My oldest is 7!!!!

Ame had just a few requests for her birthday.

#1 was she wanted breakfast in bed-

donuts and hot chocolate

(great-easy for mom) Kaipo was soo excited to make a card

for his sister ALL BY HIMSELF

(he only needed a little help spelling)

Some presents b4 school
a personalized makeup box
she has given this as a gift to a few
friends, and wanted it for herself
(clay stepping stones that she gets to
design and adorn our yard with)
another request-
roller blades

Dinner of choice...

Daddy made her day, when

he brought her home one last gift

she loved the few changes/additions mom

made to her room, while she was at school

I wrote Ame a personal note that

she got to read at the end of HER special day,

telling her just how wonderful I think she is!!!

I think she enjoyed round one of her birthday-

round 2 is Friday night-she gets to have a friend

over for MOVIE night (since it isn't her friend

party year, this is a simple way she can

still celebrate with a friend). Then round 3

comes Sunday with cousins and family.

That one is a surprise-SHE requested it that way!!
Happy Birthday my one and only special girl :)

Double Shower

These pics aren't very great, but I had

to post a few from the shower for

Haruko and I. We ate AND ate.

Then played some games-

this one they had to guess how much

string to tie around BOTH of us.

The last game, 3 names were drawn

from a box of all of our names, and the

lucky players got to attempt to drink

Fruit Punch from a bottle.

Kuulei was the only good sport to even

attempt to drink it.

of course for the double shower, we had to have
BOY and GIRL cupcakes.

I was very grateful for the necessities I got,

like diapers, bath supplies, onsies, socks, bibs, etc.

It was a fun evening-

GIRL TIME and LOTS of laughs!

It Finally begin!!

Kaipo has been asking about soccer and when it is going

to start, ALL summer. Today was his first big day

to head out on the field.This is OUR first experience with soccer

so Kaipo is the going to set the example...hhmmm

As 4 & 5 year old beginning players they start

out with a 20 min practice (they don't have a

seperate practice time). Here they are doing some drills.

Then the game begins-they play

4/5minute quarters.

Kaipo had some shining moments like this....

and a lot of time like this...

whatever big sis said to motivate him,

it worked!

some team pep talk time-Go Silver Lions!!

this is one way to keep the others from getting the ball

some more hustle-way to go Kaipo

Don't want to get too warn out, better take another break!

Try to IGNORE the motherly yelling,

as you watch these clips of Kaipo in action.


so funny to watch these kids tripping over each other,

and then Kaipo taking the ball WAY out of bounds.

Kaipo did his ONE job of throwing the ball in, and

then who knows what he was doing while the coach

was talking to his other teammates.

*************

Oh I love this kid

and look forward to an exciting

season of soccer, and what great

laughs he will give us!

Friday Night Sugar High

Friday Night Ame's polynesian dance group

performed at a City event, that had

activities and booth of all sorts. So after

she danced the kids got to choose their

SUGAR HIGH of choice-it's pretty obvious

what everyone chose.
There was also this clown making balloon
figures-Ame got a flower and Kaipo got a motorcycle.
Poor Ash didn't get one because the line was too long
and mom didn't feel like waiting.

Kaipo was quite fascinated by his NOSE and
kept asking if it was REAL.
funny kid!
And that was the excitement at the park.
Then it was off to get pizza and head home
for Movie Night.

which of these does NOT belong??

I got a phone call from Quinn's brother kaleo's wife

yesterday and they want to throw a

joint shower for me and Quinn's sister, Haruko

(who is due just a few weeks after me).

I can totally see why Haruko needs one, her

youngest is almost 8. And I know they

are just being nice to throw me in on the

idea. I just feel bad, cuz she asked me if

I was registered anywhere, and I thought

to myself ARE YOU SERIOUS? But I

didn't say it outloud. I mean what do

I really need other than like a few simple things.

I actually don't know what I need-I still

have to pull out all the BOY bins and see what

we need to add to our collection.

In addition to the gift basket I am

making her, I made some headbands & flower clips.

I am in no way an expert on these, but

its fun to TRY and be creative,

although I am not very.

Oh and what doesn't belong....

the cute booties, for MY little BOY.

I just couldn't resist when I was

shopping for Haruko's baby GIRL stuff

(can I just say it is soo much easier

and fun to shop for a girl), to get a little

something for MY baby!

work in progress

We have a few work in progress projects going on

around our house right now.

We are trying to get the yard ready to plant sod

soon. We have had lots of BIG rocks brought in,

as well as a bunch of topsoil. We have planted a few trees and bushes.

We have gotten most of the weeds killed around our yard,

which can I just say are awful!!! They are the stickery kind that get

tracked around everywhere!. I can't wait to be rid of them!!!!!!!!!!!

We still have to get some of them cleared out and the ground level

and completely sod ready. But it is nice to have a little green around the

yard and to start to see things take shape.

They have also started building the house next door

to us. I don't know if you can tell from the picture

but it is soo close to our property line. We don't

know what is up with that, but it will be nice not

to have the empty WEED lot next door.

My only complaint is they start hammering away

way too early in the morning, which wakes the whole

house b4 I am ready to roll out of bed!!!

Here is the other project that is taking way

too long to get the final touches on. We are finishing

the bonus room above the garage. The guy doing

it is doing a good job, but is just soo unreliable

and is slow gassing on the last few things needing to be done.

WE are going to paint and carpet it,

once he finishes his work.

It will be really nice to have both of these projects finished, so I can focus on other things like the baby coming and my kids!

I AM very grateful that we have the means to do these things and that Quinn has done soo much to make it all fall into place, in the LITTLE free time he has!

Class Pet

Before Ame started school and I went to

the PARENTS ONLY back to school night,

I found out that they had a class pet

and was excited to come home and tell

Ame about it. But the teacher made it

sound as though it was a real frog.

Last week when the kids started taking

turns bringing farley home for the night,

Ame found out this is who he was...

But it is still fun for the kids (I think)

to bring him home and they have a journal

to keep track of what they do with him.

Well Ame got Farley yesterday, which

is the day she has dance class. We decided

it would be a good idea for him to go with

her to class, although SHE was extremely

embarrrased to take him and wanted me to walk

in with her (I'm not sure what that did for her

and the situation). But she survived and

wasn't completely humiliated.

Remember SHE really wanted to take him!

She was just as embarrased when I took the camera

upstairs last night at bedtime to take some pictures.

You're not going to put pictures

on your blog are you?? is what she says.

She is definitely growing into the phase of

self-consciousness and now cares what

others may think.

She did do a good job of taking care of

farley the frog, and will get a few more

oppportunities to do so throughout

the school year. Hopefully next

time won't be quite as embarrassing for HER!!

opinions please!

I am trying to get some baby things ready.

I have bought some new crib bedding.

I haven't done this with each of the kids,

but decided to with this one. He will need something

new, since he will be getting plenty of hand-me-downs, right?!

Also, I think I have decided to buy a car seat cover for my

infant car seat, instead of replacing the whole thing.

If I were more ambitious (like many of you)

I would make one, but I AM NOT, so

I have found a few websites that sell them, but am

having a hard time deciding which one to get.

So any opinions would be appreciated!

******1******

http://www.kiskissa.com

my only hesitation on this hawaiian print one, is the quality doesn't seem quite as good, very thin material, which I guess would be OK for the hotter months later on. Oh and of course, NOT pink, either black with white flowers or brown with blue flowers.

******2******
www.bellababycompany.com

this one looks fun and SOFT, comfortable material.

******3******
http://www.babyblossom.biz/

******4******

******5******

this last website has the best price,

and so many cute GIRL ones, although not as many,

still a fairly good selection of boy covers too.

So let me know what # you would pick!

Kalua anyone?

I had several requests for the CHEATERS recipe of Kalua Pork.

This recipe is similar to what I do, but even a bit more complex.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (6 pound) pork butt roast

(you can use various cuts AND sizes of pork,

but this part of the pig is best)
1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt

( I have even used regular table salt,

not as flavorful, but works OK when it

may be all you have on hand)
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

(I haven't had this addition everytime,

but it definitely adds more flavor)

DIRECTIONS:
Pierce pork all over with a carving fork.

Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat.

Place roast in a slow cooker, and cook all day.

*cook time depends on size used*

(if you use size recommended above it said to

cook it 20+ hours-but for a family size meal 6lbs is

definitely too much).
Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred,

adding drippings as needed to moisten.

****************

As you can see it IS soo simple and hopefully

you find it to be oh soo good too!!

Kaipo's BIG day

I almost forgot the whole idea of Kaipo choosing

HIS start of school dinner,

but luckily I had on hand what would make this kid happy.

He chose Kalau Pork and Rice (I have an

easy crock pot-cheaters way of making it)

and I even ventured to try and make my moms

homemade rolls (which I hadn't ever made).

All turned out well for dinner, and then for

dessert he wanted cupcakes. So after FHE the

kids got to decorate their own.

Ash wasn't a bit interested in decorating,
so mom frosted his and he just dug in,
while the other 2 had some fun!

I love this picture, because it captures the
PEER influence that is ongoing among siblings.
They are constantly watching each other-
through the good, the bad, and the in-between!

And here's Kaipo all ready for his
first BIG day, at preschool.
You wouldn't think that was mischief
written all over his face, would you?!
(oh this boy-I can't begin to express how
much I stress over him. From school, to primary,
to play time with friends, visits to the park, swimming
or fun center. No matter where we go
I stress about how he will behave and
interact with other kids. The grey hairs are
already appearing!!!)
But at the same time he is so loveable
and melts my heart, everytime he tells
I LOVE YOU MOM or YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL.
He is a definite charmer!!

And here he is with his new teacher
Ms. JanaLee

I hope he has a great year???!!!

oh Happy Day

Today is my one and only sister Karli's Birthday.

Last night we got to spend some time together,

just the 2 of us! It was soo great!!

We got pedicures and then had dinner.

Both of which were fantastic but most

of all I just enjoyed the time we had to

TALK, uninterrputed, about anything

and everything. SOmething us busy mom's

don't get to do very often.

Unfortunately, neither of us had a camera

in working condition,

so these are borrowed pics.

There are so many things I admire about my sister,

Here are just a few:

*she appreciates the small and simple things of life

*she is so positive, and looks for the good-even when

it may be hard to find

*she has such a way with words, is such a deep and

emotional person-just read HER blog and you

can see what I mean

*she has such an eye for beauty & is fantastic behind the camera

*SHE is beautiful-as a woman, a mother, a wife and a friend

*she has taken to motherhood so naturally and is so patient with

her girls. They are so lucky to call her mommy!

So DIG in Kar and enjoy YOUR day!

Happy Birthday Karli!
I love you and am so lucky and proud to have
YOU as my one and only sis!!

the BIG day finally arrived!!

Ame has been anticipating this day for

soo long! We had a great Sunday getting everything

all ready, and Mom even had good intentions of

early bedtime. I think she may have finally

fallen asleep by 10:30 (not all her fault, she

has been suffering from allergies pretty bad

the last couple of weeks and of course they

are the worst at night).

**********
But here is the big 1st grader all ready

for her first day of class

in front of her schoolhanging up her bag-with her lunch

inside, which is a super big deal!
sitting at her desk, all eager to learn!
I thought I would be A LOT more emotional
this morning than I was. I think more than
anything I am just so excited for Ame and
the adventure that awaits her!
Although I did have a hard time leaving her
class. I did leave the actual room but kept watching
through the window. I already can't wait (like the
boys who keep asking when is Ame going to be home)
to meet her after school, to hear all about her day :)
Can you tell this is my first child in school???

1st Day of School...EVE

I let Ame decide the menu for dinner on Sunday,

so we could all celebrate with her, the

excitement of starting school.

(thanks Jme for the great idea)

On her menu of choice was:

Roast, mashed potatoes and gravy,

corn on the cob, french bread,

all topped off with homemade

ice cream for dessert!

*Kaipo gets to choose next weeks

meal, since he starts preschool

next Monday*

more dance, this time Jazz

Since Ame is joining the competition dance team

this year, it was decided she should take summer

dance class as well. The summer recital isn't as

big of a deal, all the girls get the same costume,

its in a gym instead of on stage, but still lots

of fun for our little performer.

Unfortunately the video on our camera

did not cooperate, so sorry

Grandma and Grandpa...NO video

You did awesome Ame.
Way to go!!