Tekoa

Tekoa, you are our big boy! You climb, and run, and tumble all over! You are very confident in your abilities. Somehow, when you learned colors, you didn't learn the color white. Anything that is the color white, you call "nilk" (which is milk)!

Tekoa: Mom! Look! A truck!
Me: Cool! What color is the truck?
Tekoa: It's a nilk!
Me: Tekoa, is the truck white????
Tekoa: No! It's nilk!

 I've given up trying to correct you because it is just so cute :)

You are still learning how to share with your brother, and like any 3-year-old, you want to do things yourself! You are a little ball of fire sometimes, but you are still very sweet. Your smile warms my heart each and every day! I love you!!!

New Blog

Hello family! I've started a new blog for the Shelenski family. It's easier for me to update from my phone, which should mean that posting will be more frequent :)

The Shelenski Family tumblr

-Anna

trains!

On my two recent trips to Thinker Toys, Tekoa and Ezekiel were glued to the train set. They were so upset when we had to leave. So, Drew and I got them a train set from Target! Two train sets, actually, and one "expansion pack." The boys love their trains, which is good because it takes up their whole room!

long hair and a top knot

Ezekiel's hair is getting long and I think Drew is getting hair envy. When Drew and I were dating he was growing out his hair so he could put it in his affectionately named "top knot."

Today Drew put up Z's hair in a top knot. This is not the first time, but his hair is still a tad short to completely stay in the hair band. He still looks cute as ever though :)

chalk play!

We picked up some chalk the other day and let the boys draw on the lanai. It was their first time playing with chalk :)

chalk feet!

a day

Here are a few pics that we took of the boys playing today. This is what the day-to-day looks like for us.

playing on his truck, it wasn't meant for riding but they do it anyways :)

new camera

I am starting a photography course in school so I got a new Canon camera! Here are some shots from our first outing with the new camera :)

doing laundry, I love that guy :)

more laundry

homemade almond milk and a crocheting project

Lanikai!

Tekoa's "I want what you have" face

crazy photo update

Okay, I haven't posted pics lately so here are a few to catch me up since we moved. Enjoy!

the view in front of Diamond Head

snack time

my little stunner

stunner #2

in the pool at a friend's house

our most recent family pic, courtesy of chuck e cheese, haha

mr. messy

happy boys

hugs! (this doesn't happen often)

Tekoa tried on Jessica's shoes

our first sleepover

dinner w/the fam

nice father-daughter picture at Kailua beach

2011

Reflecting on the year: we experienced a lot of changes and blessings in 2010. Starting a juice business. Quitting it to move to Hawaii. Learning to grow as a family during difficult times. Learning to mother my boys without the help of my mom, but by learning to lean more on the Lord. And Tekoa's eczema has completely cleared since moving here in August! Drew loves Hawaii and has worked (and continues to work) hard for us to be here.

For the new year: January will be filled with family visits. Keoni and Jessica came to visit and have been here for a few days. The boys love to play with Jessica and we've been able to get out of Honolulu since they've been here. Today's trip looked like this: Honolulu, Mililani,  Haleiwa, North Shore, Foodland, Laie, gas station, Kailua (beach), Honolulu. We traveled about 100 miles and our trip was about 6-7 hours including the stop at the beach. Keoni hasn't been back to Hawaii in over 16 years! So I'm sure he's enjoying the visit :) After KO and Jess leave, we'll be traveling to Oregon to visit for a week. I'm excited to visit, I've been missing Oregon. Jessica has told me a few times that she misses us living in Oregon and, "Why don't you live in Oregon?" On Jan 19th my mom will fly back with us to Honolulu to visit for 10 days!

This year will be filled with more exciting changes and decisions. I'm just looking forward to leaning on the Lord, being filled with joy and peace and spending time with our family!

Lord willing, some new adventures/decisions this year will include:

-Starting a juice truck business
-Deciding where and what to study for school
-Deciding on whether or not to add baby #3 to the fam
-What to do when our lease is up in Apr/May (Sign a new lease? Find a new apt? Move back to OR? who knows)
-Convincing my mom to retire early and move here with us (just kidding... kind of)

The things that will be least expected will make for an even more exciting and blessed year. A year ago we would have never thought we'd be moving to Hawaii, and we didn't even know we were going to move to Hawaii two months before we actually made the move. Sometimes that's how the big decisions are made, there's only so much you can plan and talk about it. There comes a point when you actually have to do it!

I'm also hoping to take more pictures this year, at LEAST once a WEEK! Not only to share with you on here but to better document my two handsomes growing up.

Praise the Lord! Here's to another amazing year!

Love,

Anna