jake goes to preschool

After MONTHS of searching, we finally found the right preschool for Jake.  It's been an exciting summer getting him prepared for school.  There was no pushing or bribing him, he was ready from the first day we visited in July.  

Matt and I both went in late to work so we could take him together.  We stopped at McDonald's first and had breakfast and then off we went.  We took him into class and he went right in and started his day.  No tears, no hesitancy, no looking for us. He said, "Bye, mom and dad!  I love you!"  And that was it.  We dropped off our big boy at school for his very first time.

end of summer 2013...

it's a bittersweet moment.  tomorrow is the official end to my summer and my return to work after 7 weeks off.  i'm saying goodbye to some sweet memories with the kids such as, snuggling in bed watching cartoons and not rushing to get up and go anywhere in the mornings, visits to the park, happy meals at McDonald's, Gymboree time with Sophie (really really sad about stopping this), morning runs in the double stroller, family day Thursdays with daddy, stress-free evenings because mommy didn't have to get anything ready for the next day, backyard pool days, homemade smoothies, scooter and bike-riding around the neighborhood and anything or nothing else we decided to do just  because we could.  our new phrase we came up with this summer is "going on an adventure" and it could be as simple as going to the mall or walking to the Fresh n Easy but somehow we would turn it in to an adventure by "looking for animals" or singing songs.  what a wonderful time we had.  it's funny...as i'm typing this i'm more nostalgic that i had planned.  why?  because there's the other side to this bittersweet moment.  i have NEVER been so tired in my life, hence, no blogging for 3 months.  by the time bedtime came every night, all i could do after the kids were down was plop on the sofa and watch mindless tv.  there were many days that i wanted to drink by 11am and couldn't imagine how i was going to get through the day until matt got home.  honestly.  i know that i'm not cut out to be a stay at home mom and i seriously give props to those who do, but every day i'm thankful to have such a perfect schedule to get such a good amount of time off with them...just enough.

so i'm sad to change our routine and give them up to others to watch yet i know that i'm a better mom when i have some time away.  i'll never forget this summer. 

kid milestones...

jake: fully potty trained, swimming like a fish, going underwater and jumping off the diving board, hugely sarcastic and funny, putting puzzles together, still obsessed with animals and now sea creatures (new cartoon obsession is Octonauts), loving playing with daddy's ipad, size 11 shoes and 40 inches tall, super loving towards Sophie (except when she tries to play with your stuff), creeping to mommy n daddy's bed in the middle of night and tapping me to tell me to tell daddy to move over and make a "seat" for you (which i do), riding your bike with training wheels and scooter although you sometimes have to be forced to go outside, "i can do it by myself", you say for almost everything.

sophie: saying dada, dayee (daddy), puppy, doggie, papa, chee (for taking pics) and p for (pizza), wanting to be outside all of the time, climbing EVERYTHING and just loving the feeling of standing on something high, going up and down stairs, getting on and off mommy and daddy's high bed, shaking your head no if you don't want something, taking us to the fridge to let us know you do want something, sucking that thumb endlessly and mommy always trying to pull it out, very playful and sassy, still feisty and impatient, wanting to play with jake all of the time, mommy and papa are your two favorite people and auntie carma whenever we are with her(sorry daddy, your time will come), size 4 shoe, 22 lbs and 8 teeth.

happy 1st birthday sophie!

one year ago today i was rushed into an emergency c-section 4 1/2 weeks before my due date because you were ready to enter the world!  and you definitely haven't stopped doing things on your own time and at your own will.  you are one amazing little girl!  

ever since i knew what it was to be a mom, i've wanted a daughter.  i've dreamed of you for 39 years and i couldn't be more thankful for god giving me you as my daughter.  yes, you're feisty, impatient, strong-willed, and tough but you're also sweet, loving, affectionate and funny!  you're the girl who'll be beating up the boys in school and not taking any mess from anyone.  it's funny how your personality has really started to develop and although it can be difficult at times, i love you just the way you are.

you're obsessed with mommy so sometimes i have to hide from you  to get things done.  you want to be in my arms 24/7 or at least have me sitting next to you at all times.  your screams are your way of letting us know you want something...NOW.  you have the most beautiful brown eyes, long eyelashes and a smile that makes my heart melt.  everyone comments how beautiful of a baby you are whenever we go out.  you're tall (30 inches...95th percentile) but little (19 lbs....50th percentile).

you took your first steps about a month ago and are walking around everywhere with a fall about every 10 steps or so.  you love fruit/yogurt smoothies, hawaiian bread and snacks.  jake wants to play with you all of the time but he irritates you, so you just end up pulling his hair and trying to get away from him.  he "wrestles" with you a lot and he even pushed you off of the bed yesterday but you just say "UGH" to him and try to get away.  you're a great sleeper...7pm is bedtime and if you stay up too much past, you're pretty grumpy. 

daddy loves you so much, sophie.  he's so proud to be your dad and takes pride in getting you dressed 2 days a week to go to grandma's.  you always look so cute and he always does your hair and puts a bow in it.  you would rather be with mommy when given the choice but he knows later on that you'll be daddy's girl and he can't wait for that.

we love you honey!  you've completed our family and we couldn't imagine life without you.  you keep us on our toes and we're  excited to see what your second year brings!  more pictures to follow of your birthday party today. 

going back to 2012...road trip to san jose

the kids and i drove up to sj with j, mita and the kids to celebrate my dad's 78th birthday. (matt had just gotten promoted a few weeks before so he had to stay back and work.) we stopped by to see faye and bassett and i also got to see my sj girls.  dad celebrated another year of health and strength with his annual 13-mile walk from his house in fremont to his barber shop in menlo park.  i wanted to walk with the kids but it was too cold so we stayed behind and met them at the end.  i almost didn't make the trip because matt couldn't go and i knew it would be so much work with just me but i'm so glad i did.  spending time with my dad is the most amazing gift i have as an adult and i'm so thankful he's still here with us.  seeing faye and bassett and spending time with them is also such a blessing.  they mean so much to jason and i and are such an important part of who we are today.  it was the first time my sister belinda met sophie and she hadn't seen jake in 2 1/2 years.  j's kids were so much help with the kids and the trip was a success.  

 visiting with bassett

grandpa's girl 

 jake and toreka

 sophie and faye

 jake chillin in the corner at dad's house watching leap frog

 sophie and lalani

 marks kids and sophie before the walk

 the walkers

 belinda and sophie

jake in grandpa's barber shop in the spot where grandpa used to cut hair before he retired.

sophie at 10 months

 sophie, sophie, sophie.  i can't believe she's almost one.  the time has flew by.  she has 2 teeth at the bottom and one coming through on the top.  she loves yogurt and fruit and most baby foods but is definitely ready for regular food.  papa iamaleava always feeds her rice and gravy and she loves it.  she's pretty much over the bottle/formula so i'm hoping the transition to sippy cup/milk in 2 months will be easy.  she's a great sleeper but is very cranky when she's tired.  crawling everywhere is the favorite thing to do.  she is also pulling herself up on everything and likes to let go and stand up for a few seconds without holding on.  she LOVES attention and is not much of a self-entertainer. feisty is an understatement.  she will always let you know when she wants something or doesn't want something and if your attention is elsewhere she will scream and clench fists until it's on her.  you are still a mama's girl and want no one else when i'm home.  sometimes i get frustrated with you because i'm trying to get things done but then i remember how special it is that you want mommy the most.  i can't wait for you to get a bit less demanding older so i can take you everywhere and we can hang tight doing all kinds of girl stuff.  i love you so much mophie (your funny nickname grandma jeanene started).

jake's birthday

what did we do for jake's birthday?  where did we go?  where else but the san diego zoo! and then we finished the day off with dinner and ice cream at farrell's.  

 he was obssesed with the zoo map that had the pictures of where all of the animals were.  he held onto it all day and kept saying "where's my map" and "let's look to see where we're going next".  he was really studying it and reading it like it was a book.

 long day!

happy 3rd birthday jake (february 23rd)

happy birthday to the most wonderful son in this world!

dear jake,

three years ago today, you changed our lives.  we discovered the meaning of true and unconditional love and joy that we had never known.  we've watched you grow into this curious, excited, happy, smart, funny boy that entertains us every day.  you wake up with a smile EVERY morning and start the day with a conversation as soon as you open your eyes.  you are so energetic in the mornings that when daddy is off from work with you in the mornings he stumbles to his coffee maker to try and get some caffeine in him to prepare himself for your energy.  you are definitely a morning person like mommy.  the minute you wake up, you run to the front to watch cartoons.  right now your favorite is tinga tinga tales on disney jr.  it's african tales in cartoon about every animal imaginable.  we have all 45 episodes recorded you could watch that every day all day if we let you because you're still obsessed with animals.  every conversation has an animal in it no matter how it begins.  you know so many random facts about animals that you amaze everyone.  they are definitely all you think and talk about.  you are always carrying miniature animals with you EVERYWHERE.  and not just regular animals.  you're into wildebeests, hippos, rhinos, zebras, meerkats, yaks, buffalos...just to name a few.  

you'll be starting preschool in september for a few days a week.  mommy needs to work on potty training.  you have no interest whatsoever and we're okay with it.
your favorite foods are bacon, yogurt, rice, raisins, watermelon, any kind of juice, milk, vanilla ice cream with sprinkles, and ANY KIND OF smoothie.
you have the best personality and you say the funniest things.  we laugh at with you daily and it makes it hard to discipline you. you love to snuggle (daddy hates that word)and are so affectionate and loving.  you are the EASIEST kid on earth and we can't be more thankful that you're ours.  

going back to 2012...jake's surgery

as many of you the few of you that follow, know, jake i have been struggling with his runny/stuffy nose for a year now and FINALLY a diagnosis was made.  his adenoids are enlarged which caused them to constantly become infected, therefore causing a consistent runny/stuffy nose.  it took serious persistence on my part to get to the bottom of it. everyone, including his wonderful pediatrician, found his nose issues to be on a small scale and something he would outgrow.  mommy could not stand to see him unable to taste, smell and always have a wipe or tissue attached to his nose.  so once they recommended surgery to remove the adenoids and tonsils, too, i began the sell to daddy.  he was against it from the beginning but after long talks, articles, doctor background checks and seeing jake in misery, he gave in.

nov.30.2011...the hardest day of our lives so far.  i can't even express the anxiety we felt this morning.  those 45 minutes (it was supposed to be 20) we waited until they came out to tell us jake was waking up and we could come back to the recovery room, were the longest, most excruciating minutes ever.  jake pulled through like the resilient kid he is.  he recovered well and was eating cookies and drinking juice as soon as he woke up.  all of the nurses loved him and his funny personality.  they couldn't believe he had just had a major surgery because of his energy and happiness.  that's my boy! they had him stay overnight because his adenoids were so infected when they took them out and because he was so young so mommy stayed with him while daddy went home to sophie.  

waiting our turn to be called.  there were so many little kids waiting for the same surgery.  made us feel a little better.

not wanting to have his temperature taken

gladly hopping on the scale

telling us and the nurse goodbye and he was going home

matt the stronger parent suiting up to go into the OR to watch them put him to sleep.  matt had to go outside afterwards to catch his breath after seeing his son being put to sleep.  even the strongest...

recovering on mommy's lap

being wheeled to his room

listening to TV

auntie carma and issac bringing jake toys

going back to 2012...thanksgiving

 we spent thanksgiving morning cooking, watching tv in our pajamas and looking forward to being with family.  we started off at matt's aunt sefulu's house and then headed off to my side to finish off the night.

 jake and papa iamaleava

jake and auntie carma

sophie and cousin (twin) toreka

mommy and daddy

going back to 2012....legoland

my bff laura had free tickets to legoland so we hooked up with other bff, natalie, and our kids the weekend before thanksgiving.  this place is hands down the best for little ones.  we all had so much fun, especially jake who was so excited about EVERYTHING.  his favorites were the lego animals of course.  sophie was a trooper who just chilled in the stroller the whole time.

 looking for gold

 excuse the red lips...he had just finished a sucker.

when he saw this lion, he was so excited to run up and jump on it!

 of course we find the animals!

 pooped!  we stayed at natalie's house since she lives 5 minutes from legoland.  laura left back the next day for san jose after a long night of catching up with the sj bffs of over 25+ years.  still can't believe we kids the same age.  i love it!