Kailee talking on the phone!

Crazy how they pick this up so early!!!!!!
The video...if you listen closely it sounds like she's really answering my questions and repeating what I say....just a coincidence but glad I caught it on video! She's really on the "Mama" kick right now...not that I like to see her sad, but I love it when she comes up to me with her arms up and says, "mamamamamamamama" How come that is so much cuter than when a 3 yr old does it? :)

Tidbits from Hailey Part VII

1. Tiffany and I S-P-E-L-L a lot in front of the kids. Anything from plans for the next day: P-A-R-K or B-E-A-C-H or Can so and so have a S-N-A-C-K or M-I-L-K? One particular night at dinner she commented on the fact that if anyone was listening in on our current conversation we must sound pretty bazaar!!! Shortly after that Hailey asked for some P-T-H-A-E (or some random letters like that....I think it was W-A-T-E-R that she was trying to spell. :)

2. We had gotten home from taking Leila for a walk and I opened the garage...little did I realize that as the garage door was lifting up, Hailey was hanging onto the bottom and going for a ride!!! I immediately grabbed her and said, "Don't ever to that again!!" I think she scared/surprised herself that she was able to hold on. She replied in startled tone, "I won't, but it was really fun though!"

3. After reading Hailey her bedtime book, I was trying to convince her to turn out the light and lay down and she said to me, "Let me tell you a message" (I think she meant "let me tell you a secret") Anyway, she whispers in my ear, "I love Daddy berry much"

And my favorite
4. Last weekend the girls and I went to a concert put on by a local radio station here where all the big local bands get together. It was an outdoor concert and we sat in the park just outside and had a little picnic and listened to the music. Earlier that day when I told Hailey that we were going to a concert with Sarah and Rachael, she replied, "Like the one we went to with my Grandma?" I was confused...I was trying to remember what she was talking about and then she said, "You know...the one with Jesus." :) She meant church!

Pics from the concert....
She ran away from me when I was trying to feed her dinner

Hailey wanted me to take a picture of her running
It was way past bedtime and they were wrestling in the grass...Kailee is a beast!

Hailey did her hair again, but put WAY too much detangling cream in it...but it made it straight so you can see how long it really is.

The babies are BACK!

I started back with the babies last Thursday...Brooke and Jackson (who I had last school year) and now also Gavin who is the son of more of our "teacher friends" So far everything is running smooth and we are settling into a nice routine. The babies nap morning and afternoon and Gavin naps for 3 hrs mid-day (I even have to wake him up!!!) Hailey is excited to have someone a little closer to her age to play with during the day.


Gavin 19 months
Brooke 13 months
Jackson 12 months
Hailey and Jackson wrestling...need a wrestling mat instead of Leila's bed!!!

ReadingFeeding time at the zoo!


This is a video of the babies chasing each other....Kailee and Jackson were crawling around and around the chair and cracking up...I was a little late on the camera, but still got some good footage!

My blog purge is over....

The purge is complete...sorry, don't have anything more exciting than a picture of a proud Hailey with a drawing of a duck (which, because she HAD to make it yellow, looks more like a chick...still, I was impressed) She made it using a step by step "let's draw" from a children's magazine. She didn't like the fact that you could only see one wing on the duck, so on the other side of the paper she drew a wing (not a whole other duck, just a wing!)

We went to the waterpark again today, but no pics. We are having fun playing with the Stampfer kids who are finally home from their 3 month long visit to NY! But not too many pics there either. I start back with the babies on Thursday, so I won't have as much time on my hands in the evenings to blog AND keep up with the housework, but I'll do my best.

Who needs toys?

Hailey recently got a new carseat and I let her keep the box in the house for a few days to play in. She decorated it with markers and stickers and called it her home (although one day it was an airplane and she went to visit Daddy...she even packed her carryon that we had used for our trip) The girls had a lot of fun with it, but I was sick of it taking up space. Hailey wouldn't let me throw it away. Finally one night I tossed it after they had gone to bed and she hasn't asked for it since. :)

Playing Peekaboo

Kailee smushing Hailey
Hey! Where'd she go?
A little too crowded...Hailey's face and Kailee arm

The Haiders in Hawaii

Two days after we flew home the Haiders came back to Hawaii for Eric's R&R...they used their timeshare at KoOlina and the girls and I were able to go visit each day (it's just the next exit down). Depending on what was planned for the day, I would come and go according to Kailee's naps. She (mainly me, I think) is much more flexible with her routine. I was very anal with keeping Hailey on a schedule...I still am with the both of them, but somehow it seems different. Anyway, we had a great time at the pool or beach everyday and got super excited because we will also be staying there when Leevi comes on his R&R. We didn't think we were going to use our timeshare this year with Leevi being deployed, but once we found out his vacation dates I called KoOlina and they had a week open!!!!!!!! It will be nice because even though we live in Hawaii we don't always take advantage of it. This way I will be out of the house and not have chores staring me in the face and we will be able to just wake up and walk down to the beach!

Hailey is so excited to show Leevi that she can "swim all by herself" I found this awesome life jacket at Walmart that is the concept of water wings with an addition float across the front. She loves it because it's not too confining and doesn't have the strap that goes between her legs.
Taking a break from swimming to have a Shave IceThey couldn't even make it to the car!
The four kids on the 4th of July...Alicia and Luke Haider with our girls
Celebrating Ali's 10th birthday on the 4th
Luke Haider (he'll be two in September)
Luke and Ali
Our turtle friend was back...this time we climbed on the rocks and scraped off some seaweed to feed him. Pretty cool!
Dinner at Kolohe's with the live band

Kailee is 10 months!!!

Our baby is growing up! I want this year to fly by since Leevi is deployed, but at the same time that means Kailee's first year is practically over!! :( Tiffany and I are excitedly planning Mason's and Kailee's First Luau together (1st birthdays are HUGE in Hawaii...locals go all out with expenses that are equivalent of weddings...not us, but it'll be more than we would do back home!) :)

Kailee is so much fun and so laid back (although she is starting to hold her ground against Hailey...she will let you know (and the neighbors) if Hailey takes a toy away from her) :) She has been taking a few steps for almost a month now...not "walking" by any means, but 3 to 4 steps at a time if I prompt her. For the first time last night after dinner she stood by herself in the middle of the floor and took a few steps while Hailey and I were still eating!!!!! Should be coming soon. Technically, Kailee took steps before Hailey did, but I'm thinking this milestone will be similar to all the other biggies where they do it around the same time. Once Hailey started taking steps at 10.5 months it wasn't long before she started running. For Kailee, we shall see!

Kailee decided to show off during the last part of our trip...all of a sudden just over 9 months she started taking steps, playing peekaboo, saying BALL, UH OH and MAMA, got her first two teeth, and she waved bye for the first time to a flight attendant when we got off the plane.

She is into everything...there isn't too much she can get into and cause trouble, but the things she knows she can't have (Leila's water, the bathroom trash cans, toliet paper and the remote) seem to be her favorites. As she crawls over to Leila's water she will turn and look at me and smile and then race me to the bowl! Little booger!

Funny story...yesterday after lunch Hailey went out to play with the neighbors and Kailee was in the playarea while I cleaned up. All of a sudden I hear this exaggerated slurping noise...I couldn't see Kailee between the recliner and couch, but I made a mad dash over to her to see what in the world she was drinking. It was a cup of water that Hailey had left out and amazingly she hadn't dropped it...I grabbed the camera and then let her have it back...here's pics and video

Back to Seattle and then HOME!

Our return trip on standby was nothing like the attempt over...the potential to be disastrous was there because there were only 3 flights leaving Norfolk and they were completely spread out over the day (6am, 2pm, 6pm) BUT we got on the first flight and only had to wait in Dallas for a few hours until we got on to Seattle (I did leave my cell phone in the sunshade of the stroller as I checked it at the gate in Dallas but the most wonderful flight attendant retrieved it for me or I probably would have never seen it again!!! Nor been able to call anyone because I only know about 3 people's phone numbers by heart!!)

This second time in Seattle we got to visit with the Haiders and Parkers (Honeybutt). The Haiders came out to Hawaii just a few days after we got home, so we just said a quick "hi" one afternoon and then headed to Amy's. The four kids had a blast and we are super excited that they are coming to Hawaii for a visit in November before Alex deploys again.

The girls with Alicia and Luke Haider
Josh and Janie Parker (and Kailee wondering where her breakfast was)

Janie and Amy at a playgroundThe four kids at an awesome "abstract" park in their neighborhood
She loved this spinning thing! I sat in it too...pretty cool! (check out the video below)

Hailey and Josh on the move (9 months apart)
Janie and Kailee (4 months apart)

The flight home from Seattle was 6 hrs (our longest time in the air so far)...the girls were great and napped and watched DVD's, but I was antsy!!! We were so excited to see Leila (and my own bed) and just unpacked the necessities and the girls and I went to bed at 6:30pm!!!! Thankfully I crashed when they did because they were both up at 5:30am, but we were refreshed and ready for the Haiders to come (post on that fun tomorrow!)