it right on schedule. She looks very healthy and active. Her personality seemed to come through as she went from playing peek-a-boo with us to flipping us off...literally (wonder which parent she takes after?). My hematoma is almost gone, but the technician did notice that I have succenturiate placenta. A normal placenta is in one piece and oblong in shape, but I have two parts, almost like a water balloon being bent in the middle. Only problem is that when this water balloon is bent, the water (or nutrients) can flow between the two as easily. So, the doctor said that they need to monitor the baby's growth to make sure she is still getting nutrients and growing at a decent pace. I go back for another ultrasound in 6 weeks. Googling the condition made me a bit nervous, but on the bright side, we get to see her almost every month.
Here she is playing peek-a-boo

Here she is sucking her thumb

Here she is flipping us off.

The painting is finished!

We finally got around to painting the interior of the house. We have put it off, but now with Matt leaving, the painting got pushed up just in case I have to sell the house while he is gone. Also, I don't see myself painting the entire house by my-pregnant-self. As soon as we started, we realized exactly how large of a project it was. Reaching the top of our ceilings were not easy. We painted the walls a light beige, not too much color, but it is a semi-gloss so it will be easier to clean little fingerprints and crayon markings off the wall. I also painted the railings, banister and shelves a dark brown to match our cherry wood furniture and to also hide those fingerprints and dust smudges. It took us about two weeks, but it is finally done and I love how it looks.

Missing her friend

Lately, I have been catching Makaela with the phone in her hands sneaking into the next room. She is not a phone person, so I have found this pretty baffling. The other day she asked me to call Gavin for her but I explained that he was still on his trip. She said, "I sad mama". She was totally missing Gavin. Then tonight, I caught her on Matt's cell phone punching some numbers so I stopped to watch her. As she put the phone to her ear she said, "Hewwo Gavin...Gavin...I can't hear you...Gavin?" When I walked in the room and asked her what she was doing, she replied, "I was calling Abby." I wonder if there isn't something else going on??

Scaring mama with fireworks

So we didn't get to play with any fireworks on July 4th, so we went outside after dinner with ice pops and sparklers. Makaela is entirely too daring and loved the sparklers entirely too much for my own liking, but her and her daddy now have another activity they can bond over.

July 4th

We had a very low key July 4th that started with some house painting, then swimming at the pool. We didn't really had plans so we threw something together impromptu and ended up at Dixie Grill for dinner with the kids and then up to the second floor to watch the Pearl Harbor fireworks show.

First trip to the Dentist

Today was Makaela's first trip to the dentist. She has been telling me that her teeth have been hurting her so I called and made an appointment. She was all excited about it and for the past few days, went around showing everyone how she was going to open up and say "ah" for the dentist, but then when it was actually time to go, she got cold feet. Luckily the office had plenty of toes, so Makaela marched right in and started playing. When it was time to head into the exam room, she was so excited to see that they had purple chairs, but then refused to sit in them. She played shy with the dentist, but warmed up to him pretty quickly when he gave her a new pink Dora toothbrush. Then she chatted away with him (open mouthed and all) about her teeth hurting, how she brushes her teeth, how much she likes Dora and the Disney princesses and how daddy gives her soda but mommy won't (she totally ratted Daddy out). She even let him floss her teeth (she never lets me do that). Luckily, no cavities and the dentist says that her teeth look great.