The Best Big Sister EVER!

I just love, love, love the bond between the girls...while of course they each have their moments with each other, by far the majority of the time they get along great. Hailey usually helps me get the kids upstairs for naptime and today Kailee didn't want Hailey to leave. As I shut the door, Kailee was crying "YahYah" (the way she says Hailey sounds something like that!) I told Hailey to come back in quickly and say goodnight. Kailee still cried and Hailey left the room like a mom does when you drop your kid off at a sitter, "oohhh, baby girl...I'm sorry...go night-night...I love you" It was breaking Hailey's heart! :) So I let Hailey come in and try to rock Kailee..........and that's exactly what Kailee wanted. Hailey sang "rock a bye baby" to her and she fell fast asleep!!!!! True Love!

Thank You Uncle Sam...

Thank You Uncle Sam...and Tiff, Jim, Sarah, and Rachael. Now that we are within 10 days of departing the island, the military puts us up in a hotel of our choice. Leevi and I pawned off the girls Friday night to the Stampfers and Iversons and headed into town to stay at the Sheraton...from Saturday on we are at KoOlina at the JW Marriott. Saying Aloha with a bang...

The view of Waikiki from our hotel room at the Sheraton

The view from our hotel room at the Marriott

Our Ohana

46 amazing friends.....

32 adults
14 kids and 5 more on the way

The kiddos...
Brody 6yrs (Dec. 03)
Colin 4 yrs (Aug. 05)
Hailey 4 yrs (Feb. 06)
Kaila 4 yrs (Feb. 06)
Rylee 3 yrs (Mar. 07)
Makaela 2 yrs (Sept. 07)
Gavin 2 yrs (Dec. 07)
Brooke 23 mon. (Jun. 08)
Jackson 22 mon. (Jul. 08)
Mason 20 mon. (Sept. 08)
Kailee 20 mon. (Sept. 08)
Abby 17 mon. (Dec. 08)
Colton 9 mon. (Aug. 09)
Zach 6 weeks (Apr. 10)
Baby Weida due Aug. 10
Baby Buelow due Sept. 10
Baby Hoffman due Nov. 10
Baby Ducote due Nov. 10
Baby Sturgeon due Dec. 10

*We wish we could draw stick people of a few key ohana that couldn't make it or have already moved on....what a bond....an Oktoberfest reunion is in the works....

Going Away Party at Pokai Bay

We had our final Hawaiian Ohana get-together at Pokai Bay to send off (ourselves) and the Stampfers, Kristen and Callisto, and Mel. Thankfully, we didn't have to officially say goodbye to too many people as I will see them this week and then one final Aloha at the Sex and the City premiere on Thursday. We can't say enough how much everyone means to us.....

The ladies....The 3 baby girls...Abby, Brooke, Kailee (Brooke was born in June...3 months later came Kailee and then 3 months later came Abby)
11 of the 14 kiddos...



The guys...Leevi broke out the cigars
Sunset at Pokai Bay...these kids don't know how good they have got it!!!

Mongoose Hunting

I let Hailey adventure around out back during the babies' naptime. She wanted very badly to catch a mongoose. I gave her permission (hoping those little varmints are fast) and off she went. A mongoose sighting!!!!!!!!Hailey grabbed her bucket and crept ever so quiet around the tree! Ha! Sniffing aroundRun, Hailey, Run!!!Where'd it go?

Hailey reading to Kailee

Hailey reading "Dinosaur vs Bedtime" to Kailee
And just a random cute one...
Kailee has fallen in love with a dinosaur book at Gavin's house. It's a really cute story about a Dinosaur stomping around "roaring" through his day (playing outside, interrupting adults, eating dinner, taking a bath) and then his final challenge is fighting "bedtime". Kailee walks around all day saying, "roar, roar, roar!!!!"

Birthday Celebration

We went to dinner at Antipastos to celebrate my 32nd birthday! The girls and Sharice secretly baked my birthday cake the days prior. Hailey cracked me up because she was such a liar about making the cake...I had seen the cake cooling and Hailey told me about 10 times that it was for a baby shower that Sharice was going to. So cute! ;)
Hailey was pretty smitten with Uncle Shelley all night! :) We picked Antipastos because he was working that night
It looks like I'm trying to predict how long it will take that chocolate high to wear off before bedtime!!! :)
The singing....you can't really hear it, but most of the restaurant joined in

32nd Year...

My 32nd year is off to a good start...the babies are extra well behaved today :) After work we are going out to dinner as a family...hopefully the good behavior continues! :)

And this blue frosting face is courtesy of Monica...I hope she knows that Brooke got this same sugar rush! :)

Reminiscing

We are down to about a week and a half of school left...typically, I'd be ecstatic about the end of the year, but it means we are just closer to saying goodbye to these little ones! :( I started babysitting Brooke and Jackson in January of 09 and then added Gavin in July. They've gone from barely holding their own bottles to walking (I mean running) and talking!

This has always been one of my favorites of the three babies!
Helpful Hailey! I couldn't have survived this newborn stage without her!!!
Notice Hailey's baby in the boppy


Kailee and Brooke matching (4 months and 7 months) Brooke had more hair then than Kailee does now!

Brooke and Kailee matching (23 months and 20 months)The whole gangGavin and Hailey

Finger Painting Fun

I just had Gavin, Brooke and Kailee one day this week, so we broke out the finger paint...they had a blast...thank goodness for Crayola "washability you can trust" Washable Kids' Paint

Just getting started....




Easy clean up
The finished product!

Getting Ready for the Next Chapter

We can't wrap our heads around the thought that we are moving from Hawaii in less than a month. It won't seem real until we are gone. I don't even want to think about the good-byes...I've mentioned several times in the past about our Hawaiian Ohana and the incredible bond that is created by us being "stranded" on this island away from immediate family and I think about the last 7 years of our lives and how it was such an important growing phase...marriages, babies, the good and sad...I don't think there was a issue that didn't come up, but more importantly that wasn't solved with love from our friends. There was one newborn and two marriages when I met this group and now there are 11 married couples, 14 babies and 4 and counting on the way!

We met with the new renters a few weeks ago and turned over the keys. It was very bitter sweet...we were exhausted mentally and physically and just grateful to have found renters and be done with the cleaning etc, but at the same time I had moments of tears knowing we are leaving our first house we've owned, a brand new place that only we had lived in, a place we lived as a whole family.

As for Germany, we are incredibly excited, but there are so many unknowns that make my head spin. Housing, preschool for Hailey, job for me, potential daycare for Kailee, car situation, foreign language, on and on and on! We'll just have to wait until we get there...if we survive the flight out of the country with two kids and a dog!

Busy Weekend

These pictures are out of order but we had a busy weekend last weekend so I thought I'd throw them all in one post. For the last two Furlough Fridays of the year, the Buelows are trading babysitting days with us. Leevi and I golfed on Friday and went out to dinner...if you check out Steph's blog there is a cute video of the kids (and dogs!) http://buelowsblog.blogspot.com/ Saturday we met the Stampfers at the beach and then went to the pool at Hickam Air Force base when my sister-in-law and nephew arrived and then ended the evening at another park for a picnic (we've decided that picnic dinners where a 4 yr old, 2 yr old and 19 month old have freedom are so much more peaceful than a sit down restaurant....we've had them Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday since Naomi has been here)

At the pool
Flying a kite at my soccer game (love the clouds!!!)

Will, Leevi and Kailee (with bubbles)

Halftime

Mason and Kailee at KoOlina

Colin and Hailey snorkeling
Kailee napping at the pool
Kailee, Hailey and Leevi
At the park for a picnic dinner
Monkey child
The girls with Aunt Naomi
And a video of Hailey at the pool going down the slide and jumping off the diving board