My sneaky six year old!

Do you have a sneaky child that likes to test the boundaries and do EXACTLY what you tell them NOT to do? Who am I kidding, why am I even asking you this, OF COURSE YOU DO!

For Christmas last year, my mom gave our daughter an iPad mini. She was then downloading apps anything that we downloaded on our iPad would pop up on hers and pictures that we took on our iPad also showed up on hers because both iPads were linked to the same Apple ID.

If you make a new Apple ID, that eliminates the problem of them seeing pictures you take and the apps you download appearing on their iPads. HOWEVER, for some reason, that is unknown to me and my husband, she was STILL able to download apps! They were free so we were not being charged, but she does not know her password to the app store so our minds were blown. We like to research apps and make sure that they are age appropriate for her, and some weren't.

She would also look up VERY inappropriate video's on youtube! I removed the app and she could no longer download it from the app store BUT she figured out how to access it via SAFARI. I was tired of being out-smarted by my six year old so I did some research and FINALLY, after a few hours, figured out how to make it so that she cannot do anything besides play her apps that WE approve.

First start off by going to "settings" and clicking "general" 

Scroll down to "restrictions" 

Click on "Enable Restrictions" (I already did this part that is why the picture shows "disable" instead of "enable".)

Then you want to turn off the "Safari" app, just slide the bubble over so it is no longer green.

I also disabled all the "app" options, when she wants to download a new game I enter in our password and we browse the app store together so I know what she is downloading.

After you turn off the Safari app there will be no way for them to access the internet. You can keep it that way but our daughter likes to play barbie.com and some other sites her school offers. She prefers the internet version rather than the apps, so I then looked for an internet browser that limited her access. McGruff SafeGuard Browser is FREE and limits what they can look at.

There was a school one along with just a regular one, both were free but I downloaded the first one.

After you download it and open up the app a short video will play.  Then you will get this image, it allows you to be notified daily on what your child is doing.

After that it looks very similar to a web browser!

This is what your new "safari" app will look like.

If you have younger children who share an iPad or if you share one with your child, you can lock them IN an app rather than OUT. You can open up a game for them to play on and make it so they cannot exit it and explore other apps on the iPad.

first go to "settings" and then "general". After that click "Accessibility".

Scroll down to "Guided Access" and there you will enter in a passcode. Right about the "Set Passcode" option there are basic easy to follow instructions on how to use it!

Dezmarie turns 6 in Japan!

Dezmarie turned 6 while we were here in Japan, and let me tell you she will never forget this birthday!

Her Birthday fell on a Friday this year, her class had a field trip planned for that day so we started her birthday celebration on a Thursday!

I made the class some homemade chocolate chip cupcakes and chocolate milk! Dezmarie was so happy when she saw that grandpa and I had brought the class some special treats!

 On her actual birthday she went on a class field trip to the butterfly museum in Hiroshima. I wanted to go but unfortunately, I had to stay home with her baby brother who was sick from his four month shots. 

She said that the spiders and some other insects were too dangerous to touch!

(Thank you Niki for the pictures from the Field trip)

Mom, dad, brother and grandpa surprised Dezmarie after school with a small ice cream cake and a new movie she wanted to see, Hunger games: Catching fire!

She was super lucky to have papa (grandpa) come all the way from California to celebrate her birthday!

 The fun didn't end there! This was her first birthday with her new baby brother. I knew she might be feeling a little left out and I wanted to make this year super special for her. So the weekend following her birthday was all about her!

She loves Miyajima Island and Grandpa wanted to go exploring, so we went to see the deer at the island!

Of course where ever we go she must have her ice cream! My silly girl. 

Waiting on the train to head back home, mommy loves her big girl! 

Her birthday party was that Sunday and ... well ... I didn't get many pictures of the party! She was going crazy with all her friends and was having too much fun to take pictures.

I absolutely LOVED her cake, thank you again Niki for making Dezmarie's birthday cake. It looked fantastic and it was DELICIOUS!

All the kids loved the cake, and all wanted a piece of the rainbow. 

Dezmarie hit the JACKPOT! She couldn't wait to come home and open her presents!

She loved them all, thank you all so much!

I must say this year was memorable! A field trip to the butterfly museum,  a family trip to Miyajim island and a big party at the bowling alley with all her friends... what more could a six year old ask for? Thank you again to all who came, we are so thankful and blessed to have met such amazing people while here in Japan!

Sometimes I don't think I can do it.

Life can get pretty overwhelming when you have two kids and no family around to help out. Sleepless nights, a screaming baby and a 5 year old who just doesn't understand that mommy is one person and can't always give her the attention she wants right when she needs it. There are times when I want to cry or I feel myself about to break down!

Then I stop, take a deep breath and look at my babies and know that it's all worth it. No matter how tired I am or how stressed I get their little faces make it all better.



For the most part Desiree is a big help, she keeps her brother occupied and likes to have very serious conversations with him! Without my little girl I don't know what I would do!

With two kids there is always laundry to be done and a mess somewhere that needs to be picked up. Noah is a needy baby so at first it was impossible to get ANYTHING done. I was having panic attacks because the house was a WRECK! Well hello there amazing invention called "sleepy wrap"! I just throw my little pain in the butt in this nifty thing and away mommy goes! This thing is a life saver and I am able to get everything done :-)


When Noah wants to cooperate our night time routine goes pretty well! Desiree gets her nighttime stories and we get to laugh and tell jokes! She tells me about her day and we talk about life! It's good mommy and daughter bonding time!


If I am REAL lucky Noah sleeps for just about 6 hours straight, those are my favorite nights!



But I am not that lucky! Those nights only come once in awhile. Most nights he wakes up and wants to eat and play! With a face as cute as this, mommy can't be mad! She can be tired but not mad :-)



At least he is a happy baby when he's up in the middle of the night!


Oh boy! Here comes the morning and the alarm clock ringing! Most mornings I'm working on just a few hours of sleep, so mornings are pretty comical :-) what really helps me is I pre-make everything. I have hard boiled eggs ready, oatmeal bars or oatmeal cookies made or I have Desiree's bowl of cereal set out and all I have to do is add the milk! Getting myself ready AND two kids is pretty hectic especially when Desiree is dazed and confused and all Noah wants to do is eat mom's boob! It's always a race against time to make it to the bus stop in time! We always make it though :-)


That's us all bundled up and ready to make a run for the bus in the cold mornings!


Can you imagine how stressful it is for one person to balance two kids, housework and all the daily chores that have to be done?! Your body really starts to feel it! Thank God for Shannon and her wonderful massages!



She is absolutely AMAZING! I always leave her place feeling so refreshed and relaxed! I need to make it a weekly thing, but with a 3 month old and no babysitter it's hard to get in to see her. When I do I really enjoy my relaxation time!

Life is pretty chaotic and tiring, sometimes it feels like the day will never end and I will never catch a break... But that's ok! I know it will get easier, and my babies will only be this little once. I enjoy my time with them, bad and tiring times included! I love them with all my heart and I wouldn't have life any other way.

Excepting a new baby.

Our daughter was an only child for five years, now mom is having another baby! Oh no, will she except her new baby brother and be loving towards him? Will mom and dad be able to balance life and TWO kids? Desiree has been the center of attention for five years, and now she was going to have to share the spotlight.












Throughout my pregnancy I did my best to keep her involved. She went to baby appointments with me and helped me shop for baby clothes and organize her brothers nursery. She seemed really excited about mommy being pregnant, but I was nervous. Was I going to be able to have enough time for both kids? What if I unintentionally made Desiree feel unloved or ignored?





I guess it was one of those situations where time would tell. I looked on Pinterest, google, Facebook pages and watched TONS of TLC. I found tons of sites with activities for kids and recipes that were simple enough for a five year old to follow. No matter how tired I am I ALWAYS make sure to do something fun with her.






I make her a SUPER lunch every day just to let her know that she is a superstar!






We make personal pizzas, because she loves being a pizza maker!






Pinterest came up with some pretty cool ideas for toilet paper rolls. I tried to make a castle but that didn't turn out so well.






Grandma Georgi shared a recipe for making clay hand prints so dad made some with Desiree! Then I painted them for her.





Sometimes Noah will throw a fit in the middle of our arts and crafts time, and Desiree isn't too happy about that!

Now that she is able to read, I have came up with a really neat idea! I have started writing her notes and leaving them in places for her to find. I also got a little creative and made her this sign for her bedroom. Just so she can always remember that mommy will always love her no matter what!





"MY SWEET LITTLE ANGEL, MOMMY MIGHT HAVE A NEW BABY BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN THAT MOMMY DOESNT LOVE YOU. IT MEANS I HAVE MORE LOVE FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY BROTHER. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY # 1."

It took her awhile but she finally warmed up to the idea of having a baby brother :-) she now LOVES holding him and will play with him so I can get things done around the house!











Sometimes Noah gets a little mad, but Desiree doesn't panic she laughs and tries to make him happy! I am satisfied, I think so far we have managed our time with both kids very well. Now I am teaching them to be the best of friends. I will teach them to love each other no matter what, to always be there for one another and to always respect each other. I hope they form a bond that can never be broken. So far I think they are on the right track!











Noah is only 2 1/2 months old right now. It is the most amazing thing to see him with his big sister. He gets super excited! He smiles real big and let's out a baby laugh and kicks his little feet real fast when he sees her! He hasn't been in this world for too long but I can already tell that he loves his big sissy! My kids make me so proud, I sure am lucky to be their mommy.





Mommy loves her angels with all her heart! They are my pride and joy, my heart and my life.