Philip and Jaime Connor

I saw this survey on a friend's blog and I thought that it was super cute and fun so I copied it and asked Nathan and Joslyn these questions. Here are their answers. 1. What is something mom always says to you? N: Make good decisions. J: Clean my room. 2. What makes mom happy? N: When I do the right thing. J: cleaning? (she said it like a question) 3. What makes mom sad? N: Making bad decisions and not obeying. (he knows me so well.) J: Throwing a fit. (so does she) 4. How does your mom make you laugh? N: When she tells me jokes or tickles me. J: tickling 5. What was mommy like as a little girl? N: Cute (good one) J: being kind 6. How old is your mom? N: 32 J: 50 (?!!!) 7. How tall is your mom? N: 96 inches tall J: 27 8. What is her favorite thing to do? N: Have fun with me. J: hiking 9. What does your mom do when you're not around? N: Plays with Caleb and Chase. J: cleans (again with th...

Some people give their babies binkies. They say that binkies are better because you can take them away. I have personally never been a fan of the bink. I'm not sure why, maybe because I saw a lot of eight and nine year old binky suckers in Brazil. Also, when I was pregnant with my first child I read that you should not give a newborn a binky because it can cause nipple confusion. NIPPLE CONFUSION? That sounded bad to me so when they asked me in the hospital if I wanted Nathan to have a binky, I said no. After a couple of months, each one of my children has found the thumb, and it has been glorious! They all started sleeping through the night, at three months old and, in the case of my boys, stopped sucking the thumb voluntarily at about ten months. Joslyn has been my one hold out. She is five and still sucks her thumb at night, but we are working on that and all in all I am a fan of the thumb. Chase found his thumb a couple of weeks ago and started sleeping through the ni...

Oh how the time flies! My baby boy is three months old already! He is really such a sweet little thing. He is sleeping through the night, rarely fusses and has a great smile. He melts my heart when he looks at me with such love, trust and joy. He has really added something special to our family dynamic and I know that he and Caleb are going to be great friends.

It seems that there is nothing that Caleb enjoys doing more in the mornings than snuggling with Chase. They are so cute. This morning Chase was in my bed and Caleb ran in and climbed up to lay down next to him. He announced that he needed to give Chase a "mmma" which is Caleb's way of saying kiss, and a hug. Chase is very patient with his older brother. Even though he is often squished by Caleb's attentions, Chase takes it all in stride and endures it with stoicism and sometimes a smile. I really enjoy hanging out with my little friends and feel it an honor to be their mother.

Last week we wanted to go for a hike, but it was getting late. We decided that we would drive out to Waialua and hike around a little and watch the sun set over the water. We drove out there and then started walking around. There are a lot of off roading trails out for people with trucks and jeeps, etc. We hiked around for a while and when the sun started to go down we found a big rock by the water's edge and sat to watch the spectacle. Well, Phil and I sat and watched while the kids played and ended up getting wet. I suppose that is to be expected. We had a lot of fun and are really starting to enjoy all the great things Hawaii has to offer, especially now that Phil has more time to spend with us. Last minute adjustments Climbing around Checking out the water Sweet little one. I love the way he looks at me, like I am the most amazing person in the world.

Well, actually, it was blue and we don't live there, I couldn't even go because Chase was too little so Phil took the kids and I went to go see "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (which was OK and had some funny moments). Anyway, I digress. Phil took the kids on the Atlantis Submarine Adventure. It is a submarine that goes along the bottom of the ocean floor. They get to see some sunken boats and some airplanes that are under water, as well as sea life such as sea turtles and a wide variety of fish. Nathan actually saw a toilet on one of the wrecked ships. They had a lot of fun and Phil realized that it would be his last underway on a submarine since he has been removed from sub duty due to medical reasons. He said that he was actually a little nostalgic when they signal for dive. On the boat going to meet the submarine. Looking out the windows. Coming back to port.

Motherhood is not for women with weak stomachs, strict routines, or white wall-to-wall carpeting. Motherhood is not for women unable to juggle three things at once, read between the lines, or face fear on a regular basis. Motherhood is not for women who can't answer the same knock-knock joke "umpteen" times a day, the endless "whys?" of childhood, or hear the unspoken feelings of a child's heart. Motherhood is for women who can taste the tea in an empty cup, see the smiles behind the peanut butter, and the genius in tiny scribbles. Motherhood is for the caring and courageous women who make a difference in the lives they touch- women just like you. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my life who make me a better mother through their example!

I always get nervous when things are too quiet at my house. Even if Caleb is playing "quietly" there is some noise or banging toys or something. The other day I went upstairs to check and see why it was so quiet. Chase was supposed to be asleep, but when I opened the door to my room, I beheld quite a sight. At first I didn't know if I should freak out or laugh, but when I realized that no harm had been done, I decided to laugh, probably a little hysterically, . . . oh, and blog about it. The victim. "What the heck happened to me!?" The culprit. "Yeah I did it, what are you going to do about it?" Sometimes I honestly don't know what that boy is thinking! I will say one thing about it though. For the rest of that day, the skin on Chase's face was very moist and soft.