Making up for lost time...

Okay, so A LOT has happened over the past month. First off, Cisco's parents and sister came to visit us towards the end of October. Mario had a conference in Chicago, so they stayed with us for a few days before that.

Kaila was very excited to see her Grandma and Grandpa...

We carved pumpkins; this is what Kaila thought of the process:

Megan and Cisco carving away...

Our finished work-of-art... Kaila & Sadie dressed up in their costumes with Grandpa, Grandma, & Tita Megan. Kaila was a mermaid & Sadie was an angel...

Family picture...

A week later, we got the sad news that Kaui's grandma wasn't doing so well, and later passed away while Kaui and Kaila were on their way to Hawaii to see her on Halloween Day. We were very close to her and miss her very much. We wish Kaila had got to meet her Big Grandma, being that she is Kaila's, along with Kaui's, namesake (Louise).

Louise Kamila Brown Mahelona: April 26, 1925-October 30, 2008. Kaila got to eat at a favorite local restaurant in Hawaii: Zippy's...

We still celebrated Halloween. Kaila, the mermaid, and cousin La'a, the Grim Reaper...

Kaila with Grandma, being a ham...

Kaila being goofy with Papa Reppun...

Kaila finally got to meet her Papa Torres...

Her first swim in the ocean....she loved it!

Trying to float on her back like cousin La'a...

Such a silly girl...

Kaila fast asleep after a long day... Dinner with Pacific friends: Joni, Casey, Wendy & baby, Amy, Marisa, Tina, Kaila, & I...
Pictures of Kaui and Kaila in Grandma's 83 year-old wicker rocking chair. It's a family tradition...

Kaila's 10-month picture.....sassy girl!

Visiting with Kaui's best friend from high school, Kristine and her two boys, Kekoa and Ka'iee...

Picture with the family: Uncle John, Mom, La'a, and the three brothers, Darrell, Leonard, and Lopaka... Uncle Gabby and Aunty Sue's 'Ohana...

Part of Aunty Lei's 'Ohana...

Aunty Wanda's 'Ohana...

Visiting with my former co-workers at my old job, AECOS...

At Papa and Grandma's grave...While in Hawaii, Kaila learned many new tricks. She started standing, with no hands, by herself, but it doesn't look like she is even close to starting to walk. Grandma taught her how to "blow kiss" and say, "Howzit!" We're still working on "Shaka," although she does get the concept because she'll wave when you say it. She's refining her speech and says, "Dad" or "Dada" a lot clearer. She started to say "Mom" and "Mama" a lot more, but "Dada" is still her favorite word. She did get to try some poi and papaya while we were there, and she liked both...that's my girl! :) She got to meet and had tons of fun with a lot of new family members, and of course, she wrinkled her nose at everybody. When we got home and she saw Sadie, she went crazy happy and started saying, "Say, say, say, say, say!!!" So she is definitely still working on Sadie's name. Speaking of Sadie, she also likes to throw toys for Sadie to fetch and she'll actually carry around her toys in her mouth, like Sadie, while crawling around...it's pretty funny! Next thing you know she'll be acting like a dog ;)

When we arrived back into DeKalb, we finally put our foot down and made Kaila start sleeping in her own crib, in her own room. It was long overdue, so we knew we had to start now. This was a picture on her first night. She cried a lot on the first night, but we stuck to our guns and never picked her up. She ended up crying herself to sleep. After only three nights, she is doing really well in her own bed, barely wakes up during the night, and has been sleeping for about 10 to 11 hours. We are so proud of our Little Girl!!!

We put up this year's Christmas tree. Because we will be leaving in a week, we didn't get a real tree, but used Kaila's tree instead. Here's Kaila getting help, trying to hang her first ornament.

Kaila started gaining interest in her baby Emma doll, so Kaui opened it up for her. Sadie was the first to greet her. Here she is, guarding her "niece."
Kaila trying to bottle-feed her baby Emma, but not quite getting it...Kaila riding her wooden rocking horse...she was actually rocking herself on it and almost went side-saddle a few times.
We spent our first Thanksgiving away, with just us. It was nice and small and quiet. Kaui took out all our good china, she cooked the stuffing and mashed potatoes. Cisco put the pre-cooked turkey in the oven, and pressed "1 hr., 30 min" on the timer all by himself.
Kaila enjoying her first Thanksgiving meal...
Daddy with the two girls after dinner...
...Mommy with the two girls (Kaila's saying "Mommy's #1!")