Kallee Boo and Life

Kallee is growing up fast,,, literally.  She jumped from Size 2 to size 4 in a month…  She looks so different then from the Summer.  I look at pictures of her in Hawaii and see her now and am amazed how far she has come. 

Kallee still has issues with her language skills.  He is talking at a 34 month old scale.  We have taken her to speech therapy and we might have some more scheduling if insurance pays for it.  If not then daddy school will start again..  which is not fun because she likes to cry when she does not get her way. 

I have seen improvement in Kallee’s speech ever since she has been working in Apple Tree at Childrens Garden.  I watch the other day as they were teaching her letter sounds because I had to buy her some boots from Fred Meyer because she went to school in Flip Flops in 32 degree weather.  (Do not worry though, she was wearing socks,,, just like her old man). 

Speaking of Crying, I believe that is one of Kallee’s most favorite things to do,,, cry, and laugh, and have fun.  Wait I take that back, her most favorite thing to do is to be carried. The words Carry me are her favorite.  She moves in front of you and she cries and cries to the point of throwing up if mommy does not pick her up.  The she is happy again.

Kallee is loving Dance and Ballet and would go there every day if she could.  She has so much fun and the coaches are pretty good.  So likes to listen to songs and start dancing to them.  I think her favorite right now is the soundtrack from Out of Africa 2. I like to move it move… I like to move it move it.

Kallee likes going to school so that is good.  All the tough and stressful things that were happening in September are now gone replaced by joy and happiness.

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun and we LOVE putting it together.. the kids are starting to help with things and they really want people to come over and see them.  We feel very fortunate that our families are so close not only in location, but in our hearts as well.  We would not be the family we are today without the help and support and prayers of those family members.

PS this is another request for lefsa as after Thanksgiving I had 3 pieces left.

Kallee may not be as Christmas Cheer as Jayden and I are, but she is getting better.  She loves the lights and the pretty songs and Christmas sugar…. (Candy Canes,,, etc).  But she hates the cold,, so she will not be a total Christmas Nut like the boys are.

But she helped decorate both trees and sings Christmas carols to us… so she is definitely my daughter.

I cannot wait for more Christmas Festivities!!!!!

2011 Halloween and our princess.

Of course Kallee wanted to be a princess and loved her ballerina princess outfit.  Kallee and Jayden, who was spiderman, did a few things for Halloween.  Kallee had a thing at school, and then won a gift card at Fred Meyer.  So she has been very happy winning and earning.

And then there was Halloween.  We hung out at Grandma and Grandpa Gebers house and had dinner.  Then Alison and I took Ballerina Princess and Spiderman around their neighborhood.  It is a great neighborhood that goes in a circle.  So you can start and end in the same place... aka circle.  Cool huh.

Jayden the always good big brother told everyone that they could not have nuts.  He is very, very impressive.  The kids had a great time going to house to house and running to the next treat.  When they got home we traded  out all of the nut candy for other nut free candy and had a good time. 

If you are asking, nope they have not eated all the candy unless we do not watch Kallee then yes she would eat it.  I have them say their verse right now to get their candy.  But only 1 or 2 a day is the rule... which Jayden obeys completely and Kallee fights constantly.

Kallee is loving Ballett and tap while hating/loving swimming.  The girl who is working with Kallee is awesome and works so hard trying to keep her from screaming or crying.  She is so afraid of putting her face in water or going down under wth water.   But she is starting to get better and screaming as much. 

She and Jayden get along most of the time and whine only a little bit.  It is amazing to see the connection of a sister and brother.  God knew exactaly what he was doing when he gave us Jayden and Kallee.

Kallee has been dry and not had an accident since she decided to go number 2 on the toilet.  She is also getting better about putting away her stuff when she is asked or even not asked.

Well I have to go as it is getting close to bed time and time to put them down for the night.  Kallee loves her knew bed that was converted from a crib... the last crib we will have in our home for at least 24 years... or something like that.

Kallee Boo,

Kallee Boo has taken big strides in the past month and the turn to October has been great.  She has stopped being nervous about going to Apple Tree and seems to be enjoying her time there now.  She likes to socialize and seems to have friends there.  She hugs with all her body,,, it is pretty cute.  Kallee also has friends at Jayden’s soccer practice and is very willing to make more and more. 

Kallee has not had an accident in over a week.  She is now comfortable at school and at home and at the grandparents.  What was the difference…….. BALLET!!!!  Yea Ballet!  Kallee loves the dance studio she goes to on Wednesday’s.  She is learning ballet and tap.  She has her ballet tutu and her shoes and tap shoes and she loves it.  I mean loves it.  She glows and is happy and shows a big smile.  She loves looking at herself in the big mirrors and watching her moves.  She thinks dancing is awesome and cannot wait to go every week.  It has been great for her. 

Kallee loves life still and is pretty happy with most of what happens.  She says so many cute and ironic things that I cannot help but laugh.  She takes are words and throws them back at us like.

“You are making me angry”

And

“I am so frustrated with you!”

And

“Love you”

She always wants to be involved and is never afraid to express her opinion.  She still hates the mornings and will act up at those times.  But last night Alison told her that she wanted to hold her little baby.

Kallee responded that she was not her little baby anymore, she is a little girl…. She is growing up pretty fast.

Kallee Boo pics

Kallee and tears

Kallee and tears Those two words are synonymous right now in her life. Kallee is crying going to school getting picked up, when she is told to eat her veggies, when she is told to put on her PJ’s, or go to bed.. Tears start falling. Kallee and laughing and happy is also synonymous as she can still light up the room. But for the past two weeks she has been overly sensitive. Alison has noticed that Kallee is not yet accustomed to the new classroom yet and is a tearful mess when she is dropped off in the morning. She is also very angry at me when I am picking her up in the afternoon if I arrive before she wants me too. So she starts crying. Alison knows that Kallee truly is scared of her new classroom, but that is not the only place Kallee is still crying. She is insta tears all the time over the littlest things. I think that she has been coddled too much because she has learned to cry to get her way, so we have been butting heads pretty much every day for the past month. I need her to understand that she can still show her frustration with life without crying. She is a stubborn and tough individual that really thinks that she has the world down and wants her way all the time… or tears…… She has now successful gone #2 at school but is in a holding pattern everywhere else. I think in her mind the potty is losing some of its scariness. I really does frustrate and scare me on how fearful of the new my daughter is… she HATES being surprised or if things change without her permission. Kallee will miss out on so many things if she keeps up this fear of life, water, environment, or school, but one place she is not afraid to try new things is food… she is so willing to eat new things off her mother’s plate and that is very cool. (Side note, notice lack of daddy because his taste are weak and embarrassing). Kallee loves humus and sauces and dips and veggies and just having different things. She does not like eating foods more that once a week. So for that I am grateful. I am also grateful for Jayden because he is her interpreter and hero. If it was not for JJ, Kallee would not be as happy as she is today. Mommy thinks that part of Kallee’s loss of love for her school is the fact that JJ is not there, and I do agree. She is more comfortable in everything with her big brother around and he is so awesome to her. I know that Kallee will sometime, take to adapting quicker to what life has to offer… but until then the sounds you will hear in our house will be daddy ram butting heads with baby ram.

Pics of the Summer

These pics were taken by Alison's phone... it was a good summer

Kallee and the end of the summer into the new school year.

Kallee and the end of the summer into the new school year.

Kallee has grown and yet still remained a little girl. Kallee was in 2T’s comfortably at the beginning of the summer, but by the time summer was over, she was almost too big for 3T clothes… So we are going out and getting some more 4T stuff.

She has gotten a bit better at her speech as Grandma Gebers can understand her part of the time on the phone. It is amazing how we as parents can understand our children yet when we listen to other children the same age… total foreign language.

Kallee loves to eat sugar so we have had to surb all candy and snacks. Alison really believes that Kallee will become a vegetarian by the time she grows up. She still loves all dips including ranch and ketchup and bar-b-que sauce and salsa and beans and hummus. She likes to try new foods and does not like to have the same thing more than once a week.

Her clothing style is still comfortable and gets mad at us if we try to use anything but cotton on her. She loves the summer because you can wear dresses all day long. Her shoes style include flops and mary jane’s. Though truth be told she likes to wear her Flip Flops on the wrong foot… somehow she finds it more confortable.

As school starts Kallee is nowhere near trained on the poopy part of toilet training… In fact she is still serious about not always going on the toilet. Kallee is fine with the potties but the other is a struggle… she is cleaning herself up better so that is good.

I think this could have been one of the best summers ever as I got to spend a lot of time with the family. We are so excited about Hawaii next summer because of what happened this summer. Kallee and Jayden made it fun and exciting and happy and yes a little tiring. Kallee has an infectious laugh and a great personality… she has her times of crying for no reason and throwing the good ole fake fit, but she is a confident little girl who does not let many people take advantage of her. She is a strong and happy girl who makes everyday a wonderful yet challenging 24 hours.

Kallee started in apple tree room this year and we are interested in seeing who she takes to a controlled room in which there are very strict boundaries. I think it will be good for her. We tried to do school in the month of August and she is gotten a lot better at her colors, but much to the dismay and disappointment of her brother and I, who worked for her all the time in pure frustration, she is still avoiding counting to 10… arrghhh.

Like I said,,, very stubborn,,., very…

Okay,

So we just came back from the allergist and sure enough… Kallee has nut allergies and an egg allergy… Walnuts and Pecans are really bad and other tree nuts are not so good either. She has a small reaction to peanuts. The egg reaction was very big, but the doctor said that since she has been eating baked goods already to continue eating them. So the egg one is not a scary,, ,but once again we have to have more epi pins… yeah..

Oh and Kallee is 32 pounds and 38 and a half inches tall.

Days 14-16

Day 14

Jayden and Kallee got to spend the whole day with Grandpa and Grandma. They seemed to be very happy with the grandparent and uncle Roy as Jayden won the most Uno games over all comers. Jayden was very excited to tell us how he beat every one in cards. He even gave up going swimming to play cards with Roy and Grandma. Kallee was okay as she was color with complete intensity.

Kallee has so many great facial expressions… When we ask Jayden if he wants to go somewhere,,, Kallee says “I go too,.,, yes” and she gets so excited when we say yes… Then her best word is no. NO!!.. You may not be able to understand all she says… but the word NO is not one of them. She says that one with intensity.

Today we went on a great snorkel cruise to Honokahoua bay. It was on the Genmini and it was a great run. Alison and I stayed in the water more than anyone else. I was also the one who say the Giant Sea Turtle on the trip and one of the first to see the Spinner Dolphins. It was a wonderful trip but I still am having issues with nausea.

We had some food and then I got to eat Ono Gellato and it was awesome. The day was nice to spend with Alison as we walked places and just enjoyed being together… good times for us.

Day 15

Today we started off with a 30 dollar breakfast and then went and picked up Kallee and Jayden…. It was great to see them as they were so excited to see us,…. I love that about them… Kallee is really great with the hugs.

We came back to the Hotel and Jayden was so happy. He wanted to come back to the pool and we did. We were in the water for 4 and a half hours… My Kallee boo stayed in the pool and the hot tub the whole time.. amazing. This is the girl who did not want to be down there at all… but she found her niche with the inner tube.

Kallee and Jayden loved the hotel. They are so excited with the birds and the pools and the beach. Tonight we ended up on a date with our children. Alison and Jayden went really fast and then Kallee and I on a more leisurely stroll. Jayden and mommy played in the sand and played by the big boats and watched for sea shells. Kallee and I climbed up Major Anchors from some really big boats.

Ironically we both found ourselves at Whalers village but never saw each other… Mommy and Jayden were upstairs and Kallee and I down. We watched a Polynesian dance and hula show that was amazing. The boys and girls were awesome.. Kallee was dancing and shaking her booty.

Kallee and I walked around the shops and took the trolley back to the hotel and then watched the moon and stars while Jayden and Mommy walked back.. it was a beautiful night and we took advantage of it.. I think that we had a very lovely day and great night. The sunset was amazing as well.

Day 16

I have to say it started rough but came up beautiful. Jayden started the day in the drink. Literally. Jayden was waiting to feed the fish and then all of a sudden, he was in the fish. He had fallen in… I know my son the always great on his feet, never falling down, great coordination Jayden. The mother who was talking to Alison was quick on her feet, and the security/safety team was really awesome… and did such a wonderful thing going beyond what was expected of them. They are amazing people and I will always remember Kim and the rest of the staff at the Hyatt Regency in Maui. I know that when we come back we are going to come here. Amazing staff amazing resort… love it. Jayden was even given the opportunity to feed the fish afterwards… They are so nice to my children. They did not look at Jayden as someone to be scorned… but to be cared for.

Hyatt is A+

Jayden Banged his head and then also skinned up his knee and probably gave the fish a fright of their life… the penguins just watched with amusement. The kids love feeding the fish and talking to the Macaws and Parrots. We swam forever and I worked with Kallee on her swim kick,,, but otherwise, swimming lessons went to the wayside. Alison and Jayden were all over the pool.

Tonight we walked the beach for the final night… we made some sand castles, got some shells, walked int the water, watched some hula dancers and fire dancers, ate dinner at a place called Longboards.. and then came back to the hotel. It was a beautiful night with a wonderful sunset and a time to spend together as a family…… Jayden was happy, Kallee Boo was happy, Mommy was happy and I was Happy.

Since Alison came into my life I have been so blessed… Trips together to Vegas, Washington DC. Mariners Games and Trips to Phoenix and Tuscan. Then the Jayden and Kallee came and we took short trips to Lake Chelan, and Seattle and Portland, and the great trips to Seaside. But this was the best family trip we have taken. Filled with so much adventure and moments… so much happiness and energy and fun… I would be lying if I said I was always happy, no I got annoyed and sick and tired and had to punish both JJ and Kallee Boo.. Boo would have major tired hissy fits and Jayden with his tryiong to do all things on his own.. but even with that I would say that life was great here…. I cannot wait to come back to Maui. I was so fortunate to stay and see the house I remember as a kid and the memories with my grandparents… the yard and the neighborhood.. The Iao Valley and the beaches, and the time with my parents here.. Jayden and Kallee are fortunate to see both grandparents so much.

Days 12 and 13 and My Favorite places to eat

Day 12,

Jayden once again was a crier, pretty much all day long.. he cried when he did not think he was getting his way. He cried when he did not think the waitress heard he wanted ketchup, he cried that we were going to go to a hotel, he cried because he could not get his clothes on fast. He cried when he was told to get out of bed… then he fell asleep at the restaurant. The kid goes and goes and goes until he is to the point of breaking.. He does not trust mommy and me that we will not have his interests in mind. I am not sure why he does not think we know what he wants and what he likes, because we know him better then he does.

Kallee was also in trouble a lot but more for not listening to his mother… she is a tough cookie and does what she wants… which gets her in big trouble with her father and daddy wins.

We have moved to Kaanapali Beach and are staying at the Hyatt Regency on the beach. It is a very beautiful and cool hotel with lots of things for the kids and us to do… I will talk about it tomorrow.

Tonight I am burnt and in pain and very tired. But I have to tell you about some of the best places that we have eaten at so far.

We love Maui Tacos: http://www.mauitacos.com/

We love Lahaina Pizza Factory: http://www.lahaina-family-vacation.com/lahaina-pizza-company.html

We love Moose McGillucuddys; http://moosemcgillycuddys.com/And Cheeseburger in Paradise has some great atmosphere and good staff: http://www.cheeseburgerland.com/Cheeseburgerland/Lahaina.html
But the Lahaina Pizza Factory has the best waitress,.. I will try to remember her name but she got Kallee some Ice Cream and Kallee remember her from the other day and she went over and gave her a hug… she and the Waitress had all saying ahhhhh… It was a good day. But I am tired so I will talk tomorrow.

Day 13

It was a very nice day except for the 2nd degree burns. You would think I would have learned. So for future reference… when in paradise… in Hawaii and your back and shoulders have not seen the sun in 10 years. And you think just between the clouds are in the air and the wind is blowing,,, you will burn… The good news is the blisters are going away… the bad news is the kids keep hitting me in the tail bone and the Kallee rips at the scabs when I carry her… aah to be a daddy. Side note, Alison was watching the Maui Channel and it just told us about how to be careful with the sun and we are 21 degrees closer to the sun and so you can get burned easier and faster… nice huh. She is still laughing at us.

Second side note… Kallee is like a Pro-Bowl Corner when she wants to get picked up.. she literally jumps in front of you and then shadows your every move so you cannot get by her.

The kids had a good day, we ate at the Hyatt Regency Swan Court where the kids ate and played and fed the Koi fish and watched the penguins get fed. They also have many tropical birds that Jayden and Kallee kept saying aloha and laughing at which the bird laughed back… I will have to get the name of the bird. We then spend 3 great,,, (miserable as my blisters were poping under my shirt) hours at the pool where Kallee played in the little pool and Jayden did not get to go down the big slide… he was very sad so next time we will do it. He has to be 48 inches… But he got over it and had a great time swimming with mommy and going under the water fall and jumping in and just being a boy. Kallee and I did the sand and the kiddie water, and then the hot tub and then we moved to the shade by the pool and just lounged for a while… the pool will be coming into my future as I get over this burn.

Kallee and Jayden have so many things to look at and we did not even hit the beach at Kanapali yet.

Grandma and Grandpa Gebers picked up the kids and will have them for a couple of days and that let Alison and I revel in the past…. We went to the two places we stayed at for our honeymoon,, Lahaina Shores and the Royal Lahaina…. And then we ate at Basil Tomatoes… I love that place great memories, and great food… it was awesome.. I finally got to eat rizzoto. I like rizzotto… It tasted so good. It was a very nice way to spend a night with the one woman I will love and honor for the rest of my life. We enjoyed that so much and then we moved to Front St. In Lahaina and just walked and perused. It was cool. I went back and bought a Maui Built water shirt for our Molokini adventure so I do not burn more, and then I bought a Maui Built tee. For Alison I bought her a sweatshirt. It is cool to buy something that you can only buy on Maui… Nice.. cause this ain’t the mainland. We could really live here because we both like the whole Maui time.

It was fun and nice day and a great, and fond night of awesome food and memories…

Days 10 and 11

Day 10.

Sadly we are on the tail end of the trip. It has been good. Of course we are now really ourselves… we are getting up later and we are not leaving the Maui House until after 11. As a family we are all very lethargic when it comes to getting ready and leaving… plus we overpack and we always forget something.

Oh well.

We hit the baby beach again today and the tide was way in. The surf was high and the surfers were out in force. There were great breakers and some good pipeline as well. Maybe we will take some surfing lessons… Maybe.

The beach was fun and Alison and Jayden got to swim a lot. Kallee and I stayed on the beach and Kallee jumped the waves. Then the kids and Alison created a great sand castle. Kallee decorated it with shells and nut parts. Jayden built a huge moat and a great wall to protect the castle. We then came home and had a good meal and then it was cards and off to bed.

Jayden and Kallee also wrote letters to the family and hopefully they get it by the time we leave.

Alison really loves the time we are spending together as a family and the kids are really loving life. They are pretty happy with the exception of the “I am so tired” crying explosions people have. But right now Jayden is watching movies in his room and getting ready to fall asleep. And Kallee and Mommy are talking and laughing in their room and just being happy together…

It is a good life.

Day 11,

We got up earlier and we still did not leave until 10… crazy. The kids got to get squirt guns which they used in the ocean. The water was way up the beach and it was cloudy and I still got a burn… ah life. We also picked up some family t-shirts and had a wonderful day again at the beach.

We ate at the Lahaina Pizza and it was awesome. Good food and great atmosphere.. the place is right on the beach and we got a beach front table… It was a great time. We went to the Old Baynon Tree to let Kallee and Jayden play on it. They love climbing it.

It was a very nice relaxing and great day. It is nice to feel vacation… it is nice to feel you are just part of the earth. I kept watching Kallee dig a big hole and sit in it, Alison helping and reading a book. I say Jayden swim and boogie board and swim over the coral reefs without being scared. Then I looked out and saw the breaking waves and the pipelines and the other Islands; the Molakini Crater, Lain’I,I Molokai, and Kahoolawe and thinking to myself… this is was I am supposed to do not.. enjoy great atmosphere and great family… we are so very lucky.

Day 9

Day 9
Pics
Kallee Boo’s bottom has big rash.. It is sad as we have done the baking soda bath and creams and she is now feeling okay unless she has to go to the bathroom. She has pooped again on the toilet so hopefully she gets used to that once she is done with the runs.

Jayden and Kallee and Mommy and I started the day talking to Uncle Jonah and Auntie Elanor. They came down from the up country to talk with us and it was very nice to see them again. I remember great memories with them at their house and luau’s and the beach. They were very good to me. Roy came over and had a wonderful time just talking. Jayden really loves Uncle Roy… and Roy is very kind to Jayden and he really wants to see him almost every day. Grandma treated us to the Maui Ocean Center and it was a ton of fun. The fish were amazing and Jayden and Kallee really did appreciate the fish and aquatic life. They also got to look at the bay at MaaLea….. It was a wonderful time. Jayden loved the the area where you can see the fish and the sharks and the rays swim above you and around you. He and Kallee also loved the turtles and the Hammerheads. Jayden and I then spent sometime finding more Geocache targets. We have found 6 or 7 so far on the Island. It is fun but I slipped on and tree and got a rock right in the tailbone.. I am moving a lot slower now. The Geocaching so far kind of disappointing as there are not many fun boxes… I am going on the Internet to see if we can find some better ones online.

I also bought some red dirt tees. They are dyed and printed in real red dirt from Maui. I love the shirts from the Islands especially Maui. I have Crazy Shirts, Red Dirt Shirts. Hawaiian Style shirts and Maui Built Shirts. I really like supporting the Island and the shirts rock.

Maui Built (the best part of these shirts is that you cannot buy them on-line. Only in Kahului and Lahaina.

http://www.crazyshirts.com/

Local Motion

http://www.dirtshirt.com/

http://mauitropix.blogspot.com/

We then wend to Moose Mcgillycuddys for some great food and awesome service. The people were awesome there and even displayed the pictures that Jayden and Kallee colored on the wall. It meant a lot to me. We were treated well and the people there were so cool. We will definitely go there again. Awesome people and the spirits and food were great too.

We came home and played uno with roy again and Jayden and Roy won the most.

Day 10.

Sadly we are on the tail end of the trip. It has been good. Of course we are now really ourselves… we are getting up later and we are not leaving the Maui House until after 11. As a family we are all very lethargic when it comes to getting ready and leaving… plus we overpack and we always forget something.

Oh well.

We hit the baby beach again today and the tide was way in. The surf was high and the surfers were out in force. There were great breakers and some good pipeline as well. Maybe we will take some surfing lessons… Maybe.

The beach was fun and Alison and Jayden got to swim a lot. Kallee and I stayed on the beach and Kallee jumped the waves. Then the kids and Alison created a great sand castle. Kallee decorated it with shells and nut parts. Jayden built a huge moat and a great wall to protect the castle. We then came home and had a good meal and then it was cards and off to bed.

Jayden and Kallee also wrote letters to the family and hopefully they get it by the time we leave.

Alison really loves the time we are spending together as a family and the kids are really loving life. They are pretty happy with the exception of the “I am so tired” crying explosions people have. But right now Jayden is watching movies in his room and getting ready to fall asleep. And Kallee and Mommy are talking and laughing in their room and just being happy together…

It is a good life.

Days 7 & 8

JJ's and Kallee's posts are the same

Day 7

Today was a tough day for Kallee Boo as she was sick from the start to the finish. She had the runs and we had to make an emergency run to the store to get more diapers as she went through many a diaper. She also threw up…. Poor girl. Jayden was fine being around the house as he got to play cards with uncle roy and his cars and his new helicopter. He went to the park and had a great and famous shaved ice from toms mini mart. Alison once again had a little trouble with the sun and the burning part as she got it on the legs this time. I am okay as are the kids. But both are happy with their Maui Home.

The best news for us was that Kallee Boo went poopie on the toilet… (Yea!!!!!). But the runs closed down the show for the rest of the day. Hopefully we get a 2^nd chance tomorrow.

Day 8.

Poor Kallee Boo’s she is still fighting the runs, but she was pretty tough. We got her to go on the toilet again this morning.. (Alison is the leader of this.), and then we got dress and mommy and Kallee went to the store. Jayden and I spelled and pronounced words. Then I got Jayden to write the alphabet, he needed help with only 8 letters. Hopefully we will get more of the letters down the next time.

We then went to a park that is dedicated to the past of Maui. It has homes of the past from countries and populations that make of Maui. A Japanese Pagoda, Portuguese House with a smoker, a Koren house, Chinese, and a Filipino Hut. Jayden loved running through the Bamboo forest, and Kallee loved yelling at the koi fish. Crazy Kids.

We then drove up to the Iao Needle and Jayden swam in the stream and jumped from the rocks. Kallee made a slide from the top of a huge boulder to the bottom… It was cute and I have video.

We then did some Geocaching. And Found a Geocaching box!!! Our first one. It was at the Big Rock and the Iao Needle that I had found before… but we did not see it,,, it was hidden behind some rocks. Jayden got a rubber ball from it and Kallee got a Bunny. We left a trout there and we will watch its progress. Fun times. Jayden and I found two others and they were a Bum House and a corner of a busy street… some are good some are not so good… it is what it is. We then hit the mall and ate at Maui’s Tacos.

Jayden was super excited at Uncle Roy came over and we all played cards and I believe Jayden was the big winner. Jayden then walked Uncle Roy home… as did Grandma and Mommy and Kallee in the stroller. It was a good day. Hopefully Kallee’s bottom gets better.

Days 4, 5 and 6

Again same story on both Kallee and JJ's

Pics

More Pics

Day 4

A good day and a tough day. We started with my 42nd birthday and a great card from my mother and father in law. It was written so well and made me feel appreciated and loved I was very happy to get it. My parents were also impressed. My mother made me tacos for lunch and we went to a flea market at the community college. It was a lot of fun and I bought myself a few hats and a shark necklace.

Jayden had a tough time because he wanted a toy and then when he spent his own money for it he found it needed batteries and we would not go buy them. He had a breakdown. We saw a spoiled boy who did not understand how much he is given. He is a really great kid, but he has some things that with his parents help, he is going to have to work through. He is at times trying to raise himself and has trust issues…

Grandpa took the kids to the park and they had a wonderful time. We then went to a miniature golf course with lots of things to do. Jayden looked like he was having a wonderful time as he tried to golf in a left handed push way. Mommy tried to help him but he always reverted back to a very interesting stance. Kallee did not understand all the fuss and she just went over to the hole and dropped the ball in. Problem solved. They both got to do rock climbing and then Jayden did some trampoline extreme bouncing. But then gave another pouting face when he saw daddy and Kallee on the water bumber boats without him. He did get to ride it but he literally looked like a kid who did not get to do a whole bunch of fun things in the past three days. Hopefully in the next few days we will sit down and have talks with Jayden and get him to understand how enjoyable life is and he should be thankful for what he is given.

Day 5.

It was a day of ups and downs, literally. The Family took their one (and maybe only in my lifetime) trip to the top of Haleakela. I cannot tell you how lovely, awesome and enormous the volcano is. It is truly a once in a lifetime sight. It has so many colors of lava rock and the crater is so big. It is hard to explain to Jayden that the Crater is “the hole” at the top of the mountain. He was expecting a Cartoon like hole, but he got the concept of it. Jayden and Kallee and Alison have now been to a real volcano and back. They have a plant there that is found nowhere else in the world. It is called the silver sword. It is a beautiful plant… Amazing. The view was breathtaking as you could see forever. You were literally on top of the clouds and I took many pictures. It was also breathtaking because you could to a walk on a lava rock trail and go to one of the peaks. We did and Jayden and Alison made it all the way to the top. I was short of breathe a lot trying to chase Jayden down as he was flying up and down the trail. He had a great time and so did we. Kallee loved being there as well and we tried to find the Nene Bird. (State bird of Hawaii), but decided it must be sleeping…

The down side was the road. OMG,.,,, it was a 10 mile twisting turning gut wrenching trip to get to the state park… then you had another 11 mile trip to the crater… I was sick, Jayden was sick, Kallee was a little sick and so was Alison….. That part will make this a onetime only trip. Unless they make a really large escalator.

We also hit the winery in Upalakua. Alison love the pineapple wine… The kids had a great time exploring the grounds with Grandpa and Jayden got to play on a cannon. I was still sick and found tums and real ginger ale and black licorice… I survived.

We also got to see some great memories. We did some shopping at the same store that my mother used to shop at when she was a little girl. I got to see the hospital that my grandma and grandpa worked at. And Jayden and Kallee saw the house that my mother grew up in when she was a child. It still looked pretty good. It was great trip for me to see things that were part of my mother’s history. Jayden and Kallee ate at the restaurant that my mother used to have Chinese food at. (It now serves sandwiches and great desserts.) This was in Kula. The store is called Fongs Store and they were the riches people on the island… It is still called Fongs Store… History is still alive.

To see my mother talk about her past brings up so many good memories about how people have lived when they were young. My father’s house in Minnesota and Qunicy. Connie’s house in St. Josephs and the colleges that she and Dick went to. I want my children to get to see these places. To know what life was and is for their grandparents and how truly lucky they are that they get to see them this much and talk to them and to feel their love. Blessed is how I feel, and I know my children feel the blessings the get not only from us, but from their grandparents and cousins and aunties and uncle, and and the Grandma Aunties and Uncles. Jayden really likes Uncle Roy and loves playing with him. Kallee just wants to ride on his cart.

Day 6

This was a day at the beach again day. We finally got to the point where the burns were not so bad. It was a good day to hit the baby beach. We stopped and picked up snorkeling gear and watch fishes and coral underwater. I am hoping that the underwater camera that I got took good pics as we tried to chase down a few tropical fish. There were a few really cool ones plus a sea cucumber or slug… or whatever it was. Colorful tropical fish and some minnows that I tried to chase towards Jayden and he tried to jump on, but he kept missing. Jayden wanted to stay in the water the whole time changing from his snorkel and fins to fins to boogie boarding to fins and boogie boards. Kallee did do some great swimming kicks in the water.. But definitely like playing on the beach the most. I was snorkeling most of the time. Alison and I then took the kids to Front Street and had a wonderful time as Jayden and Kallee climbed the world’s largest banyan tree for a long time.

The fourth of July was so nice for us as Kallee kept singing happy birthday. She is just a happy little girl. Kallee just seems to be happy all the time, except when she does not get her way. She usually then just falls asleep.

It was a good day to celebrate the nation and our freedom. A freedom that we benefit from all the time. God has given us a wonderful family and we are blessed to be Americans… and we celebrated this Maui Style.

Hawaii Days 2 and 3.

Again this is also being posted on Jaydens and Kallee's

Day 2

After unsuccessfully helping Grandpa fix the brakes we rented a car and headed out to the Beach… We went to the Baby Beach, which is just NW of Old Lahaina. It was great, though Alison and I both have burns to show for it. Kallee loved playing in the sand and actually played some in the water. Jayden played with the boogie board the whole time. (He still does not swim well. But the board helped his kicking a lot.) Plus you could go out almost a hundred yards out and still not be over his head. We looked at the little rock reefs and did some minnow and crab watching… then we ate at Cheeseburger at Paradise… At cheeseburger at Paradise we lost Kallee many times as she kept chasing the birdies trying to catch them. But she stayed in her chair as she found a wonder pineapple smoothie to drink. I saw pure love on her face. Jayden then went oyster fishing and got his mother a wonderful pink pearl.

At night Jayden and I played U-no with Uncle Roy and say Uncle Jerry and Aunie Di. It was a good day.

Day 3

After the sunburn incident yesterday, Alison and I thought it best to find… less sunny things to do. Kallee and Jayden were not even affected by the sun… they are lucky. So Grandma and Grandpa went with us to the Iao Needle Valley. We did some walking and climbing. Kallee wanted the bananas off the banana trees and got to see how taro is created. We took pictures of the Ioa Needle. Kallee and Jayden loved playing in the stream and walking on the water rocks. It was fun as Jayden and Grandma Traversed the water and rocks to a nice pool. We also finished are first Geo Caching adventure and found a rock… not very exciting.

Kallee and Jayden also got to play at the Mall and went on a train ride in the mall. Kallee got to each Coconut Muchi which is a kind of doughnut. Jayden was not as interested. But he did love the Shaved Ice with Hawaiian Punch, Cherry, and Pineapple flavoring. It was a great time. Uncle Roy came Over again and played Uno with Jayden. Jayden loves playing Uno.

The adventures are good because Jayden and Kallee tell us that they had a great time. We are fortunate to be here and so far, it has been very pleasurable

Day 1 in Hawaii

I am posting the same story on Jaydens and Kallee's blog, so you do not have to read it twice, but when they get older they can read them on their own blog.

Day 1

Jayden, Kallee, Alison and I had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to go to the airport. We actually bought lightweight suitcases so that we could “pack” right for Hawaii… (so far we over packed cold weather clothes, the weather has been great).

The luggage worked great as our suitcases weighed 38 and 45 pounds respectively…. (Alison was not happy that she took some clothes out before we left… my bad.)

The airport it self was.. interesting, the kids did okay in line, but we had to check two bags and a car set.. then we were carrying a stroller, booster seat, 1 more suit case, a computer backpack, Jayden’s backpack, Kallee’s backpack, and Alison’s bag..we seriously had like 10 things to x-ray. The I was done and Alison took the kids to get snacks and me Black Licorice…

Kallee and Jayden were really excited about flying for the first time. They could not wait. That is until we got on the plane and we were taxing down the runway. That is when Jayden asked “are we there yet??” That got about 15 chuckles from the other passengers and sympathetic looks from older people whose kids were older. Kallee was lucky as the person next to her was a great gentleman who did not mind the questions and the kicks as she kept flopping across both him and me. But she did almost sleep halfway. Then I took her for an hour and then Alison had both of them for an hour and a half. Jayden was very good except for when the movie players would not work and then he threw a major fit… and loud. But daddy had a laptop and movie time was saved… yeah!!..

The both watched as they counted at least 5 islands coming into Maui and they thought the landing was good…. But Jayden was disappointed because he thought we were landing right on the beach.

But he got over it. The first day was for us to find out how warm it really was here, even with the trade winds… I was ripe by the time we came back from a local park were Jayden climb a coconut tree. The plants here are awesome and I wish I could take them and grow them in our yard. The house, which was originally my Grandparents has been completely redecorated and redone and looks very attractive. Jayden and Kallee both have their own rooms. And we have our own bathroom and room. It is great.

Alison and I went to Buzz’s and I had a wonderful Filet Mignon and Alison had the Ono. The kids stayed with Grandpa and Grandma and were happy to leave us.

Kallee

The summer has been so far so good. Jayden and Kallee are both taking swimming lessons and Jayden loves them and Kallee hates them. They are taking them at the Tri-City Court club and the club is doing a great job with them. Kallee really tries to get out of going into the “big pool” and cries at least 3 – 4 times a session. Jayden loves the swim lessons but still has a bit of a problem swimming. He keeps his head up and he still can quite get the leg kick down. But he is getting better.

Jayden loves his teacher at swimming lessons and cannot wait to get back to them. Jayden is really happy about starting kindergarten next year. That is great because he can go there and be around Jonah and Madeline. Though Madeline will be a very tough act to follow as she is a brilliant student and she loves school, where Jayden is more the I love math and recess.

Jayden has been pretty good lately about taking care of himself, sometimes to the chagrin of his father as he has learned to feed himself and likes to be in charge. But he has gotten better. He is really okay if we move around and do not stay at home too long. He likes mobility. He is riding his bike well now and he is good at his scooter as well. He has gotten worse at trying new foods though as he fights us even on banana’s and a juice named POG. Crazy kid.

Kallee on the other hand has been the bane of my existence. She has driven me to giving up. The girl will not go poopies on the toilet, potties no problem. But number 2 has been a very painful fight so far. I have chased he under tables. Watched her turn the corner so she can go just out of site of me. Kallee is so good at finding hiding spots after I have chased her all day long. I have gotten advice from many people which is good, but none of them have my daughter. We have tried restrictions, rewards, pain, everything. I am just hoping that she decides that it is okay to do her business on the toilet soon.

She is obstinate, but she is a very happy girl. For example, she would rather go #2 in her panties, then clean them out in the toilet, then clean herself up and then turn on the bath and take a bath, all on her own with no help from daddy (though I do watch her), take a bath and then put clean clothes on… that is so much more work, but that is Kallee Boo.

Now for the good stuff.

We are in Hawaii,,, We are in Maui, we are on a family adventure… Yeah!!!

Kallee doing the Hula

She is trying but she is still young.. and cute

Pics of Hawaii, Maui and Me!!

Pics of Our Family Enjoying our Maui Vacation

Pics of Birthday Party

Pics of Birtday

Pics of Birthday Party

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Kallee’s 3rd birthday

Kallee turned 3 years old this weekend. It has been a fun and eventful first 3 years. She is still trying to get me to like cuddling with her, but so far I can say that I am tolerant of it. She is so darn cute though with her I do not care what you think smiling face. It makes it hard to stay too angry with her.
On Friday she got to spend time with her brother, mother and Grandma and Grandpa Lee at Rosie’s, which is one of our most favorite places in the world. The food is good and the Ice Cream is awesome. It is a nice time and the staff at Rosie’s always treats us well.
The Saturday was nice as the kids got to spend their gift cards that they got from their cousins Rocky and Maverick at Target and got some chalk games as well as Bubbles and Backugans. Kallee also got the game Ants in the Pants. We played outside and had a nice peaceful day.
Sunday was the day of the Birthday party and getting the house ready for the party. Jayden and Mommy and Kallee got the streamers up as well as running down supplies and balloons and decorations for the cupcakes. The cupcakes were very cute and they went well with the princess theme. Because as you should know, our daughter loves to be a princess and dress up like a princess as well as have the attitude of a princess.
When Alison was watching the Royal Wedding on TV, Kallee and Jayden went and got Kallee’s princess box and dressed her up in her princess garb as well as making sure she wore her tiara and had her scepter.
The Party went very well as the food was easy to create and almost all of it was eaten. Alison created stir fry for the first time, and of course there were lots of burgers, dogs and some chicken. The kids played and played and had a great time. The girls played in Kallee’s castle and the boys tried to attack it with Jayden’s Nerf guns.
The presents were perfect for our little girl as she has put her little baby to bed 2 or three times. I even had to change an outfit. The house that was bought for Kallee has been used by both Jayden and Kallee and they have started to make it their little home.
Kallee has become her own little girl. She is normally very happy, but can still throw a big fit when she feels it is necessary. She is trying to potty train herself, but still has big problems with the number 2’s. She tries to feed herself, but has spilled her drink so many times in the past days I am thinking about going back to bottles full time. She has learned how to get in and out of her crib and she and Jayden are starting to get into a morning routine. She fights with her mother on what she is going to wear each day and she still thinks that her daddy is her best friend. That is cool.
I love my children and it is always wonderful to see them grow. Happy Birthday Kallee Boo.

Kallee's 3rd Birthday

Kallee Boo’s is getting to be a big little girl

Kallee is becoming a little lady recently. It seems like she is doing more and more things on her own and showing that she would like to be a big girl. In the recent months her vocabulary and speaking ability have grown a lot as well as her communication skills. Oh sure, there is still the grab my hand and pull factor going on, but she is using her words more and more.

Kallee has also surprised us by coming down stairs with her clothes on and not her pj’s on. He mother swears she has my tastes in clothes though. Kallee loves comfortable clothes but not always coordinated clothing. Kallee has also learned to get into her own bed and has made it her mission to get into bed by herself every night. She makes me wait at the door until she has gotten into bed. Only then am I allowed in. Alison can be in the room, but I cannot. Oh well.

Kallee is still a peculiar eater as she finds the most tasty and delicious dishes are the ones that her mother is eating. She sits on Mommy’s lap and eats her dinner.. that can be annoying to us as she sometimes does it to me as well, but Kallee is the princess so I guess it is all right.

Kallee is a lot of fun to be around as long as you enjoy someone in your face and clingy, as she likes to be up close and personal. She is strong in her will and makes sure that her family is involved in her world. Though at night when she is not quite ready to fall asleep, she loves to have conversations with her puppy and bear and has a long talk with them. If you listen they are very cute conversations.

As it nears time for Kallee to turn 3, I think back and smile at the growth of my daughter. She really makes my heart warm when I come home because she wants a hug from me every single time. That is a heart warmer.

Stories of Kallee Boo's,,, and boots

sending again to see if connie gets it

It is time to reflect on my daughter and who she is at this time, the last month of her 2nd year. Kallee Boo’s has done so many interesting things in the past few months that it is hard to remember, but here are a few. First her language skills are getting better, though if you do not know what to listen for you might be confused. First of all, she does not use her tongue so many sounds are like w’s… Like her name would be Kalwwee to her. But if you ask her what her name is, Kallee will tell you it is Kallee Boo.. Or Kalwwwee Boo! It is very endearing. She has finally watched all of the movie in which I gave her nick name, boo-boos, or boo!!. It is from the movie Monsters Inc… I the little girl’s name is Boo in the movie and Kallee and I would say boo and she would say boo… The name really fits her…\ The other thing about Kallee boo’s is that if her name is not Kallee Boo’s then it should be Kallee Boots…. She wears two pair of boots constantly. One pair is definitely her favorite… They are brown with polka dots and she wears them all the time. Kallee is a creature of comfort when it comes to clothing and the boots are comfort to her. She wears he snow boots a lot as well, but the boots are her favorite. You can also tell what clothes she likes and dislikes because the ones that she will wear are faded and worn where as her other clothes are a new as the day we bought them. Those boots… someone must get a picture of her in them so that I can show them to her later in life… Kallee’s Boots. Last Story, Yesterday we were eating dinner and of course Kallee and I are conversing about what she is going to eat and what she will eat. I was telling her to put her ham in her mouth. Of course she will do that, and then make a aumoph! Sound like she is eating it, but it is really just sitting in her mouth… Then I tell her to “Chew!”. So Kallee fakes a sneeza “Acheewww”, then smiles at herself, so proud of her accomplishment… I will use the word bite from now on.

A day in the life of JJ and Kallee Boo

Life from their cameras and their eyes

Kallee Boo's born to dance

Born to Dance... This was a great video made by Granpa Lee. It stars our little
Princess Kallee Boo's with a great guest appearance by Nana Lee.

boos dancing

We had SO MUCH FUN dancing yesterday! Kallee dawned her hot pink skirt and started spinning around until she was so dizzy she had to stop for a minute. In the meantime, Jayden supplied the music he found on his computer program and joined us. So we danced and danced. We danced to Beethoven's 1st, 2nd and the list goes on before doing a few Joplin ragtime pieces. Jayden even joined us. (You need to teach him your belly flop!!)

Sorry I missed you last night; I had to run down to Dr. Klein's and have my socket checked out. I understand Jayden was playing Booby trap with Dick. Dick smiles later and tells me they both use their own rules and voila - Jayden wins the game!!

Kallee having one on one time with Grandma and Grandpa Lee

These are pics of Kallee enjoying time with Grandma and Grandpa Lee... more stuff here.

Dick's mobile me gallery.

A story From Grandma Lee

Kallee, this is from your Grandma Lee

Anyway, the joke around here lately is "Who's going to drink daddy's pop?" We've been joking around about it ever since Kallee decided that the rootbeer was yours. Aren't children funny? She doesn't miss much nor does Jayden. What wonderfully sweet children you have - not to mention how much joy they bring us. We wouldn't trade these years of spending time with them for anything.

A look back at my #1 Daughter... Kallee Boo's

The First two and half years with Boo-Boo’s

I was thinking about what makes Kallee well, Kallee. I am trying now to put down to words what I think of my daughter, my thoughts of her and why she makes me feel the way I do as a father.

I think of how she struggled through a very tough start with rashes all over her body. How she still has skin irritations and how her thumb has a huge callous from where she has sucked it dry.

I think about her pointing at everything to tell you what she wants or how she grabs your hand to move you to the right place to help her. Kallee is the master of non-verbal communication and the word no.

I love how she gets excitable about things and she shows happiness and anger and fear so easily you never have to worry about what she is thinking. I love that she hates being woke up early and she does not like getting out of bed until she is ready. I also love that she has not learned how to get out of her bed.

I love/hate the fact that she likes to be around me and climb on me and stick her face right in front of mine as if she is trying to read my eyes. I love that she likes to sit on my lap and that she does not care that Uncle Boyd does not to pick her up. She will stand there on his feet until he does.

I love that she is a free spirit and she is self-confident and is not waned of her opinion easily. Kallee will fight and fight if you try to force her will, but she does understand if you reason with her. Kallee does not give in easily and she can be a real jerk, but in the end she is definitely a happy jerk.

Kallee’s laugh makes me smile and the way she looks when she is trying to open something is a kick. She shakes her whole body and grinds her teeth and opens her eyes real wide… It coveys that she is working real hard, and that you really should help her. I love her guttural low growl laugh she has when she is being mischievous.

I love the way Kallee runs on her tippy toes with her arms out. I will remember how much she loves her treats. I will remember the piggy-tail look and that her face always seemed to be dirty. I love her frown and how she burrowed her eyebrows in the “I am annoyed and you should go away” look, or when she does tell you to go away….. ouch.

Most of all I love how she is when she sees me when I pick her up from school or the grandparents or wherever. When she runs so hard and fast into my legs and say’s “daddy!”. That is a great memory in my book.

More Christmas Pics

You can find them here {Click this Link}

Chirstmas Day 2010 At Grandpa Gebers and Grandma Gebers

First of all, anytime Jayden and Kallee get to spend time with Madeline, Jonah, Dawson and get to celebrates Wyatt's First Christmas is always special. I cannot tell you the chaos and fun that went on today... but I can tell you it was pure Christmas Spirit. It was a wonderful and happy time. The faces light up all over the place and when people get what they want,, it always makes for a wonderful day.

I got what I wanted in terms of Hawaiian Style Shirts and Hawaiian Chips and Plums. The Kids all got what they wanted at they all got remote control cars from Santa as you can see in the next section

Part 1



Part 2




Part 3




Part 4 the Final Chapter



Kallee got some great dressups for Christmas and she wore almost every outfit. The Helicopters were a great success. Madeline and Kallee played so well together and the boys were the boys tearing through all the gifts and playing with everything.

Wyatt may not have had the best time this year,,, but next year he most definitely will.


Kallee got to do the Present "present" in which it is like getting 20 gifts in one... and she got a purse and chocolate, and the only one she would share with..... Uncle Boyd....

It was a day filled with loudness, laughter, abundant energy, good food, and family. In fact the past 24 hours, with the Lee's and the Lujan's and Gebers was pure love and Christmas... God Blesses us all the time and these two days are a great part of it. For Kallee, even with her mental breakdown... (She finally told me to just leave her room fiercely pointing at me to go last night.) In fact Kallee is still very happy and so independent... Of course she it 2.

Kallee says Merry Christmas all and I love you...... which is how I should end this... Merry Christmas and Love to all.

2010 Christmas @ the Lee's

Kallee and Jayden got to spend some very awesome time with Rockford and Maverick Lujan, their cousins from Arizona, and Auntie Dana. Kallee (shown here in this video),, had a wonderful time and could not have been more excited.

Kallee loved every minute and loved the sugar the most... (including stealing one of the Rocky and Mavericks suckers,,, the little stinker pot). She looked beautiful in her Christmas Dress and made life exciting every moment, including helping anyone who needed help opening their presents.

Grandma and Grandpa Lee were again the best hosts and made this time of the year filled with joy and happiness for Alison and her family. We always feel welcome and they definitely know how to make life fun for our kids.

Thanks to all who spent Christmas Eve with my family. Auntie Dana, Grandma Connie, Grandpa Lee and Rocky and Maverick, for putting joy and love in my daughter's life... What a Great Christmas!!

Pics of a WinterWonderland

What a great day do make a snowman and have a snowball fight... Family time is the best when all are having fun.

Kallee and the winter so far

Kallee and the season of snow

Just like her Mother and Grandma Lee, Kallee version of snow is this, “It’s COLD!!”. Kallee is a summer girl who survives the winter. But she still is happy and she enjoys life. When we get home each night, Kallee will hang with the boys for a few minutes, and then goes inside. We leave the front door open with the Storm door closed and she watches us from the friendly confines of the house. She tells us by banging what she wants and Jayden usually helps me get her watch she needs. If Kallee has to go outside, we definitely cloth her up to the max so that she can stand the cold.


Kallee is also still in the thumb sucking mode. That is her vice, as well as her puppy. It is a puppy that was bought at carters last year and she has it with her all the time. She also has two favorite blankets that she wants to be covered by or she will throw a fit. She has been prone to crying every night before going to bed, which is a phase that we hope she grows out of soon. So far it is because she wants a story or a glass of water or something like that. But once she is ready, she falls asleep quickly.
Kallee helped decorate the Christmas tree in the front with Jayden and I believe they did a wonderful job. I think both of them will catch my “need for Mucho Christmas Spirit”, in terms of Lights and festivities and such. As for my attitude of grouchiness the rest of the time I am hoping that gene does not hold.
Kallee still torments her older brother by taking his hot wheels and geo trax’s. Whatever he is playing, she is surely going to want. Kallee is starting to play with her dolls, carrying them around and putting them into their strollers and talking to them. Kallee also loves to listen to stories read to her by her mommy and made up by her daddy. I just make up the words because really she just likes looking at the pics and turning the pages. Also she had her first social calendar event in which she was invited to a School Birthday party. It was fun as she told me she danced and laughed and tumbled and played.


Right now some of the memories that I will take with me of Kallee are many. One of my favorite things is her gutty throat laugh. The one from the bottom of the belly, that when Kallee laughs, it sounds pure and joyful and a little devious. Kallee makes me smiles all the time with that laugh. The smile and her big eyes, as well as her kicking legs in her car seat and highchair (not my favorite). Kallee also has three favorite things in the world (besides candy which is her true love), and they are her puppy and her two blankets. Kallee will not go to sleep easily without those things. It will be a fight for minutes and she does not forgive easily. That is all for now,,, but with the Christmas Holliday coming there will be more. I love the fact that she likes to sit in my chair before I get there knowing that I am going to sit there. Or when she moves my legs around so that she can go in and out of them. Or that she wants to be carried places and needs to be able to touch you so that she is comfortable. Kallee is a joyful little girl who can make you smile alot or go crazy.

Kallee had a great time during Thanksgiving playing with her cousins and she even did not do a bad job eating as well. It was a good time for all. Kallee loved the pumpkin moose and pumpkin pie as well as the Okinawan pork roast. Madeline kept her entertained and for that I was grateful.

Kallee has so much of myself in her it is hard to imagine me not having her in my life. She and I will get into huge battles, but in the end we will know each other enough to know that I will always love her and she will always be my little girl.

Kallee at Sunnyside for the Christmas Lighted Parade

This is a continuation to the blog on Jayden's.

What I can tell you is that Kallee DID NOT want to be there at the beginning as she HATES the cold weather.... but once we bought her the light saber. From that point on, Kallee was in high spirits and loved the whole time. Of course, I was smart enough leave my wife with Kallee at the start to looking for the light sabers..... much easier.

Here are more Videos.

Thoughts

Let me start this diatribe off by saying this.
Thank you pales in comparison to your true emotions.
This is the time of the year where I like to sit back and reflect about what makes my life what it is. To think and to say Thank you to those who have made life as wonderful as it is. My Wonderful life.
To the two sets of Grandparents/Parents, who go out of their way to make life so easy for my family. To Four People who have taken their time and energy to show us love and make sure that we have a strong base of love and fellowship in which to build our family on. Who take our two children and show them what pure love really is. To the 4 people who only want the best for us, Thank you.
To my wife, who took 4 days of work and made our house feel more like a home. To a person who loves me and our children with undaunted loyalty and commitment. Who, to be frank about it, puts up with me. To my wife, who is my best friend, who I love more and more every day. To the person whom I want to share the rest of my life with, Thank you.
To Jayden,
Who finds everything an adventure in which there is something good to come of whatever we are doing at the time. To the boys who helped me in the pitch dark put lights up. Who, in the span of 10 minutes, opened and reopened the door for his sister over 29 times so she could go in and out of the house, because Kallee is used to having her way, but can never seem to know what she really wants. (Note to Kallee, someday you should say thank you to your older brother who really does put up with you, especially when your mommy and daddy (especially daddy) have grown tired of your tirades.
To a boy who dawdles constantly and moves around even more. To a big brother who shares his candy with his sister because he knows that candy is one of his little sisters true love. To a person who is closer to his mommy than anyone else in the world. To the boy who seems to have endless friends at school how are genuinely happy to see him. To the child who started our path to having a family. I thank you for being just who you are.
To Kallee,
To the person who runs up to my legs when she sees me and hugs me and smiles her smile. To my daughter who is the pure definition of “daddy’s girl”. To the girl who is not afraid to tell me no, which she does often. To the girl who has the best laugh and puts smiles on faces everywhere she goes. To a lovely daughter who is so cranky if she is woken up before her nap is truly over,,, which is SOOO me.
To a girl who wants to be so much a part of her brother’s life and loves being around him. To a girl who wants to stay in her PJ’s all day and throws a fit when she has to take them off… (See her mother for that one). To the girl who makes sure you are paying attention to her by climbing up and putting her nose on yours to make sure you have full attention on her. Thank you Kallee, for completing our family.
And now to another reason why I write this:
It is to tell my children about the other Matriarchs of the family and their roles in our lives.
Note: Side trail….. My Family, and mostly it is my fault, are hermits most of the time. I have no problem hanging out with my family and not leaving the house for days. I do not go out of my way to engage in social interacting because I have everything I need by hanging out with my family with a few exceptions… such as…
I want to thank a few people who I will truly go out of my comfortable world and truly enjoy their presence and relish the times we get to spend with each other. The family.
To the Antie Grandmas and the Uncle Grandpas to my Children and myself and Alison, what joy you bring to our lives. You bring energy and joy in bundles to refill my “Low Energy” cup. You give “acceptance” without effort and you make sure everyone knows what it means to be part of a family. It shows that you think of my family often and you care for us, which is always evident every time we are together. To the people who knew, KNEW, how much traditions mean to me and were so thoughtful as to send me something that I call “pure joy”. To those who made the “happiness” with their own hands, I want to thank you. I LOVE LEFSA!!! Love it, Love it, Love it. Thank you.
So for this season, to all that affect my life, know that my thoughts and prayers are going out to you.
Thank you.

Halloween and Harvest Fest Pictures

Pictures of Kallee

Pictures of soccer and the time at Country Mercantile

Kallee this fall.

Kallee has enjoyed this fall so far. She has gotten bigger and bigger as the summer fades and the fall creeps in. I had her wear a dress that at the beginning of the summer as a bit big on here is now too small. It is amazing how fast they grow. Her head is almost over the car seat and we are getting to the point where she may move out of her car seat into a booster seat. There are so many things that we will never use again. We have probably 12 containers full of outgrown clothes, the crib, two sets of car seats, the bassinet, the small bath, the bouncy chair, and so many more.
It is coming to a time of reflection of the past, and the movement forward to another chapter. Well, except for one area, her bottle. Kallee is not going to give that up anytime soon. Just like Jayden and his Binky’s, (Those were the days). Kallee is attached to her bottle. Many times she will not drink from a sippy cup. She does not mind normal cups of straw and juice boxes, but she still loves her bottle. When I try to use a sippy cup I usually will get a pout and a “Nooooo”. She may grudgingly try the others, but her favorite is still the bottle of milk that is 5-8 ounces warmed in the microwave for exactly 40 seconds.
Kallee is also in the clingy stage. At night she will many times cry herself to sleep calling for mommy. It started just a little over two weeks ago. We have started leaving her door open in her room with the hallway light on. Both Jayden and Kallee like to have light cast in their room at night, which is the exact opposite of their father, who took duct tape and taped over the light of his stereo at college so it was pitch dark in his room.
This week she had a really tough time with really bad fever and her spark left her for a while. She cried and was sad and was not the same ball of energy that she normally is. It is amazing what you see when your daughter is not herself. Jayden will get mean and hyper and feisty. Kallee balls up and needs you around her constantly. It took almost 4 days for her to feel better, but once she was, the spark was back. The Joy and energy and laugh came back in abundance. She has a great personality, which is a great thing to have. I am one very glad for my daughter wellness as I am not a big “clingy” guy. But for my daughter I sacrifice.
More good news is that she finally decided that her little motorized quad was fun to ride on. This is the first time she has not been afraid of it. She drove it around the driveway and was she proud of herself, telling me “I did it!!!”. That was good to see. Jayden had a big hand in it as he was supportive and positive and kept telling her to ride it. He is the perfect brother for our daughter.
More to come….

Kalle and Madeline

Playing with her new favorite toys.... Rocks