Jingle Bells.....

Merry Christmas Everyone!! We had a great week together. I am on my break from school so it was so nice to be home everyday with Tyler. Tom worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (half a day) so we spent lots of family time. Tom is off this week too so we'll be able to go do things together that we don't normally have time to do! We plan to go to the beach at least once or twice. It's been really rainy here lately so we'll have to watch the weather.

We had a nice Christmas here, just the 3 of us. I made a big dinner for us all to enjoy! We sure can't wait to celebrate all the holidays with our families again! :) Tyler got lots of nice gifts and was sure excited this year about everything!

Friday night at about 7pm our power went out. We thought it was just the base power but the WHOLE island lost power. We were without power until 5:30am the next morning. We didn't have anything to do so all of our neighbors hung out together and let the kids play by flashlight. They had lots of fun, stayed up late and ate goodies!

Today we watched the Vikings game (YES!!! We won!!!) and hung out at home! Tyler and I are trying to get rid of colds right now. Tyler had croup and was on steroids last week. He still has a cough but it's getting much better!!!

We wish you all a Happy New Year!!!
The Brouses

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!! As you can see, Tyler made it to see Santa. Although he didn't like it very much. We took him yesterday. He watched the other kids go before him and seemed fine but as soon as it was his turn, his face changed. He sat for about 10 seconds with the expression you see above and then the tears started. Tom and I tried to sit next to Santa with him thinking it would make him feel better but it didn't work. We're lucky to have gotten this picture!!

Today Tyler and I made lots of Christmas goodies. We made almond bark pretzels, cut out cookies with frosting and peanut butter cookies with kisses! Tyler loves to help me in the kitchen. Tom watched the Vikings....which didn't turn out the best!!

I'm off for the next 3 weeks for Christmas break so I'm VERY happy about that! Tyler and I will be hanging out together and having fun! Then Tom gets the week of New Years off. Then we can all hang out together!

We hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Brouses

Cookie Making

We've had a very rainy dreary week here in Hawaii. It's been raining like crazy and people here have even had up to 4-6 feet of water in their homes, especially on the North Shore. Tyler had to play indoors most of the week and that's not normal.

Yesterday I went to a baby shower for a friend I worked with at another school. We also got to check out the model home for the homes we are going to move into this coming April. Of course, it's twice as big and brand new so we LOVED it!!!!

Today Tyler and I made cookies and we all watched the Vikings win!!

We hope to have more pictures and news next week!!!
Take Care~The Brouses

It's been a long time!

As you see...Tyler was ready for the game today. When he got up and got dressed he asked "I wanna wear football shirt like daddy's". He loves to wear his Vikings shirt! We just bought the Santa hat...he loves it!

Since it's been awhile since I've posted anything I'll have to go back a little. Last month we went to a craft show here on base and Tyler got to ride on 2 horses. He rode on minature pony and a big horse. He just loved it and still talks about riding the horses when we pass the area where the craft fair was held.

On Thanksgiving, all our neighbors got together. We have 4 families next to us and we decided to have a potluck. We gathered in our backyard and had a feast!! It was really a great day. We rented a bouncy house for the 3 kids and they played and jumped all day long!

This week has been super busy for me at school. My kids and I went on a field trip to the Honolulu Zoo. The kids and I had a fun day scoping out all the animals and walking around.

This weekend has been pretty busy too. I spent most of the day yesterday wrapping and boxing up things we needed to send to our family. I got it all done so...YAY!! Today I spent the day correcting papers and getting ready for the week at school. We only have 2 weeks until my 3 week Christmas break so I can't wait for that. I don't know who's awaiting the break more... my students or me?! :)

I hope everyone is doing well!! We love and miss you all!
The Brouses

Potty Trained!

Tyler is almost all the way potty trained! He has really done so great the past few weeks. We have been working with him for quite awhile but it's just lately it seems that he has really taken to it himself. He hasn't had any accidents for almost 2 weeks. So I think he's got it!! YAY Tyler!!! He just turned 2 in August so we are very happy and grateful it worked so early for him! He still wears a diaper during naps and night but he usually isn't wet after nap. I guess nighttime takes awhile.

Tom is still in Japan. He comes home on Saturday morning. We just can't wait for him to come home. Tyler misses him so much (so do I). When Tyler gets tired he wants daddy! He always asks me to call him on the phone but this trip we can't just call him whenever we want. Tom has been able to call us everyday but with the time difference it's harder to work it out.

Tyler and I didn't do much this weekend. Just hung out together. We cleaned up in the backyard and Tyler played with bubbles!

Well, hope everyone is staying warm back in the states!! I miss it so much!!

Love, The Brouses

Happy Halloween! ARG!

We hope you all had a nice Halloween. Tyler had tons of fun and was a cute little pirate! He walked around our neighborhood and got candy for about an hour and a half. His little friends, Isaiah and Gwen, went with and they were also pirates! They all were too cute together! After taking Tyler around, we went home and handed out candy for a little bit.

Saturday we went to the Hickam Carnival in the afternoon. Tyler got to ride on all kinds of rides and played a few games. We went with our friends and neighbors (Brian and Christie) and their son Isaiah. Isaiah and Tyler are such good friends! We then went out for supper together and the boys got to play flashlights outside when we got home. They like to look for bugs together in the yard at night.

Today, Tom went to the club on base to watch the Vikings while Tyler and I slept in a hung out at home. Then we went to the beach with our friends Brian and Christie. It was a nice day!

Tom leaves for Japan on Tuesday so I took off work tomorrow to have an extra day at home with him before he leaves. He just got home from Georgia after being there for 2 weeks so it will be nice to have one more day together. We have Election Day off from school so it will be a 4 day weekend for me! YEAH!!

So...we wish you all a great week!
The Brouses

We're back!

We're back! So, I have a few weeks of things to update. Earlier this month we had some friends from visiting from Minnesota. The Lofbergs from Thief River Falls came over here with their two kids. They both graduated with Tom from high school. We had a great time together for about 10 days. It was a little rainy a few days for them but overall it was good I think.

While they were here we decided to visit a beach we've never gone to before. It's on the Waianae side of the island. That side of the island is more the poor side with lots of homeless people living on or near the beach. The beach we went to was military so you could only get access if you were military. It was nice. We rented a kayak for the day. I had never done that before so it was really fun. Tom thinks we should buy one now! I don't know about that! We drove back home and had supper at Ruby Tuesday.

Tom left for Georgia on the 19th. He had to go to a conference but while down there he was able to spend this weekend with Caleb. They had an awesome time. Tom will fly back here on Halloween day (I'm so glad he doesn't have to miss this year). Tyler is going to be a pirate. We had a hard time finding a costume that wasn't going to sweat him to death. After being home about 4 days, Tom then has to fly out to Japan for 2 more weeks. It's not fun being home alone but there are so many people who are missing their loved ones for being gone much longer! So we just have to make due! :)

Tyler and I have just been hanging out all weekend together. It's been fun. It's rained all weekend here which is very unusual. So, it's kind of like a fall day for us! I miss fall a lot!!

Well, hope all is well with everyone! We love and miss you!
The Brouses

This is a video of Tyler singing his ABC's! He's almost got it!

Fall in Hawaii!

So it's fall in Hawaii! :) Yeah, I know that sounds weird and it is truly weird to say when you live here! Actually after living her for almost 4 years, a person can tell there is a definite change in the weather but not so much to make many clothing changes (not like back home)!

So for the past couple of weeks we really haven't done too much new stuff. I am posting some pictures of Tyler with his stuffed animals. He's so funny with those guys! He just loves them. He tucks them into his bed and loves to be with them. He has been waking up in the night wanting Tom or I (mostly daddy) and we'll go to his room and find him standing there in the middle of his room with armfuls of stuffed animals! It's really cute but very creepy the first few times I would walk down the hall and find him standing there!

We watched football today and I did some cleaning. I am off of work this week for our fall break so I'm so excited to do nothing...or whatever I want for a week! We have friends coming from Thief River Falls this Saturday and they are staying for about 10 days. That should be fun! Tom leaves Oct. 18th for a short TDY to Georgia. He will be gone for 2 weeks and arrive back home on Halloween afternoon just in time for trick or treating! We have been searching for a costume for Tyler but just don't see anything that we want yet. He says a fireman but I'm just not sure he'll keep the costume on. Also, it's hard to find costumes that aren't made for cold weather. It'll be like 80 here when he's out trick or treating so it has to be something that's not too hot!

I added a couple pictures to the left of Caleb and Tyler. The one of Caleb was taken when he was little. Tom had put shaving cream on him in the bath and he thought is was so cool! We were looking at some old pictures and decided to do the same with Tyler. Isn't it so crazy how much alike they look. Man, some of the pictures of them at the same ages are so alike it scary. I just thought is would be fun to show you all!

Well, not much else! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!

Love, The Brouses

Gecko!!

This is Tyler holding another gecko we found in the house. We have them in the house quite a bit! Tyler loves to chase them and have daddy pick them up so he can hold them. We found this one early one morning when we were leaving for work/daycare. This is one of the smallest we've had in the house. Tyler doesn't mind holding them. We took it outside after and let it go. He's so proud when we do that. He remembers where we put them and goes back later to see if they are still there.

We didn't do much new this week. We took a family trip to Toys R Us yesterday to use a gift card and money Tyler got for his birthday last month. We got him a bag of Mega Blocks and a huge tub of play dough stuff. He just loves his new things.

We also took Tyler and his friend Isaiah to the park on Saturday. They just love it there. We had lots of fun sliding, swinging and playing. The park is just down the road from here so we walk there. Tyler and Isaiah are such good friends! How cool to have a best friend at such a young age!!!

Today Tyler has been in his underwear practicing using the potty. He goes so well when we're at home. He does have little accidents but is able to hold the rest until we can rush him to the potty chair. He gets m&m's when he goes. He's only supposed to get 1 each time he goes potty but he always looks really nice at us after he's done and says "Two!" So of course he gets 2!!

Well, we hope you had a good weekend! We love and miss you!

The Brouses

Happy Birthday Mama!

Well, for anyone who checked the blog last week and found nothing new....I apologize. I just didn't have any new news for you and was really lazy last Sunday. This week we didn't really have anything new either but I have some cute pictures I wanted to share.

Last weekend I went and got Tyler's hair cut. He's had his hair cut many times and doesn't mind having it done. After she cut his hair the lady asked if I wanted a faux hawk. I was like...uh...I don't know. She told me she just uses this gel stuff to stick his hair up in a fake mohawk. Tyler usually LOVES to have "pokies" in his hair. That's what he calls them when we do it for him. He liked it right away but when we got in the car and felt his hair and how hard it was....he said "I don't like it mom"! It was too cute. He did leave it in all day but wasn't excited about it!

On Sunday night last weekend Tyler and I were outside on our front steps and he was climbing a little bench I have out there. He likes to climb the bench to look in this old mail slot...there is a gecko who likes to hide in it. I turned my back for just a second and he had fallen. The bench had tipped over and he fell on the cement. He scraped the left side of his face near his eye. It looked pretty beat up but he was alright. If you notice in the video, you can see the black and blue marks near his eye. Poor Tyler!! He's been much more cautious after that with climbing on the bench. He wouldn't even stand on it with me holding him.

This Saturday was my birthday!! 32! Can you believe it?! How time flies. Yesterday, Tyler and Tom took me out for breakfast and supper. That's so nice to not have dishes! We went shopping and I got a few things. Tom said he didn't know what to get me so I shopped for myself this year! We had cupcakes and ice cream for dessert! It was a very nice day with my family!!!

Here is a video of Tyler talking~enjoy!

We love and miss you all!

The Brouses

Beautiful Beach Days!

Tom was off on Friday so he stayed home with Tyler. Usually the military is nice and gives people family day on a long weekend to make it extra long. We had dinner at the club on base with our neighbors. We always love going there. Tyler loves to walk around and look for snail shells! It's also within walking distance so that's cool.

We had a very nice weekend together! We went to Lanikai Beach on the east side of the island both Saturday and Sunday. We LOVE that beach. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches on all the islands. It's very calm clear blue water with soft soft sand. It always seems like the people there are much more relaxed too. People walk their dogs there without leashes and it's just cool! We make lots of castles and spend time just hanging out!

Today we stayed inside almost all day. We were doing some minor fix-up things around the house. Now Tyler and Tom are outside playing with Isaiah. We've had a great long weekend!

This week was a normal one for us. Nothing new has really happened. Just same 'ol work and home. It's kind of nice that way though....then we're not rushing around during the week when we have to work. I did get an ipod this week though. I know...I feel way behind in all the new technology but I'm pretty excited about my new purchase. I'll use it on my runs on base mostly. They are actually against base rules to wear during running, etc. but I'll take my chances. I see half the base wearing them when they're out. Hopefully I don't get caught! I'd really feel silly!

Saturday we had our neighbor and his son over for the Vikings game. Tyler and Isaiah LOVE to play together and had a wonderful day. We just all hung out and relaxed which was very fun. Today we washed and vacuumed the cars. It was very hot!! (as usual)

Well, sorry for the short blog this week. Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Love, The Brouses

Happy Anniversary!

This week was pretty normal for us. As I said in the last blog, I was waiting for Tyler's toddler bedding to arrive. It finally got here and it's SO cute! We got the toddler bed put together with all the bedding right away. We had to take a few pictures of Tyler in his crib before we took it down. It's kind of sad to put the crib away. That means he's not a baby anymore!! So, we were really curious to see what his reaction would be to the new bed. He loves it! There really isn't any change from the crib to the toddler bed. Except that he has fallen out a couple times and we found him sleeping on the floor next to the bed. The bed does have side rails that go part of the way down the side but he I suppose he has to get used to not being "caged"! :)

On Friday night I went out with a few girl friends for supper. It was supposed to be just a mom's supper but some of the daughters of my friends wanted to come out too. We went to Senior Frog's down in Waikiki. That place is super fun. There's always something going on at that place. They make funny balloon hats, they have contests for everything you can imagine. Tom stayed home and had a boys night with Tyler.

Saturday was our 5th wedding anniversary. We had our neighbors watch Tyler. They have a 2 year old son, Isaiah, who Tyler loves! Isaiah loves him too! Every time they see each other they just run to each other and are so happy. Tom and I went to the movie The Pineapple Express. Our recommendation is.....don't go! It was pretty bad! It actually didn't start out too bad but overall it wasn't good. We then went to Old Navy to look around. It's definitely different to go shopping, etc. without Tyler with. I can actually look around and not be distracted every couple minutes for juice, snacks and whatever else kids need when you are trying to look at stuff! :) After shopping Tom and I came back on base and had supper and drinks at JR Rockers Sports Bar. We hung out there until about midnight listening to this "funk" bad. We walked home (it only takes about 10 minutes) and got Tyler from the neighbors. We had a great afternoon/evening together!!

Today we took a nap with Tyler (and really nothing else)! After staying up past midnight I needed a nap!!!

Have a great week!

The Brouses

Happy 2nd Birthday Tyler!!

So, Tyler is 2 years old! Wow! We had his birthday party on Saturday. We invited our friends from the neighborhood, friends from Tom's work, and Tyler's Auntie Leane (daycare lady) and her 2 girls. We had about 20 people and lots of kids around. The backyard was full of Tyler's toys and they just had a blast.

Tyler has been able to actually be excited for this years party. We talked about it all week and about how he would have his friends over and we would have a party because he is turning 2. When we'd ask him how old he is he'll say "2" so proud. We decided to have pizza (everyones favorite) for the party. I also made taco dip, grapes, pineapple, carrots and celery.

When I went to pick up the cake at the Commissary (base grocery store) the lady brought it out and said "oops". I was just like...oh no! I looked and it said HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY TYLER but it had Tinkerbell all over it. They had obviously made a mistake!!! SO...thank goodness I was picking it up 4 hours before the party and they had enough time to make a new one! In the end he had his Tonka truck cake and was very happy. And YUM it was good!!

Tyler got lots of trucks this year. He also got his first John Deere tractor. It's so cute. He got a Geo Train set too! That's his favorite thing so far. He's really into trains right now!

We just had such a great day being with our friends and enjoying each others company. The kids all play so well together! Today we just cleaned up and hung out in the backyard (Tyler's favorite place in the world!).

I'm waiting for Tyler's toddler bedding set to come in the mail this week so he can start to sleep in his toddler bed. We have it here in the box but we're waiting to get the construction set bedding in the mail. I'm hoping he makes the transition from the crib to the toddler bed ok. If anyone has any suggestions on what works and what doesn't...let me know!!

Well, another weekend over and it's time to get off to bed!!

Have a good week!! The Brouses

Lazy dayz

This week was really quiet around our house. Tom and Caleb left on Tuesday afternoon for Georgia. Tom stayed over in Georgia one night after dropping Caleb off with his mom. He flew back on Thursday. We really miss Caleb and like I said, it's been really quiet around the house.

I had my first day with my new 2nd graders on Wednesday. They are good so far but of course they are just warming up so we'll see as we go! :) I have 17 kids in my class. That's quite a bit smaller than what I started with last year so I'm very happy about that.

We didn't really do much of anything this weekend. We are getting ready for Tyler birthday party next Saturday. His actual birthday is on August 10th (Sunday) but we're having his party on Saturday. We are ordering pizza and just going to hang out in the backyard with his friends. He has this friend, Isaiah, from a couple doors down. They just LOVE each other!

Tyler has a little cold. He took an over 3 hour nap today. Must have needed sleep today! I got to clean the office desk and go through some things I've been needing to do. That was nice!

Overall, nothing really going on. I am posting some of our other summer pictures. I didn't take any new ones this week! I should have some next week with his birthday party!

Love you all and miss you!!!

Back to work for Kari

This week I went back to work. I had a GLC (grade level chair) meeting on Tuesday morning and then my first "real" day back to work was Thursday. It felt good to get back to my classroom and get things reorganized. I met the 3 new teachers on my gradelevel. We have 6 2nd grade teachers in all, 3 of which are new to our school. Actually they are all first year teachers. They all seem nice and ready to dig in. Students start back on Wednesday so we still have Monday and Tuesday for getting ourselves ready.

On Saturday we went bowling here on base. The bowling alley here is nice. It has tons of lanes and it also serves food, drinks, etc. We have gone bowling every summer with Caleb. It was a good family night. After bowling we went our for supper at the sports bar/restaurant on base. We seem to always go there. It's close and the food is very good. Tyler likes to look for snails out in the grassy area. We always manage to come home with at least a few shells.

Today, Sunday, we haven't done much. We went grocery shopping this morning and now Tyler is napping while Tom and Caleb was the cars. I think when Tyler gets up we are going to go to the beach. We don't have many days left with Caleb here so we are trying to squeeze as much in as we can.

Tomorrow Tom an Caleb are going to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. Caleb has wanted to go all summer but we didn't get to do that until now. I have to work but those two will have fun. Caleb and Tom leave Tuesday night to take Caleb back to Georgia. Tom will stay over one night and then fly back.

We just sent out the invitations to Tyler's 2nd birthday party. We are having a pizza party at our house. I just can't believe that he'll be 2~ where has the time gone!!!

Well, not much new this week!! Hope you all had a relaxing weekend and may the week fly by for all of you!! :)

Love~The Brouses

Wow....it's been a busy summer!!!

Hi Everyone from Hawaii~It's sure been a crazy few weeks! We had most of the month of June by ourselves and then we have had company for about the last month or so. First, our friends Dale and Patti Thormodsgard from Utah came. They were here for almost 2 weeks. During the time they were here we went to the Honolulu Zoo for the Military Appreciation Day. It was Tyler's first time at the zoo. He was pretty exited to see some of the animals but wasn't AS excited as we thought he might be. Caleb has been there before but it was a great day with friends and family.

While Dale and Patti were here we also stay a week at Bellows Resort on the east side of the island. We usually stay there at least once during the summer. They have cabins and the resort is right on the ocean. The cabins have 2 bedrooms, showers, refridgerators, stoves, microwaves and tvs. They are super nice and cozy. They are perfect for a getaway. We spent lots of time at the beach and of course more time just relaxing! Tyler ended up getting sick while we were there. He had an almost 103 degree temperature with one throw up. It was kind of weird but must have been just some little bug. The only thing the cabins don't have is air conditioning so keeping him cool with his fever was a little tricky. At night it's really not bad with the windows open and the breeze blowing in but the daytime was a little rough for him. Overall though the week was great! Oh yeah, how could I forget the shark sightings 2 days in a row. We have been to Bellows SO many times and never had sightings and this year they had to days with sightings. They had to close the water/beaches for a few hours while helicopters flew over looking and the lifeguards looked over the waters on jet skis. Pretty crazy!! We are in the water so much and never really think about being so close to creatures like that...that is until they have sightings!! :)

Tom's aunt Connie was our next visitor. Dale and Patti and Connie overlapped each other by a day so we were pretty full in our place! Connie lives in Minneapolis/St.Paul area. She is 67 years old and came over here by herself. She is Tom's dads sister. We went to a few beaches and spent lots of time at the pool. She really wanted a hawaiian tan before she left. And she did end up with one! She just left yesterday so we have an empty nest it feels like.

Today we just hung out and cleaned the house. Tyler wanted to get outside today but of all days to rain it did it a lot of the day today. He did spend some time with his neighbor friends before supper. There is a little boy and one girl on our block that are both just 2 years old. They all have so much fun together. Whenever one hears another outside you'd better be ready to go too! They play so well together.

Tyler and Caleb got a little mustang car from Dale and Patti. It's battery operated and goes 2 1/2 miles per hour on low and 5 miles per hour on high. It holds 130 pounds and is too cute. It even has a little radio that plays music. Tyler is learning to drive it and all his little friend loves to drive it too!

I start back to work on Thursday. I am not excited to go back but it will get us back into our routine and I work so much better with routines! Caleb will go back to Georgia on July 29th with Tom. We just can't believe how fast the summer goes by with him. It's like he just got here! Well, I can say I will be able to keep up with the blog much better when things slow down a little! Thanks for reading!! Have a wonderful week!!

The Brouses!!! :)

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted anything. I don't have any "good" excuses except that we have been super busy! Caleb has already been here 3 weeks! I just can't believe how fast time flies! AND I've been done with school for 2 weeks! How crazy! We've had lots of fun together and have lots planned for the next month or so.

After Pop Pop left Caleb, Tyler and I spent the next week just kind of hanging around the house and playing outside. We have spent lots of time at the park and at the beach here on base. We have also made some very cool forts inside the house. Lots of blankets and chairs! The boys just LOVE this. They will literally play forever inside the thing! I remember making forts when I was little and I've had a chance to get in these and.....it is fun!!!

We had the boys' pictures taken at Sear's last weekend. We had a family one taken and then the boys were supposed to take some together and then separate ones. Well, as we got to the end and Tyler was supposed to take some by himself it didn't go so well. Lots of coaxing and we didn't end up getting any good ones of him by himself. The lady had to take a good one of the boys together and cut Caleb out to get a good one of Tyler by himself. He's just at the age where if he's not wanting to do something....he's just not going to do it! :) Overall the pictures turned out very nice!!

Last Sunday we brought out the slip and slide. Boy did they all have a good time. Tom even got out there and showed them how it was done. We have some funny pictures of that! I told Tom I wouldn't put those on here (I'd better keep that promise)!

Yesterday we went to the pool on base. It's a great pool. It has a baby pool with a huge sprinkler. Tyler loves the water but would really rather be in the big pool. They don't let toddlers who aren't yet potty trained into the big pool. It's too bad cuz he just loves to swim and kick around. The baby pool is only up to his knees (if that). Caleb loves the pool because it has a diving board and a slide. It's so much fun. I really like it because we don't come home full of sand like when we go to the beach.

Today we are just at home. Tyler is napping and Tom and Caleb are washing the cars. I hear them outside and I think Caleb is getting the neighbor with the hose! He's been waiting to do that since he got here! :)

I have been really trying the potty training thing with Tyler. Since we've spent most of the last couple weeks at home I thought this would be a good time to start. He seems to really know when he has to go potty because he'll most of the time go on his own. I've left him mostly without underwear when we're at home to let him get the hang of it. I do try and put diapers on him too sometimes so he knows that feeling too! He also knows when he has to poop but he then asks for a diaper or underwear. I hear that part takes awhile. Right?

Well, hope you all have nice week!!

The Brouses

Summer Fun

Yay!! I am finally done with school for the year. Friday was my last day. I don't go back until July 24th so I have just under 2 months or so off. We'll definitely be spending a lot of time at the beach and hanging out at the park.

Tom, Mike (pop pop), Caleb and Tyler spent last week together. They visited a few beaches, took a drive around the island and went to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. The kept busy and had such a good time together. The boys had the Keiki fishing tournament on Friday. Caleb caught 6 fish. He also won a new fishing pole.

Tyler's last day of daycare was Friday. I am hoping that while I am home for the summer, I can try to get him potty trained. He didn't get the opportunity to try at daycare so I'm going to try real hard at home. He will go on the potty whenever we ask him if he has to it's just that we've got to get him to wear training pants or underwear instead of the diaper.

We are going to go up to the hospital sometime this week to visit one of Tyler's daycare friends. His name is Kellen and he's just 7 months old. He was just diagnosed with leukemia this past week. It was a VERY sudden diagnosis. He had been a little fussy and had a fever off and on last week. His mom brought him in after a few days thinking it was probably related to teething or a possible ear infection. They ruled all the normal things out and continued to do testing on him until they found this. The dad is in Iraq right now but was finally reached and is on his way here to be with the family. The doctors are very optimistic about things but he will surely have a long road ahead!

We don't have any real plans this week. Just have fun being off of work and possibly get some scrapbooking done. I am WAY behind!! I've really had to start picking and choosing which things I REALLY want to scrapbook. I can't do it all like I used to!! :)

Hope everyone had a good week and is enjoying their summer so far!!!

The Brouses

Caleb is here!!!

Caleb is here for the summer! We have been waiting and waiting for him to get here. He flew in last night with his Pop Pop from Georgia. He is 8 years old and just finished 2nd grade. They didn't get in until 9pm on Saturday so it was a long day waiting to see him. We talked about it all day so Tyler was pretty pumped up when we finally saw him.

This morning Caleb and his Pop Pop were up early. They are still getting adjusted to the time difference here. Hawaii is 6 hours behind Georgia so when they arrived last night it was actually 3am for them. We went out for breakfast at a cafe right on Pearl Harbor. We go there quite often for breakfast. It's so beautiful eating outside by the ocean!

After breakfast we went to the harbor right there and feed the fish. We used our leftover pancakes and toast. We just scrunch them into little balls and throw them in the water. The tropical fish just come and eat. It's just awesome. Of course, the kids just loved it!

I think we'll just hang out most of the day today. Tom is off all this week so he'll be taking Caleb, Pop Pop and Tyler around. They will probably go to the beach, snorkeling, around the island and to Pearl Harbor Memorial. They are also going to a Keiki(kids) fishing tournament on Friday! Caleb was in that tournament 2 summers ago and won his age category so he's pretty excited about going again.

My last day of work isn't until Friday so I'll just be with them in the evenings! Mike (Pop Pop) leaves next Saturday and Caleb will be here until the end of July, when Tom flies with him back to Georgia.

We bought Caleb a new bike for the summer and Tyler just got a little Fisher-Price 3 wheeler bike so they had fun riding those around. Even though they've only been together a day...you can sure tell that Tyler wants to do everything his big brother does. :)

As you can see in the pictures, Caleb has let his hair grow out. He says he's wanting to do it and some of his friends are doing it. That's kind of the thing with some of my kids at school. I'm not sure how much he'll love it when he's HOT in the sun on the beach and sand but...we'll see!!

We had Tyler to the doctor on Friday for some rashes he's had for about a week. He's been breaking out with red rashes, some raised and most not. We are wondering if it's a food allergy so the doctor had lab tests done to see if it's peanut butter. We should have the results back early next week. I'm not convinced it's peanut butter since he broke out today and he hasn't had peanut butter since Friday. It doesn't seem to bother him though...like itching or something.

Well, I'm going to add some pictures and go hang out with the boys!! I'm really outnumbered here!!

Have a wonderful week!!!

The Brouses

We're back!!!!!

We are finally back! It's taken some time to get back into the groove but here we are! We've been pretty busy since the last time I posted anything and we have lots of pictures!

In April, as most of you know, my grandparents passed away. It was sudden and tragic and our family is trying to heal! It's been tough but I can say as each day passes and with the help of god, family and friends, we are getting through it the best we can! Thanks to everyone for their comfort and support!

Well, school is almost out for me. My last day is June 6th. I love my class but I am sure glad summer is almost here. I have had this class for 2 years now. I started with them in 2nd grade and then went up with the same kids to 3rd grade. I have the summer off until July 24th. It's such nice timing since we have Caleb during the summers. We also have some visitors coming this summer so it's nice to be off.

Caleb will be here this coming Saturday, May 31st. We are so excited to see him and spend the summer together. Tyler keeps looking at his pictures and saying "broder"! It's too cute! They will have so much fun together. Tyler is older now and can play more. We have plans to spend a lot of time at the beach! We all love to play in the sand and be in the water! Doesn't everyone?! :)

Tyler is starting a little bit of the "no" thing. He gets this look on his face and says it with such force and likes he really means it! We make him say "sorry" back to us and that is all it takes for him to stop. We also use time-outs when he's really in a "no" mood. Overall, he's a very good boy and listens! They all have their times don't they? Tyler is into smiling for the camera. He likes to scrunch up his face and show his teeth....he thinks that's smiling! It's pretty cute!

We hope you all had a nice long weekend!! We did...now it's back to work! :)

Love, Tom, Kari, Caleb and Tyler

Back to work and the beach

I had to go back to work this week after my 2-week spring break. My kids were really good this week as we studied hard for our state test coming up this week. I also have report cards going out soon so my days were pretty busy! I am all done with those though....thank goodness! Tom had nothing new at work. Just getting back into the swing of things after being gone for a month. So the week was pretty much just work and sleep for Tom and I.

Tyler cut another new tooth (finally). We have been waiting patiently for him to get new teeth. He didn't get his first one until he was almost a year and they have been coming slowly since then. He now has 8 teeth total! He's not a very good eater to begin with so now as this tooth has been coming in it's even worse (except for breakfast). I'm sure he's like a lot of kids who say they are all done, get out of their high chair and then want to eat off your plate. His favorite foods are scrambled eggs with cheese, cheerios, chocolate milk and juice. He just LOVES his juice. Really it's not even much juice, mostly water but he loves it so much.

We had an awesome day at the beach yesterday. We went to Ko'Olina lagoon on the southwest coast of the island. It's just gorgeous!! It's great for Tyler because there aren't big waves. He just loves to play in the sand and he especially likes the water. We hold him and he just kicks and splashes everywhere! Tyler also loves to play outside and to help daddy or mommny rake the leaves and pods. We bought him his own rake but he still loves the big one more.

Tyler was trying to help get a bug one day! We get small bugs on our kitchen floor and usually pick them up with a bit of toilet paper or napkin. Tyler saw a bug and decided to get the toilet paper himself. Well, we found him in the bathroom with a TON of it! We did end up getting the bug but we didn't need quite that much paper!! :)

We love you! Have a great week!

March 2008

Hello Family and Friends,

We wanted to find a way to keep everyone up to date on what we have been up to over here in Hawaii. A friend of mine had started this blog a couple of months ago and I really look forward to Monday morning when she has posted news about she and her family. I thought...what the heck...I'll try that! It's been really fun setting up the site and posting pictures of our family. I hope you all enjoy getting the news on our family. I will update the site on Sunday so you'll be able to hear new stuff at least by Monday morning!!

Tom just got back from a 3 1/2 week TDY to San Antonio, Texas. Tyler and I missed him terribly. Tyler woke up most mornings and said, "Where's Daddy?". I explained to him that daddy went on a plane to go to work. So everytime we heard a plane go over he would say, "Daddy plane?!". Oh, I just felt so bad! When we went to the airport to get him he could barely stand still when he saw his daddy. We are both so glad to have him home with us!!!! While Tom was traveling back to Hawaii his flight took him through Atlanta so he took a few days leave and spent a weekend with Caleb. They went fishing, four-wheeling, cooked over the campfire and mainly just spent time together!

While Daddy was gone, Tyler and I spent Easter together by going on an Easter Egg Hunt here at Hickam. He went with the kids who could walk up to age 2. He was really good about collecting eggs and was VERY excited to open them....especially when he realized there was candy in there. There was an easter bunny but he would NOT get near the bunny!! I even offered to sit with him....it was still a NO!! :) Tyler and I also spent some time at the beach together. He loves the water and playing in the sand. Lots of digging holes and filling buckets with water!!

Tyler has surprised us and has taken such an interest in potty training. I have been on Spring Break for 2 weeks now and I've been giving him the opportunity to go without his diaper when we are just in the house. He has been going on the potty all by himself for almost a week...when he's not wearing a diaper. Today he pooped on the potty!!! How cool!!!! I have tried putting his training pants on instead of the diaper to see if he could get used to knowing he can't go in them but it hasn't worked as of yet. Does anyone have any suggestions as what to do next? We know he's still so young (19 months) so we aren't pushing it but if he's interested and ready we want to help him along!

Keep checking back for new pictures and stories!!
Love, Tom, Kari, Caleb and Tyler