who farted..I think it was makena.

who farted..not me..hehehe

thanksgiving

we had a nice thanksgiving. ,omi and papa and jordan came up, we ate at uncle toms house. it was very relaxing. and nice that we didn't travel. giselle you are walking around the house with your baby..I wanted to hold her and you told me she is cranky. you like to put her in her crib and pretend she is sleeping. makena, you are sleeping like a little angel. we all took a bath together and giselle you brought your sucker in and the baby grabbed it from you and you had a hard time getting it back. she is pretty strong now and pretty determined on what she wants. it was funny. you are now in to watching doc mcstuffins..I like it better than max and ruby thats for sure! you went to get carrots at night and we heard a chair and dad yelled down that you don't need a chair to get them, and you said I need a bowl..and we thought good point. you are getting too smart. not sure if I wrote when you didn't want makena on the bed, and we said you have to share and so you told us you wanted to hold her, and when we gave her to you, you set her on the floor..tricky you are. you tried rock climbing at the gym. you would see if everytime we would leave and they had a free trial, you are the youngest in there, and it's so funny watching you do your stretches, and try climbing for the first time. you were so excited you couldn't contain your face smile! and you did really good. you climbed about to the height of daddy. and then you wanted to do it again. you seemed a little cautious when you got up a little high, but you had fun. makena, you are really wanting to play now and are starting to understand so much. you still make the cat sound when we ask what does the kitty say. and you make a kiss smooch too when I ask you to give me a kiss. and you always look around for lucy when I ask where lucy is. you love for me to hold you and you love crawling over to me from wherever you are. you stay pretty close to me. giselle would go and never look back. you like to be close. you are starting to be in the middle of hunter and giselle when they play and you really like it. you can switch the lights on and off too. love you! love you !! love you!!

9mos

baby m is growing so fast..you started going up the stairs now, and you stand for a little bit. giselle loves to carry you around and rub her face on your belly to make you laugh. sometimes you love it, sometimes you cry. ma ma ma ma...like you want me to save you. I love breastfeeding you..you stick your fingers in my mouth, or when I pretend to eat them you smile up at me and laugh. its precious. you still sleep with us, and we just got a king bed, which makes it a little more comfortable. giselle is watching little einstiens right now..I can't even spell it.., and singing the song. giselle, you love doing everything yourself...seatbelt, dressing, pouring milk, cleaning your room...locking us out of your room. yes. you keep locking us out. I thought that would start as a teenager, not three! you watch ruby and max all the time..unfortunately Max is a baby and doesn't say much but one word comments and you have taken a liking to acting just like max..water.... ball..we keep saying we are taking that show away from you..somewhat funny, somewhat crazy.you are a little girl, so smart..we came home to get daddy and you said, but his cars not here..you are noticing everything. you said you like omis house the best. we went to arizona to see your family, and you got to spend time with GG. you asked why she had a candy cane.. her cane. and I traveled w/you and makena by myself on the way there. you were really good. and so was makena..we waited an extra day and changed the flight because makena had an ear infection, on the day we were supposed to fly, so I was nervous she could rupture her ear drum. she was fine, and I was obviously the nervous one, but stayed calm for you both. the other day giselle you woke up in th morning like at 530, saying you were hungry..hungry..wanting spaghetti...dad talked you in to an egg..which you only eat the middle of. you love eating pancakes. or the sugar off the pancakes. and the syrup. today you said something in spanish to me. which is funny because you have been going to school since 2 and you always say you don't know what I am saying to you when I say anything I know in spanish...I am thinking this is crazy that you are going and not learning any language. so I know you know something. makena your baby pictures look very close to grandpa larry's! but the cute girly version you are :). its unreal though. we got a good laugh over that. mommy loves you both with all my world and being. you are my joy and happiness, and I just want to keep you little with us forever to enjoy forever...I don't ever take any moment with you for granted. I enjoy every minute. love you. your mommy.

more things I want to remember

smiling eyes ruby & max homemade applesauce poopy pants freeze dried apples being candy snotty kisses baths together put your seatbelt on mommy no makena! no makena! waving smiling at lucy um, let me think why now I can have candy? cow cow

3 and 8 mos

you two are so cute..and I feel like we are a show everytime we go out..not a great show but a shiz show (hahah). both of you want to be held at the same time, or you're running one way, and we can't keep up, or trying to shop,.oh help me. it's crazy, but fun. we have so much fun every day. I wake up and depending on the weather we just go about our day. we go to the farm at least once every couple weeks, or the zoo, or the beach.. or playground. you guys go everywhere. our summer has been busy and fun. we just got back from bend, coeur d alene and priest lake. lots of running around. lots of boating. g- you like to do everything yourself and you are starting to push it. like riding your bike really fast and downhills, and I will say stop and you keep going. I am going to have to reel you in a bit. today we all took a bath and you wanted to wash your hair by yourself and makena is just splashing by you and you are yelling at her not to wash your hair you are doing it by yourself. no makena, don't wash my hair. you get really frustrated if things aren't perfect. if you have a piece of toast that breaks, or if I bite something you want to eat..watchout..you freak out. but you have all these must be perfect things, as you walk around with a messy dirty face all day. no matter how many times I wipe it, you are dirty a second later. you love playing with makena and you jump all over her. I have to ask you to be soft daily. you are big time daddy's girl. if you fall, or when you wake up, or whenever, you want daddy. even if he punishes you, and I go to give you a hug you still want daddy. although if kendra wants to hold my hand, all the sudden you are all over me. my mommy. so...you still love me, you just take me more for granted. you asked y your flag wasn't flying, and then said I know because their isn't much wind. you are so smart. makena, daddy just told you to come to him and you did. you are understanding a lot and responding. you dance or bounce standing in the crib, and you know who is who. and look for them when I ask where they are. you despise your carseat, and scream bloody murder, but quickly calm. you say mamma and dada, and you wave to people hi and bye. and you crawl quickly and get up and down. you are so happy is crazy. you have five teeth..for awhile it was dracula, which was hilarious, and was going to be your halloween costume, then a new front tooth came thru..only one. so now daddy wants you to go as sloth. mommy isn't having it. but it's pretty funny. k,love you both! night night time.

Giselle talks

G u talk all the time! Nonstop hOney. You are finally going potty in the toilet bit when still in diapers you would say font see me and go away. And you would hide. Last time you said. Go see your husband. It's just funny hearing u say that. You talk to everyone asking how old r u, who is your cousin, do u have any pets. You like to tell everyone your free and that's your baby sister makena and watch me hold her. It's funny..and u said daddy your my best friend. I think he finally recorded it to play back when your a teen..and you can partially do the monkey bars by yourself! So good baby! And your new trick is picking up the baby by yourself. Okay night night love. You r exhausting but we love u!!!

6 mos

Hello girls, g is watching nemo and wanting to go get a popsicle..which you are now on the way to get,  and makena is eating/sleeping. I try to take it away and you root till you are attached again. you don't take a pacifier, so I am your pacifier. I don't mind being close to you. we had a fun weekend at the lake watching the blue angels. lots of sun, and play. today its much cooler and I am trying to multitask with chores and playing with you guys.
makena, you are pulling yourself half way up, and starting the motions of crawling, then you roll over and fall..you definitely love standing, and moving around, and now that you know you are mobilish, you can't sit still. you are mommas girl, and love being with me. you are 89% height and 58% weight right now.
giselle, you had another hig birthday celebration with your peps group. you enjoyed playing at the park with everyone.  and eating cupcakes!
you ask so many questions now, nonstop, but you are learning so quick. you are so smart. you are daddy's girl..whenever you are hurt you cry for daddy. of course you love mommy, but you love your daddy so much. you are so interested in who is a boy and who is a girl. and you like to say what everybody is. you ask why to everything. and daddy will finally say that you don't need to ask y cause he already explained it, and you then ask y. but y daddy y! you can do so much on your own, dress yourself, use the phone, iPad, lock your carseat...today you said you are gonna drive and you don't need your carseat cause you are big. you like to know if you are big or small....and you are a big girl, but still small..so it's confusing to you. you want to know how the sun got in the sky and who made the sky and why makena is a baby. and how you grew big, and how old everyone is, and what they like...it goes on and on and on. I love it though. you are very persistent on doing things on your own, if you want to open the car door, you freak out if we do it first. you are so good with makena and loving.
daddy and I will celebrate our nine year anniversary this week. we are going to aerosmith concert to celebrate. love you.

Happy third birthday

happy birthday sugarplum. you are "tree"...before you were a "a lil bit tree" could time go by any faster. we had a beautiful celebration at our house, real simple with omi and papa. it was special because i found the dress I wore on my 3rd birthday and put you in it for yours. people say we look exactly alike. i think you are of course more beautiful and sweet, bt we do look very much alike.

makena kathleen

hi love, you will be six months next week.

happy 3rd birthday

i'm tree! you are so tree its adorable. I just love you so much. I hope you know how much my heart holds of you in it. it's the most beautiful feeling to have a daughter, and I want you to know how much I love you, I just want to squeeze you up and hold you forever. you make me laugh so much. you ask so many questions, and it's a fun time... and you have a mind of your own. and you like to talk over people because you want me to hear your voice. but your so cute cause you say...ahhh, excuse me mamma. and you also have this like teen voice and you go moooom. like you're crazy mom. mooom. and daaadddy. daad. it's really funny. you got a piece of cake from omi and you said...I am gonna go show my dad.. and you snuck off and hid and ate the frosting off the top. you sneaky! I loved having a very low key celebration at home. I made you a pink cake with ruffles, but ran out of frosting, so only half had ruffles :), and we made a raspberry pie that didn't set, but tasted sooo good. your dad helped cook both too by the way. he loves you so much too... he spends so much time with you and right now is outside helping your ride your bike. you love to go on the boat and you get to swim in the lake with daddy. you love it.  I also found a dress I wore on my 3rd birthday and put it on you. I think I already wrote about this,  but anyways, it was pretty neat, and if you have a daughter I hope you will do the same.  our little family is my dream come true. I am just so happy being with you and watching you grow. you make my heart smile love.

you have the best daddy in the world. he is so patient with you. giselle, we think you are amazing, but you have your moments that would drive anyone insane. and daddy handles you with such care and ease. we read about how you are little and just trying to figure out this world, and you are just a little soul we are trying to guide. so we don't want to make you feel bad, and we realize you are usually tired, so we just try to wait out your tantrums.

giselle you are almost three and you are so happy cause "your a big girl", but sometimes you like to be little...no mom I'm little. I am just in shock that you are growing up. daddy is reading to you like he does every night. you are practicing counting right now. I hear everything on the monitor which I listen to religiously. you really want to do a cartwheel..you try but land on your head. do a cartwheel mom..again, again! you love to "jump high" on your trampoline, but you fell off again, so we are thinking it's got to go. you have a new "old" swingset from craigslist and Auntie Kristina helped us find it. you love it! we just got back from Crescent Bar for boating and swimming fun, and they had a big firework show the weekend after the 4th, so you got a double 4th. and we went to longview for the 4th w/your cousins. you had fun playing. you sat with jeffrey to watch the fireworks and you would comment on each one on the color. and how load they were. this weekend is your birthday and you said you want to ride the bus, and you want juice water and cars. I think we can make it happen :). so glad you are only asking for simple things. I hope we can teach you that it's memories and people you spend time with that matter and things are just things. be grateful for your friends and family and you will realize you don't need much else. makena, you are five months now, and you are still as happy as can be. your smile is so big and your eyes squint up when your happy. you cry for me with more force and demand now, as you want to feed when you want to feed. and you still wont take a bottle so I am attached to you. I am happy I can be here for you whenever you need me. I think this is the way it's supposed to be. mom and child so close and attached. I cherish every moment I have with you. I wish every mom could be there for their baby when needed. I am so happy I can comfort you. I think god wanted it that way. I couldn't imagine being away from you. I sneak out for a run or groceries, but am always, and will always be here for you. you would love to sleep next to me, but I still put you in the bed next to me, since I don' t want to suffocate you. you love to blow razberries, and you grab my face and started laughing. rusty grammy's dog barked at you and you would just laugh and laugh. it's the best sound in the world. grammy stayed with us and played with both of you. we had a nice time, lots of walks and fun. she got to see giselle perform at little gym and school.  I love you babies.

Happy moms day

To my loves who are the reason I celebrate today, thank you for being such blessings To me. Someday if you choose to be a mother, and I hope you do, you will feel the amazing happiness and joy a child brings to your life. I am tired as heck bit happy.

things I want to remember

giselle
handprints on the window
you talking to yourself in the mirror..I am your friend, I 'm not your friend. be nice to me. no you be nice to me.
but why
I love you too mom.
still holding my ear on occasion.
not going in the toilet..even for disneyland
fighting naps, cranky nights
riding your bike around the kitchen island
you insisting on opening and closing your car door
wanting stipstick
tangled hair
messy face
little gym
jungle junction little einsteins
singing you are my sunshine and 3 special steps
excitement for your birthday
sister love and squeezes
ring pops
golf cart rides
waking up so tired and insisting on getting up cranky
wheres daddy every morning I want to go get him
friday night sleep in mommys bed!

makena
giggles
screeching
razberries
ticklish on your thigh
putting your hand in your mouth like your shy
dadadada
wobbly sitting
floppy ears
bathtime with sissy and me
blowouts in the carseat
reaching for me.
crying for me to eat
late nights, early mornings
fighting the bottle
biting me
two teeth
love for bananas
acceptance of carrots
licks of sissys popcicle
getting carried by papa
laughing at rusty
do you love your mamma so early in the morning song

babies. we just had gg visit, and she sure enjoyed both of you. we went to idaho and stayed at a b&b that had a pool, and we had a lot of fun.
makena, you are three months and you smile nonstop, and you have the same smile as your sister, where you smile with your eyes. can someone really be that happy! I can't believe it! gg loved holding you, and you would just smile and coo at her. it was a treasure to watch.
giselle, you would read a book at night with her and she enjoyed that, but you are two and off running around. you asked gg when you saw her in the bath if she had milk in her boobs too. she got a kick out of that.
makena, you still won't take the bottle, and I am with you all the time. you don't seem to mind. you gave gg a parting gift by having a blow out on her lap. you eyes are looking blue, but deeper and darker.
giselle, you are so funny. the other day you asked if we were going to bingo night.you heard it on a cartoon, and you just repeat. it's cute. and you always ask why over and over and over. you went to the dentist and did so good. I can't believe you sat in the chair and let them clean your teeth! every day your hair is sticky with something, and you don't mind being a mess..and you like to dress yourself. the other day was nice and hot and you wore boots and your hat. pretty cute.
you had fun at the easter hunt this year, and since we don't let you have suckers, when the timer went off, you found every sucker in the field, and were so excited! you like the easter bunny this year, and we got a picture with him. makena, you are so enjoyable, I almost can't stand how much of a little blessing you are. I just eat you up. giselle and I kiss you nonstop. you love it and have started grabbing giselles hair. you found your little feet, and stand up so well. and you just smile your little face off. you went in the pool for the first time and loved it. funny, considering you don't like the bath. but happy you had fun! we are going to palm springs and vegas next week...hope we have a good trip!
we feel so blessed to have you two treasures!

My Parents
Now that I have children of my own,
I realize the hard work and love it takes to be a parent.
and now I can appreciate every stage you went through with me, except you had four of us to handle.
and I want to say how proud and happy I am to call you mom and dad.
except mom, you didn't breastfeed us, and I think that is why we all had ear infections.
we sure were lucky to have you as our parents.
I can't imagine the work that went in to cooking and cleaning up after all of us, and you still do it. when you come here, or we stay at the house. maybe you treated us too good, because I don't like to clean much, and I could go days without seeing the vacuum. in fact, half the time I don't know where it is.
mom I don't know how you took us to germany at such a young age by yourself. traveling with toddlers is not easy, and you seemed to have me in dressed nice and took us everywhere. I can't seem to get the sticky knots out of Giselle's hair every day. I must have been an angel. It meant a lot to see oma and opa and spend time with them where you grew up. I appreciate hearing the stories of your growing up, as I can't imagine how hard it was to live in a refuge camp, and have your parents struggle to survive. I also can't imagine losing a sister who you never got to know. or leaving your family at 18 to move to the US. if you didn't, you would have never had the blind date with dad, and none of us would be here. it's amazing how life is meant to be. I am so glad you didn't end up with Dennis ;). We are all lucky to have siblings, and although I think we are all weird and very different,  especially Maria :), it is a blessing to have siblings, and we all get along. it should make you realize you did something right to have us all get along.
I know over the last 35 years of my life, how much you have shaped me to be who I am. I am content and happy because I am loved by you both so much. I lucked out, you were never pushy to make me do things I didn't want to do, but supported me in the decisions I made, and you let me be a kid, and never pushed me to grow up too quick. you took us on many trips, and even camping and girl scout camp, which I know wasn't moms favorite, but you took me anyways. you spent many evenings helping me sell cookies door to door, and made me cabbage patch dolls and care bears. I know the time and love you spent making my childhood special. dad spent so much time with us playing tennis, which i never was good at, and helping us learn to drive a stick, racquetball, skiing, camping, running, swimming, soccer, and taking us to every river, and lake all around. and the trips in the van singing the beach boys will always be memorable. and not that you didn't have enough kids of your own, you always let us bring our friends. in fact, you were always a safe haven for all the neighborhood kids, who's own were sometimes homes were filled with alcohol, drugs, and unfit parents. even after the house was broken in to, you still allowed Jordan's friends to come over. thats something most grandparents wouldn't do. you must know how much you mean to all the friends that got to spend time at the house.
dad, your character is one I truly look up to. you have shown by example on how to be a giving, caring, and honest person. I could only hope someday to be as good as you. I tried to marry someone like you, and I think I have. thank you for being such a good dad that I wanted to find someone just like you, that treats their family well, and loves their children. you do so much for others, and the church, and us that it's hard to find fault in you. although you do have selective hearing. and sometimes you need to leave since happy hour.
mom, I sure enjoy having coffee with you, and just being with you. I know some girls who don't like their mothers, and although I don't enjoy the casino as much as you, or smoking, I can't imagine anyone I would rather spend time with. the feeling of love surrounds you, and you are the heart of our family. I can't imagine life with out you. you must realize how much a part of me you are, and how happy I am knowing I have you. you are the comedian too. I enjoy all the stories of you and dad, and especially the one where he tore up your beautiful yard, and made it look like there was a gravesite with the raised grass. you two are very funny, and you should have your own honeymooners show.
you have also been the most loving grandparents to the girls.
forty years is a lot to celebrate. I hope you realize that we realize how amazing it is. even if we are in vegas on your anniversary, we will be celebrating there. for heavens sake you surely didn't let me forget it this year.

hi girls

I wrote a long post and it deleted, so I just haven't posted in a while, because I felt like I poured my heart out and it all was lost~ but alas I move on. makena, you are three months now...my little baby. I could just eat you up. I just sit and kiss you and sing to you and love you all day long. I can't get enough of you. I really have had a laid back approach to parenting this time, and so far so good. you sleep well, and you eat well, and you smile smile smile all day. you are so happy and calm and its incredibly irresistable. I seriously almost bite you :). but, you wont take a bottle..you gag, so freetime for me, is pretty much impossible. not that I mind, as this stage goes by so fast, but it's a little hard. you are so advance...of course:), you love to stand and you hold your head so well. you can sit in the play thing now and you look all around, and you talk and try to communitcate with me...agoo. agoo.you are in the 98% so you are bigger than most babies. giselle, my little girl, everytime I hear a song about how fast kids grow, I just want to cry. if i could bottle you up and hold you at each age I would. I just love everything about you and its hard to see you grow so fast. you are so loving to us, and you still grab our ears, and you like to put your nose against our face as comfort. you do it to the baby too. you are all over her. you leave wet marks in her hair, all sticky, from all your kisses. and then you step on her forehead and leave a shoeprint. I am just waking her up mom. I am just wanting her to be awake. I am just playing with her mom. you are all over her. it's cute, but always have to check that you dont smother her. you talk to her like she understands everything you say..makena I am so proud of you. it cracks me up. you took your stoller to home depot with your baby the other day. you love your babies too. and you insisted on getting hunter and auntie andrea a flower. you are very thoughtful. you had your school review, and they said you always worry when other kids are having a bad day and you try to make them feel better. that made me so proud how loving you are. we have been pretty active considering trying to do anything with a newborn and toddler is difficult. the feeding in the car, the crying in the carseat, the getting ready..it's all a challenge..wanting a snack, pooping the pants. literally all day it's just a crazy zoo, but I love it. not that our house is clean or I get anything done, but I love taking care of you both. most days, giselle you come up to my bed around5 when you wake up yelling for daddy...we sleep and feed till around 8, and go down for breakfast. giselle you "help" cook eggs and toast, while makena swings in her swing. I drink coffee after coffee, and we down breakfast, but giselle you usally don't eat and cry for pink cookies or something awful. then we play or color, or head to the community center to play, or to the zoo, or kidquest, or the farm, or the beach, or park...lots of fun and activity. then giselle you have school a few days a week, and I go to the gym to work out..sometimes its twenty minutes until makena has a blow out, and they dont change diapers, so off we go. then it's grocery shopping or me editing photos, or sleeping until my baby giselle gets out of school. I want daddy to pick me up. but when you get to the house,you are so excited to see me. and I always ask you to tell me all about school...what did you eat...who did you play with. you sometimes share...devin was not very nice to me..she is sick. anthony is my best friend...and you are always singing songs from music class with jason. then we eat and play and daddy reads you books (same ones over and over and over..the dinasaur one and one other one. you say your prayer and off to bed. unless its friday..you get to sleep in "mommy's bed"and you love that! you both are the loves of our lives...and we are so lucky.

hi girls

I can't believe I write Girls.. I have two girls. it's crazy to me..

welcome to the family makena!

makena, you are such a little blessing. I didn't realize I would love being a mommy to two so much. first, you are a sweet sweet baby, with such an easy going personality, that you are just so lovely to hold and cuddle up and love. you are so warm, and you curl your little body up, and put your legs like a frog, and lay on me, and I can't get enough of it. and your sister giselle, loves you so much, I just want to bottle up the beautiful relationship of you two. she treats you like she is your mommy, and cares for you. but there is a fine line between loving and smothering. she wants you so close, she almost sits on you when she sees you in the swing, or presses her face against yours so hard, that she doesn't realize how fragile you are. she tries to pick you up, and she always wants to hold you. she holds you for two seconds and says " I think her poop" or I think her hungry. and if you are crying in the car, she repeats what I say to you... but with sissy. sissy here...it's okay, were almost there, sissy's here. and you love watching her, and get a big smile when you see her. you started smiling at four weeks, and you rolled to your side right after birth. your legs are strong and you love to stand and press up, and you can hold your head up now too. you grew so fast, after two weeks you went from 21.25 inches to 22.5. you are trying to communicate now too, with your little cute voice, you concentrate so hard, and seem so happy to say ahhh, or just a little something to me. and I sing a lot to you and make funny noises, and you look at me as if I am interesting, but a little crazy. you raise your eyebrows, and give a cute little grin. you are so happy, and content, and calm, I didn't realize it could be this easy. I am so happy you are a good baby! you have your first cold and your poor little nose is plugged up, so trying to get you to eat/sleep has been difficult. lots of time in the shower in the middle of the night, and trying to unplug your nose w/the bulb thingy. and you don't even get too upset about that. you sleep a lot. giselle was up all the time, so this sleep all day thing is unreal. I try to wake you, and I even thought there was something wrong, because I am just not used to it.
you try really hard to breastfeed, and it is always a little hard to get you started, and I tried to introduce the bottle, and you gag and choke. I am hoping it gets easier for you, as you are attached at my side, which I love, but at some point, I need to get to the gym! you eat when you are awake whenever you want, which is usually every hour right now, so at some point, we need to use the bottle every once and awhile. you want nothing to do with the pacifier either.
you have made a beautiful light to our family, and we all have enjoyed you. don't want you to grow up, if I could keep you like this I would. but, I can't wait to watch you grow. we love you!!!
giselle, you have been such an amazing sister. you are so loving and I just thought you would be a little jealous, but you have welcomed her, and been so good about me holding her all the time, and feeding her. you crack me up, as you watch me and try to breastfeed your dolls, or you repeat everything we say about the baby, hi pupmkin, or right when you get home, hows the baby? when we were at the hospital, you asked where her mommy was...and I said I am her mommy and you said no your are my mommy. but that was it. you love being a big sister. sometimes if you want me and are crying, you yell to daddy..you take her. we took you skating for the first time at alki skate, and it was pretty amusing! lots of feet coming out from under you! and it was such a struggle, but you liked it! and you told daddy you wish you were bigger so you could skate. and you want to go back! we still go to the gymnastics place and you run and jump freely and enjoy that, and daddy took you swimming tonight. I have loved being home with you. right now your big thing is Why? you are almost potty trained, and the one thing you love to do is sleep with us, so we said when you go number two you can sleep in our bed, and you did it once, and were so proud of yourself, but haven't since, so we are waiting for you to get it. but, every friday we let you sleep with us, as we know you are growing so fast, and wont want to sleep with us eventually. so we love it! you talk up a storm, and sing songs to cartoons, like agent oso..ok, gotta run makena is fussing! love you!

hi love

I have so enjoyed being home with you after being laid off in November. I really couldn't imagine a better life. I am so in love with you, and just absolutely love spending time with you. you are a peach, and you smile is to die for. anyways, I just feel blessed to spend time with you. especially before your sister comes. any day now! you saw my belly move today as you put a toy on it, and it moved. you seem excited about baby, and I am excited for you to have a sister, but there is a part of me that will miss it just being you and me. this time has been so precious. you are my first born, and you and I will always have a close bond. I spent so much time with you, and now I have to share it with your sister. I know my heart will grow, but I do know it will be hard to feed a newborn and change her and make sure I am giving you as much attention. I know you will be a big help, but know that I know it will be hard for both of us. I am hoping we can take special moments of you and me time and dates out, so you know how special and important you are to me. my heart is filled with joy, and you are such a blessing, I just can't believe we will be blessed with a sister for you too. you have started to repeat all of my words that I say to you..it's pretty funny. I will say don't go in the road, and you repeat so I don't get ran over. or make sure you brush your teeth, "so I don't get cabities?" or you need to put your seat belt on, "so the polizie?" yes honey, you are learning. the other day you said I am your mommy and daddy is your daddy, and lucy (your dog) is your friend. it was pretty cute. and you were playing in your play kitchen and you were carrying your baby and said mammas here, and then you put her in the microwave. hmmmm.
you had a nice christmas this year, and enjoyed opening presents. it was fun for us to watch you. you had your elf on the shelf that you would look for every day, and you knew you couldn't touch him. and you would tell me not to touch him, and you thought if you did santa would bring you "cold". thats what your uncle told you. and we did a lot of christmas activities...we went to the issaquah zoo w/reindeer and you saw santa, you still are afraid of him. you get so excited to see him, and talk all about him, then we get up there and you don't want to see him, but you definitely want the candy cane, so you make us go with you. we went to see lots of lights, and you would get so excited when you saw lights " look mommy look at all THAT lights!!!!" and we went to stanwood beach for this amazing christmas celebration with a train, and lights, and mini donuts, and ponies, and jesus. you loved it. and we went to church and you saw grandpa singing. you had your first preformance at school, and you had rudolphs nose and antlers on, you were very cute. and you stood there holding one of the older kids hand, and put your other hand in your mouth the whole time. but sometimes you love to sing, and we put a video on youtube of you singing jesus loves me, and so many people have went to see you sing your heart out, it's adorable. and at little gym today, you were the only one singing so loud to twinkle little star. you are two and a half now and still working on potty training, you do amazing peeing but freak out about number two, and you still love your pacifier. so, a few things we are working on, but other than that you are doing amazing. you know your shapes and colors, and you can count in german and spanish, and you know who mommy's mommy is and daddy's mommy and you know who my brother and sister are, and you know your whole name is giselle rose hoven and you say sonja elisabet hoven and andrew russell hoven. you are talking up a storm, and I love when you first wake up, and just say what you are randomly dreaming about. you just start going and don't stop. it's funny. love you baby!