My Baby Is Turning Two

My little man is turning two tomorrow! Today we were reminiscing about the day I went into labor. My labor started about 9:00 in the morning with irregular contractions. My mother and sister were visiting and were going to be leaving in a few days. I was determined I was going to have him, not to mention I was three days late. We went for a hike and had a picnic. After that we went to walk the mall. My contractions started coming regular and it was about 5:00. We decided to eat dinner since I had a feeling this would be my last meal for a while. All during dinner my sister was keeping track of my contractions. As they kept coming we were getting more excited. We finished up and headed out to the car and when we got outside the sky was filled with clouds. Not just any clouds.....every cloud in the sky was in the shape of a heart. Some of the clouds even had arrows through them, it was so beautiful. Once we got home they kept coming and I decided to walk the neighborhood. There was no chance I was going to let them stop. As we walked my sister was still tracking my contractions. She would say five minutes....two minutes.....one minute....My son was so excited he would tell people as we walked past, my brother is coming in two minutes. When we got back to the house I decided I would call my husband to come home from work. He got home and we headed to the hospital, we lived twenty minutes away. We got to the hospital and they told me I was only five cm dilated and I should go home. My contractions were getting really strong and were about one minute apart by this time(11 pm). My husband and I looked at each other and decided we were not leaving. The doctor came back in and saw that my blood pressure was getting pretty high, so she changed her mind and said I could stay. They got me a room, IV ed me, and tried to make me comfortable. You are only about 6 cm so I'll check on you in a little while. My contractions were so strong and I just kept working through them. I decided I wanted the epidural and the nurse told me I was third in line and it would be about 45 minutes, you have plenty of time. I kept thinking I don't have 45 minutes. I finally got my epidural and the nurse said, " Well, let's see where you are. You are 10 cm!" I had a feeling but at the same time I couldn't believe it. She was acting like I had hours. She asked me, " Do you want to at least enjoy your epidural before I break your water?" I shook my head yes. Just as I did that...yup...my water broke. Two pushes and I am holding my bouncing little 9 1/2 lb. baby boy. He was so amazed at the world. He was barely crying...wide awake....looking all around at his new world.
So, now he is turning two and I feel like it was yesterday. He still is wide awake, observing everything about his world. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!!!!!

ALWAYS BEING SILLY


ALWAYS CURIOUS, FIGURING THINGS OUT

ALWAYS HAS TIME TO DANCE

ALWAYS TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH HIS BIG BROTHER AND SISTER

The Joy of Rain

We haven't had rain since December. Everything has been getting dry and it has been a challenge to keep everything alive. I have been watering, and the grass and plants still look parched. When you drive around the colors have changed from green to brown.

Well, today it rained!!

We were so excited. The children came running into the house shouting"It's raining, it's raining!"

Outside my window I can hear the birds twittering their songs of joy.

They are in the garden taking a bath and appear to be just blissful.

The garden is emerald and the flowers are reaching for the sun once again.

The sweet fragrance fills the house.

We love the rain!

Stuffed Peppers with Turkey, Corn, and Cannellini Beans

These stuffed peppers are a healthier alternative to regular stuffed peppers and in my opinion taste better. I got the recipe from Ultrafit Nutrition but tweeked it a little bit. Mikaela helped with this recipe and it was delicious!!!! Everyone in the family approved so give it a try!!!

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 egg whites
• 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken cooked
• 1 cup frozen, thawed corn kernels
• 1 cup low-sodium canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained(I have also used northern beans
• 1/2 cup nonfat ricotta
• 1 clove garlic, minced(I use 2 we love garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 green bell peppers, cut in half horizontally and cored
• 1/2 cup nonfat low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites. Add the rice, turkey(or chicken), corn, beans, ricotta, garlic, and black pepper. Stuff the bell pepper halves with this mixture.
3. Arrange in a nonstick baking dish and bake until the peppers are tender, basting with chicken broth, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
   

Doggie Delights

Mikaela is my little entrepreneur. She is always thinking and trying to come up with ways to make a business for herself.
She decided she would make gormet/organic dog treats and sell them. She found three recipes to start out with and was busy in the kitchen for a few hours.
She came up with names for the treats, designed labels and packaging, and signs for her doggie treat stand. One sign had the name"Doggie Delights" and the other said "Pamper your pet with the delicious taste of Doggie Delights"....cute.
She sat out on the curb for a few hours and sold about half of her treats.

Memorial Day Service Project

On Friday, we went to the Oahu Cemetery for a service project with our homeschool group. We raked, weeded, and scrubbed the section of the cemetery dedicated to fallen sailors. After we cleaned up, the children placed flags on every grave. It was a great opportunity for the kids to pay tribute to these fallen sailors. God bless our service men and women!

New York Diorama

Last week the kids worked on this diorama of New York City. We were doing a short unit study on the history of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. They had a lot of fun putting this together and are anxious to work on another one.

Mother's Day at the Beach

We had a relaxing day on the beach for Mother's Day. We went to Bellow's Beach which is one of our favorites on the island. It is a horseshoe shaped bay surrounded by the Koolau Mountain range and the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. Here are some pictures of the kids playing and relaxing on the beach.

Daddy's Home!!

Ethan and Roxy were excited that Daddy was home. Mikaela snapped this adorable photo of the two of them looking out the window.

Chicken and Aspargus Salad

I am trying some new recipes out. I made this one yesterday and everyone thought it was yummy.
Chicken and Asparagus Salad
from: Cindy Whitemarsh-Ultrafit
2 1/2 cups diagonally cut asparagus(1 inch)
1/2 cup non fat mayonaise
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups chopped roasted skinless boneless chicken breast
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
1. Steam the asparagus, covered, 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.
2. Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add the asparagus, chicken, bell pepper, parsley, and almonds; toss to coat.

Be An Egg Detective!!

Yesterday, we were egg detectives.

We went out searching for insect eggs for our science lesson. We checked the underside of many leaves. On one leaf we found these interesting insects. It looked like we were seeing the different stages of metamorphosis. Then under a palm leaf we found this Praying Mantis egg. We are going to watch it to see if anything hatches. It was a neat find.

Mineral Mania Workshop from Mad Scientist

Today we did a Science workshop with our homeschool group. It was a lot of fun. The kids had the opportunity to work in lab groups. They did three expieriments and also had an activity classifying minerals.
The following post has photos from todays workshop.
Mad Scientist did a wonderful job!

Pictures from Megan

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