Yap, party of four.

christmas!

2010-01-10T10:18:00.003-07:00

videos of a pirate

2010-01-10T09:46:00.002-07:00

pics

2010-01-10T09:44:00.002-07:00

Pics

2010-01-10T09:25:00.002-07:00

Picture and video of Binx and Gissie

2010-01-10T09:16:00.003-07:00

Pictures and videos wahloo!

Hayden is a weaner!

2009-03-28T09:13:00.004-06:00

Last night we celebrated a big shift for Hayden and I. We celebrated his weaning from nursing. And how does one celebrate such an event? With a weaning party of course! The idea came from my friends Renee and Nora and seemed like the perfect end to our breastfeeding relationship.

Memories...

When Hayden was born, the doctor placed him on my chest and within minutes he was latched on to my breast. I didn't know it at the time, but Hayden would be an avid nursling. I nursed Hayden during my pregnancy with Clara and every day we would read the book Breastmilk Makes My Tummy Yummy. In the book there is a picture of a mommy nursing a baby and a toddler in a park and the caption reads " Two can breastfeed without fuss. There is room for both of us". This became Hayden's favorite page to read as we patiently waited for baby to arrive so that he could try out "sharing the milk". He would point to the baby and say" this is our baby" and point to the toddler and say "this is me" and then to the dog " there is Momo watching us in the park". 30 minutes after Clara was born Hayden knelt beside me to tandem nurse with his newborn baby sister. I am so blessed to have such beautiful memories of my nursing time with Hayden.

Two can breastfeed without fuss there is room for both of us.

And there was!

We wanted to mark the occasion with a significant event so that we could reference the festivities in case Hayden "forgot" that he was weaned post-party. We invited friends for pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream. The cupcakes were decorated to look like breasts and the ice cream was homemade cookies and cream made by our friend Carrie. It was the best ice cream I have ever eaten! So delicious and not the least bit fat free!

Friends brought Hayden gifts of shoes, a train set, hand drawn pictures, homemade play-doh, fresh eggs and an apricot tree! So pure and thoughtful. I just love the thought, time, and care that our friends put into their unexpected gifts. I felt very blessed to have such wonderful support and understanding for such a bittersweet event.

We gave Hayden a Skuut bike for his weaning present from our family. He is so excited to have his very own bike that he can ride with his friends!

Hayden on his new Skuut.

All the kiddos in the hammock.
Breast cupcakes!

Our first nurse on our last day.

Our last nurse on our last day.

It's a tough life...

2009-03-15T13:46:00.002-06:00

Catch up!

2009-02-17T08:25:00.008-07:00

Yes, I know, no blogging equals no reading. But I have excuses of course! We had our annual trip to Maui and this year was the best yet! Not only did we get to visit with Kainoa's family and friends but my parents and some very good friends from Alaska joined us as well! We had tons of relaxing quality time together and even had dinner sin ninos care of the grandparent daycare center. My girlfriend Christina from Alaska helped turn my relationship with the sun from plain hate to a love/hate and I returned to NM with a very nice tan ;)

Clara and Stella are womb buddies and were reunited and got to interact together! The girls were only weeks old when we moved from Kodiak so seeing them together was very special. Hayden and Gavin were old enough to understand that they were going to see each other in Hawaii and were both stoked when they finally were together after months of us talking about it!

Clara was baptized at Waiola Church with family and friends looking on, we celebrated Gramps and Tutu's birthdays, and caught the Super Bowl and Chinese New Year! We dominated the pool and the outdoor cabana beds and smuggled pounds and pounds of beach sand home in our suits. We spent much needed time with Kainoa's good friends and got a chance to see Kirk and Momi who are expecting the newest "Baby Yap" due to arrive in March! Here are some pics from the trip:

Ride and Run.

2008-12-28T16:01:00.007-07:00

As requested, here are some videos of Hayden riding his Trikke!

Christmas morning pics and videos

2008-12-28T15:37:00.008-07:00

Hayden breaks in his blocks.

A Big Boy Scooter!

"Guys, Santa came to our house! He came"!

The stockings putting in some overtime!

Hayden opens his Buzz Lightyear costume and big boy helmet.

Hayden, uhm, I mean Buzz, sees just what his super suit can do!

2008-12-25T13:16:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Our Christmas card photo

2008-12-18T19:50:00.013-07:00

Some things are just better when there is more than one. Like cookies, friends, presents, and socks. And some things are just easier when there is more than one. Like options, adult supervision, toilet paper sheets, and pot holders. So this year's Christmas picture is no exception. How much better it is to have a two subjects this year and how easy it WOULD be if we could get both of them on the same page right as we push down the shutter button! We might not have snapped the perfect shot right away, but we sure had some laughs. Here are a few of our out takes:

After asking the kids to cooperate for just one more minute, Hayden and Clara give us the toddler/baby version of the finger.

Well, what do you say about this photo. I think what Hayden was trying to say here was...Mom, Dad, I love you, but seriously, how can you expect me to sit behind Clara for a picture when I could be wrapping these lights around my butt?

Once the butt wrapping began, so did the light eating.

"Hey honey, why don't we take a sweet picture of the kids sleeping and above the picture we can write While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads". Great idea! Except for the part where I accidentally snap off a photo while setting up the camera menu and wake up the baby ten minutes after we got her to sleep. Nice.

LOL, no explanation needed here!!

So did we finally get our shot? Yes, we did. Patience paid off and a picture with two clean and smiling children was snapped! This year however, we have decided it's time to make our holidays just a bit more green. So we are going paperless! From here on out we are going to send our Christmas cards via email! Less waste, less work, less money, and always on time! Coming soon to an inbox near you!

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we brought home a special first Christmas tree. This is our first Christmas tree in our new home and Clara's first Christmas tree EVER! This is also the first tree that Hayden has ever helped to decorate since Nana and Popo have always had theirs up and decorated when we have arrived in MT for Christmas. There is something very fun and exciting about Christmas this year because for the first time, Hayden is very aware of the holiday and the traditions that come along with it. He is so excited to trim the tree and bake cookies for Santa!

This year we are trading in our usual Hawaii/Montana trip for a post holiday vacation to visit our family in Maui! My parents will be with us along with some good friends from Alaska! Because we have always traveled in the past, Kai and I haven't decorated a tree in our house since 2004 so we are eager to see what the decoration storage bins yield! Stay tuned for posts on our holiday fun!

Turkeyless Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T08:34:00.005-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to mix it up a bit and each chose one of our most favorite foods to cook!

Hayden's pick was a delicious sausage pizza with fresh dough and lots of cheese!

Kainoa's pick was a traditional Hawaiian food called Lau Lau which is a mixture of fish and pork wrapped in taro leaf and steamed in an underground oven called an imu. The underground oven was easily substituted with a crock pot and collard greens for the taro leaf. Kainoa reported that they tasted great! And what Hawaiian meal would be complete without a side of rice dressed with Aloha Shoyu!

My pick was the Butte Pasty. This is a Cornish dish that made it's way to Butte Montana with the miners from Southern England and Whales. The pasty is a flaky crust filled with meat, potatoes, onions, butter and spices. For the miners, the crust acted as the container that held the actual meal and kept it clean and dry since the miners were usually covered in dirt from head to toe by the time lunch came around. Historians argue about whether or not the men actually ate the crust or just cracked it open and ate the filling. Like most Montanans, I eat the whole thing smothered in brown gravy and black pepper! Healthy, no. Good, oh yes!

But don't think it didn't take all day to cook! The Lau Lau steamed for 8 hours and the pasty dough was made from scratch and all the filling finely diced over a period of about an hour! Not pictured is the sour cream coffee cake that we started out our Thanksgiving day with and the homemade banana ice cream that we made into Sundaes!

Nudity and Rock Star like behavior

2008-11-23T09:31:00.003-07:00

Kainoa and I have two live-in Rock Stars. We are always having to adjust to their crazy lifestyles. They both prefer to hang around the house in the nude and are always making huge messes. One of them seems incapable of actually peeing into the toilet bowl and the other prefers to just pee on the floor. They never cook their own meals, never do their own laundry and are always asking us for rides. We have tried to talk to them about their actions but they just look at us like they have no idea what we are talking about and mostly laugh at us. Sometimes I think it's time for them to find a place of their own. If it wasn't for their musical talent, they would just be plain old dirty roommates. Here is a video of their latest song. Do you think we should let them stay?

Climbing with Clara

2008-11-10T08:56:00.009-07:00

Clara climbs to help mommy with laundry by pulling folded clothes off of the couch and from the basket. Such a big helper!
Clara climbs to help mommy inventory the fridge before heading to the store. Looks like we are good on buns!

WHOA! No pole dancing until you are working your way through college young lady!

P.S. Clara does have clothing, she just prefers to climb in the nude :)

Fabric Frenzy

2008-11-06T09:56:00.004-07:00

I've been online shopping for fabric to make Clara a jumper dress ( pictured) for her baptism this winter. Some of my favorites are priced at$30 a yard! Now I know why boutique clothing is so damn expensive! And if I splurged on these designer fabrics and then made a cutting mistake, ugh, bad news.

I have just discovered and am IN LOVE with Amy Butler prints! They make me want to sew everything! There are free patterns on her website for these cute Gum Drop pillows that have made my "Projects to Do" list! If you sew anything and haven't seen these fabulous fabrics, check them out! http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/mainmenu.php

Hell yes we are ready!!!

2008-11-04T21:11:00.002-07:00

Obama did it! And he REALLY did it! I am so proud of my country right now! Watching the election coverage tonight was so special. I really felt like I was watching the entire world change before my eyes. News coverage of people celebrating Obama's win in Kenya! Kenya! I feel such hope and excitement for my country and my world. I am so proud of my home state for pulling it's head out of it's ass and going blue! Seeing Jesse Jackson cry gave me chills and my tears began to flow too. How special a feeling it must be for the black community. I am so very proud that I was a part of this movement.

Kainoa and I had a conversation with Hayden tonight about different skin color and respect for all people regardless and I was thinking how wonderful it would be to follow that up with the chance for Hayden to see a black president in office, and, now he will.

Change is here my friends, it's finally here.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T07:41:00.004-06:00

Halloween was a success! Hayden was still a bit stuffy and hoarse but was not about to skip out on a chance to accumulate " his loot"! Kainoa and I dyed his super hero costume earlier this week and Hayden helped us set it out to dry (pic above). Even though a super hero is, well, super human, he still has to wash his clothes!

"Super Hayden to the rescue"

All dressed up and ready to hit the town! Last year for Halloween we were all in Tennessee for Derrick and Kim's wedding. I think that was the first year I have ever gone trick or treating without a hat and gloves! Growing up in Montana my mom always had to plan our costumes around long johns and turtlenecks and most years there was snow on the ground. Kainoa spent his childhood trick or treating in the tropical temperatures of Maui, LUCKY! So this year was a treat because of the nice warm weather we had for the kiddos.

We met some of our neighbors, scored lots of candy and compliments, and on the way home from our journey both kids fell asleep. A great evening :)

Spooks and sniffles

2008-10-31T07:48:00.000-06:00

What is the worst day of the year to get a cold? Well if you are a child, that would be Halloween of course! Hayden woke up this morning with sniffles and a fever, bummer. We'll have to see how the day goes but it just might mean that Super Hayden has to lay low tonight instead of Trick or Treating. And then there is the prospect of missing the Aggies vs. Boise State game tomorrow, bummer. Hopefully Super Hayden can harness the power of super health! So far we have had been combating our little intruder with breast milk, chicken noodle soup, and some honey and lemon tea. If that combo won't do it, I don't know what will!

If we do miss the night's festivities, let's hope Hayden is still into super heroes next year so his costume gets used!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-10-28T17:27:00.000-06:00

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

Well my friend Nora had this link posted on her blog and I tried to keep myself from looking at the little skirts but, ugh, I gave in and they are SO CUTE!! I actually saw a cut of this fabric on the counter at a JOANN Fabric store in Helena, MT while wedding shopping with my mom. Mom do you remember the yellow bird print? That very print actually inspired a current project I have in my sewing project holding pattern. It's keeping the blanket I started knitting two years ago company :) So I wonder if you can buy that fabric at JOANN or is maybe someone had brought it to the store as a reference for some project notions or something. Anyway, the skirts are adorable and the giveaway is all three skirts and tops so I just had to link and post this. Nora, you got me!

I can see a little Nora S. from Kodiak ( I know another Nora S. here in Las Cruces) or a little Stella B. bopping around town in one of those skirts!

Flyers and Crawlers

2008-10-25T16:49:00.000-06:00

Nope, the flyers and crawlers I'm referring to aren't bugs, although we have more of those down here than I care to know about (ugh, I HATE BUGS!!!!!) No, I am talking about the Yap kiddos! Hayden has been flying around the house in his new super hero cape that I made for his Halloween costume. This year for Halloween Hayden passed on the already purchased pirate costume we bought during a sale last year and instead, insisted on being Super Hayden. Super Hayden likes the lime green and blue color combo of another super hero named Super Why. For those of you without kids or TV, Super Why is a PBS cartoon character. Super Why loves to read and help others so I am good with that. Violence bad, books good.

I talked Hayden into putting a pair of underwear on for the pictures. Your welcome ;)

Then there is my little crawler. Clara has been on the move for a little over a month now. She has rolled and scooted and the day she turned six months old she perfected her crawl. Nothing brings her across the room faster than when Hayden leaves a cup on the floor. Thank God for tile floors!

And just like her big brother, crawling has led right into climbing! She will climb anything and everything. I was kind of hoping my second child would just lounge for a while and keep it simple for mommy. HA!

Let's ignore the obvious safety hazzards here and just appreciate the will and determination of the newest McArdle woman. Geez, if this is any indication of what Clara might be like as a young adult, I am going to have my hands full!

Handmade = Heartfelt

2008-10-19T17:36:00.000-06:00

What a fantastic idea! The words of a fellow blogger inspired me to find out what the Handmade Pledge was all about. She wrote: "It is sad to celebrate a family holiday with a gift that was likely made by a child or a poorly paid, hungry worker in a third world country. Another pledge said "Because each handmade item is unique and the only one in the world". Well said! So I too took the pledge, although I'm not sure if the site will post it due to the quote I decided to write. :)

If I don't get around to making my holiday gifts myself, I can always visit Etsy.com and/or many of the other artist sites listed at www.buyhandmade.org. When I made my pledge there were already 27, 500 others who were also promising to make a difference. Join us!

Tough enough to drink pink?

2008-10-19T08:32:00.000-06:00

Last night we all went to to Aggies vs. San Jose Spartans football game. The theme of the night was Tough Enough to Wear Pink and was dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. All of the proceeds from the game went to NMSU cancer research and all of the game attendees were encouraged to wear the color pink. The community of Las Cruces has also been raising money for cancer research and when all the donations were counted, a check for a whopping $515,000 was presented at halftime! The Aggies didn't win the game but we had a great time. Hayden met a pack of little girls and spent the evening entertaining them.

On the way out of the stadium we were greeted by staff from Price's Dairy Farm of El Paso. The dairy was giving away free pink cotton candy flavored milk ( pictured below) by the truck full in recognition of the night's festivities. PINK MILK! So this morning Hayden tasted the pink concoction and said
" Mmmmmmm, that is soooo good". I am not sure I'll be having a glass myself but I'll probably have to at least taste it since it may be the only time I have a chance to experience such an odd drink!

2008-10-16T08:17:00.000-06:00

Pictures: Chillin at our pad, Great Room in new house, Wedding, My dad walking my sister down the aisle, Carriage that bride arrived to ceremony in and newlyweds exited ceremony in, My sister and I, Ring Bearer Hayden, "The Hayden" and cousin Claire.

New baby, new city, new house, new bride

2008-08-31T09:38:00.000-06:00

So it's old news that my communication skills have not been up to par lately. Most everyone is aware of the birth of our daughter Clara but that was just the beginning of what would end up being the craziest five months of our lives!! After Clara's birth came the move to New Mexico. Nothing like driving thousands of miles with a newborn who hates her car seat! Then the fun of house buying, followed by the task of unpacking our 60 plus moving boxes! Ah, but the s**t got deeper! The day after our boxes arrive, Kainoa gets a phone call from the Coast Guard Powers That Be notifying him that he will need to be in California in two days to attend four weeks of training! Dude, are you freakin' serious? So I did a lot of bitching, put a smile on my face, bitched some more, and then accepted my unfavorable situation.

The kids and I packed our bags too and flew to my parents' home in Montana. We couldn't live in our unpacked house and my parents were knee deep in preps for my sister's upcoming wedding so it was a win win situation. Well, as much as one can "win" when their choices are living in a new house and unpacking alone with a toddler and a newborn or entering wedding planning hell with your family. At least the latter came with meals, bedding, and great company :)

Okay, so fast forward through the four weeks of school for Kai and wedding prep for me. My sister's big day arrives and everything is beautiful and wonderful and we celebrate the fact that we all survived and that Chris made an honest woman out of Amy. My mom and I are pretty sure we were in walking comas for the entire reception but Hayden cut a rug on the dance floor all night and when all of the attention went to his head, he started calling himself "The Hayden". No shit!

We arrived back in Las Cruces where the real work began! We have been unpacking and organizing ever since. Currently the US Home Organizational Advisory System has lowered our current cleanliness threat level to "Yellow". We have started a landscaping project in the backyard though, so our Yard Organizational Advisory Level has been raised to "Clampit"

Even though we have our plates full, keeping in touch with family and friends remains most important so here is the kick off of our blog and some pics to go with it! Hopefully we can keep everyone informed of the happenings in the Yap household!