The Party Rolls On

We made it through the 3rd birthday party-aganza!  Whew, it was a good one and we're pretty sure it was a success .  The party started at 11:30am and the last guests left at 8pm, all the food was gone, the bounce house lingered in the backyard until the next day, and the napless birthday girl collapsed 1/2 hour after normal bedtime.  The house has recovered and so have we.  Just in time for our Anniversary this weekend followed by my birthday and Easter in the next two weeks.  Here is the birthday girl considering which treat to dip in the chocolate fountain first.

And here is the birthday girl after her first haircut, one week later.  

It needed to be done for some time, but I just didn't have the heart to cut the baby curls off.  The little one was reluctant and terrified.  She is a very cautious and sensitive soul which makes trips to the dentist, doctor, and apparently the hairdresser, a traumatic experience.  Fortunately we have a shop that caters to the little tots not too far away.  It's about as fun as you can make the mundane chore that is a haircut.  Adventure Cuts has different stations to choose from, all of varying kid funness.  My little girl chose the Barbie car, picked the Tinkerbell movie to watch on her personal flat screen TV and indulged in a lollipop while the nice girl went to work.  She asked me what I wanted and I hesitantly said, "Cut 3-4 inches.  A little longer than shoulder length."  Then the first snip.  My heart sank and I did all I could to not look disappointed.  I know it needed to be done but it was difficult none the less.  It looks cute.  I think it's just another symbolic act of letting go of my little baby.  

And look at this kid.  

His smile never fails to melt my heart, it's a good one. 

Another Month Already!

Life is fun and never dull.  The four month old is mostly happy, except when he is screaming from 1am-6am and the little girl turns three this weekend.  Last night when we asked her how old she was going to be she said, "I'm going to be sixteen on my sixteenth birthday."  After a little chuckle we corrected her and she said, "No.  I don't want to be three, I want to be sixteen."  I'm certainly not ready for her to be a teenager, why I'm barely managing the toddler years!  Maybe it's the teenagers on the block that so kindly play with her, doing her hair and putting lip gloss on her.  Last night she asked me to read the Prinesses book at bedtime (for the 100th time) and when we got to Sleeping Beauty it all became clear.  For those that are not familiar with the story, Princess Aurora is suppose to prick her finger on the point of a spinning wheel before her 16th Birthday and DIE, but the Prince slays the bad dragon fairy and rescues the beautiful princess and... wait for it....they live happily ever after.  So there you have it, my want to be 16 year old little Princess waiting for her Prince to arrive.

Last night was punishment.  The four month old little man is sick.  I know, again!  Poor guy couldn't breathe and couldn't sleep without choking on the mucous running down his throat.  I felt so bad for him I just wanted to hold and rock him all night but he wasn't interested in that, nor could I possibly manage to stay vertical so we did the best we could.  This morning he is all smiles!  The reward for my suffering.  He is the happiest little boy, most of the time.  

We can't get enough of his smiles and no one draws bigger giggles from him than big sister.  

The past month was sufficiently busy with birthday parties, fairytale playdates, dance classes, potty training, park play and juggling childcare with Daddy so we can keep the business afloat.  The coming month is much of the same.  I hope to post more perhaps I will find time to report back on the birthday party this weekend.  The theme is Mickey Mouse.  

Three Months

My newborn is gone. He's been replaced by a thriving 3 month old infant. We turned another month today. With my daughter, I had What to Expect the First Year out on the coffee table and consulted it regularly on what milestone she will/should hit and when. I often looked forward to the next month to see what will come next. This time around I have cracked the book once when we started our colic episodes and haven't glanced at it since. Obviously I don't have the time I had then but it also doesn't interest me. I just want to enjoy each short stage as it comes because we all know how quickly they pass. It's clear by the chunky, thunder thighs, contagious smile, and more frequent giggles, that he is doing well and that is good enough for me. The only milestones I'm aware of are the ones he is hitting in my heart. Unfortunately, the nights are still rougher than I would like but if the little bugger would just stay healthy for more than a couple days we might just get some solid rest.

Oh the big sister. I am surprised each day at how much attitude and opinion can come from a person of her size. She certainly knows what she wants and will figure out how to do it all on her own. In hindsight, I made the mistake of buying the Charlie & Lola book titled, I Can Do Anything Thats Everything All On My Own.

This week she had it in her head that she must do crafts. She begged and begged for new paints and a paintbrush. I have reserved painting as a special activity for playdates, holidays, etc because I just have enough messes to clean up as it is. I figured she is older now and so it was off to the craft store we went. I must admit, if it weren't for all the fantastic WASHABLE products by Crayola, I would have resisted. She insisted on carrying the paintbrushes on the errands that followed, eager to put them to use. When we got home I started her with watercolors. It was a hit. She spent a couple hours of concentrated effort on her art until I pulled her away (crying) to take a nap. I brought out the craft paints in the afternoon, which she preferred. The water color paints weren't dark enough and not as fun to dip the brush in. She painted a picture for Mommy, Daddy, Keaton & Rocky the cat. Here is mine.


I love it!

Happy January

A new year.

I could use this clean slate to say I will be a more consistent blogger, but let's be real. I've got a blossoming little girl, eager to enter the world of the "big kids", a two month old that will be mobile and curious before I get a chance to blink, a house that needs attending to, and some pretty lofty business goals. I best not forget to include the role as wife, the most significant, for all the others would not exist had I not chosen this beautiful life six years ago.

With that said, I started this portal in cyberspace to provide a little chuckle and it soon evolved to a place where I preserve a few memories for my little girl, and now my son too. I'm committed to continuing to post whenever I can and using it as a place where friends and family can keep up with the highlights of the two amazing kids God has entrusted in my hands. I appreciate how it forces me to sit down for a chunk of time and reflect on the kiddos lest I let all the memories get away from me and will quickly get filed in the back of the memory bank. My recall for life events is not so good. I'm happy to have a place to visit and view pictures to keep these memories fresh. So really, it's a selfish endeavor. I post for my own enjoyment and if you choose to take a peak now and again, thank you. I will try to be as entertaining as I can.

We went to Disneyland over the weekend. As we were exiting the park I realized we had just spent 12 hours at the "Happiest Place on Earth" with a two year old and two month old. It felt like an amazing feat. Both kids were asleep as we headed back to the parking lot. A total success. My daughter was stunned most of the day. Not quite the reaction we were expecting but who can blame her. We rushed her into the Disney Playhouse Show first thing where she saw her best friends from The Little Einsteins right in front of her eyes. All the buddies she has enjoyed on TV every morning for the past year were walking and talking a few feet from her. At one point she almost started to cry out of joy, or perhaps fear that her world as she reasoned is suddenly thrown in to chaos.

She seemed to enjoy it all. We went on a number of rides and was even able to bring the baby on a few. The fireworks show was fantastic and well worth sticking around until 9:30pm. Disney knows how to do it and I still get that giddy, magical feeling inside when I walk in the gates and get my first glimpse of Main Street. I hoped to post some pictures but that will have to wait until the family "supercomputer", where all the family memories are archived, gets fixed again. Oh well, to be continued.

Welcome Tanner!

We joyfully welcome the newest member of the family, Tanner Kailua Millard. Our kids have a new baby cousin and look forward to meeting her soon! Congratulations Millard family. We miss you lots!

To The Point

Finally, a few moments to get to the blog. I have so much to say but too few minutes to get it all down so I thought I would at least get some pics up from the last month. It's been grand! Mostly. There has been more crying than I would like from the newbie but, it's hard being small. The holidays are always wonderful but this year they come with an added sweetness and not just of the high caloric kind. It's the first year where our little girl "gets" it and let me tell you, you only have to tell these kids once about Santa. She is anxiously awaiting his arrival and here is a photo watching a video message from Santa. The man has certainly kept up with technology.

The first dance performance was over the weekend. It went better than expected but certainly left room for improvement. Meaning, she didn't freeze up from stage fright and go screaming off the stage. At the end of their 55 second performance my girlfriend says, "Well your daughter stole the show." There is truth to the statement but unfortunately, not in the way I would have hoped. I'll just say that she did her own thing and looked like she was having a great time. Below is a picture of the girls before the show and my little one taking it all in after.


The new little man of the house has settled in and graces us with smiles daily. What gratification the first smiles bring!

And the two kids seem to be taking to one another. He loves to watch her and flash a shiny grin her way. She must know where he is at all times and enjoys putting toys in his lap for him to play with.


Merry Christmas from the whole family!

This New Life

What a joyous few weeks (outside of the evil stomach flu virus that rocked the family)! Of course it's also been a bit sleepless and overworked but the pain is overshadowed by how the new addition has shaken up the household. Each of our lives have been uniquely enriched by our blessed Keaton.

I've heard people question whether they have enough love to give to the second child. I say, absolutely. Not only do I have as much love for my new son, I find that my love for both of my children has grown tenfold over the past few weeks. I do not believe our love is finite. The more we give, the more we have to give. So now having a whole other person to care for and love has grown my heart even more.

Although the heavy lifting is done by the parents, our little girl has been the most rocked by the new kid. The first few days saw lots of adjusting. She walked into my hospital room to meet the infamous baby that Mommy and Daddy have been talking about all year with a look of apprehension, as if she was wondering, "Is my Mommy still the same?" When our eyes met and I immediately embraced her I felt her relax as she realized she was still Mommy's little girl. She met her future roommate with interest and curiosity. It took a few days for the nerves to settle and her to adjust to the big sister role, which she has done fabulously. I think that has been the single most enjoyable thing for me since bringing my second child home. Being a big sis has matured her, virtually overnight. Not only does she try to be helpful but she understands, and accepts, the she needs to occupy herself more. What a joy to watch her play and manipulate her little world of dinosaurs, princesses, and little people, voices and all.

But what is truly heartbreaking is watching her fall in love with her brother. I've heard this from other Moms and thought, "Yeah, that must be really beautiful." I was not prepared. The first few days she kept her distance. She eventually touched his hand. When he was two weeks old, she asked to hold him. A few days later she kissed him on the forehead. She is always concerned when he cries and is quick to offer his needs. When he started crying today, she started to sing one of her favorite songs to him, Old McDonald. In the mornings she says, "Good morning little guy," and when he shows off with a gassy smile she responds, "Oh, that was a good smile lil' fella."

I've always believed that the greatest gift I could give my daughter was a sibling and now I'm sure of it. Here is one of her first interactions with our new baby!