Father's Day

Happy Father's day to the most amazing dads out there!  A few shout outs to the fabulus men that I am blessed to have in my life.

Dad- You have truly been an example of a true man and amazing father.  I am very lucky to have had a dad that was always there for me and supported and loved me throughout my life.  You continue to be there and be such an integral part of our lives and I am forever grateful for showing me what type of father to look for in my own partner in life.

Matt- You have far exceeded my wildest dreams.  You are such a caring and devoted dad.  It melts my heart to watch you with your kids and to see how much you love them and they love you.  Thank you for being such an amazing man, father and husband.  I am lucky to have you and look forward to our continuing journey!

Bill- Thank you for being a such a great father-in-law.  You have welcomed me with open arms into your family and I always love being around you.  I am lucky to have such a wonderful husband because of how you ( and Mar) raised him. 

As much as I would like to say that our Father's day was as fabulous as the dads we were celebrating unfortunately, that wasn't quite the case.

We started off with a breakfast cooked by me that was mediocre at best- which is why Matt does most of the cooking:) and vegged out for a lot of the day.  We finally got out of the house to meet the Hoffman's for bowling.  It started off great and the girls got a chance to run around before we got our lane and both Abby and Makaela loved bowling with their daddies. 

Although bowling was fun, Abby was pretty fussy, which put a damper on the evening a bit.  Ironically, last year Abby was really sick and miserable too.  Luckily, Zack was a perfect angel so we were 50/50.  We topped the night off with ice cream to end on a good note though.

The upside of this father's day is that next year it won't be hard for me to top!

Zack Smiling (and parents talking like idiots)

Thrill Seekers

Abby and Matt have been enjoying the water park a ton. They have recently moved from the baby slides to the intermediate ones. They have done this slide a few times and she seems to really like it. The kid isn't afraid of much!



We also had Sunset on the Beach at Maili Beach park by our house this weekend with rides and other entertainment. Matt walked over with Abby and he wanted to take her on her first ride so the swings it was. One of them got sick. I won't mention names but this person was over 4 feet tall:).

Waikiki on a Whim

During breakfast today Matt suggested that we try out the zoo so after the check ups we headed into Waikiki. We had great time and lots of animals were out. Abby walked/ran around a lot and loved seeing the animals.




I got this video and the cutest part is the very beginning frame. Abby bent down to kiss the goat and Matt takes off his sunglasses and gives a look like "I don't think that is a great idea...". Luckily, she made it out with no injuries.


After the zoo, we had some extra time on the parking meeter so we walked around and finally went and had a drink at the Moana Surfrider ,which we have been talking about for a while now. I totally felt like we were on vacation and enjoyed the gorgeous view!

Since we were already in Waikiki and the kids were having fun we ended up doing an early dinner at PF Changs to celebrate Zack's 2 months courtesy of Matt's parents. While they were here they left money in a book and sent Matt a riddle to tell him where to find it. Those Martins are very creative and thoughtful. Thanks!

We made it home at 6:30 (after leaving the house at 8:30) just in time for bath and bedtime.

Doctor Check Ups

Today we had both Abby's 19 month check up and Zack's 2 month check up. We were a little nervous about both kids getting shots but they both handled them so well. I tried to prepare Abby for the shot but I wasn't sure how successful it would be. She went first and cried for a second and squeezed Matt really hard and then she was fine and hung around for moral support while Zack got his shots. Both the munchkins are very healthy and doing well.

Abby's 18 month stats:
21lbs. 9 oz.
32 inches


Zack's 2 month stats:
12lbs. 1 oz ( which Matt guessed exactly...seriously!?)
24 1/2 inches

Story Time

Abby loves being read to and she is getting Zack in on it too! Here are some cute pictures of Matt reading with the kiddos.

Toddler Classes

Now that it is summer, we have more time to try out some new activities with Abby as she is getting older and more interested in her surroundings.

Our first class was a (free) Gymboree class for 16-22 month old toddlers. It was nice to see Abby around a of group of peers her own age. They all certainly had a mind of their own! Matt and I rotated between watching Zack and playing with Abby. She loved climbing and tossing balls in things. The theme of the day was in and out.

They had circle time and played with bubbles. I love this picture because if you look carefully all the kids and parents are in a circle and Abby wandered in the middle and put on a show for everyone. Such an actress!
The second attempt at a class was not so successful. There is a toddler dance class for 2-5 year olds at the gym and although Abby is only nearing 18 months the instructor urged me to bring her. I am not sure what I expected but I actually had high hopes. It started off great. There were 5 kids running around and Abby joined right in and was really excited. Then, class started. The instructor had the kids sit in a circle (we already know she doesn't really do that so well) and stretch. Abby sat and played wiht her toes as everyone else stretched for about 5 minutes and then got up and said "Bye!". I took her out before she became too much of a distraction and walked around a little and tried to go back in...she got fussy and I asked her if she wanted to go... and she blurted out "BYEEEE!". Class was over for us...we'll try again in a year or so.

The Fashonista

Matt is always making sure Abby has a cute outfit on in the morning, now that he gets her ready most days. The other day he broke out her Christmas Ugg lookalike boots to wear with her shorts and now she loves them and begs to wear them.


Some of her (or her dad's inspiration)

Zack is 2 months old

Wow, how time flies. Our little man is 2 months old and getting sturdier by the day. We put him in the bumbo a couple of days ago just to try it out and he did ok for a few mimutes but couln't hang too long. Today he was loving it and holding his head up great. It really is amazing how quickly things change and they develop.


We have settled into a pretty good sleeping pattern in the last week or so and he is going to bed around 7 and will generally sleep for a good 7 hour chunk and wake up once in the middle of the night to eat around 2-3 and then around 6 when the rest of the family gets up. Hopefully soon he will drop the middle of the night feeding.

He is smiling a lot and cooing, which is fun to hear his little expressions of joy! Here are some of my favorite recent pictures of little Z.


He loves knocking these toys around...he is mid swat hereChillin at KoOlina

Hanging with big sis before bedtime

Hailey, The Caretaker

On my maternity leave last year with Abby, I would go and visit Claudia and all the kids at her house occasionally for lunch. Hailey, then 2 1/2, has always loved babies and was so excited to hold Abby. Since Abby was born, Hailey has followed her around whenever she is around and taken care of her. Here are some pictures throughout the year.

Abby 2 months, Hailey 3yrs

Abby 6 months, Hailey 3 1/2yrs
All the kiddos at Auntie Claud's Fabulous Daycare
Abby 1 year, Hailey almost 4 yrs

Before the MacDonalds headed to Germany, Zack and I went for a visit and Hailey, now 4, was so excited to hold Zack...so were the other kids but they just got to look:)

Zack 7 weeks, Hailey 4 yrs