Last night was a crazy night! As we learned today it is not normal for bolts of lighting to actually hit ground here, but light night was it sure did and right by us! As we were finishing up our birthday dinner it began to sprinkle, which led to lightening and thunder for a good portion of the night. Brennan had come in to our room about 30 minutes before it got extremely loud and bright. I tried to put him back in his bed but wanted something else. I was half asleep at the time but soon woke up when he jumped off his bed and said 'dada dada dada'! He didn't want me!!!! I put him in bed with Taylor and he snuggled right up to him and fell asleep. I had shut the windows because the rain was coming in, but I wanted to see how close the lightening actually was. Just as I opened the window a bolt struck about 100 yards from us and I was BLIND! The thunder made me jump it was so loud. this went on for hours and Brennan became closer and closer to Taylor as if he was a leech : ) Brooke hadn't made a beep during all of this so I went to check on her. She was out!!!!! I put my hand on her chest and she didn't even flinch so she must have had too much fun the day before : ) From what we have been told there one of the faculty houses' was hit just a couple buildings from us and the next street over one of the power transformers was also hit. All safe and prepared for the same tonight! I love rolling thunder and lightening storms but that one was a bit close and I wanted to be asleep : (
Taylor: slept in and could barely make an understandable sentence when I asked if he was going to class. He has a group of 3 that have asked him to help them get to where they need to be in order to make the BYU Provo cheer quad so they stunt 4 days a week. Today was one of the days! He took the time to titey up the house for me!!!!!! (A kitchen full of dishes, an out of place living room from games the night before and put away beach stuff) Then it was off to class for almost 4 hours (they always get out early and today was super early). We went on a walk to the store and then had dinner (tuna melts : ) ) The rest of the evening was spent together as a family watching the kids play with some NCIS and then trying out the new show 'The Voice'.
Amy:had a lazy day after an action packed long day and very little sleep!!!! On Tuesdays I watch a neighbor boy who is 2 months older than Brennan named Bannock. His parents have class so we get to hang out! After his long night he fell asleep before coming over but when he heard Brennan's voice he woke up!!!!! After playing for a bit, I put them down for a nap. They are entertaining to say the least because they are copiers!!!! I took full advantage of them finally falling asleep and did so my self! I wake up just in time for Taylor to leave for class and a clean house, which makes me most happy! A friend, Richelle came over and spend some times with us because her husband and Taylor are in the same class. She left about 10 minutes before they got out : ) The rest of the night was the same as Taylor's.
Brennan:woke up to see he was at his dad's side and couldn't have been happier!!!!! He played in the living room and had a blast because it was all out of place, not the normal! Ate and ate and ate ... He must be growing because I can't seem to give him enough food. He woke up from his nap and couldn't stop crying ... he wanted a banana and I would let him have one (we have to limit him to one a day or his system gets blocked and we want to tear up with him as he tries to push it out). It is heart breaking to not understand so he just cried until I put Tarzan on for him! He was so into it I don't think he even blinked for the first 45 min. Richelle didn't even get a look when she came :( Oh well at least he wasn't crying any more!!!!!!!! Our neighbors are from Tonga and get bananas straight from the tree all the time from different friends, so when they are almost to go bad they will bring a bunch over because they know Brennan's love for them. About 2 weeks ago they had a 6 foot (at least) limb of bananas and they brought some to us on Sunday. All he wants to do is open the frig and eat one!!!!!!!!!!!!! or get a drink of water!!!!!!!
Brooke: slept for the majority of the day!!!! Tonight just before she went to bed, I was holding her and turned my head ... this apparently was the most hilarious thing to her. She LAUGHED loud and long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was almost louder than Brennan's laughs! We continued to play for 10 minutes or so but I couldn't get the same reaction again. She did her usual little giggle though so it was fun. The comments that we get about her are ... she is so happy or she has a doll face and is beautiful!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
May 2nd
Wow what a day!!!!! It started at 4 and ended at 11. Its hard to get older!!!YES I AM 30 NOW!!!!
Amy: turned 30 today!!!!! It doesn't feel any different than I did yesterday. I have the perfect man for me who put an extreme amount of thought and effort into making the day special. I fed brooke at 4 and then never really fell back to sleep. I got to swim with Brennan and Taylor at the falls, snorkle with my sweetheart (swim with a turtle for about 20 minutes), eat with amazing friends and play a game of settlers. It was the best birthday ever and so many people made it special including text or calls or emails. I was given a hand carved paddle, hand picked and made lei and crown, beach bag with mat, book and lotions as well as gift cards and cards in the mail.
Brennan: woke up and took Taylor a bottle and formula because Brooke was crying. Enjoyed every moment outside. He had several friends join us for the hike so they took pictures together! I didn't get any with our camera because I was the attention getter for 5 kids. He wore a life jacket for the first time today at the falls because the rule is under 12 wear them. After he figured out the you float he never put his feet down. Taylor and I would push him toward the fall and the current would push him back to us. He wasn't too fond of the idea of being out of our reach but then when he realized he was getting closer the biggest smile and giggle came from him! While the adults snorkeled he found the perfect rocks to throw in the water and then discovered a rock slide just his size! Once again there were many of his little friends at the dinner so he got to enjoy their company while the adults did their adult stuff.
Brooke: wants to solid food so desperately!!!! Every time we eat she stares at Taylor, spits out her pacifier and mimics his mouth as he chews! This is why she woke up at 4 to eat : ( she was hungry. most of the time she can make until after 6 but those mornings are becoming less and less. She is amazing at going back to sleep after she eats to that makes it nice because I can at least try to go back to sleep. She is an outdoor, water baby just like her brother and mom so yesterday was WONDERFUL!! She is too little to swim at the falls so she decided to take a nap instead! We forgot to grab the umbrella for the beach but she was a good sport about hanging out in her car seat or the stroller underneath the shade. At the BBQ she laughed and laughed with one our friends, Hannah for about 45 min and then it was time for her last bottle and bed.
Pictures will come soon!!!
Taylor: he has the hardest time waking up early but before bed last night he asked what time I was going to work out. The reason behind his question was he wanted to do breakfast in bed for me. His alarm went off at 5:30 and he jumped out of bed. He prepared a protein bar and strawberries!!! He then stayed with the kids while I worked out. Once I got back we packed the car and headed to Waiamea Falls, snorkled at Sharks Cove and then ate the most amazing kabobs ever!!! He had been planning and contimplating for weeks and weeks. It turned out superb and there were so many helpers.
Amy: turned 30 today!!!!! It doesn't feel any different than I did yesterday. I have the perfect man for me who put an extreme amount of thought and effort into making the day special. I fed brooke at 4 and then never really fell back to sleep. I got to swim with Brennan and Taylor at the falls, snorkle with my sweetheart (swim with a turtle for about 20 minutes), eat with amazing friends and play a game of settlers. It was the best birthday ever and so many people made it special including text or calls or emails. I was given a hand carved paddle, hand picked and made lei and crown, beach bag with mat, book and lotions as well as gift cards and cards in the mail.
Brennan: woke up and took Taylor a bottle and formula because Brooke was crying. Enjoyed every moment outside. He had several friends join us for the hike so they took pictures together! I didn't get any with our camera because I was the attention getter for 5 kids. He wore a life jacket for the first time today at the falls because the rule is under 12 wear them. After he figured out the you float he never put his feet down. Taylor and I would push him toward the fall and the current would push him back to us. He wasn't too fond of the idea of being out of our reach but then when he realized he was getting closer the biggest smile and giggle came from him! While the adults snorkeled he found the perfect rocks to throw in the water and then discovered a rock slide just his size! Once again there were many of his little friends at the dinner so he got to enjoy their company while the adults did their adult stuff.
Brooke: wants to solid food so desperately!!!! Every time we eat she stares at Taylor, spits out her pacifier and mimics his mouth as he chews! This is why she woke up at 4 to eat : ( she was hungry. most of the time she can make until after 6 but those mornings are becoming less and less. She is amazing at going back to sleep after she eats to that makes it nice because I can at least try to go back to sleep. She is an outdoor, water baby just like her brother and mom so yesterday was WONDERFUL!! She is too little to swim at the falls so she decided to take a nap instead! We forgot to grab the umbrella for the beach but she was a good sport about hanging out in her car seat or the stroller underneath the shade. At the BBQ she laughed and laughed with one our friends, Hannah for about 45 min and then it was time for her last bottle and bed.
Pictures will come soon!!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
May 1st
i have 2 friend that have inspired me to do better about blogging so im going to follow thier example. the goal is to write everyday because there are things the kids do that i dont remeber from one to the other but would be fun to look back at.
taylor
now that he is elders quorum president sundays have become very busy. he started at 8 and ended at 4 but we were able to have a combined familt dinner with awesome friend who feel like family, cole and richelle rieben, tyler and lauren miller, and james and ashley rogers.
amy
bathed the kids because we had a late night the night before and didnt get them bathed. went to church and met taylor half way as he was coming to help with the kids. helped brennan call papa for his birthday and then put the kids down to nap. while they napped i got food ready for the bbq.
brennan
had a rough morning that bled into the rest of the day. he is getting close to 2 so has adopted the typical attitude yet he is his happy self when he wants to be. as soon as amen was said in sacrament meeting he ran to nursery which he always does. while i was in relief society i heard him scream so i went to check on him and they had taken him to the other door so missed them. he had fallen and hit his head but had calmed down quick. i let him go back in and he didnt want to go. i talked to him a bit and a little girl came up to him and wanted to play, but he didnt so he punched her. i took him with me. after a while he wanted to go back to i took him back. after church i went to get him and they said he was with taylor. what happened is he pushed another girl so they took him to his dad this time. after his nap he did better and had the best time with his dad at the bbq. they found a big wheel and atylor pushed him around and around. they game the became ...make sharp enough turns to throw him out. he held on as he was ran over, drug ... everyone got a good laugh from it and he got nice grass burns that has hasnt complained about but look painful. we decided he is going to be one of those that will be on a tube behind a boat and never get pulled off even while flipping just like his uncle brian.
brooke
loves her baths but it was cut short this morning because i had to get ready too. enjoyed being taken by firends during sunday school and relief society. she thinks her name is cute or beautiful because so many people say that to her. cole told her she had a doll face as have several other little girls and moms. loved playing on a blanket while the rest of us ate. she wants to eat so bad she will stare at taylor and mimic his mouth as he chews. just before we left for the bbq brennan decided she would make a good step stool so he stood on her and balanced himslef on the couch. he also wanted to share his water with her so put the water bottle up to her mouth and poured. he has good intentions most of the time.
ps im still working on putting picture together for my earlier post.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Long Awaited
WOW!!! I haven't been on here in a very long time. I have found that with having 2 kids the free time I get is during their nap. Until now I have either napped with them or had other things on the priority list. None the less I am here now! (I will be adding pictures but for now here are the events)
Here is a list of things I will be blogging about so if you don't want to read the entire post you can find those stories that interest you and move on : ) ...
Date nights, Brooke, Thanksgiving, Blessing, Visitors, Family Pictures, Anniversary, Christmas, Mold, Surgery, 2 month and 18 month check up, Sara and Josh, Presidents Day, Cheer, Lip, Tsunami, Sharks Cove, Brooke's 4 months and Brennan's dictionary
Date Nights:
The week of Halloween we were able to sneak out on 2 dates : ) The first one had been planned for a bit and the other one was a random blessing! As an activity in Relief Society (women's organization in the church) we have a service auction. This is where each person writes down 2 services they could give and then they were auctioned off with points that we had earned through giving service for a month. One of the ones I won was "Babysitting by the Crofts" (they are a senior couple in our ward)! So we went to "Glow Putt" which is glow in the dark miniature golf. There were black lights everywhere!! At every other hole you had to run your ball through a tube to light it up : ) It was a place for little kids which meant we got to be little for a night and it was ok ; )! There were a few gifts they give away to everyone that plays, glowing wrist bands and a little light that could be worn as a ring, but to those that hit a "hole in one" on the 18th hole received a special prize ... a magnetic blinky light! As we went through Taylor had 4 "hole in one", but I was the one that hit the one that counted!!!!!!! We went home and Brennan had crashed another ward's Halloween party, taken a walk, played ball ... (had grandparent time basically)!
The other date was a night at the Haunted Lagoon! We live 5 minutes walking distance from the Polynesian Cultural Center where there is a lagoon through the villages. During the month of October they make it haunted with all kinds of different characters and creatures in a variety of places! You ride on a canoe through the water as you would walk through a haunted house. Every night they do it there is a 3-5 hour wait and we ended up waiting 2 hours which was not bad because we could to talk and spook people around us. I think the best reactions were when I told people I was due in 3 weeks!!! (I have friends that swear I am a mu-tin because I don't have a typical pregnancy)
Brooke: (this will be the longest) November 25th, 7 lbs 11oz and 19 1/2 in
I was due on the 19th of November with a surprise gender! My older sister Sara was do on the 19th as well, until she changed her c-section date(to the 20th) because her husband was gone a business trip. My youngest brother Brad, his birthday is the 20th so everyone was hoping I could hold out one more day! With Brennan I gave birth on the very day the ultrasound projected, but nobody knows until it all happens : )
The 19th came and went ... no action
The 20th came and went ... no action
... worried text after text and call after call ... still nothing
The 24th came and I was nauseous most of the day. Taylor's parents were here and wanted to take us out for the evening. We ended up eating at Sharks Cove grill and then taking a little walk down the the water for some pictures. I did eat a few bites of a sandwich and fries because I was feeling better at this point. Once we got back to the house we hing out with our friends, Tyler and Lauren : ) I put Brennan to bed and the contractions started. This was not too much to get excited about because this had happened almost every night for a week and as soon as I fell asleep they stopped. I was tired so I went to bed (as the usual party pooper) and Taylor stayed up to play. About 30 minutes later I text him (yes from the other room) "I think tonight is the night!"
The contractions were getting stronger and closer together which hadn't happened the other nights. It was getting to the point were I started timing from one to the other and it was 5 minutes!!!! We live an hour plus from the hospital and Taylor's worst fear was not making it there in time. He had no idea what to do and we were borrowing a car ;) and that was one mess he did not want to deal with!!!! This was it...
We packed our last minute things and left! Tyler and Lauren stayed with Brennan because by this time it was around 1am. There was plenty of time to send out text messages to everyone because the drive is so long, but Taylor made it in 45 minutes! There were 2 cars that pulled in front of him that he pased the entire way : )
Before we left I called the hospital to let them know we were on our way and from how far we were coming so they were prepared when we got there. We checked in at 1:45am and I was at a 6!!! We both laughed as the nurse asked "on a scale of 1-10 was is your pain?" I said a 7ish and then she asked if I had an epidural with my first. She then said "ok, then you scale is a true scale" : ) 100 questions and 6 needle pokes later, I was set for the IV and could be left to contract in peace!
The nurse told me that she would only come in if I called or a few hours went by. I never called so she came back in about 4 and checked me. I was at an 8 almost 9, which was lucky because she was going to make my walk around if I hadn't progressed.
Now it was about 6:30 and the intensity had increased so I called for the nurse. She checked me and said I was ready so she call for the doctor to come break my water. It was clear so this time Taylor got to cut the cord!!!!!!
A little before 7 the urge to push was there and everything was ready to I started pushing. Both times I have ended up with an oxygen mask on because I don't get enough air between pushes for both of us. Through one of the pushes Taylor commented "keep it up Honey you are doing awesome!" The nurses and doctor looked at each other and giggled : ) he never asked why, but the assumption is, I had been pushing for 10 minutes before he said something. Every push they had some comment about what is normally happening, women screaming at them, hitting the spouses saying you did this to me ...
Needless to say, at 7:17am we had a 7lbs 11 oz 19 1/2 in baby girl!!!!! The joke is every year on her birthday she gets a Slurpee form 7/11!! Taylor tried to take a picture of him cutting the cord but it was too complicated and it didn't cross his mind to as one of the nurses because they were busy doing their thing.
The room was all put back together and they started the IV with patosin (drug that makes you contract), we were able to enjoy our new little bundle of joy. The nurse came back in to check on me and asked if I would able to pee because my bladder was too full and in the way of what she needed to feel. I stood up as if nothing had happened and she told me to slow down and wait for her ;) I left a trail of blood so she went to grab more towels to clean up, meanwhile I got off the toilet and began cleaning what was in the bathroom. She was stunned!!!! She was used to helping people get off the toilet and back in bed. It is official, I AM A FREAK!!!
We had Papa and Gigi visit with Brennan and our friends Lauren and Tyler! They didn't stay long but we did get a chance to introduce the new big brother to his little sister. He wasn't so sure about it all (lots of new toys is what he was thinking as he looked around the room) but he did hold her long enough to capture a few pictures. Once she was at home he was very ok with her staying and LOVES her now. Every time he holds her that length becomes longer and longer : )
We also had a visit from our friend Leisa Tapia for 3+ hours! She even ran to the only open store to grab Taylor a chocolate milk and DP afterward!!!
Thanksgiving:
We were torn because this year was going to be like no other Thanksgiving yet we had a new addition on this day and were stunk in the hospital for another 24 hours! Instead of turkey we were going to have kalua pig (cooked underground). Taylor's parents were able to enjoy it for us and our thoughtful friends brought some to us. The hospital that we were at didn't provided the dads with anything meat : ( I tried to share my meal with Taylor but he said he was going to save all the room he had for the food that was coming and not use it up on cafeteria food! Brennan got to hang out with Papa and Gigi during the dinner and Papa taught him some new tricks ;) to spit his food ...!
Blessing:
Brooke was blessed on December 5th 2010! We had the wonderful privilge to have my dad, Taylor's dad, Tyler Miller, Chris Tapia, Joey Freebarin and our bishopric (bishop Compton, Andrew and Hiro) join in the circle. Thank you wonderful men for being worthy to do so!!!! Taylor blessed her and did a beautiful job of speaking the words our Heavenly Father wished for Brooke hear. One thing that stuck out to me was, she was blessed with a healthy body to play sports! So stay tuned to see what she ends up choosing : )
I wanted to make her dress as I did the outfit for Brennan but I didn't have as much time and the stores are limited here. Brooke did wear one that was even more special!!! My older sister Sara had sent my dad with the dress my mom made for Maddy (Sara's daughter). A big THANK YOU to Sara and Maddy for sharing something so simple yet extremely special! After all my mom did keep her from coming to join us 6 days longer than she was suppose to ; ) We miss you Mom but know you are here with us in spirit for all our celebrations!!!!!!
Visitors:
As the saying goes it is either feast or famine : ) We had a feast for almost a month!!! Gigi came with Linda (Taylor's aunt) on November 16th, Papa and Brian (Taylor's uncle) came on November 23rd and left together on the December 6th. Grandpa and Grandma Skinner (my dad and Bobbie) came on December 3rd and left on December 9th.
Gigi and Linda were here to help but I think they ended up playing more ; ) Brennan was with them everyday almost all day! It was a good break for Taylor and I but we missed him. He was LIGHTLY spoiled! The philosophy in the Southwick family (Gigi's side) is "they will just need a little fix'n" after they visit the grandparents but he bounced back quick and almost painless ; ) He is a good kid and knows what mom and dad expect of him!! There is no reason he can't enjoy his Gigi and Auntie time and be spoiled once in awhile. (She is already planning a trip in June ; ) )
Papa and Brian arrived here the day after a huge snow storm in Seattle! Brian lives about 3 hours from the airport but is took him 13 hours to get there. Luckily the plan was for him to meet Papa the day before so they could go together the next morning. There was no delays or cancellations until later so they were saved again!! They were extremely happy to walk on the beach in shorts!
We didn't go and do much before Brooke was born because we didn't want to be too far from the hospital in case we needed to go. After she was born though the adventures started! We got home from the hospital Friday afternoon and Saturday Gigi and I were off to the mall to find a dress for Brooke's first Sunday. Tuesday we all headed to the zoo (Taylor didn't have class on this day and he wanted to join in on the fun). Friday we ventured around the Polynesian Cultural Center (Grandpa was here now so he joined us). Saturday everyone enjoyed some garlic shrimp from Giovanni's famous shrimp truck and pie from Ted's Bakery. Sunday after the blessing we had dinner with several that participated in it (ham and to die for scolloped potatoes by Linda). Monday we said bye to Papa, Gigi, Brian and Linda. Wednesday we accompanied Grandpa and Grandma to the Swap Meet. Last but not least, Thursday we kissed Grandpa and Grandma Skinner bye.
Then on December 17th, a friend of mine, Jessica and Nate Dana, came to stay for a week. It was fun to catchup with her because it had been before I got married that we had seen each other.
Family Pictures:
A sweet friend so kindly took out family pictures. Her and her husband were moving back to Utah that same week but she took the time to meet up with us! This was her first time taking pictures of a family outside of a studio so she was nervous because it all depended on her, lighting, smiles from the kids ... but she did AMAZING! She had Brennan's attention with a fruit snack on her camera : ) he doesn't get those often.
Please take a look at her blog maikaimemories.blogspot.com
Anniversary:
A friend of mine was coming in to stay with us that night so we didn't have plans to leave (Taylor forgot they were coming until I reminded him a few days before and he was bummed). She had called me and said their flight was delayed so they missed their connecting flight which was even better because I had already made plans for us to go out, surprise to Taylor : ) We have hadn't been to a luau so I thought it would be fun to go to one. I arrange for someone to stay with the kids and we were ready to go, but he found out : ( early. Oh well, it was still a fun surprise for him and we enjoyed the night away (Brooke wasn't even a month old yet so things were still busy trying to figure out having two kids). We decided to try the smoothie they have there served in a pineapple ... as you can see we ended up with two... they were YUMMY! Towards the end of the show they asked those with birthdays to stand and we sang and then they asked those that were on their honeymoon or anniversary to step up on stage!!! We had told the people we were sharing a table with that is was our 4 year anniversary so they started pointing, making sure everyone knew, so we had to go up. They then had everyone on stage say how long it had been since they were married and then sang us a song while we danced!!! I think that was about the third time ever that we have danced, and our first where it was in front of an audience : )
Christmas:
Taylor really wanted a palm tree for a Christmas tree this year so one creative person shared her talent with us!!!! Lauren had gotten the idea from another friend, Richelle and Cole, to save space and money to make the tree out of wrapping paper! GENIUS, especially because she put it high enough that Brennan couldn't reach it! Papa and Gigi had so lovingly given us some lights which worked perfectly around the paper. My personal favorite was the fact that Lauren added presents around it ... did that mean I didn't have to get any ; ) We had plenty that were sent!!!!!!!!!!!!
We then Skyped with my family who were all together accept for Tod and his family. They all got a kick out of Brennan not wearing a shirt (he had his swim suit on because we were headed to the beach after). While were there we say about 3 different families make sand men and put a Santa hat on him : )
Later we Skyped with Papa and Gigi and saved the biggest present for them to watch Brennan unwrap. It was a WAGON! This is how we take the kids places now. I had several people ask if I wanted a double stroller but I told them our backpacks would work with the single stroller we already have. This is way better and Brooke's car seat fits perfect. Our neighbor calls her wagon their "beachmobile" so that is what we call it now.
Mold:
When people told us that the wet months were coming we kind of laughed at them because living in Seattle area we had a lot of rain. Well, it's different here because the moisture stays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Taylor was having some serious asthma problems and we finally got to the root of it ... MOLD : ( We had mold growing on our walls! After some research Taylor found a solution of bleach and water so we gave it a try. This meant we were going to have to live in the living room for 4 days while we did our room and Brennan would continue to be there for another 4 while we did his room. Since then we have found it on our clothes in the closets, in the kitchen ... by now we have it under control and know that when the winter months come all windows have to remain shut : ( unless the sun is out!!!!!
Surgery:
We had been here in Hawaii for a little over a month when Taylor started having really bad pains that would keep him up at night. They lasted for about a week and then they stopped. We thought it might be an ulcer in his stomach or a kidney stone. Nothing happened for a long time. He had a few more flare ups that were worse than the first time so he decided to see the doctor. They told him it was because he worked out too hard and the cartilage was separating from his ribs. This meant he needed to take it easy for about a month and then he would be good.
Well, they started happening once again just after he started his new semester in January. This time the pain was like nothing he had felt before. He ended up in the ER 3 different times and all 3 times they thought it was something else. The third time the nurse, who was a respiratory nurse, thought it might be a blood clot in his lung so she sent him to another hospital that has better equipment. After a clear CTScan they looked at his gal bladder in an ultrasound and discovered an extremely inflamed/full (of stones) gal bladder. The surgeon made it to see him later that night and decided it needed to come out NOW! He was scheduled for surgery at 8:00 Wednesday morning to solve the problem once and for all : )
Everything went well and the doctor called me at 10:30 to let me know he was able to do what he needed with scopes so he wouldn't have very big scares. He did tell me that his blood test were showing he was jaundice so this meant there might be a stone that escaped and could cause problems. They watched him carefully and kept him an extra day (longer the 2 that were required) because your Billy Ruben count should be less than 1 and his was at a 4 after surgery. He came down to a 2.5 and yet they still hesitated to let him go. Taylor was so bored he talked them in to letting him go : )
He was home!!!! It was great to have his presence at the house but it was more work for me because he couldn't lift Brooke (who was 2 months old at the time) or dishes : ( He wasn't supposed to lift anything for a week but it was killing him to watch me do it all he broke the doctor's orders!
After 4 weeks he was back to normal!! He can do anything he wants now ... accept eat a lot!!!!!!!!!! He has to be careful with fat and needs to eat every 3 hours or he has a lot of acid, but other than those 2 things he is as good as new ; )
2 month and 18 month check ups:
I know Brennan was late for his 18 month check up because by this time he was 20 months ; ( but the kids are 18 months and a day apart and I was focused on Brooke not Brennan at the time. He weighed 26lbs and I don't think they got an accurate height for him because he got scared! That is a new Brennan, scared, says ouch to everything and acts shy!!!!!!! I hope this stage passes quick and I get the old Brennan back because Taylor has no patience for him : ( From what I have been told Taylor was the same way so no wonder he doesn't have patience for it, he is his own worst enemy!
Brooke weighed in at 12 lbs ; ) and was a champ with her shots!!!!!!!!!!! She didn't get a fever or anything : ) she was a tad bit clingy for half of the day but I can't complain with that!!!
Sara and Josh:
My sister Sara and her husband Josh were kind enough to use their miles to come spend time with us!!!! they brought their 2 youngest boys (who happen to be the same age as our kids) Jackson and Austin. They were here for 4 day in February and we enjoyed ever minute of it! We went to the beach several times, PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center), BYUH basketball game and ate and Kahuku Grill. I wish we could have gone more places but we didn't have a car to fit all of us : (
President's Day:
There aren't very many day Taylor has off of school so we took advantage of this one! It was a beautiful day the Saturday before so we enjoyed the beach. One of Taylor's past times is digging holes in the sand. He took one of Brennan's little shovels and began ... about 2 feet later he had one perfect for the little man ... he started again ... 4 feet later he had one for himself! By this time Brennan needed a nap so we planned to come back on Monday. This time we had friends come with us and Taylor brought buckets to dig with!!! They started with 2 huge holes and then decided to join them together. It was a big hit for all who walked by : ) and for Brennan and his new found friends because he has a "cool" dad!
Cheer:
Those of you that know Taylor well, know he has a passion for gymnastics and stunting. He has a friend here that has gained a similar passion and asked Taylor to be his instructor (Taylor has a hard time being called coach in this situation because they are friends enjoying their time together). The goal is to have Sone (the friend) ready for BYU Provo's team in January! There has been a lot of progress but now that he is in the off season for the squad here he has more time and an increased desire to learn. In so ding, we have made friends with several of the cheerleaders so at the basketball games they take Brennan and throw him up and do stunts with him. Everyone loves it even the camera guys!!!! there was one game he was spot lighted about 5 times : ) Too bad we weren't famous enough to join our basketball team in going to the national Championship ; ( Oh well! It was the first time they had made it past the sweet 16!!!!!!!!!
Lip:
I had my first trip to the ER and a chance at getting stitches for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is how it all happened...
I was finishing up my workout with some crunches when Brennan woke up from his nap. He stuck up behind me and grabbed the 5 lb weigh I had behind me. He lost his balance and fell on me. Of all things to hit me, the weight did : ( thank goodness it was a rubber covered one! They gave me a tenacious shot anyway.
I thought it was just my teeth at first, but it was my teeth that cut my lip : ) I grabbed ice and text Taylor, who was in class. He came home after instead of going to a meeting he had. We hunted down a car and headed to the ER. The nurse asked "on a scale of 1-10, what is your pain". Taylor laughs very loud at that question now because he says I don't have pain. I said one and the nurse looked and him and smiled. The doctor came and looked at it and decided that no stitches were needed because the inside (which was the worst) would heal faster than the outside. The nurse cleaned it out and then put "durabond" on it and the inside was already closing!!! I couldn't stick my tongue through any more!!!!
It is all healed now, I just look like I have a whisker ; )
Tsunami:
Just before we were to head home a friend of ours, Tori who is an RA, told me that there was a tsunami warning out and they would be sounding the siren at 12am and every hour after that until 3am when it was suppose to hit us here on Oahu. On our way home they sounded the siren!!!!! but it was only 9pm : ( And yes, it went off every hour until 3am!!!!! We turned on the news when we got home to see what more info they had. There were evacuation zones so we looked those up, and we were not in one!!!!!!! Plus we live on the second floor of our building so we felt OK. The plan was for all of us to sleep in the same room so if we did need to leave we were all together and it would be somewhat quicker to get out. It was suppose to hit Kauai first so Taylor and I got up to watch the news and see if things changed. Nothing had so we watched it hit but there wasn't much difference in the water so we decided we were fine where we were and didn't need to leave. As we watched and watched and watched : ) Oahu was hit but the water went 150 + yards out and the came up to the side walk in Honolulu (Diamond Head area). Other than that a few older docks were damaged a bit and that was the worst for us! Thank goodness!!!!!!!! A friend of our has a cousin that just moved here a month or so ago and they are living on a boat so they had to leave the harbor and ride it out at sea where they wouldn't be effected much. Crazy to think about but they were safer out there : ) There had been another tsunami hit a year before from the Chile earthquake. These are signs of the times and we can only be prepared spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally knowing we are doing what we have been warned and counseled to do.
Sharks Cove:
We had the opportunity to go with two other families to Sharks Cove. This is where our friends, the Browns, had taken us in September and bought us snorkel gear. We have been dying to go back and we did it finally!!!!! There was no school on Thursday or Friday (due to business plan presentations and a Hawaii State holiday) so after Taylor worked on homework for the first day, we played the second ; )
We were hoping to go to the same deep spot we went before but the waves were too big and we would have been thrown into the rock : ( so we went to the little puddle left from the waves crashing over all the coral! We have yet to get a underwater camera so no pics of what we saw, but hopefully one day we will remember so grab one of the disposable ones before we go.
Brooke's 4 months:
Brooke went in last week for her 4 month check up! She is doing awesome! Weight: 13lbs 12oz and Height: 24 1/2 in This puts her in the same curve for weight but she has jumped 2 curves for height (hopefully she gets her dad's height not mom's!!!!!!!!!!) Once again she mastered the shots. This time she got 3 (5 different vaccines) and she didn't make a peep until the 3rd which was the one that turned red the next day and the nurse said she would be the most sore with.
Brennan's dictionary:
I saw this on one of my friend's blog so I thought I would use the idea!
mom/mama (this one is for Gigi!!!!! Taylor would say mom, mooooom, mom, mooooom ... so she said she was going to teach the same thing to my kids but she doesn't have to it is innate, THANKS : ( )
dada
nuk (when Brooke cries he looks for her pacifier (Taylor's family calls it a nuk and it has stuck with us))
ball
bubble
hi
ba bye
nigh nigh=good night
dank oo=thank you
da=dog
helacaca=helicopter
guk or gukie=food
aguawat or wat (almost butt thanks to Lauren)
gee=please
Here is a list of things I will be blogging about so if you don't want to read the entire post you can find those stories that interest you and move on : ) ...
Date nights, Brooke, Thanksgiving, Blessing, Visitors, Family Pictures, Anniversary, Christmas, Mold, Surgery, 2 month and 18 month check up, Sara and Josh, Presidents Day, Cheer, Lip, Tsunami, Sharks Cove, Brooke's 4 months and Brennan's dictionary
Date Nights:
The week of Halloween we were able to sneak out on 2 dates : ) The first one had been planned for a bit and the other one was a random blessing! As an activity in Relief Society (women's organization in the church) we have a service auction. This is where each person writes down 2 services they could give and then they were auctioned off with points that we had earned through giving service for a month. One of the ones I won was "Babysitting by the Crofts" (they are a senior couple in our ward)! So we went to "Glow Putt" which is glow in the dark miniature golf. There were black lights everywhere!! At every other hole you had to run your ball through a tube to light it up : ) It was a place for little kids which meant we got to be little for a night and it was ok ; )! There were a few gifts they give away to everyone that plays, glowing wrist bands and a little light that could be worn as a ring, but to those that hit a "hole in one" on the 18th hole received a special prize ... a magnetic blinky light! As we went through Taylor had 4 "hole in one", but I was the one that hit the one that counted!!!!!!! We went home and Brennan had crashed another ward's Halloween party, taken a walk, played ball ... (had grandparent time basically)!
The other date was a night at the Haunted Lagoon! We live 5 minutes walking distance from the Polynesian Cultural Center where there is a lagoon through the villages. During the month of October they make it haunted with all kinds of different characters and creatures in a variety of places! You ride on a canoe through the water as you would walk through a haunted house. Every night they do it there is a 3-5 hour wait and we ended up waiting 2 hours which was not bad because we could to talk and spook people around us. I think the best reactions were when I told people I was due in 3 weeks!!! (I have friends that swear I am a mu-tin because I don't have a typical pregnancy)
Brooke: (this will be the longest) November 25th, 7 lbs 11oz and 19 1/2 in
I was due on the 19th of November with a surprise gender! My older sister Sara was do on the 19th as well, until she changed her c-section date(to the 20th) because her husband was gone a business trip. My youngest brother Brad, his birthday is the 20th so everyone was hoping I could hold out one more day! With Brennan I gave birth on the very day the ultrasound projected, but nobody knows until it all happens : )
The 19th came and went ... no action
The 20th came and went ... no action
... worried text after text and call after call ... still nothing
The 24th came and I was nauseous most of the day. Taylor's parents were here and wanted to take us out for the evening. We ended up eating at Sharks Cove grill and then taking a little walk down the the water for some pictures. I did eat a few bites of a sandwich and fries because I was feeling better at this point. Once we got back to the house we hing out with our friends, Tyler and Lauren : ) I put Brennan to bed and the contractions started. This was not too much to get excited about because this had happened almost every night for a week and as soon as I fell asleep they stopped. I was tired so I went to bed (as the usual party pooper) and Taylor stayed up to play. About 30 minutes later I text him (yes from the other room) "I think tonight is the night!"
The contractions were getting stronger and closer together which hadn't happened the other nights. It was getting to the point were I started timing from one to the other and it was 5 minutes!!!! We live an hour plus from the hospital and Taylor's worst fear was not making it there in time. He had no idea what to do and we were borrowing a car ;) and that was one mess he did not want to deal with!!!! This was it...
We packed our last minute things and left! Tyler and Lauren stayed with Brennan because by this time it was around 1am. There was plenty of time to send out text messages to everyone because the drive is so long, but Taylor made it in 45 minutes! There were 2 cars that pulled in front of him that he pased the entire way : )
Before we left I called the hospital to let them know we were on our way and from how far we were coming so they were prepared when we got there. We checked in at 1:45am and I was at a 6!!! We both laughed as the nurse asked "on a scale of 1-10 was is your pain?" I said a 7ish and then she asked if I had an epidural with my first. She then said "ok, then you scale is a true scale" : ) 100 questions and 6 needle pokes later, I was set for the IV and could be left to contract in peace!
The nurse told me that she would only come in if I called or a few hours went by. I never called so she came back in about 4 and checked me. I was at an 8 almost 9, which was lucky because she was going to make my walk around if I hadn't progressed.
Now it was about 6:30 and the intensity had increased so I called for the nurse. She checked me and said I was ready so she call for the doctor to come break my water. It was clear so this time Taylor got to cut the cord!!!!!!
A little before 7 the urge to push was there and everything was ready to I started pushing. Both times I have ended up with an oxygen mask on because I don't get enough air between pushes for both of us. Through one of the pushes Taylor commented "keep it up Honey you are doing awesome!" The nurses and doctor looked at each other and giggled : ) he never asked why, but the assumption is, I had been pushing for 10 minutes before he said something. Every push they had some comment about what is normally happening, women screaming at them, hitting the spouses saying you did this to me ...
Needless to say, at 7:17am we had a 7lbs 11 oz 19 1/2 in baby girl!!!!! The joke is every year on her birthday she gets a Slurpee form 7/11!! Taylor tried to take a picture of him cutting the cord but it was too complicated and it didn't cross his mind to as one of the nurses because they were busy doing their thing.
The room was all put back together and they started the IV with patosin (drug that makes you contract), we were able to enjoy our new little bundle of joy. The nurse came back in to check on me and asked if I would able to pee because my bladder was too full and in the way of what she needed to feel. I stood up as if nothing had happened and she told me to slow down and wait for her ;) I left a trail of blood so she went to grab more towels to clean up, meanwhile I got off the toilet and began cleaning what was in the bathroom. She was stunned!!!! She was used to helping people get off the toilet and back in bed. It is official, I AM A FREAK!!!
We had Papa and Gigi visit with Brennan and our friends Lauren and Tyler! They didn't stay long but we did get a chance to introduce the new big brother to his little sister. He wasn't so sure about it all (lots of new toys is what he was thinking as he looked around the room) but he did hold her long enough to capture a few pictures. Once she was at home he was very ok with her staying and LOVES her now. Every time he holds her that length becomes longer and longer : )
We also had a visit from our friend Leisa Tapia for 3+ hours! She even ran to the only open store to grab Taylor a chocolate milk and DP afterward!!!
Thanksgiving:
We were torn because this year was going to be like no other Thanksgiving yet we had a new addition on this day and were stunk in the hospital for another 24 hours! Instead of turkey we were going to have kalua pig (cooked underground). Taylor's parents were able to enjoy it for us and our thoughtful friends brought some to us. The hospital that we were at didn't provided the dads with anything meat : ( I tried to share my meal with Taylor but he said he was going to save all the room he had for the food that was coming and not use it up on cafeteria food! Brennan got to hang out with Papa and Gigi during the dinner and Papa taught him some new tricks ;) to spit his food ...!
Blessing:
Brooke was blessed on December 5th 2010! We had the wonderful privilge to have my dad, Taylor's dad, Tyler Miller, Chris Tapia, Joey Freebarin and our bishopric (bishop Compton, Andrew and Hiro) join in the circle. Thank you wonderful men for being worthy to do so!!!! Taylor blessed her and did a beautiful job of speaking the words our Heavenly Father wished for Brooke hear. One thing that stuck out to me was, she was blessed with a healthy body to play sports! So stay tuned to see what she ends up choosing : )
I wanted to make her dress as I did the outfit for Brennan but I didn't have as much time and the stores are limited here. Brooke did wear one that was even more special!!! My older sister Sara had sent my dad with the dress my mom made for Maddy (Sara's daughter). A big THANK YOU to Sara and Maddy for sharing something so simple yet extremely special! After all my mom did keep her from coming to join us 6 days longer than she was suppose to ; ) We miss you Mom but know you are here with us in spirit for all our celebrations!!!!!!
Visitors:
As the saying goes it is either feast or famine : ) We had a feast for almost a month!!! Gigi came with Linda (Taylor's aunt) on November 16th, Papa and Brian (Taylor's uncle) came on November 23rd and left together on the December 6th. Grandpa and Grandma Skinner (my dad and Bobbie) came on December 3rd and left on December 9th.
Gigi and Linda were here to help but I think they ended up playing more ; ) Brennan was with them everyday almost all day! It was a good break for Taylor and I but we missed him. He was LIGHTLY spoiled! The philosophy in the Southwick family (Gigi's side) is "they will just need a little fix'n" after they visit the grandparents but he bounced back quick and almost painless ; ) He is a good kid and knows what mom and dad expect of him!! There is no reason he can't enjoy his Gigi and Auntie time and be spoiled once in awhile. (She is already planning a trip in June ; ) )
Papa and Brian arrived here the day after a huge snow storm in Seattle! Brian lives about 3 hours from the airport but is took him 13 hours to get there. Luckily the plan was for him to meet Papa the day before so they could go together the next morning. There was no delays or cancellations until later so they were saved again!! They were extremely happy to walk on the beach in shorts!
We didn't go and do much before Brooke was born because we didn't want to be too far from the hospital in case we needed to go. After she was born though the adventures started! We got home from the hospital Friday afternoon and Saturday Gigi and I were off to the mall to find a dress for Brooke's first Sunday. Tuesday we all headed to the zoo (Taylor didn't have class on this day and he wanted to join in on the fun). Friday we ventured around the Polynesian Cultural Center (Grandpa was here now so he joined us). Saturday everyone enjoyed some garlic shrimp from Giovanni's famous shrimp truck and pie from Ted's Bakery. Sunday after the blessing we had dinner with several that participated in it (ham and to die for scolloped potatoes by Linda). Monday we said bye to Papa, Gigi, Brian and Linda. Wednesday we accompanied Grandpa and Grandma to the Swap Meet. Last but not least, Thursday we kissed Grandpa and Grandma Skinner bye.
Then on December 17th, a friend of mine, Jessica and Nate Dana, came to stay for a week. It was fun to catchup with her because it had been before I got married that we had seen each other.
Family Pictures:
A sweet friend so kindly took out family pictures. Her and her husband were moving back to Utah that same week but she took the time to meet up with us! This was her first time taking pictures of a family outside of a studio so she was nervous because it all depended on her, lighting, smiles from the kids ... but she did AMAZING! She had Brennan's attention with a fruit snack on her camera : ) he doesn't get those often.
Please take a look at her blog maikaimemories.blogspot.com |
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Anniversary:
A friend of mine was coming in to stay with us that night so we didn't have plans to leave (Taylor forgot they were coming until I reminded him a few days before and he was bummed). She had called me and said their flight was delayed so they missed their connecting flight which was even better because I had already made plans for us to go out, surprise to Taylor : ) We have hadn't been to a luau so I thought it would be fun to go to one. I arrange for someone to stay with the kids and we were ready to go, but he found out : ( early. Oh well, it was still a fun surprise for him and we enjoyed the night away (Brooke wasn't even a month old yet so things were still busy trying to figure out having two kids). We decided to try the smoothie they have there served in a pineapple ... as you can see we ended up with two... they were YUMMY! Towards the end of the show they asked those with birthdays to stand and we sang and then they asked those that were on their honeymoon or anniversary to step up on stage!!! We had told the people we were sharing a table with that is was our 4 year anniversary so they started pointing, making sure everyone knew, so we had to go up. They then had everyone on stage say how long it had been since they were married and then sang us a song while we danced!!! I think that was about the third time ever that we have danced, and our first where it was in front of an audience : )
Christmas:
Taylor really wanted a palm tree for a Christmas tree this year so one creative person shared her talent with us!!!! Lauren had gotten the idea from another friend, Richelle and Cole, to save space and money to make the tree out of wrapping paper! GENIUS, especially because she put it high enough that Brennan couldn't reach it! Papa and Gigi had so lovingly given us some lights which worked perfectly around the paper. My personal favorite was the fact that Lauren added presents around it ... did that mean I didn't have to get any ; ) We had plenty that were sent!!!!!!!!!!!!
We then Skyped with my family who were all together accept for Tod and his family. They all got a kick out of Brennan not wearing a shirt (he had his swim suit on because we were headed to the beach after). While were there we say about 3 different families make sand men and put a Santa hat on him : )
Later we Skyped with Papa and Gigi and saved the biggest present for them to watch Brennan unwrap. It was a WAGON! This is how we take the kids places now. I had several people ask if I wanted a double stroller but I told them our backpacks would work with the single stroller we already have. This is way better and Brooke's car seat fits perfect. Our neighbor calls her wagon their "beachmobile" so that is what we call it now.
Mold:
When people told us that the wet months were coming we kind of laughed at them because living in Seattle area we had a lot of rain. Well, it's different here because the moisture stays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Taylor was having some serious asthma problems and we finally got to the root of it ... MOLD : ( We had mold growing on our walls! After some research Taylor found a solution of bleach and water so we gave it a try. This meant we were going to have to live in the living room for 4 days while we did our room and Brennan would continue to be there for another 4 while we did his room. Since then we have found it on our clothes in the closets, in the kitchen ... by now we have it under control and know that when the winter months come all windows have to remain shut : ( unless the sun is out!!!!!
Surgery:
We had been here in Hawaii for a little over a month when Taylor started having really bad pains that would keep him up at night. They lasted for about a week and then they stopped. We thought it might be an ulcer in his stomach or a kidney stone. Nothing happened for a long time. He had a few more flare ups that were worse than the first time so he decided to see the doctor. They told him it was because he worked out too hard and the cartilage was separating from his ribs. This meant he needed to take it easy for about a month and then he would be good.
Well, they started happening once again just after he started his new semester in January. This time the pain was like nothing he had felt before. He ended up in the ER 3 different times and all 3 times they thought it was something else. The third time the nurse, who was a respiratory nurse, thought it might be a blood clot in his lung so she sent him to another hospital that has better equipment. After a clear CTScan they looked at his gal bladder in an ultrasound and discovered an extremely inflamed/full (of stones) gal bladder. The surgeon made it to see him later that night and decided it needed to come out NOW! He was scheduled for surgery at 8:00 Wednesday morning to solve the problem once and for all : )
Everything went well and the doctor called me at 10:30 to let me know he was able to do what he needed with scopes so he wouldn't have very big scares. He did tell me that his blood test were showing he was jaundice so this meant there might be a stone that escaped and could cause problems. They watched him carefully and kept him an extra day (longer the 2 that were required) because your Billy Ruben count should be less than 1 and his was at a 4 after surgery. He came down to a 2.5 and yet they still hesitated to let him go. Taylor was so bored he talked them in to letting him go : )
He was home!!!! It was great to have his presence at the house but it was more work for me because he couldn't lift Brooke (who was 2 months old at the time) or dishes : ( He wasn't supposed to lift anything for a week but it was killing him to watch me do it all he broke the doctor's orders!
After 4 weeks he was back to normal!! He can do anything he wants now ... accept eat a lot!!!!!!!!!! He has to be careful with fat and needs to eat every 3 hours or he has a lot of acid, but other than those 2 things he is as good as new ; )
2 month and 18 month check ups:
I know Brennan was late for his 18 month check up because by this time he was 20 months ; ( but the kids are 18 months and a day apart and I was focused on Brooke not Brennan at the time. He weighed 26lbs and I don't think they got an accurate height for him because he got scared! That is a new Brennan, scared, says ouch to everything and acts shy!!!!!!! I hope this stage passes quick and I get the old Brennan back because Taylor has no patience for him : ( From what I have been told Taylor was the same way so no wonder he doesn't have patience for it, he is his own worst enemy!
Brooke weighed in at 12 lbs ; ) and was a champ with her shots!!!!!!!!!!! She didn't get a fever or anything : ) she was a tad bit clingy for half of the day but I can't complain with that!!!
Sara and Josh:
My sister Sara and her husband Josh were kind enough to use their miles to come spend time with us!!!! they brought their 2 youngest boys (who happen to be the same age as our kids) Jackson and Austin. They were here for 4 day in February and we enjoyed ever minute of it! We went to the beach several times, PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center), BYUH basketball game and ate and Kahuku Grill. I wish we could have gone more places but we didn't have a car to fit all of us : (
President's Day:
There aren't very many day Taylor has off of school so we took advantage of this one! It was a beautiful day the Saturday before so we enjoyed the beach. One of Taylor's past times is digging holes in the sand. He took one of Brennan's little shovels and began ... about 2 feet later he had one perfect for the little man ... he started again ... 4 feet later he had one for himself! By this time Brennan needed a nap so we planned to come back on Monday. This time we had friends come with us and Taylor brought buckets to dig with!!! They started with 2 huge holes and then decided to join them together. It was a big hit for all who walked by : ) and for Brennan and his new found friends because he has a "cool" dad!
Cheer:
Those of you that know Taylor well, know he has a passion for gymnastics and stunting. He has a friend here that has gained a similar passion and asked Taylor to be his instructor (Taylor has a hard time being called coach in this situation because they are friends enjoying their time together). The goal is to have Sone (the friend) ready for BYU Provo's team in January! There has been a lot of progress but now that he is in the off season for the squad here he has more time and an increased desire to learn. In so ding, we have made friends with several of the cheerleaders so at the basketball games they take Brennan and throw him up and do stunts with him. Everyone loves it even the camera guys!!!! there was one game he was spot lighted about 5 times : ) Too bad we weren't famous enough to join our basketball team in going to the national Championship ; ( Oh well! It was the first time they had made it past the sweet 16!!!!!!!!!
Lip:
I had my first trip to the ER and a chance at getting stitches for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is how it all happened...
I was finishing up my workout with some crunches when Brennan woke up from his nap. He stuck up behind me and grabbed the 5 lb weigh I had behind me. He lost his balance and fell on me. Of all things to hit me, the weight did : ( thank goodness it was a rubber covered one! They gave me a tenacious shot anyway.
I thought it was just my teeth at first, but it was my teeth that cut my lip : ) I grabbed ice and text Taylor, who was in class. He came home after instead of going to a meeting he had. We hunted down a car and headed to the ER. The nurse asked "on a scale of 1-10, what is your pain". Taylor laughs very loud at that question now because he says I don't have pain. I said one and the nurse looked and him and smiled. The doctor came and looked at it and decided that no stitches were needed because the inside (which was the worst) would heal faster than the outside. The nurse cleaned it out and then put "durabond" on it and the inside was already closing!!! I couldn't stick my tongue through any more!!!!
It is all healed now, I just look like I have a whisker ; )
Tsunami:
Just before we were to head home a friend of ours, Tori who is an RA, told me that there was a tsunami warning out and they would be sounding the siren at 12am and every hour after that until 3am when it was suppose to hit us here on Oahu. On our way home they sounded the siren!!!!! but it was only 9pm : ( And yes, it went off every hour until 3am!!!!! We turned on the news when we got home to see what more info they had. There were evacuation zones so we looked those up, and we were not in one!!!!!!! Plus we live on the second floor of our building so we felt OK. The plan was for all of us to sleep in the same room so if we did need to leave we were all together and it would be somewhat quicker to get out. It was suppose to hit Kauai first so Taylor and I got up to watch the news and see if things changed. Nothing had so we watched it hit but there wasn't much difference in the water so we decided we were fine where we were and didn't need to leave. As we watched and watched and watched : ) Oahu was hit but the water went 150 + yards out and the came up to the side walk in Honolulu (Diamond Head area). Other than that a few older docks were damaged a bit and that was the worst for us! Thank goodness!!!!!!!! A friend of our has a cousin that just moved here a month or so ago and they are living on a boat so they had to leave the harbor and ride it out at sea where they wouldn't be effected much. Crazy to think about but they were safer out there : ) There had been another tsunami hit a year before from the Chile earthquake. These are signs of the times and we can only be prepared spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally knowing we are doing what we have been warned and counseled to do.
Sharks Cove:
We had the opportunity to go with two other families to Sharks Cove. This is where our friends, the Browns, had taken us in September and bought us snorkel gear. We have been dying to go back and we did it finally!!!!! There was no school on Thursday or Friday (due to business plan presentations and a Hawaii State holiday) so after Taylor worked on homework for the first day, we played the second ; )
We were hoping to go to the same deep spot we went before but the waves were too big and we would have been thrown into the rock : ( so we went to the little puddle left from the waves crashing over all the coral! We have yet to get a underwater camera so no pics of what we saw, but hopefully one day we will remember so grab one of the disposable ones before we go.
Brooke's 4 months:
Brooke went in last week for her 4 month check up! She is doing awesome! Weight: 13lbs 12oz and Height: 24 1/2 in This puts her in the same curve for weight but she has jumped 2 curves for height (hopefully she gets her dad's height not mom's!!!!!!!!!!) Once again she mastered the shots. This time she got 3 (5 different vaccines) and she didn't make a peep until the 3rd which was the one that turned red the next day and the nurse said she would be the most sore with.
Brennan's dictionary:
I saw this on one of my friend's blog so I thought I would use the idea!
mom/mama (this one is for Gigi!!!!! Taylor would say mom, mooooom, mom, mooooom ... so she said she was going to teach the same thing to my kids but she doesn't have to it is innate, THANKS : ( )
dada
nuk (when Brooke cries he looks for her pacifier (Taylor's family calls it a nuk and it has stuck with us))
ball
bubble
hi
ba bye
nigh nigh=good night
dank oo=thank you
da=dog
helacaca=helicopter
guk or gukie=food
aguawat or wat (almost butt thanks to Lauren)
gee=please
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Halloween
Brennan doesn't like things on his head or anything out of the normal clothes, so this is what we came up with for a costume this year ...
SURFER BOY
He wouldn't give a good shot of both him and his board!
He was not being very cooperative with pictures because there were too many other things and costumes to watch. We went to a little party here in TVA where there was a costume contest and cookie decorating. Later that night (Saturday) we joined some friends for more treats and hanging out. 
They had sparklers left over from 4th of July and Brennan wanted to join in the fun. Taylor gave him his own and he did great until the second one when he got a little to curious as to what was on the end of the stick. He gabbed the fire with his left hand!!!!!!!!!!! He took his hand off and dropped it, to discover this middle finger was black. Still no sound of pain!!!!!! He then looked and Taylor and showed him and then ran over to me to show me. It was dark and he wasn't complaining so I thought maybe it was just ash. We went to wash it off and underneath the black was a nice burn. That night it because a nice blister that took up his entire finger (top to bottom)! At church during Nursery it popped so we cut the skin off when we got home and that is when he cried! Taylor thinks its because we took his toy away (a flap of skin). He hates band-aids so we have to tape them on which makes him mad because he can't bend his finger. Funny Little Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Open House
Over the past (almost) 24 months they have been renovating the Laie Hawaii Temple (which is a block from our apartment). In doing so they have an Open House allowing anyone interested to visit to enter and walk through to understand more of what happens there. Since we live so close they have asked for volunteers to help clean and host guests who come. I have had the opportunity to serve cookies, welcome guests with a 12 min video on the history and importance of temples, assist those in wheelchairs or those who aren't able to walk 102 steps as their tour guide, as well as clean. Taylor cleaned with me and did security last Saturday (he has been the Brennan watcher to allow me the chance to get out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). 
The people that we have been able to talk to about their experience have been delightful! One lady told me how she heard about the event and it warmed my heart : ) Her sister who lives on Maui flew in for a few days and told her she wanted her to attend and Open House with her. This lady was a bit taken back because all these years she didn't know here sister had a house over here on Oahu ; ) What she didn't understand was the fact that is wasn't the type of house she was thinking. As she walked up to the temple it made more sense to her. She proceeded to tell me that as she walked through and talked with people it was obvious to here that THIS (the temple) was her sister's extended family and home and she never knew what she had been missing out on!
The people that we have been able to talk to about their experience have been delightful! One lady told me how she heard about the event and it warmed my heart : ) Her sister who lives on Maui flew in for a few days and told her she wanted her to attend and Open House with her. This lady was a bit taken back because all these years she didn't know here sister had a house over here on Oahu ; ) What she didn't understand was the fact that is wasn't the type of house she was thinking. As she walked up to the temple it made more sense to her. She proceeded to tell me that as she walked through and talked with people it was obvious to here that THIS (the temple) was her sister's extended family and home and she never knew what she had been missing out on!I wish I could have more time to serve there but since I am due on the 19th they told me they didn't want me to be on my feet that long : ( I am extremely grateful I at least had the few hours I did because it was an experience not many get to have.
After the Open House is done on the 13th they will close it for a time to do a super clean after all the thousands have walked through and then it will be dedicated by the Prophet and President of the Church Thomas S. Monson on the 21st. After that point only worthy members of the church will be allowed to enter and perform the ordinances for themselves or for those who have past on.
Bounce
About a month ago, the married housing (TVA) here on campus where we live, had a Family Day. There was anything from clowns, to games, to food, to water activities, to bouncy houses ...
Needless to say Brennan had his first bouncy house experience and this is how it went for him : )
Needless to say Brennan had his first bouncy house experience and this is how it went for him : )
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