New Year's Eve

Makaela was so stoked for New Years Eve because she knew there was going to be a party,

knew she was going to see all her friends, but had no idea why no one was getting presents at this party :-) Heidi and Mike had people over to celebrate and watch the fireworks from their home in Makakilo. This is the last year fireworks will be legal on the island, so in true Hawaiian spirit, 2010 went out with a bang (literally). The sky was lit up with beautiful fireworks all night long. The kids actually made it to ring in the New Year with the adults and got to enjoy the firework show along with us.

Makaela helping Mia ring in the New Year.

Our little rock stars

Happy 2011!!!

The flight home

We started our trek back to Hawaii at 4:30am. Both my suitcases were over 50lbs (thanks to the crazy amount of Christmas toys I was carting back with us), but luckily the skycap took pity on me and let me pass without charging me extra for the weight. Getting through security was again stressfully comical: me trying to juggle and infant, grab all our belongings, corral a toddler in the right direction and drag a stroller all while shoeless. Yet, there are so many kind souls out there, it's amazing. We met so many kind travelers while we were going to NY, it is amazing that we had the same experience coming home. So many people offered to help. Some man carried all my stuff over to us so I could get Makaela's shoes on. Later, a woman offered to watch our stuff while I ran to buy Makaela some food (in hind sight, leaving my belongings with a complete stranger in NY was not the brightest idea, but I could see our stuff from the food kiosk, so I thought it wasn't too bad), and the flight attendants changed our seats so we could have a double seat and not have to be by a stranger (which this breast feeding mama totally appreciated). Then when we got to Hawaii, some guy lifted all my overweight luggage off the belt for me and then watching me struggle with all the my stuff, another man took one of my suitcases and his wife pushed Makaela's stroller out to the street for me. Monica then picked us up and kept Makaela overnight so I could get unpacked and get Mia adjusted. Makaela was thrilled about seeing Brooke. Overall, the trip, even though I was dreading it, was great. I can honestly say that my girls are amazing fliers. Mia cried twice for no longer than 20 seconds and Makaela totally entertained herself. I actually got to sleep on the way home!!

Wrapped around Daddy's finger

It was great having Matt home to bond with Mia, but as the days started counting down, the realization that Matt was leaving starting hitting home. We didn't get to spend a whole lot of quiet, alone or romantic time because we were on total family mode, probably not the R & R Matt had planned, but oh well. Seeing him with the girls and having him around to change diapers, get up in the middle of the night, run Makaela to the bathroom and rub my shoulders, made me realize how much I really miss him and how much the girls needed him. The next few months can't fly by fast enough.

Night with family in Staten Island

The snow gave us two more nights with Matt but it also created a problem with our plans to visit with people and traveling. We were supposed to get together with my cousins but we

had to postpone these plans until the night before we left NY. We met up at my cousin Billy's house and cousin Chris and my dad also visited. Makaela loved hanging out with her big cousin Taylor and playing dress up. Little cousin Chris was there and it was quite interesting watching the dynamic of the two older girls play with the younger male- talk about being hen-pecked. Lil Christopher was being bossed around left and right, but he didn't take it for long. It was great seeing everyone but the night ended with us having to say goodbye to Matt again since he was flying out early the next morning from an airport 2 hours away. Luckily Billy offered to drive me and the girls to the airport the following morning, which really helped us out.

Poppy with his granddaughters

Mia giving us a smile

The girls dressing up as Disney Princesses

Attempting to go to sleep in the same princess bed, but this didn't last long.

Visiting with Uncle Bobby and Uncle Ryan

We headed over to my stepmom's house to visit with my brothers and stepmom. Once again, the girls got overly-spoiled :-) Makaela found a great playmate in her Uncle Ryan and the girl ran him tired. The two played in the snow, danced in the livingroom, played hide and seek, and chased each other all over the house. When Bobby came home from work, he and Matt snuck away to play videogames. Matt made sure we got Bobby Tour of Duty for XBox for Christmas so the two of them could link up and play together regardless of the thousands of miles between them. Talk about gamers. Grandma Teri and Taz ate up Mia. Lots of video and pictures were taken and it made us miss living close to our relatives even more.

Uncle Bobby and Mia

Uncle Ryan and Makaela having a snowball fight

Our first snowman!

The east coast got a very interesting post-Christmas gift: 16 inches of snow. It started on the 26th and caused us to cancel our plans to visit my cousins. It was good that we cancelled because it started coming down and did not stop until the next morning. Matt and Joey were out shoveling every few hours in efforts to lessen the shoveling job once the snowfall had finished. My dad joked with us, telling us that we bring snow. Last year when we came to NY for Christmas, it snowed too. Makaela got to experience the snow last year, but this year I think she had a greater appreciation for it. She wanted to build a snowman so badly. So, even though I wasn't thrilled about heading outside in the brutal weather with no real snow gear, I did have a great time building Makaela's first snowman with her. What was even funnier was watching Makaela get stuck in the snowdrifts. She kept wandering towards the "bigga snow", not realizing that it was going to make her sink further into it.

my snow bunny

Christmas at Pop's house

We lost our Pop this past August, we the tradition of having Christmas dinner at his house has lived on. It was hard to ignore the fact that Pops was not there, but my dad took the lead at the head of the dinner table and Christmas evening unfolded without a hitch. Once again, we had a delicious dinner courtesy of Aunt Mary and loads of laughs. Aunt Florence and Uncle Billy spoiled the girls with toys and clothes and Uncle Robbie bought Makaela two of her new favorite books. (one has a scratch and sniff page so Makaela now knows what a skunk smells like -yuck). Uncle

Mike gave Makaela the entire Rapunzel outfit to dress up it. She even got the light up high heels that go with the outfit!

Cousin Jessie got a Kinect for Christmas so we had dance offs in the den and Matt even tried out for American Idol. It looks like dance lessons may be in our future. Makaela did better when she was battling me in a dance off. My brothers, sister and cousins had a great time egging us on.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to flip the video so it is upright, but you don't need to see it...just listen :-)

Christmas Morning

I don't think I have ever had a more fun Christmas morning. Makaela was so funny! She is at the age where everything is a major surprise that watching her open her gifts was hysterical. She was very enthusiastic and even when she opened a toothbrush, she gushed and made it a big deal (of course the fact that it was a Dora and Diego toothbrush definitely helped). She also concocted a story about her meeting Santa Claus sometime during the night and that she got to talk to him. Mia, on the other hand, gave me a great present: sleeping 5 consecutive hours!! She slept through all the present opening, but Makaela had no problem opening up her sister's gifts for her.

Christmas Eve

Every Christmas Eve we head to my grandparent's house for lots of food and presents. This year the seafood course started at 2pm, so we spent a lot of time eating! Makaela entertained us all with her fabulous singing and insane antics (which of course, Matt and my brother Joey gladly joined in for). You can see how the family dog, Charlie, didn't appreciate Joey scaring Makaela, even if she loved it.

We all got spoiled with gifts, but Makaela took the cake. Luckily, my family got her lots of Mommy-approved gifts, like wondercolor markers (that write clear unless you have the special paper), an Vtech E-reader (yes, she will read before kindergarten) and a responsibility chart (mom is going to need a little help in the chore department with a new baby).

This Christmas eve was special because we were spending it with Mia and Matt. Of course this was Mia's first Christmas Eve and she has already been such a gift that I couldn't have asked for more this year, except for the fact that Matt was granted early R and R to spend the holidays with us. Who needs material gifts when you are surrounded by family?

Spending time with the Stampfers

We were able to arrange a visit with our friends the Stampfers, who used to live in Hawaii, but now live in NY. It has been over 6 months since Makaela had seen Colin, Rylee and Mason, but it was like they never left. Her and Rylee played together so nicely and at one point, we had to check on them because they had been in the playroom for so long together (not sure why, but parents get concerned when kids are too quiet for too long, which is oddly strange since we usually want kids to be quiet). It was great to see Tiff and Jim and chat about military transfers (since both families are up for one soon), share parenting stories and give updates on all our friends. After dinner, Tiff took me to a local bakery which was like carb heaven for me. If it hadn't had been after dinner and nightime, I probably would have been in a lot worse shape at the check out line (and with my waistline).

Cousin Candace

It was so nice to hear that Candace was going to attend Mia's christening and spend some time with us in NY. Candace stayed with us in Hawaii for 6 months, so she got to bond with Makaela when she was younger and it was nice to have her do the same with Mia, even if it were only for a short time. She was so helpful while she was here with the girls and Makaela loved playing with her again. I also enjoyed having a shopping and cooking partner too- seemed like old times. She has already gotten the girls totally equipped with Kansas State gear (mostly to irritate their Uncle Daniel, who is a totally Oklahoma Univ fan), so we couldn't resist taking a picture with Candace and Mia in their K State shirts. The girls have matching dresses too, so when I head home, I will have to have another K state picture taking session.

NYC

A visit to NY would not be complete without a visit to the city. Last year we met up with Mel and Shelley for dinner and drinks and left the city during a blizzard. This year we checked the weather station and made plans to meet up for a show, dinner and drinks. My family agreed to watch Mia and Makaela so we could have an adult night out. Candace came along with and it was her first visit to the Big Apple, so we had lots of fun pointing stuff out to her and explaining about the subway lines, what a knish was, and some city behaviors. We met up with Mel and Shelley, who waited in line for hours for our show tickets.This is a picture of Matt trying to hunt down Shelley in the massive crowds of NYC. After we checked into our hotel, The Algonquin, which by the way, is the home of the $10,000 martini and was the first hotel in the city to use electronic card door openers, we hit up the hotel bar (The Blue Bar) for some predinner drinks. The bartender recommended a little Venetian restaurant down the block and we had a delicious dinner that totally reminded me of my trip to Italy. Nothing beats Italian food in Italy, but NYC is a close second. Honestly, I am going to go home to Hawaii ten pounds heavier with all the fabulous food I have been eating. After dinner, we braved the cold and walked to the show, "Promises, Promises". The storyline was great, the acting was good, but I wasn't in love with the songs or Sean Hayes's singing voice. Kristin Chetenworth's voice was great.

Aunt Kathleen time

My sister has been great with the girls. She has been watching endless Disney movies with Makaela, cuddling and soothing Mia when Mia has an upset tummy (which as been almost every night) and has managed to squeeze in time for card games with me and Matt and some shopping with me. We will definitely miss aunt "kat-teen" when we leave.

Kath sleeping with Mia

Mia's Christening

We were very lucky that my family church in NY agreed to baptize Mia. Usually, we would have to go to baptism classes, but with Matt being in Iraq, he couldn't attend classes. I didn't want to wait until Matt got home to do the classes and Mia was one to baptize her, so my mom talked to the priest to see if there was anything we could do. The priest was very understanding about our situation and since we already attended the classes when Makaela was baptized, he let it slide and scheduled the baptism to occur while Matt was visiting NY for the holidays. This is the same priest who agreed to organize a pre-wedding counseling while Matt was deployed on the USS Nimitz for our wedding, who married us and who also baptized Makaela. Father Tom has really seen the Hoffman family through our major family events even though we leave 3000 miles away. My brother Mike is her godfather and our sister-in-law Jenni is her godmother but Candace flew out and stepped in since Jenni couldn't attend. We were surrounded by all our NY-based family and friends too. The ceremony was done by Father Michael and Mia was an angel throughout. She never made a peep even when she was being anointed with holy water.

Afterwards we headed over to Irish Time Pub for her celebration. Another great time with lots of great family, friends and food. We are very blessed people.

Mamas and Daughters

We spent the night at my friends' Kristin and Donald's house in Mountainside NJ after our potluck night. Spending time with Kris was like being sucked back to 12 years ago. We were still lounging in our college shirts and sweats, dressing up (I went "shopping" in her closet for some winter attire and cracked us up with my post-baby body. Normally decent clothes became very scandalous), playing games (matt was great with hide-and-seek), and commenting over celebrity gossip (as if we were talking about people we actually knew). The only difference was that we both have two little girls: one at the toddler stage and one in the infant stage. So much as changed, yet so much has stayed the same. Hopefully our little girls can be as close as we were and if there was any inclination from Makaela's phrase "I wanna see my friend Liv", it sounds like they might.

NY playmates

My NY friends organized a potluck dinner and it was great to get together before the holidays with all the girls, the mini girls and yes, the hubbies. The food and drinks were great, but the company was fabulous! My friend Kristin hosted and Steph brought Disney dolls for all toddlers. While the adults gabbed, the kids ran around and played and it was so great to see them all get along: it's like the second generation Kearney girls. It doesn't seem so long ago that me, Caroline and Kris were playing together and now we can watch our little girls do the same.

Bonding with Mia

Mia has had her days and nights mixed up for a while now, but the jet lag and 5 hour time zone difference has made sleeping at night in NY a bit tough. Luckily, now that Matt is with us, we can tag team and switch "Mia shifts". I take her until 3 am and Matt takes her from 3am until I wake up. I caught them one morning napping and the scene just melted my heart. Even though we are experiencing some sleepless night (and not getting too much cuddle time between the two of us), the time spent with Mia has been priceless, especially since the next time Matt sees her she will be walking.

Snow already?!

Our first morning in NY, I came downstairs and Makaela asked if she could go play in the snow. I told her there was no snow and she looked at me and said, "Yeah, mama. Go look." Sure enough there was about an inch of snow on the ground. Nothing too drastic but just enough for a little Hawaiian toddler to appreciate. What she didn't appreciate was the big bulky coat we made her put on. And then, she absolutely refused to wear the boots, so her time outside was short lived because her attire would allow her to be out for longer than 15 minutes (don't you just love the high water pants and little black shoes she chose). When she came back inside she coined her term (which we proceeded to hear all day long), "It's super duper coldy outside mama." She will be very interesting to deal with if we have to move back to the East coast someday.

Our flight to NY and who was waiting for us...

Makaela, Mia and I started out trek to NY yesterday and after two flights and a layover in Dallas, I am happy to report that we arrived totally untraumatized. Both girls were fabulous flyers. Makaela stayed up and watched movies while Mia slept and when Mia woke, Makaela conveniently fell asleep. Of course Mom didn't get any sleep, but a peaceful trip was all I could as for. Makaela was very impatient when we got off the last plane because she knew she was going to see a special someone.

Adjusting to two on my own

Donna flew back to NY a bit early so now I am alone with the two girls. I definitely think I have been spoiled having family here to help out and now I find myself thinking "Oh, no- I can't just run out to the grocery store quickly. I have to pack both of them up" and then I find something else to eat instead :-) We are falling into routines and I'm proud to report that I am mastering the double bath time pretty well. I even made it out for a walk to the park with the two girls and the two dogs. What is difficult is trying to give both girls the attention they need and also take care of the household chores. I am constantly doing laundry and it seems that as soon as I start a task, one of the girls needs me and the task remains half done until I realize it 8 hours later. Prior to Mia's birth, I would have never left the downstairs messy at night. I would put Makaela to bed and then clean up before I went to bed. Now, sleep is more important and I find myself looking at all the princesses and puzzle pieces on the floor and thinking "I got the laundry done today, that's enough. I'll get to the rest tomorrow" and happily walk myself and Mia up to bed. Oh, how things change.

Happy Birthday Abby and Gavin

Today we went to Abby and Gavin's birthday party which was held at a gymnastics center. Once Makaela warmed up, she was running all of the place. The girl took so many tumbles, it was frightening, but she kept getting back up again. The rope swing (Tarzan style) was tricky for her (after a major face plant with the floor), but she kept on going until she got the hang of it. She even did the zipline. Once she was done with it, she said, "I'm brave mommy, I'm going to do it again" As she got ready for her 2nd ride, she got a bit freaked out and started crying b

ut did it anyway. When I asked her why she was crying for the 2nd ride, she said, "I decided I'm not big enough for this". Ok- interesting logic. Now she is telling me that her next birthday will be held there. Although I'm sure she will have us running around with tiaras and gowns too since she wants a "princess gymnastics party". Thanks Martins and Buelows for a great party! (and a very long naptime :-)

Three Distinct Cliques

Today, Steph, Katie and I took the kids to Ko'olina for walk and a picnic. The kids endured th

e strollers for the walk and when we let them out, they ran themselves silly, while the moms gossiped and the littlest ones snoozed, ate or in Zack's case, wiggled around. The moms took turns tag-teaming the duties (like getting the picnic supplies, doing bathroom runs, watching the infants, etc) and everyone had a great evening. It was low stress, lots of good company and best yet, my kitchen stayed clean!

The littlest ones: Dylan (3 months), Zack (7 months) and Mia (1 month)

The bigger kids: Makaela (3 years), Abby (2 years) and Gavin (3 years)

And the biggest kids (Makaela and Gavin did a pretty good job taking this picture).