THE NALUAI FAMILY

New Beginnings...

2012-01-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!!! :)

It's been such a loooooooooong time since I've updated my blog.....guilty :( But I'm starting the new year off right! One of my resolutions this year is to definitely keep up with my blogging! I would love to print it out into a book one day.

So I figure I should just pick up where i left off. It's pretty much OLD news by now, but my 3rd baby is here!!! :) A mother of 3 children. Yup - that's me! Took a while for it to sink in! Life has been busy & hectic, stressful, and at times I downright feel defeated! Everyday is an adventure - some good, some not so good, but I get thru it all because I know I'm never alone :)

Here he is. . . .

Loea Kamaehuikeolapono Naluai
April 20, 2011
born @ Queens Hospital
3:59 pm
5 pounds exactly

Our last picture of our little family of 4...and a 1/2 ;)

Loves from my babies...

It was April 20th, at 4:00 am. I woke up because i thought I had to pee. I opened my eyes and felt like a little something was leaking . I thought to myself...."are you peeing in your pants?!" I sat up in bed slowly, and felt a bit more leaking. Then I thought, "Oh no. That's not pee!" I stood up and walked quickly to the bathroom, leaving a trail of liquid behind me! YUP - My water broke! I was standing in the shower and called for kahana! He answered with a worried voice, "ya?!" I then told him my water broke in a panic! I was worried because i was not near my due date yet. It was still 6 weeks away! We had absolutely nothing ready yet. The crib wasnt set up, none of his baby clothes were washed yet, and my hospital bag wasn't even packed! Talk about being unprepared. My in-laws came over to stay with belinha & kia'i, i took a shower, shaved my legs (yes- i did!), packed our bags, and were out the door at around 5 am.

We arrived at the hospital, checked in and just waited around for a while. I was dilating v e r y slowly. Things were moving along a lot slower than I thought they would. Anyways, as the time got closer, more family started to arrive. In the room with me, I had Kahana, mom, dad, keli, chalei, aunty lynn, and kahana's mom, and sister noe. Plus my OB, and all the nurses too. I don't know what it is with me and my sisters - we always full rooms! We love sharing the experience i guess! I was so blessed to have had the most WONDERFUL nurse ever in whole wide world. Her name was Brenna Kahana. Talk about meant to be. I've never met anyone else with that name, ever. First or last. She made all the difference in the world! She was so sweet, super cool local girl. She took the time to explain things to me that no other nurse ever did during my previous deliveries! She also had the opportunity to go on break as I was in the middle of everything, but she turned it down and said she wanted to stay with me until baby came - whenever that was. She was so sweet :) It's people like that you'll never forget.

It was 3:59 pm and he finally came! I reached down, and got to pull him out myself, and put him straight onto my chest. Never had I done that with any other one of my children. I've always wanted to, but just never did. If I had to choose 1 child to do that with, I'm so glad it was with Loea. I only got to hold him for a second then they whisked him away to clean him, weigh him, and had to take him straight to the NICU. He needed oxygen right away. Since he arrived 6 weeks early, he had some trouble breathing on his own. After all, an infant's lungs are the last thing to develop when in their mother's belly. It was so hard for me to not be with him that first night he was born :( I couldn't hold him, cuddle with him, or feed him till the next afternoon. Even more so I was happy we had that short moment together when i pulled him out and held him close. I truly feel that that helped him....and me. When your baby is born, you have such an idea of how things will be. Well, things didn't go at all how i envisioned. I was up half the night worrying about him, or going to the nursery just so i could look at him, or even hold his hand thru the incubator window.

Every time I look at these photos, I can't help but tear up. Thinking of all the emotional heartache we went thru, the worry, the never ending flow of constant prayers. This was definitely one of the most trying times of our lives. It's a mother's worst nightmare to have to see her baby connected to all sorts of machines, with tubes going everywhere...just wondering how your baby is gonna do that day.
The next day when I got to hold him, I was so happy :) Finally we got to hold him, be with him closely, and i got to feed him. It was with a little bottle with some milk I had pumped. He literally only had a few drops, but that's all he needed. We talked to him, sang to him, then had to put him back in his incubator so he could stay warm.

He spent his 1st Easter in the hospital, I had to make it a little special :)

He had a few complications he needed to resolve before they let us take him home. First was his breathing. He was put on oxygen the first few days to help him with his breathing. Also, he was on an IV for his nutrition since i couldn't feed him right away. Once he started breathing well on his own they took him off the oxygen, but he had a hard time holding on to his temperature. It kept going down, so he had to stay in the incubator for a couple more days so he could stay warm. They slowly let him out to help him maintain his own body heat. The IV got to come out because now he was eating well, and i got to breastfeed him after the first few days, and he did great. Had a bit of trouble latching on in the beginning - but he got it :) He went down to 4 pounds after he was born. Talk about a t i n y baby. Then what got him?....Jaundice. He had a high level of jaundice, so he needed to stay under those blue lights for a couple more days to bring it down.
By this time, I was a wreck!!! I was SO FRUSTRATED. I just wanted to bring my baby home. I wanted him to meet his big brother & sister. They were sad they couldn't meet him yet. They could only look at him thru the nursery windows. No children were allowed into the NICU, of course. Every day we were traveling back and forth to the hospital, and home again. It was definitely a trial of our faith. We never stopped praying! Kahana was able to give him his 1st father's blessing in the hospital. I am so thankful for the power of the priesthood, and the miracles we witness because of them.

This picture is precious to us. When Kahana was born, he was also premature. Even smaller than Loea. His mom & dad say that he could fit in the palm of their hand. They said that he was SO small, the only clothes that would fit him were doll clothes. So his first outfit was one that came off of a small snoopy doll. They still have those clothes in his memory box. You would never believe that a baby could be small enough to wear them. They are so tiny. So when I saw this snoopy in the gift shop, I had to get it for him. That way, he had a piece of us when we were gone thru the night, and it was a reminder to us that his father was once that baby, and he could get thru this just like he did :)

Finally, 8 L O N G days after he had been born - he was able to come home! We were SO happy that day. He had overcome everything he was struggling with. Our strong baby boy :)

Our very first picture as a family of 5!
So happy we were all home together...

They love him to pieces!

His 1st Sunday at church :)

So happy to be a big brother!

His blessing day...

Growing bigger & stronger!...and cuter too ;)

His first bite of solid food. Poi. He ate EVERY BITE! Loved it :)

@ 6 months :)

Now my big boy is 8 moths old, soon to be 9 months coming up this month. You would NEVER know that he was a "preemie" baby. He's my biggest baby yet! My chunky monkey :) I am very thankful that he's so healthy and strong. He's such a good baby. The first few months were a challenge. He was fussy a lot, a little hard to handle. Now, he's so laid back, happy, loves to play, and laughs a lot! Especially loves watching Kia'i play :) He can make him laugh more than anyone else. Those 2 have a special bond that makes me smile.

I love my family so much, words could never express. My heavenly father blessed me with 3 beautiful children that make me smile everyday, and the best husband in the world. He continually helps me, supports me in everything, and takes over when sometimes i feel like I'm about to lose my sanity!!! I would not be complete without any of these people in my life, and am so happy that families can be together forever :)

almost there...

2011-04-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

So today i had my 33 week check-up with my OB. Man time is just FLYING by. It's funny how in the beginnig of this pregnancy, i felt like it was just dragging on forever. Now is a whole-nother story! My next appointment is in 2 weeks, and its then she'll do her first check to see if i've dialated at all, or if my cervix has begun thinning. Then it's on to visits every week after that. I feel like we're in the home stretch here! Not too much longer to go :) Exciting, and also a little nerve racking. I'm curious to see how my 2 children will react to their brand new baby brother....i just hope for everything to be wonderful!

I finally crossed some things off my list too, which is great! Last week, Kahana & I went on base to the NEX when they had their "baby days" sale. We bought his crib, a stroller and carseat set, and his bathtub. So now, we're pretty much set! Just need to get a few more things and we're ready for him to come meet the world :) He's such an active little boy. CONSTANTLY moving, kicking, punching, anything! I've never had such an active baby in there before, makes me wonder what this little guy is going to be like. Well, we'll find out soon enough :)

just because

2011-03-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have no specific reason why im blogging today, just feel like it :)

So now, im 30 weeks pregnant! I literally cant stop eating. It seems im always hungry, or looking for something to eat. Now i know im "eating for 2", but is that okay? i dont wanna give birth to a huge baby. I wouldnt be able to handle! Belinha was 6.3 when she was born, and Kia'i was even a bit smaller at 6.1. Im just hoping for a baby right around that same weight. Im scared to deliver anything bigger! Especially going all natural and all. Yes, i know. Im CRAZY as some women like to say. Both of my childrens births were natural, as i intend to do the same with this one. Im just deathly afraid of needles, and cant bear the thought of a HUGE one going right thru my spine. Besides, its better for you, and for the baby to be drug free :) I've just heard to many horror stories gone wrong with epidurals. So the time is getting closer, and we're all getting more excited, and honestly...im really nervous! It's been a while since i had a newborn, but im sure i'll be fine :)

Kahana is finally almost thru with his term...hooray!!! It's been a long 10 weeks, but its finally almost over. His last final is tomorrow, then he's free for the next couple of weeks! That is...until he starts all over again. 10 more weeks, 3 more classes. He'll be doing that every term until he graduates (which is hopefully the end of next year-beginning of 2013). How will we ever get thru this?? I will say that im grateful its gotten better tho. I remember his first term he went back to school, i was ready to die! It was super hard on all of us. It was his first term back since before he left on his mission years ago, we had a family to take care of, along with him also having his full time job, we were new at this! Just saying "it was hard" doesnt even give that term justice. Call me an over reactor...but its true! So im happy to say that this time around has been much better. He's gotten much better at balancing his time with work, school, and family. I feel my patience has grown a little bit, so its been a little easier this term around. I dont know how some families do it where both parents are in school, and have their family to take of everyday. I give them a lot of credit! I just need to work on remembering whats at the end of the road. I love him with all my heart, and I support him in everything he does! Im so proud that he's working so hard for our family :) As he likes to tell me all the time..."Be Positive!"

Vegas Baby!

2011-03-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

*** Warning: this post is a long one. i had a lot to jot down before i forget it all! if u dont wanna read it all, no worries :) ***

Have you ever been on a trip, then when you arrive back home.......you just dont know what to do with yourself?? Well, i guess that's the way you could say im feeling right now! I like to call it, "vacation blues".

This past November, kahana & I were lucky enough to go on our 1st trip together, just the two of us (no kids!) to Las Vegas! We were accompanied by his cousin, Kyrie, and her fiance Kuhio. We had a BLAST!!! It was the first time i had ever been there, and kahana's first time going "legally" (being of age to gamble). The four of us had such a great time together. We did mostly all of the things we wanted to. So the trip is over, we get back home, and in the midst of planning their summer wedding, kyrie & kuhio decide to scratch everything, move up the date-and get married in VEGAS! i know right?! It totally suited them tho. They absolutely love Las Vegas.

This means.....we got to go back! Yaaaaaaaay!!! We were super excited! This time, the whole family went. Kids and all! It was a beautiful wedding, and a super fun vacation for all of us! Even the little ones :)

This was our agenda.....

DAY 1 - This had to be one of the longest days of my life.

arrived in Las Vegas about 7am (took the red eye...SO not fun)

got to our hotel, MGM Grand

waited around......

ate some breakfast at Rainforest Cafe

walked around the hotel.....waited some more

got our cars from the rental place

waited around some more.....

then some more.....

tracked down kahana's cousin and crashed in her room for a couple of hours

then FINALLY our rooms were ready!

settled in...then crashed again! we were soooooo tired.

Then kahana & i got ready, took the kids over to his mom & dad's room, and went out with the wedding party for a night out on the town! Rode in the hugest limo ive ever seen in my life, and danced the night away....IN the limo. Thats how huge this thing was! A fully tricked out semi - if you could imagine that :) It was awesome.

DAY 2 - The wedding day :)

Did everything "wedding". A beautiful, fun day!

Later that night after everything was over, dropped off all the kiddies to gramma & papa's room and us "big kids" went downstairs to have some fun of our own! Roulette, craps, blackjack, war, and of course the penny machines! We pretty much broke even the whole trip (thank goodness).

DAY 3 - Went to Excalibur, played some games with the kids :)

Walked over to New York New York, showed them the statue of liberty made outta jelly beans!

Rode the tram over to Mandalay Bay

Saw their Shark reef tank. Super cool!

Went back to MGM

rested

Drove downtown, had dinner with whole family at the Main St. Buffet

Once again, left the kids with gramma & papa while all the older cousins played together!

DAY 4 - Drove up to Mt. Charleston (a little over an hour drive cuz we got a little lost)

Played in the SNOW for hours! So much fun :)

Ate our first In-N-Out burgers

rested...

Walked over to the M&M store, and the Coca~Cola store

Took the kids to CIRCUS CIRCUS, had more fun!

DAY 5 - Headed over to the WYNN Hotel for a brunch buffet

Went to the Venetian Hotel, walked around a bit, rode the gondolas

Went back to MGM, rested...

Went to Olive Garden for dinner, yum!!!

Went to Planet Hollywood Hotel, walked around, did a little shopping

Packed

Then me & the kids went to sleep, while kahana went downstairs to play one last time.

DAY 6 - woke up early, got our last minute things together

said goodbye Las Vegas...Hello home sweet home

wow. That took me some time to remember all the things we did, and on what days we did them, but im glad i remembered and got it all down! This trip was unforgettably fun :) We all had such a good time. I now have "vacation blues" because i just wanna go back! Can't stop thinking about all the fun we had. The junk part is, ever since we got home we've all been sick :P Flus, fevers, coughing, and hanabaddahs everywhere. Bleh. So its been pretty hard to get back into the normal swing of things. But now, we're all finally at the tail end of the sick train. Hallelujah!

I just can't wait till our next fun trip.....whenever that may be :)

Here are just a few pictures of many...

The M&M store

The day we played in the snow :) They had so much fun!

Mandalay Bay Shark Reef

The MGM Lion

Smiling with the "big castle" in the background! (Excalibur)

Me & my babies @ the wedding

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Puaoi!

im a heffer...

2011-01-29T16:36:00.000-08:00

(posing for the camera, new years eve. it seems ive grown a lot tho just within a few weeks!)

LoL! i just had to laugh at my own title...okay im done.

So how was everyone's holidays?? ours were fabulous :) Christmas and new years together with lots of family, laughing forever. i love it. the best is watching my children, and seeing how much they're growing and learning, and just enjoying life! They love their school, they love being with family & friends, and they love just cruising at home with mommy and daddy watching a funny movie while eating popcorn & mochi crunch (one of their all time favorite things)!

My belinha baby is not a baby anymore :( she'll soon be 5. HOLY CRAP...im gonna be a mother of a 5 year old!!! its hard to believe sometimes. Kia'i is just...kia'i :) My boy, who will no longer be the only one! We found out a few weeks ago that we're expecting another baby boy! cars, trucks, and dirty fingernails. they'll be taking over my house pretty soon! LoL! ...and we cant wait :) well....not the dirty fingernail part :P

Im very happy to say that im feeling much better! my energy has come back, im enjoying this pregnancy a lot now...well, other than not fitting much of my normal clothes. People tease me all the time for it, but honestly ive never had that problem before! with both of my previous pregnancies, i was able to wear all my normal clothes, jeans, everything! loved it. now??....not so much. it sucks. Im like...right in between. i cant fit any of my normal stuff, but maternity is still too big for me. So ive had to by several pairs of stretchy elastic pairs of jeans that i was lucky to stumble across at ROSS, and im now buying size Large Tees. I must admit, i was quite frustrated in the beginning but im okay now :)

One of my all-the-time cravings is an ice cold soda (SO not good) and im trying to do better at cutting back. im starting to get freaked out that im gonna develop diabetes! Ive been all about the sugars and sweets this time around. How do i fix that?! all i know is i better...fast! Im definitely eating for 2 these days, if not more than that. i swear, i eat until i feel like i absolutely cannot stretch another inch! especially when the food is so good. So a lot of the time, i feel like a heffer!!! but i must say, im lovin' my figure :) hehehe. thats not being concieted is it? "the girls" up top are growing as well, and ive always embraced my pregnant belly :) I love when i put on a super cute outfit, and just feel good about myself!

I think a big part of my happiness, i owe to the temple :) Kahana & i have been going on temple dates together every week this month, and hope to keep it up! Never before have we gone so much, and we've noticed a change in a lot of things. We're recognizing more of our blessings, and we just feel...happier, and more connected. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to go such a marvelous and beautiful place :)

My "Bel"erina

2010-12-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

Well, the holidays are DEFINITELY here, and they've come so fast! It's truly amazing how each year seems to go by quicker & quicker. Is there a pause button to life?? Anyways, we are all doing well :) This summer, belinha started taking ballet from a wonderful woman in our old ward (kaneohe 3rd ward), Nina Foster. She's a professional ballet dancer with the longest wavy hair that just flows when she spins around. She's such a sweet woman, and bels LOVES to take dance from her. She's really been enjoying her class :)

This past friday she had her very first performance with her class at the Kaneohe 3rd Ward christmas party! Then they did it all over again the next night for another ward christmas party. They did 5 different numbers, and she was absolutely AMAZING!!! Now i know that she's my daughter (and every parent says that about their kids), but she really was SO good (and im sure every parent says that too)! She surprised us for sure! This is definitely something we want her to keep up, and i dont think she'll have a problem with that ;)

At the end of the night, they both got to see Santa. They were so excited :) The highlight of their night!

Bels with aunty keli & mommy

That's my girl!!!

So happy to see SANTA!

He wouldn't stop smiling :)

Hello Again :)

2010-10-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's definitely been a LONG while since i've updated my blog....so here you go.
I actually can't remember everything i'm sure i would want to share with you because it's been so long, but i'll just update you on a few things.

For starters....i'm pregnant!!! Yes. Hapai with #3, and we're all very excited! Especially belinha :) She's always asking how baby is doing, kissing my tummy, asking LOTS of questions, and is constantly reminding me of how she is going to be my "special baby helper". My due date is May 29, 2011. And since we already have one of each, a little baby boy OR girl would make us happy :) I've actually been worrying myself lately though because, one word. ANXIETY. Hate it. And i have it. I've never felt this before until i gave birth to my 1st. After she was born, once and a while i would feel anxious...for no reason at all. Then after I had Kia`i, i started having these feelings again. Only this time, it was worse. I tried thinking about other things, doing different things, spending more time with family, but nothing was helping. Even on a night where we were all home. Me, the kids, and my husband. I would be freaking out inside for...who even knows what?! Nothing! It was horrible. I often cried because i felt like i was some lady who was just going crazy. After it finally went away, i was more than happy :D It was so nice to not have those feelings weighing me down anymore. Now, those feeling are slowly creeping their way back in, and it scares me. I don't want to go through that again. It hasn't been bad at all...yet. But i'm really hoping that it won't get to that point again! Please pray for me!

Let's see. Kahana took the HPD test, and passed! He's been very excited about the whole thing. Went to orientation, filled out like, 100 papers, and now....he's not so sure that's what he wants to do anymore. Isn't that funny how that all works out sometimes? We prayed about it, it felt good, he's been through he beginning process, but now he's having feelings like, this may not be it anymore. He's feeling like now he should just stick with school. Focus on one thing, and make that getting his degree. I completely stand behind him in whatever he chooses to do, and i told him finishing school to me sounds like a great idea :) I know it won't be easy, for any of us. But it will all be worth it.

The kids are doing well :) They both are in preschool this year. I was a little scared about "losing" them at the same time, but its all worked out great! They both have adjusted really well ( and mommy too ;) , and they love going to school! They attend Punana Leo O Kamakau, which is a hawaiian immersion school, and we're very happy about sending them there.

I cant believe the holidays are almost here, and the year 2011 will be here shortly!!! SERIOUSLY can't believe how this year has just flown by. Faster than any other year...to me. just ludacris i tell you...

Family Camp

2010-07-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

Our family camps! They're the best. We look forward them every year now, and always have such a blast! With volleyball games, relay races, tennis matches, swimming & bodyboarding at the beach, late night card games, yummy food, talking, laughing, and lets not forget the 'Smores, how are you NOT gonna have fun??!!

getting ready for the relay race!

Our kickball games! the HOTT HAWAIIANS VS....

...THE KICKBUTTS! kickbutts won. ya ya

our cheerleader pyramid! wasnt that bad :)

time for sunscreen!

...'Smores!!!!

We take our games very seriously. Can u tell?

Everytime these 2 are together...they're inseparable!

Our Big Puppy!

2010-07-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Say hello to the newest member of our family, Makahinu! The kids usually call him "makas", or "hinu" for short. He's 2 years old, still a puppy. Not the kind of puppy i wanted originally, but i wouldn't trade him for anything! So a few weeks ago we were all in town because we had some things to do. In the middle of our day we had a couple of hours to kill, so my plan was for us to go to ala moana for a little while and walk around. Kahana asked if we could go to the Humane Society first just for a few minutes to just look around. So we did. Little did we know what was going to happen shortly! Anyhoo, kahana has been itching for a dog lately. He was always looking on craigs list, at the pet shops, just everywhere. Wanting a dog so badly. We knew we would eventually get one, we just didnt expect to get one so soon! So we get there, and we're looking around. There's quite a few dogs there, never been there before. So there were 3 different dogs we had our eyes on. One, i called his name thru the gate and immediately he growls at me. So needless to say...that one was OUT! Then the next one. We asked to take him out because they have what are called "aquaintance cages" where you can just play and spend some time with a dog of your choice to get to know them. That one was okay, but nothing special. We didnt feel that "click", ya know? Then, there was makahinu. We went into the cage with him, and right away we felt good :) The kids were actually playing with him (which was amazing because usually they're scared of dogs!). We got along really well with him, and it just felt right. Like he was supposed to be our dog. The workers there said they had found him a couple weeks before, wandering around Scholfield. Turns out he belonged to a military family who had to move so they just left him. I know right?! How could you do that? The least they could've done was taken him to the humane society themselves and said goodbye. Some people....
We love him so much, i now feel like i have 3 childeren, not 2!

They absolutely love him :)

Playing a good game of Chutes and Ladders

Sleepyhead

just an update...

2010-05-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

Okay. Not much has been going on, but i just thought i'd give the small updates.

A few months ago, kahana started school again. He was going to school online at first, Kaplan University. He only took one class, and decided it wasnt for him. Besides, its much more expensive. He got an "A" in that class :0). Then he was really thinking about what he really wanted to do with his life. Where he wants to be 30 years from now. He currently works on base @ wheeler, but is hoping to be outta there within a few years. He's been unhappy with his job lately, and it isnt doing great things for his spiritual growth (given the kind of men he works with). Anyways, he took the HPD test a few weeks ago and passed, but hasnt made it for the callback. With a lot of pondering.....more thinking......and some praying, he's decided that ultimately, he wants to follow in the footsteps of his father in hopes that he'll get into the Marshals Dept. As his wife, i fully stand behind him in anything that he wants to do, supporting him all the way. Has it been easy??.......definitely NOT. In order for him to get into this Dept., you need to have a degree in criminal justice. So after leaving Kaplan, he registered for Chaminade. He just completed 2 classes, taking up monday, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday nights. Now he's started another class and is gone only Tuesday & Thursday nights now (thank goodness). Its been a bit overwhelming for me to take care of EVERYTHING pretty much alone since he was gone so much more, not even including his crazy schedule for work. Stress, sweat and tears. Those words would describe the past 5 weeks in a nutshell, but the light has finally made its way :0) We know that this is the right thing for our family, and after the trials come the blessings. Right?

As for me, I've been thinking about getting out there and trying to get another job. I was working at Aeropostale windward mall over the holidays, but that was only a seasonal position. I was thinking i would love to go back, but the store manager i had...i never really liked. The other managers, i loved! Anyways, as im walking thru the mall today just hanging out with my family, one of the managers stopped me and we were talking for a bit. Then she tells me that the store manager may be leaving, and that they would love to hire me back if she does! I was like, YESSS!!! If i could go back to work, even just a couple days a week, i would love it. For one, a little extra money is always good. And two, it would be nice just to get out and have my own time for a little bit each week. So we'll see what happens with that!

My belerina! She'll be going to preschool this August. We applied her to Punana Leo O Kamakau, and she got accepted! Its a hawaiian immersion school, and she cant wait to start! I hope she enjoys it! And the good thing is its literally right down the street. A 3 minute drive!

Thats whats goin on with us :0)

Lovely Easter

2010-04-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my Bela Rels!!!

2010-04-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, my Belinha is 4!!! okay, its not even that bad, but every year that goes by, i feel the need to hug her tighter & tighter! She really enjoyed her birthday :) or, shall i say her birthdays! We had 3 different celebrations. The first one was with kahana's family. We had a birthday dinner at their house to celebrate with them. She asked for a pumpkin pie. i know right?! what?? but she's definitely kahana's daughter! Prefers pies over cakes! So, her birthday this year was all about Miss Tinkerbell. The decorations, the cake, she even had the wings! Then, on her actual birthday, we took her to the mall. She asked for a breakfast at ihop and her wish was granted. Then after breakfast it was glow putt time! They always have such a blast at that place. Then we walked around, did a little shopping, and went home. There was singing, presents, you know how all that goes. Lots of fun! Then on the next day, it was chuck e cheeeeeeeeese!!! yay! A party with mommy's side of the family. More cousins, more cake, more presents, more FUN! When all was said and done, we were officially pooped.

*sigh*

Now my baby is 4, and i love her so so much! And she's already talking about being 5!....oh boy....

my birthday girl!

her birthday breakfast at ihop :)

portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice. really? i coulda made that!

she had fun making her birthday cake!

chuck e cheese par-tay!

happy birthday my belinha~linha! love you!

5 Beautiful Years

2010-04-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

On March 18, 2005, i was married to the most wonderful man. We celebrated our 5 year anniversary (holy cow!) this year :) For some reason, it made me feel old (no offense anyone ;)

But anyways, what better way to spend our anniversary than to fly up to kona and attend the temple together? I couldnt think of anything better. It was the first time kahana has been to the kona temple, so i was happy to share that with him. We went with our ward for our temple excursion. It was beautiful! Its been 5 beautiful, short, long, wonderful, crazy, busy years...and i look forward to many more :)

Kahana, as someone once said, "you are the butter to my bread, the breath to my life." I love You my sweetheart.

the grounds were beautiful. this rock wall was built the old hawaiian way. just rocks, no cement. beautiful.

it surely was a Happy Anniversary!

Beach Dayz...

2010-04-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

We've really been enjoying going to the beach a little more often now that its FINALLY starting to warm up! and lets not forget, i live in kaneohe. Where its mostly cloudy almost everyday! so when the sun is shining bright for us to see? WE'RE OUTTA HERE! i love these pictures. They're some of my favorites of the kids. I'm so glad we live in such a beautiful place :)

Chinese New Year!

2010-04-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

okay. so on my mom's side, we're totally chinese :) every year, my family gets together with my tutu and we celebrate by going down to china town, eating a delicious chinese dinner, buy some yummy baked goods on the streets, walk around and enjoy the dragons and firecrackers! this was actually the first time my kids participated in this family ritual, and they had a BLAST! even to this day, kia'i still asks quite often, "mom? we going to chinatown?" :)

Their souvenirs for the night!

This one was belinha's FAVORITE dragon! hmm, i wonder why.... :)

only half of our feast!

me & my tutu...

KUNG HEE FAT CHOY!

growing up....

2010-01-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

These two are my children, my babies, & partners in crime!

Where would i be without them?

okay, i know im still young. I'm not done having children yet...at least im pretty sure im not, and i know my babies are still babies......but really? their growing up too darn fast :0(

Belinha...

Where do i even begin? She's the most beautiful little girl i know. She has the prettiest smile, and i love when her eyes turn a bit green when she's looking towards the sun. She's loving, caring, sensitive, sharing (sometimes), sweet, & playful! Dont get me wrong, she has her moments. Just like every other child. Sometimes she can be sassy, a little drama, and a bit bossy towards her little brother. We're working on that! She LOVES to sing and dance, just like her mommy. Her mouth is always going, either singing or talking, talking......or singing. Sometimes both. Its funny when she's having a conversation with me and then she'll just start to sing what she's saying. Her own melodies! She's definitely a character & loves to pose for the camera. Although when you first meet her, she is very shy. She's also my cuddler. Loves to climb into bed with me while im watching t.v., and just cuddles with me. I love those cuddles! She'll be turning 4 this April, and starting preschool as well. This month she entered primary in church. she's a sunbeam now! No more nursery. And today she went for her first hula class! she really enjoyed it! it was so cute. She's very much an independent little girl. Not needing much of my help anymore. Loves to help me with everything & anything! Cooking dinner, cleaning, or helping kia'i with something. I am so proud of her. This girl is so strong. She loves her family very much. There's nothing she wont be able to do!

Kia'i....

My kia'i boy!!!!! this boy i tell you. i just laugh thinking about him! He is such a silly goose. Doing silly little funny things all the time. He absolutely LOVES any type of car to play with, if you cant tell. His #1 toy for sure! A total boy. He and daddy have fun beating up on each other a lot, but he KNOWS not to hit mommy, or his sister. He's good at doing the things we ask....most of the time. For the most part, he is very well behaved. Though he definitely wasn't that way forever! We've had a lot of hard times in the beginning with his one, but since he turned 2 in september he's really gotten light-years better! He's still a bit whiney when he asks for things he wants (SO irritating), and has a hard time sharing with his sister, but he has a lot of fun everyday! his smile is definitely contagious :0) I'm lucky because he speaks very well, has no problem expressing himself. The newest news with him is he's potty trained! yaaaaay!!! And i have to say, it was so easy! One day he said he wanted to wear his bibidee's like a big boy and make shi shi on the toilet, and never looked back! It was magic i think. Now the #2 is what he has a hard time with. We're cleaning it up off the floors, off his hands, and out of his bibidee's, but he's getting a little better (sorry if that was T.M.I. hehehe). That sounds super gross, but dont worry. I'm a real good cleaner! He knows how to make you laugh, thats something he'll never lose.

I could go on forever about these two......

I felt the need to blog about them because i guess i've been feeling a little sad. Like i said, i know they're still babies, but they're growing more & more everyday, doing more things on their own. Hitting milestone moments, and i guess im feeling a void. Well, thats what my husband says. I've been itching to have another baby, and im sure all this has a big play in that. Sometimes i just roll my eyes at myself thinking, "U'i, get OVER IT!!". Its not like they're leaving for college tomorrow! I feel so silly. But it must be normal.....right?

I hope they always let me hold their hands. I hope they always know that i love them with all my heart, and that we always have each other.

There is nothing greater in this whole wide world, than having a family thats eternal....

tis the season to be jolly!

2009-12-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

hello there again! ive been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately because time is just FLYING by super duper fast! and i feel like im way behind in the game! we've barely even scratched the surface on our christmas shopping, and we have a lot to get! this past week has been especially difficult because kahana has been sick ALL week. he very rarely gets sick, but when he does? he gets sick! and he feels miserable :0( so he's either been at work, or when he's home he's sleeping. he's been resting a lot. i felt like i didnt even see him all week long! it was bit frustrating some days, especially with the kids driving me bonkers!! and the cherry on the cake...it was that time of the month for me. and its always the worst week of the month for me! but i made it thru, yaaaaaaay!!! and not a moment too soon. i swear, i was about to lose it! kahana is feeling better now, and now i dont feel like scrooge anymore :0) we finally took out our christmas decorations and started decorating, but we have yet to buy our tree. see what i mean? so behind! but the main thing is, we remember what this season is really all about. i feel like ive been caught up in all the things that i shouldnt be. Belinha & Kia'i especially have been so excited for christmas, and most of all, all their presents! but just the other day i sat down with them, and explained to them the reason why we really celebrate christmas. we talked about our savior and how much we love him, and how blessed and fortunate we are to have all the things we do have. and ever since that little talk, ive been feeling much better! im finally feeling the spirit of christmas...and its never felt better :0)

here are some pictures to catch you up things! happy holidays everyone!!!

i am so thankful for my babies! there are no words to express how much i love them....

my family is forever!

belinha & daddy

mommy & kia'i

THANKSGIVING DAY!

kia'i passed out in his high chair right after eating his thanksgiving lunch! i guess turkey really does make you sleepy!

our meal was DELICIOUS!

the kids :0)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

carving their pumpins! they had lots of fun!

bath time smiles :0)

bela helping me cook. like our matching aprons? she loves helping me in the kitchen!

sitting on the PINK dog at one of mommy's favorite stores ever.....Victoria's Secret!

Happy Birthday dear Kia'i...

2009-09-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

*sigh*

my sweet little boy :0) kia'i turned 2 on the 4th of september, and my...how time has NOT flown by!!! hahaha! you wouldnt expect a mother to say that now would you?! but really, its true!

kia'i has always been our....challenging child i guess you could say. i mean, after having kia'i? i realized belinha was cake!!! he was always very fussy as a baby. big time "mommies boy" {until recently}, screamed whenever he wasnt in my arms, or always sick, then being even more fussy cause he's sick!!! it was always something with him!!! so finally, now that he's 2.....he's all good! YESSSS!!!! its funny, i was telling kahana, "Gee. usually the normal kids, when they turn 2, they start to be terrible! ya know, 'terrible 2's'! but with kia'i? its like he's been 'terrible' this whooooole time, and now since he turned 2, he's happy & is just livin life! its a total switch!" isnt that weird?!

i find myself smiling so much more now *:0) i kinda feel like this heavy weight has just been lifted off little by little, and now its gone! i can breathe!!! LoL! he's gotten better & better @ just having fun, and being a little boy! a lot of the time when i look at him now, i just cant help but to smile. and my favorite thing, he is the most polite little boy you'll ever meet! he never ever forgets to say "please" & "thank you", and everything is always, "yes mom. " or "okay dad.". Sometimes he still has a hard time sharing with his sister, but what kid doesnt right? now that he's been soooo good, im sad that he's growing up :0( he's just such a sweetheart!

i all of a sudden feel like i found this new freedom, and i think thats why im feeling a bit of baby fever! i want another little one, but we've decided to wait a little bit more. i should enjoy more of this freedom while i have it!!

happy birthday my kia'i! mommy loves you always.....

one of his favorite presents! a wooden train table w/ little cubbys underneath to store his trains, tracks, and accesories!

a new car garage!

"ooooh! cars mommy!!!"

he was even excited about his clothes!

TRUCKS!!! [he is such a boy!]

@ one of the kids favorite places...and mine too! Orange Tree frozen yogurt!! mmmm!

he had the white chocolate flavor with m&m's, little mochi balls, and nilla cookies :0)

@ the mall enjoying a basket of french fries from hot dog on a stick & a cup of limeade! he was also loving his new motorcycles!!

GLOW PUTT!!

they both always have so much fun when we go there. and the best part was we had the whole place to ourselves right up until we were on the last hole!

i blew up plenty of balloons

his birthday do daddy gave him when he woke up. mommy fixed it before we left the house ;o)

It really was a super fun birthday for him!!! he was smiles the whole day :-D

Families R Forever...

2009-08-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my family *:0)

The past few weeks, my oldest brother Kaleo & his son came to visit. They live in Texas while he works and goes to school. It was such a nice reunion! We were all together again! i always enjoy when we're all together, but there was something about this time that was different. i loved spending so much time together. Laughing & just talking story! i love my family so much. They are a huge part of my life. They are some of the most beautiful people i know....and also the most annoying!! Im so happy and blessed that we have the gospel in our lives, and especially that i know my family can be together forever!

my babies :0)

* my love *

this is my favorite picture!!

me, my brothers & sisters

brothers~Kanai & Kaleo

sisters~me, Kapua, Chalei, Keli

*~ my family ~*

Family Kiss!

Princess Bela

All 15 Grandkids!

Daddy & Belinha

Mommy & Kia'i

walking together...

this beautiful place that we call home :0)

Funny Story.....

2009-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so. 2 days ago on wednesday night, my family & i were @ my in laws house for dinner. we were all cruising in the living room. noe, my sister-in-law, all of a sudden yells, "[GASP] oh myyyyyyy gosh!!!!!!" of course, we all go "what?!" Noe was checking her facebook @ the time, and another young mother from our ward posted, "just saw HEIDI KLUM @ THE MALL!! she's as beautiful in person as she is on camera!" holy crap! heidi klum is here?! we had no idea! *f.y.i. we really love heidi klum. love project runway & victorias secret* Anyways, she frantically leaves her a comment saying, "OMG!! what mall?!" she responded, "windward mall! she & Seal took their kids to 808 Bounce!" Even bigger, OHHHHH MYYYYY GOOOOOSH!!!!! For those of you who dont know, that is our mall!!! its down the street from our house, and seriously?! of all the nights we dont go, heidi klum is there!!! i couldnt get over it....!

So, the next day (yesterday)(thursday), my family & i went to the PCC for the day. lots of good fun! and the new night is amazing!!! loved it *:0) i told my sisters my little story, and they were all like, awww u'i. its okay! Then by this morning, i was completely over it.

So today, my family & i decide to go to the beach! @ first we decided to go to ko olina. we got there, & it was completely packed. i couldnt even get past the front gate! they werent letting anyone in who was going to the beach because it was so full. so i turn around, and drive all the back to kaneohe, talk about a waste of gas! so we all came back to my house to regroup, and decided we would go to kailua beach. we pack up once more, then head to kailua. much more gas friendly! so we're there, chillaxin, ya know. then who comes walking right by??!! HEIDI KLUM, SEAL, & THE WHOLE FAMILY!!!!!!! talk about an OMG moment!! i couldnt believe i saw her. especially after all the hype from a couple days before when she was so close, but yet...so far! LoL!!! but ya, she really is pretty *:0) and she's so cute with her tummy! i never even knew she was hapai! so ya, thats my story.

Lots & Lots of Good Times....

2009-08-05T00:11:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I know iʻve been completely horrible @ staying up to date with my blog, so sorry! i have tons of catching up to do, for real!!

So let me think.............

We went to the 50th state fair, been to the beach alot, camping twice {once for our family thiim camp, & again a few weeks later for ward camp}, i ran over a huge screw & learned how to change a flat tire, my nephew kahaʻi had his baby blessing last month @ church, kiaʻi enjoyed eating lots of yummy yogurt, we went to a few birthday parties, enjoyed a fun 4th of july picnic & ended the day @ our house with some good friends bbq-ing, splashed around @ the waterpark, and just had some good olʻ FUN!!!

[NOTE] There are a lot of photos ahead of you! for anyone who knows me, you know i love to take & look @ pictures. hope you enjoy them *:o)

hereʻs bela taking a swing @ the pinata at aleenaʻs birthday party. good action shot!

all the kiddies!

our trip to the fair! we brought along kahanaʻs niece haliʻa. theyʻre showing off their prizes!

one monkey sleeping with another!

family picture!

daddy & kiaʻi boy, so handsome!

belinha & mommy

naluai ohana

feeding the koi fish @ ala moana. i dont think we were supposed to, but they enjoyed the snack!

silly boy!

hauʻoli la hanau baby chalei!

aleena, naysa, and bela. thiim family camp, woo hoo!!

kiaʻi & kai kai being silly

bela & daddy walking in the water....

oni with his skin board. that thing is super hard to ride, and heʻs pretty good!

kiaʻi ready to go bodyboard!

cody picking up his head!! LoL!

listening to the story of the hawaiian nose flute...

the baby boys

i love this picture of bela i took. Just the way the sun was shining, how she was moving the hair away from her face, and her beautiful curls. i love it!

naysa & belinha cracking up @ who knows what?!

getting ready for a good game of kickball!

it was late, and we were sooo tired, just being silly!

our friends, kc & kyra. such an awesome couple! they were over for our 4th of july bbq, along with a few more friends...

the huge screw i ran over!

Wooo! i did it!

kiaʻi is famous for falling asleep while he eats when heʻs really tired!

pretty girl....ward camp 2009!

kiaʻi, haliʻa, and belinha enjoying some snacks!

i thought this was cute. we had just got back from the beach, and they were naked from rinsing off...

WATERPARK!

@ kiarraʻs birthday party! we were extra excited to go to her party because its the first birthday party where they were officially invited! with an invite and everything...and wasnt family! sheʻs in their nursery class @ church.

her tinkerbell birthday cake her grandma made, so cute! & yummy!

ya, i know!

LoL!

its ALWAYS about the MONEY........

2009-07-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

okay, so i thought id just vent a little bit & get out some of my frustrations. as you can tell by the title, im obviously struggling with MONEY issues! well, its not so much the money as it is my want to spend it and go shopping. if you know me, you know that i LOVE to go shopping! shopping is the best! hanging out with family or friends at the mall or a store you really love (target) and finding AWESOME deals is one of my favorite things to do EVER!!! but of course, you cant always buy what you want when you want it all the time. especially these days...unless your a celeb or something. & thats fine with me, its reality! but when i can (which isn't very often), i love to buy things!

and when i do buy things, its almost always on sale. i very rarely buy anything regular price! so here's the small story. yesterday morning (4th of july), i told kahana that i got a phone call from my older sister chalei the night before telling me that AEROPOSTLE (one my new favorite stores) is having a big sale they're calling the "$5 riot"! a ton of tees only 5 bucks each, and lots of other things on sale too! so i was super excited to go! we had a 4th of july ward picnic to go to, and my plan was to go to the mall after that and grab some good deals! so i asked kahana if that was something i could do (as always. kahana is the one that handles ALL of our finances and gives me the yay or nay on buying things). he said he would go online and check our account, but that i probably could go. so he checks. turns around and tells me, "oh, im sorry babe. you cant go." it turns out that the balance in our account is the lowest its ever been. the week before, he mailed a few different checks for bills, that just happened to clear all at the same time, we had just payed a huge chunk of tithing because we end up paying every 2-3 months, and we had just went to the commissary that day and spent $200 on groceries. i couldnt believe i couldnt go! to me, if you cant afford a few $5 t shirts, somethings wrong. well, not like we cant afford them....but we kinda cant. know what i mean? well anyways, i was so disappointed, i let it ruin my day. the whole time at the picnic, i was salty and bitter because all i could think about was going to buys those things and i couldnt!

at the end of the day, i apologized to kahana for acting the way i was, and for really letting it get to me that much. i really didnt need to be so angry. i was sad that i let myself have such a bad day all because of something so silly. and thats when i realized that this is one of my trials. scenarios like this one always come my way, and sometimes i handle it okay, but when i dont? i really let it affect me, and thats something i know i need to work. not being able to buy something i really want and just saying, "thats okay. there's always another time. there'll always be another sale." and walk away content and still have a good day.

i think what makes it harder for me too is that everyone around me can shop. everyone i go with can buy things...but i cant, and that sucks. and now more than ever, we are really trying to save and NOT spend!

i can do it!!! i KNOW i can, & i cant wait till i conquer this one. it'll be great once i do!

Catchin' Up!

2009-06-01T19:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, i had a few different things to catch up on, so i posted them separately, but all at the same time. Enjoy :)

Kia'i's First HAIRCUT!

Last week i took my baby boy to "Pigtails & Crewcuts" at Moanalua shopping center to get his very first haircut :) His hair was getting a little bit longer, falling over his ears, it was all uneven, so i thought it was time for a cut!

When we first got there, we waited for about 10-15 minutes till it was our turn. He was having no problem waiting, and playing with all the toys. When it came time for his turn, i picked him up, put him in the chair (it was a cute airplane), then he looked at me with his big brown eyes and just started crying! He wanted me to take him out and carry him so bad! The lady asked if he would like a cookie, or a lollipop that they provided for the kids. I quickly said yes, and asked her to give him a little lollipop. Once he started sucking, and once the buzzer touched his head, he immediately stopped crying and held real real still. He didnt cry anymore once it started. He did really well :) Prayers are answered!

His haircut turned out real good. We were happy with it! We purchased the First haircut package for $24 that includes the haircut, a photo, and a lock of hair displayed on a cute paper that reads "my first haircut!"

My baby boy is not a baby anymore...he's a little man :)

AFTER

BEFORE

Pet Birdie...

2009-06-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last sunday night, our family was having our regular sunday dinner at our house as usual, then kauwe (my brother in law) asked me, "hey u'i, did you guys get a bird?" I said, "no, why?" Then he says, "oh, there's a bird right here at your front door." I went to look, and sure enough there was a bird, just standing there at my front door! I said "hi birdie!" and opened up the door, and it walked right in! It was so funny! We knew right away that it had to be somebody's bird, and now was lost. It was so tame and friendly :) The kids were all excited and was fighting over holding it. Poor thing, i think it was traumatized!

Anyways, i knocked on a couple of our neighbors doors. . .no answer. We had her for a few days, and there were no knocks on the door to see if anyone found a bird. We were looking out for lost bird signs....didnt see any. So we decided to give her to kahana's cousin. She's a volunteer at humane society, loves animals, and already has a couple birds at home. When kahana took the bird over, his cousin immediately said, "oh, it's a baby cockateil!" Apparently, she was really a baby, and had to have special food. Which explains why she wasnt eating here with us. She was sick, and needed to be taken care of right away :( I felt so bad.

I'm so glad we gave her to someone who knows how to take care of her. The next day, bela said, "mommy, where's our birdie?" I told her that she lived with aunty now so she could take care of her, and one day we could get our own pet. Probably a puppy!

Beach Days....

2009-06-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

Although these summer days are getting hotter, and HOTTER, we're loving

this beautiful weather! We've been able to go to the beach a lot, and its been so nice :)

and as the summer continues, we're gonna hit many more beaches! The kids always

have such a blast too! Just playing in the sand with all of their toys...they love it! Plus,

it's a great way to get out of the house without spending any MONEY!!! We're really

cutting back on our spending, and need to save as much as we can. So just packing a

nice lunch and heading to the beach is always at the top of our list these days :) , which

is fine with us!

Kia'i & Belinha playing with seashells with naysa

Kia'i & Kezey baby taking a nap together...so cute :)

definitely FUN in the SUN!

happy mother's day to me!

2009-05-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

This mother's day was the best one for me......so far. I've only been a mother for 3 years now, but GOSH, it seems like so much longer than that! I woke up in the morning with my babies being pretty good to me. They are only 1 & 3, so they dont really grasp the whole mother's day thing yet.

Kahana came home from his midnight shift shortly after we woke up, and surprised me with a pretty bouquet of sunflowers. He wrapped his arms around me giving me the warmest hug, telling me how much he love's me and appreciates everything i do for our family, and our children. What a sweetheart! I love him so much :) Then he had another surprise for me. He bought me a beutiful necklace with the cutest tree on it! Okay, you must be thinking, "a...tree?", but i love it!!! We were at Macy's last week, and i noticed this table full of different necklaces that were on special for mother's day, and i thought they were so cute. Some had hearts, different sayings on them, and my favorite one was this tree necklace, and next to the tree are two tiny little gold heart charms. It's weird, I have this thing for trees now. Everytime i see one, i think of my family, and my babies :)

For breakfast, we went to my in laws and had a spread of homemade waffles with strawberries & whipped cream, cinnamon bread, eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, and rice. SO GOOD! Then we went home, got ready for church, and what a nice sunday us mother's had. Then we came home, and all my family came over for dinner. All the men in our family did the cooking (mother's day should be once a week!). We had TO DIE FOR ribs that were so tender and flavorful! Also some bbq chicken, steak, shrimp sauteed with butter and garlic, shrimp cocktail, roasted veggies, baked potatoes, and jello. For dessert, there was chocolate chip cookies, lilikoi bars, angel food cake, and a family favorite...SNICKER SALAD! YUP, i would say the men did good. Everything was so delicious!!!

I truly appreciate my mother for everything she has done for me and my family! I love her dearly, and am truly blessed to have such a remarkable woman in my life :) I hope all you beautiful mother's out there had a wonderful day too!

Our first Grill :)

2009-05-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, we had our first family BBQ! A couple of days ago, kahana went to home depot and decided to buy us a grill. We've never owned our own grill until now. He insists that charcoal grills are better than gas grills because the food tastes better when cooked on a charcoal grill. So that's the kind of grill he bought. The regular ol' , black, weber charcoal grill, and man was our dinner DELICIOUS!!!! We grilled steaks with lots of seasoning, and butter! On the side, rice, and green beans sauteed with butter and garlic......YUMMMMM!!!!! It was such a beautiful evening too. The breeze was just right, the light was perfect for a evening dinner outside, and to top it all off? MARSHMALLOWS!!! Just thinking about it makes me want to eat it all over again!!! I find that sometimes, its the simplest meals that taste the best :)

We're all excited for our first family cookout!

Daddy & Kia'i getting the flames ready while bela smiles for mommy :)

Belinha & Kia'i playing bubbles as they wait for their dinner...

Best Friends!........kinda

enjoying the meal!!!

Now its mommy's favorite part...MARSHMALLOW TIME :)

Nothing To Do.....

2009-05-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today is a very, very laid back day. A little too laid back for me. We woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for the day, to do NOTHING. Kahana got home from work this morning, then went to the chapel to help set up for a young men's dinner tonight (his new calling is the 2nd counselor in the young men's presidency). Then he came back home, and took a nap. Me and the babies have been playing with their toys in their room, and watched some little bear, and backyardigans. Kia'i took a nap, while bela and mommy watched "friends" (the best show ever!! i have all 10 seasons on dvd). Now one of my favorite movies is on, The Notebook, and i've been watching that. I guess today is just one of those absolutely nothing to do days, where you sit around and watch t.v. then get tired from watching too much t.v.. These days are few and far between for me, but everytime they come around, i hate it! i love going out and doing things. especially all together as a family! But kahana has been so busy lately. Either working, or sleeping (for those of you who know kahana's schedule, he never has a regular sleeping schedule because of work. poor guy...), or doing something with the young men.

Which brings me to my next paragraph. How do all you stay at home mom's out there do it?! i know im one, and i think im a great one! but sometimes, its just so hard. Especially lately, because kahana is rarely home anymore (at least it seems that way), and my kids are getting more and more..........CHALLENGING every day! I dont know if bela really needs to get her ears checked?........or if she just has selective hearing now! because i find myself telling her the same thing, or asking her the same question at least 5 times in a row before she actually acknowledges that im talking to her! its so exhausting talking to her these days!!! and sometimes i wonder how a 3 year old can be so so sassy! I guess her mother is partly to blame for that....... ;)

Then there's Kia'i boy. He's been treated like the baby ever since he was born. Well, because he is the baby. But now? he's just a big brat sometimes! He's constantly throwing EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE!!! even after he's gotten a flick! Or, he's hitting his sister because she wants to play with something thats by him. I guess they're just being siblings. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they dont. but some days, Its just so frustrating!

UUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Okay, now that that's out, i feel better :) I really do love my family, so much. and i adore my children more than anything. Every mom goes a little crazy sometimes..........right?

Happy Birthday My Belinha Baby, Happy Easter to Everyone, and Welcome baby Kaha'i!!!!

2009-04-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

Okay. A few things have happened since my last post, so I'll try and catch up as fast as I can (in order of the pictures)!

My sister-in-law, Noelani Crail, gave birth to her second child. A baby boy they named Kaha'iakanalu, but will be called Kaha'i for short. I have no idea what his middle name is. It's about a mile long, just like his sister's name! Belinha was excited to see her new cousin :) Congratulations noe & lenny!

Next, easter! one of my favorite times of year, really. It always makes me extra grateful for all my many blessings, especially my family, and my savior. The kids always have fun opening their easter baskets, dying eggs, looking for eggs, and my favorite part...dressing up in cute matching easter outfits! I'm so bummed i didnt get a picture of us though :( Our colors were green, orange, and white. Totally spring!

Then, my baby's 3rd birthday! Belinha turned 3 on April 2nd. On her birthday day, she opened a few presents from mommy & daddy, watched one of her favorite movies (HSM 2), took a good nap, then we went to ala moana to take her to the disney store, only to find out THEY WEREN'T THERE!!! i didnt know that the disney store is closed temporarily until June or July while they relocate to somewhere on the macy's side. We were so disappointed, but it ended up to be a great trip anyways. Belinha was happy to get some HSM lipgloss, and a couple necklaces from claire's. She loves to dress up and look pretty :)

Then that night, everyone joined us in taking her to Chuck-E-Cheese's in Aina Haina. She had such a blast eating her birthday pizza, and playing lots of games with her cousins. It was a full day of activities that she loved :)

As far as birthday parties go. . .she had two. Two of everything! Two parties, two cakes, two pinata's, and 2x the presents! talk about spoiled (we're not proud). The reason it ended up being that way because kahana didnt think we had enough space for both of our families to come over at the same time for one party. So we just had two, which we probably wont do next time. Although she had twice the fun, it was twice the money, and twice the stress for mommy!

Baby Kaha'i

Pretty Easter flowers from my mom :)

Bela's birthday party with my family

At Chuck-E-Cheese's, where a kid can be a kid!

Bela's birthday party with kahana's family

Opening some presents at home on her birthday :)

Thiim Family Campout!

2009-04-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

The 1st annual Thiim family campout!!!! It was sooooooooooo much fun :) Our whole family went camping last month during spring break at bellows, from March 22-27. It was our whole family, plus my brother-in-law's family too. 17 adults, 17 kids and babies, 7 tents, 4 eazy ups, 1 eazy corner, 34 pairs of slippers, and a HOLOTTA MARSHMALLOWS!!! Does that sound like fun or what?!

There were so many things we did that made our campout the BEST CAMP EVER! For one, 'Smores every night. Yum!!! we went to the beach everyday, laid out, went swimming, body boarding, and boogeyboarding. The kids went on a ghost story hike with uncle umi to Mr. Fernandez's house (sorry for throwing rocks Mr. fernandez!). Everyone also made fishing poles with papa kai (out of bamboo), and went fishing in the stream. those little fish made a tasty snack for some after papa kai fried them up! the kids also made shell necklaces, and lauhala crafts with tutu kai. There were fun games of tennis and volleyball, and lots of dancing to HSM 3!

We've decided to make this a yearly campout, and are even going to try a second campout in the summer before the kids go back to school :)

I had so much fun during camp, i miss it! Especially my babies. Belinha is always asking, "can we go back to camping?", and kia'i boy just had the time of his life being free! He's totally an outdoorsy person. He was completely in his element! Im so looking forward to all our camps in the future. Woo Hoo!!!!!

everybody at the beach. . .

kia'i doing some pole something. . .yikes!

so nice. . .

enjoying the beach!

the girls dropped by for a visit :)

ZEBRALICIOUS!!!

taking a walk. . .

some of the guys. . .

the kids enjoying a game of Jam Pack Jamz!

the best invention ever :)

oh yeah!

the 'Smores table

kia'i & belinha having fun jumping back and forth on the beds!

Dezi Kain, with his fractured arm :(

Kezy Baby!

some of our tents. . .

Kia'i roaming. . .

We love camping!

10 things that start with K

2009-04-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Alright, i've been "tagged" by keli to name 10 things i like that starts with the letter K. Not exactly sure what being tagged means, but whatever. Here it goes. . . . .

1. KAHANA! duh. . .

2. My Kia'i Boy :)

3. keeping warm under a blanket with my babies

4. keeping the sabbath day holy :)

5. Krispy Kreme doughnuts! yum

6. Kailua beach (our favorite spot)

7. kleenex with lotion (always blowing my nose)

8. Karaoke! so fun

9. keys. . .to my beautiful car!

10. Kisses from the ones i love :)

TARGET, YAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

holy crap, target is the ABSOLUTE BEST! me, keli, and chalei went yesterday on opening day. it was just fabulous! we've been waiting so long for a target store to arrive on this rock, and now it FINALLY has :) hooray!!

when we first got there (around 8:30 am) it wasnt that bad. but with every minute that was passing by, more and more people were coming in by the dozens. we walked around, looked at tons of stuff (their home section is the best! so many great things!), tried on some clothes, stopped at the snack bar, ate some lunch, then we went back out and shopped a little bit more! ya, we're pretty hard core. All the while, we had our babies, pushing our three stollers side by side! by the time we left (around 12:30pm), it was absolute madness! people EVERYWHERE, screaming babies, pregnant ladies all over the place, shopping carts bumping into strollers left and right! it was time to get outta there! All in all, it was a good trip! we bought some super cute things :) and this is just the beginning! i still can't believe we have a target. its seems too good to be true :)

I will always be a target lover for life! if you havent gone yet. . .GO! what are you waiting for? its the BEST!

Our Babies. . . .

2009-02-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

The two most special people in my life (besides my one of a kind husband) are definitely my babies! i just love them so much, i cant help but to tell you all about them! They make me happy they make me sad. They make me laugh, they make me cry, but most important, they make me who I am. They make me a mommy, and i don't know how to be anything else better!

Belinha Kilinaheonalani Naluai

My little princess, our baby girl. We call her about a thousand different things! She'll be 3 this coming april, holy crap! Time seriously does fly! She loves to sing, she loves to dance (like mother like daughter!). She's so full of life and has so much energy, it seems im always sprinting just to keep up with her! She absolutely LOVES HSM (for those who dont know, High School Musical)! She knows every word to every song on both HSM 2 & 3 soundtracks. She always needs to have her purse when we go out, and she loves her makeup santa got her for christmas. Constantly putting on lip gloss, and eye shadow.

She used to be a FULL ON daddy's girl, but im happy to say that recently, she's turned more into a mommy's girl :) Always wants to be with me (most of the time), always holding my hand anywhere we go. "Mommy, hold my hand please." Especially when its time for bed, she comes up right by me on the bed and cuddles with me. Its moments like that, i love. Her favorite tv shows are playhouse disney, super why, and backyardigans. Her favorite foods? pretty much anything you put in front of her, except stuffing. She's beautiful and fun, and i cant wait to watch her grow so much more! Or, maybe i can :)

Kia'i Ikaikaokalani Naluai

Our Curious Kia'i. He's quite the little monkey this one. Always into EVERYTHING! very very curious, just like george :) He loves to play with cars and balls (not his own)! He has lots of both, and they keep him occupied for a good while of the day. Thank goodness for those simple but fun toys! He's been teased alot for being a "mama's boy", but he's slowly turned more towards being a daddy's boy. Hopefully kahana will toughen him up! Unfortunately, he's also known for being a big crybaby. My baby boy is just sensitive! He's totally fearless when it comes to being a daredevil, and hanging over the very high ledge to downstairs, but once he gets the smallest scratch on the surface, its OVER! crying for days. I recently bought him a pair of pajamas that has a big gorilla on it, and above it, it says "Tough Guy!". Kahana just looked at it, and laughed!

Here are my boys getting ready for church. How handsome are they?! I not only love dressing up my daughter, but i also love dressing up my son! I love getting him out of his crib each morning and seeing the hugest smile on his face :) I love hearing him call me. It sounds like, "mummy!" Although at times he's handsful, (not just a handful, he's HANDSFUL) i love him to death, and our family just wouldnt be right without him :)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2009-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

I HOPE YOUR DAY WAS FILLED WITH AS MUCH LOVE AS MINE WAS!!!

happy love day to everyone! it's been a good day. we had a small valentines get together here at our house, and our guests were my husband's side of the family. I made shoyu chicken, corn on the cob, and rice. and for dessert? red velvet cupcakes with a homemade cream cheese frosting. So to DIE FOR!!! if i do say so myself :) i truly feel bad you missed out. it was DELICIOUS!!

Anyways, this past week has been an absolute wreck! Kahana's schedule was all over the place with his inspection going on. No sleeping. I got really sick, then poor kia'i boy got sick (with really bad runs, and is still trying to get better. )

But today was a turn of a new leaf. I'm so glad the week is OVER! im approaching the light at the end of the tunnel, yay for me!

My very first post!

2009-02-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

Yaaaay! I finally have a blog! Thanks keli :) Watch out all you bloggers, U'i's in the blogging world now!