KIDS: Sometimes they're sour, sometimes they're sweet, but ALWAYS, they’re funny

Oh hello, it's me again, after radio silence of literal YEARS.

I know, I know, blogging is now an almost fully antiquated, archaic process, but guess what? SO AM I. Since I intend to print out the entries, and need a central location, I regret to inform, the blog shall continue!

Here are some funny things I had recorded in my phone (regrettably, I do not have the ages, but my last update was 2021 in this note, so the boys would have been around 4 and 6.)

URIAH:

Unusual Bedtime lullaby requests:

-This is Halloween (literally, me singing This is Halloween, trying to do all the voices while mumbling the words I mostly do NOT KNOW)

-Spooky Scary Skeletons

-"Scary" (aka the Phantom of the Opera interlude. I sing the INSTRUMENTAL PART LOL!)

Me, making Uriah a sandwich - "Thank you, sandwich maker!"

Laying next to Uriah in bed: " Mama, you're a Princess...and I can be your King. And Daddy can be...a King, too! And Elijah can be a King, too. We can be a family of Kings and Queens!"

*Uriah comes downstairs while I'm folding laundry* Uriah, go upstairs, Mama needs to fold laundry and I need all the bed space for the clothes. "Mama...BC I love you." 

Uriah saying he wants some hot dog popsicles - (CORN DOGS!)

Uriah, what do you want to be when you grow up? "Pea Shooter!" (a character from his Plants vs. Zombies game)

Elijah chimes in "I want to be Uncle Travis!" (their favorite RBT)

After Rob and I came home from a date night, Uriah gave us a big hug saying, "I so happy you are here!"

Uriah prayer - "Thank you for Mommy, and Daddy, and love."

Uriah: "I smell a little stinky (sniffs armpit). Me- "No you don't!" Uriah, taking another sniff: "Yes, I a little stinky, like you."

Uriah comes to me in the morning, waking me up. I ask, "Whose breath stinks?" He smells his and says, "Mine, and Yours."

One day, Uriah was upset with me because I sent him to his room for being wild. He had ripped a picture on his wall (it was one of me and him). When he came down and I told him I wanted to talk to him, he burst into tears saying, "I made a mistake, I made a mistake!" I said, "What mistake?" "I ripped your picture." The next day, out of nowhere, he said, "I never do it again!" I said, "What won't you do again?" "Rip your picture." The following day, he came to me and said, "Mommy, can we get a new one?" (the ripped one was still on the wall. He then put his angry bird sticker over the rip on the photo to mend it.)

Uriah to Elijah - "Elijah, you have to eat healthy; if you don't you be ugly"

******

ELIJAH:

Elijah, getting the last 3 of his 20 stuffed animals into his crib after begging (we wanted less bc they take over so much of the bed!) "Yay, all my friends." He is still a stuffies kid to this day!

"Bye pretty Mom, and handsome sir Daddy!"

"Elijah is the loudest singer in class" (Preschool - this is a surprise because Elijah tends to be more shy, at least in the beginning)

Elijah: "Mommy, I have a question!" *Leans in and whispers loudly* "I LOVE YOU!!"

Me, to Elijah: "We are having yummy stew for dinner!" Elijah: "Not stinky stuff?"

Me, to Elijah: "Want to help me?" Elijah, LOUDLY: "YES I DO WANT TO HELP YOU!"  "OK, let's put this stuff in the dryer!" "Yeah, the dryer, not the wetter!"

Discussion at dinner table, talking about Rob's birthday "Daddy! You're almost a man!" Me: "What about Mommy? Am I a man?" Elijah: "No, old lady! You're an old lady!"

*Uriah, telling a story and taking long to get to the point, repeatedly using the word, "ever"  ..........   Elijah: "THATS TOO MUCH EVERS." Uriah continuing his story, trying to say the word Titanic, but jumbling it a bit. Elijah: "Uriah, that's not even how you spell Titanic!!"

That's it for now! With these two, I'm sure I will have much more content in no TIME!

More funny sayings - Uriah Oct. 2019

Me: Uriah, do you want avocado toast for breakfast? Does that sound good?

Uriah: That sounds...(pause)...bad. Sounds stinky. (we use the "Everything but the Bagel Seasoning" and it does have garlic and onion in it. lol)

Me, eating a cucumber for a snack, and offering some to Uriah: Cucumbers are yummy and crunchy!

Uriah: It's yucky and NO.

After telling Uriah to get his backpack (along with other multiple ignored directions), I told him with a stern voice, "Uriah! You aren't listening good this morning!"

He replied in an equally stern voice, "MAMA. NO SPANK ME."

I told him I wasn't going to spank him, but I needed to scold him because I asked him nicely many times, and he still wasn't listening. Uriah: "MAMA, you bad guy." SO DRAMATIC.

Rob, watching football, cheers at the TV. Uriah: “TOO LOUD, DADDY.”

Uriah is chasing Elijah when he suddenly falls. Elijah starts crying. 
Uriah: “Elijah, you ok?... Don’t worry I call the ambulance.” (Picks up play telephone) “Hello?.. Someone is hurt.”


Bringing Uriah home from school- 
Me: Guess who's gonna be home when we get home?
Uriah: Dracula?
Close....Daddy.

Uriah: Daddy, Daddy, Daddy....DADDY...
Me: YES URIAH?
Uriah: YOU NOT DADDY.

Sometimes I take Uriah and Elijah to get a treat on the way home from school. The treat is often a donut from Dunkin Donuts, which is their absolute favorite. On the way, I told Uriah that I was getting the donuts if they continued to behave well. Out of the blue Uriah says very seriously, "And Elijah....he's not listening!" (Mind you, Elijah was quietly looking out the window minding his business) Someone definitely wanted Elijah's share of donut! Once we got the donuts, I told the boys we would eat the donuts when we got home (it's only a 5 minute drive). Uriah reiterated, "Donuts are for at home, and Elijah go moemoe! (nap time)"  AGAIN trying to keep Elijah from getting some donuts. Very cutthroat about these donuts!

At Uriah's school, rather than to use the phrase "no," they use the phrase, "that's not available."  While playing with some dinosaurs at home, Uriah was creating a dialogue between characters. I wasn't really paying attention until I heard in a sing-song voice (I guess the make-believe tone of voice?) "That's not available." HA! Little sponge, I tell ya.

Not a funny saying, but whenever I wear some lipstick or my hair down (apparently, it's rare enough that it gets noticed), Uriah will notice and say, "Mama. You pretty." It's been a few times now, but it makes me smile every single time! What a sweet boy we have!

Taylors Take Disney 2019

We just got back from the most fabulous family trip to Disneyland ("California" was really secondary to the DISNEYLAND destination). I have such fond memories of traveling to  Disneyland: as a child with my family, with friends as a young adult, and later with my husband to celebrate our "babymoon." I truly love Disneyland and the "magic" that is palpable throughout the park. I knew that I wanted our children to be able to experience that same joy and magic that left me with such a lasting impression. With Uriah being 4, and a lover of all things Halloween, and Elijah being 2, and still free! (yay), we decided October was as good a time as any to give it a try!

It has been awhile since we traveled with the kids, but after commuting from Maryland to Hawaii, a 5 hour flight to California seemed like a walk in the park! Even still, I did my best to set ourselves up for success! I packed lots of snacks, new toys, coloring books, crayons, silly putty, new library books, and loaded the electronics with games and shows for the kids. Thankfully, it paid off because our boys were angels on the flight! We arrived late Friday afternoon, got our rental (Hotwire score - $21/day minivan!), some food, and checked-in to our hotel, the Hyatt Place Anaheim. The Hyatt place was a great option - it is only two blocks from Disney (and a 5 minute walk to a Disney shuttle) and had a yummy hot breakfast included in its rate. With the military discount, I believe we paid about $122/night (before taxes, parking fees, etc). All things considered, it was a really good deal for what we got. 

We wanted Day 1 to be chill so we could adjust to the time difference as well as ease into the chaos of Disney days. We ended up making our primary mission that day to get some legit Mexican food (something Rob has sorely missed ever since moving away from San Diego) and to  check out Downtown Disney, which would likely get the kids more excited for Disney the following day. We stopped at a place called Cali Tacos that had looked promising. It did not disappoint! Rob and I split the Carne Asada California burrito and another burrito (I can't exactly remember what was in it, but I CAN exactly remember that it was delicious). The burritos were MASSIVE, so tasty, and the best part was, we fed our entire family for $22! The portions were so generous that we weren't even able to finish everything! Cali Tacos hit the proverbial spot. 

I just ate lunch, and this burrito STILL looks so good.
That's how you know it's good. I'd be willing to eat this on a full stomach. LOL. #LifeMotto

From there, we went straight to Downtown Disney. It was bustling and busy, but still so much fun. We loved being able to walk through all the Disney themed shops, and to check out all the goodies and decorations on display. One of the things we stopped to admire was the sweet shop where they were making candy apples right in front of large glass windows! I'm sure that marketing strategy definitely brings in customers because the apples looked so delectable! Thankfully, I was disgustingly full from my Mexican food so I was able to narrowly resist the temptation. 

I fell in LOVE with a rose gold sequined Disneyland backpack, but talked myself out of it for both practicality and functionality's sake. It was so gorgeous, but at $90 and too small to house the black hole-sized bag required to contain kids' ALL THE THINGS, I decided against it. I honestly still find myself thinking wistfully about the bag now and then. I'll be fine...eventually. I placated myself with a new Disney shirt to wear on our trip :) At this same store, they also had the "Heidi Klum Minnie Tiara Headband," which sells for a cool $600.00! Someone (or multiple someones) will buy it, but that someone definitely won't be me. Decision made easy bc: 1.) It isn't even rose gold and 2.) $600. I prefer electricity in my house.

See that little hand? Even Elijah likes it. Honestly, if this thing goes on sale
ever, I still may get it. #YOLO .. ?

The boys, especially Uriah, were delighted with how decorated Downtown Disney was! There were huge candy and lollipop displays, along with a bunch of pumpkins and gourds. They also had a live music band which was totally not my cup of tea, but the boys liked it enough to run around and dance to them, so it was all good! 

The next morning was our first day at Disneyland! We let the kids sleep in, got some hotel breakfast in the knick of time (closes at 9am and everyone got up at probably 8:40 - 6:40 Hawaii time, so right on schedule!), and headed out to the park! Our first stop was Main Street so we could request a DAS pass for Uriah. The wait time for the pass was long - about 45 minutes - but it was so worth it. Disney is so awesome in that they really try to accommodate all of their guests, despite physical or other qualifying medical conditions. With the DAS pass, it allowed us to get a "return time," for one ride at a time. It doesn't reduce your wait time for the ride (e.g, if Peter Pan is a 40 min wait, you are still waiting the 40 min), but it does allow you to wait outside of the lines, and then return at the point a fast pass probably would return (20 min max wait in line, but in most cases, we walked right through.) This was so helpful; we often took the time for bathroom or snack breaks, or even just to sit and rest awhile. It was pretty crowded on all the days we went to the parks, but if we were near rides that had short wait times, sometimes we were able to ride a ride in between the wait! In addition to the DAS pass, we also were approved for a stroller pass. This was also incredible in that we were able to basically wheel the stroller up until the point where we could get on the ride (Same as where a wheelchair would have access).The one ride where we didn't use the stroller access (Radiator Springs Racers - Elijah wasn't tall enough) the 20 minute wait in line was brutal for me! Uriah wanted to climb under and on the rails, touch all the plants, all the water, etc. He was so easily distracted that I constantly was having to (what I felt like) drag him through the entire line. It really emphasized to me how grateful I was to have the accommodations we did! I think the passes really influenced and enhanced our wonderful Disney experience. Though we had park hoppers, we spent the entire day at Disneyland (and mostly Fantasyland, at that). The kids especially loved Dumbo and King Arthur's Carousel. 

Uriah generally loved all the rides - Elijah was generally a deer in the headlights. Thankfully, he didn't cry on rides, though! I thought Uriah would've loved the Haunted Mansion because he loves scary things and Halloween, AND the Nightmare Before Christmas. Disneyland decorates the Haunted Mansion and does a NBC themed version of the haunted house. At the very beginning of the ride, Uriah said he was all done, so Rob took Uriah and emergency exited the ride. 

I loved all of the details for the Nightmare Before Christmas-themed mansion!
To me, it was less scary than the original version. I wish Uriah could've lasted to get on to the actual ride; I
think he would've actually enjoyed it once he got past the very loud and dark hallway entrances.

One good thing about Uriah emergency exiting the ride was that he got solo time with Jack and Sally!
The exit just so happened to be the same balcony where Jack and Sally were waving to people in line from.
 Most people have to wait anywhere from 1-3hours some days to take a photo with them, and Uriah
was able to have exclusive one-on-one time with them by chance! 

Behold: The many terrified/unimpressed faces of Elijah during Disneyland rides. Mind you, these were
ALL obviously during little kid rides! HA!

Each day, we ended up leaving the parks no later than 8pm (our earliest day we left by 6:15!). Our kids powered through the day with no naps, and thankfully, don't really care all that much about fireworks or parades yet. We'll save that for our next trip.

Day 2 we started out at California Adventure. The boys both love Cars and Lightning McQueen, so seeing the entire Radiator Springs/Cars-themed section was so fun! The characters were even dressed in Halloween costumes, which was cool. Uriah was tall enough for the Radiator Racers ride, which is the Lightning McQueen roller coaster. It is SO FUN! That was both me and Rob's favorite ride! Luckily, we were able to take advantage of the rider switch, which allows for parents who have to split up to be able to ride the ride again with their child! (One of us had to stay back because Elijah was too small for the ride) Not only did it mean we got to go into the fastpass lane, it also meant that Uriah got to ride back-to-back! Radiator Racers and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree were the favorites of the day. 

Lightning McQueen is a superhero - see his cape? And the firetruck clown costume took 80 wigs to make!
(I watched a behind the scenes Disney Halloween special) Rob also bought Uriah those cars as a surprise.
He and Elijah were so happy with them, and we were glad to have some toys to play with during waits!

Even Mater got in on the Halloween fun and dressed up as a Mummy!

Uriah ended up wearing his noise canceling headphones on a lot of the rides. I didn't think we'd really need them,
but during a ride, Uriah covered his ears and said it was too loud. It's the first time we used the headphones,
and I was surprised how readily he accepted and liked them!

At the end of the day, we headed back to Disneyland to ride a few more rides (California Adventure closes earlier than Disneyland). The surprise favorite ride for the boys was the Finding Neemo submarine! It was SUPER LONG (I guess good to rest legs?), and honestly, pretty boring for me, but it was the first ride Elijah actually smiled on, so it made me happy!

On our final day, we started out at California Adventure to ride Radiator Racers one more time, then to try Guardians of the Galaxy. Uriah was too scared to ride it, so we ended up not going this time around. I did, however, get a chance to ride my favorite ride at California Adventure - the Incredicoaster! The wait time was 15 minutes, but because I was a single rider, I literally walked on to the ride! The other big thing that day was that we had reservations at Cafe Orleans so I could get my Monte Cristo. Every day, we packed a small soft cooler with snacks like veggie trays, sliced fruit, deli meat, cheese, boiled eggs, crackers, and waters. We were so glad to have done that because Disneyland food is pricey, and also for the most part super decadent. Aside from that, Uriah is a picky eater, so even if we do buy something for him, we don't really know if we will end up eating it. Anyway - that was our one sit down meal at Disneyland, and it did not disappoint! Rob got a yummy salad, I got a seafood and sweet potato étouffée starter, along with my Monte Cristo. It was delicious and hit the spot! The other goodies I got while there were some churros (NATURALLY), and churro flavored toffee that my friend Jodie recommended. I'm not a churro or toffee fanatic - I like them - but these were SO GOOD! When we go to Disneyland again, I know what I'm buying as a take-home treat!

We took Day 3 easy, since we were all pretty tired. We figured today was a free day to repeat the rides the kids really loved. We did Small World, Dumbo, Finding Neemo, and King Arthur's carousel a few times. It was the perfect ending to three busy but fantastic days!

We flew home on an early flight Wednesday. We were supposed to be split up by 2's, and 20 rows apart. Unbeknownst to us, a Hawaiian Air agent had found an entire row and put us all together. It was such a pleasant surprise! Elijah actually was able to lay across our laps and sleep, and it was also great to be able to switch the kid's seats when they started to get restless next to one of us. We had such an amazing trip, and made some wonderful memories, but there really is no place like home. 

Kids Say and Do the Darndest Things

An early morning conversation amongst brothers:

Uriah: Good morning, Elijah!
Elijah: (turns head swiftly to the side) NO THANK YOU


A polite declination:

Me: Elijah, it's time to go moemoe (nap).
Elijah: NO THANK YOU

A tense situation between Mother and Son:

I had been scolding Uriah for something he was doing while we were driving, and he told me, "Mama, STOP," while putting his hand up. I sternly told him to put his hand down, at which point he not only kept that hand up, but decided to bring his OTHER hand up just to show me how much he WASN'T putting his hand down. I had to turn away and laugh! 

A demonstration of retention:

I often will tell the boys to "Be nice," when they are starting to get in each other's faces, or do something to upset the other. Often now if I or Rob scolds Uriah or Elijah (or even Sophie!), Uriah will interject seriously, "MAMA. BE NICE."

A case of misunderstanding (perhaps, deliberately so):

Uriah: (general screaming that accompanies toddlerhood)
Me: URIAH, STOP SCREAMING.
Uriah: Ice cream!

A macabre dining experience:

Me: Elijah, eat your chicken (on repeat throughout meal)
Elijah (also on repeat before each bite): Cluck-cluck.

A case study in theatrics:

Uriah(on the floor scrunched in apparent agony after a light brush from Elijah): MAMA, my eye hurts.
Me: Oh no, are you all right?
Uriah (scrunching face continued): I need to go hospital.

An important reminder:

The other evening, I had been so tired after a day of energetic mischievous boys, rushing around, and completing tasks all while under the weather. We were at the dinner table, and I was scrolling mindlessly through my phone on a mental break when I heard Uriah in the background, "Mama. Mama. Mama. MAMA!" (for what felt like the millionth time that day, when in actuality, it was probably only the...hundreth time) to which I responded, "NOT RIGHT NOW URIAH MAMA IS BUSY." Uriah told me, "Mama. Don't be angry. Be happy." I immediately apologized and told him that I wasn't angry. He asked me again, "You happy, Mama?" and I told him yes, I am happy. <3 Love my sweet boy!

And So It Goes...(swiftly, apparently)

It's been so long since I've posted a blog - my last post was lamenting about how I hadn't posted in 7 months WELL GUESS WHAT: I made it a full year without a blog post. So take THAT, formerly woeful, seemingly busy, complaining self!

Uriah's 4th birthday and Elijah's 2nd birthday have come and gone, amongst other events (Rob completing chief training in Texas as well as our 5 year anniversary being the other immediately noteworthy items). So maybe I'll just do a mashup of the things I can think of off the top of my head.

Rob made chief last year (2018) while he was in San Angelo, TX for an unrelated training event. Chief initiation is notoriously arduous and intense, and in retrospect, I think Rob already being away was the best possible scenario during his Chief process. We were already accustomed to him being away, and, as I was living with my parents at the time,  I had lots of help with the boys. I know chief season includes a lot of long nights and draining activities, and I can only imagine how much more pressure and stress it must be for those who need to go home to their families and continue with their home responsibilities. Elijah and I ended up flying up to Texas for Rob's pinning ceremony (I took Elijah because he was just over one, and was still nursing). I had the craziest case of DOUBLE pink eye (both eyes) that I caught from Uriah just the day before we flew out, and I seriously looked like an apocalyptic monster. I'm talking --- if you pulled up google to research "pink eye," mine would be amongst the most frightening of images. I think because I had lash extensions at the time (to be extra pretty for Rob after not seeing each other for 4 months - all together now - HAHAHAHAHAHA), it exacerbated the situation. I ended up carrying hand sanitizer and wipes and sanitizing everything to be as considerate as I could. I wore dark shades almost the entire trip (even at our dimly lit dinner celebration - LAME!), and I hope people viewed it as me being tres chic vs tres snobby or tres weird.  Despite that major hiccup, the ceremony itself was so powerful and beautiful, and I was so proud of Rob!   

 

Uriah's 4th birthday was at Chuck E. Cheese this year. We invited friends and family, and it was so much fun to see how excited he was ALL DAY. He even had some old friends come back to visit (His friend, Vavau as well as Mrs. Lee from Kahaluu both showed up!) I got Uriah a "birthday shark" t-shirt from Etsy (he loves shark shirts right now!) that had the number 4 and his name on the back. He was so delighted to be wearing his special birthday shirt! The party was a bit pricey for a 4 year old as it was $15/kid and we had maybe 13 kids? plus bought two extra large pizzas and drinks for the adults in attendance, but we loved the convenience of having Chuck E. Cheese host, set-up, and clean-up the party! Right before they bring the cake out, they bring all of the birthday kids up front where everyone sings a birthday song. Uriah was SO CUTE! He loooooved the birthday song and was up there dancing and laughing the whole time. In fact, he loved it so much that he went up for the next TWO rounds of birthday songs (our party time had come and gone by then)! Luckily, the staff were so sweet and let him go back up and get sung to for the second and third times. While the price tag may've been a little steep, it was so rewarding to see how truly happy he was :) Can't put a price on that! (Sappy, I know. It sounded less cheesy in my head).

Elijah's second birthday party was small scale and chill - perfect for a 2 year old! A lot of our family was away on trips, but thankfully, Hoku and her gang were available to come. It was a fun day where we set up the pool and splash pad in our backyard, then ate some pizza, cake, and ice cream! I got Elijah a Paw Patrol cake from the commissary (both of the boys are obsessed with Paw Patrol right now) that was really cute and delicious. 

Our anniversary this year was our 5 year (WOW!), and we had talked about going back to our honeymoon resort on a landmark anniversary year. What was formerly the St.Regis is now the Princeville Resort. It's on the same gorgeous property overlooking Hanalei Bay. The resort is in need of some TLC, and as a result, they had some pretty good kamaaina rates going! (and when I say pretty good, it's still crazy, but maybe $300 cheaper?)  Apparently, there's supposedly some major renovations in the works for next year. Regardless, we had an awesome time lounging by the pool, sleeping in, and doing whatever we felt like just like the days before we had kids and their needs to consider. One of my absolute favorite things was being able to post up at the pool and read my book for a few hours. My favorite afternoon was spent alternating between lounging in and by the pool. We had a nice dinner at a popular local steakhouse, Bullshed. Rob got their grilled prime rib. It was CRAZY AMAZING GOOD. He ALWAYS orders the best stuff! I got a surf and turf, which was also good, but his prime rib definitely was the shining star. Even though we were only away for 2 nights, it felt so much longer getting that time to ourselves. Despite enjoying the break, we were excited to see our boys again. 

"Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming" - Swimming in Overdue Blogs

Well! So much has happened in the last few months since my last post (yes - the last entry was from when Elijah was 6 months, and he is currently 13 months. OOPS #MomLife #WhatIsFreeTime #WhyBlogWhenYouCanChaseChildrenAllDay)

From the time of my last blog post, the following major events have occurred:

-Our family moved from Maryland to Hawaii
-My sister Beth got married!
-Rob went to Texas for his new job post training
-Uriah turned 3
-Elijah turned 1
-Rob turned 37
-Uriah started preschool
-Rob made Chief!

I'd ALSO like to add that all of these events  occurred between May 15 and August 10. Suffice it to say, it has been a very busy summer for our family!

Rob is currently in San Angelo, TX for training (you can find San Angelo in the Dictionary under "Boondocks", as well as "armpit of Texas"). Temperatures average 100+ degrees in the daytime, and even 90 degrees at night! Thankfully, Rob is staying in a hotel with some great AC. Rob left at the end of May, and will be in training until the middle of September. We definitely miss him, and it's been a long few months for us! A good reminder is that while this training is long and inconvenient, this job post made it possible for us to transfer back to Hawaii. I'd say that's a small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things. 

While Rob is away, we have been blessed to be staying with my parents in the interim, so I have daily help with the boys from my Mom. It's great that the boys are getting to spend some quality time with their Grandparents, since we haven't lived in Hawaii from when Uriah was 6 months old! It's great to see how much the boys love their Grandparents, and it's ALSO great for me to get help with the daily tasks like meals, bath time, bedtime/reading stories, and generalized running after kids! These ages require so much energy, and I'm so glad I have my Mom to help shoulder some of the load for me while Rob is away. Being in Hawaii in general has been so nice, as all the cousins love spending time with the boys, and vice versa! I love that we are finally getting to be there for family events and get togethers again.

Uriah's birthday party was low-key, and just perfect for him! Since he currently loves dinosaurs, we got him a dinosaur birthday cake from Safeway, and decorated the house with various dinosaur decorations. We had his favorite food, Little Cesar's Pizza, and the kids played in the little pool we bought for the backyard. All in all it was the perfect day!

Elijah's birthday party was awesome, too. We got him a small little smash cake, and had pizza again (pizza is so easy and `ono. We love that option, obviously!) 

Elijah turns 6 months! WHAT?! (See also: Mom has been busy NOT blogging)

I cannot believe that Elijah is already 6 months! Where does the time go?! Between feedings, and diaper changes for two kids, and the busyness of LIFE, blogging has fallen to the wayside. That's mostly OK, except for the fact that this is somewhat my "baby book/journal," so tired me needs to fight the urge to sit and watch something vs. demand more from my brain to sit down and construct cohesive thoughts. In addition to that, my 'opihi actually doesn't give me much time at all (see: 20 or 40 minute naps) to sit and write, and part of nap time is used to do some cleaning or eat lunch! Case in point: I just wrote three sentences, and I hear Elijah waking up from his nap. This could've been directly as a result from his brother yelling gibberish from his crib. I swear, Uriah never is as awake/amped or talkative than when he is in his crib for nap time. #THESTRUGGLE

ANYWAY. Enough of my complaining! Let's get to the meat and potatoes! (which, by the way, sounds absolutely delicious in comparison to the boring tuna sandwich I just had)

5 months

6 months

Some current highlights for Elijah:
-In the 70%s for height, and the 30s for weight (both my guys are more slender - from whom do they get this gene?!) His pediatrician said his growth and development look wonderful and are right on track!
-has started eating solid foods! We started rice cereal and poi at 4.5 months after our pediatrician OK'd it to see if it would help with sleep. It didn't - but he loved eating and did really well with it right from the beginning, so we continued to give him 1 meal at night. Nowadays, he gets 2-3 meals, and we have introduced more of a variety of foods. So far, he has had rice cereal, poi, sweet potato, banana (hated), avocado (disliked), prunes, pears, butternut squash, and peas! Everything except for the prunes and pears have been homemade. I don't mind making baby food, and love knowing exactly how it is made and what went into it (i.e., INGREDIENT + LOVE).

Banana? DISGUSTING

Absolutely revolting

-his "lovely hula hands" or tentacle arms. He has the most animated and active hands EVER. When he's happy, the hands are a-flappin. When he's upset, the hands are a-flappin. I'm surprised he hasn't levitated off the ground yet.

-He has two bottom teeth and two more on the way in! (He got the bottom teeth really early at 4.5 months!) 
-He has recently started sleeping bigger stretches at night, which generally is anywhere from 4-7 hour blocks. Since he is still nursing, this kind of a block is pretty good and not out of the ordinary. 
-He is doing lots of babbling and baby talk. Can make the M and D sounds, so it sounds like he is saying Mama and Dada!
-he can sit up for a few minutes unassisted! 
-is a perpetually happy baby. He doesn't sleep much, but really, that's the only challenge he's really given. He is such a happy and pleasant baby! Even if he was  just crying, once he's picked up, he's back to his happy self with lots of smiles to give away. He is my happy boy.

Sitting up like a big boy!

Looking dapper for church

Smiles for miles

Uriah has a lot to update, as well! 

-Uriah can recognize numbers 1-8 (out of order, and randomly!) He notices the numbers on the elevator, TV, on the bottoms of his stacking cups...really anywhere! I was shocked that he is already able to do this! He can also count from 1-20 and 20-1 (I realized this when his Super Simple Songs was playing a number song and he could do the whole thing!)

-He can identify letters A, O, N, M, Y, S (from what I can say for sure - there may even be more!) 

-Is very polite, and says "thank you" and "you're welcome" regularly....even in instances where it makes me roll my eyes. For example, I told him to get down from the table (he was climbing onto the table), and when he got down I told him THANK YOU, to which he responded "you're welcome!" Rob was also changing his dirty diaper, and as Rob was cleaning him, he said, "Thank you!" So polite! Almost TOO POLITE. haha.

-He also has been paying attention to Rob's football antics, because now he ALSO will say, "COME ON!!!" "LET'S GO!!!!!!!!" JUST like Rob does. It's pretty cute.

-He loves taking out his hairbrushes daily, and saying, "Brush Hair!" even though he ACTUALLY HATES brushing his hair. 

-Speaking of taking things out, he is in the current phase of life where dumping things out is more fun than playing with the things. Nothing tops a good dumping of books from the bookshelf, or an entire bag of blocks, or all the puzzle pieces, or stacking cups, or basically anything that was once contained. Suffice it to say, every day is D-Day (aka DUMPING DAY) in our house.

Some of his fine handiwork

-Uriah currently loves screaming. Apparently, this is just a kid thing? All kids love it? WHY?! IDK but it drives me and Rob to insanity and back at least 5 times a day. I've tried "Stop screaming",  the even nicer "quiet voices in the house", we've tried threatening, even a little swat. NOTHING WILL QUELL THE BURNING DESIRE TO SCREAM. NOTHING!!!

-He also LOVES a good chase! Pretty much any time there's some distance between you and him, and you take one step towards him, he turns it into a game of chase. ESPECIALLY when something needs to get done! (E.G., brushing teeth, taking a bath, napping, changing diaper, etc) I basically have to avoid eye contact, and move REALLY SLOWLY so I can make it as UNFUN as possible. Even THAT usually doesn't work. If all else, he is determined to have fun! 

-He got his first haircut last month! His hair was going into his eyes, and we found a gal on base who cuts  curly hair (she also has similar hair texture to uriah, which was a bonus). She was so awesome, and Uriah did great! He looked very NOT thrilled to be there, but he didn't cry or move around or anything! His hair is much easier for us to manage now.

THIS FACE!!! Priceless.

Uriah's current favorites are dinosaurs, donuts, trains (especially Thomas), the movies Secret Life of Pets and Lion King, and of course, Elijah. Uriah is such a good older brother, and displays such sweetness and love for Elijah EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I love being able to witness that.

 

*melt* Ladies, hold onto your ovaries.

Lastly I wanted to write down a few funny things Uriah has said,  because I know I'll forget soon enough. When we went on our Ohio trip and were all staying in a hotel room (that's for another blog), Uriah was in a crib but sharing our room, which was new for him. He kept wanting to get up, so I kept saying "LAY DOWN"..."LAY DOWN"..."LAAAAY DOWN!" Not too long after that, Elijah started fussing so I got up to go tend to him, when I hear Uriah from the crib telling me, "LAY DOWN..." HA!! 

I also used my fur lined coat on this trip, which Uriah hadn't seen me use before! When I put the hood up, Uriah saw me and said, "Lion King!" 

I guess it does look pretty mane-ish

Well! That's the update for now! I'm sure by the time I write a blog again, another 6 months will have gone by! (But let's hope not.. :)