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

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FTheGebersFamily%2Falbumid%2F5602150780822104609%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

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.