An "Almost" Birthday Tribute.

My big boy Noa is turning 2 this week!!! Whoa, I know.

Since I have a crazy weekend coming up, I thought I would write a little pre-birthday birthday post before things get too hectic and I forget to recognize such a huge milestone in my baby's life. {Don't worry, there will be a birthday party post later :D...probably much much later}

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SO much has happened in the past year in this little guy's life. He has accomplished A LOT. 

So much growing, so much learning, and SO much loving.

{From 1 to 2...}

From baby to toddler.

From barely speed-walking, to RUNNING full speed. (and skipping, of course.)

From being able to say just a few words, to speaking in full sentences, and learning new words and phrases every second. {in two languages, might I add...} Having real CONVERSATIONS with us.

From eating soft, mushy baby food, to eating pretty much everything that we eat and put on his plate.

From having short fuzzy baby hair, to long shiny curly locks. (which we still are debating whether or not to chop off)

From having a few teeth on top, a few on bottom, to having full grown baby teeth (minus the very back molars)

A few more accomplishments of this amazing little boy:

He talks to Mommy in Japanese, while talking to Daddy and his family in English.

He puts 2-5 words together to make sentences. Asks for things, tells you things...has a conversation with himself.

He loves songs, especially gesture songs - twinkle twinkle, popcorn popping, wheels on the bus, head/shoulders, and a few Japanese songs - とんとんとんとん、パン屋さん，糸まきまき、げんこつ山のタヌキ....etc.

He can remember names and call people by them.

He has mastered the iPhone/iPod touch, our cell phones, laptops and TV.

He is so loving and caring toward Kai...and his "baby," a little tiger stuffed animal.

He can "Tahitian" dance...with his knees....haha

He jumps, dances, does "gymnastics"........he's a ball of energy....energy I don't have...

He is so fun, so active....and he has really developed a personality to match.

{wheels on the bus, and if you're happy and you know it...}

I fall more and more in love with this little boy. I can't believe how fast he has grown.

NOA ~

My little one... Watching you grow and learn has brought me the greatest joy.

and I am so so proud of you.  Your smile and your laugh, your kisses and hugs....I can't help but smile and be happy. YOU brighten up the gloomiest of days!

Keep being you. Grow up strong.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

xoxoXOxoxox

Noa's ABC ♬

One day, on our daily walk, I was singing songs to Noa and the ABC song was one of them.

he quickly picked it up and started singing with me.

We've sang this song many times before, but never like this...

It might be hard to hear but he sings the "now I know my abc's" part all by himself....now we just have to learn the beginning.

Good Morning.

These are some of the wonderful and precious things I get to wake up to in the morning.

This little cutie and his happy, kicking feet.

brotherly love ♥...

and some more happy, kicking feet.

and also....

this.

whoa, bedhead.

*sigh*

what to do. what to do...

to cut...or not to cut...that is the question.

What do you say? Yay or Nay...?

My New Obsession.

...or addiction...call it what you'd like. 

but I am seriously SO into Pinterest right now.

Thanks to all my friends pushing introducing/inviting me to it. [*ahem* Christal, Jess...love ya]

I can't really put my finger on what I like about it so much...but I just do!

all the lovely photos...such fabulous ideas....

It excites me just thinking about all the things I can and will do with my hobbies, home, and future. It also makes me sad reflecting on how much cuter, more creative, and fantastic everyone else is in the world. I will channel that negative energy to motivate me to be better, to aspire to something that I can really be proud of. and that is what is so great about it!

If you don't have or are thinking about getting a pinterest account, do it!

It's fabulous.

And if you are awesome and waaay ahead of me with joining, then add me as your friend ;) pleeease. and I will "follow" you back. I promise.

just click on the button below.

and check me out. ♥



[here's a little sneak of what goodness awaits you.]

 

Merman.

Did you know that I'm married to a merman?

Yup that's right. Chad is really half fish, half man. 

It's just second nature for him to be in the water...unlike me...not only can I NOT swim, but I am deathly afraid of being in water deeper than 5 feet. Chad held a few records in high school and was one of the fastest swimmers on his team. 

He has been wanting to get back into swimming ever since coming here to Hawaii, but work, surfing school, and other things have kept him from being able to. One day, something clicked inside of him and he decided to participate in the North Shore Swim Series - a series of races ranging from 1 mile to 2.3 miles in length on the North Shore of Oahu. He didn't have much time to train, so he got right to work. Every night after school and work he would go swim laps at the school pool in preparation for these big races.

He is such a dedicated and determined swimmer.

The third race of the four-race series was just today. Chad set himself a goal of finishing the 1.6 mile race in less than an hour. He knew that even with his training, he wasn't back to the level he was at in high school. With that goal in mind, he set off for the course against 650 other swimmers.

The Jaco's race went from Chun's Reef to Waimea Bay.  1.6 miles of upwind, against-current swim.

We waited for Chad at Waimea beach. We watched the first few swimmers coming in half an hour into the race. The first place guy came in at an amazing 32 minutes and 4 seconds.

Not too far behind him was my hubby. Against the 650 swimmers that participated in the race, Chad finished way ahead of his original goal of 1 hour. His official finish time was 43 minutes 30.9 seconds!! only 10 minutes behind the first swimmer. 82nd place overall, and 8th in his age group. 

{battle wound.}

I am beyond proud of Chad. He set a goal and not only achieved it but he surpassed it.

There's just one more race to come. 2 weeks from now Chad will be racing the Jamba Juice North Shore Challenge, the longest of the four races at 2.3 miles. So excited.

We love you and are so proud of you Daddy!

One Sunday Afternoon.

Chad and I decided to go on a little bike ride while Chad's mother offered to watch the kids. They were both napping so we thought an hour long stroll wouldn't hurt. We got on our bikes and left for the new bike/running path off of the very scenic Kam Hwy. It had been a while since I had ridden a bike and it took me a minute to get used to the feel again, but once I had gotten the hang of it we were off!

It was so nice. I enjoyed not only getting out of the house and getting that fresh air, but also seeing the beautiful mountains and nature around us. It really was a very scenic ride.

BUT as much as I enjoyed being active and being able to connect with nature, it was HOT. The sun was beaming down on us, humidity felt like it was 250%, and there was no wind...despite being on a bike and it being 4 o'clock in the afternoon...

sweaty and sticky, we ended our ride at a hidden beach. We watched the waves get tossed in all directions by the wind and strong current. (where was this wind while we were bike riding, I have no idea.)

We decided that we had left the kids long enough, and headed home. Out of the BLUE (literally) it started to DOWN POUR. There was NO sign of rain, not even a rain cloud. Welcome to Hawaii....

We were soaked. (Chad doesn't look as wet as me but you'll see in the next picture that he really was soaked.) The rain brought the temperature and humidity down, so we were able to have a pleasant rest of the evening. It was a fun and adventurous day for us all.

(yes, Chad is sticking his bum out right here. haha)

Our Ocean...

Wow, it's been a while since my last post....

but that's only because I've been enjoying my time with Noa, Chad, Chad's family...

and this chunky monkey

 

We finally decided on a kanji for Kaiyu's name.

海裕

 

meaning abundant ocean.We thought it was very fitting for him.

I can't believe he is 2 months already!

well, 2 months and 11 days, to be exact.

We had his 2-month wellness checkup today.

and Kaiyu is...

12 pounds 5 ounces

23.5 inches

yup he's a chunk...gained a full 2 pounds since his last appointment.

Kai is so much fun...

He coos and gives us lots of social smiles and laughs.
His back and legs are so strong, it seems like he wants to stand up or crawl already.
Noa loves him to death. I often find him just laying next to Kai on the bed, holding his hand or stroking his head.

We are so lucky to have this little guy in our family.
We love you little Kai Kai.



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Not really a side note, but I want to mention our other little guy........
Since, at the time Noa was born, we couldn't decide on fitting kanji characters for his name, we chose to give him some now....and they suit him perfectly.

希明

....meaning, bright hope.