THREE!

Christian, my love -

You are three, and you are my "big boy." At least that's what we tell you. But when I slip and say that you're my "sweet little boy," you quickly correct me with "No, I a big boy!" Sigh. I love your charisma, your passion for everything you do. You are all boy, holding nothing back. No fear. I've learned to just roll with it, a little bit more, but you still make my mama heart skip a beat at least fifty times once a day.

Things that you love... you love PAW Patrol, and Tom & Jerry, with a sprinkle of Chuggington, Curious George, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Ok, so maybe we've given you a bit too much screen time. You also love the "cupcake game" on the iPad. You love the water. The beach. A beach baby through and through. You and daddy have this game you play in the ocean. Daddy yells, "HEAD FOR IT!" and you two charge the incoming wave to shore. A little body surfer. With your goggles on, you have no qualms about diving head first into a body of water. You love lizards. Especially all the little baby ones that live by our steps. And you're always trying to catch one. You love to ride your bike, and charge hills... even if you take a spill. You shake it off so fast and you're right back to it. No fear. You love your skateboard too. Thrill seeker.

You love and care deeply for your friends so so so very much. You love Mimi & Papa, and Nannie, and me too. But I know who really has your full heart and attention - Daddy. A daddy's boy all the way. The bond you two have makes my heart melt and I try not to get jealous. Daddy is the one who has taught you how to climb to incredible heights at the playground, so that when I take you, I know you know what you're doing. I know that I am your comforter. I kiss your boo boos. You know I can't start my day without your giant "Good Morning" hug, and I tell you how much I missed you while you were sleeping. I can't help but crawl into your tiny bed with you at night just before you fall asleep... partly from my own exhaustion and because I want your snuggles. You wrap your arm around my neck and my heart bursts. And then I wake up an hour later. You are so sweet, affectionate, and love deeply.

Birthday loot! Thanks Nannie! 

Just the frosting, please!

You love going to church, probably mostly to see your friends, especially Joey. And you drive me totally crazy when you kiddos run laps around fountain pool, and every week we say, "no running" to no avail. But you have learned that Jesus is your friend, and how much He loves you. You know that he has created the sun, the sky, the ocean, the mountains, and we constantly look around and say, "thank you God" because we have so very much to be thankful for. When I told you the baby girl in mama's tummy went to live with Jesus, you just looked at me thoughtfully, like you knew she was in good hands and that she was with a friend. Occasionally you would rub my tummy and say, "the baby lives with Jesus." And some days I would just lose it. I just love you so much and you are my miracle. Our miracle.

Belly buddies and best friends!

Some days my patience runs (really) thin, and I'm sorry. I'm working on it, I promise. I'm praying about it. It's a scary thing to pray for more patience.

You love people. You love to play tag at the park, or chase. There isn't a person that you wouldn't have as a friend. You love books. Right now your favorite books is this really really long one by Richard Scarry. It's not so much that you love when I read it, but you love to hunt for Goldbug.

You know your ABCs, can count to twenty, are potty-trained (WOOT WOOT! but trying not to jinx it) and are learning how to throw a proper shaka. A requirement for all people living in Hawaii. You frequently say you're "all pau" when you're finished with something, and you know them as slippers, not flip-flops. You know that a sea turtle is a honu, and that papaya grown on the tree out front is delicious. You love shave ice, and realize that it's a staple food. And every lady is an "aunty" and every man is an "uncle." You have so many aunties and uncles.

You love Baxter. Maybe just a little too much. But Baxter I think just loves the extra attention, no matter how rough it may be. Although you get quite irritated if Baxter (or Babu, as you call him) lays on or across your toys, especially while playing with them. Don't take it personally, it's just a thing that cats do. But I still love to hear your, "NO THANK YOU BABUUUU." Manners. Ah yes. Always a work in progress, but you're pretty good at using your pleases and thank yous freely. 

Gosh. You are such a light in our lives, a gift, Christian. Our wild, fearless boy. And we are so blessed that we were chosen to be your parents. We love you so much. And there's nothing in this world that would ever change that. 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

happy toddler bed tuesday!

Up until Christian was about 5 months old he slept in a co-sleeper parked right next to our bed. I loved that little bassinet, but it soon became a tight squeeze for Christian and his thighs, so we bought a crib.

I remember this time so clearly. I remember thinking how HUGE the crib was for "little" Christian... and his thighs. 

And today...

That crib is now a big boy bed. At the ripe old age of two months shy of 3-years-old, Christian has out grown his crib. 

Can someone pass me a tissue? 

I was definitely a #crib4life type of mom, but he was regularly climbing in and out. And I mean, might as well make it a tad safer by removing the hurdle. He's also at the age that he gets that he has to actually stay in his crib. Not that that means he will; I'm not delusional. But he knows those are the rules. 

Last night we took the mattress out and he slept on the floor. And when he sleeps over at Mimi & Papa's house he has a "special" little sleeping area, that is not in a crib. So he's an old pro basically.  We do have a railing currently in transit as to avoid middle of the night wake-up from him falling off onto the floor. Expected delivery: today. I'm hopeful. 

That's it. An entire post about Christian's transition from crib to toddler bed. (Have you guessed that this blog basically serves as Christian's baby book?)

Happy Toddler Bed Tuesday!

goodbye 2013!

I thought it would be fun (mostly for me, probably) to bid 2013 a fond farewell by doing a year in review. All in all, it was a great year. Yes, there were some sad times, and moments when I wasn't sure the tears would even stop. But here we are at the end of 2013 and I have my family, my health (and my family's good health), and a beautiful place to call home in Hawaii. Rob has a job that he loves, and I love more than anything being able to stay at home with Christian. We traveled a lot, stayed busy with Tiny Tots, Stroller Strides, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), trips to the zoo, the aquarium, lazy beach days, play dates, Christian's first time to Disneyland, and I got to add a new stamp on my passport with a trip to New Zealand. So yeah, despite the sad times, it was still a good year and I consider us blessed.

So, here we go.

January
My mom came to visit us! We showed her all the highlights of Oahu, and she even hiked Diamond Head. Mom and I booked a B&B in Volcano Village on the Big Island where we visited Volcano National Park. Honestly, it was probably one of the highlights of my life. Yes, life. We drove into the park late at night, and I saw more stars that I have ever, ever seen. I could barely wrap my head around it. To the backdrop of the crackling of the volcano, with a beautiful orange glow. As I do many times here, I took it all in, and thanked our Creator. We also dedicated Christian to the Lord. We committed before the Lord, as his parents we would teach him about Jesus, our Savior, and beyond that, to raise him according to God's ways and will. We will teach him about the love that Jesus has for us, and how he can show that love to others.

February
We celebrated the Chinese New Year by going to a parade. Christian wasn't impressed by the lion dancing. Not one bit. Rob started brewing beer. And the highlight, Christian's favorite cousins Lilley and Violet came to visit from California!! He has such a blast with these two!! (We are REALLY looking forward to their February 2014 visit.) I ran the Great Aloha Run with my girl Suzi, which was a giant cluster, but was awesome all the same. Rachelle and I got out for a few good surfs in Waikiki before they *sniff sniff* left the island for good. We had a going away party for the Fishes at Kaimana Beach. It was a lot of fun, even if it was for such a sad occasion.

March
Sigh. This one makes me sad. Our dear friends, Rachelle, Quentin, and Logan, left the island to return to their home in Colorado. A lot of broken hearts in Hawaii were left in their wake. But as a highlight to March, some of our favorite people, the Bishops, came for a visit with their sweet girl, Kira.

April
With the Bishops we traveled to Kauai and stayed in a seriously awesome house that Liisa found on the interwebs. We hiked the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali coast, or at least the first 2 miles of it until we reached one of the world's most dangerous beaches.

May
I hiked the Koko Crater trail for the first time, and I also completed the Honolulu Triathlon, sprint distance, my first, and again with Suzi. We flew out to Virginia to visit family! Always an adventure. We took Christian to the Richmond Zoo where he fed the giraffes. We had a really fun day at Lanikai Beach with the Grzebiks, despite Christian being stung by a man-of-war, which sucked worse than you can imagine.

June
A big month. We excitedly found out we were pregnant again. I went on a catamaran cruise in Waikiki with some of the One Love mamas. The pilot union paid for all the pilots and their families to spend the day at the Wet-n-Wild water park. Christian LOVED the big slides, and we had a blast hanging out at the park with our friends, Joel, Jayme, Isabel, and Joey. With Mimi and Papa we hiked to Lulumahu Falls, which took some work to find. But the payoff was worth it. One of my childhood friends, Ben, moved here, and we were so honored to attend his Change of Command Ceremony. A few months later he brought his lovely wife and son here, whom I just love love love and wish they'd move closer to town… because you know, the North Shore is so far away!

July
We had a fun 4th of July with our good friends Marc, April, and Kanoa. They were housesitting a beautiful house in Portlock, on the water and invited us over to celebrate with them. We were treated to delicious food and an awesome fireworks display with the best of company. I had my first doctor's appointment where I got to see our baby's perfect heartbeat. We also left for a month long trip to the east coast to visit lots and lots of family.

August
My sweet boy turned 2 years old and we had so much fun celebrating Varina style with a cookout, lots of guys with guitars, LOTS of good friends, family, and beer. We drove to West Virginia to visit Aunt Amy's farm. Oh man, what a treat. We had a blast! Christian also got to ride a horse for the first time. And sit on a skid steer, bulldozer, and a tractor. We then drove to Pittsburgh to G.G.'s house, where Christian got to meet his other great-grandmother for the first time, and his Uncle Ross, and cousin Mathi, whom he just couldn't sit any closer to if he tried! We also connected with more cousins, and Aunt Tracy for a delicious homemade lasagna dinner. After leaving Pittsburgh, we drove to Detroit to meet up with the Moyers. It was seriously too much fun. They have 2 little boys, and whew. We saw a Detroit Tigers game, and met up with Uncle J!!! After we left Detroit area, we stopped in Cleveland to see Aunt Robin and Uncle Dave, and cousin Erin, and DUKE! Duke is their ridiculously awesome dog. Pretty sure Christian could have gone to live in the wilderness with Duke and never looked back. Also in August, we celebrated Isabel's 4th birthday at the Waimanalo Polo Field where we saw our first polo match!

September
My best friend from forever and her dog, Lucy, moved from Virginia to Hawaii. It's been so much fun with her living here! It's just such a trip to be able to grab coffee, or run to the mall, or just hang out with her. Here. In Hawaii. Christian saw his first movie in the theater, Planes, with Dada and Papa. He loved it and sat through the whole thing! Christian started ISR - infant swim rescue where he learned how to swim-float-swim. Marc, April, and Kanoa AKA Professional Housesitters, were staying at a house super close to us, which was awesome! We had a fun evening hanging with them and the boys (the little ones) made pizza! The first time (and only time since) Christian has eaten pizza. And sadly, we also discovered at a routine 18-week doctor's appointment that our baby girl no longer had a heartbeat. And again, for the third time, we mourned the loss of a life growing inside of me. We named her Leilani Hope.

October

I did lots of Stroller Strides. God bless those mamas, because I love each and every one of them. Stroller Strides = my sanity. We visited the Hawaii Kai fire station, and the Koko Crater Botanical Garden. We picked pumpkins at Aloun Farms with lots of our good friends and hung out at the lagoons afterward. It was a BLAST. I accompanied Rob on his 5-day trip to Auckland, New Zealand while Christian had a very fun sleepover at Mimi and Papa's house. New Zealand, we haven't seen the last of you!

November
Lots of beach time, and playdates. We did a hike we'd never done before along the paved ridge behind Hanauma Bay. There were great views of Hawaii Kai and a beautiful sunset. We had a really fun day on the North Shore with our friends, April, Marc, and Kanoa!! Christian and Kanoa, those boys. If only Christian would stop throwing sand. Have mercy. Rob and Marc went out to surf some big waves. April and I took a lovely long walk along the beach while the boys stayed back to play. We got totally soaked in a downpour and took cover alongside some bushes. It was hilarious and some of the best conversation I've had in a while. We love that family!!

December
Here we are! Earlier this month we flew out to California to celebrate Kira's 2nd birthday, and spent the day at Disneyland. I just have to explain that picture below of Christian and Kira sitting on the bench. They are legit like an old married couple who just happened to be arguing about WHO was going to look at the ocean. We then continued onto Virginia to spend time with my family. It was a great (and cold) time! Mom had her annual Christmas party which is always fun. My little brother turned 24 while we were there as well! Christian also got his first haircut. On Christmas Eve we went to the Christmas service at First Prez, which was so lovely. We had a really fun Christmas morning, Mimi and Papa came over and we opened presents. Christian really only wanted to rip the wrapping paper. But he does love his new bike! And with only a few days left of 2013, I am feeling incredibly blessed. We're all here, and we're all healthy.

I'm looking forward to 2014 and lots of new adventures, beach days, play dates, and time with friends and family. 

Aloha to you, 2013!