Thanksgiving 2010

Every year, we have a large family gathering for Thanksgiving with about 5o people in attendance. We gather at a different house each year and this year Derek and I had the opportunity to open up our home. We are still so grateful for our house that has plenty of space for us, and we enjoyed being able to use it to get the family together. It was fun to see the house filled up with so many people of all ages and hear the kids laughing and running around.

Julie made the turkey and mashed potoatoes, as those two items of the potluck are the hostess' responsibility. My cousin took Karis the day before for most of the day so that I could get the house ready. Derek borrowed the tables and chairs from church and our landord let us borrow some nice tablecloths. Thankfully, everyone was able to sit comfortably and enjoy the evening.

The kids went to the playground across the street before dinner, ran around the house after dinner and then later roasted marshmallows in the backyard firepit. Plenty of people stayed afterwards to clean up and put the house back together.

What a fun evening! We may even do this again. =)

Our Sweet Litle Girl

Update on the Sisterhood

The last couple days, Makena and Karis have been so cute together. I usually take one of them with me when I get the other one out of her crib after a nap or first thing in the morning. They get so excited to see each other. Makena smiles real big and Karis does her little girly laugh.

Karis now likes to eat breakfast and dinner when Makena does. They keep each other entertained and Karis no longer has to watch TV during each meal.

We put an inflatable pool in Karis room and filled it with balls and stuffed animals. Karis always wants Makena in it with her. Even at the park, Karis wants Makena to be with her.

I love that Karis is starting to enjoy having a "live-in playmate." Now, don't get me wrong. She still pushes her, takes her toys away and sits on her when she's crawling, but she has been having a lot of good moments of being a great big sister.

Pearly Whites

Guess who got her first two teeth?

Okay, that was an easy question.

I hope this puts an end to the constant drooling for a little bit!

Makena's 1st Balloon

It's always fun to see a baby experience something new for the first time. Last Saturday, we took the kids to Chick-fil-A for lunch so that Karis could play in the indoor play area. I got a balloon for both Kairs and Makena. You'll see by the picture and the video that Makena loved the balloon and had so much fun with it.

Quick Update on Makena

Makena is now 7 1/2 months old. She crawls all over the house. If she's not crawling, she is standing up. She has just started to stand up on her own. I think she will be walking soon...




She's also saying "mama" and "night-night".

Daddy Daughter Time

This is what they do when I'm not around...

Halloween 2010

Karis and Makena have been sick, so we didn't do much for Halloween. Earlier in the day, our neighbor told Karis to come by to trick-or-treat. So, I found a wrap shirt and my hat from cooking school. Voila! -- a sushi chef. She went next door and scored some chocolate candy for me. =)

I found a costume that someone had given us awhile back, so I put Makena in it. Here is a quick video of the two of them.




The day after Halloween, I looked on Facebook and saw a bunch of cute photos of my friends' kids in their costumes. I wanted to take a photo of Makena in her costume. Well, she still wasn't feeling well and she didn't want to be confined in a big puffy costume. I took two shots and then stopped because I couldn't bear to see her suffer. Here is my "cute" photo of my child in her costume. I call it, "The Very Unhappy Caterpillar."