Kaila's spending Christmas 2011 in Delaware

It's been a pretty tough 5days for me, I drove down to LA on Sunday to take Kaila to the airport. It's never an easy day when she has to fly away... the flight attendants have the responsibility of watching over Kaila because she flies alone, but I know she's safe and she's going to a safe place, she gets to spend time with her paternal family that loves her very much. At the airport we had spurts of tears and when the staff announced it was time to board Kaila had spurts of hyperventilating because she was crying so hard; looking around after hearing the "aw poor baby whispers" from the lobby I see tears coming from other ladies eyes watching us say our goodbyes. It's not easy and will never get easier (I know this because I had to go through the same thing growing up)... IT DOES NOT GET EASIER, but we have to remind ourselves of the positive and that is "She gets to travel the country "what kid gets to fly alone 4times a year across the country "KAILA" also her dad wants to be in her life and I would never take that from him, it's a happy thing to have the opportunity to bond with her dad, little sister and paternal side of the family" some kids aren't as lucky as her, some kids aren't even given the opportunity to bond with the other parent/family. When Kaila's plane landed she called me from the airplane as it was taxi'ing in to the terminal and she was happy as can be, she was excited to tell me who her new friends were on her plane (the couple sitting next to her) LOL. It gets tough for her when she leaves with her dad from the airport, because her mind starts to wonder "why is my mommy not here" she called a couple more times the night she got there, but those calls were tearful conversations, because she was confused. I knew after she got a good night sleep, she'd wake up to all her paternal family and the tears would be forgotten. It's been 5days and I haven't heard from her, but I got a sweet text from her dad this morning (a much needed text, because I'm feeling broken right now)... it said "I think Kaila will be excited on Christmas, Santa told me he got her an American doll :-) I am going to have her call you soon she misses you. Hope all is well" I really appreciate the message I got from him and it couldn't have come at a better time "Thank You!" Kaila's dad & I have had an extremely rough 7years "court after court" but this last year he has finally realized that I am not out to hurt him and that I am only looking out for the well-being of all three of our hearts and I also know now that his thoughts are the same. I'll never forget the phone call I got from him last year apologizing for everything, that was a turning point in our life and we have the utmost respect for each other now. The roller coaster is over with him and has been over for a year now and I know it will stay over, because we have both stuck with our word "do what's best for our children and all will fall into place" I'm very thankful he is in Kaila's life and although I miss her more then anything I know she's in a good place "with her daddy", having a blast and I know she will be home with me and her brothers soon.

Kaila's 7th & 8th years

Kaila was enjoying being a sports cheerleader her 7th year of life, she is taking a long break from competition cheerleading and loving cheering locally. She does so many events in our county, such as recreation gatherings and cheering for football and basketball, it's not stressful and still is just as much of a blast as competitions were. She also enjoyed being the center of attention during a photo shoot at Storyland in Fresno with our friend Saki who is our professional photographer.

Kaila began 2nd grade during this time in her life and is one of the top 5 students in her class, she absolutely loves her teacher and has so many friends that love school as much as she does! Kaila's 7th birthday was a really quick really small party at home, it only lasted about a half hour because we had to head over to the Lemoore Christmas Parade so she could walk in it with her Lemoore Cheer Squad. She didn't mind a small party, she still got the gifts she'd been wanting and she also got to be in the parade with everyone staring at her which she loves :-)

Kaila had her very 1st official slumber party in celebration of her 8th birthday, we had tons of fun doing makeup and nail art. She spent her actual birthday at breakfast with Santa in Lemoore, because her cheer squad cheered for the crowd that was watching the show and enjoying their pancakes. Later that night we had a very small birthday gathering at home with just family. Kaila and her Aunt Tricia shared a vampire/wolf birthday cake, Kaila loves sharing her birthday and loved being able to open gifts together. Kaila is such a good girl and is always thinking of others and always makes sure everyone is happy!

Kaiu 15-18months

Kaiu has turned out to be an awesome dancer and a pretty good singer too considering he can't completely talk yet. He has the best rhythm ever and I think he'd even beat Kaila & Makai in a dance off, definitely his mommy and maybe even beat his daddy too. When a fast song is playing he's bouncing so perfect to the beat and if we try to trick him and change the song to a slow song it doesn't work, because he instantly starts bouncing slowly along with the music. Kaiu is the cutest thing ever and the older he gets the cuter he seems to get, opposite of most kids LOL! He is such a good listener and even during his 1st photo shoot he knew what to do, he posed when asked and smiled big when asked... it's amazing/he's amazing!

Kaiu got to enjoy Universal Studios for the 2nd time during this time in his life, he had more fun then his 1st visit :-) He was able to actually play, ride rides and watch the shows. He even got his face painted for the 1st time this vacation, he was the cutest little puppy ever! I think his favorite place at the amusement park was the playground with the shooting ball room, I have no clue how many times he got pegged with flying balls, but he didn't care cuz he was right there throwing them back at people he didn't know LOL. I love my life with my Kai's... they are such a blast to have around!

Kaila's 6th year

Kaila is such a school girl and even more so since she began 1st grade. During her 6th year, she's accomplished so much. She was on the principles list, she had perfect attendance and received the citizenship award every awards ceremony. I love that she loves school so much and never wants to miss a day no matter how bad or tired she feels. During this year Kaila found out she was going to have another sibling, she was super excited and was hoping for a sister because she has a brother that lives with her and her sister lives with her dad, so she really wanted a girl to live with and play dolls with. Kaila had a long time to wait to find out, because mommy didn't know if it was a boy or a girl so it was going to be a surprise for all.

Right before Kaila's 6th birthday we started packing little by little, because we bought our first house and we're preparing to move right after the holidays. Even though Kaila didn't have a birthday party at home, we celebrated her special day at Disneyland which I think was even better. Kaila got to enjoy celebrating her birthday with Mickey Mouse and all the Disney Characters with her Mommy, Mike and her little brother Makai. Her 6th birthday was a hit and they ask to go their every birthday now.

Kaiu 12-15months

Kaiu is a ball of energy, it's kind of like he lives to make everyone laugh. He makes the silliest faces at people and he won't stop til the person laughs at him. He has a bigger personality then his older brother and older sister. He loves to dance, anytime any kind of music plays from anywhere Kaiu stops what he's doing, sticks his left fist in the air and starts bouncing LOL... gotta love the little guy!

During these few months of Kaiu's life we of course traveled. He had a few firsts such as his very 1st camping trip to Lake Edison. It was tons of fun, at our site in the middle of the campground was Kaiu, his mom, dad, brother, sister, his Aunt Tricia and cousins. On another site down by the lake was his Uncle Brian, aunt other cousins and a whole bunch of friends. We enjoyed roasted marshmallows, we even made cake in orange peel on the campfire(yummy). Kaiu enjoyed his wagon, while the other kids went crazy on their bikes/scooters. The most fun was when we spent the afternoon down at the lake, it was the perfect temperature and the kids loved being able to roam free, even Kaiu (he's growing up so fast!)

Kaila's 5th year

Kaila's 5th year was full of excitement, during this year she was a competition cheerleader and we traveled everywhere throughout California from local events all the way down to San Diego and even all the way up to Stockton. It was so much fun for the girls and even the parents. Every competition weekend was not just work for Kaila, but we turned it into a vacation as well... depending on where the competition was depended on the type of vacation we enjoyed (amusement park / zoo / beach / shopping)! Kaila's cheer squad was so cute too, they were so little & even pulled out a few wins; one of them was a 1st place prize. They also won team with the most spirit in Stockton as well as a few other ribbons/trophies/stuffed animals throughout their career.

Kaila was spoiled during the month of her 5th birthday, she enjoyed 5 parties. One of the parties was at Libby Lu in Fresno, it was a fancy salon specifically for little girls. Kaila and her party guests all enjoyed dressing like rock stars, a hair-do, makeup and nail art, they even got to take a picture with Santa all dolled up. I always wished Kaila was a tom boy so she would be interested in sporty sports like softball/volleyball like I was, but in a way I am super glad she turned out to be a girly girl, because it's something I never did when I was little and am really enjoying glamming Kaila up... it's so much fun/she's so much fun!

Kaiu 9-12months

Kaiu was living life with no teeth and still didn't know how to walk at this stage of his life, but boy he bit hard with those gums of his and he could get around the house so fast it was like he was run crawling LOL. He was a professional riding the tricycle and could walk holding onto things, but he just loves the attention he gets by holding onto people. He was always singing and dancing even sitting on his bottom he could still groove his little behind. Kaiu is so fun to watch and has a completely differently personality from the other kids. He'll dance and doesn't care who's watching, but then he'll realize someone is watching and he'll take his two little hands and covers his mouth while he laughs so loud. He is hilarious!!!

Kaiu turned 1yr old on Monday May 9th, we didn't do much that day just let him chow down on a large cupcake in the backyard and we all got to enjoy miniature cupcakes. It was a lazy relaxing day, we wanted it that way because we knew the following weekend would be full of tons of excitement in celebration of his birthday with all our family/friends. We had his 1st birthday party at Lions Park in Lemoore, it was an odd day... it had been sunny for the longest time and then the day of his party there was a thunderstorm. Well the party still went on and we still had the bounce house obstacle course setup, it was huge and all kids big and small had a blast on that thing. We enjoyed BBQ and of course our usual Filipino Cuisine, friends joined us from here and from afar and we are so grateful to the people that showed up in the really bad weather. We partied outside in the rain and then when we had our moments of calmness we ran through the obstacle course. Kaiu loved watching everyone have a blast while he was kept warm because someone was always holding him bundled in his blanket. He's such a happy boy and hardly complains, well as long as he's getting the food he wants :-)

Makai's 4th year

Makai turned 4years old on October 3rd, I cannot believe how fast time flies. We went all out celebrating this change in his life. We took him to Millerton Lake with a bunch of friends in Sept, he got to enjoy riding on the boat and playing in the lake with his spider man life jacket. The best part of the lake for him besides the wind blowing in his hair on the boat was skipping rocks... he absolutely loves the simple things in life and those small things put a huge smile on his face :-) We also took Makai to Vossler Farms Pumpkin Patch in Visalia which is so much fun, they have a petting zoo, a mini corn maze even a huge corn maze, a train ride for the little ones, a hay ride for all and tons of pumpkins for everyone to pick from. The only rule I have for the kids is that they can only choose a pumpkin that is not too big for them to carry to the car on their own! It was fun, especially checking out all of the beautiful horses while on the hay ride which for some reason Makai was freaked out by. Maybe he thought they were there to scare him because you know it is Halloween time and all LOL.

We had Makai's 4th birthday party at our house on Oct 2nd, it was a very very small dinner gathering just a few family members and Mike's best friend w/kids... it was perfect. He got so many gifts with wheels things he can ride on I can even ride a couple too :-) he also got a couple super hero toys for some fun indoors or in the car, since we do spend most of our day driving around. He chose an ice cream cake this year, he's old enough to choose his own so I took him to Baskin Robbins for his free birthday ice cream and he chose a Frog Cake to take home to his party the ice cream he chose to eat for their was Strawberry, he told the lady "May I have pink ice cream please" LOL so there you go, he's a boy that loves pink. His birthday was on a Monday and it was exciting to wake up to "Great Day News" Makai's famous, well so he says because they aired his picture on their birthday segment which you'll see a copy below. After all that excitement away to school Makai went feeling absolutely great. Schools are so strict now a days here in Central Valley so they weren't aloud to celebrate his special day; however he got a big "Happy Birthday Greeting" from his teacher when he walked through the door that morning. It wasn't a very exciting day, school all day and then Makai chose to play in the backyard on his brand new quad for a couple hours after school. Then it was off to get Kaila from school and take her to cheer, which was fine for Makai too because he got to spend the evening of his birthday with the other cheer siblings at the indoor play gym that looks in at the girls cheer practice. Makai is a very thankful boy, he doesn't ask for much and totally just goes with the flow of things... he just appreciates life and that's what I love about my middle child ;-)

Kaila's 4th year

Kaila's 4th year was full of learning, she had completed Pre-School in Clovis at Kiddie Kountry and was ready to begin Pre-K at Monroe Elementary in Hanford. She's such a smart little girl; always top of her class. Having her begin schooling in Clovis was a great idea, they taught her so much there. By the time she started schooling in Hanford she was well above her class mates, which was awesome, but at times not because she got bored real fast and had to have special assignments to keep her from bothering the other kids trying to learn. Her baby brother Makai was born just 2months before her 4th birthday and she was extremely happy to not be the only child anymore. She loved holding her little brother and is such a great little helper.

Kaila's 4th birthday party was held at our old house we rented in Hanford on Palm Dr, it was the cutest little house with a nice backyard and had a cool tree that Kaila loved to climb. I'll never forget her first attempt in climbing that big tree, I was inside the house and heard her yelling "mommyyy" well go figure... she climbed so high that she was afraid to come down. Of course I told her she climbed up so she better figure out how to climb down 'as I stood below and watched' Well she did it 'all by herself' & that is when her tree climbing began :-) . Her 4th birthday party was a double party she shared with her friend Mia, they had a bounce house and all of their friends were there to play... they each even had their own birthday cakes to enjoy and share with all their guests. Although it was cold that day and sprinkled a little bit, everyone still had a blast as always. I think that was the first party ever that there wasn't a cake fight LOL still tons of fun to say the least!

Kaiu 6-9months

When Kaiu was 6months old he started being more mobile and crawling around, I knew shortly after I'd be chasing him everywhere. It seemed like he was constantly teething even though he had no teeth at all, because he was always chewing on his ring finger. He loved all the attention he got from all the family, but he just doesn't like to be held by others. It's kind of like, he can move around so he just wants to be free, maybe I held him too much and he doesn't want to feel trapped anymore LOL! Kaiu was like a little model, by this time period he had so many different photo shots done. Even his 1yr birthday pictures were done during this time YES he was only 10months old in those professional shots (pic attached above). It's never too early and always good to plan ahead LOL, but he did a great job standing up holding onto the number 1(he had never even stood on his own before that day) and even sitting patiently for over an hour being photographed, such a good baby. During this stage in Kaiu's life, he got to celebrate his first everything. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years... We always celebrate the holidays a few times, with each side of the family and even our own little celebration at home. Kaiu just started eating baby food at 6months old, so he didn't get to enjoy any of the holiday feast but you can tell he sure did want some. Although Kaiu was such a little guy, he has the biggest personality. He loves being goofy and making funny sounds, he laughs so hard & loud at the littlest things and he just loves making goofy faces :-)

Makai's 3rd year

Makai's 3rd year was full of changes, we were in our new house that we bought and absolutely loved it. He started pre-school, the neat thing was it was home base pre-school so his teacher Miss Melissa came to our house & taught him either in our dining room or outside if the weather was nice. He learned so much from her. He talked very clear; however struggled with just a few sounds... such as "K" & "S" because of that he did 4months of speech therapy in Fresno. His one on one Speech Pathologist was Miss Jessica and she was wonderful, she got him saying the sounds correctly just after a couple weeks but it did take a lot of practice at home each night before bed to perfect it too. He did his 12weeks one on one and did 4weeks of Group Speech, he had so much fun spending a couple hours with his teachers & friends while learning the correct pronunciation of specific letters. Makai was always the only kid that didn't cry each morning and all of the kids looked to Makai for motivation. He began actual full day pre-school here in Lemoore at LBJ behind Lemoore Elementary and even there he's practically the only kid that doesn't cry in the morning. He picks out the job he's going to do for the day, washes his hands, gives me a hug and sits down at the breakfast table while he waves bye to me as I walk out the classroom door. He is a very good boy and his teacher Mrs. Doreen raves about him.

Makai is so special he had two birthday parties his 3rd year. We had a big party for him at our house that was Mickey Mouse theme, he had an awesome pinata and got the coolest presents ever. Tons of our friends and a few family members joined us for this fun event & everyone enjoyed a Filipino Cuisine which is Makai's absolute favorite food. We also took him to Chuck E Cheese on the day of his actual birthday with his Nanny & Grandpa, we had pizza & cake, it was a mini party that was tons of fun. He played so many games and rode all the rides, but the thing he played on most was the picture machine and had so many pictures taken of himself on his birthday which he thought was awesome; he's my little model. Makai is an absolute joy to have around, he's such a clown (which is funny because I don't like clowns LOL) but he's so respectful and full of more then enough energy for all the kids around him :-)

Kaila's 3rd year

Kaila's third year was full of lots of different friends, we moved to Clovis CA with a great friend of mine and her son. It was kind of like Kaila had an older brother during that time, because he was so good with her and played with her and protected her, but also got annoyed by her. Kaila was a non stop talker, well still is :-) but that's just her personality. On road trips she would talk the whole time, even if it was a 6hour trip... just gotta love my little storyteller it was just hard for people that weren't use to her. At first when you look at her she's the cutest little thang that is sooo very quiet, but then she gets comfortable and you just have to be ready with lots of energy to handle her. That is the one trait Kaila definitely gets from her dad, because I am complete opposite and can sit for hours & not say one word and be perfectly content!

Kaila's 3rd birthday was full of partying, Mike & I took her to Sequoia National Park for a little hike... it was cold but beautiful. On her actual birthday we had cake for her at my brother's house, just his little family and me & Kaila... afterwards we headed over to the Old Adventure Park in Hanford and her best friend at the time Mia joined Kaila and Kaila's cousin Ayden for some fun on the go carts. She did have a huge party, but it wasn't until a month after her birthday because she had a joint birthday party with Mia at Rollertowne in Visalia. Sandy Olmstead made each of the girls cakes which were awesome and delicious. Kaila of course wasn't feeling good, so she basically just ran around the rink in her socks or someone was cuddling with her which she loved being held. She is the sweetest little girl and deserved all the attention she got her 3rd year.

Kaiu 3-6months

Kaiu's life has already been fill with so much excitement at such a young age. He enjoyed trips everywhere and was such a great little traveler. We went on tons of road trips that consisted of hours of driving and very little stopping. He was such a trooper, I bet because he loved the attention of someone sitting next to him staring at him for long periods of time :-) For Halloween Kaiu was a "Sweet Pea" he was so adorable, everyone just wanted to eat him up HA HA. Kaiu was introduced to a couple different pumpkin patches and we went three times. He watched on with excitement when everyone got to shoot off their pumpkins in the giant canon... his eyes were wide open when that loud noise occurred over & over. He also got to experience his very first corn maze which took a long long time, thank god there was a snack bar & a seating area in the middle of the thing LOL.

When Kaiu was 6months old he joined us on his very first trip to Las Vegas NV. It wasn't just any trip, he got to vacation with our Van Natta Family as well as our Stone Family and some even flew in from afar, because Kaiu's Mommy & Daddy were finally going to tie the knot (3kids later, but better later then never and to add to it, we had got over our rough patch couples usually go through the first couple years of their marriage) It was during The Thanksgiving Holiday, so not only did we celebrate our marriage we also got to celebrate the holidays together with both sides of our family. Kaiu went to his first dinner show on Thanksgiving which was kind of like a Horse Knights show. The wedding was small, but fabulous; Kaila was the Flower Girl, Makai was the Best Man and Baby Kaiu was our Ring Barer... they were all as cute as can be and of course so quiet & respectful through the whole ceremony. The Wedding Reception was held at Dick's Last Resort which the kids absolutely loved, because they had great laughs listening to the Waiter yelling at all of us adults. Well minus the Bride, they were mean to everyone except me... it was absolutely hilarious. That is what the restaurant is all about, the staff making their guests where crazy hats with really inappropriate sayings and being awfully mean to everyone that steps foot in their restaurant. Good Times Good Times. Wish Kaiu would remember this magical day, but of course we'll have pics for him to look back on.

Makai's 2nd year

Makai's second year of life, we lived at River Oaks around the corner from my moms house... just Mommy, Kaila & Makai. We had a townhouse and the kids loved sliding down the stairs, playing on the back patio and especially playing out front with our neighbors granddaughters. It was good times, Mike and I got along very well during that year... he would come to visit whenever he had a free moment. I was working full time in Fresno during this year so Makai spent a whole lot of time with his Aunt Colly and cousin Xander, he absolutely loved going over there it was like a play date every day! Of course we had our monthly getaways, touring the amusements parks and introducing Makai to all the fun California provides :-) Him & Kaila were very close and still are, they really enjoy hanging out with each other. It's amazing how much they get a long, Kaila will play cars with Makai and Makai will play dolls with Kaila just as long as they are playing together he is one happy camper.

His 2nd birthday party was held at Freedom Park in Hanford, he had a bounce house which was cars theme and we bounced for hours, YES "WE" I loved bouncing in the fun house with the kiddos. It was a nice warm day with lots to do and lots of people celebrating, even some that traveled from afar. We of course enjoyed a Filipino Cuisine and had a Disney Cars Cupcake Cake which Makai chowed down on. The party ended with a big bang; meaning "cake in the face" which is a ritual at every party we throw ;-) He got so many gifts, he absolutely had a blast playing with all the car/truck toys he got, but funny & true his favorite gifts that day were the clothes... he's such a good boy and always happy/goofy as can be!

Kaila's 2nd year

Kaila's 2nd year of life was full of road trips, we literally travelled every single weekend either just her & I went to the beach to the mountains to amusement parks and sometimes we even had family & friends join us. We spent at least once a month visiting my sister and Kaila's cousins Forrest & Skylar in Santa Cruz which was awesome, because she lived in the mountains and also lived 6miles from the beach. Kaila & I also lived in the mountains which we absolutely loved, we lived in Coarsegold CA. It was perfectly nestled in a quiet mountain neighborhood with the golf course down below our backyard. We would wake up in the morning with deer in our backyard, because our fence was only a foot high or they would even be cozy underneath our front window. In the winter time snow fall even hit our house which was rare because we lived in the foothills, but it was so beautiful and perfect because it would be melted by the time the sun heated up. The only thing missing was having my family right around the corner from us so it definitely did get lonely at times, but we found a lot of indoor/outdoor activities to keep us occupied. Kaila & her lil friend loved hiding under the chairs and playing peek a boo, it was the cutest and attached is one of those cute moments.

We celebrated Kaila's 2nd birthday at my brother's house in Hanford, she was not feeling good. I had given Kaila cold medicine before the party started so she'd feel ok, guests started gathering and Kaila started gaining a little energy, but when my mom got there she saw how sick Kaila was and dosed her up with cold medicine not realizing she had just been given some. Poor baby as you'll see in the pic below, she was completely out of it and did not enjoy her birthday party. From what I recall, her friends even opened her presents for her. After her party ended, we made the long trek home to Coarsegold and just relaxed the rest of the weekend. During the summer of Kaila's 2nd year of life she flew to DE with her PopPop and spent 7weeks with her paternal family, they celebrated her birthday, they went to the beach, the boardwalk and she had tons of fun. When she flew back to Cali she was able to start Pre-School because she was full on potty trained at 2 1/2years old she attended Kiddie Kountry in Clovis CA and she learned so much. She learned all her letters and counted up to 20 before she was 3yrs old. She sure is one smart cookie and I praise her for all the hard work and good that she always does.

Kaiu's first 3months

Kaiu was born about 5pm on Mother's Day in the same room Makai was born in "Room 103". Mike & my sister Tricia were both in the room with me and we had lots of visitor's in the hospital. I got to enjoy him in my hospital room for the first two days, then when there were talks about releasing us his test for Jaundice had gotten worse so they moved him over to the NICU and there began my depression of him spending another week in the hospital. Luckily Kaiser Permanente had a guest room open, so they were able to move me so I wouldn't have to make the daily drive to visit him from Lemoore and drop off booby juice and I wouldn't be charged any hospital room fees either. I was nursing, but they had me pump over and over and over, because the Dr didn't want the baby being removed from the light. Whenever the Dr wasn't there the NICU nurses would call me to come in and nurse the baby, because they said he wasn't as bad as the Dr was making it out to be and they noticed that Kaiu seemed to get a boost of happiness whenever I would Koala hold him. I loved those nurses, they put a big smile on my face when all I thought I had in me was tears at that time. He was released after a week and I realized when we got home, his cool take home outfit was on backwards LOL.

We got home to My mom (Nanny), Kaila & Makai welcoming baby Kaiu home. It was nice to have Kaila home the first month of Kaiu's life, then she flew to stay with her daddy in DE the weekend of Father's Day! After she left we had guest after guest after guest stay with us over the summer and it was awesome. My friends Curtis & Connie stopped by to visit a few days during a Coast to Coast road trip they did on their way home to WA. Then my friend Ann stopped by a couple days from NE while she was in Cali for her High School reunion. Last but not least my dad (Grandpa Stone), my step-mom and lil sis Jenny flew in to visit a week, they met Makai & Kaiu for the 1st time. When Kaila flew home, we took Kaiu to his first amusement park Universal Studios... of course he was only 3months old so he'll never remember it, but it was so much fun and it was like he was a little star, because he got so much attention there. He certainly is a little attention getter, considering he literally woke up every 1-2hours throughout the whole day & night. He was a little colicky, but mainly just wanted me to hold him & he absolutely loved the Strawberry Sling I would hold him in which my sister hand made years and years ago. He's very insecure and when he sensed I wasn't near he would freak out til I cuddled him for awhile. Although he is a very needy baby, I kind of like it, because I love always holding him :-).

Makai's 1st year

Makai's first year of life was a roller coaster, but thank god he was too little to feel the ride. I took 12weeks off of work, so Makai was just about 3months old when I started making the daily drive back and forth from Hanford to Fresno. I moved back in with my mom for a short period of time after a few months, I depended on my mom so much at that time for her emotional and physical support with the kids. It was a rough life, but it was our life and Mike & I seemed to be able to work together and make it through it. Mike had Makai and he even kept Kaila too on his days off and came over to visit whenever he had time in between work & his newly found love "Jiu Jitsu". Makai was a joy to have around, he was such a momma's boy and still is. I nursed him until he was 13months old, it was my way of keeping him close and a reason to take him from the person holding him ;-) and of course for the nutritional value too! He got his first tooth when he was about 6months old and they started popping out after they, his teeth were huge and bright white; I'm so glad he grew into them LOL. Makai didn't talk much as a little guy, but he started walking when he was about 10months old.

A whole year had passed and we traveled quite a bit his first year. The weekend of Makai's 1st birthday, we took him camping at Henry Cowell near Santa Cruz, my sister made him Orange Cake cooked in the orange peel over the camp fire to celebrate his special day. It was a blast and of course he loved playing in the dirt. The pic attached was the funniest moment of that weekend, Makai lost his balance fell backwards and that's how he stayed probably about 5mins... he was a little goofball and still is; always trying to make everyone laugh. The weekend after Makai's 1st birthday, we went to Disneyland and my brother & his fam joined us. Makai had a birthday party at Ariel's Grotto, yes it was a princess party but what boy wouldn't want beautiful princesses giving him all the attention he deserves. He loved it and his little Mickey Mouse cake. I'll never forget Makai & his cousin Xander would not stop staring at the princesses. The weekend after that, we had a huge 1st birthday party locally with all of our friends and family... he got tons of cars, balls and clothes. He was one spoiled 1yr old, but well deserving of it :-)

Kaila's 1st year

Kaila's first year of life went by so fast. Although I had lots of help & lived with my Brother... it was tough being a new mommy, so I went back to work when she was just over 4weeks old. Kaila stayed with my sister in law while I was at work and Kaila's dad would pick her up for a few hours from her before his workday began. It was kind of nice working opposite schedules, because he was able to hang out with her while I was at work, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on my time with her. Kaila was a very very smart baby girl, she started holding her own bottle at 4months, she started talking at least 3word sentences at 9months and started walking at 11months. The picture of Kaila in the red dress is the actual day she started walking on her own. I took her to play at Lions Park in Lemoore, we walked there and she kept falling over and over and then all of a suddent she didn't fall, I was able to snap a photo and she has been walking ever since that day. She was also a toothless baby until she was 11 1/2months old which was super cute! Kaila had her Christening at New Beginnings Church in Hanford by Pastor Walt Black with two other friends Mia & Hayden. Her God-Mother Marianela was there for the special occasion as well as lots of family & friends in the pews.

Kaila's 1st birthday party was at my mom's house (Nanny), it was Strawberry Shortcake theme... she hated getting dirty so when it came time to eat her cake she was not thrilled & after I realized that the red frosting stained I was not thrilled either. It was a rather small birthday party, we had my parents, my siblings, their kids, a couple friends of mine and their kids and that's about it. It was just enough people to have a blast and of course a fabulous cake fight :-)

Kaiu David born May 9, 2010

All about my baby Kaiu. He is the baby that essentially glued my little family together. Mike and I had a year long rough patch and had went our separate ways with hopes that one day it'll work, because it really is tough having to live a life passing kids back and forth between parents.

My pregnancy with Kaiu was horrible, I remember my good friend Heather told me she was pregnant and I told her "you know what I think I might be too, because every time I ride the elevator at work I feel like puking" So on my way home that night I bought a test, it came back positive so I made my appointment with my OB/GYN and went to see him the next day. Surprisingly the test at the Dr's office came back negative, so I asked for a blood test just to find out why I'm so dizzy all of the time. While at work the actual Dr calls me and says they found out their box of tests are bad and they had to throw them out and per my blood test I am in fact definitely pregnant and asked me to come in after work for an ultrasound. I didn't tell Mike for about a month and when I did I sent him an email with the ultrasound pic. I was so sick every single day for over four months, I ended up double dosing flinstone vitamins in place of prenatal vitamins and instantly my puking stopped... it was a long horrible pregnancy. I chose to take off work 4weeks before my due date, a few days after being off work I decided to pamper myself with a full on pedicure... I should not have done that, because at 4 in the morning I woke up feeling funny and like I was going to pee my pants LOL. Well I ran to the restroom and sure enough my water broke, thank god I was sitting on the potty :-) Mike heard me scrambling packing a bag with clothes and stuff and was confused, because it was still a month before my due date. I told him "so much for shopping for myself on Mother's Day today, because we need to head to the hospital" My sister showed up to take my kids to my moms. I drove Mike & I to Kaiser Permanente in Fresno (yes you heard right "I DROVE") and waited for my sister to arrive and she made it YAY! The funny thing is, we had such a blast laughing and telling stories. It was so much fun the nurses were hanging out in our room. I had no clue if I was having a boy or a girl and just had a feeling it was a girl and my mind was set on the name Mykel Mercedes. Mike wasn't too keen on naming the baby Kai if it was a boy and our nurse Kaitlyn mentioned the cartoon Caillou. Mike said he actually likes that name and we talked about how that is Makai's favorite cartoon, we would just spell it Kaiu if it does pop out a boy. It came time to push & I told the nurse it's her call, but I really shouldn't push until after the Dr is in the room... she kind of laughed, but we said we were serious and told her what happened with Makai's delivery so she said she definitely will call the Dr first then. Every one gowned up Tricia & Mike holding each of my feet and one push and the baby was out. I wanted the doctor to yell out if it's a boy or girl, but he didn't. He just laid the baby on my chest and said "Happy Mother's Day" all I saw was the baby's "parts" and I yelled very loudly "ARE THOSE BALLS omg it's a boy" and then I look over at Mike and he's dancing around the room "literally" he said he would if it was a boy and I looked at my sis and she was bawling and the nurse told Tricia "don't be fooled delivering a baby is normally never this easy" because Tricia had told her earlier in the day this is the 1st birth that she'll be witnessing. We were in the hospital for over a week with Kaiu, because of his jaundice.

Makai Stone born October 3, 2007

It is now time for Makai to shine. Makai's daddy and I have been friends since my Freshman Year in High School, but had only been officially dating for a few months when I found out I was pregnant. I honestly don't even remember what prompted me to take a test one night in our duplex, but I did and it wasn't the result I was hoping for. I walked into the Master Room tossed the test across the room to Mike, when I saw the smirk on his face I walked out very angry and there began the beginning of my very hormonal pregnancy. I absolutely loved being pregnant with Makai, I was so happy and I felt so pretty all of the time EXCEPT when his daddy was around... some unknown anger would kick in and I had no clue why I still have no clue why, but I made it through the pregnancy and it felt like forever before I gave birth; maybe because how short my pregnancy felt with Kaila.

Well here's a little recap of how the labor began... my water broke in the middle of the night. I called my brother, but told him when he gets here to be quiet because Mike was asleep on the couch & I didn't want him to freak out! While I was on the phone with my sister sitting on the ground in my closet, Mike comes in frantic because my brother called him for directions or something. I told him to calm down I'm talking to my sis because I want her to start making the drive from Santa Cruz to be there with me(she got there a 1/2hr after Makai was born). After my brother got to my house to pick up Kaila, Mike & I made the drive to Kaiser Permanente in Fresno. Mike took his best friend Clint's advise and sat very quiet saying very little the whole time. This time I opted to be given Pain Meds even though I'm allergic, because I absolutely did not ever want to feel the pain again that I felt when I was in labor with my first child. The nurse had me start pushing a little before the doctor came in the room "very bad idea" because Makai started slipping out without me even doing anything. The doctor rushed in and before he was even gowned & gloved the baby was laying on the bed while the nurse held one hand on him so he wouldn't fall while the doctor finished gearing up. We had lots of medical staff in the room by that point, a nurse for me, a nurse for the baby, my doctor, the baby's doctor and the door was wide open with two medical students standing in the doorway observing... it wasn't awkward at the moment, but looking back WOW is all I can say.

I will admit I was extremely upset when I found out I was going to have a boy, but when the doctor laid that little guy on my chest... it was a type of bond I had never felt before & I did not want to share Makai with anyone!

Kaila Ann born December 4, 2003

Today I am going to give you a little glimpse into Kaila's babyhood. She is definitely my little surprise baby as I didn't find out I was pregnant with her until I was already 6months into it. You better believe I was in COMPLETE SHOCK!!! I found out I was pregnant, I was having a girl and I was about 6months along 'all in one day.' So the search began for this guy I had a fling with during a short breakup with my boyfriend at that time. My step-dad filled Bryan in with the news and there really was no question just emotions flying everywhere. Needless to say my boyfriend didn't stick around, but the most important person besides Kaila's MOMMY did stick around; Kaila's DADDY.

A short 3months later my water broke at work, I was driven to Central Valley Hospital in Hanford and a baby girl was born after 18hours of labor with her daddy's eyes in view and my friend Tina there holding my frightened hand. It was the most painful scary overwhelmingly magical moment I had ever had!
AND... although I dressed her like a boy in all sorts of different army clothes she was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen in my life!

My Three Kai's

I have a daughter named Kaila, a son named Makai and son named Kaiu... these are my three "Kai's" and I love them with all my heart. Each one of them has a different personality, different likes, different dislikes and although they have very similar names they have very different stories. I can't wait to update you on how My life with My "Kai's" has been from the first ones birth to how My life with My "Kai's" is today. There is a lot to look forward to and I hope you enjoy reading!