Last Post for Kallee Boo's before Kindergarten.. The Summer of 2013

Kallee had a very good year in many ways.  She started by joining a new Montessori School, St. Josephs in Kennewick.  It was a crazy time as they hired a new Principal and Kallee lost a good teacher who was replaced by two other good teachers and lots of new friends.  For seriously selfish reasons i like the move as I could pick up JJ at the cousins house and then grab Kallee and be home by 4.  That was nice.

Kallee enjoyed the time at St. Joe's and we have been very fortunate because Kallee has no issues moving from one place to another.  She loved that she went to 3 different rooms and learned some cute blessings.  She liked the animals in the classrooms and was always smiling when I picked her up.

She is growing as well.  She is already 3 feet 8 and half inches tall and 41 pounds.  This is the month where Kallee usually grows, which is why we put off buying some school clothes till the end of August.

Back to the year, the beginning of 2013 went okay as she was not the stellar learner, but was definitely improving in her skills.  She is not bad at counting and by the end of the summer we are hoping she can recognize all of the letter of the alphabet.  She actual writes the letters pretty okay... but still needs practice... As a teacher I am really a much better teacher in Oregon than I am at home. My patience and Kallee's stubbornness usually butt heads.  But we struggle through after 1 to 2 hours.

In terms of other areas we excel.  She does a very decent job of surface cleaning and we like to clean her bathroom and the downstairs bathrooms together.  She also helps with sweeping and loves to clean the mirrors... Probably because she likes smiling at herself.  Like her brother, Kallee can have a great mind and loves to play dress up and house.  In fact JJ and Kallee Boo's make up houses with pillows and blankets all the time.  She loves to play dress up with JJ, as JJ can be Snake Eyes or Batman, while Kallee is Rapunzel, or Cinderella, or Bella,,, etc..  She still believes she should be a princess and who knows, maybe someplace in our history she has some royal blood.

As Jayden was into a lot of sports,  Kallee has been in only one and she loves it.  After a screaming start, Kallee has taken to swimming like a fish.  She loves being in the pool with her brother, mommy, and myself when I get off my bottom.   Swimming lessons have been great and mainly because of a teacher named Brooke, who took Kallee under her wing.  She has already started Starfish 3 and should be in 4 by next summer. 

Maui and Hawaii brought on so many memories.  I know that we are so fortunate to have a place on Maui that we have been allowed to call our home.  My mother bought my Grandparents house and we have stayed there 2 to 3 weeks each year.  It is one place that will always hold such fond family memories for both my wife and I.  It is the family escape where we can get away from the regular work place and just have fun.,.. enjoy the sunsets, the beach,, and the weather.  A place where life can slow down and we do not have to do anything but have fun.  A place where Grandpa Gebers cannot escape Kallee Boo and the fish, or where Grandma plays Uno with Kallee and when she wins,,, watch out,,, cause here will come the Kallee winner dance,,, woo hooo, woo hooo!

This was the best year in Maui yet in terms of the beach as Kallee could now swim and snorkel in the ocean.,.. and she did, she likes looking for shells and seeing turtles on the beach.  Will get back to the pool swimming later.

Smoothies,,, Chocolate and Strawberry Smoothies are her favorite from Lahina Pizza Company and Cheeseburger in Paradise.  But everywhere we went to eat, the word "smoovies" came out of her mouth.  She also loved to eat all of my Hawaiian Seed Plums... she would sneak them all the time, the little turkey.   But most of the time we would buy 2 packages, one for me and one for her.

 

She loved climbing the Banyon Tree on Front Street in Maui, and of course some shopping...   though she is no where near the stamina of Mommy.  But she does say things like, "oh that is soo beautiful, or I looove that. .."Mommy, I need to buy that... etc.

 

She sounds so grown up sometimes when she talks and then poof, the thumb back in her mouth and she is 5 again.   She stills loves to be carried and the head of hers fits oh so well on your shoulders.  She can throw huge fits and then make you smile when she does her laugh. 

 

 I really appreciate the summer time because of many things.  The kids do not get sick, they leave me alone until 9ish and they have become pretty self sufficient.  But it is the vacations that mean the most to me and watching how Kallee blossoms.  Kallee loves everything about Maui.  She has a great time there. 

 

This year Alison decided that she wanted to see another island.  We thought about Kauai first but my mom suggested the Big Island.  It was a great choice.  We scoured the internet and Costco's travel program and found The Hilton Waikoloa Village,  I love that place especially for a family. 

 

 They have DVD thing like redbox free while you are staying there.  Free breakfast for the kids and so many things to do.  Miniture golf on real grass.. a beach if needed.  A lagoon where there are fish and turtles, as well as canals to paddle boat.  There are boats to take you to parts of the hotel as well as a tram.  But for Kallee it was the pools, and I say pools as in many.  There are 4 slides and a little canal pool connecting 3 of the slides.  Then there is another big pool with a sandlot, as well as another big slide.  All these places are where Kallee loved to be.  I think we all did.  The pools gave her friends to play with and to swim and play with rings and just have a good time.  I know that next time we come to The big Island we will spend more time at the Village, because, that is where the kids wanted to be, not in a car or at the stores or anything,,, but the hotel.

 

One best memory I have is that when we would come in from swimming to clean up and get ready for dinner. Kallee and I or Jayden and Alison would sit on our deck and watch the sharks and dolphins and the sun come down.  You could sit out there for an hour and enjoy "relaxing".  Kallee would prop her feet up and just watch.    That is one of many things I love about Kallee,,, she can sit in a chair or in your lap and just watch.  She makes people smile... Like when we are at Cheeseburger in Paradise and she starts dancing to the live musician and others kids join in and

 adults smile with memories of when their children were young.

 

 

 

 

 

 Look at the smiles that is a girl who knows fun and enjoys life.  I know that as a dad, nothing gives me greater satisfaction as that smile.  It means that we are doing something right.  I am not a perfect father, I lose my temper easily, my voice gets to mezzo forte in a split second and I need my own time.  But I do know that I want my children to grow up knowing who they are and happy.  I want Kallee not to be afraid to speak her mind and to keep her brother on his toes.  I want someone who dances when she wins and learns how to lose just a weeee bit better.    Most of all, as the song by Darius Rucker goes,,,, I want to be around JJ and Kallee, to make memories, cause as he says, "It won't, be like this for long".   That song gets me all the time.

 

I know that this phase in life will fly by too fast... that I will get up one morning and she will not want me to stay with her until she falls asleep, so for now, I will cherish my time with my little Boo.

 

 



KALLEE'S FIRST RIDE DOWN THE BIG SLIDE--

KALLEE OPENING PRESENTS AT GRANDMA & GRANDPA LEE


KALLEE THROWING SNOW BALLS WITH CHRISTMAS SNOW

MADELINE AND JONAH AND THE CHRISTMAS STORY

The winter time and Kallee Boo becoming a socialite

Kallee loves to be the center of attention.  Kallee has enjoyed this year more than any other in her short life span.  She has grown up so much in the past 12 months it is amazing to see.  Her words are so clear now and her vocabulary is quite extensive.  She still makes up names for things like holy cheese for Swiss cheese, or penny juice for the sparkling apple cider.  But they make sense and we start using her words so,,,,

Kallee really took off during the summer when we were in Hawaii.  That is when she started loving to swim. When she got back she has moved fast and quit in the pool and is close to being able to swim the whole length of the pool.   It was this little thing that shows me that when she puts her mind to something and finds it interesting or worthwhile,, she catches on fast and quick... which is much better then when she puts her mind to NOT doing something... then you find yourself chasing a little girl around trying to potty train,,, not fun.

At school she is a socialite, making her rounds and talking to all of the kids.  She was in a play for Christmas as and Angel,,, of course, and she memorized her lines and new the songs too.  She of course talked to her biggest fans (Grandparents) during the show but also knew when she was supposed to go forward and when to stay back.  She and mommy get into arguments still about what she is going to wear and her hair, but I am sure that will never change.

She also loves to be a social butterfly when it comes time with the Grandparents.  She loves when Grandpa Gebers or Grandma Lee picks her up from school.  She wants to hang out with them.  What a blessing these years are for Kallee as she gets to truly be around and play with and hang out with her grandparents.  She is going to have so many good memories of them and what they meant to her.  We as parents are blessed with what we have been given because I know our family has such a strong base to build off of.    Kallee keeps asking to spend more time with the Grandparents and if I did not understand, I would be Jealous,,, but the truth is,, they are fun and they care so much for our kids that it is only seen as a lovely situation.

Kallee loves to play dress up and make believe.  Both Jayden and I have had to play Barbie's with her and dress her new dolls.  Mommy also has to dress the dolls in their PJ's at night when Kallee is getting ready to go to bed.  She has a great imagination, and playing dolls is one way she really gets to be who she is.  It is fun to listen to her talk to her dolls and even play super heroes with Jayden.   I know that she enjoys times with Madeline and anyone else who will play grown up with her.

We also found a Wii game that she can play.  It is called Pac-Man games and she is getting the hang of it.  She is a trash talker and a cryer though,,, she does her dance and tells you she smoked you when she wins and either cries, or tells you your mean,,, or climbs all over you when she loses.

Christmas season was fun and frustrating at the same time with Kallee.  She was a lot of fun but alos showed signs of just being a spoiled brat.  That was sad to see and it is as much my fault as hers.  I want to see her appreciate what she has and most of the time she shows that.  She is not as materialistc as Jayden is, but she is definitely more self aware.  If she is happy she thinks everyone should be happy.  If she is sad she thinks everyone should be sad.  If she does not like something, she does not just not like it.... she HATES it...   not middle.. either Hot or Not.

But in all of this what I really see is a happy, very self assured and confident individual.  Someone who can be funny and engaging.  A girl who knows what she likes and tells everyone.  Someone who is not afraid of being herself and somehow, someway makes most people smile when she is around them.

I still sit with her at night when she is getting ready to go to bed, and we talk and pray.  I still love that time of the day, even though I am exhausted by that time.  But it is our little time to be together.  She has been very close to us during the break and wants us to hold her and has really been close to Alison during the break.  It is nice to have a cuddler at times.   Especially now, because sometime soon I maybe traded away for the pre-teen girly thing... sigh.  But for now, everynight we will hangout and be daddy and little daughter.

Videos of Kallee
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Kallee,

It has been almost 4 months since my last post and I am hoping that will not happen again. 

So many things have happened since the last post that I will try to be brief, but not sure I can keep it down to say 1500 words.

First of all, after Kallee turned 4 she has grown up so fast.  Her words are easier to understand and she is doing so well with counting and loves to make up lines (which she calls words) and then tell you a story.  It is really cute and if you are fortunate enough to get a story then you should feel special.

Kallee also has grown taller moving all the way into size 5 in clothes by the end of the summer.  It is kind of funny to see how the dresses that she started out wearing in the beginning of summer are not fitting as well. 

Kallee has done a complete turnaround in the water as well.  At the beginning of summer it was still a chore to get Kallee to like the water.  Luckily we did have a great instructor that got past Kallee’s crying and whining.  But at the beginning of our vacation in Hawaii we started seeing a change in our little girl.  She hated the little pool at the Hyatt, and by the second day, our daughter was swimming all over the big pool going crazy.  It was awesome to see.   In fact, she jumped in one time without her life vest on and two young kids grabbed her and brought her back to the side of the pool.  I thought it was over and Kallee would be through, but she grabbed her vest and jumped right back in.   

When we came back to the swim lessons at Tri-City Court Club, Kallee was the first in the pool and was going under water, swimming to her teacher, and diving for rings.  The teacher who was the same one as before for almost a year was complimented by all the other teachers show could not believe the Kallee was doing what she was doing,,,, yea, our daughter was infamous at the lessons.   I was so proud of Kallee, and as of now, she has jumped 3 steps in the swim school, to the point where she is almost ready to be with the big kids.  

The start of the summer had some really good times as Kallee, Jayden and I explored the parks and hung out at places and just enjoyed being at home doing things.   It was a good break as we were getting ready to go to Maui.

Maui was another awesome time.  I will miss these family times on the island of Maui when the “Maui Home” as Kallee and Jayden like to call it, is sold.  But as long as we can stay there, we are going to take advantage.  It is a time where Alison and I are not bothered by work and we can just if needed, turn off the phones and have a good time.  Kallee kind of likes the beach when we build things and when she can look for shells, but she loved the pool more.   Jayden and Kallee like going to the Swap Meet and swimming in the stream up at Iao Needle.     They love going to dinner and we got to enjoy first Friday in downtown Wailuku, of course, the kids were really would up and crazy,,, but that is what are kids are highly excitable.

Kallee hates sand in her shorts so after a while the beach becomes a thing of the past.  But there still is Moose’ McGuillicudys in Keihi, where Kallee gets to dance to 80’s music.   She is so comfortable with whom she is and it shows.  I love that about my Boo’s.  

What I did not appreciate about Kallee was her propensity to steal candy and hide and eat it.  Which is why we have basically moved all candy out of reach or the house all together.  Kallee would grab and moved behind a chair or in her Princess tent in her room and eat it.  With wrappers as the way we would catch her.  She also loves to draw on anything including the doors and walls and floor.  That has been stopped for the most part.  But the worst thing that she did was cut her hair… aaarrrghh.  I will never forgive myself for that one,,, and looking at her when I saw it and then seeing how much,,, oh so much hair had been placed in the garbage.  Slowly but sure ley the hair is coming back.  I miss the long hair because I could pout that kind of hair up in a sport pony which I know how to do, all the other types of hair style I will refuse to learn under the Man laws.

During the summer, the relationship between Kallee and Jayden has grown a lot.  He HAS to put up with her little sister as she does not give him a choice.  The kids play all the time together, whether Jayden is interested or not.  Both of them have great imaginations so they are very willing to go to different places to have fun.  Good for them.   I love listening to Kallee play Mom with her dolls or try and tell everyone what to do when playing and then throwing a fit when they do not do what she says.

Okay, quick rabbit trail.  This summer at the Benton County Fair my daughter found the one game no one can put a foot on her.  It is called find the candy in the hay stack.  She had easily tripled what Jayden got.  She could “feel” where the candy lay in the hay.  Amazing!

The start of the school year has been smooth for Kallee.  She truly is amazing how easily she makes friends and can adapt to new environments.  She “mostly” does love going to school, but there still is the days where our daughter wants to sleep in and hates school.

But when she is there she loves it.  This weekend she did the laps to raise money and made 23 times around the infield of the track at Kennewick High School.  She was really cute running with her teacher and her friends and stopping at Alison’s feet having a good time.   She is really getting into making mommy coffee and painting and being very creative.  She is singing a lot of songs she learns and she is very much appreciated by the teachers and other kids.  She can now write just about every letter both small case and capital letters, yet she still does not quite understand the difference between the letters.  She can spell her name, so that is good. 

Alison is really impressed as I am with how the people at St. Josephs work will Kallee.  She has come home with some really impressive stuff.  Plus Kallee is happy about being there and gets mad if I show up too early. 

I will remember so many things from the first half of Kallee’s 4^th year:

• The fake cries when she does not get her way.
• ·         Her positive sunshiny outlook at life.
• ·         Our time at night together when I watch her fall asleep.
• ·         Her coming in at night and telling me about her nightmare and settling her down to sleep.
• ·         Her Thumb and nose thing
• ·         Watching Kallee and Jayden in Hawaii and thinking to myself how really lucky I feel.
• ·         Her laugh when she is really happy.
• ·         Her trying to learn to ride a bike, and she can now pedal and sometimes turn around.
• ·         Her negotiations at the table on what she has to eat and how much.
• ·         Her never having cavities!! Crazy.

I am amazed how much Kallee has grown in the past year.  You know that she is very aware of her surroundings because she talks to people and tells them how she cannot eats nuts because she could get sick or how she seems to “know” everyone and loves to see you and she gives great hugs.  She always wants to be the center of attention, and can even make the most petulant person smile at times.

I look at my daughter now and hope and pray that she stays strong in her beliefs and always shows the ability to make people around her feel comfortable and good about life.  Her bullheadedness and refusal to be swayed on her thoughts is both awesome and frustrating.  I just have to make her see the correct and incorrect way to look at things without losing it and SCREAMING at times....

I know that Kallee is growing past the toddler-baby stage into the little girl.  But in my eyes she will always be my little one.  I know that as a father I will see her in pigtails with her thumb in her mouth and in a sundress.  She is my little Kallee Boos. 

Pictures for the summer