Introducing the Perez Family

Section Four! Julian's First Professional Pictures!

2010-08-24T03:08:00.001-07:00

Section Three! Mother's Day

2010-08-24T03:00:00.001-07:00

Section Two! Julian Home!

2010-08-24T02:51:00.000-07:00

As Promised

2010-08-24T02:22:00.001-07:00

This is going to be VERY picture Heavy...You have been warned...
(Section One, Julian's Birth)

My Mom cutting the cord!

Julian's first weight check. Big Boy from day one!

DIAPER AND HAT TIME!

Daddy and Julian! AWWE!

Grammy and Julian! SO CUTE!

Mommy and Julian! YAY!

Emi meets Julian! INSTANT LOVE!

Julian under the Jaundice Lights...ABSOLUTE HELL! I cried because I couldn't pick him up =(

Daddy Playing with Julian

Julian sleeping. It's hard being a baby!

Hmm

2010-08-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

So I've been REALLY lax about this blog. Julian was born and he's a very distracting baby. But no excuse. Let me see what I can update you all with.

Ray: As many of you know, Ray is home from Iraq. He's SO happy to be with his kids and plays with them all the time. He's back to work after a three day vacation. Really all they are doing is paperwork saying they are back in Hawaii and doing medical stuff like making sure they aren't insane. =) Pretty much he's on half days most of the time. Today is the first exception as he has to go to Mental Health, the dentist and *thinks* There was somewhere else but I can't remember. But he'll be home soon and we'll chill till we go get the kids. Speaking of...

Emi: She has come so far. She's talking a lot and understanding even more. She's been very helpful and is very eager to please. She doesn't always like to get dropped off at Daycare these days as she likes playing with Daddy but that same day she won't want to leave unless Daddy gets her because she's having so much fun. She's really just a silly girl. She ADORES her brother and mother hens him all the time. Heck, if we ask it of her, she'll get diapers and wipes for her brother. If she sees his bottle or pacifier, she'll try to give it to him. Such a sweet big sister. Also, as of her 2 year check up, she is 24 lbs and 33 inches tall. This places her at the 25% for Height and 15% for Weight. So she is small but the doctors aren't worried because she's always growing. They say she's probably going to be a slender and shorter girl. They even showed us the math of average height for a child with her parents' heights and for her she's averaged at 5'6". Average for most women but shorter than both Daddy and Mommy.

Julian: He's a BIG boy. At his 3 month check up he was 13 lbs 4 oz and 25.5 inches. He's definitely going to be taller than Emi and probably beat her at weight by a year old. He is 80% Weight 90% Height. Hehe it's fun and he's a cute little guy. He doesn't really look pudgy because he's so long, but he doesn't look like a 3 month old either hehe. He's smiling a lot more and boy is he getting more hungry. He'll be happy to start rice cereal soon. He's trying to crawl but he hasn't figured out that just moving his legs and arms doesn't do it, he has to lift himself up too. But he'll get it soon. He's got great head control and he's ALWAYS looking around trying to see EVERYTHING. It should get interesting when he is mobile and can just go get whatever he is looking at.

Tanya: Hey that's me! So I graduated with my A.A. in Liberal Arts and I start my courses for my B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Organizational Studies this month. I should graduate with my B.S. (yes that amuses me too) in May 2012. I also plan to take my GRE in Aug/Sept 2011 so that I can go on to get my Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling. If all goes right I will have my Master's in May 2015 and be certified by Aug 2015. Then Ray plans to get out of the Army at the end of this contract which is Oct 2015, so it all just works out perfectly. Besides that I got a job at a non-profit private organization called Abilities Unlimited. They help people with disabilities lead a productive life, and my position is a Direct Support Worker. So I work with the clients to attain the goals the case managers and clients set. I go to their jobs and supervise as they work and make sure they stay on task to maintain their employment. There's so much that I can and will do in this position as I've only worked three days, and it is just so exciting. I love every second I work there and I just feel so invigorated.

Pictures: We just had a family photoshoot on Sunday. When we get those pictures I will post them up =) Please don't hate me for making you wait more.

Resilient If Anything.

2010-02-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

So there have been some ups and downs as of late, and we are all just trying to muddle through them. It's never fun to deal with problems, especially of partially one's own making. But it always must be done. Still, I think we managed to come out of this unscathed and with a few more resources under our belt, so I can't complain too much. I just hate how much it has filled my schedule book. As if I wasn't busy enough *laughs*

Anyways, for the most part Ray's been doing well in Iraq. Dealing with the occasional idiocy that crops up in life, and wishing he was home. He's been working his butt off out there ( I know, there wasn't much too it to begin with anyways ) and people are noticing. We are very proud of all that he does and support him every step of the way. He's still working diligently towards promotion, and I am sure he'll make it sooner rather than later =)

Emilee has been very inquistive as of late, not that she hasn't always been. She points at something, I tell her what it is and she tries to say it herself. She's really eager to learn words, and I am so proud of each new discovery she makes. Of course right now I am dealing with the infamous "No" phase as it is her new favorite word. She's cute about it so I really don't mind it, but I have a feeling she'll get sassy about it in time. lol. She loves to talk to Ray on the webcam, and from time to time plays silly games with him. He'll ask for a kiss, she'll shake her head, and they go at it for a few. It's really cute. But she loves her Dad and always cries when he says he has to go. I know she misses him dearly.

Julian is doing very well. Kicking as often as he can to make more room for himself. He's very opinionated I have found. Silly boy. They did have to test me for preclampsia, but it came back negative, so that's one less thing to worry about. Really, Julian has always been fine, it's always been a matter of whether I was or not. But it seems I'm fixing things to the Doctor's pleasure and working things out. I am 30 weeks as of yesterday, so I only have 10 more weeks to go which is nice. I really can't wait to hold Julian, and even more, I can't wait to see Julian being held by his Dad.

Overall, we are doing pretty well. We got offered a new place to stay that has 4 bedrooms and central air. It's closer to where Ray works and it's a nice place. I've already met one of our neighbors and she's really nice. I think this is going to be a good fresh start for us. We may not end up living there even a year, but it'll be better than where we are now where our neighbors are often loud and no doubt will wake Julian when he arrives.

So there's your update on the Perez Family. I'll swing by with more info the next time I have the chance. Love to all =)

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

2010-01-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

It is 2010! YAY! And I was not stupid enough to resolve to update my blog more often because I know I'll just forget again lol. But I do have fun for all. Emi and I have really just been having fun, going to the park and spending time with friends. Julian is getting more and more rambuctious with each passing day. I know this year will be great and even better once Ray gets home.

For now here are some pictures of Emi from New Years Eve and Julian from the Ultrasound I had done today:

Rawr! Here's the End of Year Update

2009-12-28T02:30:00.000-08:00

Okay so let's see what I can give you all!

Tanya: Okay for me, I finished another semester of college. I got 3 As and 1 B. Once they fix a little error (the system lost my grade for one of my classes) I'll be acknowledged on the Dean's List. From there I will attempt to join Phi Theta Kappa. I also made a decision about where I will earn my BA. ASU (Arizona State University) offered me the chance to earn my degree completely online. Online or not, ASU is a respectable college and will look good on a resume. So Fall 2010 I will be working on a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies -- Dual Concentration in Human Development and Political Science. I am excited and hope to keep to my plan. Going with ASU I might even end up ahead of schedule *Gasp*

Ray: He's a good ways into his deployment. He's been working hard to get his promotion and I know he'll get it very soon. He's amazing like that. Really the only hold up is getting enough promotion points. He's already gone to SGT school and gone to the board to get promotable status so yay! It's just the evil points. He watched Emi on Christmas as she opened gifts. Of course he wishes he was home but not much that can be done about that. He did reenlist, and at the moment he's considering his options. Whatever he decides I know he'll be great and he'll have his family's support.

Emilee: She's growing faster than I can keep up with. She's got a small vocabulary that includes Mama, Daddee, Uh Oh, Whoa, Hi, Bye and More. I think that's a good start for her age. She's 17 months old as of Dec 16th and is so happy to be mobile and vocal lol. She'll be transitioning into her new room at school on the 4th. She'll be in a toddler room instead of infant. I'm just so happy for her. They'll be teaching her so much more there and she'll get to be with kids her age, though she will be the youngest for a time. Hehe but I do have to work on a couple things with her...like the fact that she laughs when I say no...and that she screams when she's happy, sad, mad...ANYTHING XD Indoor voices...yeah...XD

Julian: He's growing nice and strong. I have an appt for him and me on Tuesday and I'll update people then with more but last time they checked his heart rate was nice and strong, he was right on track for the latest due date and he's been kicking away. Strong little boy! I'm working on getting his things in order but I still have till April so I have time lol

Overall: Things are pretty good for us. Sure we'd love for Ray to be home, but everyone has to make sacrifices, this is ours. Anyways, here are some pictures to tide you all over until I get off my slacker butt and post again.

WHEE!!!!

2009-11-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

Okay so I am totally happy at the moment! As most knew, Ray was intent on having this pregnancy be a surprise. Well last week he changed his mind! I swear I didnʻt have anything to do with it. No coercion! Nope nope, none! Heh but today I had my ultrasound and it really wouldnʻt have mattered anyways. Baby was flashing the goods like nobodies business *laughs* Oh but that was the only point he cooperated. Yeah! Thatʻs right! Weʻre having a baby boy! Ha! I guess I have better lucky than my parents *laughs* So baby boy will be Julian Estabon Theodore Perez! *cheers* I am super excited! I get to have a baby boy like Ray that is all taught by the big sister! YAY!

And Here is the very obvious proof!

YAY VACATION!

2009-10-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Okay so Ray's deployed...and he's doing well enough, though missing all of his family.

As for Emi and me, we're going to Colorado in about 6 hours. At least that's when we head to the airport.

So for now I am gonna put up a bunch of pics for you guys.

The New News

2009-09-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

Okay so here's the deal...Ray's in Iraq. He's safe and sound, set up in his room and all is well...other than the fact that he isn't here. He's decided to reenlist...so this means there will be at least one more deployment and at least one more duty station that isn't Hawaii. So there's that...

I am pregnant for the umpteenth time...okay the second, but all anyone has said once we told them is "don't they know how to prevent that?" so yeah...

Anyways I had an appt today and they changed my due date from March 25th to April 27th...hurrah...it will make finals week interesting...but at least I won't be a blimp for graduation...

I do have a picture of the new baby. We won't find out the gender until the little one is born, so don't ask.

Enjoy the new picture of the new baby and a couple cute ones of Emi!

P.S. Forgive me for the short post...but I am tired and have nausea...you understand...right?

Never Gonna Be Every 5 Minutes

2009-07-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

Okay so my dad keeps saying that everyone wants me to update this every five minutes. Well tough for them. I know that sounds harsh, lol but my life doesn't revolve around my blog. It's the other way around, remember?

But here's an update since last time.

We went to Colorado, it was loads of fun. Emilee got to go to the Children's Museum and she had a BLAST! We also had a family party at Ray's Uncle Speed's house where he made spaghetti for Emilee. It was a good party for Emilee and she got COVERED in Spaghetti and Cake. We also went to the Ren Faire and bought Emilee and outfit. She loves it very much and it will fit her for a long time to come.

Mostly we just had fun with family and friends and let Emilee visit with everyone possible.

We got back to Hawaii with three days to spare before my dad got into town. He'll be here until the 20th. We are having the OFFICIAL birthday party for Emilee a day after her birthday for convience sake. It's going to be a Tinker Bell theme and it should be fun. About nine kids will be here and my mom bought Emilee a ball pit to play in. I just hope everyone has fun.

Anyways, here are some pictures, and I'll see you guys next month *laughs*

As Promised...

2009-06-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from the last few weeks.

Hope you all enjoy them!

Emi riding around on Daddy's Back at the Zoo!

Emi playing at the fishie tank in the Keiki Zoo!

Emi and Mommy watching the flamingos.

Emi making a silly smile face. It was funny, had to share!

No....I didn't forget....I swear...flees

2009-06-04T01:24:00.000-07:00

Okay so we all know I've been very bad about updating this. I'd love it if Ray would update once in awhile, but meh, he's busy and I have nothing better to do. So I just have to remember to actually do it. It's been months since my last update, so there are a few things that I can mention. I'll break it down into people.

Emi: We took Emi to the zoo for the first time. It would have gone a lot better if I'd thought about the timing. Instead I decided we should go at 10am...which is when Emilee tends to get tired. By the time we were strolling around the zoo, she was trying to catch some zzz's. Poor little one. But we got some cute pictures and I made a photobook out of it, if anyone wants to order one. But Emi has gotten really tall. She's about 28in the last time she was measured. She was 75 percentile for that. She's still proving to have Ray's metabolism, as she is only about 18 lbs 5 oz which is 35 percentile. Not dangerous or anything, but not your average heavy heavy baby. She's been making strides in the walking department though every time she takes a few steps she realizes crawling is faster, throws herself down and crawls the rest of the way. She did learn how to properly climb onto the couch which is giving us a heart ache because now she wants to climb up and over EVERYTHING. Today she climbed over the arm of the couch and took a nose dive off. No damage, but scared the begeebus out of me. Which reminds me about the movie theatre. We went to see Up! on opening day and typically half way through a movie, Emi gets bored and wants to crawl around so Ray will take one end and I'll take the other and she'll crawl around. Well this time she got past both Ray and me and CLEAR across the threatre. I noticed she was gone and then got Ray's attention to see if he saw her. Lucky for us, some nice people pointed out that she was playing with them. Emi is just TOO friendly and curious. Little rascal!

Ray -- He's getting all ready for deployment. It sucks and all that jazz, but not much we can do about it. We went to his pre-deployment briefing where they gave us information and drove home the fact that they really are going. Otherwise, Ray seems pretty good. A few hectic things at work here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. He did pull his back the other day and was in a great deal of pain. I teased him for being an old man, but still rubbed his back to help it get better sooner. He seems better, but his back bothers him from time to time now. He's getting old and broken hehe.

Tanya (Yeah, that's me) -- I finished another semester of college with As and Bs. No big feat but still happy with myself. Now I am just sorting things out as well as I can. I am a planning person, but I have found myself in no plan hell. The military keeps messing with me, and I keep having to change things up, and it's annoying me so much. Still I'll make it work. I have a lot of trips planned to keep me and Emi distracted during the deployment. One in October where I will go on a cruise with my mom and Emi will hang out with her Meemaw and aunties in Colorado. One in November (though it is still in the planning stages) to have Thanksgiving with Heather and Chris. One in December/January to see my Aunt and Grams, as well as my dad and Sister(s), and a few friends, including Tatiana, Jarvie, Crystal, Buddy and Dan. It should be fun and interesting. Then a trip back to see Tatiana in March (unless the military screws with me again) and during this trip Ray will join us for his RnR.

But the one trip we all are looking forward to is in just under 2 weeks. We are going back to Colorado to spend some time with family before Ray has to deploy. It should be fun. We plan to go to the Ren Faire once or twice as well as spend some time with friends we haven't seen in awhile and then have a pre celebration party for Emilee so she can have her family celebrating her birthday, even if it will be about a month early. She won't notice, and will just enjoy the time with family. As we all will.

So there you go. Hope you enjoyed this little update. I've got pictures, but they are on the desktop, which Ray is hoarding at the moment. So I'll put them up as soon as I can...and remember...lol

I HAVE MY SANDY!

2009-03-28T02:46:00.000-07:00

So Sandy has been here since Tuesday! YAY!! I love having her here. I missed her lots and lots, and it's saving my sanity to have her here even for a little bit. A lot of craziness has happened though. She was supposed to get here on Monday, but United got stupid and she had to get switched to a different flight the next morning. And then she was supposed to go home today, but due to bad planning she missed her flight home and now can't leave till Monday. So yeah...CRAZY. But I'm enjoying my precious time with her and we are gonna go Karaoke tomorrow and do a BBQ. So yay! Savor savor.

Ooo but we did go to the beach together and we got the CUTEST picture of Emi! So here it is to share with you!

CUTEST EVER!!!

And this is just funny cause of our faces!

What's going on in Paradise!

2009-03-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Okay so not much has changed. Still working on school, Ray is getting back into work now that he's graduated from WLC. Emi has almost figured out how to walk. She stands up just fine, and walks well with her walker, but she hasn't completely put the two together. But you can tell that she's toeing the edge of that, and almost has it figured out. I fear the day she does figure it out, I'm already tired chasing after Crawling Emi, Walking Emi is going to be so much more exhausting. So much fun! *laughs*

Ray and I are sick. I've been sick for nearly two weeks and he's been sick for about fiveish days. It sucks and I'll probably go to the clinic and get checked out tomorrow. Just too much of a hassle to worry about it during the week. Kim and Hunter have been living with us since March 9th and will remain until April 12th. They are PCSing and needed to clear housing to bank some extra BAH. So we are helping them out. But since they are here, Ray needs the car most of the time so that him and Hunter can always get home without hassles or having to wait around.

Ooo but Sandy is coming on Monday. She's going to save my sanity I just know it. Next week is spring break for me, and I am going to take advantage of it, dangnabit! We are going to go all touristy and check out all the stuff that Hawaii has to offer. It should be fun. =)

Anyways, that's about it. Gonna leave you with some cute pictures!

Emi giving Daddy a hug! SO CUTE!

So CUTE! I love Emi in overalls!

No Mommy, I wasn't driving, I swear!

Emi was bored and was trying to get the camera and eat it!

Oh So Bad

2009-03-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've been bad. I haven't posted in over a month. *smacks hand* Bad Tanya.

Anyways, let's try to catch you guys up to speed:

On Feb. 10th, Ray went off to WLC, which is a course that prepares him for being an NCO, which is a leadership position. He's been doing good at all his evaluations, and will be graduating on March 11th. The one down side to this is that he's been forced to stay at the NCO Academy all this time. The ironic part is that the academy is about 10 minutes away from our home. So he hasn't got to come home even though he's been so close. Stupid if you ask me, but whatever. It's almost over and he'll be home and get a lovely row of days off.

Just before Ray left, he and Emi got sick. This was the first time that Emi was ever sick. She had diaherra and vomiting. She didn't seem any different though. Kept going along at her normal pace, but there was no doubt that she was sick. She stayed sick for TWO WEEKS. I felt so bad for her, but I was told that all I could do was wait it out. Once she got over it, I had to schedule her for her shots which she didn't end up getting till March 3rd. But now she's all caught up on shots and doesn't need any more till she is One. I'm getting excited as she gets closer and closer to her birthday. Though she doesn't seem patient at all. She's been crawling since she was five months, cruising since she was five and a half months, and now she's started to stand up without pulling herself up using a couch or me. She just stands up and looks at me like "Yeah mom, I can stand, so what?" and then sits back down.

I haven't been able to catch it on camera because it happens so randomly and it is over so quickly. Silly goose. I just hope she doesn't start walking yet. She uses her walker a lot and just walks along with that as support, but I don't want her to walk on her until Ray is back. Of course I have no control over her, so if she decides to be a punk, then so be it, but I can hope that she waits. Ray would be so sad if he missed her first real steps.

I've been keeping up with college slowly but surely. I've only missed a couple assignments in one class, but I should still manage a B if I kick butt and a C if some more things come up. Still I should pass all the classes. After this semester, I only have 2 more semesters to go. I am considering taking the next semester off, but only if my professors aren't cool with me disappearing for two weeks when I go on my cruise to Canada. If they are kosher with it, I'll do the work during the trip and just email it back, but if not, I'll have to take a break. I'm hoping it won't come to that though. The sooner I get my degree, the sooner I'll be more supportive of my family.

But for now, I'm just focusing on Ray's fast approaching birthday. I have three gifts for him so far, and I have to take Emi out to have her pick out a gift for him from her. It should be fun though.

Anyways, that's about all that's been going on. Scrapbooking is a given, but other than that, I've just been dealing with college, taking care of Emi and minding the house. =P

Anyways, here are some pictures for you guys!

This is how Emi typically look like when she takes a nap. Cute huh?

Daddy and Emi at the Ace of Cakes event!

Emi with her new Valentine's Monkey, CHLOE!

WHO WANTS A CLEAN HOUSE!?

2009-01-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so on Saturday, the people from Clean House came to Oahu. YAY! So I went and met them. Yep, I was a dork and went to go see celebrities. Shun me later =P

I had fun standing in the LONG line waiting to go up and see them. I had a lot of fun talking to the people around me and even got on television. *laughs* Ray played with Emi in the grass, but it was so short and prickly that she didn't enjoy it much.

We got some cute pictures of Emi while we were in line.

When we finally got to the front, they said we couldn't take pictures with them, but we could take pictures of them. I went up with Emi. She smiled at Eugene, Trish and Mark. They all said hi and talked about how cute Emi was. Trish asked Emi if we had a clean house. I laughed and so did Emi. We got autographed pictures and all that jazz.

We also saw Niecy there, but she didn't say hi or anything. I thought it was a little rude, but whatever. Trish and Mark and Eugene more than made up for it.

We got some pictures, and we went back home. I'll upload the pictures when I remember to grab the camera out of the car. *laughs*.

If you want it, come and get it!

2009-01-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, I had more pictures taken of Emi! We got some prints, and now we want to offer them to others. So if you want a wallet, speak up now while supplies last! *laughs* And if we run out, we will make more, but you know what I mean! Send us your snail mail address! All addresses to be sent to ayvina@comcast.net . Don't be shy! =)

Here are a few of the pictures from this session:

Money issues.

2009-01-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

One issue solved, and another arises. Just my lucky day. So I talked to my friend, she completely understands my requests and thinks I was silly to worry about it. I feel better now. And I even have the lovliest of back up sitter if something should ever come up. So I am at peace. And then I find out that my boss, lovely lovely boss who I explained upon hiring me back that I needed to work Tuesday/Thursday shifts, tells me that she scheduled me to work Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Lovely, just peachy. So after I found that I couldn't switch into MWF versions of my campus classes, I told her I had to quit. I HATE that I have to quit. I LOVED working there, but there's nothing I can do. We can't afford 50 min round trip drives every day for the next sixteen weeks, not to mention Ray needs the car too. And we also can't afford to pay my friend THAT much money. So yeah, my hands were tied. I have an interview tomorrow for another job on campus, but I doubt they will be able to fill my requests on such short notice. Schedules have all been made. I'm screwed, and we're out a lot of money.

The Recent Dilemma

2009-01-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I had gotten my job back because a friend of mine had said she'd be willing to watch Emi on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Figured it'd be okay, I'd pay her at the end of every week and we'd all be good. And since the State pays weird and my first paycheck wouldn't be till the 20th of Feb, I paid her in advance so that she knew she'd always get paid. Now though, I don't know what's going on. She called yesterday and said she was leaving her husband, and wanted to go back home. Now she's decided that things have worked out and that they are staying together. Well that's one issue solved for now. But now she's hanging out with someone a LOT and I don't mind the person, she seems funny and nice, but she does some things I'd rather not be done around Emilee. I don't want to be a bitch and say, "Don't go to that persons house while you're watch Emi." Because then she might just decide it's not worth it and say she's just going to stop babysitting and then where would I be...but I always don't want Emi around that sort of stuff. It's fine for them to do it, it's their choice and their life, but I should be able to have some say as to whether my daughter is around it, right?

*sighs* I just don't want to lose a friend and my job because of this. But I also don't want to put my daughter at risk...I just wish there was another way. I'm still not being called any time soon for child care, though the second I am, Emi is going there without a second thought. But I don't have many people I can ask to watch Emi without feeling like I'm being annoying. I mean I have plenty of people I hang out with, but I don't want to ruin the fun we have by asking such a huge favor...*sighs* This all just sucks and I am not sure what to do...

EDIT: Well I've decided that risking a friendship is better than risking my daughter, the obvious answer of course. So if my friend doesn't like that I'm going to ask her to just watch Emi at her house, then I'll just have to change my schedule so that I have one more online class and drop the two campus classes and my job. It will suck, but I'll do it if I have to. I'm not putting Emi at risk just so that I can have 10 hours of work and two campus classes.

My Apologies!

2009-01-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been terrible, I know. Eventually I'll get Ray to update for once. *Gasp* Horror, I know! Anyways, we've been pretty good. Emi has been crawling like crazy, getting into EVERYTHING. She loves it, we love it but wish she hadn't figured it out THIS soon. *laughs* It's nice though. It means she's curious like us, trying to figure things out. And I love the fact that I can say her name and she'll come right to me with the biggest grin on her face. Emi will be six months on January 16th, which is fun. She had a weigh in and length check on the 2nd for WIC where we found out she was just under 25 inches long and 14 lbs 14 oz. Not too bad for her age. I think right on target for height, but still under on her weight.

Emi started solids last month but got her first taste of rice cereal. She doesn't like it on it's own but LOVES it in her bottle. Downs the thing in nothing flat! So funny. Oh and today we went out bowling with another military mom with a 13 month old daughter named Brianna. Emi and Bri seem to get along swimmingly, though the first time Emi crawled on Bri she was like, "What the heck?" but eventually thought it was funny. As usual, I sucked at bowling but had loads of fun. For once Ray didn't win either game. Anne beat us during both games.

Let's see, I'm still scrapbooking, which is fun. I had a crop this afternoon and have one tomorrow night as well. It will be nice to crop without having Emilee with me. Ray will be taking care of her. Also, next tuesday, I start back at school and have two campus classes, and I have a work study position. So on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll be busy from pretty much 730 am till 5pm and Emilee will be staying with Kim, who's watching her for us, which is very nice of her. This being the first time I'm away from her this often, I'm probably going to be that mom that sets down a few ground rules just cause I'm a worrywort, but I'm sure Kim will understand.

Ray's been pretty good. Work has been annoying him on and off, but overall I think he's doing good. He's working towards getting promoted to SGT, which will be nice for him. I think he put in a packet to go to WLC which is a leadership training thing I believe. It will be a month long thing where I won't see him. It will definitely suck, but it's all to help him further himself, so I'll be supporting him 210%. He's also doing this thing that transfers all the schooling and stuff he's done with the military into civilian credits which will be nice. It will make finished his degree that much easier.

So there's that for you guys. To appease you all for my shoddy updates, here are a few pictures.

Emi and Mommy. Beautiful picture taken by photographer friend and fellow Scrapbooking addict, Almarie!

Emi laughing cause Daddy was being silly!

Emi with Daddy on Christmas Day!

Emi with Mommy on Christmas Day!

Emi in the sink of the hotel we were staying in CA.

The Update!

2008-12-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Alright, so many things have happened since I last posted, and even then I didn't give you all a proper update. So here it is:

Colorado: So we went to Colorado. It was a lot of fun, though crazy. Everyone wanted us somewhere at the same time. Thanksgiving was good. We went to Ray's mom's house for the meal. My mom and two of my sisters joined us as well. I didn't get to do much cooking, just mashed the potatoes, but I still had fun. We played Trivial Pursuit and Sing Star. Emilee had fun with all her family. It was fun watching her with all her family doting on her. We only had one issue while we were out there. It seems Emilee is allergic to wool or something. Whenever she touched something with wool or was touched by someone who had touched wool, she broke out in this horrible rash. I was very worried about her, but she seems to have gotten better. I'm so glad for that.

Flights: Well we left to Colorado on the 13th. Emilee enjoyed the first flight. It was from Hawaii to Travis AFB. It was five hours long and she slept for two hours and played for three. There was another baby that she was enjoying making faces at. On the commercial flight on the 17th, Emilee slept in my lap while I slept as well the entire time. No issue at all. On the way back, there was an empty seat, so Emilee got to sleep the entire flight in her own seat. The flight attendents kept walking by and calling her an angel. As for the last military flight back home, we had to wait four days for it. We arrived at Travis on Friday and didn't get on a flight until Monday morning. But once we were on the flight, Emi slept the entire flight in her car seat. She was just peachy. So I was happy. It's nice that she's so calm about flights. Made our lives that much easier.

Emilee: There was so many things that happened that were funny. Let's see, my mom watched her once, and she put her diaper on backwards which was amusing. Oh and when we were waiting for a MAC flight back home, we went bowling with some of the others waiting for the same flight. They convinced me to give Emilee a pickle. Everyone expected her to make a sour face, but Emilee just went to town on the pickle. She loves them. Ray isn't pleased about that, but I find it amusing.

Christmas: We got a nice gift when we got back home. Awhile ago, I signed us up for a program Sears was holding. It's a wish registry for military families. People donate money to the program and it is evenly distributed to all the gift cards that were sent out. We found out we got accepted and we had a gift card. They do two payments, and the first one got us 100 dollars. We used that money to get a christmas tree with all the trimmings. I am so happy. The tree is only 4.5 feet tall but it's perfect. And I love it. Also, we're planning a Christmas feast at my friend Kim's house. Pretty much we're inviting anyone that would be alone on Christmas to spend it with our group. I'm cooking the feast and it should be fun.

I think that's about it for now. I'm sure I'm forgeting something, but it works for now. So I hope you guys enjoyed the update. =)

Colorado Adventures

2008-11-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry for the lack of information. Anyways, we've all been in Colorado since Nov. 17th. We left Hawaii on November 13th, flying on a military flight to Sacramento. Emi didn't mind this flight, though it was annoying because when we first got on, it was like a sauna, and then when we got in the air it was FREEZING, and then we'd get occasionally bursts of heat that only hit half our bodies. Even so, Emi slept for about an hour or two of the five hour flight and the rest of it, she made faces at the other passengers. At the hotel in Sacramento, Emi was fine for the first two days, but then she started to decide that she was gonna stay up later and we didn't get to sleep until 1am. That was fun. The next flight was on the 17th and was a commercial flight. Emi slept in my lap while I slept and Ray read his book. We woke up just before we were about to land. It was nice.

Once we were in Colorado, my sister Amber and my best friend Sandy, along with her mom, picked us up. We went to my mom's house. Met Snuffie. Got situated. Emi pulled Mary's (Sandy's mom) dentures out of her mouth, which made us all laugh. Since then we've gone bowling with friends and family, seen Twilight, had Thanksgiving dinner at Ray's mom's home, and today we will be going up to Central City to gamble. It should be fun.

I'll give more details when I don't have to focus on homework, but till then, Enjoy Emi in Snow!

One Too Many Strings Pulled...

2008-11-11T00:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry that there hasn't been much said since the 1st. This last week and a half has just been one thing after another. And all right before we head off to Colorado for Thanksgiving. It's made me so stressed that my hair is falling out, quite literally. Though not to the point that I'll be going bald any time soon. Thick hair is a blessing and a curse.

Anyways, here's what's going on. We've ALL been sick with pretty much the same thing. The vog (if you don't know what that is, it is volcanic ash in the air that makes it oh so fun to breathe) came in and our throats got all closed up and scratchy. My voice sounded amusing to Ray for awhile. We all still have a bit of a cough, but nothing that's overly unmanagable. We're currently working on getting things squared away here so there is nothing unpleasant that we have to return to after our vacation. Mostly just cleaning and organizing and tying up loose ends.

Other than that, Emi is doing very well. She's gotting quite tall or long, whichever you decide to use. It just amazes me. I am sure everything that happens to her and that she does will always amaze me, but still. She's gotten so long that today when I was taking a nap and Ray was watching Emi, she was laying on the couch next to him and suddenly kicked the back of the couch. She did a flip and landed belly down on the floor. She didn't hurt herself, which was a relief to me, but once again, another thing is put on the list that she is not allowed to do without strict conditions.

On Thursday, Emi will get her next set of shots, which I am sure she is looking forward to. I am going to be upset about the whole thing once again, but at least she'll be that much more immune to whatever we might run into in Colorado. We can't wait to go home, but we know that things will be interesting with Emi with the time difference and the fact that we will no longer be sea level. Hopefully this won't complicate things too much.

And I'm sure you've all been waiting for this part, but here are some recent pictures of Emi:

Emi Close Up! [Age 3 months 1 week 2 days]

Emi on Mommy's shoulders trying to eat her hair.
[Age 3 months 1 week 4 days]

Emi in her cute little TuTu Dress.

Our Little Butterfly Princess

2008-11-01T00:47:00.001-07:00

Alright, so today was Halloween, so obviously we dressed Emilee up. I'm just happy that I found a costume that I thought was cute and was inexpensive. Five dollars! *cheers*

So here is our little Emi Monkey as a Butterfly Princess!!

[Age = 3 months 2 weeks 1 day]

Silly Mommy, Crying is for Babies.

2008-10-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is probably silly, but for the longest time I didn't want to put Emilee to bed for the night because whenever I did she'd make a big fuss and scream and cry and it'd tear at my heart and I'd just pick her back up and get all cry baby along with her. So I'd pretty much left the job to Ray. Well today Ray pretty much said it was my duty tonight. So I fed her, took her to her crib, laid her down, put my hand on her chest and just sang to her. She was out in a matter of a minute! I was amazed! I finally did it!

I know, I'm silly for being so excited, but I thought I was doing something wrong when I put her to bed, and now I know how to get her to sleep! *does a happy dance*

Anyways, here's a picture for you all to enjoy while I'm so happy.

Emilee Driving! [Age 3 months and 2 days]

Just a Little Fun

2008-10-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've Been Tagged!

This one is all about my amazing husband:

1. Where did you and your husband meet? He was a friend of one of my friends when I was in middle school and he was a Freshman.

2. How long did you date before you were married? We started dating November 26th, 2004, we got married October 12th, 2005

3. How long have you been married? 3 yrs and 9 days

4. What is your favorite feature on him? His smile, it just makes me want to smile too.

5. What is your favorite quality about him? He is perfect and doesn't even realize it.

6. Does he have a nickname for you? Brat *laughs*

7. What is his favorite sport? Hockey

8. When and where was your first kiss? February in the Band Hall of our High School.

9. What is our favorite thing to do as a couple? Play games and watch movies.

10. What is his favorite food? Mexican food.

11. Do we have any children? Yes, our adorable daughter Emilee

12. Does he have any hidden talents? He plays the trombone...though that's not very hidden.

13. How old is he? 22

14. Who said I love you first? Umm...I actually don't remember...*fails*

15. What is his favorite music? Rock

16. What do I admire most about him? That he's always there for his friends and family, willing to help in any way he can.

17. What is his favorite color? White. =D

18. Will he read this? He might. =)

19. Who do I tag? Whoever reads this!

Pumpkin Patch Adventures!

2008-10-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today we all went to the Pumpkin Patch! It was fun. We got four pumpkins for 11 dollars. Two nice big ones, one small one and a mini one. It's fun. Emi seemed to enjoy it. We put her in this Picture thing that makes her a tomato and it was cute. We also tried the grilled sweet corn which was very nummy.

So here are some of the pictures we got.

What A Crazy Notion!

2008-10-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

So today was the first day that I've been away from Emilee for more than an hour or two. Typically when I go out, she's right there with me, which a lot of people have said is a good thing because it helps her to be more outgoing as she meets new people. Well today Ray planned this day for just us and had a friend of his babysit Emilee. I like the girl, and I trust her, but I didn't like the idea of leaving Emilee for more then a couple hours. Ray gave me a few days notice though, and I let the idea stew in my mind. When the day finally arrived, I took Emilee to Courtney and said a few things about caring for Emi, and then I left. It was like ripping a band-aid off as quick as you can.

Courtney gave us updates over the SEVEN hours that we were out. We went up to Haleiwa, a historical town near the North Shore, and hung around. I got a shell that has a turtle carved into it, and Ray got a set of Pick Up Sticks. We stopped at a Cantina and got nachos and myself a drink. It was called Mexican Punch and it was supposed to have Tequila, Orange Juice, Lemonade, Lime, Sprite and Grenadine. When I tried it, all I tasted was Tequila. So gross. I asked the waitress if the tequila was supposed to be THAT strong and she said she only put a shot in it. Even Ray thought there was more than a shot in it. In the end she took it back and didn't charge us for it, which was nice.

Then we went and saw Max Payne. It was interesting, but not a top pick of mine. I can't help but wonder how many people are going to complain about a scene where a building explodes and parts of the building fall on the people below. It looked like something that might have happened during 9/11 and so there might be a chance that someone will be offended. It was just a thought in my mind though as I watched it.

Anyways, when we got out of the movie, we went and picked up Emi. Apparently she doesn't approve of Formula at the moment and was stubbornly staying awake till I gave her milk. Silly goose. But otherwise she was peachy. She showcased her wonderful set of lungs for Courtney, which I am sure she appreciated, but she was happy to see Ray and I and we got home, I fed her and she's sleeping soundly now.

Over all, a good first time of being away from my Emi Monkey.

A cute picture of Emi to tide you over till the next post. (This is actually my desktop background):

Emi at the Beach. (Age 2 months, 2.5 weeks)

DEFINITELY a Wiggle Butt!

2008-10-18T01:17:00.000-07:00

Alright, so today was pretty uneventful. I honestly didn't think I'd be writing anything for everyone. Yet here I am. So let me explain. Tonight, Emilee had fallen asleep in her bouncer. We let her sleep and when she woke up, I'd feed her and Ray would put her into her crib. Well all seemed fine, so I went off to take a shower. When I came back into the living room, Ray was on the computer playing away and Emilee was awake UNDER her bouncer. Now we hadn't strapped her in and it hadn't been a problem before. But this time, obviously she wiggled out.

But to get UNDER the bouncer she'd have to have wiggled out onto the floor (which mind you is about 5" from the floor) and then wiggle herself under. Which meant that she wiggle out without Ray noticing and then continued wiggling till I came out. I just about died. I said Ray's name, he looked down and saw Emi, picked her up and put her right back in the bouncer.

So tonight Ray gets the goofball award and Emi has declared herself the undefeated wiggle butt!

Here's a picture I took of her while she was sleeping in her bouncer tonight before she made her escape.

Ear Piercing, Oh My!

2008-10-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I've read both sides of it all. Some think that ear piercing for babies is wrong and cruel, while others think it is cute and a rite of passage. Now here is my view of it. I remember when I got my first piercing, I was eight, and it was traumatic. I nearly squeezed the stuffing out of my bear. So I think that it is better to pierce her ears when she is younger so that she won't remember it. Also, I don't care what anyone says, the risk for infection is the same. Some people will say at the age of 4 or 8, the child has more shots, but at that point, they also are exposed to more germs and bacteria while at school or just playing around outside in the dirt. So Emilee has only had one set of shots, but she does not go to school or play outside. So it all balances out. Additionally, at her age, she's less likely to play with her ears, so there's less of a chance that she'll hurt herself, like she would were she a year or two. The backings to the earrings are locked, so it'd take a LOT of effort to get them off, so the choking aspect is lessened as well. Finally, this is just a personally reason, but I think all girls should go through this "rite of passage" at one point or another.

So because of all of this, we took Emilee to get her ears pierced today. She turned 3 months today and that is the soonest that she can get her ears pierced. We got titanium round studs to lessen allergic reactions and lessen the chance that she'll catch her earrings on something. She only fussed for a couple seconds, and then was fine. She's such a trooper. And she's cute as can be.

So here are the pictures. =)

Emilee is excited! She's about to get her ears pierced!
[Age: 3 months exactly]

Emilee's ear being marked. She was such a wiggle worm.

Just after she got her first ear done!

Other ear done! YAY!

Calm Emi. See? Not a big deal, right?

The MANIA of it All!

2008-10-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today was YARD SALE MANIA on post and Ray, Emi and I went out to see the garage sales. We ended up with a lot of goodies. Some warm outfits for Emi while we're in Colorado, a few more dresses cause she doesn't have a lot of them, a shopping cart cover, two floor lamps, and a bumbo. I think we ended up with 10 outfits in all. And all for the final price of 22 dollars. I'm quite happy with our loot. It means we FINALLY have light in our living room! What a concept!

Emi seems to like her Bumbo though. She even fell asleep in it, though we weren't sure that was such a good idea, so we moved her into her bouncer. We will probably bring it with us to the party tomorrow so she has somewhere to sit. But I should get going, because I still have to wrap Brooke and Peyton's presents and doodle in their cards. It's fun.

Anyways, here are some pictures of Emi in her Bumbo, YAY!:

See? Emi seems to enjoy her Bumbo.
[Age 2 months 3 weeks 4 days]
"Yes, I can sit up, you wanna make something of it?"

The Adventures of Emi!

2008-10-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today was all sorts of fun. Emi, Ray and I went to Build-A-Bear and made Emi's new friend Ella! It was a lot of fun to pick Ella out, along with a sound and a heart (that Emi licked instead of kissed, silly goose) and then getting the outfit. Now I just have to get the story written for Emi and Ella's meeting. I think it's a fun idea to write a story like that. Obviously it's not going to be non-ficiton, I'm going to have fun with it so that Emi will enjoy it for several years.

After Build-A-Bear, we went to Toys-R-Us because my mom sent Emi a giftcard to get her some things to play with. The first thing we got was an activity jumper. Then we got a foam ball (so if she's stumbles while crawling after it, she won't hurt herself if her face hits it), a doll that has different textures and a rattle necklace, a rolling dog that laughs when it's jiggled, a bag of mega blocks, a bag of foam blocks with letters and pictures, a giraffe toy, a set of simple keys, and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head. We had a lot of fun shopping, and getting the silly activity jumper box into our car. (Blasted thing was so annoying).

When we got home, I put the jumper together with a few assists from Ray when I got frustrated. It wasn't that the silly thing was hard to put together, it was that the pad of the seat had tedious parts that I just didn't want to deal with anymore.

But once it was together, Emi was enjoying it, even if she could barely reach the floor in it. That's when we noticed that it was meant for 4 months+, but she still likes it.

Anyways, that was our adventure today, here are some pictures to showcase our day.

Here is Emi's Beary Best Friend, Ella!

Emi and Ella enjoying their first right on the Activity Jumper with Emily (the doll) and George (the giraffe) hanging around.

Emi just found Emily! *gasp*

*dies laughing* I don't know what Emi found, but this face is HILARIOUS!!!
Emi hugging Ella, SO CUTE!

All Sorts of Crazy!

2008-10-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Alright so I'm fairly certain that Emi is teething. She is always gnawing on her fingers or our fingers and she's a LOT more fussy than she's EVER been. She feels hot once in awhile, but never high enough to justify going to the Clinic, but definitely hotter than normal. And then of course the drool and bubbles. We do have a teething butterfly, but she's still getting used to her arms, and she occasionally misses her mouth with cool part of the teething thing. We are also going to go out and pick up some Hyland's Teething Tablets. They are these homeopathic treatment for teething that doesn't numb Emi's mouth, which is good because I nurse her, and if her mouth is partially numb, it would make nursing interesting. At least the tablets are only 6 dollars for 125 tablets. So not a bad deal.

Right now Emi is sleeping though. It's good and bad. Good that she's resting, bad that it is just before her bed time so basically she's going to wake up, get changed and fed, and we're gonna have to try and get her to go back to sleep if she decides she wants to fight it. Yay =P

Oh but guess what! This sunday (The 12th) is Ray's and my 3rd anniversary! So Exciting! We still don't know for sure what we are doing. I had wanted to do a picnic on the beach, but not sure the weather is going to behave for that. We might also go see a movie. We just don't know. Emi will be with us, so it'll be a cute family celebration, not that she will know that we are celebrating. I will be happy as long as I just get to spend the whole day with Ray, even with friends.

And we are going to be going to Build a Bear with Emilee! There is a party on Sunday for a friend of mine's twin girls. They are turning two and the theme is "Teddy bear Picnic" We had always intended to make a bear for Emilee, but we never got around to it. The invites say (because I was helping Alison a little and got to read them) to bring your best stuffed friend. So Emi is going to have one to bring, since we are not lugging Tiny to the party. =P Giant Gorilla Goofball that he is. I can't wait to make Emilee's friend because I'm going to write this story for the bear (whatever its name ends up being) and Emi so that Emilee will have a truly personalize bear. It will be fun. And it even works hand in hand with one of my college assignments. I have to use Photoshop to design a book cover, and now I can design it around Emi and her bear friend's story. =)

And here is how I love to end the blogs, with pictures!

Emilee and Mommy at a Friend's House. Don't we look cute? =)
[Age= 2 mths 2 weeks 3 days]

Daddy was goofing off and taking REALLY close pictures of Emilee's face. That's why it's so bright, but she's so cute still!

Another picture by Daddy. Making an interesting face. =)

BEACH DAY!

2008-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

Okay first off, here are the pictures I promised. Alwin and Emilee were having fun looking at eachother and Alison got some good pictures of it.

Alwin looking up at Emilee. I swear it looks like she's ready to punch someone. Silly girl.
[Age: 2mths 1 week and 2 days]

Emilee seems to notice Alwin now! Yay!

Emilee must be doing something funny because Alwin is all smiles.

And now to talk about BEACH DAY! We took Emilee to the beach in her cute little Tankini and had some fun. We got there about 8am and left a little after 9am because it started to rain. While we were there, Emi got her feet wet and didn't seem to mind but then a bigger wave came up and attacked her and she was NOT pleased. She complained to Daddy about that one for awhile. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. I know, I'm bad =P

So here are some cute pictures of Emilee at the Beach!

Emilee in her adorable swimsuit.

Emilee with Mommy. Daddy was being goofy, can you tell?

Emilee in the Ocean with Daddy!

I am but a humble servant...

2008-10-04T01:06:00.000-07:00

...and I have been informed that I need to update, so as a humble servant I'll oblige the requests for another post. =)

Well earlier this week I took Emilee to Ray's office because one of the girls that works with him wanted to see Emilee in person. Well the moment Emilee and I were in the office, she was in Robinson's arms and she was going on and on about how cute she is. It was cute watching Robinson play with Emi, and funny that when her boyfriend tried calling her twice, she pressed the button to silence the ringer and said, "They can wait, there's a baby here." It's just funny. Well on Wednesday, I had to pick up Baumbarger who I was watching his car for while he was at NTC, and so I stopped by the office again because Ray asked me to. Well I got there and Ray wasn't there. He was at Motor Pool and forgot to let me know. But the second I went in, Robinson said, "BABY!" and Emi was in her arms again. Kirk (another girl that works there) also played with Emi. Well after a few moments, Robinson had to take something upstairs and asked if she could take Emi along with. I didn't see an issue with it, so up they went. When they came back, Robinson laughed as she told me that Emilee was flirting with SGT Major Martel. I thought that was funny, saying "Oh Daddy's gonna have to have a talk with Martel, he's not going to like Emi dating older men." And it was just an amusing moment. And Robinson is pretty funny in and of herself. She's I think about 2 or 3 months pregnant and she really wants a boy and so she keeps telling Emi that she's making a boyfriend for her. That just cracks me up.

So that's really all that's happened lately. Other than that, I got sick with a fever of 101.6 and it went away pretty quickly, but I was miserable that day. Ray has been good, though tonight he got a virus because he was being impatient. I feel bad for him that he has to reformat his computer and reinstall everything. That is not fun. And Emi has been going through a growth spurt, the little piglet. She's been soooo hungry lately. She acts like I starve her. She's silly. Oh and Alison seems to think Emi is teething. She has four kids, so I'd lean towards taking her word on it, but I'm just going, "How the heck do you know?" I felt Emi's gums and I don't feel anything special. Maybe I'm just clueless.

I'll put up some pictures tomorrow, since I forgot to upload the newest pictures off the camera. I know, bad Tanya.

On the road again...or not...

2008-09-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, so a couple days ago, Ray lets me know that his higher up (heck if I remember if it was a SGT or something else) states that anyone scheduled to leave in April, May or June needs to fill out a form stating their intentions to either stay in Hawaii or go to the next duty station. Well we are scheduled to leave in April, so we have to fill out the form. Originally we had intended to fill out a FSTC which is Foreign Seas Tour Curtailment. In civilian speak, that's the form to go to the next duty station. Well it was suggested to Ray that he call his Branch Manager (the person who decides where soldiers are going and when) to find out what stations are open in the time period that we were told to give (late January/early February) and low and behold the only station open is...KOREA.

Now Korea is still considered a war zone, so if we did go to Korea, I'd be stuck on the base. Sort of defeats the purpose of seeing a foreign country. Also, it'd be hard to leave and get back to if I wanted to visit people, and I sure as heck am not going to say "Ray you can go there on your own and I'll keep Emi with me." Yeah right. So that's pretty much out. We could wait and see if there is another station that might open up next month, but there's a chance that while we wait, they may just randomly decide that Ray's going to Korea no matter what.

So now our hand has been forced and we have to fill out the form to STAY in Hawaii. It will end up with us staying until August 2011. Ray will end up deploying in August 2009. The good bits about this is that I can finish my Associate's Degree at the same college by the end of 2009 and begin working towards a Bachelors. I also have a job that I can start up again, once Emi gets accepted into Day Care (Right now she's on the waitlist), and keep for a couple years. This will be nice because due to moving, having Emi, and the whole deployment bit, I haven't held the same job for longer than 8 months. And I LIKED working at the Kako'o 'Ike Office. Also Ray will be deployed around the time that he can reenlist (which he's already decided he will be doing) and so the reenlistment bonus (which tends to be a large chunk of change) will be non taxable since he's in a combat zone and so we'll get it all. And also, I have a friend here in Hawaii that has a son only a month and a half older than Emi that Emi has known since she was three weeks old (I put pictures up of them in a previous post). So at least she'll get to have a pal to play with till she's a little over three years old. I'm sure she'll like that.

The bad thing about staying in Hawaii...Hard as Heck to see friends and family on the Mainland. We'll be going to Colorado in November, and probably hit the West Coast in December 2009 when Ray gets two weeks break from deployment, but that's not nearly enough time with family and friends. So bleh. And for us, that's a major negative, but we really don't have any other choice. With the choices being Korea or Hawaii...Hawaii wins.

So that's the news. Sorry that we won't be on the Mainland for a while longer.

Here's some pictures of Emilee to cheer everyone up. =)

This is how Emi tends to sleep. She's crazy to be comfortable like this!
[Age = 2 months 6 days old)

lol the full body view of her preferred sleeping position!

Emilee being cute with her Paci.

[Age = 2 months 3 days old]

Emi after she woke up, quite content with herself.
[Age= 2 months 6 days old]

Emi's First Boy Friend!

2008-09-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

I had Almarie (one of my friends that I scrapbook with) over today for more scrapbooking, and as always she had her adorable son, Alwin, with her. He's going to be 4 months old soon. And well Alwin and Emilee have known each other (as well as Babies can know one another) since Emilee was only a couple weeks old. And today we got the cutest pictures of them , and I figured I'd share them with everyone. =)

Military Brat For Sure!

2008-09-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

I just had to show everyone these pictures that we got of Emilee lately. She is just so darn adorable in them. And it was such a random picture. I was at a friend's house scrapbooking and Ray came over during lunch. I was holding Emi, and he placed his hat backwards on her head. She looked so cute I just had to have a picture, so Ray grabbed the camera and took these wonderful pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

[Emilee is 2 months and 2 days old in these pictures]

Short and Sweet

2008-09-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the pictures from Emi being 2 months =)

Time Just Keeps on Moving By!

2008-09-16T16:25:00.001-07:00

Today Emi is two months old! We took her to the doctor which was fun. She now weighs 11.5 lbs and is 22.4 inches long! So big =D She's growing so quickly. The doctors say she's right on track! The bad thing about today was that Emi also got her shots. I was so close to crying was she held onto my finger crying so hard. I just wanted to pick her up and walk out of the room before another shot could be given. I know that the vaccines are good for her and means that she's that much safer, but I hate to see her cry. I just want to make it all better as soon as possible.

But now she's good. We gave her some tylenol, and I fed her, and she's been sleeping ever since. Seems like she isn't getting much of a fever *knock on wood* and is taking this whole ordeal quite well. She's such a good baby.

Anyways, we will put up pictures of her from today, but right now she's sleeping, and I'm not going to wake her up just to take pictures. Sorry guys. =) Anyways, I'm off to Homework and Ray's off to work.

Scrapping Away!

2008-09-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Well today Emilee and I went to Almarie's house to do some scrapbooking. She has a son named Alwin that is a month older than Emi, and they are so cute with each other. Alwin was totally flirting with Emi, and this time she actually seemed interested! The last time a boy flirted with Emi was at our playdate on Thursday mornings at the park. A boy named Declan who is 11 months old is always trying to play with Emi and get her attention (and he is the most ADORABLE little boy with beautiful blue eyes) but she won't have ANY of it. Won't even look at him! And then comes Alwin, totally different story. So funny. Well maybe Emi has a thing for Phillipino boys. *shrugs*

Anyways, I got some real nice work done today. Here is the layout I finished, all about Emilee!

The text reads "Enjoy Every Moment" and a little journaling that I can't remember off the top of my head. All the pictures of Emi are when she was 7 weeks and 3 days old.

Well this layout is for a contest to win some nifty gifts. I don't know if I will win but, Almarie says that I'm really good at Scrapbooking for only having started in July. I don't know if she's right or wrong, but I like what I've made so far. It's really fun.

Anyways, I joined a few get together things lately. A Book club, which is reading "Remember Me?" By Sofie Kinsella. A Gourmet Club that is getting together to try some new recipes. Also a Keiki Goes Out group (Keiki means kids) that will give Emi, Ray and I some things to do together with other parents. They are going to the pumpkin patch next month. That should be fun. =)

Anyways, that's about it. Here's a picture of Emilee to tid you all over till our next post. =)

Emilee is 7 weeks and 4 days old. She is in her first body suit so we had to take a picture.
SO CUTE!

Random Thoughts

2008-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

People keep saying that Emi has a long name and that when she gets in trouble Ray and I will be having fun when we say her whole name. The fact that she has two middle names makes it longer of course, but I think it's cute, and it personalizes it. She got a name in honor of a friend of ours that passed away in High School and a name that represents where she was born, Hawaii. So I don't regret it in the least. And I hope that she doesn't get into too much trouble to put our friend's theory to the test. Though I laughed when Parra said that he wasn't even going to TRY saying it all. So funny.

Emi and I went to the YWCA today to check out their fitness and health program and get the paperwork to register and all that jazz. My friend Allison was there with her daughters Brooke and Peyton when I drived up, so I ended up talking with her and watching her during the group class she was taking today with Stephanie (Another friend) called The Edge. Now as I watched it, I started to understand why it was called the Edge. It's three rounds of seven different exercises (though the teacher changes it up every week) and you spend one minute at each station and then rotate, without any breaks. Medicine balls, weights, large tires, ropes and the steps board and risers are all part of this and it seems fun, but tough! I wonder if I'll survive it when I go do it in a week and a half. I have to wait for Emi to be 8 weeks before I can leave her in the care of Child Watch at the Y. I need to work out and just take better care of myself, so why not start now so that Emi never gets a chance to pick up my bad habits. =)

But now I'll leave you with more cute pictures of Emilee =D

Emilee laughing on Mommy's lap.
[7 weeks 1 day old]

Emilee smiling in Daddy's lap.
[6 weeks and 6 days old]

Emilee playing around in Mommy's lap.
[3 weeks and 6 days old]

Our First Post

2008-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well I figured it'd be easier to keep our family and friends updated on the going ons of our family by making a blog and sharing it with everyone. We will try to keep this updated with information and pictures on a somewhat regular basis, but don't worry if we go a week without posting. We probably just got tired from a busy week. We'll fill you in about it all the next week, so no worries.

For now, Ray is back at work after taking thirty days of leave after Emilee was born on July 16th. He normally works in the "shops" fixing radios for aircrafts (they call them "birds") but now he's working in the orderly room, which is where all the military paperwork goes in and out. I don't know if he feels happy about it or not as it just happened on Tuesday, but he'll be there till we PCS (leave for the next duty station) in April.

As for me, I'm staying at home with Emilee and continuing my college education towards my degree in English. I love all my classes this semester, and my professors are really understanding that I'm somewhat sleep deprived, especially my English Professor because he and his wife just had twins this summer. So he understands all too well.

Emilee has been growing SO fast! She'll be two months old on September 16th, though we doubt she'll enjoy the day as she will be getting her two month shots. I know I'm going to be very upset that day with her, because I hate when she's upset. *laughs* I'm so going to be a pushover.

Well we'll end here, and let you know that we're gonna pick some pictures to put up later. For now, you all can enjoy a couple of adorable pictures of Emilee!

Emilee just had a bath and is enjoying being bundled in her blanket. =)
[7 weeks and 2 days old]

Emilee has VERY strong legs, and here she's proving it! Daddy is just helping her keep her balance.
[7 weeks and 1 day old.]