Happy Spring!
Welcome to The Arakaki "Ohana" (family) blog! We hope you enjoy all our updates! It's a neat way to keep all our family & friends up to speed with what we're up to without bombarding you with constant emails and pictures. It's a view at your convenience so we hope you save us to your favorites! Makayla & Mylee are just growing way too fast for us! We have a lot going on so come back soon!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Mylee is 2-months old w/ Pooh Bear
Well it's been 2-months already. Mylee's monthly picture with her Mr. Pooh Bear. She weighs in at 10lbs. and 22 inches long. Probably in the 25th percentile like her big sis Makayla. They seem to be exactly the same with their growth. I'll have to double check but maybe Mylee is a little heavier at this age then Makayla was. She's really a good sleeper still. I think we've been very lucky from the beginning with her. Pretty much sleeping through the night. Goes down at around 10:30pm for the evening and then really doesn't wake up again until about 5:30am. That's pretty darn good for a newborn! She's really losing her hair so we hope it grows back soon. And she's starting to smile. We do tummy time and it only last for a little bit and then she gets fussy. She's eating around 4-5 ounces at a time. I think that's it for this month.
Mak Gets In.......
We finally got an answer today from Surf City Christian Preschool that there's an official opening for her in the fall a.m. program on MWF. We're so excited even though we just had the biting incident. We're pretty sure this is the right school for her. Her really good friend Jordan is also able to be in the same class, which is what we wanted. They are a really nice family for Makayla to be around. Even though they're offering us MWF we're only ready for Mon. & Wed. We think it's too much to do 3 days a week since she is still really young. We've done our homework and know quite a bit of people that already attend and it's gotten rave recommendations. This is a really big deal for us since Makayla will be in school from 8:30am - noon. That's a long time to be away from family since that's all she's been with. Will keep you posted on how she does....Hopefully well! The nice thing is she's going to have the same teachers as she did in her little intro to preschool over the summer program.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
No Biting!
There was an incident at Makayla's preschool today. A little boy bit her! I couldn't believe it when they told me when I picked her up. It was so hard that I could see the bruise on her arm that had teeth marks. But good thing it didn't break her skin. Of course they couldn't tell me who did it, just a boy but I guess that's to protect everyone. It caught me really off guard and I was more hurt for Makayla then anything. I didn't even have all the right questions to ask the teacher, but they did assure me that it wouldn't happen again and that they know exactly who did it to keep an eye out. It made me really wonder if she was in the right school or if she should even be at school yet. This wouldn't happen if she was just at home with us and we were watching her. All these things going through my head. Once I was calm and settled I went to speak with the school director and she made me feel better all around and that it will be taken care of and they won't tolerate it. I started staying with Makayla little longer when I drop her off since there are still a few kids that are quite fussy so the teachers are really distracted. I don't leave until things are calm now, which is what I should have done from the beginning. Part of me learning too as a parent.
Earthquake!
My girls experienced thier very first earthquake today! It was scary! We think it was about a 4.0 out in Corona but it really shook pretty hard here. I was actually at work and the Grandma's were at home with the girls. We were so worried but finally got a hold of them at home and everything was fine. The pots & pan rack shook a lot and made a lot of noise and I think that's what scared Makayla the most. Everything was fine except for we had few pictures on the wall fall and cracked a little bit but everybody was fine. Mylee was just sleeping and too young to notice anything.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Uncle Eddie Visits
Uncle Eddie came to visit Mylee for the first time and the rest of us since it's been forever! I don't see Eddie but once in a blue moon but when I do it's great! He's an old friend from college and I'm so glad that we do keep in touch. He brought the girls the cutest matching shirts. They have a little milk carton holding hands with a cookie and it says "I Love You!". He also got Makayla some books to read too. She just loves her books and Eddie hit it right on the nose! We chit chatted for a long time and then went to CPK to eat when Ryan came home from work. It was really good catching up with you Eddie! Makayla really liked Eddie too and played with him a lot! Thanks for the visit and goodies and we hope to see you sooner than months at a time!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Chuck E. Cheeses
Makayla's cousins go to Chuck E. Cheese's all the time and they asked us to join them tonight. We're not really regulars there at all. I think Makayla's only experience was last year at a birthday party. She really enjoyed it but what did I expect. They played and played together. She loves playing with her cousins and I love it too since her big cousin Alyssa really watches and takes care of her so I can take a little break when they're around. The took this photo in one of the fun machines and it drew their picture. Don't they just all look like they're older?
From left to right is Alexis, Alyssa & Makayla.
From left to right is Alexis, Alyssa & Makayla.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Makayla turns 2 1/2
We can't believe that she's already 2 1/2 years old! She now weighs in at 30lbs and 34 inches tall. This is with her bear that she's had since she's been born and she is just silly with him when we bring him out. There's been a lot of changes with Makayla. She's like a grown up now. She has really complete sentences and you can really have a little conversation with her. She knows her alphabets and numbers up to about 15. We're working on her to start recognizing the letters and numbers next. One thing at a time. She's a sharp cookie already so she should pick it up real fast, but we don't want to push her too much. She loves to sing and knows the words to almost all her favorite songs that she listens too. There's probably a bunch more that I just can't remember right now but I'm sure we'll log some more stuff for you as time goes by on our blog.
Say Cheese with Mr. Bear!
She's also wanted to take a picture with her little Hippo from Valentine's Day this year. Big cute smile as usual! No wonder she can get away with so much. That smile is just irresistible and she knows it!
Say Cheese with Mr. Bear!
She's also wanted to take a picture with her little Hippo from Valentine's Day this year. Big cute smile as usual! No wonder she can get away with so much. That smile is just irresistible and she knows it!
Watkins Visit Mylee
Lucille and Michael Watkins met up with us at 7 courses of beef today to meet Mylee for the first time. It was so nice of them to drive all the way from Hanford. Lucille & Michael are Janai's parents, my sis-in-law. They are great! Binh & Janai also came up from San Diego for dinner. Her mom scrapbooks with us too during the year when she can come to town. They came with generous gifts for both of our girls. Makayla got a new Dora telephone that she can decorate with pretty stickers and her little sis Mylee got scrapbook supplies for her baby milestones album. Thank you so much to the Watkins! And of course, 7 courses of beef was yummy as usual!
Here is Lucille holding baby Mylee.
Lucy trying to soothe Mylee a bit since she was a little fussy. And that's Mike & Janai next to her. Mike is great, he's the perfect example of a scrappers husband. Always taking photos.
Here is Lucille holding baby Mylee.
Lucy trying to soothe Mylee a bit since she was a little fussy. And that's Mike & Janai next to her. Mike is great, he's the perfect example of a scrappers husband. Always taking photos.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Go Diego Go!
Makayla attended a Diego show today at the Nokia center. She started getting into Diego lately so we thought this would be fun for her and of course it was! It was about Diego and his buddy Jaguar and rescuing his Roar! Even his cousin Dora joined the show for a little bit too. It was pretty crowded but nothing like the Wiggles show which was her first experience at the Nokia center. We really enjoy taking her to these shows.
Our big girl before entering the show. Big smiles!
Roar! Makayla is hiding behind Jaguar's mask.
Cheesy pose in front of the sign.
Daddy & Makayla with their matching back packs! Too cute! She just got her "rescue" back pack from the show. It was too cute to pass up.
The Diego show family photo. Even Mylee joined us and was such a good girl! I think she slept pretty much the whole time, but luckily she's a little bit awake in this picture. This is the picture that was doctored up my one of friends to make our Hawaiian family blog logo. Amazing what Vandana did for us! Thank you so much for helping us make our blog even more unique and fun! You're the best!
Our big girl before entering the show. Big smiles!
Roar! Makayla is hiding behind Jaguar's mask.
Cheesy pose in front of the sign.
Daddy & Makayla with their matching back packs! Too cute! She just got her "rescue" back pack from the show. It was too cute to pass up.
The Diego show family photo. Even Mylee joined us and was such a good girl! I think she slept pretty much the whole time, but luckily she's a little bit awake in this picture. This is the picture that was doctored up my one of friends to make our Hawaiian family blog logo. Amazing what Vandana did for us! Thank you so much for helping us make our blog even more unique and fun! You're the best!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Fair again.....
We had to come back to the fair again. The 1st time we went the other day we promised Makayla she could ride the elephant, but we missed it and they were closed so we told her we'd come back when the elephants were awake and not sleeping. Plus it just wasn't enough time to go for just a few hours after work like we use to when it was just me & Ry. So our cousins met up with us and all the girls had a lot of fun together. I hope I don't bore you too much with more fair pictures, but I have to post them for my own scrapbooking journal too.
The big elephant ride! That's Makayla in front with her cousin Alyssa and Alexis with her Daddy Alex behind them. The ride was super short. For $5 a person they got to go around just once. What a rip off but the whole fair is and we still come back.
Next was the petting zoo. For some reason Makayla was a lot more hesitant than Alexis to pet the animals. The two girls are just too cute holding each other.
My very 1st video post on my blog. Very exciting so hope you enjoy it! This slide wasn't as big as the one Makayla went on with Ry the other day but it was still good! Enjoy! She's on it with her cousin Alyssa again. And the Alexis is with her Mommy, Patty.
Next ride was the bee ride. I think this was the only thing she rode on with me. It's all about her cousins when they're around and who needs Mommy! "Tear".
Big roller coaster again with Alyssa in the front row. They rode this twice and again all the girls let go and had their arms in the air. Boy was I nervous again. Just didn't want any of them to fall out. These fair rides are a little scary since you just don't know how they're maintained.
Makayla & Alyssa being silly with the Australian battered potato bodies.
The big "Say Cheese" theme of the fair this year. The girls inside the camera.
She had to ride the ponies once again. Alexis joined her too.
The big elephant ride! That's Makayla in front with her cousin Alyssa and Alexis with her Daddy Alex behind them. The ride was super short. For $5 a person they got to go around just once. What a rip off but the whole fair is and we still come back.
Next was the petting zoo. For some reason Makayla was a lot more hesitant than Alexis to pet the animals. The two girls are just too cute holding each other.
My very 1st video post on my blog. Very exciting so hope you enjoy it! This slide wasn't as big as the one Makayla went on with Ry the other day but it was still good! Enjoy! She's on it with her cousin Alyssa again. And the Alexis is with her Mommy, Patty.
Next ride was the bee ride. I think this was the only thing she rode on with me. It's all about her cousins when they're around and who needs Mommy! "Tear".
Big roller coaster again with Alyssa in the front row. They rode this twice and again all the girls let go and had their arms in the air. Boy was I nervous again. Just didn't want any of them to fall out. These fair rides are a little scary since you just don't know how they're maintained.
Makayla & Alyssa being silly with the Australian battered potato bodies.
The big "Say Cheese" theme of the fair this year. The girls inside the camera.
She had to ride the ponies once again. Alexis joined her too.
Their last ride on the choo choo train to use up all their tickets. Say bye to the fair because we are absolutely not coming back again! Way too expensive and I think we've spent enough on the two days we went! Until next year I'm sure!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Swimming w/ Rachee
Makayla is waiting for Rachee to come swim with her. She just loves the pool this summer. Here she is all on her own with all her pool toys. I think that's one of Rachee's hand me down bikini's too. I didn't get a chance to get a picture of them together but they had a lot of fun together! Makayla hopes they can do some more pool time together this summer!
Thanks for coming to play at the pool with me Rachee! I had fun with you!
Thanks for coming to play at the pool with me Rachee! I had fun with you!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
OC Fair - Say Cheese!
It's time for the OC Fair again. The theme this year is to "Say Cheese!" This is really a tradition for us. We go every year for a little bit on a weekday in the evening after work. But this year it seems to be a lot funner now that Makayla really understands what's going on....I think that means more rides & games which equal a lot more money is spent at these events! She's just getting so brave, when we got there she pointed at this giant slide and said she wanted to go on it. I couldn't believe it! It was huge! Super high up and I was scared for her. They stood in line and we weren't sure if she could go on since she was slightly shorter than the height limit but Ryan just held her and they let her on. Alan & Som also joined us this year.
They survived the big slide! I video taped it with our new camera but held it the wrong way so I couldn't show you. It was great with her tongue hanging out all the way down! So funny! I'll master the video thing one of these days to upload and show you all.
Boy oh boy is she a little daredevil. Next she wanted to ride the roller coaster. She even let go of her hands and put them up while on the ride. I hope Auntie Som held onto her tight! Made Mom real nervous, but she had a blast! We can't believe how expensive all these rides are costing. They've gone to a new card system where you add $$ to it and then it requires a certain number of points for each ride and boy are they high and it goes quick!
Som, Alan, Makayla, Daddy & that's Mylee sleeping in her stroller. Just hanging out on the hay having some popcorn. After we already had some roasted corn and shared an awesome blossom. Junk food here we come! Isn't that what the fair is all about? Then we don't feel good and wonder why?!
Makayla found a pony ride and this was a good one. It was a little pricey but they let her ride for almost 15 minutes or it felt like it anyways. She loved the pony ride and was smiling the whole time. And each round she passed by us she would wave every time!
Having another snack on our way out. These were Australian battered potatoes. Auntie Som loves potatoes and so does Makayla so they had to try it. It's yummy to dip with ranch and cheese. Good thing we did a lot of walking to work all this food off! Now to the shops and home! It's a late night for Auntie and Uncle since they wake up and go to work so early so I think we've kept them up enough for a week night.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Toys R Us Call Back!
Yay! Makayla got a call back from the Toys R Us audition the other day! This is very exciting for us! That' means they must have really liked her. Again, she had to go in all on her own and along with an Asian man & gal. We think it must be some sort of family scene they're looking for. It's supposedly for a commercial. Again it was quick, but this time it wasn't so crowded. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that she might get a gig. We'll see.....
Makayla going in with a nice lady, probably the casting director. Who knows, she's somebody that probably is making the decision, so smile Makayla!
Makayla going in with a nice lady, probably the casting director. Who knows, she's somebody that probably is making the decision, so smile Makayla!
M&M's Visit Dr. Linzey's Office
Today was my 6-week check up with Dr. Linzey after having Mylee. It's always great to visit his wonderful office! My check up went fine and everything seems to be healing on track. I'm almost 100% but not quite. Probably another 2% to go! But overall it's been an awesome recovery and I don't think I could ask for anything better! Mylee has been a wonderful and easy baby which has probably helped with my healing process. Of course I had to bring both girls and Daddy to visit Dr. Linzey or they would be mad! They always want to see the babies after birth and how they've grown.
Here's Mylee awake to pose for a picture with Dr. Linzey, the wonderful doc that delivered her!
And here's Caroline, Makayla's delivery nurse but not Mylee's since she was there but was the Nurse in charge so couldn't follow me through all of it but came in once Mylee arrived to give her a bath. We felt very special that she did that for us! She's just wonderful, but everyone at Dr. Linzey's office is! They have been a blessing to our family!
This is Joy, she's been my RN when I visit Dr. Linzey's office throughout my whole pregnancy with Mylee. She was there for me for part of Makayla's pregnancy but she was also pregnant at that time with twins and delivered before me so she was on leave towards the end and this time for Mylee she's been there for us the whole way. She's great too and her twin girls are very adorable and remind me of my girls! Too cute! Thanks Dr. Linzey's office for everything you've done for our family!
Here's Mylee awake to pose for a picture with Dr. Linzey, the wonderful doc that delivered her!
And here's Caroline, Makayla's delivery nurse but not Mylee's since she was there but was the Nurse in charge so couldn't follow me through all of it but came in once Mylee arrived to give her a bath. We felt very special that she did that for us! She's just wonderful, but everyone at Dr. Linzey's office is! They have been a blessing to our family!
This is Joy, she's been my RN when I visit Dr. Linzey's office throughout my whole pregnancy with Mylee. She was there for me for part of Makayla's pregnancy but she was also pregnant at that time with twins and delivered before me so she was on leave towards the end and this time for Mylee she's been there for us the whole way. She's great too and her twin girls are very adorable and remind me of my girls! Too cute! Thanks Dr. Linzey's office for everything you've done for our family!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Yummy Crabs at Redondo Beach
Som had a great idea for us to head out to Redondo Beach one day to hang out at the pier and have some fresh steamed crab! We all haven't been there in years & years! I can't even remember when but once we arrived it all started looking familiar since my parents took us here when we were much, much younger. It was a special occasion too! We celebrated Grandpa Stan's birthday today! Any excuse to go out and eat with the family! It was a fabulous restaurant on the pier with a great view. All was really lit up and open with lots of windows with a nice ocean breeze! Always lots of fun! Makayla had a great time looking at all the fisherman catching fish and the crab & lobster tanks. She also chased a lot of pigeons on the pier too. And for Mylee, she pretty much just slept in her car seat and enjoyed the fresh air.
Mmmmmmmm! Fresh steamed crab! That's a lot of crab! Can't wait to dig in! Looks messy and fun! We all had some appetizers beforehand too, some calamari, steamed shrimp, fish & chips and just seafood in general! All was great!
After lunch we had to walk it off around the pier. Here's Makayla trying to the seals way out in the ocean. Not sure she understood how to close one eye and keep the other one open to see through it, but we'll keep on practicing and I'm sure she'll get it one of these days!
Here's half of the family hanging out on the pier!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Alyssa's 11th Birthday
Alyssa's pool party was today to celebrate her 11th birthday! Makayla just gets so excited about birthday parties and especially this one because it's her cousin's and it's in the pool! Her two favorite things right now! Alyssa's mom, Patty had so many fun things planned for all her girlfriends. It was a super fun party filled with all kinds of events to keep all the kids occupied and happy! Total hit!
Makayla just chillin' in the super cute pink donut! She loved it and was so comfortable hanging in it all on her own.
It's arts and crafts time! Doesn't she look like a card dealer with her visor on? She's painting a canvas bag for all her goodies to take home from the party. What a fun idea!
It's cake time! All the girls are gathered to sing Happy Birthday to Alyssa!
Make a wish!
After cake, the kids got their party favors which included a little squirt gun. Boy did all the kids have fun chasing each other around and shooting water at each other.
Makayla just chillin' in the super cute pink donut! She loved it and was so comfortable hanging in it all on her own.
It's arts and crafts time! Doesn't she look like a card dealer with her visor on? She's painting a canvas bag for all her goodies to take home from the party. What a fun idea!
It's cake time! All the girls are gathered to sing Happy Birthday to Alyssa!
Make a wish!
After cake, the kids got their party favors which included a little squirt gun. Boy did all the kids have fun chasing each other around and shooting water at each other.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Mak's 2nd Week of School
Here's our little ham on her 2nd week of school. It's red, white & blue week and we found this cute little outfit that was perfect! It must have been handed down from either Rachael or Mia! It's so cute! As you can tell she's super excited about school and is really looking forward to it when she has to go. Our little girl is just growing up way to fast!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Toys R Us Audition
Makayla had a Toy R Us audition today. It was first scheduled for a Mitsubishi audition but got cancelled last minute for some reason. We drove all the way out to Beverly Hills and once we got there, there were a ton of kids also waiting. She went in all on her own with a group of other kids. She was so brave and we were so proud of her! Shows us that she's super independent. Don't know if that's all a good thing or not but we kind of think so for this line of work. She's such a big girl! We've only had one other audition last year so this is still all real new to us and not something that comes up often. We'll see what happens! As far as we're concerned, she so stinkin' cute that they're nuts if she doesn't get the job but who knows what they're looking for....keep your fingers crossed for her! She'll be famous one of these days!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Our 6-year Wedding Anniversary
I can't believe it's been 6 years since we got married! It really does go by like a blink of an eye. Especially after starting a family! We got a chance to go out to dinner with just the two of us while Grandma & Grandpa watched the girls. It was such a nice treat to have a peaceful and enjoyable dinner without having to care for our girls! We went to Roy's in Anaheim. We love eating at Roy's and we were just there on Father's Day but they didn't have Ry's favorite dessert, Chocolate Souffle! Dinner was great and the service was wonderful as usual!
The waiter took a nice photo for us with our new camera from Alan & Som! We still can't believe they did that! Thanks guys! It was way too much!
Had to take a picture of Ry with the "LOVE" chipboard photo album that I made him. It's actually an album that just has pictures of us since we got married. It was lots of fun to go through all those old photos and to see all the good times we've had through the years.
This was a free dessert that they gave us. It was some sort of Haupia (coconut) dessert. I'm assuming those words are "Happy Anniversary" in Hawaiian. Pretty good!
The waiter took a nice photo for us with our new camera from Alan & Som! We still can't believe they did that! Thanks guys! It was way too much!
Had to take a picture of Ry with the "LOVE" chipboard photo album that I made him. It's actually an album that just has pictures of us since we got married. It was lots of fun to go through all those old photos and to see all the good times we've had through the years.
This was a free dessert that they gave us. It was some sort of Haupia (coconut) dessert. I'm assuming those words are "Happy Anniversary" in Hawaiian. Pretty good!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Jared's 3rd Birthday
We drove all the way out to Sherman Oaks to help Jared celebrate his 3rd birthday. What a lucky guys! It was a hot day! His Mommy had prepared all kinds of fun things for us to do, which you'll see below.
Here I am decorating some homemade sugar cookie letters. I got a "M" & "A" for Makayla to decorate. We got frosting and all kinds of different sprinkles to use. Then afterwards, Michelle, Jared's Mommy gave me some homemade Play Doh to play with and take home. It was even scented with yummy cool aid smells. What an ambitious Mommy!
It was so hot and they had this mini pool in their yard. Makayla just loves the water so she started to get in with her new girlfriends but one thing she didn't have was a bathing suit and the other girls did since it was Jared's neighbors. Well, Makayla ended up in the pool with just her little undies. It was fun and cooled her down. Michelle ended up getting us a swim diaper so that Makayla could still put her dry clothes on after she was done. There was also a mini trampoline but for some reason Makayla didn't go on it. Maybe she was already trampolined out since we already had her MyGym class this morning before heading to the party. It's usually one of her favorites!
Here's another activity and finally a picture of Makayla and the birthday boy Jared. They're decorating picture frames together. This is Makayla's very first experience with glue. She did a good job. I think I only caught her trying to lick the glue off her fingers just once. It was a really cute idea. They had foam letters, shapes, feathers & bling to decorate with. What another fun project for the kiddos!
After all the playtime with celebrating Jared's birthday it's cake time! Or should we say mini cup cake time! Here's a pictures of the cute 3 tiered mini cup cake cake. What a cute idea! We might have to "Copy Cat" this one down the road. Thanks for the invite and including us in Jared's 3rd birthday!
Here I am decorating some homemade sugar cookie letters. I got a "M" & "A" for Makayla to decorate. We got frosting and all kinds of different sprinkles to use. Then afterwards, Michelle, Jared's Mommy gave me some homemade Play Doh to play with and take home. It was even scented with yummy cool aid smells. What an ambitious Mommy!
It was so hot and they had this mini pool in their yard. Makayla just loves the water so she started to get in with her new girlfriends but one thing she didn't have was a bathing suit and the other girls did since it was Jared's neighbors. Well, Makayla ended up in the pool with just her little undies. It was fun and cooled her down. Michelle ended up getting us a swim diaper so that Makayla could still put her dry clothes on after she was done. There was also a mini trampoline but for some reason Makayla didn't go on it. Maybe she was already trampolined out since we already had her MyGym class this morning before heading to the party. It's usually one of her favorites!
Here's another activity and finally a picture of Makayla and the birthday boy Jared. They're decorating picture frames together. This is Makayla's very first experience with glue. She did a good job. I think I only caught her trying to lick the glue off her fingers just once. It was a really cute idea. They had foam letters, shapes, feathers & bling to decorate with. What another fun project for the kiddos!
After all the playtime with celebrating Jared's birthday it's cake time! Or should we say mini cup cake time! Here's a pictures of the cute 3 tiered mini cup cake cake. What a cute idea! We might have to "Copy Cat" this one down the road. Thanks for the invite and including us in Jared's 3rd birthday!
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