"the Iraq"

My sweet Jonny left for Iraq a couple weeks ago. Thankfully, I have been able to talk to him everyday, and even see short glimpses of him on webcam. The internet connection is a little rough, so its rare we can actually see him.

Life is just not the same. I just feel like half of me is missing and I can't find it. We just hope the time can fly and have our daddy home safe and sound! I'm coping, some days it seems like it will never end, and all I want to do is cry myself to sleep. But the majority of the time has been just fine. The kids are doing well and for that I am grateful.

Aiden refers to Iraq as "THE Iraq." Daddy Jonny is in the Iraq getting bad guys. Daddy Jonny has to fly his helicopter to the doctor but he can't get a pokey. Does daddy Jonny have a gun? When does he shoot bad guys? Ahh....the questions keep coming. We go through this almost daily. When Aiden said his prayers the other night, he asked that Jonny be kept safe and that the bad guys didn't get him and that Jon could help the hurt people in the helicopter. It was his first REAL prayer that didn't consist of poptarts and Thomas the train and Buzz Lightyear :0) I just cried my eyes out. It was the most tender thing I have ever heard. Although it's so sad to say the least is that Jon is away, I love the fact that Aiden misses him so much. They've really gotten close, and I know the bond that have created will last through this deployment.

This is Jon and Averie just before we left him....I love this picture. It makes my heart is full yet still breaks every time I look at it.
One last shot of us...

Just another day at the Sim.... Blackhawk simulator that is!

Jon took us to the blackhawk simulator yesterday. We have been meaning to go for some time, but life gets in the way ;) It was SOOOO COOL! It's about as close as I will ever get to being in a real army helicopter...and to have Jon as my IP (instructor pilot) made it extra special. I had absolutely NO idea how much you had to be managing all at once! You've got your pedals, collective, several gauges and your cyclic (probably spelled that wrong!) Oh, and don't forget to look out the window! I kept looking at everything in front of me...it was almost too much to look out the window AND fly. It was a really fun experience and I'm glad Jon got to take us. I have always had respect for pilots...but after doing the simulator, I have TONS MORE! To fly in real life in real combat situations is something truly remarkable!
When Aiden came in....he was all ready to go. Told Jon he was here at the helicopter and was ready to fly "way up high in the clouds." He sat down in the seat, put on the headset and was all business. It was too cute. He put his hand on the collective and said he needs to get some power and pull up on it. Guess he had been listening to his Daddy Jonny!
PJ and Tom are the guys that run the simulator...and they said we are welcome back anytime there is a spot open. So I'm thinking as a special treat...Aiden will have to log some more flight hours while Jon is away :)

Bannnnnzaii!! and a couple other adventures

Jon's parents arrived here 9/17, and so we have been doing our share of "exploring" around the island. The first weekend that they got here, we rode the old Oahu Railway train up to Waianae on Sunday afternoon. How fun! Aiden was more than excited, and he even got to blow the train whistle after the ride was finished. He jumped from it being so loud, but he loved it!
We also went out to the Pali lookout, which I had yet to see. It was beautiful and soooo windy! The was absolutely no point in combing my hair that day! That was actually my birthday and we celebrated by eating dinner at the Shorebird downtown (one of my favs)

Miss Averie did a lot of this on our adventures.......

We headed up to North shore since there was a high surf warning. The waves were expected to be around 12-15 feet. I haven't seen big waves here yet, so I was excited to go out and see what we could. We chose Banzai pipeline as our viewpoint. It was soooo cool!! I loved watching the surfers out there trying to catch a big one. I could have camped out there all day just watching. I can't wait until winter when the waves get HUGE...I'll be toting my camera as well as the munchkins for those :)

Averie's Arrival 9.10.09

I have been meaning to write this blog post for some time now! So many people have been asking for pictures, blog posts, e-mails etc. So here it is!!

***WARNING!! This post could include too much info for some. If you're not into the nitty gritty details regarding labor, girl parts, blood, etc., then this might not be for you :)***

9.8.09- I'm fed up with being preggo. Jon brings home castor oil...I partake...and have the worst night ever with contractions and pain :( or so I thought...read on! Thought if I could make it to my appt the next morning, maybe they would admit me and get this over with!

So on 9-9-09, I had a doctor appointment. Jon and I were ready to meet Averie (of course) so before the appointment, Jon had me walk the stairs outside of the hospital a couple times to get my heart rate up and running. It worked! We get into the exam room and my pulse and blood pressure were outta control, so the doc gets in there and notices that I am uncomfortable (duh) and she offers to strip my membranes. Of course I said YES. She checked my cervix, which was a tight 4 cm, she did the stripping (I wanted to crawl up the wall it hurt so bad) and she sent me up to L&D since my blood pressure and pulse were raging.

So up to L&D we go. By this point, my contractions are coming, but just not regular enough to be considered "active labor." The nurse we had was great...however...the punk (i'm putting it nicely) of a doctor tried to chalk up my contractions to "dehydration" and sent me home. Basically he didn't want to admit and induce another woman since he was busy. Rude!! So Jonny and I left a little ticked, but oh so determined. The nurse told us as she is taking me off the monitors that we would be back later that night.

We get home, and Jon has this ENTIRE ROUTINE planned out in his head on how we are gonna get this baby out. I remember him saying, "You want a baby? Then stick with me kid and we'll have one!" This was Jonny's plan...

Step 1- Get your running shoes on! Jon took me on a walk, or should I say "power trail" through our neighborhood. I was supposed to keep his pace and slow down only for contractions. He stated before we started that I know I'm gonna hate him, but he's only trying to help. He was right, I was ready to punch him at times, but knew I had to do it! Not to mention I realized how desperately I need to get out and run/walk whatever. I'm a slow poke to the max!

Step 2- Hot bath with hot compresses to the ta-tas. Jon lit candles, filled up the tub with bubbles, put me in the tub and left to get me my favorite gatorade. I was under strict instruction to soak for 20 minutes keeping the washcloths hot on the chest, and after that rinse off and let the hot water hit the ta-tas. Let me just say that cold gatorade was a relief after that :) Of course I didn't scorch myself, but after that stuuupid walk, the last thing I wanted to do was soak in a hot tub!

Step 3- Whip out the pump! We got the breast pump set up and I laid on our bed and got to business..for about 15 minutes.

Step 4- This step is just for Jon and I to remember...I'll leave the details out ;)

Step 5- Dinner. We headed up to Chili's (after my next dose of castor oil) and noshed on some old favorites.

I was getting pretty dang uncomfy after dinner. I Had lost all kinds of mucousy bloody stuff from down below. Laid on the sofa when we got home, and the contractions got stronger. We called the hospital, I had to stop talking to the nurse since I had a contraction that was hard to talk through, started to cry, and away we went to tripler.

That was in the 8 o'clock hour. Jon somehow magically made it to the hospital in like 13 minutes or something, which is amazing from Ewa Beach. The night nurse who took care of us when we got there said the nurse who took care of us that morning left all our paperwork for her since she knew we would be back. LOVE HER! I got checked, was a good 5 centimeters now. The night nurse went to bat for me and convinced the staff to admit me. I guess they were thinking of sending me to walk around the hospital. What is wrong with these people and admitting patients?! My uterus isn't made of steel you know, sheesh! Doctor Kern was assigned to me for the delivery, and she made mention of how they would probably do pitocin and augment my labor. I'm thinking...whatever lady, just get me back there and get the epidural drippin'!

Through my contractions, I would squeeze Jon's had so hard that his wedding ring made a dent. Whoops! By the time I got to the delivery room, I was MISERABLE with contractions. I think it was a combo of me being soo exhausted mentally and physically, because the toco score on the contractions were only in the mid to upper 30s...or so i thought. Nevertheless, those puppies hurt!

I was a little mean to the doctor that was telling me about the epidural. He said he was going to put in the order, and I, in a not so nice way, told him to "type faster." That's putting it nicely. At that point, Jon came over to me and reminded me of the saying, "Don't poop where you sleep." Meaning that I should probably be nice to the staff, since they are the ones that are taking care of me and our new arrival. LOL Looking back this is pretty funny, but at the time I felt horrible, and apologized to Mary, our nurse for the delivery when she came back in the room. She has been a nurse longer that I have been alive, so my behavior didn't phase her one bit. Lucky for me I guess :)

Shortly after this, Fred, the CRNA, came in for my epidural. He became my best buddy. I was in so much pain, telling Jon to make it stop, that Fred's face was like a breath of fresh air. Super cool guy, has done TONS of epidurals. He hooked me up, I was able to wrap my arms around Jon while they inserted the catheter, and that was the best I had felt at that point. The meds hadn't kicked in yet, but I was hugging Jon, and hadn't been able to for quite awhile since all the admitting stuff and IVs and monitoring.

Jon was able to leave now (I let him) and get my paperwork from downstairs to properly admit me to the hospital. I wanted to keep him with me until after the eipdural since I was kind of a crazy person leading up to it. I still was feeling contractions, and was still in some REAL pain, after 15-20 minutes of the epidural being placed. With Aiden, I didn't feel crud, and I was thinking that is how I should feel. Mary asked if I was still feeling them, I promptly responded with a moany voiced YES, and she left to get Fred again. So Fred the BFF came back and gave me another bolus, and he ran off to help with a c-section.

Jon came back and asked how I was feeling, and he said my eyes were floating and having a hard time focusing on him. HA!! Guess the meds were working! He went and sat at the computer across the delivery room, and I was still waiting to feel nothing down below. He would check on me every couple minutes and ask how I was. I looked over and smiled at him after him asking if the meds were working. I said, " I can still feel it..so I don't know." Jon was cracking up inside since according to the monitor, that was the strongest contraction that I had had thus far....and I was smiling through it! So yes, Fred's procedure was successful. :)

Shortly after that whopper of a contraction, I gasped and told Jon, "I feel pressure...I think my water just broke!" I was waiting on the doc to come in and break it for me, but my body apparently did the trick. It was just Jon and I then, and he walked over and lifted the sheet, his eyebrows raised and he took off with a little more speed. My water didn't break, but my amniotic sack, IN TACT, came out and was just hanging there. Averie could have came out with it! I guess that's a rare thing, but sometimes babies are born in their water bags. After Jon saw this and took off, Mary came back to check me, discovered I was complete complete +1 (fully dilated, effaced and baby's head was almost chillin') and ran for a doc. Mary came back, said I should do a practice push so she could see how I would do. So I did that once, got the green flag, Dr. Kern came in, got gowned up, I pushed for 4 push sets, and pop! Out comes the sweetest baby ever! No rips tears, episiotomy nada! Averie was born at 12:50am on 9.10.09. During the pushing, it was actually peaceful. Everyone was calm, quiet and just waiting for Averie to make her decent. I felt no stress, didn't feel rushed, just ready to meet our baby girl. It was just Jon, Dr. Kern, and Mary and myself. Totally awesome! I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could only skip the part leading up to the epidural :)


Once Averie was out, they had placed her on my chest and I just stared. She was fussing, sticking out her tongue and I think I was in a state of shock. I thought, wow, there she is. She's mine. She's Jon's. OH MY GOSH Jon and I have a baby together! Yahoo! It all seemed so natural, like she's always been with us. Jon got the video camera out and was filming Averie getting dried off..she was COVERED IN vernix and stuck to everything. She also grabbed the nurse's lanyard with her credentials on it and was pulling so hard towards her that Jon had to pry her fingers off! The nurse was shocked and said that has never happened before. She also would have rolled off the scale if it didn't have a side on it. I knew she would be super crazy active! She nursed right away and and not wanted to stop since!


I could go on about this day forever, but I should stop. All I can really say is that I am SO GRATEFUL to my Father in heaven for blessing me with such an amazing husband, son, and now a daughter. My mom told me once that she thought she understood better how much the Lord loves his children now that she has her own. That could not be more true. The love you feel for your kids is beyond anything I could imagine. And to share that with such a loving, kind, thoughtful, strong, courageous, and utterly amazing man is something truly special, that I will never take for granted.

Tiki Island

We went out to Tiki Island at the Marine Corps base with the Sinclair Family last weekend. We had a blast!! It's a little putt putt course next to the golf course. They have bumper boats and batting cages too! Aiden was so excited to have "the boys" with us. He loves all the attention he gets from Phil and Karen's boys. They are 7 and 9, and are so sweet to Aiden.

Jon gave Abay a couple lessons on how to hold his putter and away he went! I was impressed on how well he did. There were a couple holes where he almost had a par! About half way through, he wanted no help from us and was happy to do it all by himself. Go figure.

I was hot, pregnant, and super ready for a break after 18 holes. Jon and Aiden did the bumber boats and got soaked!!! They had guns on them and Aiden kept them in a constant spin. They came off cracking up!

We finished up with CPK in Kailua (Yumm-O) and headed home. What a fun way to spend Friday. Thanks Sinclair fam for hanging out with us!

Baby Shower

August 1st was the day that Mindy and Magga threw an ADORABLE baby shower for Baby A. Aiden and I flew into Vegas for the weekend and enjoyed every minute of it! The decor was so sweet, the diaper cake from Mindy was outta this world. (I can't believe I got 2 of those!) There was a clothesline hanging up with the most adorable outfits and onesies ever. I have to say one of my favorite parts was the pink chocolate fountain! I could have made myself sick eating that thing!

It was absolutely wonderful spending time with friends and family I haven't seen in so long. All in all, it was a fantastic day and could not help but feel so loved, spoiled, and blessed for all the work and effort Mindy and my mom had put into this. Jon and I could not be more thrilled to be having this little girl.

Thank you to everyone for making this so special for us!! We love you!

Slow down there Turbo!

We had an appointment today. Lil missy is getting ready! I am dilated to 2 cm, 50% effaced, and her head is at -3 station. Part of me is so excited, but the majority of me says SLOW DOWN....don't come just yet! :)

Baby Averie...in 3-D might I add

There has been some "talk" whether it's from people at the grocery store, the doctor, girlfriends, whatever that say "wow you don't look 8 months pregnant, you're so tiny!" At first, I would secretly bask in my silent glory that yes, I didn't turn into a huge elephant, thank you very much, and I still don't need maternity pants. As vein and snoooty as that can sound, I also began to worry. What's wrong with this girl? Should I eat that extra bite of fries or pizza eventhough I can't breathe? Should I take up a new slurpee addiction? (I wouldn't have minded that one) :) But I kept asking myself, "where is the weight gain?" When the doctor measured my belly as being too small and sent me for yet ANOTHER growth scan and a non stress test, the stress started. He assured me that there isn't anything I am doing wrong, but I wasn't 100% convinced.

The NST (non stress test) went fine, no contractions and strong heartbeat. The nurse was joking about how active she was in the belly. Yeah lady, tell me about it. It's my ribs and organs that she's sparring with in there. Anyway, so I left for vegas and had an ultrasound scheduled for the 5th.

Jon and I dropped off Aiden at a friends and we headed to the hospital. Our sonographer, Terry, was an absolute character. Just imagine a rather pretty older lady, a little heavy, white hair, glasses, a HEAVY smoker's voice and the rather blunt sense of humor to match. We loved her. She's married to an ex-marine, so you can imagine the type of woman that has to bear that :)

What we discovered during the ultrasound is that Averie's head is so far down that it's actually past the point where they begin to measure, resulting in the small measurements at my appointments. We also discovered that SHE'S GOT HAIR!! An inch long to be exact. Homegirl is going to need bows in the hospital. I'm thrilled about this! We saw it floating the the amniotic fluid all crazy. Too funny. She also has Jon's feet. Terry said, "Good Lord who has the longer second toe, mom or dad!" We just cracked up and sure enough, a mini version of Jon's foot came up on the monitor!! She weighs 4 pounds, 13 ounces, and is in the 34% percentile overall. YIPPEE! She's a healthy, happy lil' kickboxer in there! We were able to get some super secret 3-D shots of her face. I fell in love all over again.

Prince Charming

Look what was waiting for me when Jon picked me up from the airport. I
have one thing to say (ok maybe more than one.) I Love this man. He's
absolutely remarkable inside and out and so incredibly thoughtful. I
love that he's my husband and I get to be his wife. Two words explain
it the best.... DARN LUCKY. :))

Talented Aunt Tina...and G-ma Tootie too!

Jon and I got an e-mail a couple weeks ago from Jon's sister, Tina, telling us to look out for a rather "large box" coming our way via the postman. So we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally we got the little orange slip in our box that said we had a parcel. Yippee! I love getting packages! So I promptly call the post office the next day and they told us we can come pick it up. Jon ran down the street and brought home the rather hefty item. I've been wondering what in the world it could be since the box was so huge, and we were asked to call Tina when we received it so we could get "dismantling instructions." Huh? It needs instructions to be taken apart? What in the world??

So I call Aiden downstairs and give Jon a knife so we can tear into this bad boy. To our amazement, and after an explosion of packing peanuts, we reveal the mystery.... the MOST ADORABLE diaper cake ever! Completely assembled! Jon's first comment was, "Wow, that is really cute!" Aiden said, "It's a diaper party!!" I just giggled. So fun! Dangling from the top were 2 pacifiers and a winnie the pooh super soft snuggly, and then the craziness began. We found "lollipops" which were feeding spoons and washcloths, "roses" that were baby socks on a stick, bath products, hair brush and spoon, formula holder, receiving blankets, onesies, and a secret box in the bottom layer with FIVE outfits. Yes I said five. Absolutely adorable, each and every one. I had a moment of feeling a little overwhelmed with all this unexpected generosity, and feel truly blessed and loved.

I keep telling myself this is real. I say it often, like feeling all the punching and kicking and rolling around in my belly isn't enough. We've got diapers now, baby shampoo, the tiniest onesies and outfits ever. The crib is up, the swing is downstairs. Wow, the time is near. 2 kids, an amazing daddy/husband, a beautiful home, in Hawaii no less. My cousin Suz said it perfect just yesterday, "dreams really do come true!"

Thanks again to Tina, Jim and Quintin for such an amazing OUTPOUR of gifts for Averie. And for Gramma Tootie for being there to take pictures of it all and help get the "diaper party" put together. It made our day!

Mud face!

Belly Pic 32.5

I'm a little lazy on the belly pic deal. People ask all the time, "I wanna see a belly pic!" Wahh wahh. Sorry guys, but willingly getting out the camera to take a picture as your body is taken over by another person is less than fantastic! However, I absolutely have loved being pregnant, both times. The complaining is just a part of it, right? :) It truly is a miracle to know that there is this little girl inside, swimming around just waiting to be born! I feel as if I know her so well already....wild! I felt like Aiden and I were close before he was born too, they just come and it's like you've known them forever. I hope she looks like Jon, and Jon hopes she looks like me. I guess a combo of the two would be alright :) I just really hope she gets Jon's eyelashes, as well as his skin (he can tan). I keep envisioning her with light brown hair...but then I have had dreams about her as a complete toe-head with ringlets. Guess time will tell!

I'm feeling it this week as far as being uncomfortable. Averie LOVES to nestle in my ribs when I sit down for the night. I feel like I have to arch my back and have to lay down just to get comfy. I think baby A will be happy to get out and s...t...r...e...t...c...h!

Tour de Aiden

Since he's been begging to ride his bike, we went into the garage
after lunch and Aiden did a few laps up and down the street. He made
his boundaries the mailbox and a neighbors trash can. The "tour de
Aiden" lasted about 10 minutes before we needed a break. Guess it
might be a while before he's racing Lance Armstrong :) and please
excuse the pantless racer, we gotta watch for potty accidents ;)

Aiden is Back and Block Leave

Aiden was returned to us on Sunday the 5th, and we were very happy to welcome him home. He was definitely happy to see us as well. He has said over and over, " I missed you and am so happy." I just love when he says things like that. He's been full of snuggles and kisses and still loves his pop tart every morning for breakfast :) It's nice to have him back and just be with him all day. One of the first things he did was want to touch my belly so baby Averie can "jump." He let out a few belly laughs when he felt her move beneath his hand....I LOVED IT! I can't wait to meet her, and see the two kids together.

The unfortunate thing about Aiden's return is that he is COMPLETELY un-potty trained. It took so much mental effort on my part to get Aiden to where he was, and now it was all for not. He has no desire to use the potty, doesn't even mention it. I started using some Thomas stickers as a bribe and it seems it might work....if he feels up to it. Big bummer :( I'm not sure when to start again since he leaves in less than a month for another trip, and I don't want the same thing to happen. I guess we can just take it slow and remind ourselves that he won't go to college in Pull ups. :)

While Aiden was gone, Jon had his block leave. Its the set time soldiers in their unit can take leave before deployment. Jon took 2 weeks, and I loved every minute of it. We never were really 100% alone since before the wedding, so this was a good time to spend just being together...and sleeping in! I can't remember the last time I slept in until 11am, but Jon and I made sure that happened. Often!

We spent the time off seeing movies you would usually need a babysitter for, eating out, the military surf classic, more eating out, father's day brunch at Hale Koa then looking for sea turtles and toolin' around on a friend's boat, a BBQ, AMAZING salmon and cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki, accumulating things for baby Averie's arrival, working to sort out the garage (this was definitely a Jon thing, and it's looking fantastic), finishing up the painting of the walls and hanging pictures, golfing in Kanehoe, and just being together.

I could do nothing but sit on a sofa and stare at flies on the wall as long as Jon was there next to me. I just love being with him, doing anything. I honestly don't care what it is. It's a wonderful feeling. I loved our little bit of time alone, as this is going to be the last time before we welcome Averie and Jon leaves for the desert. Too bad it couldn't last just a bit longer!!

Belly Pic of the Week

Week 29. I can feel limbs now and not just kicks. She doesn't like
cold things on my belly. I still love sugar. My belly button is flat
and I'm praying it doesn't poke out. No stretch marks....Yet. Hope
those never come! She about kicked me in the throat when the big saw
turned on at home depot yesterday.... Halarious! And in this
picture... I don't know what sticks out more.... The belly or the
bootie! LOL!

One week left!

Aiden is home in a week! The time went by fast! I'm really looking
forward to hugging the crud out him and hearing his little voice say
the funniest things :) On the flipside... I must mention that being
home alone with Jon has been wonderful! Everyday I am more and more
grateful that I married such an AMAZING man. I definitely consider
myself the luckiest!!

Sleepy dude

Preschool Graduation

On May 19th, Aiden graduated Keiki Land preschool for the year. It was a month long program that the seniors at Campbell High School put on each spring. He absolutely loved it! He was such a ham up there, running up to get his diploma. He was loved by all the seniors and would always compliment how well he talks. YES I KNOW...the kid won't ever sit in silence. He sure is a cutie and is friendly to everyone he meets. No self esteem problem here! We will definitely have him do this program again, it was great, and gave Aiden something fun to do each day.

Belly Pic of the Week

Week 25 is here. I was in and out of the Dr. in about 20 minutes. It took me longer to drive there! Averie is still transverse, with her head on the left. Doc says they usually flip one way or the other, let's just hope her head goes down :) Yes please, that would be nice. Her heartbeat was in the 150s, and it took a while to find her beat...bout 5 minutes. She kept wiggling away from the doppler, the doc kept laughing. I wasn't worried at all, since I just felt her moving minutes before we went into the appointment. Aiden was good while we were there and he kept asking if my arm needed a snuggle from the machine. He wanted me to get my blood pressure taken again, and was convinced that if I got another "snuggle" from the blood pressure cuff, I would be cured and not get a pokie. He's too funny.

Magic Bullet Margarita....kinda

Jon and I purchased the magic bullet at Costco last Saturday. I'm really starting to fall in love with "as seen on TV" things. Anyway, I bought a bunch of fresh fruit for a fruit pizza (which was fabulously delicious by the way) and I decided that I should start using up the rest of the fruit before it spoils. Solution?? My new magic bullet of course! I made a YUMM-O smoothie/slush concoction with a handful of fresh berries, OJ and some ice. It took a whopping 6 seconds to whip up and I loved how I could just pop off the blade and drink it right out of the cup! I'm all for little or no clean up! The other night we made chocolate mousse in about 10 seconds. FANTASTIC! In some ways I regret doing this one. It was too easy and wayyyy naughty for the bootay! And of course I plopped a huge spoonful of cool whip on top. ahhh...heaven in a cup!

If you don't have a magic bullet and like cool kitchen gadgets, I highly recommend. I'm going to tackle some hummus and fresh salsa soon!

belly pic of the week....6 MONTHS?!

So here we are. 24 weeks, (or 6 months) preggo with lil' Miss Averie. Aiden gets excited to hold the sign in front of the mirror every week. I think he's going to be sweet big brother. He loves to give "snuggle snuggles" and "kissy kisses" to Jon, Averie and myself. We remind Aiden almost daily that I am not a jungle gym and that he needs to be careful around my belly. Hopefully he'll get it soon because I'm going to be a super freak when the baby finally gets here!

I can't belive it's been 6 months! It seems time has just flown. Maybe because I got engaged, married, moved to Hawaii and sent jon to NTC for a month. That will take your mind off the long wait to delivery! It seems so long ago I was hugging a pillow in my bed in Las Vegas wishing I could just sleep away the nausea, or better yet, have Janette come put me out of my misery. Either way, I'm grateful that portion of this pregnancy is over! However, I have moved on to other pregnancy woes. Such as ACNE. Eww. I despise it. Hate it with a passion. I feel like i'm going through puberty but times a million. I am trying to not stare or mess with any of it. If you know me, you know that is nearly impossible! Hopefully I can at least control it until I deliver....it went away after Aiden pretty quickly. If that's the only major thing I have to complain about...then sheesh! I must be doing pretty well!

Averie is moving what feels like constantly and Aiden (Jon too) let out a giggle when they saw my belly jump the other night. I just love those two. Averie is going to be spoiled rotten by these guys, that's for sure!!

Bake sale

I made these today for the FRG bake sale tomorrow at the hangar. Aiden
and I did a taste test... Pretty good! :)

Zzzzzzz....

This is what happens after 2 hours at the playground :-)

Belly pic of the week

22 weeks! I'm up almost 4 pounds and probably should control what goes
in my mouth! I LOVE sugar!! Jon gets home Friday and he'll get to feel
Averie moving! I can't wait!!

Blog from iphone

Just seeing if this works!

Silly sayings form Abay

This last week has been SO REFRESHING! Leslie (my friend since 7th grade) is making a temporary move to Maui, and she came and stayed with Aiden and I for almost a week before heading over! I cannot even tell you how nice it was to have a girlfriend to talk to 24/7, go to the beach with, get massages with, eat junk food and laugh with. Not to mention Aiden was in love :) We had a great time caching up on the craziness of our lives, and we could not stop laughing at things Aiden would say.... Here are a few Samples.

#1- Aiden is just waking up for the day and yells from his room, "Hey mom, It's ME, Aiden!" "I'm awake now."
#2- We are getting TCBY the other night and Aiden insists on doing the ordering. He tells me, "Mom, I need to talk to the lady about my ice cream." So I pick him up so he can choose his flavor out of the case, and he chooses a purple and yellow sorbet. He tells the lady that he would like that kind and while she is scooping only the purple color Aiden says, "Hey lady, I need the YELLOW too!" Yes, I was beat red. :) It was all said politely, but he really needs to learn the term ma'am and not 'lady'. Jeez....

#3- In the spirit of being 3 years old, Mr. Aiden does NOT like holding my hand while crossing the street, in a parking lot, etc. He got too far away too many times, so I yelled at him to get closer. He swiftly says, "Mom you can't yell at me, you need to make good choices!" What a way to remind me what's important Aiden...thanks. :)

He's a crack up!

Belly pic of the week

21 weeks today. Averie is moving more, I can feel her often throughout the day. Some days I have energy, and others (like the last two) I am absolutely whipped. My arthritis is still very agressive, although I've read 70% of women go into remission while pregnant. Guess I'm not one of those girls! All in all things are fine. I see the OB for the first time here in Hawaii, and I hope it goes well!

A day of P....popcorn chicken, park, and playing around

It seems that even with preschool, Aiden is still needing more entertainment. Some days i feel like I JUST CAN'T be the only one for the job. I am not a jungle gym, my limit for playing trains and airplanes is not as long as Aiden would like it to be, and I can only watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse about 453 times until...well you know. I could sprout Minnie ears and a tail at any moment. :)

The solution??? Get our butts outside! We found a playground by the Barlow's house, which is just down the street. I told Aiden we were gonna have a picnic and go to the park, and of course he wanted pop tarts. He settled for KFC, and off to the drive-thru we went. We pull up, got our beach towel and food and hit the slides. The weather was perfect, and there were kids from the nearby houses all out there playing. At that moment, little Hannah Barlow, who is in preschool with Aiden comes running saying hi. Aiden was soooooo happy! He just adores her. She really is an adorable and sweet little girl.

After a little while of playing, Milena (Hannah's mom) comes out too, and we had the nicest time chatting about kids, church, shopping, etc. I LOVE that I met her and that she lives close! It was so great to have Aiden burning off his extra energy, and that I got a little bit of a break. :) We were there almost 2 hours!

We will definitely frequent this little park. We got home, had baths, and Aiden slept ALL NIGHT in his bed. He has not done this since Jon has left, so when I woke up this morning realizing that we both slept all night, I couldn't believe it! It was great!

Hannah and Aiden

Melon Lime Cooler

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups cubed honeydew melon (about 1 small) ( I'm buying frozen)
1 1/2 cups lime sherbet
2 Tbs. lime juice
fresh strawberries (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place melon cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cover and freeze 30 minutes or until firm.
2. Position knife blade in food processor bowl. Add frozen melon, sherbet, and lime juice. Process until smooth.
3. Pour into glasses. Garnish with strawberries, if desired. Serve immediately.

When the girls come over, serve these up in a fun glass, add an umbrella, or a charm on the stem if you're using stemware. Fun!

Mommy Margaritas

In all of my husband-less-ness, I've had a few instances where I was almost "driven to drink." :-P Either that or Aiden and all this transitioning is gonna give me preeclampsia at some point... either way I have seriously questioned if I can do TWO kiddos instead of just one. I used to think I had it all together, my son was an angel, and I couldn't be more blessed. I still feel immensely blessed, however I think my hormones and joint pain and missing Jon terribly have just made me feel at my limit some days. SOOOOOO, in lieu of this, I have decided to create the "mommy margarita club." It's open to all gals with ovaries, kids are not a requirement. I'm going to choose a fun drink recipe, a "mocktail" if you will and the girls in the group will have a month to get together with girls where they live and try it out. I think preferably this get together should be done sans kids, but hey, who are we kidding? So the rule is, you have to enjoy the monthly beverage with at least 1 other girlfriend with or without kids, and you have to talk about celebrity gossip, getting pampered, fun new recipes, or some other girly thing that makes you feel like YOU, and not just a stressed out momma/ future momma. I want to find a super yumm-o recipe and post it by the 5th so this can get rollin'. Please send any ideas or recipes my way!

Ahh...I think this could be a goody....