giselle

you are so full of questions right now and we don't even know what to say. how did god make us? I feel like I need a good answer, sometimes we just say he put you in my tummy. sometimes you are happy with that answer, then other times you want to know more. how did I get out of your tummy mommy. were you in omi's tummy. you ask pretty good questions for a three your old. you are big in to how old people are and you always want to be older, someone asked you and you said four. you said you can't wait to be six. and we said why don't you just enjoy being three and you said you will enjoy being six. and your funny too. daddy and you both play temple run, and daddy lost and complained and you said it's okay daddy. you always lose that game. you love swimming and try to do it by yourself whenever we are a at a hotel pool. you start lessons this week, so I hope you have fun! your in to princess big time right now, and you can't wait to go to disneyland!!! you love sophia the first tv show... and doc mcstuffins. you let parker come in your room the other day and said ' the doc is in; and when you were sick I told you what is was and you said is that your diagnosis. you are a smarty pants. love you!!

happy 1 year makena

Happy Birthday Makena! You are the sweetest, happiest, smiliest baby!!! You love to laugh and you will laugh if other people are laughing! I hope you always have this cheerful outlook on life, and realize you were born happy, so keep this internal happiness going! No reason not to be happy, and you are in charge of your attitude! You are on the go go go. We call you frankenbaby, you toddle back and forth. Right now you just played happy and you know it with sissy, and you stomped your feet. you are doing so much now. you tried to put a qtip in your ear, you pretended to be talking on the phone, and even tried to sing in Giselle's karaoke machine. you said car, and I swear you said please. And you still say mamma dada. if you want something you scream like a banchee like your dad says. we went to the buffet and I could hear your scream all the way across with all the people. -==========-= you love the computer and the remote and you always know the buttons to push to turn on or off..you just typed that above and you try to shut it. sister still carries you everywhere. for your birthday we went to the beach, and you played, it was so beautiful out in january! no wind, and so we had lots of fun at the beach and the pool. omi and papa came. you love them and you saw papa four floors down from our room and said papa. and waved. I didn't even know he was down there. I made you a rose pink cake for your cake smash, and you loved putting your hands in it. you guys have been playing with the balloons for days now. we love you, we couldnt be happier.or more tired! but happy birthday!!

one year later

Happy Birthday Makena! What a beautiful, smiley, completely happy and content girl you are. I couldn't ask for a more joyful child. You are seriously always smiling. Or laughing. you even laugh after other people laugh. you love to be in the moment loving life! what a great outlook on life. I hope you always remember how internally

You alone are in charge of your attitude

Some days life will be amazing and it will be so easy to be happy. Sometimes you will feel awful and

what I want my girls to know...

this idea came from another blogger, and I think it's a nice way to capture

1- the only thing that matters is god, family and friends... life gets complicated, and busy, and oh so involved. enjoy every minute of it, travel, work, enjoy activities, but remember, that the people in your life are what is important. things don't matter, you can enjoy them, but don't get wrapped up in things, people matter. sounds simple, but what people value the most is a true look at their character. don't forget what matters.

Fourth of July

There is something about a small town fourth...so 

baby is almost one!

you said sock today! you like to pretend like you are putting them on. you are such a sweetie. you love to be close to me..I remember giselle when she was your age, she would go, and not turn around and look where we were, but you stick close and always hold my legs. of course, I love it. I always want to be close to you both. you like to squat down and sit almost with your butt on the ground, it's so cute, and you do a pose where you lay on your side, I guess Maguire did the same pose. you also look a lot like grandpa hoven. we looked at a baby picture of him around 9 mos., and he was an adorable baby, and you look so much like him. and all of your daddy's cousins think you look like Aunt Debbie. I thought that when you were born. you definitely have a lot of hoven in you. you can say mama, mom mom mom, mamamamam, dada, sock!, woah, woof woof,up, ' and you have been saying raaaah forever when we ask you what does the kitty say. after omi's cat who screams really load. you are starting to care when giselle takes thing from you, and you let her know. you cry and scream and throw whatever it is you don't want that she tries to replace it with. you love to give kisses, and blow kisses making the kissy sound, a'nd giselle will blow bubbles on my belly and you do it after her. you are pretty much a mommy's girl, and very shy to go to others. you like me to hold you. and you lay your head on me, and when I say night night you lay it on me too. it's so precious. you can get up the stairs and slide backwards, however, you like to turn and walk down, and you can't do that yet. you started walking at ten months, and you have the cutest wobble. love watching you walk. giselle, you just asked dad if he is gonna stay here all day, and he said yes, and you yelled "ALL DAY!!. that is a long time!" you always ask every night if he is going to work in the morning. if you don't get enough sleep, you wake up screaming for him, and won't let me near you. you cry and cry. then you settle down and say you cried cause you miss him. you love your daddy so much. you want him to do everything, and be with you all the time. you follow him around the house, and you want him to make you lunch. if he is not around you of course want me, but right now you are daddys girl. you both had a fun christmas. first grammy came up to stay with us. we went to warm beach in satinwood, and it's one of our favorite traditions. lots of lights, santa, frosty, horse, animals, food, music..you name it, but it's very low key on a big scale. giselle, this year you were not afraid of santa, just a little, you had dad go with you, but you sat on his lap, told him oyou wanted licorice and suckers, and you smiled..last year you wouldn't even go near him. makena, you screamed the minute daddy put you on his lap. we have the best picture this year. classic! giselle, you love frosty, and you went and gave him a hug. big changes in the hoven house too, as giselle just decided to start going number two in the toilet. one funny time was when we went to grammy/granpys and you poo'd about the size of a grain of rice in the toilet, and you screamed "we're going to disneyland!!!" as we promised you when you start going we will take you. this has been about a year of trying to get you to go, so we are so happy. you start thinking you will never go in the toilet. we also had gg come stay with us for a week. she loved watching you girls with her morning coffee sitting in her green chair. she stayed in giselles room, and she got to see giselle's school concert ( which you sand felix navidade, and Idk the chinese song, but you actually sang really load and good, but with you hand in your mouth!) last year you just put you hand in your mouth and didn't sing at all. ha! we spent early christmas at auntie debbie's and we enjoyed family fun! then to grammy/grampys to stay the night- you enjoyed all the toys they had, and she made a yummy breakfast, then to longview to stay with omi and papa. we went to church and had the candlelight silent night, and had a fun night opening presents and celebrating jesus. giselle, this is the first year you actually got the opening, but you wanted to open everyones presents. it was fun. then we went to whistler, and enjoyed snow. you love the snow! love you both so much. you are my life!