Monday, August 6, 2012

Milestones

Aliana Ka'iulani will be 5 years old in a matter of weeks, and I cannot believe how fast time has flown by, seems just like yesterday she made her appearance into our world. Next week she hits a big milestone: Kindergarten! There are baby milestones, toddler milestones, then there are BIG Girl Milestones...which we have approached.

Its Bittersweet for me because I am happy and excited for her to enter elementary school, have school friends and then there's the part of me having the thought of her away from me for so many hours, not knowing what she is doing, how she is interacting with her classmates. This is coming from a mommy who cried she went to newborn diapers to size 1 hahahaha i basically teared up at every milestone she hit. hahaha


this is morning and afternoon and an elementary school! with a Principal, Vice Principal, GRADES and everything! i mean i will be getting a report card! yes, its pretty easy to pass kindergarten, but this is the beginning of her learning career! She's all set, her school supplies are waiting for her at her desk, she picked out her Rapunzel backpack and lunch bag. Now i have to come up with ideas for lunch! hahaha

Aliana has taken more interest into Gymnastics. I enrolled her in a preliminary one month class, once a week, and if she REALLY likes and wants to continue i will enroll her in Castle Rock Gymnastics Gym. I can have big dreams for my children, my big dream is for her to compete at the Olympics, lol! people might laugh at me, or think its unrealistic, but if you put your mind to it, and she works hard enough, and we give her all the support she needs, i know she can succeed! hahaha

Now the Boys: they are liking their Soccer class. Especially Brody, he is def our soccer boy, like my big dream for Ali haha, i have a dream that one day maybe Brody will be the next David Beckham lol!! Kaleb might me the next Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte because he loves swimming! hahahahaha Like I said, give them all the support they need and they can succeed in any endeavor. Matt is very more realistic, which is good because he grounds my thinking hahahaha. they will start preschool when they are fully potty trained, they aren't quite there yet....but still slowly working on it. slowly but surely.....it will happen!!! they will be 3 in a couple weeks, and thats when they should catch on!! and thats another Milestone they will achieve!

Basically, Milestones are to show they are growing up! TOO FAST!!!! and then mommies have what i call happy tears because we are filled with happy/sad emotions hahaha!


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Being a Parent of Twins

I am a parent of a singleton and identical twins. when the twins were born, i had no idea i was going to be entering a whole new different world, i had some idea of course, but when they made their appearance into our world, it was a lot more than i thought. yes, the double everything, but the comments, and reactions from the people around us. When they were newborns, we couldn't make it through the store without being stopped so people can admire and ask questions....seemed like every aisle we got stopped, or received a comment....at first it was cool to be getting lots of attention....but then after a few months it started to annoy the heck out of me! just going to the farmers market in downtown anchorage, we basically had a question and answer period for a while hahaha still happens when we go places...

now that the twins are 2 years old, they are typical rambunctious, temper tantrum 2 year olds. there's just 2 of them, so yes a bit more extra noise, but to me it shouldn't be caused for concern...i always get a comment from a parent and yes ALWAYS at the store, the mall, parent and child classes, playground..."Wow, you have your hands full!" "how do you do it?" "are they yours?" "are they identical?"  "oh you have 3 kids total?!" "they look expensive" and they always have a scared reaction on their face, or cringe their mouth and eyebrows....

normally i am nice about the nice questions, like are they identical? its a nice basic question...my friend Erika gave me a perfect comeback answer when people always make the you have your hands full comment, my answer "yes hands full of love" well that works perfectly because they shut up after that....hahaha but when asked if they are mine? well, sometimes i ponder to give them a truthful answer or a sarcastic answer....most of the time i choose sarcasm because its just my nature lol....and they hate me afterwards lol!

when the comment: you have 3 kids? is mentioned, another ponder of sarcasm or be nice, when its my monthly pmsing, i say, wow you can count! lol!!! and the expensive comment, well...yes twins are double everything, and maybe someone can give me a good comeback for that comment, so far i have nothing because dammit they are right lol!

i have read a few books of parenting of identical twins, because apparently in the science world identicals are more favorable than the fraternals because they were 1 egg split into two, and cannot discover why it happens, fraternal twins are much more easier to explain because its 2 seperate eggs, and you're welcome for that information if you didn't know already lol! .......a lot of the twin stuff really is interesting if you are into that. having twins is a whole new world of parenting, such as to seperate the twins or keep them together at all times and have them do the same things at the same time....its a lot to think about....i understand the curiosity of people who don't have twins, and their comments and questions...the parenting books let me know that i wasn't alone hahaha

i have realized i have to accept the attention because its never going to stop....people are going to come at me with their remarks, and i can either take it like a big girl, or just shake my head and to pretend i was listening....hahahaha. all my babies are a blessing! they are seriously our miracle babies, and HANDS FULL OF LOVE! <3

Monday, February 13, 2012

House Hunting Day 1

yesterday, Sunday the 12th, we made a list for a realtor to take us to the houses we picked out from the mls website in parker, and castle rock. 3 of the 7 were short sales :/ but to kill time we looked at them anyways, and let me tell you, pictures are deceiving! lol! even to the realtor, one of them we both liked just looking at the pics, well the second we walked in, it wreaked of cigarettes, the carpet was NASTY!, and it was a such a really nice home, huge yard, and its a shame how people don't take care or pride in taking care of their home, and the owners were there too. hahaha we walked in, said thank you and walked out. i didn't want my kids to touch or breathe air from that house! hahaha. onto the next few, matt and i couldn't agree on either of them, we spent 4 hours looking at houses! we didn't like one, there was one Matt really really liked, and i didn't feel like i had a fair chance to really look into it because it was awkward that it was during an open house so the realtor was there, so tonight we are going back to look at it again...and this time i think matt is hoping i really like it, so we can make an offer lol! we shall see.....its in a good neighborhood too. spoke to one of the neighbors, and she said there are tons of kids, and they all play in the street....not sure if i am okay with that....its in Parker, and thats what we like about it, the neighbor said the schools are great! her kids go to the elementary, so i am writing this all down so i can look back at my notes, and really consider it.

we also picked out a few other houses to look at during the week, hopefully we find one soon! it would be nice to look forward to moving into a new long term house! and call it HOME! :)

Wish Us Luck and thank you friends for all your house hunting tips!!! i will for sure be utilizing your ideas!! Have a good week! and tomorrow is Hallmark's holiday, Valentines day!! we had our valentines day night this past saturday, we were looking forward to pf chang's but it was a 2 hour wait and we got there at 530pm!! crazy! so we went next door to earl's and they were ugh okay, my martini tasted like cough syrup when i got to the bottom, and the food was just okay....lesson learned....i did have cheesecake from the cheesecake factory, and twilight breaking dawn part 1 came out on dvd, and i watched it saturday night as well!! so it was a good weekend!! :)

have a great week everyone!! xoxoxo

Monday, February 6, 2012

A Brand New Adventure

November 2011, we got the news that Matt's work is relocating him to Denver, Colorado!! I was super ecstatic, to finally get out of alaska! i never liked the winters there, it was depressing. having almost 20 hours of darkness, and brutal single to negative temperatures was not good at all! Denver, was a better area for us. They offered Honolulu, Hawaii, but for the best of the kids, Denver seemed the way to go. the week after Thanksgiving, the movers came and packed up our stuff, and loaded it all up in the trailer in ONE day! it was impressive of them, but also stressful for me! i am so thankful my in-laws were there to help out! they were amazing! it was a stressful few days, but we got through it! and my in-laws finally witnessed how insane their son can be! and its not just me! lol!! December 5th, we said GoodBye Anchorage Alaska!! The kids and I stayed with my parents the entire month of December, while matt was in denver working, and we spent our first xmas with my parents in omaha, ne since 2008! the kids loved being around more people than just me and their daddy lol! they were SPOILED! we were planning for our house to sell during that month....but its now February 6th, and it still hasn't received an offer....its getting crunch time now because as of tomorrow, we only have a month before Kiewit stops paying for our temporary apartment....haha. there's no way we can have two living expenses! so please, Jesus have our house get an offer this week!!! :)

The kids and i have been in Denver, since January 2nd, and we love this place! MORE SUNSHINE!!! and the weather is warm (to us) and we have been to the playground alot, and lots more to do here! every weekend, we have been taking drives to view all the potential living areas, and so far we love Castle Rock and Parker areas. they both have schools that rank high in the nation! the neighborhoods are quiet, and everyone here is nice, and welcoming! Lots of activities for the little ones to get involved in. and of course, the shopping and restaurants that i have missed!!!

another plus, is we are closer to our families! 14 hour drive to minneapolis, 8 hour drive to Omaha, and also short and cheaper flights to cali, az, mn, and ne or anywhere else! and direct flights to Hawaii!!!

so far, we are having fun on our new adventure, and once we move into a house, and get settled in, its only going to get better!

yes we are experiencing, hurdles along this new journey, but at the end it will all be worth it

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

PEACE

the weekend of Sept. 9th, i took time to take care of myself, and i traveled away from my babies for the first time in 4 years, to attend the celebration of Life for my Uncle Kyle with my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and close friends of his. i am grateful to have such a wonderful husband who stayed at home in alaska with the kids for 3 1/2 days and he is extremely supportive of me. I kept calling him Super Daddy for the weekend! lol!! I had to take care of myself for once, and i am so glad i did.

His celebration of life was September 10th, exactly 2 months since god ended his suffering. it was the first time in 2 months for me, that I felt a sense of PEACE. It all became real to me that he was gone. seeing my nana(his mother), my aunty's (his sisters) comforted me, and my cousins well, they're NUTS but I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! and I am sure Uncle Kyle was so happy to see us all together giving him all the attention! lol! i also saw the box his ashes was in and it was a strange feeling for me, but a good one...its hard to explain. He wanted his ashes to be scattered in the ocean in hawaii. so next November on his birthday is when we will be doing that for him. I MISS HIM!!

There is literally not a day goes by that I think of him! He's always in my mind, and i when i take aliana to dance class, i ask him to help her dance amazing! and help her be graceful like he was. of course there are times that make me miss him a lot more, for instance aliana like to play with her my little pony's hair, and her barbies, and it brings back memories of me and my uncle kyle playing with my little ponies hair and he would do something really cool with their hair.

When it was the twins birthday and Aliana's birthday this past couple weeks, it was weird not getting a phone call, or a facebook post from him wishing them a happy birthday...my birthday is next week, and its going to be a tough birthday for me, because he ALWAYS called no matter what he was doing....hopefully he comes to me in spirit on my birthday or even in my dreams to wish me a happy birthday. hahaha

i like the feeling of peace. its calming, uplifting, and of course just PEACEFUL <3

Oh and I got the best news ever last saturday! My brother in law and his wifey are having their first BABY!!!! I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNTY!!!!!!!!! MATT IS GOING TO BE AN UNCLE!!!!!! and the kiddos are going to have a COUSIN!!! I AM SUPER EXCITED!!!!!!!! I AM GOING TO BE THE BEST FUN FAVORITE AUNTY (i am the only aunty) lol!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

In Memory of My Uncle Kyle Barretto

i know i mentioned in my last blog that my uncle kyle was getting better everyday. well it took a turn for the worst in july. July 10, 2011 at 8:30pm my uncle kyle barretto became an angel in heaven. Jesus didn't want him to suffer from the burkitt's lymphoma (a rare type of lymphoma, a blood cancer). He was surrounded with his mother, and his sister (my aunty terri) and other family members in the hospital room. He was strong, and he never gave up, but unfortunately the cancer was too aggressive for him. He made peace with himself going to heaven. which makes me happy knowing he was at peace, and he doesn't have to suffer through the physical pain of needles, chemo effects, lab tests, etc. when i got the word that he had passed, of course i broke down, i was an emotional wreck for a week, my hubby is amazing, always comforting me during one of my "moments." it just didn't seem real to me, we just saw him in good physical health in february, beginning of march. and he was diagnosed end of march! and 4 months later, he's gone. i had to explain to Aliana what happened to uncle kyle, because she remembers him, and that was really hard for me. how do you explain to a 3 year old about heaven?....then when my sister was painting her nails, aliana said, "aunty nalani, can you paint my nails like uncle kyle did in hawaii?!" my sister about lost it hahahaha.....sometimes i think fate, destiny, whatever you wanna call it, brought me and my family to hawaii to see him in good health before all this happened. he got to meet my babies, and spend time with him! what also is hard for me, is when we were saying bye in hawaii, he asked what we were doing for christmas? and i said, we were thinking of going to california, and he said he was going to do the same thing, and the next time we would see eachother (in person) would be christmas in california.... :'( of course him being diagnosed with cancer was beyond our plans!....basically this christmas is going to be hard.........i miss him soooo much! he was always on facebook, and now its not the same without his funny comments, his videos, his pictures!, everything!

Him passing so quickly, made me realize, anything can happen at any given time. it also, motivated matt and i to make a last will, and living will, (yes there's a difference) and we still need to work on some final details. we have to protect our babies.

there are so many many memories with me and my uncle kyle. there a few that stick out:

memory #1: when he came to visit us in okinawa, japan, it was around Halloween time, and i think i was about 7 or 8 years old, and he made a showgirl costume for me! lol! it was awesome! i had these big pink boa feathers attached to my pink tiara and the butt part of my black multi color glitter leotard LOL! out of all the little girls trick or treating, i was the only "unique" one! lol!! i also had a lot of make-up on! hahahahaha

memory#2: when we moved to hawaii, i was about 10-11 years old, and he convinced my mom really hard to dye my hair! he dyed my hair a nice reddish color, and even though he tried his hardest to teach me how to style my hair, i never gave my best effort, i was too lazy, he knew i was, but always tried to teach me new tricks to style it lol!

memory#3: he walked my mother (his sister) down the aisle to marry the best step-father a girl could ask for! that made my mom so happy, and me too of course! during that wedding week, he also taught me how to properly wear my make-up and not look like a hooker lol! thank you uncle kyle!

memory#4: he made me a beautiful bride! he did my hair and make-up! and he placed my veil. he made me look and feel beautiful for my wedding day! and that is the one memory i will ALWAYS cherish! he played a tremendous part!

memory#5: he called me right away when Aliana was born, and congratulated me and matt, and he said he couldn't wait to put her in a showgirl halloween costume! hahahaha, now i will do it for him....he will just laugh in heaven lol!

memory#6: he met my babies this past year, and my babies adored him! Aliana was always excited to see him! and especially having him paint her nails, which he admitted it wasn't the best talent he had lol! we had so much fun hanging out at the beach, walking down waikiki, enjoying a cheesecake from the cheesecake factory together, talking story, also enjoying his Lychee Martini hahaha, he cut and styled my hair, and he gave me the inspiration to get purple highlights in my hair, cause he had purple highlights, and i loved it! and i am not getting rid of them until my hair grows out.

there's many more memories, but these stuck out for me....and every night i always pray to him, and ask him to meet in my dreams. not sure if its happened yet because i can never remember my dreams when i wake up lol. but i do know he is with us when i ask for him!

This weekend the 10th will mark 2 months since his passing, and family relatives and close friends are having a Celebration of Life for him in california. I am going down there friday, just me, myself and I. hubby has work, (doesn't make sense to pay for 5 plane tickets for a weekend) and i need to go for my own sanity. plus its great excuse to clear my head, and get a weekend getaway from "mommyhood" i LOVE my babies, its just mommy can go crazy every now and then lol! i think uncle kyle would appreciate me catching a break lol!

my final thoughts: My uncle Kyle was a true inspiration to me. he taught me the value of life, and that every individual is unique, and always have fun everyday!, life is too short to have negativity in it. May you rest in peace Uncle Kyle, and always watch over me and my ohana. the journey that we shared will now have to leave, but will live inside of us for eternity <3 I LOVE YOU!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

the past few days have been truly a challenge of strength, love, and celebrating a life.

the good news is, My uncle Kyle is getting better everyday. his chemo treatments have been working. of course losing his hair takes some time getting used to, but rest assured when he is in remission his hair will come back! or he can enjoy wigs! hehe. and he has been having more energy, getting outside more, but of course not over doing it. he's taking it one day at a time. i wish i could be there with him through all this, just a good excuse to go to hawaii right?! heehee.

My Cousin Chris and his wife Ashley Folsom, had their twin girls on June 3, 2011. Kailani Maci and Aolani Andi. Aolani had a heart birth defect, where basically the left side of her heart wasn't forming correctly as it should have, and they were born at 33 weeks. she had to really make it to 36 weeks to have a really good chance at survival. Unfortunately, due to unexpected events Aolani was taken to Heaven on June 9th during a procedure the surgeons were doing to prepare to fix her heart. Of course this was devastating to the entire families. but most of all her parents. to be honest, i am not the best with words of sympathy or when it comes to dealing with a loss of a loved one. everyone has their own way dealing with things like this, and I just keep quiet to myself and listen to my voice within.

They have been getting tremendous support from friends and family all over! and support from the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and my cousin opened The Pure Heart Fund (i will post more info on my fb profile) for those who would like to help them out with their personal ventures. My cousin wants to help other families whose babies have rare heart birth defects. I give them lots of kudos for dealing with all of this the best they can, and i know as a parent myself i can't fathom what they are going through, but i do know its not the pain any mother should feel. My HEART goes out to them!!!!!! I love them soooo much! Thank goodness, they still have her twin sister, Kailani, Aolani will be watching over her, and will always be with her, her entire life. Kailani is doing awesome, she's thriving, and will be able to leave the nicu in 2-3 weeks now! thats awesome! After these recent events with my family members, i look at life as a precious moment. Live one day at a time, and live in every moment! For all my friends who gave their condelences thank you! it shows who can take 2 mins from your life to look at mine. I thank you for that! and for those who still haven't said anything.....i will be cleaning my facebook friends list soon.....

ok i really have to go now because my twins are biting the laptop cover....as i am typing.......O-M-G!!!! lol!!! the joys of motherhood!
love
nalia