So. Much. Sickness.

The last 2 weeks have been quite the show around the Brown house.  Shae started getting up A LOT during the night with runny nose, cough, etc..I thought maybe it was just because of the 4th tooth that was popping through, but after her wheezing started I took her in right away.  I had to go in 3 times in 3 days with both kids!  Shae's oxygen levels were so low (86) and we were almost admitted to the ER but after they did a suction through her nose and throat to clear the mucous, her levels went up to 94. Turns out she had RSV.  Poor girl.  Quinn also had to partake in the sickness.  Her voice started to get a little raspy, spiked a very high temperature...so in to the doc we went again.  He didn't give her any medication and said it was just a virus. The next couple days it got worse so I took her into Urgent care where they found pneumonia in her upper high lung and an ear infection in her left ear.  The challenges of motherhood (sleeplessly) was in full force :)  Shae was getting up about 7-8 times a night, Quinn 2-3...I was zombie!

ANYWAYS.  WE ARE DONE WITH IT!  Hope those nasty bugs don't return any time soon - or ever? 

I have to admit, I loved all the cuddles during it all :)

Shae is 7 Months

Our baby Shae is 7 months old and growing like a weed.  She is in size 3 diapers, 9 and 12 month clothes depending on and based on the last couple of doctor appointments, close to 18 pounds.  She is starting to love her solids and eating a wide variety of foods.  Carrots, Broccoli, apples, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and more!  She is now crawling everywhere and getting faster every day.  This past month was a rough one for Shae being sick and getting her 3rd and 4th tooth so many cuddles were had, which means now we're back to the rough sleeping patterns!  This last month she has gotten up about 4-6 times a night with a couple of great nights of just getting up twice.  She's not a great napper.  Still taking 2 morning naps and 2 afternoon.  We are working on it :)  She loves to be outside and is always curious what her big sis is up to.  Her favorite "toys" are the remotes and cell phones.  She likes to take her naps in the car and is warming up to strangers a little more.

Love this little 7 month old peanut.

The Hoden's Visit California!

We had some FUN visitors come earlier this month!  My sis and her family made the trip from bitter Edmonton to sunny California.  They arrived into LAX on Tuesday night and spent two days at Disney before coming to our house!  Last minute we decided to meet them at Disney on Thursday for the day.  We live about 70 miles from Anaheim, but that means nothing.  Traffic was ok getting to Disney, but coming back was rough!  It took about 90 minutes to get there and about 2.5 hours coming home.  Granted, there was an accident on the main interstate, but not fun when you have a crying, hungry 6 month old and an exhausted 2 year old.  Although our "not fun" moments were just moments - overall the girls did really great.  Anyways, back to the fun stuff.  Disney!  Well, it was something we did and not sure when we'll do it again.  Not anytime soon, probably :) Quinn loved seeing Goofy walking around, we met Mickey, and went on a couple of rides that she thoroughly enjoyed.  That was worth every penny seeing the look on her face during these fun times!  It was also fun seeing Max, Mya, and Ivy on all the "older" kid rides, too!  I still can't get over how much time you have to wait in line to take a 2 minute ride.  I guess I'm just not patient, but probably because my kids are far from that stage, as well :)

After we all got back to our home in Murrieta Thursday night, a few beers were shared, the kids played, and bedtime was late!  We did a little swimming, although not much because our community pool doesn't heat during the off months.  SUCH A BUMMER!  We had record highs when the Hoden's were here so to not comfortably swim was sh**ty.  We made the most of the weather though!  We played a lot in the backyard, the older kids took horseback riding lessons, sat by the pool and soaked in some UV rays, had chris' cousin over for dinner, shared a few drinks every night, played cards..aaaaand celebrated Ivy's 5th birthday all weekend long :)

Here are a few pics from our fun weekend.  We sure missed them when they left!
Can't wait until they visit again.

5 Months Post Okinawa

I've been thinking about Okinawa a whole lot lately.  Don't get me wrong, I love where we live and where our lives are at now, but I really miss some things about that place.  Basically what I disliked about Okinawa is exactly what I'm missing about it now.

Our house.  I was pretty annoyed most days at the size of our kitchen and the small living room.  Looking back at it now, it's all we needed and it was cozy.  Love the space we have now, but something about that little living open concept area we had was quaint.

The water.  I think I took as much advantage of the beautiful beaches and water as I, who doesn't love to swim, could.  We had our "own" private beach we went to a lot when living in Yomitan and then went to different ones when we moved closer to base a year and a half later.  I miss packing for the beach.  It would be so much more fun now that I could enjoy a few drinks!  18 months of going to the beach with a sparkling water wasn't AS fun when Tony had a stiff margarita poured.  I miss my car being full of sand (WHAT!?).  It was just proof of having a good time!

Friends.  My gosh I miss them.

Distance.  Ok, so the distance was WAY farther than I had ever thought I could be, but there's something about the feeling of being that far away that brought Tony and I very close - and close with our friends.  I don't want to be that far away every again..but I'm so thankful we had the experience we did.

Babies.  Now that I'm 6 months postpartum, I have such incredible memories of being pregnant there.  Had you talked to me during those 9 months when I was pregnant in Okinawa - I would have told you I hated it.  I did.  I craved things I couldn't have, my family never really saw a baby bump, and no one was in the hospital when Quinn or Shae were born.  Sure, that sucked.  But we also have (again), cozy memories of just Tony and I with our newborn girl(s).

Shopping.  What I miss is that there was none of it!  Ever since being back in the states, we have had to buy a lot.  2 cars, a house, and basically furnished a whole house.  I miss being OK with whatever we had in Okinawa.  The couch was fine.  The TV worked.  The burn mark on our coffee table was no big deal.  My car squeaked every time I would turn it on - oh well.  I knew these feelings wouldn't last all that long - and although I cursed it all MANY MANY times (ask Beth).. I miss that.

So you're question is - would I want to go back?  NO.  absolutely not.  I love being closer to family.  I love our house and the space we have.  I love my car.  I love going to Trader Joes and Target.  I love that I can have Chipotle (although I have yet to have it) whenever I want.  I love the conveniences we now have.  My sister is coming next week, Tony's parents are here this week, my parents are coming in December, My bestie was here in October.  LIFE IS GOOD.  and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
In hindsight, I just maybe should have enjoyed Okinawa a little more than I did.

She is 6 months (already!)

My goodness, these last 6 months are nearly a blur!  Maybe it's because I'm a bit sleep deprived or maybe because we moved to a new house and have been busy since...or maybe it's just because time really does go this fast when your heart is so darn full!

Shae is a pretty sweet babe.  She is happy 93% of the time and 100% of the time if her naps are on schedule.  YES! We have a schedule. It's wonderful.  Although she doesn't always stick to "the plan", it is nice to know that 5/7 days a week I can count on both girls napping at the same time.  She naps 3-4 times a day and we are working on getting it down to 3 only.  She'll take a 45 mn nap in the morning, 20 mins in the car, 90 mins at 1:00/1:30 with sis, and then a short cat nap around 5:00.  Her nightly wakings vary a whooooole lot.  We had an awesome month or more that she was getting up twice a night (10:00pm and 2am) but now with her 3rd tooth coming in (the top one) we are getting up anywhere between 3-6 times.  Those "6" nights are exhausting..we've had a couple.  But we will get there!

We are on solid foods and she loves what Quinn did not.  Shae prefers prunes and cereal and is warming up slowly to sweet potatoes.  She's not a fantastic eater, which is hard to believe after looking at her cheeks, but seems to be doing just fine!

She is in size 3 diapers, weighs over 17 lbs (that was at her 5 month check up) and has the sweatiest feet ever.  Her favorite person is Quinn by far.  Sometimes she will just see Quinn and crack up with the most genuine laugh.  And then once Quinn starts being goofy - it's a loud house of laughter!  Brings joy to my heart.

When running errands, most people at the check out counter will comment how calm she is.  I would have to agree.  Unless she's really tired, in which case we stay home! - she won't make a peep while out shopping for groceries or whatever we're up to.  As long as there is action, she is very content.

She doesn't like the car a whole lot, although it's getting better.  And prefers me over anyone putting her to sleep.  That would be my fault and no one else's :)

Here are a few pics of baby Shae!

Grandpa Brown and Shae at the winery :)

We love you!

A Summer We'll Never Forget

Arriving to the states

What an exciting time this was.  We had a new baby to share, a toddler to be reunited with, and exciting hearts.  I can't even begin to explain the feelings leading up to this point.  I had about 3 hours of sleep the night before we traveled for 27 hours with these two little ones.  Unless you are runnining purely on andrenaline, I highly discourage having just a few hours of sleep before such a long trip.  The only way I could get through it was the thought of seeing Merl and Wally at the airport in just 1 day!  We waited almost a year to see these guys again!  Let the fun begin.

Arriving to San Diego to see Papa and Mimi!  Quinn was on 2.5 hours of sleep in a day at this point.  How she was running, smiling, and greeting Tony's parents was surprising to me!  Mimi had the best idea ever and brought a balloon for Quinn.  That saved us! We had to go get the rental car when we got to the airport which took a little bit longer than expected . Wally and I shuttled to the rental place and I thought I was going to fall asleep mid conversation with him.  

3 days at our house in California and we were off again.  This time to see MY PARENTS!  So soooo exciting.  

Two tired ladies still trying to catch up on jet lag.  Quinn never sleeps like this or in someone's arms.  And when she does, you know she is absolutely exhausted.

Grandpa held Shae the whole flight.  There was a good hour stretch that Tony and I didn't have either kid in our arms.  We looked at each other with a "um, what do we do now" look.  It was pretty amazing to be hands free after such a long flight just 3 days prior!

SEEING MY PARENTS!  I wish I had better pictures of this moment.  But there' my mom holding Quinn.  I think she had just finished crying :)

The 508 House

What a great, productive summer we had on our house in Decorah.  Tony worked just about every day on this house and although there were days I was quite annoyed with him being over there and not with us, it was exactly what we needed to do to save some money on labor and get this house ready as much as we could.  It was perfect timing for us as Tony had a month off to work on it.  We appreciate ALL the help we got from family.  We couldn't have gotten this far without any of you.  Tony's mom and dad have taken on this project with us and we are forever grateful for their help!  Wally knows so much about it - and no, he's not for hire :)

Visiting our "contractor" Papa.

Quinn was all about helping (or so she thought) the guys at the house this summer.  Pictured is Quinn, Tony, and Uncle Harold.

These guys are the best!  Tony, Harold, Wally, and Andrew

Merl made a nice lunch for all the guys.  I think this was during the tear off of the back side of the house.  More on that for another post.  

Laying the footing.  

What's a "new" house without a hand print by the one and only!!!??  

Cousins, Cousins, & Cousins

There are a lot of reasons why this past summer was my favorite thus far, but having cousins around all the time was most definitely my favorite part.  I missed these kids so much. We hung out with the Huinker kids daily all summer long.  What fantastic memories we have!  I'll share them with you through some a lot of pictures!

First time meeting baby Shae

First day at Grandma's house!  Quinn went to bed at 1:00am the night we got in and woke at 1:00pm the next day.  So breakfast for lunch it is :) I think we rolled in from Minneapolis around 11:30pm or so after seeing my parents.  My mom had local beer, local pizza, and local t shirts for all of us.  She's pretty great at those things.

After our breakfast, we all went for a walk.  It took no time at all for Quinn to pick up on hanging out with these guys!  Here is my sister-in-law with all 5 of the kiddos :)

Typical summer night on Hilltop :)

My sis came down from Canada early July with Max.  No one knew Max was coming so it was SUCH a great surprise for everyone!  Beth was hands-on with Shae at all times (OK by me!) and Max had a blast hanging out with the other cousins.  Just 3 short weeks later, the whole Hoden clan came to Decorah.  It. was. a. blast.

Grandpa and all his grandkids.  Lucky kids they are!!!! We love you Grampy.

Mimi and her girls before bed.  I was probably on the chair with a glass of wine, watching, listening, and soaking in the help at this point.  My mom and dad were pretty awesome this summer bringing us all in.  Their living room turned into the room with a swing and toys.  Their freezer turned into breast milk storage, and the guest room was called the "diaper room".  My poor mother.

This would be your typical morning.  Ivy never wears a shirt to bed, they love watching a show in the morning, and Quinn imitates her every chance she gets.  

I'm so bummed Grady was napping during this picture :(  

Good luck on that one, Grady.  

We saw a lot of cousins from Wisconsin, too!  These kiddos are the sweetest!  Collin is 3, Ayden 18 months, and Kate 6.  They played together really well.  Collin and Quinn love playing cars at Grandma's house and apparently they love to dance together, too :)

                                          

Aren't they the cutest!  This was at the Nordic Dancer's during Nordic Fest.  They put on their own show for the crowd.  I was teary eyed.

Quinn and her "Dacie"

My cousin, Kelsey :) 

Cousin, Kylie

Shae's Godmother/My Bestie

Eleanor and Shae

Quinn took an art class at ArtHaus!  This was a picture of her telling me to leave.  Safe to say, she liked it.  I think I'll always remember this day that she didn't want me there.  It was bittersweet!

Our beautiful Phelps Park

This is Quinn & Shae's Great Grandma.  If you didn't know, you'd think she was 45!  She is active, funny, and so great with the girls.  We saw her more than ever this summer and how thankful we were!  This is at Palisades.  

Super Baby!

My awesome Uncle, Geoff dancing with Quinn on her birthday.

"Go, Papa, GO!"

Shae's Godfather and a great friend of ours, Peter!

Papa and Quinny

Playing "babies" with the cousins

A few of my high school friends got together before we left town . Look at all these cuties!

My Aunt Mary.  She's awesome.

Decorah was hit hard with not only floods this summer, but a horrible storm that took so many beautiful trees down.  This is my brother's backyard.  The trees were on the boulevard and were just starting to get big.  It was so sad to see them go down.  

WEDDING TIME!

Last, but not least - the highlight of our summer was an awesome wedding!  My cousin, Kylie married Tony's brother, Andrew.  They put on such a great party and we want to do it again!  The days leading up to the big day were fun and the girls did great with all the activities and late nights.  Quinn's favorite part was all the dancing.  She didn't stop and asked to dance for a week straight after the wedding!  

How cute are they?

We took a super fun wagon ride to the reception hall and stopped at places to take some pics.  It was a beautiful August summer day. They couldn't have asked for a better one!

....best summer ever