our very own...

We have our very own STAR in the family!

Ame's school put on the musical

WILLY WONKA.

The week prior to the performance

they had a drawing contest

and Ame's picture of the Bucket's Shack

WON, which meant it was the picture

displayed on the overhead during the show.

Ame was also part of the musical,

as one of the Oompa Loompa's...
They had A LOT of before & after school practices,

but all their hard work payed off

and they did an outstanding job!

her brother was soo proud of her.

He really wished HE could have been part

of the the show as well

(next year buddy)!

I was very impressed at how well this

production was put together, and the

incredible amount of time and PATIENCE

the coordinators had to make it such a success.

Way to go Ame. You continue to be a STAR

in our family and we are soo proud of YOU!!

new addition...

We have a new addition to our family.

More to come...

Bumbo

After all the RAVE about these Bumbo seats,

I broke down and bought one.

I actually found it on KSL for a great deal,

so I thought it would be worth a try.

He seems to like it...

we shall see if it is REALLY as good as everyone says,

as we try it more and more!

He's 5

Saturday was Kaipo's birthday and he is FINALLY 5.

He has been anticipating this BIG day for a long time!

Thanks to my family for buying him this

awesome BIG KID bike.

He has been riding it around the house (with

the training wheels on) NON-STOP, because his dad told him

he had to learn to ride it really good and fast,

then he can take the training wheels off.

He is determined to be a BIG BOY!!

He has a Kindergarten checkup tomorrow

and I am curious to see how he ranks

on the growth charts. I already know he is one tall kid!

We also have Kindergarten Registration this week.

A funny thought about that-

one day on our way to preschool, he said

pretty soon I won't be going to preschool, and I

agreed and said you're right, in my mind thinking

he meant when summer comes & this school year is over.

But Kaipo thought that when he turned 5

automatically he stopped preschool and

started going to Kindergarten. He definitely could

pass for a Kindergartener or even first grader!

Besides his bike he got lots of other fun stuff.

Here are some of the things 5yr old Kaipo is into:

*Legos and Trio's-he LOVES to

build and create things

* Anything superhero
*He has taken a recent interest in sports,

particularly basketball-hurray!

He can put that height to good use :)

*He is quite the artist and has an

amazing imagination

*He loves to play games on the computer

*He feels soo grown up now that he is

learning to read

We had a family party for him at Boondocks.
They rode cars, played lazertag, bowling,
arcade games, climbed around and just had a blast!!
He chose to have a
TRANSFORMERS cake
this year
I wish I could say I was ambitious enough
to make this one, but no I was not!
Thanks goodness for a
cupcake cake. It eliminates the mess
of cutting & serving.
Everyone came away with black teeth and
messy faces, but I think they enjoyed the treat.

I got LOTS of pictures of Ash, because

dad was off with the BIG kids, while mom

was with the little boys. But I really did

not do a good job of picture taking
(I only hope that Karli or LeAnne got

more pics than I did. I am sure they

did of their OWN kids, cuz they

are much better than I at that)

Ash was in HEAVEN with the mini-bowling,

and got several games in, with whoever would play!

I sure hope Kaipo had a great birthday!

We are so proud of him and think he is one amazing boy.

He is so full of energy, curiosity, imagination, and love!

Despite all the frustration & stress he may cause us,

its like the saying Quinn found, by Mark Twain,

that we put on the wall in his room...

My mother has a great deal of trouble with me,

but I think she enjoys it.

We Love you Kaipo,

and wouldn't want YOU any other way!!

to give up or not...

Its been over 6 weeks now of Potty training with Ash. I don't remember for sure exactly how long it took with Ame and Kaipo, but I know by this point THEY were making more effort. I don't know if he just doesn't get it OR doesn't want to. He has only done it on his own a few times, the rest of the time it has been me sitting him on the toilet, where he will go, he just doesn't TELL ME. And to top it off, he whines and cries everytime I say its time to go potty. I ask him several times b4 I take him if he has to go potty, but he always says no. But sure enough when he sits down 90% of the time he will go. I have tried various insentives, if he will just tell me and then go. But he just doesn't seem interested or care much. I normally have him in a pull-up, which is where he deposits most of his poop. I have left him naked a few times, and once was successful and made him go (because he didn't have the security of the pull-up), but the other time he peed all over the stool and floor. So I am just not brave enough to go without.
So my question is DO I GIVE UP OR NOT?
I really don't want to because this is already attempt #2, but my patience is pretty much NON existent at this point.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Sincerely, one frustrated mom (as I am really the only parent handling this challenge)

cheap & easy entertainment

Ame heard us talk about this game we played back

on New Years Eve, so she wanted to try it.

The PAPERBAG game, of course is easy for someone

who is super flexible and can already do the splits. Kaipo tried REALLY hard to follow the rules,

but his flexiblity and coordination isn't quite

that of his sister Ame's.

Ash wanted to join in the fun
they took turns cutting the layers off the bag

and each time Ame picked it up, without bending her

knees or touching the ground, no problem!

Kaipo kind of lost his balance

and didn't really follow the rules of the game

but that's OK, Ame was patient with him

& they still had fun.

Now isn't this some cheap & easy

entertainment?!

MORE Dates

(if you read any of my family members blogs

this will all seem familiar)

Last week Kaipo got KIDNAPPED

by grandma and grandpa to go on a Birthday Date!

He chose to go to the Treehouse Museum

and of course had a blast.

Everytime he tries soo hard to pull this sword out.

He told me when he gets older he will

FOR SURE be able to pull it out.

Good Luck on that one buddy!!

this new addition to the museum, gave quite of few laughs,

from what I was told.

They got to enjoy lunch at McDonalds (Kaipo's choice once again)

and of course including ice cream.

(if you read my moms blog she shared some funny things

Kaipo said and did while on their date)
**********************************

As if this girl didn't get spoiled enough on her own

date a few weeks ago with gma and gpa.

She invited them to come help with her Valentines Party

at school. She was so worried the night b4 that they

wouldn't be able to find her classroom, so she drew them a map

and had me give it to them b4 they went over.

what a funny girl!!

Quinn and I joined others in my family for

a fantastic dinner at

TEPANYAKI JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE.

Great food, entertainment and company!How could we all not feel soo loved

after this exciting week!!

his BIG day

We finally had Nalu's blessing on Sunday.

I felt like he was so big by this point.

We had originally planned to do it in January,

but then the first Sunday of the the NEW year

seemed to pose too many conflicts.

We were soo grateful to the family and friends

who sacrificed to come bright and early

and join us for Nalu's special day!

Quinn gave such a BEAUTIFUL blessing

and said some very special things.

We know this boy is going to be great

and do amazing things

throughout his life (just like his siblings).

The PROUD parents of this precious boy!

I can't say it enough what a sweet, happy, easy-going

little guy Nalu is. He just melts our hearts

and we LOVE HIM to pieces!!

I did take some pictures of the

get together afterwards at our house,

but I accidentally erased them off of my camera.

Thanks to one of the GREAT family

photographers (Karli) for having her camera on hand

and for taking some fantastic pictures!

best buds

I think these 2 are going to be

best buddies when they get a little older.

SOme of the cute things Ash says and does:

Everytime I bring Nalu downstairs or into

the same room as Ash he says...

"Ahhh, Nalu's cute"

(as he is saying in this picture)

He LOVES to give him kisses
He tickle his cheek and says "goochie goo"

Can't you just SEE the bond between these two?!

Makes me get teary eyed just looking at them!

*Brotherly Love*
there's nothing quite like it

Date Night

Friday Night Ame got to have a DATE NIGHT

with Grandma and Grandpa.

They went to see the Toothfairy movie

and then SHE chose to eat at IHOP.

And she even got to have a sleepover.

WHAT A LUCKY GIRL!

Ame soo loves her special one-on-one times

together with gma and gpa, probably because they

SPOIL her to death!!

Ame was soo excited when she came home the

next day, to tell me that SHE learned how to

make cake all by herself.

My mom sent these "oh so easy" recipe's

home with her and so Ame was the

treat maker for FHE, and she did NOT

let me help at all, only her brothers!

I thought I'd share the recipe's:

*MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE*

Mix together in a small (cereal size) bowl

1/2c. chocolate cake mix

1/3c. water

Top batter with 5 teaspoons hot fudge topping

Microwave approx. 95 seconds

(increase time if topping is cold)

Serve w/ice cream or whip topping

*OREO COOKIE CAKE*

Mix in a cereal size bowl

1/2c. white cake mix

1/3c. water

1-2 crushed oreos

sprinkle with another cookie and top with

ice cream or coolwhip.

*we did our own variation, because we didn't have a
white cake mix and Ame wanted oreos, so we just used a

chocolate cake mix instead. Very chocolately, but still delicious!

These are great recipes that actually taste quite good

and the kids can make them, so its extra fun!!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa

for making such wonderful memories with Ame!

She couldn't stop talking about

all the fun she had with YOU!!!

recommendation

Because she did such a good job,

I think she deserves a strong recommendation.

Here is the website for the lady that did our pictures.

She lives just behind us (her daughter is one of

Ame's best friends), and some of our pics were taken

right in her backyard, then the others at

a nature park just down the street from our house.

faiolafamilyphotos.blogspot.com

check out the website, her prices really are unbeatable!

3 months

3 months old today!

How is that possible...but at times it feels

like he has always been apart of our family.

He continues to be such an EASY baby-

content to be in the swing, or his bouncer seat

and just observe and take in his surrounding.

He is a great sleeper in the crib,

usually only waking one time in the night.

He is such a happy boy, smiles all the time and is just

Such a Joy!!!

We love you our sleeping prince!

family picture WITH our new addition

Quinn wondered several times WHY we were TORTURING

our kids, especially Nalu, with outdoor pictures

in the winter. And it definitely was COLD, even though it was

in the 40's. My reasoning was justified I think-

I wanted family pics with Nalu B4 he

was no longer a newborn,

because he is all too quickly growing up!

(I think we will do more when it is warmer,

as well, and a bit more enjoyable)

Despite the cold, I am happy with the outcome.

The only challenge is now for Quinn and I to

AGREE which one to order, to join our family picture collection.

I think we will end up ordering one large

and a few others in a smaller size.

Which is YOUR favorite?

*I guess you'll have to come to our house

to see which one we order*