April Update

Just a few things to remember from the month of April...can't believe the month is almost over!
-Joseph is officially potty trained-well, official if you don't count naps or nighttime (although as I type this he is napping without a diaper-the diaper is strewn across his room somewhere as he decided to take it off-we'll see how this goes!) He has been in big boy boxers at home since January but I finally braved it the first week of April and started taking him out in public in big boy boxers and since then we haven't looked back.  He has had only one accident and that was after he fell asleep in the car on the way home so I'm not really counting that.  He no longer wants to wear underwear-strictly boxers.  He would actually prefer to go commando underneath his pants or shorts if we let him but try to keep that to a minimum.
-He is also officially in a big boy bed.  I blogged earlier about his escape artist ways so since the last weekend of March he has been in the toddler bed but I can now says its official since we are in a much better routine with it...by all means not great but much better.  The first week of April was a tough transition week as he fought naps every day by opening his door and running to the gate at the top of the stairs and yelling for me or just playing in his room instead of napping.  After my friends suggested putting a lock on his door naps have been so much better!  He plays for a bit in his room but then tires of that and since he can't get out he falls asleep.  At first he was sleeping for just an hour or so but we are back to 2 plus hours on most days.  Now, as I mentioned things are better but still not great-he is getting up in the morning before 5:30 and not going back to bed-makes for very early mornings here (especially since his little sister is still up 2-3 times a night-ugh!)  I just keep reminding myself that this ,too, shall pass!
-It's baseball season here now!  Joseph is pretty much obsessed with baseball right now-we have baseball books from the library, listen to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on repeat in the car, and play baseball constantly.  Last weekend we went to watch our friend, Kolton, play t-ball and since Joseph is obsessed with both Kolton and baseball it was the perfect way to spend an hour on a Saturday!  The big kids at the park have now moved from football to baseball and Joseph is in awe of them as much as he was when they were playing football.

 And, he is ready for the seventh inning stretch!

-Ella turned 4 months on April 22nd and we have her doctor's appointment on April 29th so I'll do a blog post after that with her stats and updates.  She is such a happy baby and it doesn't take much to get her laughing but Joseph definitely has the magic touch.  

She is not a good sleeper!  However, I am hopeful that we are turning a corner but for now,  thankfully these smiles get me through some very tiring days.  

She just loves the bath and I just love this picture of her.

 A few pictures from enjoying the beautiful spring weather this past weekend.  We know the heat is coming so we are enjoying this for now!

 What a cheese face!!  His favorite thing to do outside right now, other than to play baseball, is to catch geckos.  He and daddy are pretty good at it and yesterday he caught one by himself!!  He gets SO excited chasing after them and knows to be gentle and then to let them go...although I did find one today without a tail so not really sure how gentle he is!

-And finally, Rich's Ironman triathlon is almost here (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run)!!  April was a busy training month as the race is approaching (May 18th) and we are all getting excited and a little anxious about the big day.  It is hard to believe that it was back in August at my birthday dinner in San Diego when we decided that he would train for it.  I say we because we had a long discussion about the time commitment, having two small kids, expenses, etc. and we agreed to it.  I have definitely been impressed with his dedication to it along with his dedication to us while training-my one stipulation was that he couldn't train and then spend the rest of the day on the couch relaxing or resting and he has lived up to it.  We are super excited to watch him on the 18th and I'll be sure to send out information if you want to follow the race!  Who knows, maybe he'll qualify for Kona and we'll head to Hawaii in the fall...its a long shot but you never know :)
Looking forward to what May brings!

First Race

On Saturday, April 20th, I competed in my first race in a very, very long time.  A bunch of my girlfriends were signed up to do it and I wanted to join in on the fun-plus the race was right here in The Woodlands so it made it super easy.  I signed up for the 10K and I hadn't really been training for the race-I have been running occasionally but hadn't run longer than 5.5 miles until the Monday before the race.  With the help of Nani I snuck away to the gym during naptime and ran 6.5 miles on the treadmill just to make sure that I could go that far for race day.  I wasn't very fast on the treadmill but I did it so figured I could at least finish the race.

The day of the race was so fun and I felt great-definitely had race jitters but it was so fun to be with the girls and just in the race environment.  Carrie picked me up and we all met up at Market Street.  The run was titled "Run for Hope" and the cause was for foster children and stopping the abuse of children.  They had a touching ceremony before the race and then energized the crowd by playing the Harlem Shake (a new fad sweeping the country).  I think we were the only people dancing (other than the race organizers) but it was hilarious.  As soon as the music started we just all started dancing-no hesitation at all and we didn't care that we were the only ones busting a move!  I won't post the video here but if you are interested in seeing a bunch of mommas breaking it down checkout my facebook page for the video.

The girls before the race.  

The race itself was just as great as the race warm-up.  It was a bit chilly to begin but the sun was out and it was perfect running weather.  I surprised myself and finished the 10K race in 48:57 which is a 7:54 minute mile.  I haven't run that fast in a long time and not sure if the speed came from normally pushing the double or from the new pants that I bought (my girlfriends and I joke around that these pants make you super fast-considering how much I paid for them they should!)  Joseph and Ella are great training partners- I haven't run by myself more than 3 times so pushing that double must have made me faster!  When running with Joseph and Ella the runs consist of picking up snacks, cups, shoes, putting the pacifier in Ella's mouth, singing the Wheels on the Bus, stopping to have Joseph pee in the bushes, answering Joseph's many questions, telling Joseph to stop touching his sister and so on and so on-as much as I love my children it is always such a treat to run by myself!

Saying hi to the fam and the Conley family during the race!  It is such an awesome feeling having family and friends cheer you on.

 Carrie and I after the race.  She is a great running partner and we must look like quite the sight when we run together both pushing our doubles!  Carrie has gotten  so much faster since I have met her and she is a great inspiration to see how much she has improved and I am so thankful for her friendship and for her encouragement.

I was really impressed that Rich got both kids fed, dressed and out of the door on time to come see the race.  As I ran by both kids were happy and having fun and that is all I can ask for!  It wasn't until after the race that I noticed Ella's outfit-Daddy figured to keep her extra warm he would put the "outfit"that he chose for her over her pajamas!!  She was stylin'!  

Run for Boston

A girlfriend shared with me that on Facebook a page had been set up called "Run for Boston" where they were encouraging people to  run on April 17th in memory of the tragedy that happened on Monday, April 15th at the Boston marathon.  As soon as I heard about this event I was all for it. Having completed two marathons, and growing up outside of Boston,  the bombings really seemed to affect me personally.  If you have ever run a race or even been at the finish line cheering a friend or loved one on you know that there is such an intense energy at the finish line and that the feeling of crossing a finish line is such an amazing feeling (especially from a marathon) and to tarnish that feeling for so many people, and to injure and kill people on top of that, is just robbing innocent people of so many things on so many levels.  It is heartbreaking and makes me sick so when I heard of this event I figured it was something that I could do here in Texas to show my support and to stand united with other Americans.

We got a group of us together Wednesday morning at Market Street and we went for a 3 mile run together all wearing our yellow and blue, the colors of the Boston marathon.
Ella and Joseph were wearing their blue to show their support, too.

 Our group with our kiddos behind us.

There were 5000+ pictures submitted to the FB page which is truly amazing.  

I am so glad that we got together to do this.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the city of Boston. 

Nani fix

Nani came for a quick Nani fix from Saturday, April 13th through Tuesday, April 16th.  Although it was a quick visit, it was so great to see her and have her here.  She is always such a great help and we just love being around her.

I just love watching Joseph with her-they played from morning till night!

She found his baseball glove which was missing (he had packed it in his suitcase!)

and I think she loved getting some baby snuggles, too. 

 

We had a really relaxing visit-we talked about doing the zoo but we decided just to stay close to home which was perfect.  We walked every morning, went to the park, played inside, outside and just hung out together.

Not the most flattering picture of us but had to include it since it documents how Ella hangs these days-always something in her mouth!

 I also put her to work and she helped me with Ella's room...I love it!  

 Thanks so much for coming Nani!  We can't wait until the end of June to see you again!  Love you!

I had to include all of these pictures-Joseph is in a stage of not wanting to give real smiles for the camera so we have all sorts of funny faces.  Thank goodness for Ella and Nani for their big smiles!!

Stomp

On Saturday, April 13th we met up at Waterway Square with some of our friends for dinner and some live music on the square.  This weekend they had a variety of performers throughout the area using different instruments and objects to make "music"-similar to the broadway show "Stomp."  I use "similar" very loosely!  The kids had a great time making and dancing to the music and it was just so great as always to get together and to enjoy the nice Texas night.

 Playing the drums!

 This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.  Joseph looks like he is at a ho-down with his foot up in the air and his hands clapping-I Love it!

 Doing a little partner dancing

 Feeding the fish.  Waterway square is great...except that it is on the lake and there isn't a gate or anything preventing the kids to jump right in.  The adults spend a lot of time chasing the kids away from this area.  Here Elsie and Joseph are feeding the fish-notice Monica holding on to Elsie's shirt!

A little cheese!

 Another cheese with mommy-daddy spiked his hair after going to the bathroom.

Ella enjoyed the music and hung with Nani for most of the night on the blanket

Trying to get a picture before we left but Joseph was into making funny faces-not so many smiles.

  And finally, the girls!

Ducotes Do Dallas

The main reason why we moved from Hawaii to the mainland 2 years ago was to see family more often so when we found out that Aunt Katelyn was going to be in Dallas the first weekend of April playing in a volleyball tournament with her college club team we started making plans to see her.  We drove up Saturday morning and got to Dallas a little before 11:00 a.m.  The trip should take a little over 3 hours but it took us closer to 4 which I think is pretty good for travelling with a 3 month old and a 2 year old.  We only had to make one quick stop for a diaper change and feeding and we were on our way again.  Ella snoozed for a bit and Joseph talked, sang and talked some more!  It really was a great trip.  Once we got to Dallas we went straight to the courts and met up with Katelyn who was in between games. Since she had some time before her next game, we walked to grab some lunch at a nearby restaurant and enjoyed the beautiful weather and catching up with Kate.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching great volleyball.  Katelyn's team kept winning and ended up being the champions in their bracket!  Joseph had a blast watching them play and we kept him entertained running up and down the courts and playing with the chairs.

 Notice the chairs?  He did this numerous times-putting all of the seats up and then putting them all down!

 Getting some energy out on an open court.  There were over 40 courts set up in the convention center-it was huge!

 After the championship game and a quick celebration with the team we headed out for some Dallas bbq.  The area of Dallas was really cute and the restaurant was great.  It was such a nice treat to spend the day with Katelyn-she is so fun, energetic and sweet that Joseph had a blast with her and Rich and  I just really enjoy her company.  After dinner we said good-bye to Katelyn and made the trip home.  The trip home wasn't quite as smooth as the way there-both kids were asleep within 10 minutes of starting the car and we thought we were golden for the rest of the way but that would have been way too easy and perfect! An hour into the ride Ella woke up and started crying which woke Joseph up but Joseph wasn't really awake-it really seemed like he was sleeptalking and nothing seemed to console him. We finally ended up stopping and I fed and changed Ella and Joseph got out of his funk and after the stop they both fell asleep (as did Mama!) and the rest of the ride was smooth.  We are so thankful that we had the opportunity to see Katelyn and look forward to this summer when we'll see her for an entire week!