Banana Mess

This week we got to start Riley on her Gerber stage 1 foods! I was so excited to have Riley finally experience a different taste in her mouth. I'm pretty sure after 5 months of breastmilk she was more than ready for something different too! Her pediatrician informed me that she has to eat the same food for a whole week in order to discover if Riley has any allergies to any of the foods. So I figured that I would start my little cupcake out with a fruit rather than a veggie!! Riley's first food was bananas. She did pretty well with the food but wasn't exactly sure how to eat off of a spoon. While I was on skype with my mom(aka Kiki), I was telling her about what a mess I was making trying to shovel the bananas into Riley's mouth. Kiki let me in on a little secret of putting the spoon into Riley's mouth and just letting her suck on the spoon since she doesn't yet know how to eat off of the spoon. The next feeding we used Kiki's advice and damned if it didn't work like a charm! A big shout out to Kiki!! After that advice Riley has been doing absolutely marvelous with the Gerber food. It's funny because once the spoon is empty she starts whining for more food. I tell you, my girl can eat!

Now the bad part about this lovely gerber food is the fact that Rileys' poos are changing. I know that you all are dying to know about this! Her diapers are much stinkier and the poo is getting thicker. Are you hungry yet?? Well, yesterday Riley was in her jumperoo and she was giving me this grin. She just kept grinning at me so of course I think she's adorable and I start trying to make her smile bigger and have her jump high in her jumperoo. After a few minutes of playing with her I am knocked in the face with an awful odor. I knew she had done the dirty in her diaper. I picked her up out of the jumperoo and holy cow poo was everywhere! I mean it exploded up her back like never before. I didn't know what to do. I don't think they make manuals for baby diaper explosions. Perhaps I'll write one! Anyway, Trey was in the shower and I ran upstairs and made him get out because I had to stick Riley somewhere. I sat her in the tub and took her onsie off. Her poo was completely up her back. It was all thick and just nasty. As I was taking off her onsie the poo got all over her arms, then she wanted to scratch her back. Just an absolute mess! Trey is just laughing at me since I'm the one cleaning it up. Instead of helping he's snapping pictures so I can share it with all of you! It was pretty funny. Riley had never exploded like this before. I guess it won't be the last time she does either. I just thought it was funny and wanted to share my experience with all of you. Enjoy the pictures....at least they aren't scratch and sniff!!

Island Exploring

This past Saturday Trey and I decided we needed to do a little island exploring. (Of course Trey wanted to leave the house right then and there...so please excuse the way I look because it's not a pretty sight!) While mom, Justin, Sara and Addie were here we had dinner in Hawaii Kai. On our way to dinner we passed up the restaurant and started to go up a big mountain. Of course before we saw what was on the other side of the mountain we turned around to get to the restaurant. Well, we now know what's on the other side of that mountain! We only wish we had found these gorgeous sites before my family left! As soon as we got to the top of the hill the view was spectacular! I was in absolute amazement of the beauty. And then I realized, wow, I actually live here! There were a ton of scenic view areas that were crowded with tourists. The beaches we saw had almost white sand and the water color was a gorgeous mixture of aqua, teal and deep blue. We were definitely glad we found some new spots so that next time we have visitors we'll have some more great places to take them!

For The Love of Cars...

Anyone who knows Trey is aware how car obsessed he is! I don't think I really realized it until I married him...and then it was too late! After we went to the commissary this morning Trey decided it was time for Riley to get her first picture inside of his camaro. Now this might not seem like a big deal to you, but to my husband it meant the world! So I take Riley outside and Trey grabbed the camera and then the photo shoot began. First, Trey sat Riley in the drivers seat and she wasn't quite sure what she was sitting in. Then Trey decided to get a bit more adventurous and put Riley on the hood of the camaro. It was hysterical. She sat up on the hood like the big girl she is...sitting tall, proud, and pretty! After that Trey placed Riley on her belly to capture of few more shots of his two babies- Riley and the camaro! He had a blast. And I must say it was pretty fun to watch. Afterwards I made Trey snap a shot of me and my girl infront of my new "mommy mobile," the trailblazer ss. I love it!

After the mini photo shoot Riley was plum tuckered out! It was an absolutely gorgeous day, with the fabulous trade winds blowing, so I laid Riley's blanket out in the front yard. I layed Riley down and as you can see, she just sprawled out and enjoyed the fabulous breeze. I'm laughing to myself right now just thinking about how Riley was just chilling out. It was priceless. Trey and I couldn't stop laughing! (And Riley is awake in these pictures!)

New Toys

Now that Riley is more sturdy when she's sitting up, I figured it was time to get her some new toys to play with. So, Riley and I made a trip to the Navy Exchange and picked up the classic Fisher Price rings. Riley was so excited when I sat her down and put those rings in front of her. She got a huge smile on her face and starting waving her little hands in excitement! I didn't even show her what to do with the rings. Riley just went at them and started taking them off the yellow pole. I also picked her up a Fisher Price bucket that has different shapes cut out on the lid. This toy is a little advanced for her, but Riley does enjoy chewing on the shapes and the lid to the bucket! It's fun to watch her try and figure out what to do with her new toys.

Teddy on Her Heady!

Pretty much any game you start playing with Riley she will enjoy it thoroughly! Trey and I had her in her jumperoo and Trey decided to put her teddy bear on her head to get a reaction out of her. Well, Riley absolutely loved it! She just thought it was the funniest thing in the world. It didn't bother Riley one little bit to have her bear on her head. She didn't even try to get it off of her head. Riley just waited for us to start smiling and laughing at her, telling her she had a bear on her head. It's so much fun to play silly little games with her. She's got such a great little personality!

She Just Keeps Growing

Just a quick little note to keep you updated on how fast our little girl is growing. I took Riley today for her 4 month well baby check and she is now 26 in and weighs 18lbs 2oz. She is in the 97% for height and weight. Where has my little baby gone?? The top picture is Riley at 5 weeks and the bottom is Riley, today, at 4 months! My how she's grown!!

Fresh Air

Our little girl absolutely loves to be outside. Whenever she's fussy all you have to do is walk her outside and she immediately stops crying. Trey and I take her outside everyday so that Riley can enjoy the fresh air of Hawai'i. Riley still gets to go on our walks through the neighborhood on a daily basis. This week Trey is working the during the day, so we take our walks after dinner. It's a nice time so that Trey and I can talk about the day and Riley can be her nosy little self and look at all the sights.

Our Everyday

Trey and I were completely amused by mom here in Hawai'i. Everyday mom would say "it's another beautiful day." We would always laugh at her because that is our everyday. Everyday it's absolutely beautiful. There is no need to watch the weather to see how you should plan your outfit. There is an occasional shower, but we haven't hit our rainy season yet either. Right now when it rains it only lasts for about 10 minutes at the most. Many people call this place paradise. Deep down inside of me though I'm wishing I was back on the east coast getting ready to experience fall. I already miss that crisp smell in the air and the beautiful colors that the leaves become. You never know how much you appreciate the little things in life until you can't have them. So I want everyone to enjoy fall for me since it's my favorite time of the year! And because you are kind enough to do that for me I'm going to share with you some beautiful views from Kaneohe Bay(where Trey works.)




Trey and I will just keep enjoying these views for all of you, while you enjoy the season change for us! I think that's a pretty fair trade!

It's Not Goodbye...It's See You Later

I absolutely hate goodbyes! So instead of saying goodbye, I'm saying see you later. Too bad for us, later means a year or so. Unfortunately our week with my family here in Honolulu came to end. It went by way too fast. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every second that my mom, Justin, Sara and Addie were here. It's was an amazing week! I couldn't have asked for a better time. It was rough saying goodbye to my family. Especially with my mom. It was about 30 minutes before we had to take her to the airport and she had a meltdown( sorry mom, but you did!) It was like a domino effect, because then I started crying and Trey told us we had to stop before we made him start! So to calm my mom down I handed Riley to her so that she could get one last hold in before she left. After we dropped my mom off at the airport I realized just how much I miss all of my family. Thank you to mom, Justin, Sara and Addie for coming to visit. It meant the world to me to have you guys here! I love you!!

North Shore

Saturday was the last fun day we could all have since everyone was leaving on Sunday. Justin, Sara, and Addie were staying in Waikiki which is a super overcrowded area. Trey wanted to take them to a nice secluded beach, so we headed to the North Shore. It's completely different there. Nice and quiet, rather peaceful. Before we left to go, Trey went and bought snorkel gear and a boogie board. Once we got to where Trey was taking us, we discovered there wasn't much snorkeling or boogie boarding to do! So Trey and Justin took Addie out into the ocean and had her ride the boogie board. For a little girl that didn't like the water a week ago, she sure took to the water this day! Addie was having a blast. After the boogie boarding was over Trey decided it would be a good idea to bury Addie in the sand. I'm not so sure Justin and Sara appreciated that very much! Justin said it was Riley's turn next, but I wasn't having it! I just got to see what I have to look forward to from Trey when Riley gets a little bigger! It was a nice afternoon and I wish it didn't have to end!

Sweet Girls

One of the best parts about having my family here was getting to watch Addie and Riley interact. Riley, of course, is still too young to really play with somebody. But, Riley does love getting attention and Addie sure liked giving it to her. From the moment Addie walked into our house she was excited to play with a baby. Addie was very sweet with Riley and tried to give her toys so Riley could play with them. It was so adorable to watch Riley reach out for the toys that Addie was trying to give her. I just can't wait until Riley is a little older and really able to play with her beautiful cousin!

Koko Marina

All week long Justin wanted to eat food from the Kona Brewing Co. restaurant. I went online and found the only pub on Oahu that was associated with the Kona Brewing Co. On Friday we made it to the pub located in Hawai'i Kai at Koko Marina. It was a gorgeous setting and the perfect spot to enjoy a nice family dinner. The food was absolutely delicious. Justin and Trey enjoyed a few beverages that I'm sure were just as tasty! We had a perfect view of the sunset during dinner which made the atmosphere that much better. This dinner was so fabulous we decided to replace my crappy birthday dinner with this one!

After our marvelous dinner we asked the waiter if he could take a group photo for us. That poor waiter didn't know what he was in for! Trey had taken some pictures with my mom's camera and turned the flash off, like he always does. When the waiter went to take our picture it came out almost black because he needed the flash on. Trey looks at the camera and pushes a button and hands it back to the waiter for another shot. Well, once again the flash doesn't go off. After 3 pics with no flash the waiter figures out how to turn the flash on and snaps this wonderful pic! It was really funny and we wound up with a terrific shot of the family.