Beware of nail salons!

Ok, so picture this.. I am in KC, I want to take my daughter to do something special, so I take her to the nail place to get her nails painted, and me a manicure.

She grins with joy the whole time we are there, excited to pick out her colors. She choose golden (more of a neon yellow if you ask me), and hot pink. Two of her favorite colors right now.

I had them cut my cuticles, and paint my nails a soft pink. We left feeling a little pampered and grateful for the time we spent together doing something "girly". Fun right?

Well, little did I know, this innocent nail outing would turn into me on antibiotics for 10 days, and a COMPLETE LOSS OF MY FINGER NAIL!!

Yeah so probably a few days after our manicures, the cuticle on one of my fingers started getting a little red. Didn't think much of it. It got more and more red, so I looked online and tried some at home remedies such as soaking it in Epsom Salt, applying topical antibiotic cream, and maybe a few other things. Nothing was working. It was getting more sore and the redness was spreading up my finger.

I called the nail salon to ask them what the hell was going on with my nail and what I should do. At this point I knew what it was, but just wanted to see what they would say. The man on the phone didn't skip a beat in telling me "go to the doctor and then call me back and I will give you my insurance information".. I asked if this happens often and he said it sometimes does, but not often.

Mind you, this place did not appear dirty, or run down. It is a very busy nail salon in the middle of a upper class neighborhood. Im just saying, this place was probably one of the nicer ones out there and this can happen anywhere!

I told the man I was not looking to have them pay any medical bills or anything like that, but I wanted him to know it happened at his salon and he needed to have a more sanitary cleaning process in place. He assured me he would speak with all his employees about the importance of cleaning all instruments. I was satisfied with that knowing it was all I could do at the time. (although I did have some random thoughts of picketing his place of business, going in and passing out flyer's with a picture of my nail to all the customers getting theirs done, and other more anger driven responses~lol)

After that I put a call in to my Uncle Don, he's a podiatrist and I knew he would be able to call me in a script. He knew exactly what I was talking about. There is a medical name for it, and can happen for various reasons to finger and toe cuticles. Basically a cuticle infection...One way it can happen is from dirty instruments at a nail salon.

Moral of the story….

*Take you own instruments when you go get a manicure or pedicure. Or don't go at all and just do it yourself at home*

I am hoping it grows in normal, but if it doesn't I'm OK with it ..shit happens I guess. I'm just thankful the infection didn't go systemic and that my daughter didn't experience it.

fun pics!

march 2014 update

So, I haven't been here in a while and I have been thinking about checking in for a few days now. I keep having the thoughts "oohh I should blog about this, or that".. So, here I am and I just want to give an update on us. Joe is going on a motorcycle trip through Central America here soon, and so it will be just the kids and I for a while. At first I was a little nervous to be with the kids by myself for so many weeks without the help of family, but Im good with it now and know it will be all good. My kids are awesome and I love being with them everyday so that helps:)

The weather here has been a little rainy and cold(er) lately. I like waking up and wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts. Its all nice and cozy. I get my tea going, breakfast for the little girl and we snuggle under covers for a while before starting our day. We do miss going to the beach in the hot sun, but I am appreciative of the milder weather and loving every minute of it. I did stop at a great beach today for kids and we swam for a bit. The sun was shining and it felt great to get in the ocean. I feel so blessed to live where I do and encourage anyone who has ever contemplated moving some place tropical, to do so. Its not for everyone, but it sure is for me!!

I have been doing something new which I absolutely love and don't ever want to go without again…every night I go into my room and for like 30-45 minutes I do some yoga stretches and then I meditate. At first I just did some short guided meditations on you tube, and now Im up to doing 20-30 min ones. I really love it and feel it has helped me to be more relaxed and trusting of my life. I don't let things get me stressed or let the fears and anxiety take over anymore like I used to. When that starts to happen I am now able to stop the negative thoughts and ground myself back to that peaceful, loving state. Its amazing!

~~I guess thats all for now~~

Ask, believe, be patient and you will receive

I got a random e-mail yesterday from this blogger lady Kris Karr. I usually just erase the emails I get from her, but this one I started reading for some reason. It led me to read the whole blog entry which discussed something cool that happened to her and she wanted to share. She had been reading a book about the power of our thoughts and how if we start to think about and express what we WANT in life instead of what we don't want, we will see miracles happen. The book had an exercise where it asked the reader to pick some they wanted to happen to them in the next 48 hours, ask for it and then wait to receive it. She made a request and of course it was granted. I decided to try it out. I decided that within the next 48 hours I wanted to be the recipient of a random act of kindness. I asked for it to happen, believed it would, and it did! On the second day, I was walking into the grocery store with my daughter and a woman stopped us and said "here this is for you", it was a beautiful red hibiscus flower. Hallie was too shy to take it so I did. Immediately, I was like, "that was kind of random"..then I remembered my wish and smiled the rest of my grocery trip knowing that it really does work! We can literally create what we want for our lives by our thoughts. Its a pretty deep concept and most can't wrap their minds around it, but once you do, your life will change for the better. There will be less stressful moments, and more moments of gratitude. You will start to see the good in every situation in life! You will start to feel as if your in the "flow" of all good things! Its amazing to have this gift and know that it is real. I feel very blessed to be where I am at in life and I Thank God everyday for the blessings I have manifested and received in my life.

Here is a picture of me with the beautiful red hibiscus that was given to me. So pretty!

"NO GMO"

So lately there has been a ton of hype regarding an issue which I feel is of upmost importance to every singe person alive.

GMO"S (genetically modified organisms)

I have so much to say on this topic, but I am going to try and say what I want to in a "nutshell", an organic non-GMO nutshell..lol

Ok so, I am not an expert on this topic and do not claim to be. I have not sat down and done tons of research on GMO's, but I have read a shit ton of articles in the last few years on the subject, and will be basing my knowledge off of what I have learned and retained.

GMO's are genetically modified organisms, which in essence means it was made in a lab. For instance, they take corn which is genetically modified as a seed, they grow it in mass quantities and for cheap, they harvest it, use it to make harmful ingredients such as corn syrup, then they put corn syrup in almost everything you see in the grocery store today.

I remember back in my high school days (in the 90's), hearing that "they" (scientist) might have come up with a way to clone a sheep. Do you remember hearing that?

The chatter among people I was around at the time was something like "hey did you hear they might be able to clone a sheep now"? "Really whats that mean"? "Oh, that means they replicate the exact sheep, DNA and all, to reproduce another sheep just like it"? "ooohhhh.....hmmm I'm not sure I agree with that". "Yeah me either, its kinda weird", "Yeah, can you imagine if they cloned ME" "haha yeah that would be funny"..............

Moved on and didn't think much about sheep cloning after that convo.

Looking back, the messed up part is at that exact moment, when I am hearing rumors about sheep cloning, and being introduced to the facts of science possibly becoming too big for itself, what I did not know or realize was that I, and everyone else I knew, was actually EATING and DRINKING products of whom's ingredients were made in a lab!

In essence, I have been raised on food that was made in a lab, by scientist, with chemicals...CLONED FOOD!

And what really sucks is that now almost everything is GMO!

Over 80% of processed foods are GMO, not to mention the cotton we wear, the lotion and soaps we use.

From what I have learned, in most developed countries, they either have strict restrictions or a complete ban on all GMO products because they are thought to be unsafe and cause a lot of health issues, as well as environmental.


Fast forward 10-15 years from my high school days, and the conversations are now like this....

"Man, its so weird how there is so much disease now days", "Yeah, I know, its crazy"!, "I wonder where all this cancer and shit is coming from"?, "who knows..could be something in our food, could be something in the environment, could be, could be, could be...who knows" ........ all the while not even knowing that the food we were eating WAS and IS a huge cause of disease, cancer and sickness.

There are of course other factors in people getting sick, but I have come to the conclusion that what we put in our bodies is going to effect it. Positive or negative..it matters. Food does matter.

So, here we are in the year 2013, and people of America are finally starting to WAKE UP!

We are becoming more aware, informed, and educated on important topics some of us were never even aware of.  Its awesome! And feels amazing!!

I now choose to eat organic, non-GMO foods which have made me feel tons better and get sick less often.

I was once unaware of the corruption going on around me, the lies being sold to my kids and I, and the effects that it had on our whole entire world.

I was not aware that eating McDonalds, Cheerios, Rice Chex, Lunchables, potato chips and goldfish could actually be dramatically increasing my family and I's chances of getting cancer or other disease. I did not know.

I knew it was unhealthy and could make me fat, but I did not know that it was and still is, causing cancer and disease in not only humans, but animals too.

Have you noticed how many dogs die of cancer these days?

Did you know that lab rats fed GMO's grew humongous cancerous tumors?

I did not know that the chemicals used to make the ingredients, the dyes and other harmful additives to my food was reeking havoc on my body and the body of my child.

Well now I do.

I now understand that what I put in my mouth is very important and is a choice that I need to mindfully make everyday.

I now know that food dyes and GMO's are proven to cause behavior problems in children.

How sad is that? That we parents uknowingly feed kids food which will biologically mess them up enough to cause behavior problems.

Its unfair.

I really feel like we have all been duped.

I get that we could have and should have been more aware and responsible for researching and knowing what what being put into our food, and bodies..but, I just feel like it was kind of done in a sneaky, shady fashion and that my parents, nor Grandparents were properly informed about these ingredients, the potential side effects and long term effects.

So what can we do to help repair our damaged food system?

First and foremost, try your best to start thinking about the foods you buy and eat.

Shop local and organic.

Look for the green and white "USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC" label on the foods you buy. Next time your in a grocery store, go to the "health food isle" and just browse. If you see something interesting, get it and try something new!

Grow your own food, but try and make sure your seeds are non-GMO.

Buy organic meats. Or buy meat from a local farmer if possible. That way you know that the cows, pigs and chickens your eating were not fed GMO food and do not have antibiotics and hormones in it, which non-organic meat is full of. (gross right?)

Another thing you can do is contact your local legislature and let them know you want GMO's LABELED.

As of right now there is no law stating that these companies who manufacture these products have to label them as GMO, and therefore they choose NOT TO LABEL them.

If they had confidence in their product, then why not label them?

This not labeling GMO's is a part of the reason why so many Americans are still not even aware of the dangers of feeding these foods to their family.

You may think its alot to take on at once, and there will be a hundred different excuses why you cannot do it..but think about this..cancer is expensive, it takes up alot of your time, it effects your family, its painful and can actually kill you. 

Its all baby steps in starting to live a more natural, healthier lifestyle, but every step is worth it for the long-term health of you and your family.

If you would like to learn more about Genetically Modified Foods, google it:) read about  Monsanto...they are evil. Do not believe a word they say. Its all about the money for them. Watch the documentary Food Inc, or  Food Matters. Or click on the link below...

http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/

Once we are all better informed, we can start to make the necessary changes to live longer, happier and hopefully disease free!

Sudden trip

(started to write this back in July)
Well, we have left the Garden Isle, and returned to the Land of Oz!! I have been saying for a few months now that I wanted to go back to KC for Hallie's 3rd birthday, not knowing I would be coming back on different terms. I hadn't booked a ticket, when I got a call that my Dad had fallen on his afternoon walk, and was in the hospital. All I knew was he couldn't feel his legs. Talk about feeling FAR AWAY FROM HOME!! At that moment, all I wanted to do was be there with my family, hear the doctors speak, and find out the expected outcome of my Dad's condition. My girlfriend from high school had just gotten to Hawaii to visit for a week. So, its not like I could just jump on a plane and go. When I found out that my Dad had hurt his neck, was going to need surgery, but was expected to recover nicely..I decided to wait and fly back with my friend 5 days later. Being the only girl in the family, with 4 brothers, I have always been very involved in my parents medical care and I'm the "go to" person when there is a family issue. It was hard for me to not be that person, but allowing my brothers to be there for my parents felt awesome. I have to say, they have all impressed me with their loving and supportive nature. My oldest brother, Casey, has power of attorney over my Dad's medical care, which takes a great strain off my Mom. Casey knows my Dad very well, and knows what he would want. Kelly, Zach and Chase have all been visiting and helping whenever possible. When I arrived in KC, I picked up my car and headed to the rehab hospital where my Dad is at. It was very hard to see him in the state he was. The first few days were the worst because he was just so confused, defiant and not understanding the severity of the accident. For him to heal, his mental state had to improve. Finally, over about a two week period, it slowly got better and better. He started walking with a walker and feeding himself with the use of an assisted device.

UPDATE: My Mom, brothers and I have all been there as much as we can and are doing everything possible to help him improve. I am back in Hawaii so I can only do so much, but I do call my Mom alot to talk and see how things are going. We got them a patio furniture set for their birthday's, which they have been thoroughly enjoying. Thankfully I can say he has come a very long way in the last 2 1/2  months. It is crazy how life can turn around in a second. I trust that everything that happens is supposed to happen, and there is always good in the (seemingly) bad. This accident is going to allow my Dad to slow down in life, appreciate his family and friends, and live happy and healthy for hopefully another 30+ years. God sure does have a way of working things out. It has been shown to me numerous times over the past few years. My prayers have been answered in so many ways and I just know that things will all work out with my Dad. My brother took over my his Chiropractic office and is loving it! I miss my parents everyday, but I am so thankful they are both here to Skype and talk to anytime I want  <3

Our new home away from home..

Dang! Here I thought I was going to keep up with my blog, and its been since May that I last posted.

So much has been going on. We bought our very first home on Kauai!! It has been taking up most of our time, I will get to that in a minute. Leading up to finding this wonderful piece of property...Joe and I had thrown around the idea of buying a home here. We love it and he is committed to his job here for a few years, at the least. So, a few months prior to us finding this house, we would randomly go look at houses that came on the market in our price range, both for fun and with the thought that if the right house comes along, we might want to buy. Well, Joe brought me to a house and told me to try and "look past all the crap".. Well, that meant look past all the trash, birds, dogs, nasty everything!! I was not completely sold on the home, although I did see the potential right away. The one thing I wanted to think long and hard about was the location. It is not on our ideal side of the island (or so we thought our ideal was). We went back a few weeks later to view the house again. After many discussions, we decided to put in an offer! Long story short, they accepted our offer and we closed on the house in May 2013!

We had all our stuff from the mainland shipped over here to our small piece of paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. After months of construction on the house, we finally are moved in! We have not unpacked all of our boxes, but that will come in time. We had the interior painted,  hardwood floors put in and our kitchen cabinets painted GREEN, which I am in love with. I feel we have done a pretty good job manifesting all the things we dream of having in life! About a year ago, I made a list of things we wanted in our future..I found that list a few days ago and probably half of them were crossed off or in the near future going to be crossed off. We have our home, on land, with an outside shower, room for a porch swing, ocean view, and bigger space than we have been living in. We have yet to cross of the garden, but I am pleased to say we have plans for a kick ass garden and also we have fruit trees already on the property which we are giving some extra special love to in the hopes of getting better fruit from them. I have always made lists of the things I want to have or acquire in the future, and I love looking back at those list and seeing that they have come to fruition. It is proof that we really are capable of anything we set our minds to. What we think about comes about, so think good thoughts. I am looking forward to our future here as a family. The kids have a wonderful piece of land to call home the most beautiful island in the world. What a blessing it is. I am excited to see what the future brings us. I foresee our yard becoming full of yummy fruits and veggies, a swing-set, motorcycle track, my parents and other visitors coming out and maybe another little keiki running around in cloth diapers:) lol That one is a shot in the dark as I think my husband would agree we have our hands full right now, but in my heart I see it and believe it, and therefore I embrace it.

our house guests have left..

Well our family just left who was here visiting us from Kansas. 

My cousin Lacey came with her husband Joey, and their little boy Kruz. We had a ton of fun. Hallie and Kruz are only a month apart and had a great time playing (and fighting) together. They both are the sweetest little kids though, and really enjoyed playing play dough, eating cereal, digging in the sand, and warm baths/showers usually spent pouring water on each others heads:) 

Kruz LOVED Jalen and kept calling him his "best friend"... "where my best friend go"? He kept saying.. <3

We went camping for Kruz's 3rd birthday and Mother's Day at a killer beach. Two tents, 15 feet from the ocean(but totally safe), a big fire (which is a story in itself, but we will just say we now know that open fires are illegal in the state of Hawaii..haha), and birthday cake! What could get better?!

We absolutely love having our family and friends come visit us! Its so fun to experience another part of the world with the people we love. 

in other news..

we are extremely busy right now with all of the new things coming our way. Our house is finalized, we are working now on making it "ours"..its an amazing place with tons of potential, it just needs some TLC which we are happily willing to give. I will update on that soon>>

Its been a while..

Wow! I cant believe its been so long since I wrote here. If anyone still cares, Im baaaaack!! HAHA

Joe told me a fb friend asked why I hadn't been keeping up with the blog, and that he really enjoyed reading it, and on the same day my son asked me why I never blog anymore. So, I took that as a sign that I need to start it up again!

Lots and lots has been going on in our lives since I last posted.

Some really exciting new adventures are in store for our family, which I will talk more about in the coming days.

We are still living in Hawaii, and plan on staying here for atleast a few years. Unless some unforseen circumstance arises, we are very happy here and things are just great!

Joe is still working hard at C21, and I am staying busy with the kids.

We just had our very first family members (and some of the most wanted) come visit us for 2 weeks!

My older brother(only 1.5 years older than me), his wife(she ROCKS), and their 3 oh so adorable kids all made the long trek out. Boy, was it worth it though.

This pic was taken right before they left for the airport to go back home. We are so sad they are gone, but so incredibly THANKFUL for the opportunity to spend time in Hawaii with them.

I have a ton of thoughts on things I want to write about, but I think since its late and Im fresh back from my blogging hiatus, I will keep it short and sweet. 

As much LOVE as you see in the picture above, I am sending to YOU, right now. Take a moment to accept and receive it <3

peace out

This and that..

Wow! Its been over a month since I last blogged. Things are moving right along.

I just got back from a visit to KC, just me and the kids. Joe stayed in Hawaii to work.

We surprised my parents, which was very cool. They had no idea we were coming!

My Aunt, Grandma Gentry and 2 nieces were hanging out at my Mom's house when we arrived. They were sitting out on the back porch, and as we walked up the side of the house towards the back, I just set Hallie down and let her walk around the corner.

My Mom's jaw dropped, she kept saying "Hallie, Hallie Rose"??. Then Jalen and I came around the corner and said "surprise"! She jumped up and hugged us all.

Kayla(6) and Arlie(4) (my nieces) did not know we were coming either, so they were shocked to see us as well. They get to talk to us on the phone, and Skype from time to time, but to see us in person caught them off guard. It was amazing!

My Dad was still at work, so my Mom called him and said to come home when he was done with his last patient.

When he arrived home, finally, we were hiding in the back bedroom. Hallie and I hid behind the door, and Jalen just sat on his bed. When my Dad opened the door, all he saw was Jalen sitting there smiling.

He immediately dropped his head into his hands and started crying. He grabbed Jalen and hugged him for a very long time. He then hugged Hallie and I. They were both pleasantly surprised.

We ended up staying at their house the whole time, sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. It worked out great!

Hallie woke up in the mornings, and would go into my Moms room. She would climb up on her bed, eat Cheerios, watch TV, play with the dogs, and hide under the covers. By the end of the week she was getting pretty comfortable there.

I got to hang out with my awesome sister-in-laws, see my 4 nieces, my brothers and other family members.

We missed Joe a lot, but it sure felt good to see some familiar faces.

Since being back from KC, life is as usual. Jalen is doing well in school. He has a goal of straight A's. I told him if he reaches that goal, I will send him to KS to visit this summer, by himself! He is all about it.

Joe is busy working away at Century 21 All Islands. He is doing lots of open houses, sending out postcards, and other stuff to try and market himself. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished.

Hallie and I are staying busy going to playmates, the park, outdoor play, art, etc....She is an absolute JOY and I fall more in love with her everyday. Her little skinny butt is growing up so fast! I can't believe she is going to be two in a few months. Might be time to start thinking about adding another bundle of joy to our family..(wink, wink)


We just got back from a weekend getaway at the Hyatt hotel on the South side of Kauai. It was my gift to Joe for our 4 year wedding anniversary coming up in a few days.

We ate way to much food, got way to little sleep, and had a ton of fun! When we arrived home on Sunday afternoon, we all took a 3 hour nap.

We are all still loving Kauai and plan on staying here for a while. Not sure on an exact number, but long enough to let Joe have his hand at real estate and until we all are not liking it anymore, or I miss my family to much:)

Which, who knows, may be in a few months, may be in a few years, may never happen. We will see....

I just found out today that I am going to be an aunt for the 5th time!

My brother, Casey, and his wife Rachel are going to have yet another Baker cutie! I'm so excited!

Rachel is the most cutest pregnant girl ever, she does home birth, extended breast feeding, I could go on forever...shes awesome! Finley and Scarlet are going to be big sisters!!!!!

Well, I guess that's all for now.

End of an era

Its the end of an era.

Change isn't always easy, but its inevitable and so we must choose..

Do we want to resist change, dwell on it and wish it wasn't happening?...

Or do we "go with the flow", so to speak. Embrace change and move on?

Its not always easy to embrace change, but I'm learning its a must.

Yesterday was the last bottle of "mommy milk", Hallie will get from me.

Its been 20 awesome months of being able to breast feed her for almost 3 months, gather and give her donor milk, and then to pump my own milk for her, daily.

It is time.

My pump is malfunctioning, I have a little cut on my boob which hurts when I pump, and being that she is 20 months old tomorrow, we feel the time has come.

I think if I was breast feeding, not pumping, I would not stop at this point in time.

However, the pump is much less convenient, loud, and like I said, its being a piece of crap!

I feel like the signs are telling me, its OK to stop now.

I am sad to stop producing "mommy milk" for Hallie Rose.

I think one of the hardest parts is that she is now at an age where she knows the difference between her "mommy milk", and her coconut milk.

She gets SO excited when she sees me start to pump.

She runs over and grabs her bottle as fast as she can, and brings it to me wanting my milk.

She then proceeds to dance around, happily, until I fill up enough to give her a few ounces.

The sounds "mmmmm, mmmmm", are heard coming from her as she drinks it in 2.5 seconds!

She then signs for "more", with the word "mommy" being said after it.

As to ask for "mommy milk".

Point being, she LOVES my milk, as she should.

Its the most natural, sweet, yumminess she could or should want at this age.

So, its a bitter sweet ending to my long journey of induced lactation.

I'm happy to be done with that freaking pump, but I wish I could continue giving Hallie something she loves so much.

I feel very blessed and grateful that God instilled in me, or I manifested, or both.....

the *determination and knowledge*, to give my child such a wonderful gift.

Hallie Rose, Mommy loves you and I would do anything for you!..my sweet baby girl.

Our awesome Valentine's Day! (and a little bit of potty talk)

Our very first Valentine's Day on Kauai was a great one!

The night before, when Joe, Jalen and Hallie were sleeping, I set up all their gifts I got them on the kitchen table. 

I made it look all pretty, and Valentine's dayish. 

They each got a bar of homemade soap, and then each got another small gift from me. 

I got Joe these really cool letters made out of horseshoe's..they read J (heart) C.

Jalen got a new hat from a local surf shop, and some Fruity Pepples cereal. He has been wanting it for a long time, and since we do not typically buy sugary cereal, I figured I would treat him. 

He finished the box in less than a week, so I think he was loving it!

And Hallie Rose got an electric toothbrush that has Barbie on it. She loves to play with mine, so I thought I would encourage teeth brushing by getting her one of her own. 

The next morning, when Hallie and I woke up, Joe had decorated the kitchen counter top with pink and red roses(my favorite), red tulips for Hallie, and my phone was sitting there with a post it that read "press play".

When I opened up my phone and pressed play, "Love Song" by Adele played. 

Hallie and I danced to the beautiful tune, while basking in the love surrounding us.

We then went about our day as planned, which consisted of toddler class at the library, playing at the park, and tending to my other domestic duties. 

I dressed her in a cute t-shirt with hearts on it, and let her pick out her diaper that day. 

She chose red. 

She also insisted on wearing her pink Ugg boots, so she looked very cute to say the least.

Later that day, we picked Jalen up from the bus stop, and waited for Dad to come home from work. 

He came home early, and was prepared to cook us all a yummy Valentine's meal. 

Fish from Hanalei Dolphin, brown rice, and salad. 

I also made an ice cream cake, which we enjoyed after our dinner.

It was a great day, filled with love. 

A few days after V-day, Hallie started something new....

She is going potty in the toilet!

We still put a diaper on her, but she can pretty much go pee "on command". 

She thinks its pretty cool to sit up on the toilet, so we have been having her go often. 

We cheer and praise her each time she goes. 

She runs around naked alot, so I think that has helped in her realizing whats going on "down there". 

I cant believe my little baby is going potty in the toilet already!

Everyone says "they grow up so fast", which is SO true!

I also can't believe my first baby is going to be 13 in a couple of weeks. 

We got him something really cool, but I wont say yet what it is. 

He is flying to Ohau with the Island School Olympaids team on March 3rd(his b-day) to compete against other schools in the state of Hawaii.

I am such a proud Mommy and wife. 

I am blessed beyond belief, and feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful little family unit. 

I love them more than anyone or anything in the entire world. 

They are my life, my love, my heart, and happiness. 

January 2012

Poor little Hallie Rosebud:(

She is not feeling herself the past few days.

Her last big molar is getting ready to pop through, and so I'm thinking this is what has caused the runny nose and slight cough.

She is sleeping more than normal during the day, but not near as well at night.

We finally got her off the night bottles, which has helped us all get more sleep.

It only took a night or two of her waking up, wanting it, fussing and falling back to sleep.

She now sleeps from about 9 or 10pm until around 6 am. It is so nice.

She has been saying more words lately.

She likes to pretend like she is talking on the phone, and will just jibber jabber. It is the cutest thing ever!

She can say "mama, mommy, daddy, bye, up", and tries to repeat things we tell her to.

She can point to every body part we ask of her, including her chin, elbow, knees, back(tries), eyebrows, and cheeks.

Her favorite food right now is quinoa, blueberries, and shredded non-dairy cheese.

She also is loving nuts (almonds, macademia, and walnuts). I crush them up and she gobbles them right up.

She loves the green Naked(brand) juice sold in stores.

We go on a morning walk almost every morning, and she likes to see the horses.

Joe started his job this week at Century 21 Real Estate, and is loving it!

He is already getting to go look at houses, and even got to be a part of a contract write up on his first day.

I am so happy for him, and I just know he is going to do great things in his line of work.

Jalen is doing good also. He still likes school a lot, and is striving to get all A's this trimester.

We told him if he succeeded in doing so, his reward would be that he gets to miss school for a day and go do anything he wants, within reason.

He recently competed in the Science Olympiads for his school. They came in 2nd place, and will go to Ohau for the state competition on his 13th birthday, March 3rd.

We are still loving life here, and have pretty much decided we do not want to leave.

It is my goal to be here part of the year, and be back in Kansas for part of the year.

We will probably continue to rent out our house on Slater, and keep the 80th street house for us.

My awesome brother Zach, who lives there now, will continue to live there while in Chiropractic school, and that way we have a place to call home when we return to Kansas.

I will be going back to Kansas more often than Joe, since he will be working.

I would like to spend at least a couple weeks, if not a month at a time there.

It is very important to Joe and I that our little family of 4 is happy where we are living, and enjoying life to the fullest. We feel we have that here in Hawaii.

There is so much to see and do and are a lot of "like minded" people here, which is a bonus and feels great!

It is also just as important to us that we keep in close contact with our family back in Kansas, and that our kids are raised around their Grandparents and cousins.

So, in an ideal world, we will be able to have both.

1st stroller ride, but still gonna wear this little girl

Babywearing is a term used when a caregiver, Mom or Dad or whomever, carries a baby or child in a sling/backpack/carrier of some sort which is attached to the caretakers body.

This practice is used by many who believe that their child is happier, cries less and it actually makes things easier for the caretaker to get things done with the child strapped in.

From day 1 of meeting little Sugar Bear, I put her on my chest.

We then wrapped her in a sling to carry her throughout the house, on outings, to help her fall asleep or whenever she needed to feel love and secure.

Babywearing has worked wonders for us! It really does keep you connected to your child in a way like no other.

The research shows that babies who are held often:

cry less
are more calm and content
sleep more peacefully
nurse better, gain weight better
enjoy better digestion(from being upright)
develop better(from the stimulation of human touch)

Weather it is to go on a walk, or doing household chores, the sling is the best place for my baby girl.

Up until now.....Its time to try the stroller......


The reason we finally decided to invest in a stroller was, I wanted to be able to exercise in the mornings when Joe is not home to watch her.

We felt like Hallie was old enough to understand the concept of us pushing her around, and also felt her brain was developed enough for the ride, so we purchased a jogging stroller from a garage sale for only $25!

The first time we put her in it, her Daddy took her for a ride around the yard.

He showed her the beautiful flowers, trees, and fruits on our property.

After their ride, he got Hallie out, and she kept signing "more"..

She loved it!

We now go on walks just about everyday.

She lasts about 30 minutes, until she starts pulling on the straps and wanting out.

Sometimes we take the Ergo baby carrier with us on our walks, and when she gets sick of the stroller, I put her in the sling and push an empty stroller.

I'm sure the cars driving by think I'm crazy, but that's totally fine by me.