The Ludlam Family

LtoR: Kyle, Matt, Granite, Jared, Jeremiah, Uwe (my twin)
Kekoa, Kasandra and Isaiah, Jessica and Kono, Alyzabeth and Julianna
Michele and Baby Sepa, Celeste and Ikaika, Mom (Delphine) and Baby Isaac, Dawn and Baby Rian

I cannot express how excited I was to find out the week before Easter that my whole family (my mother and siblings with their families) were coming into town for the weekend. None of us could remember the last time we were all together. I come from a family of 7 children, 3boys and 4 girls. Four of us are married with children. So here is a completely unedited photo of us all together. I love getting together with my family. It always means good food and enjoyable times. My two sisters and I got together with all our boys a couple of times during the week before Easter. It was an adventure, to say the least, to have 6 boys, all under the age of 3-1/2 playing together. I love my sisters and desperately wish we lived closer together. My younger brother with his beautiful wife and three children (the girls and brand-new baby boy) also came up - which was a nice treat. I am so grateful for family. Family is one of the greatest blessings of life.

Treasure Hunting

I need to do a few posts to get caught up after Easter. So here we go...

Ever since I was small, I have wanted to make treasure-hunting a part of our family traditions. I remember going on treasure hunts as a small child and loving it. So this year it began. The kids "hunted" for their Easter baskets. Well - I guess actually Kekoa hunted for all the boys. He did really good. There were 6 clues that said something like -"what is the shape of an oval, shows your face, and is in mommy and daddy's room?" (My full length mirror). Kekoa was so cute - he would think about it for a minute and then say - "Come on guys!" and lead us to the next place. The ending spot was my studio where we had their baskets waiting. For Sepa we traded a basket for a well needed floor toy - some fun entertainment for him. I thoroughly enjoyed putting the baskets together and creating the clues. I look forward to making this a yearly tradition in our family.
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Kyle's First Blog - Romance Defined

For my first official posting I wanted to write a brief tribute to my wife. To keep my sister from puking because of the potential cheesiness of my post, I want to preface this by saying that I will try to make this palatable for everyone.

While our family has been sick for the past 2 to 3......weeks, I have watched the movie Enchanted about 432 times. Yes, I have it memorized....and....yes guys, I know all the songs (they're quite catchy). What does this movie have to do with my post? Well, by about the 80th time I was watching and singing along with Prince Edward (please don’t laugh), I resolved to be MORE ROMANTIC.

Now if romance is defined by Disney then I would need to make some major purchases: (1) a horse (Kekoa would be thrilled..the other night he prayed and blessed his brown horse, his cowboy boots, his cowboy rope and his cowboy hat…..he also blessed that we would all be Supermen to protect our home from the bad guys – whose kid is this, seriously?), (2) a castle (property taxes…yikes), (3) a royal outfit (complete with spandex), and (4) a sidekick (either my sister or Todd Sierer). I would also need to learn how to sing, ballroom dance, and fight with a sword…oh that’s right I can already do all of those things somewhat….just not all at the same time……yet.

Disney’s version of romance is nice but I prefer the version I’ve witnessed in my home over the past four and a half years. I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, birthdays or even date nights (I’ve got to improve in this area). I’m talking about romance defined as patience, compassion, sacrifice, time, and love…..or in other words – Michele Reyes.

**WARNING** Cheesiness levels are rising!!

Over the past two months (almost since Sepa’s arrival), at least one member of our family has been sick. Sure there have been times when we all have felt pretty good but for the most part someone’s nose has been running. I have been amazed with my wife as she has taken care of her four boys (and herself) with all of the qualities mentioned earlier. My love for her has grown so much not because she surprises me with gifts or writes me poems but because day in and day out, she sacrifices everything for her family (a trait she picked up from her mother). There is NO DOUBT in any of our (all the boys’) minds that she loves us more than anything. This is true romance. I’ve heard people say that they need more romance in their lives or more spontaneity to spice up their love life. While candles, roses, getaways and poems are all symbols of love, they should never replace the daily kind words, sacrifices and most importantly, time devoted to the ones we profess to love. I know that the boys and I are on Michele’s mind ALL THE TIME. Her devotion to us provides daily inspiration for me to be more romantic (more patient, more compassionate, more willing to sacrifice, more willing to devote time, energy and love).

I know that the word Romance has more academic origins related to languages, literature and, of course Rome, but in our home....romance has been redefined......Thank you Michele!!

Little One See, Little One Do

Ikaika is so cute. He wants to be just like Kekoa. We are constantly reminding Kekoa to be a good example because his brother is watching him. Yesterday Ikaika wanted to go outside, so I put on his shoes. He came back to me later and motioned for me to take his shoes off, so I did. He then went and put on Kekoa's favorite shoes - some cowboy boots he got from his Uncle Miah for Christmas. Then he went out side and got on Kekoa's bike. You can tell by the picture that he was so excited to have both at the same time! He loves his brother and his brother's things. Good thing we talk a lot about 'sharing.'
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PS. The boys are sick again... sigh... I thought we had our share. This round has been shorter but worse (goopy eyes & wheezing, yuck). Kaika looks like he was in a boxing match, but he is in good spirits.

Happy Easter

We had a great Easter weekend with lots of food, family and fun. I will write more of the events when I have a little more time. Here are just a couple pictures from the Easter egg hunt we had at our house on Saturday. Kekoa and Ikaika had a blast.

Here is a collage of pictures taken during Easter weekend. Not fancy in design - just functional in remembering the time together. I loved spending time with my family. I was so excited to have an Easter egg hunt with so many little ones capable of hunting for the eggs. It will only get bigger and better from here :)

TOP 10 REASONS The Reyes Family Needs a Girl

Though we are not even thinking about having another child anytime soon, I thought this might be a fun post. It was actually inspired by Ikaika as you will later see... I have to also write of how much I enjoy having three boys. It is so fun to see them together. I look forward to seeing them grow up together and become the best of friends. I honestly feel like I am content with either boys or girls and simply feel blessed to have any children that Heavenly Father will entrust us with. Having that said - here is the countdown : )


#10 - So the boys - Kekoa, Ikaika, and Sepa can fulfill their brotherly potential by having a sister to protect.

#9 - So Kyle can expand his talents and finally learn how to braid hair (He agreed to do our girl's hair before we got married).

#8 - So that I (Michele) can have someone to spoil in my studio with all my tutus, boas, flowers and other girl-ly type props.

#7 -To have someone to pass on the Kiiyaa'aanii name as a first clan (this is a Navajo thing).

#6 - So Kyle and I can expand our parenting skills and fully appreciate the differences between raising both boys and girls.

#5 - To have an excuse to buy some of those cute, cute girl stuff I see when I go shopping (and to be spoiled by my mother who has a major weakness for girl things).

#4 - To have someone to try on my shoes without it looking a little strange.

(Here is what happened after church when we came
home and I took off my shoes.
Ikaika loves to try on shoes - any shoes).

#3 - So we can utilize some of those Navajo names we have saved for a girl (Nizhoni: beautiful or Shandiin: sunshine).

#2 - So that Kyle can have his "Daddy's Little Girl" and I can have my daughter to be a future mother.

#1 - To bless the world and the female population with our beautiful genetic combination.

Reyes Boys... again

I know most of my posts are of my boys - but hey, they are my life right now - 24/7 devoted to them. Here is a fun picture of the three of them lying on our bed. I tried to tell Kekoa to put his hand down but he insisted that he had to kiss Sepa's hand. Ikaika is his usual silly self. Sorry to anyone who is tired of my posting just my kids - but hey - I am not forcing anyone to look at my blog. I do it for mainly for journal purposes. Everyone just can look if they want to...
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Sepa - 2 months

Continuing with the tradition.... Here is Sepa at 2 months in the teacup. He has grown so much. This shot was hard because his whole body cannot fit in the teacup anymore and he is still not able to hold his head up completely - so I had Kyle give him some support there. We took him in to the doctors for a check- up yesterday and he was 12 lbs. We actually have a baby that is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. He has become so social, it is so fun. He loves to make eye contact, smile and coo. He still does not sleep very well at night, but I know it won't last forever. I just need to remember that at 2:00am (and 3:00... and 4:00....).
I also put this next picture on the post to show just what a social boy he is... must be Kyle's son : )
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Sweet Sound of Laughter

I have decided to officially declare that Sepa has had his first laugh. He does a cute little 'courteous' laugh - which made it hard for me to decide if he really was laughing. It is a sweet little chuckle. He actually has done it a couple times, but this morning he did a good amount. I had just swaddled Sepa for his nap. He looked up at me, content and cozy. I talked to him and he did the little laugh for me. It was a sweet moment I won't forget. I thought it was appropriate to make that the official first laugh. It has been different from the other boys who laughed without mistake (Kekoa had a full laughing session the first time he laughed at 6 weeks!)
So, you might ask - what's the big deal? It is because in Navajo tradition such an event calls for a party! The idea is that you celebrate the milestone with a party to bring good fortune and so the baby will be giving all their life. A unique part of this tradition is that the person who makes the baby laugh gives the party and has a small gift for all those who attend. It's fun and I love any excuse to get together with family and friends and EAT!
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PS. Kyle has informed me that he will start blogging : ) Yeah!

Daddy and Me

I am trying to encourage Kyle to start putting up posts on the blog. He is a busy guy, but I'd love to read somethings from him. Plus, he is a way better writer than I am. Maybe these pictures will inspire him.
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Handsome Sepa

I know I am biased when I give my opinion, but I think I have the most handsome boys. I love watching them grow and continue to become more and more handsome. Iosepa is sure rivaling his brothers with his almond eyes, full lips and dark hair. What a cutie pie!!! He is growing so much. It is so sad to already be putting away some clothes that he has outgrown. He is now 8 weeks (today) and will turn 2 months this Friday. He has become so much more social with his infectious smile and sweet coo sounds. He does great at taking turns sticking out his tongue as the beginning part of parentese. He loves to be held and already can tell the moment I enter the room (either his sense of smell or my scent is very strong). He is on the verge of having his first official laugh, which I predict will happen sometime this week. He started batting a little at his dangling toys. He is growing well and is now nice and healthy. How I love him and am thankful beyond description to have the privilege of being his mother.

My Boys

The other morning I was busy getting cleaned up after breakfast and Kekoa announced he wanted to go up to my studio and take pictures with Sepa. I never turn down a chance to take pictures of the boys and so I took them as they were - hashed from a good nights sleep and the remnants of breakfast.
These were a couple of my favorites. I love the one of Kekoa kissing baby - you can kinda see the length of his eyelashes - the envy of every girl who has ever seen them. Kekoa loves Sepa. He is always wanting to hold him and touch his face. Poor boy, I am always telling him to wash his hands before he touches baby. Just trying to keep him healthy. Kekoa loves to come up to Sepa and say, "Double Chinny, Double Chinny." He has always loved babies. He often asks - where's Sepa? - and I have to remind him that Sepa is sleeping. I think it is cute that he checks on his brother.
I also love the last picture of Ikaika. That is the smile he gives when I ask him to smile for me. So sweet. I love my boys. They are so fun to have as a part of our family. I have always wanted a girl, but if I have nothing but boys like the ones I have now, I would be okay. Motherhood is at times crazy - but it is also a great, great joy.

My Other Joy

I did these pictures for a good friend of mine. It was fun to play with some texturing techniques. I love working on pictures. I told Kyle last night that I am slightly obsessed. When I get into editing a set of pictures from a session, I can hardly stop until it is all done - even if it means not going to bed until midnight or later (not really the wisest thing for a mom of a newborn and early-rising boys). I know I have much room to improve - which is actually exciting to me. I really enjoying having my small side business. I meet lots of fun people and it is a fun little out for me. I am so thankful for the support Kyle gives me in all this. He is always willing and excited to do things to build my studio. It makes all the difference in chasing your dreams when the one you love and admire the most gives you unconditional love and support.

March 7, 2008

I wanted to post about the birth of my nephew - Rian Reyamiah Ludlam
Born, March 7 - on his late grandfather's birthday .
He weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz.
My mom now has 9 grandchildren with 7 of them being boys.
Congrats Dawn and Jared! Welcome to our family Baby Rian.
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In the Eye of the Beholder

Tonight as Kekoa and I waited for Kyle to come home from his late night at school, we watched the News. One of the commercials that came on during a break was for Pantene shampoo. Kekoa totally threw me off guard when after the commercial he said, "Mom, that girl was beautiful." He said it casually and matter-of-factly. I tried not to react to much and asked which girl. He just said, "The girl, the one you saw and I saw, yeah, she was beautiful." I was only slightly consoled when he then said, "You're beautiful too, Mom."
Not even three and a half..... oh boy....
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The Reyes Boys- Guess Who! ???

1

2

3

Yesterday I took a look at some baby pictures of the older boys. It was so fun to remember how tiny they were. It actually made me a little sad to see how much they've grown so quickly. My babies are growing up too soon. But - I decided it might be fun to compare pictures of the three boys. They all look so similar that I thought it might be fun to have a little guessing contest. So here are the three boys all around the same age - just a couple days old. Can YOU guess who is who? Kekoa? Ikaika? Sepa? Leave guesses in the comments section.

Want a Hard Copy of That?

(PS. this is obviously not my picture)

Since blogging is one of my ways of keeping a journal, I have always wondered if there was a way to turn it into a real book. Happily someone has created and program (and is probably making tons of money by now) for just that. So here is the website in case anyone else wants the info. Hooray for family history.
http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Sick, sick, sick and sick

For some reason I feel like I can't do a post unless I have a picture to go along with it. I need to just write -
So this week we worked through our little family sickness. Kyle was the only one spared. Everyone handled it a little differently. Kekoa didn't slow down at all even though he coughed like crazy. Ikaika was extra cranky and clingy - which makes it so hard for me when two babies need to be held. Ikaika is not willing to share me at all when he wants to be held. There was a couple times when I switched back and forth between Sepa and Kaika, with whomever was left out screaming as if I had abandoned them. Those were moments of craziness, but luckily I am WAY past the first-time-mother tendency to feel like my child is going to die if they cry a little. Sepa, sadly, was also sick. I felt so sorry for him and strongly feel it should be against the laws of nature for infants to get sick. I also get sick, which made being a mom difficult. Thankfully, Kyle rescued me the day I was the worst, by staying home for the day and giving me and Sepa a priesthood blessing. We are all well on the road to full recovery and I pray nothing will hit us again this season.
So - looking at the "what can I learn" side of this week, I've decided that the good thing about going through it all has to do with my future perspective on having three kids. It will all seem a little easier. If I can handle three sick kids as well as myself, then three healthy kids is all that much less stressful.
I look forward to a new week with happy, healthy days.
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Kids Say the Darndest Things

Here are a couple things Kekoa has said that I want to remember -

In the middle of me disciplining him:
"But Mom! You're not the problem, I'm the problem!"

When Kyle announced to me he was going to do the dishes:
"Dishes! I love Dishes! I want to do dishes!"
( I said I wanted to hear him say that ten years from now).

I can't remember exactly (I need to write these things down right away), but I think Kyle had told Kekoa that mommy and daddy were married. Kekoa responded:
"But mom, you can marry me. I'm a boy!"

Kyle asked Kekoa to clean up his mess. When he actually did as he was asked, Kyle told him "You rock Kekoa." He responded, "I'm not a rock, I'm a human!"

We were doing FHE together. Kekoa said, " I love Sepa, Mommy, Daddy and Ikaika. I am a Super Hero and I will protect my family!"

I came downstairs one morning to have Kekoa greet me with, "Good morning, Super mom!"

I'll post more as they develop...

Photo Booth

Our new MAC has this fun little application called Photo Booth. Here's a quick shot we took as a family. Sepa is still in the newborn phase of sleeping most of the time so he was not in this picture.
We have all been sick - including poor little Sepa. It really is so sad to see such a tiny person so sick. Hopefully soon it will all be over.

That Precious Smile

Today Sepa smiled at me for the first time. I am not sure how real it was (smiling because he saw me rather than a result of funny feelings in his tummy because of gas), but I'll take it. Seeing those smiles make parenting a little easier and gives me energy to keep going. I thought of this poem that a friend of mine gave me after I had Kekoa. I do not know the author though.

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day,
with little time to stop and pray.
For life's been anything but calm,
since you called me to be a mom.
Running errands, matching socks,
building dreams with building blocks.
Cooking cleaning, and finding shoes,
and other stuff that children lose.
Getting lids on bottled bugs,
wiping tears and giving hugs.
A stack of last week's mail to read,
so where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord,
just at the sink or ironing board.
To ask the blessing of your grace,
I see then, in my small one's face.
That you have blessed me all the while,
and I stop to kiss that precious smile.

I am just grateful to be a mom, even though three children has proven to be quite the challenge. Life is a little crazy, but I can't bear the thought of not having one of those boys as mine. I love them so much.
Another poem I like says:

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

I need to remember how fleeting this time really is, and just enjoy my little ones.