Guess who used the potty for the first time today?In the words for the man himself, J-O-S...E-P-H!! He went twice today, although I don't think he has any clue what's going on. I gave him some juice, then sat him down until he went. After he went we all cheered and I gave him a chocolate chip. Since Christmas is coming up, we're going to take it slow for now, but in the new year, it's potty training full speed ahead!
On Saturday (November 19th) Michael tried baby food for the first time. I figure the little guy was ready because he's been mimicking chewing every time he sees me eat and he's 5 1/2 months old (already!). I've also been letting hum suck on an apple for the last few weeks and he LOVES that. When I take the apple away from him he cries his most angry cry until I bring it back. It's actually pretty funny to see. So any way, on Saturday I put a little breast milk in a bowl and mixed in some rice cereal. Michael loved it! He was a little surprised at first, but after the initial shock he did great. We even mixed in the tiniest amount of apple juice because we knew he'd love it. Unlike Joseph, who would gag when we fed him, Michael swallowed up his bowl of rice cereal and I had to make him more. Today, I think we're going to try carrots!
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Dear Rosie's Future Husband,
Rosie has requested a purple butterfly engagement ring. Do not disappoint.
Sincerely,
You Future Mother-in-law
Last week was a busy week for all of us. Dave went to Missouri and Texas for quilt market which left me home alone with the kids. That same week Rose had picture day, her first ever class trip to a pumpkin farm, Halloween Day at school, and we all had a Halloween Trunk or Treat Party at the church. Oh and the best part, Rose won the courage award at her school's character assembly!! I went to the school to watch her receive her award. Her teacher said "at first she wouldn't say much to me and got upset a few times but now she's brave and talks and answers questions. That takes courage!" It was so adorable watching her go up and get her certificate.
At the Halloween party everyone loved mine and Michael's costume. Too bad they didn't give out awards because everyone said we would have won. Rose was too scared of some of the other costumes (I don't blame her) and she cried on my Mom's lap until she fell asleep. Joseph wasn't really into the whole Halloween thing. He wore a Tigger costume, but never wanted to wear the headpiece. Any way.... here's some pictures from last week...
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
My baby is turning 4 soon and you know what that means.... PARTY TIME! Of course I've been planning her birthday for a year now and I already have her loot-bag stuff and guest list figured out. Rosie likes to plan ahead too. She's had her wish list all figured out since the summer. Here it is...
1. Pink or purple yoga mat
2. Jasmine Barbie
3. Pocahontas Barbie
4. John Smith (Barbie?)
5. Warm slippers that look like ballet slippers
6. Barbie car
7. New Clothes
8. Mega Crayola crayon pack (the one with like 100 colors) 
I'm sure there's a few more things, but I can't remember right now. I'm sure she'll remind me as the time gets closer. I can't wait to post pictures of her big day :)
Me Ka Aloha (with love)
- Elisabeth
To me, the perfect dream house has a separate room dedicated to sewing and crafting (maybe someday). I wish I had all the time in the world to make beautiful things. For now, I have to settle on small projects every now and then... like this shirt I made Joseph. I used fabric scraps, wonderunder, a $3 shirt from Once Upon a Child, and a sewing machine. Here's the results... 
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Last night Joseph was awake way past his bedtime (what else is new). Any way, I let him come downstairs and watch some TV with me. I was watching Friends and Joseph found this scene hilarious. He was chuckling and he kept on saying "that's so funny!"
Gotta love him!
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Today is Dave's 29th birthday! I still feel like we're both 24 and recent college grads, but that's just not the case any more. It's crazy how time flies when you're having fun (or when you have three kids). To celebrate Dave's birthday we got together friends and family and enjoyed dinner, brownies and ice cream.
I normally wouldn't do this, but today I want to brag about the amazing things my husband has accomplished in his 29 years.
1. Straight A student in high school
2. Involved in many school committees and clubs including head prefect (I still don't know what that is, but apparently that is impressive)
3. Queen Venture Award (Canada's equivalent to Eagle Scout)
4. Biked a few times to Belleville area (about 20 hours on a bike at once!)
5. Served an honorable mission in Ukraine for 2 years
6. Fluent in English, French, Russian, and Ukrainian
7. Served as Assistant to the Mission President
8. Won the Garfield Weston Merritt National Scholarship
9. Graduated College with a 4.0 and runner up to the Silver Medal Award
10. Passed his CFP exam after the first attempt (most people fail once or twice)
11. Started his own company that has gone from zero to over a million dollar company in 2 years
12. Also started his own wealth management company that is growing rapidly
13. Teaches early morning seminary each day and the students love him
14. Does all these things while being an amazing husband and father of three very young children
I love you Dave!! Thank you for being one of the main sources of happiness in my life! Happy Birthday :)
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here's a list of just some of the things I'm grateful for.
1. My children. They are cute, adorable, full of energy, precious little gifts from God. Each of them are so different in personality and even how they look. Watching them grow and learn each day is such a joy. Seeing their smile every day makes me so happy. I love them all so much!
2. My husband. I couldn't ask for a better companion and father to my children. He is such a hard worker and ambitious person. I love spending quality time with Dave and love watching him spend time with the children. I look forward to an eternity with him.
3. My family. We're so lucky to live near both our parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, and other extended family. They're so much fun and I'm so glad we all get along. There isn't any family politics or fighting. I feel so blessed to have so many loving people in our lives. Also particularly thankful at this time to have Jane, Autumn, and Iris visiting from Hawaii. They're a lot of fun to hang out with.
4. Friends. We have a lot of great friends in our lives. I'm actually particularly grateful to be meeting up with Linda from Sweden (whom I haven't seen in four years) this week!!
5. My health. I often take my health for granted, but when I get sick or have an injury, I realize how valuable my health is. I'm so glad to be free of any major health issues and to feel great the majority of the time.
6. Fitness. I'm thankful that I have been physically able to run 5 km non-stop. I'm also thankful to have lost almost 20 pounds and that I can fit into my pre-pregnant jeans and fit into my wedding rings.
7. My house. Yes we're growing out of this house and yes there are a lot of things I'd want to change, but our house is great in so many ways. It's a cute house that a lot of people compliment whenever they come in. I get a lot of people saying "wow, nice house" when they walk in the door. I also love how it's seconds away from Rosie's school, and minutes away from church.
8. My car. It's comfortable, safe, and nice looking. It's just great.
9. Warm, fresh, running water. I love that whenever I want some clean, fresh water, all I need to do is turn on the tap. It's like magic every time. I'm thankful that I can drink the water, and bathe in the warm water and that it's so readily available.
10. My bed. It's the best bed I've ever owned.
11. The city, province, and country I live in. It's beautiful here! There's beautiful parks, waterfalls, lakes, and trails in this area that constantly remind me how lucky I am to live here. I live in a country with great opportunities, freedoms, and social benefits. Canada has always been in the top 3 places in the world to live!
12. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It's such of source of strength in my life. I learn so much from church and love the spiritual boost I get from attending church every Sunday. I love knowing that Heavenly Father loves me and is watching over me. I love knowing that I can pray to Him whenever I want and He will listen.
There's a lot more to be thankful for, but I'd be writing for a REALLY long time if I were to write it all out.
Thank you God for blessing me with such a beautiful life!! 
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
I haven't yet blogged about how much Joseph LOVES Michael. He's always hugging and kissing him and bringing him toys (and food, yikes!). The other day we were at Costco and Joseph was sitting in the seat of the cart, and Michael was in his car seat in the back of the cart. The entire time, Joseph reached behind and held Michael's hand. As a matter of fact, Joseph is obsessed with holing Michael's hand and sometimes I have to tell Joseph to leave Michael alone. It's so cute to watch how excited Joseph gets when Michael is around. I can't wait until the day that they can actually play together. It's going to be awesome. Here's a picture that shows how much Joseph loves Michael. You'd think that he's reaching for my hand, but in fact, he's reaching for Michael.
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Every now and then the kids do something so sweet a wonderful that it makes me want to have 20 kids. I had one of those moments a few days ago. I put Michael in his baby swing and he soon fell asleep. I turned off the TV and Rosie and Joseph snuggled up to me and we all fell asleep. It was so cute how they all snuggled up and didn't fuss or whine. I love it when I have days like this :)
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
The day before school started we took Rosie out for ice cream (just Dave and I) to let her know how special she is too us, how much we love her, and how proud and happy we are that she will be going to school. Dave also gave her a blessing, which he will do each year before school starts, and blessed her that she would learn a lot and love school and learn independence from myself and Dave. I also read her a book called "The Kissing Hand" which is about a raccoon going to school for the first time. The book is so cute and made me cry! I thought about Rosie being there without Dave or I and I worried that she would miss us. I know I sure missed her!
Well.... Rosie is now a "big girl" and already gone to two days of school. She was very excited when she saw her classroom for the first time and she didn't cry at all when we dropped her off. She stood in line with all her classmates and followed her teacher into the school. She told me that she really likes school and she loved ridding the tricycle in the play area. She was a little upset at school when they had to move away from the art portion of class, which I actually think is a positive thing. I'm glad she can focus on her task and that she's excited about art and completing her project to completion. She also got upset when she had to leave her placemat in the classroom. Rosie and I picked out a cute picture and wrote her name on it (had it laminated) and her placemat is very special to her. I guess she didn't understand that her placemat would be there everyday when she came to school. Any way, it doesn't matter because I asked her teacher if she could take it home with her every day. Here's a picture of my darling Rosie on her first day of school, with the hairband that I made her to match her uniform. (and a few cute pictures of Joseph and Michael)
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Today is my anniversary! I seriously can't believe it's been 5 years already. So much has happened in the past 5 years, most significantly, the birth of our three children. It's sometimes crazy to think that 5 years ago we weren't even talking about having children, and now we have THREE! They are amazing and such a blessing, and I know I couldn't do it without the help of my wonderful husband. The children adore him (as do I)!
To celebrate we went to the Olive Garden in Bufflao, after we dropped Mike, Katie and Baby David off at the airport (they had been visiting from Utah for the past 2 months). Tomorrow, my parents are taking us and my brother and sister-in-law (they have the same anniversary) out for all you can eat sushi and Thai food!!!
Any way, I love you Dave and I look forward to many more anniversaries! Happy Anniversary!
Me Ka Aloha - Elisabeth
Today Michael learned how to roll over! He was on his tummy and rolled onto his back. He did it about 5 times today :) I wish I had it on film, but I couldn't find the camera this morning. I finally found it in my diaper bag buried under a million things. If I remember, I'll take a quick video of it. My little guy is growing so fast!
Me Ka Aloha
-Elisabeth
This is Michael on his blessing day. Look at those blue eyes! I wonder if they'll stay blue.
Lately the kids have been saying some pretty funny stuff (mostly Rosie). Before I forget, here's what they've been saying.
Rosie (as she watches Joseph get his diaper changed) "Eeewww that's be-gusting Joseph. I can't get married to you if you have a poo poo bum. I hate that."
Rosie (after coming home from a wedding) "I need to take off these fashion clothes and put on play clothes."
Rosie (someone was at the door) "Someone is here. I think it's Heavenly Father."
Joseph (after getting in trouble for opening my door while Michael was sleeping and pushing the siren on his firetruck, waking Michael.) "I do nothing Mommy, I do nothing." (obviously trying not to be sent to time out)
Joseph eating his favorite food, rice cakes.
Snow White and Joseph (with his baby) watching a show in my room.
Here's 2 of the newest videos. The first is Joseph blaming his poop on everyone else and the second is Michael (around 4 weeks old). Enjoy!
I know it's a month late (4 weeks to be exact) but I'd like to finally announce the arrival of baby #3! We welcomed baby Michael on June 3rd at 7:50 am. He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce, a lot less than Joseph did, and I could totally feel the difference in labor. He has blond hair and blue eyes (so far, things might change)and he's as cute as ever. I love him so much and am so happy to have him as part of our family. More birth details coming soon-ish.
I decided to upload all our funny family videos on youtube as a way to store them, and as a way to share with those who might be interested. Who knows, maybe I'll have a "Charlie Bit My Finger" moment. Here's the first video (taken tonight actually). I swear it was A LOT louder in real life. Enjoy!
There's about one month left in this pregnancy... WOO HOO!!! Despite my record breaking weight gain, it hasn't been too bad... oh and despite my puking and fatigue (who am I kidding, pregnancy sucks). I am so glad this is almost over and in a few weeks I'll be holding a brand new, beautiful baby (boy? girl?) in my arms. I'm so excited.
Speaking of babies, my cousin Emily just had a baby girl, last night actually! I haven't seen pictures yet, but she's 7 pounds 15 ounces and they named her Lauren. Congrats Emily and family!!
Well, this is just a short blog post to say that baby number 3 will be here soon! Oh and to tell you the funny thing Rosie said the other day. Rosie - "Mommy, I want to get married." Me - "ok you can when you're bigger." Rosie (stands on tiptoe) - "I'm bigger now, I'm ready!" Later on that day she looked at Joseph and said "Joseph, you're face is all messy. Nobody will marry you." Haa haa, that girl is obsessed with the idea of marriage. I think she just wants a fancy dress and flowers.
My next blog post will most likely be when the new baby arrives (unless I find the time to post some long awaited pictures).
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
I feel like I haven't updated this blog in FOREVER!! I started this blog in the first place to write about everything that's been happening in my life, so that when I'm old and forgetful, I'll have everything written down for my kids to read. I've been really bad at updating (sorry future self).
Ok first things first....
The new baby....
I went to the midwife this week and found out the baby is in a breached position, meaning the head is up, instead of down like it should be. I have about 9 weeks for the baby to turn around, but it still makes me a little nervous. If the baby doesn't turn around, I might have to have a C-section (something that terrifies me!) I can actually feel the baby's head at the top of my tummy which is pretty cool, and sometimes uncomfortable.
Naming the baby...
Again, like always, we're having a tough time coming up with a name for the baby. Dave has a few on his list that he LOVES, but I'm not the biggest fan. For example, he likes the name Victor for a boy. I find it too harsh sounding and I don't think it flows with the other names in our family. He also likes the name Wolf, but come on... WOLF??? That's just horrible. Also on his list of boy names are Will and Clayton. At least those are reasonable choices but neither sounds perfect to me. As for girls names he likes Juliet, Kelly, and Lucy. I like all of these but I don't LOVE them.... oh and besides, the baby's middle name will be Kelly (if it's a girl - Grandmother's maiden name) so obviously Kelly Kelly won't work.
I don't really like any boys names right now. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING feels right to me. If the baby is a boy I'm going to have to just "settle" on a name, something I would hate to do. I honestly check the baby name website on a daily basis for some inspiration and nothing jumps out at me. I see names that I think would be cool if someone else named their baby that, but nothing perfect for my baby. Maybe this just means I'm having a girl? As for girl names, well... there's a name that I love (I won't reveal that just yet) and I asked Dave about it. He said it was "ok" but not his first choice. I insisted that he re-think it because I think it's the perfect name if we have a girl. A few days later, with the baby name book in my hand, I said "Dave pick a number between 1 and 430 (or however many pages happened to be in the book)." He picked page 88. Then I asked him to pick a number between 1-10. He picked 8... WELL... guess what name it landed on?? It was the "perfect name" that I had mentioned to him earlier that week!!!! When I showed it to him he said "you gypsy woman!! How did you do that?" I didn't do anything, and I think by him "choosing" that name is a sign that we should choose it. We'll see. Dave still isn't convinced.
Rosie...
Rosie is cute as can be! We just signed her up for a program at the YMCA were she does crafts and plays games and then has a swim lesson. We can just drop her off and the instructors take care of the rest. It will be good for her to experience being away from Mom and Dad and interact with other kids and adults, plus I'm super happy about the swim lesson aspect. I'm nervous as heck to leave her alone for 2 hours, especially since she's shy about telling people when she has to go potty, but she starts JK in September so we all need to get used to it. I think I'm going to sit outside the room on her first day, just because I'm paranoid.
On another cute note, Rosie learned how to say the 3rd article of faith all by herself! She did it in primary and got a chocolate :) Oh and she's been jumping around a lot when she gets excited, not very gracefully, but maybe ballet lessons (next September) will fix that.
One more cute Rosie thing. When Joseph gets into trouble (throwing shoes off the shoe shelf, spilling Cheerios etc) Rosie will say "Joseph, Mommy and I aren't very happy about you. Please be more careful." And if he's really bad, he gets sent to timeout and Rosie will say "go to time out and get a bum smack. When you're ready to be a good boy you can come out." Hee hee she's a little mommy in the making :)
Joseph...
Joseph has become a little smartie pants. He knows pretty much all his letters, even most lower case. He will look at a book and point to the letters and name them. I'm so impressed considering he's not even two years old yet.
He's also been slowly getting into the "terrible two's" phase and protesting everything. If you say "Joseph come here and pick up your toys" Joseph will respond (while crying on the floor) "no thank you!" At least he's being polite haa haa.
Next week Joseph is going to get his first hair cut. I think he looks super cute with his crazy curly baby hair, but it is pretty long. I'll post pictures of that when it happens.
Any way, I know I promised to post pictures of all kinds of stuff from WAY earlier in the year. Maybe I'll do a blog post of just pictures. Ah, so much catching up to do...
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Well.... Dave went on another business trip. I always miss him when he goes... but this time around I had big plans, at least I thought. Dave was headed to the quilt shop, so I decided to finish his quilt top so he could bring it and have it quilted. He left at 4am on Tuesday and I finished his quilt at 3:45am, only 15 minutes to spare!!!
The next morning I awoke to my Mother banging on my front door. She had come over to help me paint my kitchen. We spent the day painting and finished up the next day. Next on the agenda was to make new curtains and a duvet cover, clean perfectly, and decorate our bedroom all nice. WELL... 
On the third day that Dave was gone, I bent over to pick up Joseph so he could sit in his high chair for breakfast. I didn't even touch Joseph when my lower back completely seized up on me and I couldn't move. I couldn't stand back up and the pain was so strong that I ended up on the floor. I sat on the floor for a few minutes in a complete panic. I was thinking "how can I get back up? How long will this pain last? What if I can't get back up?" I finally grabbed onto a chair and used all my strength to get back up. I haven't been the same since.
I've spent the last few days basically stuck in my bed. I can't even lean forward to change a diaper, give a hug, or even walk. I luckily had friends and family come over to take care of the kids until Dave came back Saturday night. Oh and since I'm pregnant, I can't even take heavy medication to solve my problem. Dave has to help me go to the bathroom which is embarrassing and frustrating. I can't lift my legs so when we go to the bathroom. I have to hold onto Dave and pivot my feet (like I'm doing the sideways moonwalk) until I get to the bathroom. Then holding on to the counter and the wall, I slowly and painfully lower myself to the toilet. Getting off the toilet is a whole other ordeal. It takes everything out of me to get to the bathroom and I feel like I'm going to hyperventilate from all the heavy breathing. Today Rosie saw Dave and I headed down the hall to the bathroom. She said "Mommy and Daddy are dancing." Awww at least someone if finding joy in my injury.
I think the worst part about having this injury is that I can't be with my kids. I cried when Joseph needed a diaper change and I was unable to even get off the couch to get a fresh diaper off the shelf. I cried when he wanted to be picked up to cuddle and I couldn't do it. I cry when I can't get off my bed to tuck my kids in to bed and lean over and kiss them goodnight. I hate that I can't cook them dinner or do their laundry. I worry about the baby in my tummy, about how this might be affecting him/her and if the medication I'm taking is really safe. I feel bad for Dave who's already exhausted from his business trip and has come home to a crippled wife and fussy children to deal with. I know he hates to see me like this and he hates to see me cry. As a family, we really are having a hard time dealing with it all. The kids feel neglected, I'm sure, and Dave feels overwhelmed. I never wish this upon anyone.
I pray that this will pass quickly so life can resume. I suppose this is a learning experience, to have more empathy and to help others in times of need. Next week family from out of town will be here. I pray to be healed by then.
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
Hi Everyone!
I really should be writing in more detail here, but I'm feeling rather pregnant and exhausted. So here's the short form of things happening this month... Maybe when I'm feeling up to it, I'll elaborate and add pictures.
- Went to Utah for the first time. Rosie and Joseph's first time on an airplane. They loved it!
- Stayed with Katie's family for a week.
- Met baby David (so cute)
- Went through the Salt Lake Temple. So beautiful and HUGE inside.
- Went to Park City and saw the Olympic training track for luge.
- Had my new sewing machine shipped to Utah. Also had some quilt fabric sent to Utah.
- Rosie told Dave she was going to Utah to see baby David and baby Jesus haahaa.
- Rosie kept on saying "I want a wedding dress and I want to get married to Joseph in the temple"
- Enjoyed the Olive Garden more that ever while in Utah! Wish they had it here.
- After returning to Canada kids were on a CRAZY sleep schedule.
- One night Rosie discovered my liquid eyeliner, drew on our bed and on herself. (pictures coming soon)
- Rosie calls herself the "helper girl" she loves helping to make cookies and macaroni.
- Joseph can sing most of "I love to see the temple" I'll sing it to him and leave out words. He always fills them in.
- Starting a new quilt for Dave using Salt Box Harvest fabric.
That's it so far. More details coming, I promise.
Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
