Number 5 - and it's a . . . .

We went in this week to do a gender check  : ) I am too much of a planner to even wait until my regular ultrasound.  I have no idea how people can wait until the baby is born to find out.  Not in my willpower and ability to do so  - either way it's a surprise right? Anyway, so here is baby reyes #5 : )

Yes, we are having future missionary number 4!!!!!  I told Kyle that night that we better get saving.  A $40,000 missionary fund is going to take some time building up! 
So, I have to confess that I was completely surprised and stunned at the news.  I really expected it to be a girl - partly because of deep hope that Ka'imi would have a sister to grow up with, but mainly because the pregnancy has felt just like Ka'imi's with the degree of morning sickness and similar aversions (I could not do sweet at all with the last two).  But lo and behold we have another boy and now I am trying to refigure all of our life's plans in my head (why I do that, I don't know - it never goes as I think it will).
So, after a day of just being stunned we are getting use to the idea of another little boy joining our family.  We had to have a talk with Kekoa who was probably the most confused at why the twin girls he thought were in mommy's tummy is now another brother.  But he seemed to take it ok. I just wanted to make sure he didn't lose faith in the effectiveness of prayer.  We had a good laugh at imagining together just how crazy it would be for us to be trying to take care of two babies at once.  We talked about how heavenly Father knows what is best for us.
So, there we have it - another baby boy for the Reyes family  :  )

PS. I loved the reactions of my mother and sister - my mom said there must be a reason Heavenly Father wants so many righteous young men and my sister mentioned the blessing of being able to influence 4 young men that would be future missionaries.  No pressure though : )

5 years and 3 months - Ikaikaokalani

I usually try to take pictures of the kids around their birthdays.  But starting morning sickness postponed these pictures until last week.  I guess three months later doesn't make that much difference at this age.  When I am in the middle of doing pics I remember why I only make a goal of once a year - my kids are always grumpy to take pictures.  Boy, was Ikaika not in the mood for pictures.  No matter what I bribed him with he was not happy with me.  Like his courtesy smile with one side curved up?  Oh well.  He is such a handsome boy regardless.

8 Years and Counting . . .

We didn't get a picture together today, so I thought I'd post a wedding pic.  I love anniversaries and the chance to reflect on how long we've been together - all that we've experienced and what it was that brought us together in the first place.

There is not much to report this as far as this year's celebrating (all we really did was have dinner at a Korean restaurant without the kids - good enough for me   : ) So, I thought I'd share something of our courtship.

I actually remember the moment I decided that I wanted to marry Kyle.  We had been dating for several months and had talked about getting married.  I went over to his apartment one evening to spend time with him.  I can't remember if I knew what the evenings plans were or not, but that night he had gotten together something to wash my feet in and some lotion or oil to give me a foot massage.  I remember thinking as he took care of me - that if I married him, he would always be there to care for me and make sure I was comfortable and pampered.

There was a second part to that thought later in the evening.  I wish I had been better at keeping a journal (the memory isn't all that clear), but from what I remember, in a prayer offered at the close of our evening, Kyle talked about his gratitude for his priesthood and the opportunity to use it to serve.  Again, I can't remember everything - but I remember thinking that he had a good heart and would use his priesthood to serve others and to serve me.  I remember thinking I could really marry this guy.

Well, the past eight years of marriage has proven to be just as I thought it would be.  Kyle has cared for me with as much love, respect and concern as any wife could ever hope for.  He has been faithful in honoring his priesthood to serve our family and others.   I am grateful I made the choice to marry him.  Thinking about celebrating eight years is a happy thought.  Happier is knowing we still have a lifetime of wonderful memories yet to be experienced.  I love Kyle Anthony Reyes with all my heart.

Happy Birthday Daddy :)

We celebrated Kyle's birthday quietly at home with just our family.  I did everything my tired, pregnant body could to help Kyle feel loved today.  I hope he did.  Being a Sunday, all we could really do was let him take an extra long nap and make him a yummy dinner.   The boys and I created homemade cards and gave him a couple needed gifts (like a new belt and tie).  And below was my best effort at a yummy cake.  It didn't turn out as I hoped - guess I am not meant to be a baker.  Luckily, Kyle isn't a sweets guy anyway.  Happy Birthday Kyle - we love you so, so much!

First Day of School

It was a big day, well anticipated by the two older boys for weeks now.   The first day of school.  Kekoa started 1st Grade, his first experience with all day school and Ikaika started preschool.  Kekoa did great, caught the bus with such excitement, he forgot to say goodbye to me.  After school, the first thing he said was, "I'm exhausted."  Good.  Hard work is good for the soul :)
Ikaika's experience was a different story - he froze up and clung to me like I was trying to push him off a cliff.  I ended up staying with him the entire time.  Thankfully, by the end he warmed up and said that he'd stay tomorrow on his own.
It has been a long summer, way less productive than I'd ever hoped it would be (due to my being so sick with the pregnancy), and I look forward to routine and the boys getting their minds going.
I'll be doing a simplified version of Joy School for Sepa to help him not feel left out from the whole school experience.  I look forward to spending some one-on-one time with him.
So, early in the morning before the bus came, we all went out side and I took some pictures of the kids to remember today.  Here are my darlings:  )

The two school boys of the day : )

Try, Try Again

After a lovely lesson in Relief Society this past Sunday about the importance of family history and doing your own personal history, I have recommitted to get back to my blog.  I also want to just get back to my journal where I can write things I wouldn't put here.  I am so grateful for the season of life in which I live, I want to remember it i the years to come.
So, to finally follow-up with my post on the 5 monkeys - yes, I am expecting number 5 and couldn't be more thrilled.  It has been a rough summer with All-Day Sickness (why is it called Morning Sickness anyway?)  But it is finally subsiding and just in time - the kids are back at school and I need to be a mom that does more than lie on the couch ready to throw-up.  Baby comes in February and we will find out in a couple weeks what gender it is.  So exciting :) 
I actually wanted to post a lot earlier my announcement, but being in front of my computer, especially at night, is agony and seems to heighten my feeling of being sick.  I always wonder why I wait so long to announce my pregnancy, when if people only knew, maybe I could get more help when I actually need it.  In the height of my sickness I felt like I sure could have used a visit from some angel who would help me cook or clean, 100 times more than after having the baby.  I usually feel pretty good after baby comes. It is these first few months when I am non-functional and desperate.  Oh well - it's past for the most part and we are on to the next phase.  (Oh, for the record, my angel sister was here in Utah County for part of the summer and helped me so much with cleaning my house and taking care of my kids - a god-send in every way.  And my dear friend Sarah brought me dinner - made me want to throw up - as all food did - but my kids loved it.)
So, I have many posts to catch up on that I will fill in with the appropriate dates.  So, look for those.
And here's to getting back to doing my little Reyes Family History :)

5 little monkeys

With a private blog and not posting for weeks, I am not sure if anyone even checks this thing anymore.
But, for fun, I wondered if anyone wanted to guess why I would post a picture of 5 little monkeys?

Happy 4th!

This Fourth of July, I have been in the height of morning sickness, so I wasn't worth much.  We did manage a meal to share with our family - and a few fireworks and sparklers outside.  When it got dark we stood on the balcony and watched as the entire valley exploded with aerial fireworks.  I had no idea they were made legal, but it sure was popular.  It was fun to see fireworks from Orem to Highland to Lehi.  Happy 4th!!! We are grateful for the country we live in: )

Toothless

So Kekoa lost his first tooth today.  It's been loose for weeks and finally just came out.  He was very excited to be a recipient of the toothfairy's kindness.  He used this little box to make sure it didn't get lost under his pillow. 


PS.  A couple days later, he lost the tooth next to the first.  After seeing he'd collected two whole dollars he said, "Wow!  I can't wait to loose all my teeth!"