sittin' pretty...er, handsome

This past week, we started putting our little BIG guy into the Bumbo seat.
He's only 2 1/2 months old...but since his neck (or, what little neck he seems to have...hahaha...kidding!) is actually pretty strong, we tried it and turns out he loves it!
Ok, so"LOVE" is a pretty strong word.
But, he does like it!

Just in case, we do put a pillow behind his head to cushion the occasional "head-bopping" he does while sitting up.

And since he's graduated to the Bumbo seat..the Boppy pillow has now become Jolee's pillow.
Or, maybe she's just sulking because we don't let her hold Kaden.

Here he is with Daddy.
Who isn't pictured because he doesn't seem to like pictures.
Or, at least that's the vibe I get by the glares he shoots me whenever I bust out the camera.
Hence, a picture of only Kaden.

Per usual...he's always the center of attention.
Even when he doesn't want to be.

Here he's getting a bit nervous...

The breaking point where he's most likely thinking...
"HELP ME!"

See?!
Much happier when left all alone.
In his Bumbo seat.

Ooops...taking pictures one-handed is harder than it looks!

Ah, there's his smile.
Or, a silent laugh...since he doesn't make any noises while making this cute face.
Either way, we love it!

the girls in arizona...

This week was Spring Break for Kela.
Mitch was able to get the week off from work so we thought it would be nice to take the girls to Arizona to visit family out there!
Except...I wasn't too keen on taking a 2 month old on a 6 hour plane ride to get there.
SO, we compromised.
Mitch took the girls to Arizona, while I stayed home in Hawaii with Kaden.
Nice compromise, eh?

Somehow...I feel like I got the better deal out of this. :)

SO, here they are.

In Arizona with cousin Kai!

OK, and before I go on, let me just say that Mitch didn't take our camera there. All the pictures you're about to see are taken with his phone. Therefore, quality photographs these are not.

Apparently, there's this "amusement park" center there...can't remember what it's called, but it sounds like a super fun place for kids with bumper cars, games, rides and etc. etc...
Here they are with a gorilla.
LOVE the upside down sunglasses on Reina. And Kai's not so happy face.
And if you look below the gorilla, you can see Jolee's feet sticking out...maybe one of her "not too happy" moments?!

Kela at the air hockey table and Jolee cheering her on.
WHO doesn't love air hockey?!

Anna on the merry-go-round.

Jojo and Kai on one of the coaster rides that they all apparently loved.

And which Jojo even rode all by herself!

The Girls in the coaster.
Seriously, who needs to go to Disneyland with places like this, right? RIGHT?!
...No?
Well, that's on our To-Do list for this next year, I promise...

At the park by the in-laws house.

And...despite my FEAR of one of the kids falling off the dock and drowning...Mitch decided to take the kids to the lake anyway.
Thankfully, no one got wet.

Anna and Jojo...who apparently ATE the bread instead of sharing with the duckies.

It was a short 4 day trip for Mitch and the girls. While they were gallivanting around the desert, I had a quiet and peaceful week deep cleaning our house. Since Kaden still sleeps around 14 hours a day...I spent my time doing laundry, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning, stove top scrubbing, and backyard de-cluttering.

Apparently, they all had fun.


As did I.
:)

While everyone was in Arizona, Mitch's cousin Suzanne came to Hawaii for work so Kaden and I got to hang out with her. Yay!

this and that..

Here it is.
Another consolidated post of random happenings.

And here's our little Bubba.
At 2 months old, he's almost 14 lbs.
And just a tad shy of 2 feet tall!

And smiling!

And still the star of the family.
Everyone wants a piece of him.
Which simply means that he's super loved.

Getting a decent smile on camera is quite tricky.
Actually, more like nearly impossible.
Because Mitch doesn't like to take photos (read: not a great picture taker...), I have to be the one wielding the camera.

But once I'm not holding him...I'm usually frantically trying to get other things done like laundry, dinner, cleaning, bathing (the kids or me) and etc. etc...so snapping photos isn't forefront on my mind when Mitch is holding baby.

And then, have you ever tried snapping a photo of a squirming baby with one hand while simultaneously trying to get said baby to smile?!

Yea, it's quite a feat.

Which is why pictures like this (though not high quality) are so rare and precious to me.
Minus the drool spot on his shoulder.

Here's Anna at Gymboree with her friends.
Does that bowed bridge make you nervous, too?!
Not sure it was made to hold the weight of 3 big girls.

Anna's turning into quite the monkey...and has gotten quite good at navigating the monkey bars.

Remember what I said about being loved?
The girls are always asking to hold Kaden.
And getting Kaden to smile (and not cry) whilst being held by sisters is yet again, another feat!

Our kids.
How precious is this shot?!

prayers needed...

12 years ago, I left the creature comforts of home in Seattle to serve a Full-time Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
In May of 1999, I arrived in the beautiful city of Sendai, Japan. I was excited and nervous and eager to serve the Lord.
I spent a WONDERFUL 18 months in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture and Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture...riding my bike in the city streets, talking to the local residents and loving the feeling of doing something good! I had countless unforgettable experiences and made many everlasting friendships. 18 months later, I left knowing I had done all I could to share with the local Japanese people my belief in God and the blessings that come from having Faith in Him.


And then...March 11, 2011...this beloved area where I lived for 18 months was hit by a massive earthquake, and subsequent tsunami. You've probably seen it on the news (how could you have not?!) and heard some of the stories. I've been glued to the news, Internet, blogs, etc. just so I can find out as much information as I can on what is happening there.
I'm in shock. If there is anything to test one's Faith in God...it is something like the tsunami that hit Sendai. My heart is literally bleeding at the sight of the mass destruction and turmoil.
Thankfully, I have managed to contact several members there and heard their stories of survival and Faith. It's incredible how much Faith and strength these people have-amidst such difficult situations, many are pressing forward with Faith and optimism. I know that despite many lives lost (according to the news, possibly over 10,000), those who have survived are selflessly helping one another and sharing of their sustenance.
Many see what's happening and ask how God could allow such horrible things to happen...and truth be told, I don't completely understand myself. But I do know that despite this and many other disasters we have been seeing around the world lately, there are blessings to be had and lessons to be learned if we can find some way to look forward with Faith.

Sorry for the "heavy" post...I can't help but think about all that's happened-and has been happening-in Sendai and the surrounding regions since this massive earthquake. It is constantly weighing on my mind and at times, bringing me down emotionally. But the more I think about it, and pray about it...I realize that there is still plenty of hope left for those in the area who have survived. Many people from around the globe have lent their aid and support for the people of Sendai and all of Japan. What a blessing to see so much humanitarian aid come together to help those in need. And there are many in need all over Japan now.
If there is anything these people need right now besides physical necessities such as food, water and shelter...it is the diligent prayers of all of us. I know I can't stop praying that help will arrive for those in need...and that peace can be had for those who have suffered.

good job, pink lava's!

Another soccer season under her belt!
Kela's team, the Pink Lava's, had an incredible winning season.
This being her second season...she has started to gain a bit more confidence out on the field, not to mention a tad more skill as well.

As you can see...Kela is NOT the smallest player on the team!!
(She's the second smallest)

Mitch was one of the assistant coaches...hence the bright yellow t-shirt.
Although between you and me, he did happen to wear that hideously ugly t-shirt on non-soccer days as well....
As to why, you'll have to ask him!

During Kela's last game...Anna and Jolee were excellent cheerleaders, as usual.
When their noses weren't buried in our iPhones, that is.
(which was NEVER!)

Kela with Coach Jon.
He was an excellent coach for Kela...with a lot of patience and fun practices that really helped get her to enjoy the sport even more!

And the post-season coach soaking...
Great season, Kela!

baby blessing

2 months later...but we were finally able to have Kaden's baby blessing this past Sunday.

Due to some family members being out of town, and then our family getting sick, we had to wait a bit longer than usual to have it, but better late than never, right?

I'm also happy to note that Kaden was awake throughout the prayer...and didn't fuss! Also...the mic was actually working this time (unlike the past 2 times)!

Double Yay!

Here's the family that came out to support!

Minus a couple people since some couldn't make it...but all in all, it was a GREAT turn out! It was a good day.

week in review.

The past couple of weeks have pretty much been a blur.

Why you ask?

Kela brought home some crazy fever bug that lasted about 2 days. Then, as soon as she kicked it, Anna caught it.

Really....isn't that how it works?

And then, miraculously, it seemed to have stopped there!

...And then one week later, Jolee got it.

Followed by me.

It's been a FUN 2 weeks, let me tell 'ya.

So, in the midst of all this sickness, my niece Rumi turned 8 years old and was Baptized!!

This also happened to be on her birthday!

Mine as well, but that's almost not worth mentioning since this was the day that Jolee and I got sick. Ever been sick on your birthday? As if getting older isn't bad enough, eh?

Anyhoo-How many kids can say they got to be baptized right on their birthday?!

I know, I'm kinda jealous!

Here the little cousins are singing "I Am a Child of God" while waiting for Rumi to change...

What's with the cooky angle of the photo, you ask?

Mitch.

Need I say more?


Also the same weekend (that Jolee and I were sick), Grandma and Grandpa Seavey flew over to visit and meet the newest grandchild.

It happend to be a CRAZY weekend.

With the kids and I being sick, the girls having soccer games & potlucks, birthday parties, baptisms and then Mitch getting a brand new calling at church...I felt bad that we really didn't get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked!

But, the most important thing was getting to see them, and getting to introduce our little Kaden to Grandma and Grandpa.

In THAT sense, I suppose it was a success!

Kaden checking out his Grandpa Jim.

His middle name's namesake.

We'll be seeing them in just a few short months when they visit in the Summer (as always).

Ah, here's our little chunky monkey at 8 weeks old.

Walking like an Egyptian.

His favorite pose.

I don't own a scale so don't know how much he weighs...but I'd guess he's upwards of 14+lbs.

He's a big one!