Happy Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. A day of celebration. A day of eating and good food. A day of football??...and of course, A day of giving thanks and remembering all of the many blessings you have in your life to be thankful for.

This year we were able to spend this special day with great friends!

We got together, decorated, cooked, and brought together a fabulous Thanksgiving feast!!

Christal was the mastermind behind the table settings....I took pictures, and helped with these adorable napkin holders:

 Everything looked so put together.....

...and so much like Thanksgiving...

The food was, of course, AMAZING and DELICIOUS!!!

(I brought mashed potatoes, drinks, and veggies...)

We had turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes, creamed carrots, string beans, candied yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, egg nog, ginger ale, and ..........

Dessert!!! 

(banana cream pie, pumpkin pie/cookies/cheesecake!) YUM!

And our entertainment for the night - this little monkey...

...and his table-dance??  ;)

For being as far away from home as I have ever been for the holidays, it sure didn't feel like it!

I am grateful for wonderful friends - and our home away from home!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!

Noa's Quarterly Report (videos!)

Noa is now 15-months old!!!
...I can't believe it!

How he's grown in the last 3 months:

☆he is SO TALKATIVE!! - his vocabulary has been expanding day by day - and he mumbles to himself a lot!

☆he can now say (mostly Japanese, but some English): Hi!, foot (あんよ), hand (お手て), pineapple, apple, pasta ("pa-pa"), baby, keys (かぎ), 着いた, ouch (いたい・たい),  no, bread (パン), belly button, milk (牛乳), やだ, eyes (おめめ), drink (飲む), doggy (わんわん), oatmeal, cheerio, cereal, banana, アンパンマン, cookie, what (なに？)・・・I know there's more!・・・ 

☆he loves to listen to (and try to gesture to) Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Popcorn Popping

☆he eats 2 whole packets of oatmeal for breakfast! (one apple/cinnamon mixed with one plain)...then wants more cereal afterwards...how is he so small?!?!

☆he loves smoothies and fruit - grapes, bananas, apples, pears, watermelon, strawberries, pineapple...

☆he sleeps through the night! (Hallelujah!)

☆he has been falling asleep on his own for 2 months now! 

☆he's starting to like vegetables...(raw) cucumber, tomato, (cooked) potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, green peppers...

☆he plays well on his own...plays with other kids even better!

☆he's showing signs of understanding both Japanese and English 

☆he says "uh-vyu" when you say, "Love you!"

☆still gives the best kisses, and blow-kisses, ever!   
☆he says "uh-oh" when he drops something
☆he loves throwing things
☆his favorite snack: a tie between banana and cheerios (the plain kind)....but when he can have it, its definitely smoothies!
☆his favorite thing to play with...my cell phone or keys
☆his favorite song: Itsy Bitsy
☆his favorite toy: mega blocks




Here are some great videos of how Noa has been growing!
(sorry my phone camera video quality isnt that great...)

Noa saying "pineapple" :)

Noa got a hold of my phone...and recorded a video...

This is how Noa has fun, while daddy is studying in the library!

 

translation: "gyu-nyu" = milk and "pan" = bread... "oishii" = YUMMY!

I'll be back to post his 15-month stats after his doctor's appointment soon!

24 weeks...and counting....

...counting DOWN for a very exciting event happening in our lives very soon!


You may be asking...so, what's the event??


I will tell you....


*

*

*


the event involves


*Noa becoming a big brother...
*Me, becoming a mother of TWO...
*Our family total = 4!  (wow)
*2 sets of diapers!! (ahh...)
*us = # of kids (not outnumbered yet!)
*2 car seats...*sigh*

so on, and so forth...



but we are SUPER excited!!!


cuz look how cute :D
 
 

BOY or GIRL...any guesses??
(we will find out in just a couple of weeks!!!)

I am about 16 weeks into my pregnancy [I can't believe how long I've gone without blogging about it!] and I am feeling great! - no morning sickness like last time (yipee!!), but feeling a lot more tired and fatigued ALL the time...which could have something to do with having a very active 1-year-old...haha
I am showing a lot more than last time...[some of you may have thought I was just getting fat...totally understandable! :D]  and this pregnancy has gone a lot FASTER! I am almost half way through already! It feels like just yesterday I found out that I was having another baby.

I am NOT nervous about the pregnancy...but VERY anxious about after giving birth...Not really sure how I feel about becoming a mommy to TWO little ones yet...I feel like I have my hands full with Noa already - how am I going to juggle a toddler and a newborn?!? [help! any advice??]
We wanted our kids to be around 2 years apart so its (almost) perfect!  The due date is April 30th 2011...so Noa and the baby will be at least 20 months apart


I am very grateful for the blessing of motherhood. I am thankful that we are being entrusted with another precious child of God, and look forward to the wonderful experiences and adventures of our growing family!!!

Rockin' the curly tail...

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!!

Halloween is such a fun holiday, and this year, Noa is going to be........

I ADORE his little costume! - especially the curly tail and the plump tummy/bum. :D
Thank you, Grandma Betty!

Bucket List

Although not MY complete bucket list, I found this list on my friend's blog, and thought it would be fun to see how many of the things on it I have accomplished. ENJOY :D

(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been to Hawaii - yes! I can finally say that I have!! This one's been on my list for a LONG time!
(X) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(X) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(X) Driven across the United States (does the 30-hour drive from Michigan to Utah count?)
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving {who doesn't have this on their bucket list???}
(X) Gone snowmobiling
(X) Gone jetskiing
(X) Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
( ) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(X) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
(  ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(X) Been to Disneyland
(X) Been to Disney World
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
(X) Been to Niagara Falls
(X) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China - I REALLY want to do this!
(X) Walked on fire -more like "jumped" over the fire...?
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
(X) Been water-skiing/wakeboarding
(X) Been snow-skiing
(X) Been to the Louvre - I totally have!!!
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( ) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Been to a National Soccer (football) game

I think I will need to add to this list in the future!

I have been...

a slacker!... and I'm sorry....

I promise, our family hasn't dropped off the face of the earth...
we just went off to a little island in the Pacific Ocean called...Oahu!

and Life is better than EVER!

 regardless of...
the ~300 sq ft studio that we call our home, with no stove/oven, diswasher, laudry, or couch...
the hubby being a full-time student AND having a full-time JOB {NEVER being home}
living 10+ minutes away from campus and all of our friends [leaving me with no social life...]
 having a teething child waking us up all hours of the night...


I REALLY LOVE MY LIFE...

BECAUSE I HAVE...
a place to call HOME, a roof over our heads that shelters us from the rain
a hubby that loves us, that works SO hard to make us happy, and chooses to spend what little time he has, with us.
a car that takes us from point A to point B > and into the city when I need some civilized ppl interactions...
AND a healthy, HAPPY baby that brightens up my cloudy days with a simple smile/giggle

I have been
busy,
tired,
stressed,
and sometimes even a little sad...

but mostly, I have been...truly. truly.  BLESSED!


Aloha and Mahalo, from the bottom of my heart!!

Birthday, birthday...Birth-DAY!

Having 3 blogs to manage is A LOT harder than I anticipated...fun, but very time consuming!

This blog is designated to do one thing, and one thing only - to inform our friends and family about the daily happenings/adventures {whether BIG or small} of our little family - and I plan to do just that....however long it may take!

On Saturday {as many, if not ALL, of you know} we celebrated little Noa's birthday. He's ONE!!! I say this all the time, but it's true = Time seriously flies! - I can't believe it has been a year already!

from this:

to this:

to finally this:

i can't believe it...in 12 months?....really?!

Noa has truly been a blessing in our lives. It has made me grow up so much more than I could have ever imagined being a MOM, and he has taught me to be a better person, a better friend, a better daughter, a better wife, and a better mom. He is so happy all the time - and can brighten up a room with no effort at all...He seriously means everything to me.

For this very special occasion, we decided to have a little picnic - just as a family - low key and very simple. Our goal was to make this a memorable day for Noa, and for all of us. First birthdays only come ONCE...

needless to say, I've never planned for such an event, so this was a first for everyone involved :)

I made some cupcakes - thinking that all babies must have cake on their 1st birthday!

I think they turned out pretty cute, don't you?

the theme was "blue/ocean" in honor of the next chapter of our lives fast approaching...

Noa hesitantly took a bite a lick...

and.....

He DIDN'T LiKE it!    :O

{I thought ALL babies loved the first taste of CAKE?!? what's wrong with my baby??!?}

...was the first thought that came to my mind...and then, i thought:

but wait, shouldn't I be happy that my 1-year-old doesn't love everything sugar? I mean, really, did I WANT Noa to love/be addicted to sweet, sugary foods? - of course not! So why was I so upset/crushed?...

well...I made the cupcakes especially for Noa...envisioning how he was going to devour the whole thing in seconds...and secretly hoping to get those adorable "first birthday cake smashing/bashing" pictures...even though I didn't get the first of my wishes to come true, I did get this:

...which was plenty "frosting-covered baby" for me!

isn't that just ADORABLE?! my favorite is when he gets frosting all over his hand from blowing a *kiss*...I just love him to death!

While all this was going on, us "adults" enjoyed a little Cafe Rio and juicy watermelon...YUM

and some quiet peaceful time in the beautiful breezy weather under the trees.

This was the perfect day!

ONE YEAR OLD!

It's so sad to think that  my baby isn't a BABY any more.....

Noa turned 1 today {August 21st}!! 

(@ 1:35AM, to be exact - click here for the labor/birth story)

It's SO hard to believe that it has been a whole YEAR already! Time has truly flown by, and it's been one of the happiest years of my life. I am so thankful to have this sweet angel in my life!!

Here's a {month-by-month} look back at the most AMAZING year with this bundle of joy:
{Sorry, I don't have very good "comparison" photos}

*Just born*

＊8lbs 5.5oz, 19in

One month old:

{blessing day}

Two months old:

＊First real laugh

Three months old:

＊Supports his head perfectly

Four months old:

＊first tooth

＊Sits without support

＊Rolled over

＊first solid food

Five months old:

＊Gets up into half-sitting position

＊Army-crawl

Six months (half-way):

＊Crawls

＊Sits

＊4 teeth

＊Pulls himself up and stands!

 {fat-lip, first big boo-boo}

Seven months:

＊More hair!
＊Climbs up stairs
＊Signs "milk"

Eight months:

＊5 teeth

＊Stands up w/o holding on

＊Waves bye-bye

＊Tongue-clicking

＊Claps

＊First steps

Nine Months:

＊6 teeth

＊WALKING!

＊High-fives

Ten months:

＊First word = Banana

＊Listen to voice commands

＊Drinks with straw

＊Feeds himself 

Eleven months:

＊Has a vocabulary

＊Shakes his head saying "no no"

＊Headstands

＊Bows

＊Immitates sounds

AND NOW, at TWELVE MONTHS:

＊has his 8th tooth coming in

＊is pretty much running

＊moving non-stop

 ＊Adding to his vocab: "nya-nyan"=cat/dog, "bvoo-boo"=car, "ba-be"=baby

＊falls asleep on his own (kinda)

＊can "clean-up" toys, clothes, etc.

＊is becoming very sneaky about doing things that are "bad"

＊uses the TV remote {he actually points it at the TV and pushes buttons}

＊Gets UP on top of the coffee table 

＊"jumps" and "dances"!!

＊Signs "more" when he wants something

＊Can get off couch/bed without help

＊Noa is the most amazing, fun, adorable baby ever!＊

He has blessed our lives so much! We are so lucky to have him.

Looking forward to more wonderful YEARS watching him grow and progress in life.

We love you so much, Noa!

Love, mommy {& daddy}

{PS videos are coming soon, I promise...Im still trying to figure out how to connect/upload our new camcorder/video to this comp. thanks for your patience!!}

Good (?) sleeper

Just last week, Chad and I decided that it was time for Noa to start sleeping on his own...

it was a hard, but necessary decision, especially now that he is coming down on his one-year mark.

Ever since he has been off of the pacifier (like 5-month-ish), Noa has been needing to nurse to go to sleep for the night....and that means, when momma's tired, we both just fall asleep on the bed together....and that has been going on waaaay too long! 

So...the very first night that we left him in his crib {the hardest thing ever!}, he lasted 25 minutes! ~ which felt a lot longer...but nonetheless, he was able to fall asleep, and WE were also able to last the whole 25 minutes, not going in the room to comfort him and rock him back to sleep. {i'm so proud of us!}

Last night was both amazing and sad...AMAZING because he only screamed for 5 minutes {YAY!}, but SAD because this is how we found him 10 minutes later....

Poor little guy, he must have been so tired!!! - I felt so bad and so cruel for letting him fall asleep like this....I just think of how tired he must have been to be able to fall asleep in this position - it makes me hurt a little inside....

Anyway...I hope that we can keep improving from now on...{keeping our fingers crossed!}

and hope that he will have an easier time falling asleep tonight!