And its over... It took so long to get here, but Christmas has once again come and gone. And I'm still up... So I thought I'd jump on here and do a little blog about our AWESOME Christmas. I took a bunch of pictures, but I'll post them tomorrow when I have a little more determination :)
Last night, Kiale and Rashan made cookies for Santa and wrote him a note. I'm going to post a pic of the letter tomorrow, don't want to spoil the surprise and tell you what was in it, but it was absolutely priceless!!! He deserved every present that he got today!!!
We spent today at home (*smile*) with our family and Iva, Rashan and Junior. The kids made out like bandits!!! Kiale got 3 games (kerplunk, scene it, and othello), a DS game, 2 Wii games, a killer Hurley jacket (thank you aunty Tia!), a bunch of Sean John and Roca Wear shirts, 2 Quiksilver shirts, a Pokemon game, a creepy crawler maker, a huge lego set, the Mummy 3 DVD, a UH T-shirt, a Laser Tag set, a couple Bakugan, a Bionicle, the Tommy 20 Nerf gun and a portable DVD player... I think that was it??? He was sooooo happy! But then again, what 7 year old wouldn't be? His favorite is by far the Laser Tag set!!! Maia got a WHOLE BUNCH of clothes!!! Mostly Abercrombie and Roxy, oh and that sweet Famous sweatshirt, a Roxy wallet, 2 Roxy bags, moolah and her digital camera. It's a really nice one, so she was SUPER excited. Kalani got a WHOLE BUNCH of clothes too!!! Same, Abercrombie and Roxy, a Famous sweatshirt, moolah and her UGG boots. She was so funny when she opened it, because she wasn't expecting it. It took everything in her to contain her excitement, but you could see it on her face. The kids were thrilled and thankful for all their gifts.
After presents, and cleaning the mess, we had the best dinner. Prime rib... Lobster... Steak... Shrimp... Ham... Corn on the Cob... It was so ono. The lobster was the absolute best. The meal was all I wanted for Christmas!!!
As the kids get older, they are able to understand what the holidays are really about. Family, friends and the birth of Jesus. Even Kiale knows the true meaning of the Christmas. We always tell the kids not to expect much, because that's not really was Christmas is supposed to be about, so they always ask for simple things. It's actually me who goes a little overboard :) I can't help it!!! The joy for me comes from seeing their faces when they open their presents. Since they were little, I've always spoiled them at Christmas time. I remember one year, actually it was in 2000 when I had just gotten pregnant with Kiale. It took the girls HOURS to open all the gifts that I bought them. Because they were into toys, we bought 3 of almost everything!!! I'm glad that now I only really have to buy them clothes to make them happy. Especially since I'm the best sale shopper around!!!
Hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas.... Blessing to all!!!
This past week we've had a serious reminder of how living in Washington can actually suck!!! we've been hit hard by the "December Storm". The kids have been out of school since Wednesday. Kiale's not one bit upset about his extended Christmas Break. We started with about an inch or so on Sunday:
Yes, I've gotten the phone calls, myspace comments and emails about how I haven't been keeping up here. So sorry!!! Life's been crazy busy with school and sports, but I've got lots of pics and stories to post, which I'll get to soon!!! Until then, here's a small update about what's been going on:
Thanksgiving weekend: Aaah, fun times... From great food on Thursday to insane shoppers on Friday, life truly has been eventful. We spent a quiet Thanksgiving at home with just the family and a simple traditional dinner followed by "Fred Claus". Good movie.
At 10:45, Iva, Cristy and I headed up to Marysville to take on the hardcore shopping when the Outlets opened at midnight. We only got to shop in 2 stores, because of the lines, but it was totally worth it. Ecko and Quiksilver. Lots of stuff. We headed over to Walmart at 4:30 to try and get the bargains. I'll honestly have to say that this was my last year doing so. I did get the main item that I went for (to be named later since my kids read the blog!) so I was happy. Getting it was not as easy as it seems... broken nail, sore arm and a big bruise on my knee... but so worth it. I'm okay, and it was actually funny... :)
Last night, we went to Lianne's house for our extended ohana Thanksgiving. We've done it for the past 3 years. Minna and Koa came up from Oregon so it was great to see them. And it was nice to eat something OTHER than turkey. We exchanged names for our Secret Santa's for the kids and had a rousing game of Guesstures, guys against girls, kids and all. Of course, the girls won.
Today, we went to Kiale's first real wrestling tournament. He was so blessed to have us and about 18 of his "other ohana" there to cheer him on. And they stayed ALL DAY. Gordon, Minna, Koa, Apua, Iva, Junior, Bob, Lianne, Shalana (and kids), we love you all SO MUCH and Thank you for being there!!! Kiale took second place!!! He did awesome!!! He "won" a trip to Chuck E. Cheese from dad for doing so well.
I promise to get the pics and stories of recent events on here real soon!!!
Ok, so it was a pretty BIG task to expect to actually complete!!!
Anyhow, the rest of our wonderful vacation went great. Picking up where I left off below, we spent 3 days in Kona with Tia and Mel. Did fun "tourist" things like the Atlantis Submarine and UFO Parasailing. Got on a paddleboard for the first time. It was actually fun!!! For those who've never heard of it, its like surfing with a canoe paddle. Everyone was a little pissed when I popped up on it like I went surfing the day before... especially Charlie ;) The board wasn't big enough for him...
We went back to Laupahoehoe on Thursday night after visiting with my godparents in Waimea. I hadn't seen them FOREVER!!! We were wiped out by the time we got back. On Friday, we went down to Waipio Valley with my parents. It was the best time, except for the wind!!! But Waipio has to be one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. The kids went swimming and boogie-boarding. That night, the guys went fishing while Kalani, Christine, Cheynielle and myself went to this ladies night thing at the Health Center.
Saturday was spent goofing around Laupahoehoe down at the beach. No complaints with that one!!! Saturday night was probably what Kalani looked forward to the most. We went to the annual KWXX Ho'olaule'a where we saw Sudden Rush, Ekolu, Rebel Souljahs, Mana'o Company as well as few others. FINALLY found a BJ Penn shirt for Kiale.
The next few days were spent with my family, getting as much time in with them as possible, especially my 94-year old grandma. She's the best...
It was such a relaxing trip home, lots of fun at the same time. We stayed busy, but got to relax. Next year, Charlie wants to go home for a month!!! That would be the best... But we may not want to come back :)
(This post was actually started right after we came home. I just never had the time to finish it!!!)
(Tuesday, September 23, 2008)
Today was the day that we headed out for our big adventure. We were going to Kona to go spend a few days with Charlie's sister Tia. We could have easily made the 2 hour drive through the Hamakua Coast, but we actually decided to drive the other way around the island.
We started out later than we had wanted. Couldn't go without stopping at the best box lunch place in Hilo, Kawamoto's. Nori Chicken, Korean Chicken, BBQ beef, Shrimp tempura... Yummy... Once again, it's all about the food :) After that, we stopped in at Maui Divers at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory to see my mom, and get shortbread cookies and Mac Nut Ice Cream!!! Our drive continued through the southern part of the island. We stopped at Punalu'u, a beautiful black sand beach, to take some pictures. The vog was so heavy that I found it difficult to breathe after a while. After we passed through Na'alehu, we tried to find our way down to the Green Sands Beach, but no such luck. Charlie REFUSED to ask this local for directions.
The scariest part of the trip happened after that. We made the drive all the way down to Miloli'i. Lets put it this way... Windy roads... Steep drops onto sharp jagged lava rocks... 5 miles... Once we got down there, and the circulation actually went back to my toes, I got over the beauty real quick and said, "Let's go!!!". It's hard because I don't remember where all the best things to see are. Last time that I was down there was about 16 years ago. But it was still nice.
We got into Kona just in time to have an awesome spaghetti dinner with Tia. So yummy, and a nice break from rice. We tried to get a few games in at Kona Bowl, but who thought that they'd be so busy on a Tuesday night!!!
And my best score of the trip thus far... UH t-shirts for $4.98... Yep, we bought 4 :)
(September 22nd, 2008)
This was the official sleep in day. The day when we actually didn't have anything going on...SLOW day... Of course, we went to Hilo since it's the closest place with much to do. Made the usual stop into Starbucks before heading over to Walmart. Checked out the UH fangear selection... Can you believe that they actually have the most stuff??? Kalani got the first of her UH stuff (yes, I said the first...). Ran into 1/2 of my family there, since some of them were flying back to the outer islands that day out of Hilo.
After that, took the 4-mile drive down to Richardsons, cause they have one of the nicest bays in Hilo for the kids to swim at. I swear, they'd stay in there ALL DAY if I didn't make them get out. They kids snorkeled around for awhile, saw some fishes and stuff.
We had to head home early because my mom and dad were having a BBQ for my cousin Greg who was leaving back to Illinois the next day. So once again, another good meal... This is becoming a pattern here... The best part about our family gatherings has to be having my Grandma Alice around still. She's almost 95 years old, and makes my day everytime that I see her. Second to her would be the rest of my family who are an absolute blast to be around!!!
Ok, this is for Sunday, September 21st.
Somewhat slept in, but had to get up in time to see my dad and Charlie off. They went BACK to the party to help with the clean up process. Must not have taken too long, because by the time I got down there at 11:30 or so, everything was done.
We hung out with the family for the bulk of the day for the "after party" which consisted of MORE good food, MORE awesome music and another beautiful day on the Big Island. It was nice to see some of my cousins, Uncles and Aunties that I haven't seen for awhile, the longest probably being my cousin Sonny Boy... About 8 years or so...
We had to pry ourselves away from the party around 5:45 or so, since we promised to take the kids to the fair. We went with Macky and his wife Christine and thier 3 kids so that Kalani and Chenille could hang and Kiale and Shandon would have someone to do the rides with. I was seriously dissappointed when I saw how SMALL the fair has become. I mean SMALL!!! It made the fair when I was in high school look huge!!! None the less, the kids had an awesome time. The best party was probably running into Vance, Vanessa, Serena, Truman and Kimi... So funny because they actually live in Washington just like us!!!
We ended the night with yet another awesome dinner at the ever-popular Ken's House of Pancakes. Of course, it was packed... But the meal hit the spot. (Don't think that I have many spots left!)
Falling a little behind but will go back to keep everyone posted...
So Saturday was the big day, Desiree's wedding. I helped my mom make sushi in the a.m. before heading to my auntie's to get ready. Yes, I did my hair, face and put a dress on. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The wedding went off without a hitch. Desiree looked beautiful and her dress was absolutely GORGEOUS! The ceremony was at the church here in Laupahoehoe. Then we went to Liliuokalani Gardens in Hilo to take pictures. Celebrated with the bridal party in the Limo a little, but not too much. Didn't wanna show up at the reception completely smashed!!!
When we got to the party, Charlie had become a worker bee. He was in full swing with my dad and Uncles bustin' ass all day preping food. And a ton of food it was!!! Everything you could think of. My poor dad didn't even have a chance to get home to shower :(
The crappy thing was that I didn't have a chance to take a single picture at the reception. By the time we were done with the toasts, the cake, the first dance, etc... I was feeling pretty good, so all I cared about was the dj and my drink :)
Desiree was very happy with her wedding and how everything turned out....
It's so nice to be back home... I woke up a little later, 7:00 a.m. By 9:00, Charlie and Kalani had driven to Hilo for a quick Starbucks run and a little stop at Wal-Mart. (Hilo is 1/2 hour away, so I told him to get a BAG of coffee, not just a cup!) By 10:45, we were down at Laupahoehoe Point to take the kids swimming. It was such a nice, relaxing day with so many of the natural adventures that the Big Island has to offer, and all of it just 5 miutes away from my parents' home.
The kids started off swimming, then fishing, then swimming again. When my mom and dad came down, it got even better. Grandpa is the BEST fisherman out there. Kalani and I spent a good 45 minutes catching a'ama crab before I had to go and help decorate for the party, which is also down at the point. Charlie, my dad and the kids stayed by the water to play. They got to swim all day like they had gills, fish for hours upon end, and even watch 3 Sting Rays that had been hanging out in a bay there for 2 days. The best was probably getting to watch Grandpa lose a 6 pound Papio right as Charlie was about to grab it up out of the water. Best because my dad's reaction was priceless. Before Charlie and the kids could turn around to say, "One more time Grandpa", he was back at the truck saying "Let's Go!!!". That fish may have won the battle, but not the war...
Desiree and I decorated a majority of the gym for the party. Simple and elegant. Just the way I like it. That evening, we got to go to my Auntie Val's for a delicious dinner with family that I haven't seen in a while, including my cousin Greg who flew all the way from Chicago. By 9:00, Kalani was half asleep on my aunties couch and Kiale was in daddy's arms. And oh yah, Kalani got sunburned from Hell!!! You'd think that since she gets burned in Washington, she would have put on some sunblock in Hawai'i!!!
Today is the big day for Desiree. I'll have all the wedding details tomorrow!!!
I've decided to try and get on here as much as possible while we're visiting Hawai'i. I find myself with "extra" time in the mornings as I am still on Washington time. Woke up at 6:30 this morning and just laid there, so I thought that this would be an excellent opportunity to get my blog fix in. I'll try and do daily events in the morning or the evening...
We landed in Kona 22 minutes early on Wednesday night. Nothing like stepping off the plane and instantly felling "sweaty" because of the humidity here. But it can't beat the feeling of being at home. We made the 1 1/2 hour drive back to my moms with no problems, except a couple super slow tourists who were driving like they were on vacation or something! Got here around 9:45 p.m. and I was EXHAUSTED! Where my children get their energy is beside me. Even my reserve tank was empty!
I got the brutal effects of the time-difference factor when I woke up on Thursday morning... at 5:45 a.m. This is the one thing that I hate about travelling between time zones! But we still had a wonderful day inspite my sleepiness. The first thing that we did was go to visit my 94-year old grandmother. That woman is amazing... It was so good to see her. She looks great for her age, but she is 94-years old, so frail is the word... Mentally however, you can't find many people in their 30's who are sharper than she. Inspite being in a car accident last week, she's still going strong.
Kalani and I went to Waimea with my cousin Desiree, who will be the blushing bride on Saturday. It was a day of pedicures, manicures and lunch at Kamueala Deli. Let me tell you, you need a second job if you want your nails done in Hawai'i! It's literally twice as much as Washington! Kiale and Charlie stayed with tutu to visit with her. She absolutely loves all of her grand/great-grand/great-great-grandkids!!! After that, they went fishing down at the point. Kiale was waiting at home for us to show off his first catch of the trip, a little Hina'lea!!! Then he waited, not so patiently, until Grandpa came home from work so that they could head back down for more fishing and swimming. Aaah... the joys of the ocean being only 3 minutes away.
Last night, we all went to my Uncle Kenneth's and Aunty Val's to help Desiree with her wedding favors... all 200 of them... Even my 94-year old grandma was cranking out these boxes with boys on them!!! Then, I got to see some of my aunties family who I have't seen since my cousin Jaime got married...
My exciting moment... My mom has this awesome Canon camera. She even has the HUGE lens that goes with it. Problem is, she NEVER uses it!!! It's a film camera, but I'm going to have a blast with it while I'm here... Can't wait to see those photos!!!
***Simone and her daughter Shawnalyn***
I've been writing the thoughts down, but haven't had time to post. I've got a few minutes now, but the camera is in the car WHICH Charlie has with him as he's having his massage... So just a little about what WILL be up here in the next few days...
It's that time of year again. New grade, new things to learn, new things to deal with at a different age. Today was Maia's first day of 7th grade. Yup, 7th grade. I still can't believe it. She's smack dab in the middle of her Junior High years. Only 1 more grade until she's officially in High School. AAAAHHHH!!!!! She's been at Charles Wright Academy since Pre-school. The school is extremely difficult, so each year brings new challenges. The education that she receives there in uncomprable to anything that I've seen, and she's learned so much more than she would have anywhere else. She's excited to not be the youngest group in the middle school!!!!
We had Kiale's back-to-school bbq at Midland yesterday. For us, this was our first introduction into the school. He's been at Concordia Lutheran the last few years, and we decided to send him to public school starting 1st grade. The tuition at Concordia just keeps going up! Allthough we're able to afford it now, at the rate that it's going, in 3 or 4 years, it will probably be too much, so we thought that we'd pull him out now. I think that the tuition this year was $6300, so by then it'll easily be $8000!!! And that's just way too much. I'm not too worried about him transitioning into the school. Kiale makes friends easily and is able to adapt to any situation. I was worried about the teachers and the general stigma that falls with "Public School". I was pleasantly surprised when I got a chance to check everything out for myself. His teacher seems really nice. The classroom is HUGE! There are more amenities there than at his private school, and everything is so modern. They have numerous reading, writing and math specialist who help the kids out regardless of what level they are at. They have an awesome library with a very state of the art computer lab. They even have a great "reading corner" for story time for the younger grades, just like they do in Borders. All of the staff have been really nice, and I've already been hit up by the PTA... Looking forward to his new adventures!!!
First off, Maia came home on Friday!!! We were all so excited to see her. It had seemed like FOREVER! The first thing that I noticed was how she grew. She's almost as tall as I am now! And her jeans are too tight :) Must have been all that Ono food that she had at Grandma and Grandpas! And she's way dark... Even darker than Charlie! We're so glad to have her at home...
Kiale had his first football game on Saturday against the Auburn Panthers. His 89er team won 25-0!!! It's amazing to see how successful kids can be at such a young age. The past 3 weeks of grueling 2-hour practices have resulted in a unified, disciplined group of 7 to 9 year-olds who were able to dominate on the grid-iron. As a first year player, Kiale is on the "5th quarter team" made up of all the newbies. They get to play during half-time against the opposing teams' 5-th quarter team. As a running back, Kiale had 2 carries. He gained about 6 yards on the first and about the same amount of yardage the second time. On his second carry, however, he dragged a handful of defenders with him until they finally took him down. He told Charlie, "I just kept pumping my legs, daddy!" Couldn't have been prouder.
And once again, we watched as another Little League Team from Hawai'i took the World Series. They must be doing something right with Baseball on the islands! There's no better feeling than seeing the Hawai'ian flag on National television...
Another crazy week! Football takes up so much time it's RIDICULOUS!!! But all worth it. Kiale survived a week of laps, bear crawls, wind sprints, lots of hard hitting (both giving and receiving), the heat, 6-inch leg lifts, and so much more. I got tired just watching them!!! He's still liking it, so we're going to keep going. He's getting stronger and is building up his endurance. Eats WAY MORE than he used to and sleeps 10-11 hours a day now... I say poor baby, but he loves it!!!
Little Miss Maia is "enduring" week #2 of her 23 day vacation in Hawai'i. She's been horseback riding, shopping at Kings' Shops and getting darker by the day at the beaches. On Friday, she'll head to Laupahoehoe to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa and get spoiled there. Poor thing, huh... It's so rough being her ;)
My latest role has become "Sports Agent". Kalani's Fastpitch team moved up to U16, so she started tryouts for other teams yesterday. Her first one was with Washington Speed. She did very well, they asked her to be on the team! We were honest, however, and told them that she had another tryout on Saturday and we couldn't give them an answer until after that. Her tryout this weekend is with the Sidewinders. The coach is an EXCELLENT guy from Hawai'i. He coached Charlie's two cousings MANY years ago. He's won State Titles and gone to many National Tournaments. We're really hoping that she gets on with them. The experience would be unmatched. My first experience yesterday as an "agent" taught me how to be polite and not burn bridges. How to appreciate an opportunity that has been offered, and yet keep the door open incase we should choose to walk in :)
The past week or so has been so crazy busy!!! There have been lots of exciting things happening, just haven't really had time to post about them!
My nephew Kamuela turned one on July 27th. We had an AWESOME baby luau for him with the most amazing food! It was so ONO, and the best part was that I didn't have to cook! Well, I did have to deep fry about 300 lumpia, but that was nothing compared to all the work that Apua's family put into it.
That day, I got some great news from my friend Lianne. She told me that she is FINALLY pregnant!!! She's watched everyone else get pregnant and have babies, now, it's her turn. It's about time... Their son Shayne is going to be 13 when the baby is born. She's a little nervous about starting all over, but is excited and so am I!!! Another baby to hug and love, then return to the parents... ;)
On Saturday, we got the news that Kiale did make the Roughriders football team. He was on the waitlist, so we were just waiting for someone to drop out or not show up. After yesterdays practice, I can definitely see why kids would quit. He's in the 7,8 and 9 year old group, but they train just like the 15 year-olds. Yesterday was by far the most difficult thing for me to watch him go through. As most of you know, Kiale has REALLY bad allergies and does a nebulizer treatment everynight to keep him from getting full blown Asthma. My little man was such a trooper yesterday. For starters, the practice is 2 hours long, 5 days a week. It was also 80 degrees out yesterday. After they ran their first 1/4 mile lap around the track, he came in CRYING, but he never quit. The mouthpiece that they gave him was too big, so he couldn't breathe. After they practiced for about another hour, they had to run another 1/4 mile lap. I could hear him crying from where I was sitting. When they came in, they went straight into about 10 sprints. I could still hear him crying. Even with all the tears, I couldn't have been prouder... He NEVER QUIT!!! The coaches and captains noticed too... It was so hard for me to watch and not be able to do anything. At the end of the day, he said he was ready for the next practice. Talk about tears in the eyes!!!
*** Princess Jasmine at Halloween ***
It's now 10:34 p.m. on Sunday night. I've had a crazy busy last three days (hence my not posting anything). I've been cooking, cleaning, stuffing goody bags and pinata's, driving, creating clues for Treasure Hunts, entertaining, singing "Happy Birthday", reading birthday cards, cooking again, driving again, singing "Happy Birthday"again, being pleasantly surprised :), driving some more, opening toys and cleaning again. Oh, and did I mention eating, and eating, and eating, and eating??? More to come in the next few days... Stay tuned for all the details... same Bat Time, same Bat Channel!!!
As you can see, he's been through alot. But even with the bull that we've had to deal with through the years, he's still able to be such an amazing father. He starts works from 4 in the morning and gets off at 12:30 in the afternoon. As tired as he is, he makes time to be there for Maia, Kalani and Kiale. In the fall, he coached Kiale's flag football team. He takes Kalani as often as he can to the batting cages or catches for her so that she can practice pitching. He goes to Maia's school functions when I have to keep my daycare kids. He chaperones field trips. He sacrifices his days off and works extra to pay for the things that the kids want. He helps out around the house with the chores. He cooks. He finds time to help our friends whenever they need anything. He even spent Father's Day helping my sisters family move.
He's the most low-maintenance guy out there. He never asks for anything. The only thing that he's really picky about is his food :) He pays attention to the things that I say, like when I was was telling my girl friends that I wanted a Coach Bag, he bought me one for Mother's Day... He buys my favorite candy bar when he sees it at the store... He makes sure that I have enough Coke in the fridge...
Needless to say, words just can't explain how much I appreciate him. I love being at home, we get to spend so much time together. It's brought us even closer. Yes, the wedding is coming soon, and I CAN'T WAIT!!!
I was sitting outside watching the kids play today. The sun was out... The boys had no shirts on, digging in a pile of rocks "looking for gold...". Made me think of life when I was young growing up on the Big Island.
It's funny how kids now days are SO different than us at that age. Even when I was 11, 12, and 13, the most important thing was "playing outside". I don't really remember the age when I bridged over from kid to teenager. Everything seems blended together. I think that it's because back then, our parents really didn't have anything to worry about. I remember being in the "younger group" of kids, but we still went with the "big kids". We spent all day away from home on foot. Walking to the mom-n-pop store in Laupahoehoe to buy soda's and junk food to take on our adventure of the day. It's amazing what $2 could buy back then... Then off we went, again on foot, to the pool... or the pond... or the river... Or through some pasture to find any body of water to play in.
Back then, the rule was to be back on the street before the sun went down, then to keep a keen eye out for my mom or dad standing on the stone wall outside our house with the evening flag-down to come home. All with just enough time to take a shower, eat dinner, and maybe watch one of the 5 channels that we had before passing out from the days' excursion.
The next day... same thing.. Summer's were simple, fun and innocent. No Wild Waves, no "bad people" to watch out for, no big vacations... I guess Hawai'i was a vacation in itself. For a "big trip", we spent a whole hour driving so that we could go to Hapuna where there weren't any rocks. Or to Kona to go shopping on Ali'i Drive and eat at Sizzler...
I wonder if life at home is the same that it was when I was younger... Whatever the case, I wouldn't trade where or when I grew up for ANYTHING!!!
~My angelic 2 year old~
~So handsome and only 3~
~Caked on his 5th Birthday by his buddie Lenki~
~Opening presents with Aunty Kim on his 6th B-day~
Today Kiale turned the big 7... It's funny to see how each year different things are important. This year, it was his party. We had to explain to him that everyone wasn't coming over today to celebrate and that his party would be on the 26th. Since he's older, I think that he now realizes that TODAY is his actual birthdate, not the day that we have the big celebration. So tonight, Maia baked him a cake. We had dinner, and he got to open his family present. It's funny because I remember being that age and having the same "celebration" with just my parents and sisters, and, if I recall correctly, I too was "disappointed" and was looking more forward to the big shin-dig to come. Now days, at least around here, birthdays tend to last for about 3 weeks! People keep calling, presents keep arriving in the mail. Then the final culmination, the Birthday Party. We were actually going to have it at the Stewart Heights pool during the week, but he opted to wait and do it on a weekend because he wanted ALL his Uncles and Aunties to be able to make it :) He loves his ohana...
I realized this morning that I haven't posted a blog for a few days!!! Been so engulfed in the family, so here's a little recap. Tomorrow's post will be more heartfelt, I promise...
The weekend was a scorcher... Especially being outside all day yesterday! Kalani's tournament went well. They played 4 games between 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 in the afternoon. They lost 2, so were out of the running for the championships today. By the middle of the last game, I was done!!! Charlie and I cooked for the team, so it was nice to actually have a good meal as opposed to fast food. Kalani had her Poly Support System there (Thanks to Apua, Stormi, Junior, Iva, Shalana and Lima for coming out!!!) to cheer her on. And Maia, her personal cheerleader, was in full effect. She loves being there the support Kalani. Kiale got scoldings for heckeling the umpires a couple of times (he gets it from his daddy!). All in all, it was a great day.
Today, we decided to spend some time together, just us and the kids, before the girls take off on their camps and vacations. Took them to see Hancock. Very funny, worth the $60 that it took for all of us to watch a movie! It's like getting robbed everytime we go, I swear...
Spent the last few hours thinking about what we have to look forward to in the upcoming months. I realized that there's quite a bit of preparation that needs to take place for these events, both big and small:
Did I use the word "excited" enough in this posting or what???? Ha, ha!!!
On Wednesday, I decided to start a contest on Myspace. People had to send
in reasons why they deserved a family photo shoot! I chose 3 winners. 1st place won a 1 hour photo shoot with me. 2nd place won an 11x14 Custom Framed Print of their choosing that are currently for sale (seee my post below). 3rd place won a $25 gift card from Target, because I LOVE Target. Tonight was the end of my contest & my 1st place winner was JOEANN!I met Joeann when she brought her daughter to dance hula. What's funny is that our connection goes beyond that. I've known her hubby, Charlie, for years. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEARS! Years, like...since 5th grade!! Joeann has been a constant supporter of me & my business & has gotten in to blogging also!
