4th of July WEEKEND

It seemed like an extra long celebration weekend this year.

With the 4th actually falling on Sunday,

some city celebrations were on Saturday,

and ours in Layton actually were on Monday.

So we went and did lots of things, in many places.

We started Saturday with what has become

a tradition (going on 2 years now)

and visited Riverdale for their parade.

It starts with a kid bike parade and our

children would not let us go without their bikes,

so they could also join in the fun! And then we planted curbside to

watch the parade, and collect lots of that wonderful

taffy candy that all the floats seem to throw

(come on, can't they throw anything else???)

Ame of course LOVED watching

the cheerleaders. I think I can see what

is in our future with her?!

Ash, just hangin' out being his CUTE self

waiting for some more awesome floats

and entertainment to come by...

oh yes, a few floats did pass out a different

treat (thank goodness)

After the parade we went and visited with

our old neighbors, whom we haven't seen for quite

some time. It was fun to chat, catch up & see how much
all the kids have grown. I wish we could have visited with

ALL our Riverdale friends, but with a baby and tired, hot,

hungry kids, visiting time was limited.

That evening we just hung out as a family,

went out to eat & did some fireworks at home.
Sunday evening we had a BBQ with Quinn's family

(no pics unfortunately). We always have fun

hangin' out with all the Hanamaikai Family!

Kaipo got to stay and have his FIRST official

sleepover, all by himself! He thought that was pretty

cool and all grown up! The kids just don't get the

opportunity very often, because then there is the

dilemma of who's going to return the kids home

(cuz none of us parents want to drive an hour).

But Quinn was gracious enough to volunteer to go

pick Kaipo up & bring him home, that is of course

after he got in a round of golf with his brother.

(Such Sacrifice)

Monday morning I ran in a 5K with

some friends from my neighborhood.

It felt great to finish & in good time (28 minutes).

Last night we met up at my parents, and Karli's

family too (Jason is in Bear Lake with LeAnne's family)

for another great BBQ. Just can't get

enough of the grillin' in the summer!

I guess this get together was more of an early bday

party for me, since my parents

are going to be in california later this week.

It was a BEAUTIFUL night, and we all

enjoyed relaxing and being outdoors.

Of course mom grilled up some great food

and made some of her awesome

homemade ice cream.

Nalu was entertained by this simple

plastic cup, for quite a while.

Ame LOVES visiting with grandma and grandpa.

She can pretty much talk them into anything,

and this time (among other things) she even talked grandpa
into playing some soccer with her and Ash.

Ash and Kaiya played together with some

loud and annoying toys (we were laughing cuz they

are the donated toys to grandma that we all don't

want, for those very reasons).

Kaipo just explored, often disappeared to

who knows where and ran around the yard.

It was a great end to the nice LONG

Holiday weekend!

Thanks mom and pops for the

invite and the scruptious dinner.

And most of all thank you so very much for

the SURPRISE BIRTHDAY SERVICE.

That really was so kind of you!!

grandma time

Friday we met my mom at North Shore

Swimming Pool in North Ogden, to take the kids swimming.

This place is just right for my kids and their vaired ages.

This was Nalu's first official swim and

he LOVED every minute of it!!

My kids never tire of the idea of a picnic.
No matter how grand or small it may be,
they just get excited about it!

Kaipo showing the BIG muscles he

is getting from all the grapes he eats.
I think there is a connection

between muscles & grapes isn't there?

we've also conquered some fears this

summer as well. In the past Ame has been quite

hesitant of the deep water, but since she

took swim lessons this year,

she is soo much more confident!

And Kaipo is finally tall enough this year to

go on the BIG KID slide, all by himself!

We LOVE our time with Grandma,

especially when she spoils us with

swimming and ice cream treats!
SUMMER TIME IS THE BEST!!!

Cousin Time

Cousin Ella came to sleep over for a few days.

And the kids had lots of fun together!

LOTs of playing-Ame doesn't have a

built in GIRL play mate so she

always loves to have someone to

play with. We also had park time, picnic, movies,

treats, and just pure summer FUN!!

One day we went to play mini-golf

and go bowling
Kaipo was often more interested in
the props than actually golfing

Ash was in HEAVEN, as these

are 2 of his favorite things to do

this momma LOVES her boys

Kaipo was an outstanding bowler

(yes he does still use the roller aid

thingy, cuz those skinny arms can't

quite throw the ball yet)

Yes she is pouting because her

brother is winning and THAT

is not fair!

Despite the unfairness, we all had

a fun time together.

This was one of those REALLY hot

days, so it was refreshing to be

indoors!

TRY it

If you haven't had a chance to try this FUN workout, you really should!

A girl in my ward started an early morning class (6:45) and on some days

it is hard to roll out of bed (especially with a baby who STILL wakes up in the night),

but I am always so glad that I did.

It's an awesome workout, that is just fun.

A welcomed change from my boring routine.

Yes, I feel uncoordinated at times, but so does everyone else.

We just laugh about it and keep going!!

ZUMBA, ZUMBA ZUMBA!

THE Rock

We met our friends at the park today for a picnic.

After we ate the kids couldn't seem to find

anything to do in the entire park, BUT

play on this one rock.

(Ame, Emma, cousin Ella-who has been sleeping

over for a few days, Olivia, and Isaac)

Kaipo says Livy is his girlfriend
girls havin' fun together being silly

And I just threw in this random picture of Ash

swimming because I could never get him

or his buddy Gabe in any of the pictures above.

Fathers

(I wanted to post this yesterday, but our internet has been funny lately)

I am surrounded my some pretty amazing fathers!

Of course my own Father is one unforgettable person.

I think this picture depicts a few of his best qualities-

a leader and a teacher. A man of incredible wisdom!

I love you dad and am so thankful I was blessed to have

YOU as my father! You have always made ME feel

special. I am one lucky girl!!

I was sad to not get to celebrate the day with you

(my mom was not feeling well, so we decided it

was best to stay away, both for her sake and ours)

Then there is Quinn, the father of MY children.

He loves to spoil these kids and it is obvious they

LOVE their daddy. He works SOO hard to

provide for and take care of all of us.

Last week when I got to go away on my

getaway, I wasn't sure what I would come home

to??? I was pleasantly (and humbly) surprised that he

had worked his tale off, getting all sorts of

stuff done in our yard that needed to be done,

he did laundry, dishes, kept the house in order

and most importantly took good care of the kiddies.

These 4 kids are soo lucky to have this amazing dad

and I am extremely blessed to share this life

(and eternity) with him and our beautiful children!

I don't have a picture of him, but we spent

Saturday evening with Kimo (QUinn's dad)

and the family. Its been awhile since we have gotten

together with them, so we really

enjoyed our time together.

Kimo is such a thoughtful, compassionate,

and caring person. I feel so blessed to
be apart of the amazing Hanamaikai Family!

(here's Nalu with his cute little cousin,

Amaya, just a month younger than him)

and the rest of the cousins

having fun jumping

and making smores

For various reasons, it probably wasn't the most
idealistic way to celebrate (and for QUinn
maybe not the most exciting time), but that
doesn't mean the LOVE and APPRECIATION
is any less. I must add I am also grateful for the
incredible brothers/brother-in-laws who
greatly influence my life and those of my family.
Thank you to all the AMAZING
Fathers in my life!

A QUick, WONDERFUL trip

Tuesday Nalu and I got to join my mom on a

getaway to Idaho, to visit my grandma.

Quinn was surprising open to the idea of me going,

even though it was a busy week of swim lessons,

arts in the park, birthday party and he also had class one night.

Plus we have been trying to get several things

done in our yard. I made a few arrangements for the kids

to be taken care of the night he had class,

and then I was off. It was a perfect 3 day trip!

It was such a pleasant drive. Nalu was an ANGEL

and my mom & I just gabbed for 4 straight hours (each way).

I cherish that quality UNINTERRUPTED

time with my mom!, cuz we don't get it very often!

My grandma was the PERFECT host-

fantastic meals, lots of fun & enlightening conversation

and entertaining scenic drives. This is one amazing woman.

I have always known this, but spending

a few days with her I realized even more

why she is. For a woman her age I am so

impressed with all she still does.

She works in the temple weekly,

cooks/bakes-oh her rolls and cookies are the best,

keeps up her yard, reads a ton and just continues to

educate herself in soo many ways.

She has such a love for the Lord and the gospel.

She is a true disciple and an exemplar woman.

I see why my own mother is so amazing!

I hope to one day become even close to the kind of woman

that these two incredible ladies are

(not Nalu, my mom and grandma)!!

When I was getting ready to go Ame asked

me if I was going to bring her back a souvenier?

Obviously Idaho SOUNDS like a exotic place :)

I explained to her it was just like Utah, but did

bring these back...
the kids didn't think they were so grand

(and I can see why-I didn't really remember

what they were until they opened them)

One of the sights we saw on a drive one day-

my moms school house from grades 1-8.

It is actually someone's home now.

I thought I took a few (better) pics, but this

is the only one I found on my phone.

rainy day plans

What do you do on a RAINY & COLD

Saturday, the first week of Summer Vacation???? tHaNk GoOdNeSs for Classic Fun Center!
It was especially needed to get the kids out of the house,
after we had all been stuck indoors with flu for several days.

Nothing like bouncing, climbing and running off

lots of energy!

Its the SIMPLE pleasures that make life

more enjoyable for MOM and the kids!!

SUmmer begins...

This week was the first official week of summer,

and we started if off with swim lessons.

It began as I expected-Ame was a great listener

and student (always willing/wanting to please),

Kaipo just wanted to swim,
not listen so much.
After the first class his teacher
said I can teach him, but he will
learn A LOT more if will actually listen
DUH!!
So we had a talk and made some
deals with Kaipo and he has been
doing much better
AND sooo proud that he swam in the
deep end.

Ash was very timid at first
and it took the first half of class
to get him settled and willing
to stay in class (as I expected)
but now he is doing GREAT!

The reward for everyone
after the 2nd day of lessons
and making improvements
was to go meet up with some friends
for a picnic & FUN IN THE SUN.
The park by our old house in
Riverdale just put in a splash pad
so we had to go check it out.
Unfortunately not long after we arrived
it stopped working. A HUGE disappointment
for us and the TONS of other people there,
trying to beat the heat.
But we had fun playing at the park anyway
and of course seeing old friends!

You can tell we haven't had too much

warm, sunny weather here.

Even these kids need a tan!

The stormy, cold weekend we have

ahead isn't going to help with that.

Maybe we will actually get to enjoy

SUMMER before the kids go back to school?!

7 months and counting...

Nalu continues to be the JOY of our family.

What would we ever do without him???

He loves to watch his CRAZY siblings and

interact with them. The boys are always fighting

over who gets to look at him, or hold him.

Needless to say he has NO lack of attention!

Despite getting an eye infection a few weeks ago,

then having the flu this past week,

he continues to be a happy boy!

What are you guys doing to me?

Probably what goes through this little guys

mind several times a day.

Whatever he may think, he is still soo easy going,

loveable, kissable and oh soo sweet.

We LOVE you soo much Nalu boy!!

New Discovery

I visited a specialty store today and

here are a few things I added to my pantry today.

Nothing really out of the ordinary,

EXCEPT that it is Gluten Free.

Yes, this is a NEW discovery we have recently

had. QUinn went in for a physical and

some blood work several weeks ago and we

just received a call from the Dr. last week

informing us that QUinn has Celiac Disease,

which is an allergy to GLuten.

My first reaction hasn't been real

positive and I am still VERY overwhelmed

by it all. I mean really???

Gluten is in EVERYTHING!!!

I did come across a GLuten Free Store

but I am going to have to get a part time

job just to afford buying anything there.I KNOW things could be soo much worse,

and in the grand scope of things we are very

lucky this is all that was discovered.

I am trying to be positive about it and

do lots of research, and find ways to make this

fit more comfortably into our family

lifestyle. I just feel the weight of all of this

is on ME and that Quinn is only going to

kind of make changes if I provide a means

to do it. So if any of you have insight, encouragement,

information or contacts that can help me DEAL,

I would greatly appreciate it!

preschool graduation

Kaipo has finally hit that BIG milestone

of no longer being a preschooler,

and he is very ready for Kindergarten now! We are all soo proud of this BIG, SMART boy!



SOme of the things about Kaipo at pre-K:
*he can spell & write his FULL name
(no easy task for a Hanamaikai kid)
Kaipolani Keli'i Hanamaikai
*he can say & write his address and phone number
*he can whistle
*he can wink
*he can blow a bubble w/gum
*he can read and write simple words,
phrases, and small books
*he has such an imagination, is
very creative and loves to draw
*his appetite is incredible & he is
ALWAYS hungry (I have no idea where it
goes in that skinny body)
*he LOVES to play super mario on the Wii
*he is becoming more athletic
*he still loves to dress-up, action heros & really
likes to build things with Trios and Blocks
*he can FINALLY ride the new bike he got
for his birthday WITHOUT training wheels
(and yes the video is sideways cuz mom ALWAYS
forgets & turns the camera like taking a picture
and then remembers after the fact I can't rotate video)