Our Life in California...

Happy Birthday Chuck

2012-02-28T22:12:00.001-08:00

Disneyland.

a collage for you

2012-02-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

A last minute decision to take the kids to Palm Springs to crash in chuck's hotel room, abuse his hotel privileges (like SWIMMING in the pool!), sit out on the patio watching the palm trees and mountains (and catching glimpses of chuck working), eating a wonderful dinner with my 3 amazing kids outside listening to waterfalls and frogs and finally spending a morning at a desert zoo where one of the nice old lady volunteers adopted us and gave us a special tour of all of the best parts of the zoo (including the adorable brother and sister mountain lions cuddling cheek to cheek with paws resting on one another...which reminded me of the night before in the hotel where Gordie wanted to sleep in the middle of the bed so he could be closer to Adelee). I was relaxed and loved our little mini vacation!! By the way, Chessa was such a good sport and just hung out playing with her toes or toys, and she allowed me to spend some good time with the big kids.Love!!

Another cool part of the zoo was the baby giraffe with the ostrich walking just below the snow capped mountains and bright blue sky...so cool!! Look close at the first picture.

2012-02-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our baby is eating cereal already! And she loves it!!

The Little Things

2012-02-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

I kinda liked feeling a bit under the weather today... it made me slow down; and I got to notice all the cuteness going on around me!!Adelee and Gordie played LEGO's all day!! Seriously ALL DAY...except a little time off:--to swing on the swingset. Even Chessa got a chance to try out her swing! And she loved it! Gordie can pump himself now...and he LOVES to swing! And I love watching him it is so relaxing and makes me feel so happy just imagining on happy he feels flying through the air! -- to play some baseball. Gordie has an amazing swing!! He hit one over the neighbor's wall today! Adelee, well lets just say I'm scared to pitch to Adelee, our backyard is just not big enough for the power that comes out of the little princess when she swings the bat!!! Seriously I'm scared!!--and to have a mini campout in the backyard. I called it naptime, but for some reason I was the only one who wanted to nap. But while we were laying on our backs looking up at the perfectly blue sky we noticed a hummingbird, buds on the tree branches and even a few baby leaves that had popped out already. Gordie noticed..."That, right there!" I still don't know what he was looking at...but I got excited anyways :-) Finally, Chessa was pulling on her feet so I decided to try on a pair of shoes Gramma gave her (that fit!) And she started developing her love for shoes! Well, right now it's more about the taste then the style, but it's a start.

Oh, and by the way February in Los Angeles is awesome! :-)

A bunch of cuteness

2012-02-14T19:08:00.001-08:00

New pillowcase

2012-02-11T20:02:00.001-08:00

It is 8:00 on the dot and Gordie got to stay up to help me make his new batman/superman pillowcase!! It is awesome!!

Grandpa!!!

2012-02-07T00:44:00.001-08:00

We spent a beautiful winter afternoon in Huntington Beach. We walked the pier, watched surfers, beach volleyball, met hockey players and...played with grandpa!!!! And, auntie Jenny was in town and got to play too!

Love!!

2012-02-05T11:46:00.001-08:00

My big kids...as little kids

2012-02-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

These are two of my favorite pictures of Adelee and Gordie!! Some might call them perfect blackmail pictures!!

layout

2012-02-02T19:01:00.001-08:00

Weekly update!

2012-02-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

FOUND MY TOES!!!!

LOVE MY DADDY!!!

LOVE MY GORDIE!!!

2012-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

Chessa is rolling over...still surprises her every time, but she keeps doing it over and over again!!

Some Big Kid Fun

2012-01-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had fun looking at and climbing on all the old trains at Traveltown, we have been playing lots of baseball in the backyard, we went shopping with Uncle Russ (who had some good quality time with Chessa), and Chuck and I have started spending our nights around the the kitchen table challenging each other at board games (rather than sitting in front of the TV and our computers). In my spare time I am still doing knitting (one would never guess we lived in SoCal my the looks of my yarn bucket and the number of stocking caps my kids have!!)

4 months old...already?

2012-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

Chessa Noelle is 4 months old! And oh how she is changing! Sure she has been smiling, laughing and talking for a while now, but now it is in response to US! Plus, she has found her hands and is figuring out what they are for...holding onto one another, chewing on, grabbing toys and even bringing the occasional toy to her mouth. Speaking of her mouth...her doctor commented on how her lower gums are starting to look swollen! Teething? What? Already!? She continues to be peaceful and content. And, if possible she continues to get more and more beautiful everyday!

Her 4 month stats:

Weight:14 pounds 2 ounces 55%

Height: 24 1/4 inches long 45%

Head: 15 3/4 cm 20%

2012-01-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Life around here just keeps getting better! Adelee and Gordie cannot stop playing...make believe, games, bikes, on the swing-set...they are joys! Well, except when I get all pumped up to go for a nice walk...a walk to get me back into shape. Kids are on their bikes, Chessa is in the stroller and I have my walking shoes on. But it never works out the way I think it should; you know--a nonstop, brisk peaceful walk. Instead we are stopping to pick up pine cones (yes, we have pine cones in SoCal), lining up to race one another, and the occasionally playing bumper bikes, which may or may not lead to someone falling off and crying. (Meanwhile, Chessa is usually a sweetheart and falls asleep for her quick early evening nap). Yep, that's my life...and like my mother-in-law reminded me to do...I am enjoying it while it lasts. Oh, and yes I am remembering to slow down and breath!

Finally, Chessa is getting cuter, fatter, taller and is getting lots of love and attention these days! (we go to the doctor for her 4 month check up next week, so we'll have an update soon!)

2012-01-06T13:48:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T18:39:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T13:31:00.001-08:00

We just couldn't hold them off any longer. By 10:30 am on Christmas Eve, the kids were beyond ready to OPEN! So, thankfully all week long we had been getting packages filled with presents! Presents from Gramma and Grandpa, Aunt Patti and Uncle Di, and Nana and Papa were overflowing from under the tree. We had plenty to open, and were able to save our family gifts for Christmas Morning.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Love the Kaitons!

"King Kong" Outtake

2011-12-22T17:42:00.000-08:00

Adelee and Gordie's secret life.
Part 1

(I recommend watching it in high resolution by going to the following link: , http://vimeo.com/34109677

2011-12-17T19:02:00.001-08:00

At Adelee's pre-school Christmas party. It was so wonderful to meet more of her friends, eat cookies (at 9am), and do lots of Christmas crafts. After the party we had a fun play date with one of Adelee's new friends. Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Another try at this precious video...

2011-11-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

2 months old!
10 1/2 pounds (30%)
22 inches (50%)
Happy, healthy and doing great!!

Halloween Weekend

2011-11-01T12:19:00.001-07:00

Gramma K. has been here, and we were lucky enough to have her join us for a wonderful Halloween weekend! Sadly, Saturday we had a sad, yet exciting gathering of the Kaiton family to say Goodbye and give our best wishes to Nel and Jen who moved to Seattle. They are going to be missed by all of us so much! We kicked Sunday off with carving pumpkins, then we were off to Adelee's school's carnival followed by Gordie's dance recital (Adelee got to join) at a local harvest festival. Monday morning we relaxed and prepared ourselves for a busy afternoon and evening of trick or treating. We hit up our mall, and had a wonderful time, trick or treating and smiling at all of the adorable costumes! We then walked 2 blocks of our neighborhood and had a wonderful time watching Adelee and Gordie run up to each house, with huge smiles and so much excitement. They made conversations with people, were thankful, and I believe were the cutest ones on the street that night! Chuck and I agree that this was the best trick or treating ever! I wish I could have captured how adorable they were! Happy Fall!!! xoxox

2011-10-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

Our little cupcake...

2011-10-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!
Best Halloween! So much fun trick or treating!! Happy, silly, friendly and thankful...oh And adorable!!!

2011-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for Halloween

2011-10-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

We hit up a pumpkin patch this weekend, despite the 90 degree temps, it was very nice. The kids picked out their pumpkins. Then we headed home to make a "spider pie". Well actually it was a pumpkin tart with a chocolate spider web drawn on top :-) Costumes are made, (well, almost I will need to use Gramma Mary's creative mind to get a spider on the front of Spider Man's suit.)

Love and lots of fall fun!

2011-10-17T16:07:00.001-07:00

Our Superheroes!

2011-10-10T20:37:00.001-07:00

Chessa loves her bottle from daddy. But tonight she couldn't take her eyes off the Lions game. A good year to be a fan!

2011-10-10T11:45:00.001-07:00

Papa with his girls

2011-10-10T11:43:00.001-07:00

Our 3 little munchkins

2011-10-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Papa and Gordie at the pig race. (our pig won 2 out of 3!)

2011-10-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Making pumpkin pie for Papa!

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2011-10-07T21:53:00.001-07:00

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2011-10-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Our Family

2011-10-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Out to dinner...

Beautiful Chessa

2011-09-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

SWEET GORDIE!

2011-09-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Gordie has been adjusting to having his sister in school nicely. He and I have been spending some nice time together working on learning letters, playing and running an occasional errand. He is such a good helper! And he is such a lover!!

Our big girl Adelee

2011-09-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Splash Pad fun with Daddy!

Hanging out with an "old" friend Amelia who was visiting from Boston

Helping Gordie make yummy watermelon sorbet

Brushing a goat (had been brushing a sheep and talking all about making yarn for mommy to knit with :)

First Day of Pre-school! yeah!

Art Show!

Her first Mini Musical...she did great, Acting, dancing and singing! (and art work for set decorations!

Ni Hao

2011-08-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

Ni Hao made his way into our hearts and was really starting to make himself comfortable in our home. He really was the sweetest cat any of us had ever met. And amazingly well behaved...for a cat! (never on the counters, rarely on the table...) He loved to curl up on Gordie's bed and Adelee's lap. He loved to curl up in a warm shot in the house during the winter and he loved being outside in the heat during the summer. He never missed an opportunity to be pet or to cuddle, always trying to climb up onto our laps! We are thankful for the joy and love he brought to our lives over the past year and he is already missed greatly! His being gone hits me every once in a while and it makes my heart so heavy and really chokes me up. Poor little guy, very sad.

Day at the Beach with Auntie Jen

2011-08-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Auntie Jen and the three of us have been trying to get to the beach all summer...we finally made it this week! We packed up our buckets, blankets, kites and lunch and headed out to Ventura for a beautiful morning on the beach! I personally (at 8 months pregnant) thought that the weather was perfect, mid 60's with clouds. The kids loved flying their kites and playing in the sand. Jen loved jumping waves and I loved spending time with all of them!

When I grow up...

2011-08-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Just to mark it down in history...

Gordie is going to be a Space Shuttle Driver when he grows up.

Adelee is going to be a doctor when she grows up.

Last month, Gordie was going to be a race car driver and Adelee was going to be his tire changer.

Gordie's jobs seem to be kinda dangerous.

pictures to come...

34 weeks

2011-08-14T14:30:00.001-07:00

Love

Our Beach

2011-08-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

Keeping up with my sisters...who both updated their blogs with pictures of their time at the beach, I thought that I would do the same. Although we weren't in the sand...we were at the ocean visiting dear friends and playing some baseball on the bluffs of Malibu.

Laura, Nathan and Kaitlin are here!

2011-08-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

We are so thankful for Auntie Laura for bringing Kaitlyn and Nathan out to visit us this weekend! The kids were amazing on the airplane ride from Florida and we are having so much fun! We picked them up for the airport and went directly to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, then back to the house to play in the backyard. Today we did Kidspace...it was Friendship Day and the book we got to go along with the day was about a group of unicorns who are cousins and best friends! Super cute!

The Dentist!

2011-08-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

They Passed with flying colors...new toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, balloons, toys....What an event, and the kids loved it! I think it helped that there were TVs on the ceiling playing the "Buzz Lightyear Movie" aka "Toy Story".

OH I almost forgot, they got stickers too!

Baby Girl Update

2011-07-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

The ultrasound today was fun...I don't think I've ever had one this late in the game before. (32 weeks) My placenta is low, but in a safe spot (you can see her snuggling with it in the photo). And all bloodflow looks good!

But most importantly...What a cutie! And everything looked great...her heart was strong and "beeping" at about 130 bpm (Adelee and Gordie's favorite part!), her brain, stomach, kidneys, spine....all looked great. She even has a little hair on the back of her head, we saw it floating in the amniotic fluid...how funny! The doc couldn't get a good look at her feet because they were too far up under my ribs...yea, I could have told her that! When I asked if she had a small head (wishful thinking) the doc agreed and said, "yes, on the smaller side". That left me wondering if she was just humoring me or if she really does have a head more the size of Adelee's than Gordie's head at birth! The baby was estimated to weigh about 4 pounds 5 ounces, right around 50%ile. We have a wonderful video of the whole ultrasound, but here is a cute photo of her face. I think she is looking just like Adelee...especially those adorable lips and her cute nose! She even opened her eyes a bit for the photo. Oh and we got the official photo of confirming she is a girl...but we'll keep the photo of her privates private :-)

8 weeks to go!

a few more...

2011-07-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

These are cute too!

Saline Girls Weekend in San Diego

2011-07-12T23:29:00.001-07:00

My bestest girlfriends from high school had a wonderful family vacation in San Diego this weekend. We rented a nice house with a beautiful pool and hot tub, we were 20 minutes from the beach and less than an hour from the city. We got to watch sunsets over the rolling hills, sit around a talk, play in the pool, and relax in the hot tub. We got to watch our all together 9 kids play together and start to form beautiful friendships like their mommys have! I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends! I must give credit to Mackenzie for these pictures...with chuck not around for most of the weekend, not many photos were taken with our camera...
ps I added a "belly shot" of me at 29 weeks.

Summer=Apples! Birthday Parties! Buddies! and Swimming!

2011-07-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

We have been having a wonderful, but HOT summer! Although it sounds strange, we get apples on our apple tree about this time of year, so the kids and I had fun picking some apples...now to make a pie! The kids have enjoyed the kiddie pool and slip and slide almost everyday! I am trying to take it easy, so I have many knitting projects in the works, here is Gordie's Monkey. Finally...Gordie turned 3!!! We went to see Cars 2 in the Theater on Saturday, had 4th of July Parties on both July 3rd and July 4th and then I threw him a little Dino-riffic birthday party for a few of his buddies...including Cameron and Sasha (Mackenzie and Brandon) who are out visiting from Flagstaff!

Just as my camera erased the beach photos last week...this time it erased most of the party photos...bummer! After that I hurried around trying to take as many photos as possible with Chuck's camera so I could have some record of the party! Urrrgggg!!!

Dance Video

2011-07-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

2011-06-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

This was on a wonderful hike this weekend! We made it around a Turtle Pond and a beautiful lake. It was wonderful! We also had a beautiful day Saturday at the beach, for some reason the pictures disappeared off of my camera (not chuck's, my cheap one) Urrrggg! (I know I shouldn't be holding Gordie...oops...really Mom, I don't ever pick him up, just this once)

Dance Recital 2011!

2011-06-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! We got to celebrate what a wonderful daddy Chuck is, enjoy the company of my mom and watch our two amazing babies perform on stage like little stars! They both did great! Adelee flashed a few beautiful smiles on stage along with doing a great job with her dance! Gordie was simply adorable in his suit and hit every move right on (for the most part), and even put a little attitude into a few of the moves! It was a beautiful day!

I'll work on putting the videos together...but here are some photos!

Adelee's 4th Birthday

2011-06-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

This is when I wish I was a good writer! Oh our precious Adelee is 4 years old already! Really? Where has the time gone!? She has always been such an angel and such a joy! (oh no the tears are coming...) We love her so much! She is a wonderful daughter, but I think it is her amazing characteristics as a sister that has always set her apart! From day one (at 13 months old) she was caring and loving to her brother! Even now at 4 years old, she plays with him all day! When he crys she is the first one he runs to, and she is the first one to run to him to sooth him! I even got yelled at (yes yelled at) the other day when Adelee was running after a crying Gordie. I asked her to leave him alone and she said "Mom, stop! I have to help Gordie he is upset!!" I couldn't even be mad at her for yelling at me, because it was just so sweet, it was so Adelee! She is a gem! Funny, smart, beautiful, sweet, independent and amazing!

For her birthday she wanted to go on a farris wheel and she wanted cupcakes (a train ride, a marry-go-round ride, and play chase aka "bad animal"). So, we headed down to the Santa Monica Pier for the morning. We spent the afternoon playing in the backyard and decorating and eating cupcakes! The final picture is our 4 year old...texting on the bed (new bunk beds from Gramma and Grandpa K.), wearing a beautiful dress from the Bonnemas :-)

Praise the Lord for our beautiful blessings that fill up our day every day! We are so thankful for Adelee!

My Mother's Day

2011-05-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

I had a beautiful Mother's Day today. Chuck and Gordie made us Waffles for breakfast, followed by a nice long shower (sorry, it's rare and it counts as part of my peaceful Mother's Day), a beautiful morning at an Art Fair in Studio City, a wonderful lunch at Aroma, some shopping, a cupcake, and lots of fun family time! (my "belly shot" this week is at 20 weeks, and I looks smaller than I feel! Baby is moving a lot! Chuck even got to feel a kick this week! Now that the nausea and fatigue is backing off, I remember why I LOVE LOVE LOVE being pregnant!!)

I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and beautiful babies! God is good! I am so thankful to be a mom, today and everyday! I am so thankful for all the wonderful mom's in my life that I have watched and learned from, Happy Mother's Day to you all! xoxo

Happy Easter!

2011-04-28T20:17:00.001-07:00

by the way, chuck's camera was being rented this weekend, so sorry... the pictures were taken with my 'cheap" camera ;-)

Baby #3

2011-04-21T11:58:00.001-07:00

So I'm 18 weeks along today. We had our (hopefully, but sadly) last ultrasound today. The kids got to come along and really enjoyed seeing the baby, but mostly enjoyed the heart beat which was "really really really loud" according to Adelee.

Chuck and I chose not to find out the gender of the baby until the big day, so I don't have that information for you, but I can say that everything looked healthy and seemed to be growing nicely :-) The baby was moving its arms and legs all around and "waved" to the kids. OH! Getting more exciting every day!!

"Wrestle me on your bed daddy"

2011-04-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Night, after night, after night I have dinner fed, baths done, calm, sitting, reading books...then...daddy walks in...Gordie jumps up, runs to him, throws his arms around him and insists "Wrestle me on your bed daddy". Adelee often acts like she is not affected by daddy walking in the door, but then slowly follows them into the bedroom and soon becomes the leader of the wrestling match!

Christmas, a little late :-)

2011-04-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

So Chuck's working all day and left his computer at home...so that means I got to access all of the awesome photos he's taken over the past months! Here are a few good ones from Christmas.

Surprise! Disneyland

2011-04-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

As we exited on Disneyland Rd. (you can't see any signs of Disney) Adelee says, "This kinda looks like Disneyland". Yep, Surprise!

We had a beautiful day at Disneyland on Saturday! The kids were amazing and so much fun! We rode on about 10 rides from Dumbo and a submarine ride to The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. There was only one meltdown...in line for ice cream. It was quickly fixed by Chuck's great idea of the day "Martha, maybe we should go feed them lunch first (at 3:00) and then get ice cream". Oops :-)

We decided to save a few bucks and drive threw McDonalds on the way home (9:00) Gordie literally fell asleep 2 bites into his first chicken nugget! Adelee made it threw 2 nuggets!

What a joyful day!!

When life has got you spinning. Lift your eyes up to see the beauty!

Tucson

2011-03-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend in Tucson with my Grandpa! Never mind the excitement of hiking in the desert, swimming under a beautiful Arizona blue sky, train rides, shuttle rides, stunt shows...the list goes on, but the most wonderful part was hanging out with Great Grandpa! The kids couldn't get enough of him! What a blessing!

Nana and Papa Visit

2011-03-15T20:47:00.001-07:00

Photos from hanging out at home, Martha's birthday, A wonderful brunch in Palm Springs, and Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park...LOTS OF LOVE AND SMILES!

Me and Baby at 12 weeks

A wonderful week with my parents...part 1

2011-03-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from our weekend in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park this weekend with my parents. We had a wonderful time! The weather was perfect! 90's in Palm Springs and upper 60's and sunny, sunny sunny for hiking in Joshua Tree.

We have been having lots more fun too, so more pictures will come soon.

A Fun Day with Daddy!

2011-03-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

While I worked, Chuck had a fun day with the kids. Including a trip to Uncle Russ's house, skipped naps and ice cream at Mels! Plus, Chuck had lots of fun with his camera and his adorable kids. Here's is just a little taste of the cuteness...

In other news...our sweet and wonderful Gordie could very well be potty trained, it has been 5 days with no accidents. He got a "real" Buzz Lightyear doll as his reward! He is one happy little boy! And we are 2 happy parents and one proud big sister too! Oh and notice his undies. He insists on wearing them with "buzz lightyear in the front" which of course is backwards...which just cracks us up, especially when his cute tush hangs out the back!

Flying kites!

2011-02-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

We had a beautiful weekend! We enjoyed the 80 degree weather at the beach on Saturday and flying kites on Sunday (before the game) And although I really could care less about professional football, it sure was nice having the TV on all afternoon, parking my tush on the sofa and relaxing, while the kids watched some, made funny comments about the commercials (like Adelee wanting to turn our car into a robot--the Transformers 3 Movie Trailer), and ran around playing.

Here are a few cute pictures of the kids flying kites. I have to find my camera charger so I can upload more pictures...so hopefully I'll have a few more soon.

The sun was VERY bright and the kites were right up there with the sun, so Gordie had to borrow Auntie Jen's sunglasses to keep his eyes on his kite!

A little something

2011-01-11T22:11:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, Chuck gets a new camera and I don't get any pictures!

Well we have had a wonderful few months! Adelee, Gordie and Martha spent 3 weeks in Michigan playing with Nana and Papa, and the Bonnemas! (but I forgot my camera...my parents have tons of great pics though!)

When we got back we had a wonderful visit from Gramma Kaiton. We relaxed, had a wonderful Kaiton Christmas Party, AND Santa stopped by the party to give a couple of early gifts and to wish us a Merry Christmas...that was Awesome!!!

Then, it was Christmas...Chuck, was home this whole holiday season and it was so wonderful to be together in our home this year! I am so thankful for such a loving and wonderful Husband and 2 beautiful children!!

We got to attend a New Years Eve party in Venice too...at 6:00pm!! The picture of Gordie must have been taken when I was in the other room...although I must admit it is pretty cute!

I wish you all peace in 2011!!

xoxo

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

A few more photos

2010-10-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos I took from Laura. (Tom's sister, who also lives here in LA, and was with us this weekend with her daughter Amelia and hubby Ben)

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notice Marcia Cross at Mr. Bones, who jumped right into our photo :)

2010-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

We just dropped off the Bonnema Family at the airport, and we miss them already! I think Adelee put it best when she said (about 100 times) "Why do they have to go to their house, I don't want them to go to their house!!"

I'm sure Anna will fill her blog with a nice narrative of the trip, I'm going to keep it simple (in hopes of getting some photos up before my dad leaves work for the day). She will also have pictures of Thursday (when I forgot my camera, and we did Santa Monica Pier) and Sunday (when Chuck used his fancy camera and we did Kidspace, Pasadena)

So we had a wonderful time!! Here are photos of Friday...Hike to the Hollywood Sign, Hollywood Blvd, Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch (Where we saw Marcia Cross, from Desprate Housewives), next we split up and the Bonnemas kept going and I took the kids home for a nap, finally we met back up at Universal City Walk for dinner.

Saturday was Disneyland!!!!!

LOTS OF HAPPINESS AND LOVE!!!

13.1!!! I did it again!

2010-10-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

So January of 2009 I made a New Years Resolution to Run a 1/2 marathon. The year came and went with maybe a couple of 2 mile runs. So a couple of months ago when my sister Anna told me she was training for her first 1/2 marathon and wanted me to train along side her...2000 miles apart I was all for it! So we did it!

It just so happened that the marathons were on the same day! TODAY! A beautiful, perfect, cool day in both Grand Rapids, MI and in Long Beach, CA. We both kicked butt too! I ran a lot faster than I thought I could and felt great the whole time...really I did!!! (right now, laying in bed...yeah, not feeling so good...my legs feel like rocks!!)

Chuck, Adelee and Gordie came along to support and cheer me on! They had a blast playing with each other in and around the events, looking at the boats, the Queen Mary Historical Ship, the beach, the ocean, bridges, fountains...and watching LOTS AND LOTS OF RUNNERS!!! At the end Adelee told me "Mom, I'm proud of you" Melt my heart!!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Pirate Night at KidSpace

2010-09-19T21:49:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful night at Kidspace on Friday! Gordie has really been into Pirate's since the Pirate Ride at Disneyland. And Adelee, well she loves the Booty! Plus I added a nice photo of Kendall, cause she's so cute too!

August

2010-08-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

We sure are having lots of fun and enjoying summer with Chuck in town! Here is a quick overview of the past few weeks! Enjoy!

The kids all dressed up ready to party!

Am I actually going to admit this...Our kitty cat Ni Hao hanging out with me, his favorite spot (besides on my lap...who would have thought?)

Chuck discovered that the kids are AMAZING!!!!! JENGA players (they can each pull up to 10 blocks!!

A wonderful night in the "Wild Wild West" with a petting zoo, playing horse shoes, lasso lessons, square dance lessons, and making cowboy puppets...

A pair of adorable ladybugs wrestling

Meeting Curious George at the Grove

Followed by a wonderful hike and the kids first sight of the Hollywood Sign...very cool!...well, very hot...but very neat :-)

An amazing day at the Natural History Museum...the kids enjoyed a t-rex show, a spider and bee show, lots of cool stuffed mammals, lots more dinosaur skeletons, a HUGE whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling and much much much more! No fear just total enjoyment! So proud of my brave kids!

Meeting Kai Lan

2010-08-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Adelee and Gordie were so excited to meet Kai Lan at the zoo this past weekend. Auntie Jenny and Uncle Nelbo gave Adelee this outfit a while back and when she said she wanted to dress like a princess (very common these days) to go meet Kai Lan, I knew it was the perfect "princess" outfit! She loved it! Kai Lan even inspired the name of our foster cat, "Ni Hao Kitty" (translated Hi Kitty)

Art Class

2010-08-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

The kids took a wonderful Art Class this summer. They learned about oil pastels, relief sculptures, the color wheel, texture collages and more. Here is some of the artwork from art class. At the end of the semester, they were part of a nice Art Show.

Reagan Library

2010-07-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. I can't believe I got to post these pictures. Back in June, we had a lovely day at the Reagan Library with Chuck and Mary.

Letely we have been hitting up birthday parties, seeing Dora at the zoo, riding bikes, playing hockey, playing in the kiddie pools, swinging, and trying to figure out how to get Adelee to stay in bed at naptime and bedtime...ugh. Chuck's job has him working 5 day weeks with very little travel. So we are very very very happy with that!

Gordie's birthday!

2010-07-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Gordie wanted to see Choo Choo Trains on his birthday. So we headed to Griffith Park where we rode on a really cool and fast Merry-go-round (the kids both LOVE Merry-go-rounds!) and to Travel Town, an outdoor train museum with trains you can climb on, ride on and play with. We made it home for naps (except Adelee who found a spider on the wall next to her bed and therefore did not nap) Gordie actually was talking so long in bed that I went in to hug him and I ended up rocking him to sleep (something I hadn't done in a long time...and it was super wonderful to do on his birthday! Then we had a nice family gathering, birthday celebration for Gordie. He got awesome presents including a big boy bike! a hockey net! remote control car! a really cool Hummer truck that plays MC Hammer, and moves with a push of a button! a "Hot Wheels" loop for his hot wheels cars! Plus 2 Toy Story books! He was so happy! It was a wonderful day!

TODAY! A Perfect Day!

2010-06-13T21:49:00.001-07:00

The dance recital was amazing! I was the parent volunteer so I got to hang out with the 8 girls in the back before and after they performed (this was A LOT harder than I imagined!) But I was lucky to see Adelee having a blast with lots of other girls! Chuck says that Gordie was a perfect little angel in his seat and loved clapping after each performance!

THEN...it was the birthday party! Simply a wonderful time! Adelee and Gordie both were busy doing arts and crafts with all of their friends the whole time! Again, perfect little angels! We painted canvases, made jewelry, decorated ties, sculpted play dough, colored, got face painted and tattooed too! Auntie Jenny, Unkie Nelbo and Gramma and Grandpa were a wonderful addition to the party and helped make everything go smoothly! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

They were very thankful for all of their friends and their gifts! And Chuck and I are very thankful for our 2 beautiful kiddos!

Adelee's Birthday Week with Nana and Papa

2010-06-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful visit from my parents this past week! And our baby turned 3!! Adelee had a great birthday with so many thoughtful gifts from her family! Gordie was very pleased to officially been given Adelee's old red tricycle all for himself! Which Adelee was more than willing to give up when she got her very cool Pink big girl bike! Now I want a bike too!

While my parents were here we did all sorts of fun things! Including 2 science center's, a butterfly exhibit, lots of shopping (mostly to get ready for the kid birthday party this weekend), some sitting around and we ate really well!

Gordie continues to use the potty here and there, but is usually way to busy playing to make it to the bathroom. He does let us know when he's wet/stinky so we can change him right away (diapers have been coming off in his bed now...gonna have to bring out the Duct Tape if it happens again :-) )

Nana and Papa bought them a swing set for their birthdays (thought I took a picture of my dad and Chuck putting it together but I can't find it). The kids have a blast figuring out all the fun that can be had on the swings and slide! They are amazing and play together so well!

Adelee has her ballet recital this weekend and Gordie continues to amaze us and his teacher in Gymnastics. We will take a break from dance this summer and have them both in Gymnastics! (it's getting to hard to keep Gordie out of the dance class--he loves to join the class for tap time--and Adelee can't stand watching Gordie have all that fun in Gymnastics)

The weather has been perfect and the kids are amazing...enjoy the pictures!

Disneyland!!!

2010-05-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a little look into our Disneyland vacation!

Kaiton Family Vacation

2010-05-16T20:48:00.001-07:00

Wow! We just got back from a wonderful weekend! Here are a few photos of our fun! We stayed in a beautiful hotel (the 10th floor...the elevator ride was more fun than any ride in Disney...almost)

The kids were amazing at Disneyland and we had so much fun! We rode on tons of rides from trains, to taxi cabs (scary roger rabbit ride that made both kids cry...but recovered quickly), to boats (including the Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World), and a roller coaster!! We danced in Town Square with all the Characters and we saw beautiful fireworks! We went swimming and survived the Baseball game! God was on our side (at the "Angels" game) because it was the shortest game I'd ever been to (less than 3 hours)and we were all ready to head home at the end!

Really...how can they be this cute???

2010-05-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some crazy cute photos of Adelee and Gordie from the past few days including on Mother's Day and our trip out to Malibu.

Oh man, Adelee in that pose, with her tongue sticking out and a tattoo on her arm...and she's only 2...(yes Gordie has my shoes on too)

This Weekend in the Kaiton Family...

2010-05-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful weekend. This weekend we were joined by my good friend from Physical Therapy school, Theo...and Chuck was home! :-)

We went and visited with Bert and Ernie at the LA Zoo followed by a wonderful trip out to Ventura to play on the beach!

The kids continue to amaze us everyday!

Earth Week!

2010-04-25T20:40:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Earth Week. Which ended with Adelee telling me to turn off the water by saying "mommy don't waste water because of earth day". We planted beans, zucchini, went to the zoo to learn about Endangered species, went the Aquarium of the Pacific to learn about cleaning trash out of the lakes so the fish can swim and be happy. The kids got a map of America and a new Globe of "Earth" and we are learning about where everyone lives. (the Globe has pictures on it (animals from around the world) so far the kids are only interested in "Daddy's airplane is on the ball" and they like finding the whales)...it's a start. I am so proud of them! (oh and Gordie won his first raffle at an Earth Day storytime...he got a great book and lots of stickers)...by the way there are more pictures from our trip up north following this post...you might have to search for it though)

2010-04-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to have my very good high school friend Kate (Lovejoy) living only 5 short hours away in beautiful Northern California (just south of San Fransisco). We had a wonderful visit! Adelee and Kendall were instant best friends (so cute to see) Gordie, found toys that he just couldn't get enough of (a little trampoline, a vacuum cleaner, a little tykes car). Kate and I just picked up were we left off and had a wonderful time together! She took us on a wonderful trip up to San Fran (my first time, and I am so mad at myself for not getting up there sooner BEAUTIFUL!!!), we played at a couple of parks, played a lot and got to help celebrate Allyson's first birthday, with a wonderful party (that included a jumper!)

Me with the Golden Gate Bridge and the City in the background. (kids were asleep in the car, so we only did a driving tour)

The amazingly adorable girls

The jumping went on for hours!

Kate with her girls

The Princess and the Goofball

My cuties

More cuteness

Oops who put Gordie next to the birthday girl???

A wonderful (but cold) day in Los Angeles!

2010-04-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

(Bet you didn't think we did this kind of thing here in LA!!!)

THE KIDS WERE AMAZING!! Both of them got right up on the horse and walked off around the field! It was so wonderful to see! Then we got to play with adorable little rats (tickled the kids hands and bellies), bunnies, and a snake (just looked).

Even Chuck and I got to go for a nice romantic walk on horseback (until Chuck's horse took off the other direction) then it was more of a comical walk :-)

Our wonderful trip to Tucson!

2010-04-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

We gave and we got lots of hugs from Papa!

We gave and we got lots of hugs from Nana!

We shared lots of special hugs with Great Grandpa!

Lots of fun...
Sleeping in big kid beds!

Riding on a Choo-choo train!

Gordie broke the law and had to pay the consequences...NO TIES! So his got cut off and pinned on the wall!

My beautiful Adelee learned all about desert plants and flowers!

We watched a hummingbird baby...just 5 days old...get up close a personal with an arm...not a branch...oops (his mommy was not happy with him...but we all thought it was pretty dang cool!)

Gordie started to get a bit tired in Papa's arms...

But got a little more energy when he saw a Coyote!

Then conked out on Great Grandpa for a good hour!

What a beautiful trip! We had such a wonderful time and feel so blessed to get to spend such special time with our family!

Ready to head home to Daddy and celebrate Easter

I felt very blessed by my beautiful family today on Easter! Praise to God!

2010-03-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the Caterpillar adoption at a local kids museum! Adelee loved painting her egg crate caterpillar and making her butterfly antennae Gordie loved running around, up and down! They both enjoyed learning about how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Adelee even got to be part of the demonstration and turn into a crystalis that wiggled out and turned and turned into a beautiful butterfly! Gordie loved wiggling right along with her!

The photobook

2010-03-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I was just playing around with my pictures and shutterfly and saw that you can post a book up on the blog...so I thought I would try it...obviously I didn't spend much time putting the book together, but enjoy it anyways. Now I know I can do this more often! very cool!

Happy Spring!

Shared photo book from Martha

2010-03-16T23:21:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

My wonderful birthday!!!!

2010-03-09T20:50:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness I had a wonderful birthday! We raced off to the train station and had a beautiful ride up the coast to Santa Barbara. We walked up the pier for an ice cream lunch (a Bonnema family tradition). Then we jumped on a tram and rode that to downtown, where I got to do some shopping for about 5 minutes! Then off to an early dinner and back to the train. Gordie and Adelee could not sit still the entire train ride home! It was actually pretty funny and cute...looking back on it!

I truly feel blessed and had a beautiful start to another year!

The end of the day...

Gordie's Gymnastics Class

2010-03-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

Gordie started Gymnastics class. He loves it! He has a made a couple of good friends (one really special one, Emma) The teacher cannot believe how strong he is, especially on the bars! Adelee has been very good watching and supporting him from the side. She is learning her ballet routine for her June recital.

Adelee reading to Gordie

2010-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

THIS IS GORDIE'S FAVORITE BOOK!! He walks around the house saying in his deep voice "Biiii, hunnnng, bear" and BOOOOOM BOOOOOM BOOOOOM!! So we have read it a few times lately...and Adelee has paid attention, cause now she can read it! She has the beginning and end down, the "pick pick pick" part she made up...but WOW! I was impressed! (fyi, I had to take two videos cause I ran out of memory the first time, so she did read it two times!)

A late post!

2010-01-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

For Grampa Kaiton

Adelee's big girl bed

2010-01-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

This is way over due...Adelee has been amazing sleeping in her big girl bed! Only one time did I wake up to her yelling "mommy, where my bed go?" And found her sitting in the middle of the room. We are so proud of her.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! It was peaceful and full of love!

Adelee hula-hooped ALL day! Gordie loved playing with all his new toys! And we survived a really long Christmas Mass (which was wonderful and full of beautiful music!) Gordie cheered after each song ("Deahhhhhhhh!!!" With clapping) Adelee disciplined her father when he tried to tickle her "No, daddy we at church, we play wresting when we get home!" She also pointed out all the pictures of Jesus and said "Jesus has hair on his chin and his belly".

Happy New Year!

NOVEMBER, 2009

2009-12-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

Martha's trip started with a wonderful weekend in Las Vegas with Suzanne and Mackenzie!

Adelee, Gordie stepped foot in their first Casino and we had lunch in "Venice".

Then it was on to Aspen to play in the snow...and stretch our legs...

We made it to Denver to have a wonderful lunch with Cousin Eileen.

Then we drove, drove and drove some more... but everyone is still happy...well at least Gordie is happy...Adelee and Kendall are thinking about it!

We made it to Holland!!!

We all had a wonderful time ice skating...both kids amazed us!!

Can never pass up a chance to cuddle Papa (plus it gave mommy a chance to skate alone...which was really not that pretty!)

Chuck and Martha had a chance to go out on a double date with Anna and Tom :)

Then we were on to visit Great Grandpa in Jackson, the kids loved seeing him!

Picking carrots with Nana!

Papa's train was one of Adelee and Gordie's highlights of the trip!

We celebrated Nathan's First Birthday! Laura and Gavin arrived on Sunday and the cousins were together! Absolutely wonderful!

Laura and Martha

The Henry Ford Museum was a lot of fun with the Lego Exhibit

We had a nice visit with Gramma Rose!

We had a lot of Dance Parties!

The kids after "Christmas"

Mom and Dad's Christmas Present...The 3 Daughter's Rug

Off to North Carolina to visit Gramma and Grammpa...and visit Santa!

The Kids Science Center with Gramma and Grampa K.

Off to Dallas, Tx to hang with the Ratcliff Family!
Suzanne and the kids

All the boys! (A. was reading books in the other corner of the cute little coffee shop)

And we are all still smiling with only a couple of more days left in our vacation!

After we left Dallas, we drove west toward California...we stopped very briefly in Flagstaff Az to see the Lurie Family...but we were quickly chased out by a blizzard that dropped over 2 feet of snow in the mountains of Northern Az! We had snow...then rain...then more snow west of the desert as we headed down into Los Angeles! Crazy!

What a great trip! Thanks everyone for so much fun and love!

Fun with the Triplets

2009-11-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

We are having a blast!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

Adelee was a purple walrus, Gordie a turtle! Both just adorable and had a wonderful time trick or treating! Gordie walked from house to house pointing and saying--in a spooky voice "ooooohhhhh" at the decorations. And Adelee walked right up to each door and yelled "Trick or treat" (think "GO STATE" video) then when the door opened she would say "Adelee have one please." (not a question....more of a statement) As they walked away from each house Gordie would say "Ba" (aka bye) and Adelee would say quietly "Happy Halloween, Thank you" And then on to the next house!

Okay, just have to say it, temps were in the upper 70's...just a beautiful night!

We went trick or treating with our neighbor and good friend Sawyer who was an adorable Lion and was having a blast...we enjoyed watching his parents chase him all around the different yards :)

Happy Halloween!

An adorable video

2009-10-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

We had a blast camping...here is a video of the kids. I wish I could put it in slow motion (I'll work on that) Gordie's face is priceless!! And yes, Adelee does say, "we're going crazy!"

PUMPKINS!

2009-10-26T23:10:00.000-07:00

Laura being the center of a really cute sandwich!

Adelee on Chocolate and Gordie on Marshmallow

First wheelbarrow ride from daddy

We had a wonderful day at the farm (last weekend) with our friends Laura, Ben and baby Amelia. We got lost in a corn maze (never did find the center...but at least we found our way out! We shopped at the farmers market, rode ponies, climbed a hay stack, hung out with chickens, sat on a tractor, and picked out pumpkins! The pumpkin picking was alittle bit different than last year in Michigan (shorts not snowsuits!) We are very happy to have the Lappenga's with us here in Los Angeles!

ps- we had a wonderful Halloween Party on Sunday. I'll post photos soon. I'm too lazy to go hook the camera up right now, I want to go to sleep :)