The Brubaker Bunch

More camping and fun!

2009-11-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

In July the Price family came to visit and we were so excited to have the come! Last year we had a few families move away and they were one of the. Most of our kids are the same age and got along great! We miss having them around the corner but had a great time visiting with them!

Towards the end of July we went camping(I'm beginning to see a pattern here-Dave would be proud :) with the Sell family and had a blast! It even included a tea party! The girls loved it! Elle was going to miss a princess birthday party so we had a party up there. Next time we go camping we'll have to see if the girls ask if we're having a tea party again!
We had a great time quading!

We spent a day at the lake fishing and relaxing.

The kids had fun catching crawdads.

We had such a fun time with the Sells! Thanks guys for going!

Fourth of July

2009-11-15T17:20:00.001-08:00

We had a great fourth of July. It has become our tradition to go up and celebrate the fourth with Dave's brother and we love it!! This year was a little bitter sweet, because Dave's mom's side of the family had their reunion over Fourth of July weekend and she wasn't going to be there. She was at the last one 2 years ago and my father in law really wanted to be there this year. They hold the reunion and Dave's grand uncles place in Show Low. It is one of the funnest places ever. There is a pond(it's not what I call a pond-it's the size of a football field) that you can go fishing in, canoes and kayaks to use, horses to ride, swings-even one that takes you out over the pond, and so much more. There is also a creek that runs through the property and the kids loved catching tad poles and crawdads. A kids paradise. My kids were never bored.

Another thing that made this reunion a little different was that 2 years ago Dave's grandad volunteered to do the next reunion. Which involves feeding about 200-300 people dinner and breakfast. So Dave and I had the opportunity to help out-it felt good to help and it gave us an opportunity to get to know his family better. We were down in the kitchen a lot so I have the thank my amazing sisters in law Anna and Melanie for watching my kids. And the rest of Dave's family for helping with all of the food and serving. It really was so fun and Dave has such a fun family!
The kids playing on the dock with Uncle Stephen

Having fun with the cousins!
Aunty Melanie doing all of the hard work.

After the reunion we packed up and headed out to Taylor for the rodeo!

The whole crew!
Jason and his family, Julie and her friend, Grandpa B, our family, Uncle Stephen, Aunty Amy, and Kylie.

We loved the fireworks. I got a fun new camera a while back and so the shutter would stay open for a bit. It made our firework pictures turn out fun!

As soon as we got back from Taylor Kawika left the next morning for Scout camp. He was gone for a week! Dave has always been on the camp outs with Kawika and this was the first time he would be without him for most of the time. I knew he was in good hands, I was just sad to let him go for that long! But he survived and had a blast!

More Summer Fun!

2009-11-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

I know, I know here we go again. Another update from the Brubaker clan who can never keep up(namely the mom) :). For Father's Day this year Dave wanted to go camping. So a camping we went. And I think this picture captured the essence of the fun we had. Don't those faces look like pure joy!? I love it. I think Kalei had just pitched the ball square between Kalani's eyes.

The name of the game this trip was total relaxation, good food and lots family fun!!
See I told you relaxation was in the plan. Hence the reason for all the pictures with kids in hammock. I think I got to use them once because there were always children in them. :)

We had fun playing horseshoes. Kawika beat his poor mom in this game!!

The girls had fun picking flowers.

We went and had a marshmallow war! It was great fun!

This was Kalei's face after she got me. She looks like she's enjoying getting her mom a little too much! :)

We had a fabulous time just getting away and playing!

Family Home Evening

2009-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

So I just have to document this. Last night Kaili and Kalei taught Family Home Evening. As they began to prepare I asked if I could help and was told "No, we can do it on our own." So I went in the kitchen to finish up dinner and soon heard some arguing coming from the computer. I went to check it out and Kalei was crying. I told the kids they needed to move away from the computer but Kalei said "But I'm doing Family Home Evening." I looked on the screen and she had opened up Microsoft word and was typing up her lesson plan. It looked something like this:

fldvhjlkarenjtaolk;uhalksdtnaldgkjsadlfkgjarlkjadfl;gjadflktajlrgkadlfafthywdnvbs,,jhrtlkhflakjgl
akjfdglka;ghjalkfjnlksafjlkadjflgkafjglajflsfjhalfjgoihjdlfhjlakdfjeloiyruodafihjaly

You get the idea. :) I couldn't help but laugh. Then I said "Kalei, why don't you let Kaili tell you what letters to type." Kaili helped her type a few words and just before FHE she said "Mom we need to print it out!" So I did.
We sat down on the couch for FHE and the girls welcomed us and the opening hymn and prayer were taken care of. Then the girls had us help them with a little puzzle in the Friend. The letters spelled TEMPLE. Okay, so tonight they are going to teach us about temples. Then we sat down and Kaili asked us to read a word she had written so big that it had to be on 2 pages. It read SAB one page and then on the back it read BATH. Okay so now we're learning about the Sabbath day(which is actually what she originally told me they were going to teach about). So I prompted Kaili to ask how we can keep the Sabbath day holy. So we began to discuss the things we should and shouldn't do, and why we need to make Sunday special(with a lot of prodding from me). After our discussion Kalei said "Mom, you talked a lot tonight without raising your hand!" Ooops! ;) Then they invited us to come to the table and draw pictures. I said "What are we supposed to draw?" "Oh anything you want." was the reply. "Well how bout we draw pictures of things we can do on the Sabbath?" "Okay" Then Kaili said "I'm going to read you a couple of stories while you draw." I can't recall what they were about but I don't think they were about keeping the Sabbath day holy. :)
It was a cute lesson and the girls loved being in charge. What a blessing Family Home Evening is!

Halloween

2009-11-09T08:48:00.001-08:00

We hope everyone had a great Halloween!! Halloween was a little different this year, at first I was a little worried but it turned out great. Our ward did not have the traditional Trunk or treat but we were encouraged be good neighbors. I was a little disappointed at first because I enjoyed the social part of being able to hang out with friends while my kids enjoyed running around with their friends. But like I said it turned out to be fun. Okay and here is a lame side note-I forgot to take a picture of Kawika before he ran off with his friends. Slacker mom! Here is Kalani-I think he makes a handsome pirate!

Kaili was a Southern Belle(thanks Mindy). She loved being dressed and was one cute little Southern Belle!

Kalei was a ballerina kitty. This girl changed her mind so many times it was driving my crazy! But I must say she is one cute kitty!

So in place of the Trunk or Treat we decided to decorate our yard and we brought the fire pit out in the front yard. We let people makes smores and have hot chocolate and handed out candy. It was a lot of fun. I took the girls around to a few neighbors houses while Dave stayed to pass out candy. After a couple of streets they were worn out :) That was fine with me! :) And the boys went Trick or Treating with their friend Kyle and spend the night going back and forth between each others houses.

Dave stirring our brew of root beer.

Are we rednecks or fobs? Maybe a little bit of both

2009-08-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Red necks and fobs are one in the same. For those of you who don't know, fob stands for fresh off the boat. Basically, it's a Polynesian red neck. I think it was in the beginning of June Dave took the boys and a friend out to Saguaro Lake in our little 14 ft aluminum fishing boat along with the surfboard and towed the kids around the lake! They had so much fun! So later that month he took the rest of the family out to the lake. It took quite a bit to convince me to go. Some say it was pride or it could be the fact that I don't like being a fob/redneck on purpose. Okay, okay it was pride.

Anyway we took our little boat out with all 6 of us and a long 9 ft surfboard. So we putt...putt...putt our way out to the other side of the lake. Here is Kaili with our orange flag that we have to raise every time someone falls in the water. Kalani was the first one to go. He was pretty nervous to try and stand, but he did a great job.

Kalei looking cute as always

Unfortunately after Kalani had his ride on the board the motor started acting up. So that ended the towing session :( So we dropped the anchor and everyone jumped in.

We had some ducks come by and Kalani decided it would be fun to swim with them.

Is the water cold!!??

Kalani striking a pose-he's one buff dude :)

Kawika trying to stay up

What is that you say? Why weren't you and Kalei in any of the pictures of everyone swimming. Well that would be for a couple of reasons. First, Kalei is a smart girl-she got in for a whole 2 minutes and realized that the water is just WAY too cold(she must have her mom's blood) to enjoy. Second, I don't swim in lakes, call me prissy-hey, I grew up in Hawaii-what do you expect! I must admit I have been in lake water a couple of times and that was more than enough for me. It is cold, stinky, stagnant water and when you walk in it mud squishes through your toes-yuck! All in all we had a great time -just as long as I don't have to get in the water!

A Day at the Lake

2009-08-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Back in May we decided to go to the lake one Saturday and had a blast! We went up north and the weather was absolutely perfect!! We went fishing and took along a picnic and just loved it.

In our family we have the "fishing hat". Each time we go fishing whoever catches the biggest or the most fish gets to wear the fishing hat till the next time we go fishing. Kalani won the fishing hat for this trip. He caught three. Every time he threw his line in he'd snag a fish in less than a minute. The fish were biting so much Dave spent the whole time re baiting hooks and never got a chance to get his pole in.

Kalei caught her first fish, which she was so excited about until we tried to get her to hold it for a picture! :)

Kawika caught a good one!

Kaili was brave enough to hold her catch! :)

The catches of the day!

Kaili has the right idea.

We went to the other side of the lake and had a picnic. While I was making lunch this is what Kawika found.

There are 2 bald eagles living at this lake and there were scientist there watching this nest. We watched one of them circle the lake and dive for a fish but it missed.

When we got home Dave had to run off to something so Kawika got the job of cleaning the fish. It was his first time can you tell how excited he was to do it. :)

We really did have a great time at the lake. We just need to not wait so long to do it again!!

Now it's time to catch up

2009-08-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Dave and I celebrated our 13th year of being married at the end of April! I am so blessed to have him. He continues to amaze me each day! He is my best friend and inspires me to be better. Last year with it being 12 years he gave me a bunch of things in dozens-it was really cute! This year he said he was frustrated because he could not figure out what to do for 13. The picture above is what he came up with. It was a bouquet of 13 roses with the 13th high above the others. He said that was because this year would be our best despite it being an unlucky number. :) So far so good!

Kaili cooked up a meal to help us celebrate. Complete with plates that said "Happy Anavirsre", a bell pepper and a pickle! She is so cute!

Mothers Day I finally joined the 21st century and got an Ipod-hence my "i-cake". It was a great day!!

We had fun with an impromptu slip and slide session after family home evening one night.

Kalani took 3rd place in the 3rd Grade Spelling Bee. Way to go dude!

Kawika took 2nd place in his class at the Science Fair. He was trying to find out whether a metal or wooden bat hit a baseball farther. Any boys dream-to have to play baseball as part of their homework. :) He did a great job!

The boys finished out the baseball year coming in 2nd place for their division. My boys loved it and made some great friends!

Back to school

2009-08-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

I know, I know it's been forever. I don't know why-either I was to busy or when I had the time I just didn't feel like it(does anybody else ever feel like that?) The kids went back to school this week. They were all really excited, all of them were up at the crack of dawn and ready in no time. I was really excited to get back on a schedule. I just work better that way. We had a fun summer mixed with "Mom, I'm bored".

Kawika started Junior High this year! Yikes! I' m having a hard time with him growing up. I suppose all mothers do. I took him to the 7th grade kick off(an orientation) and tried to not be one of those moms that stayed and hovered over him. I told him I'd pick him up later and let him go in the auditorium and then I just had to go and peek in there to make sure he was okay. I know pitiful!! He is enjoying it and feeling oh so grown up-not too fast buddy! He reminded me the other day the he will be able to drive in 3 1/2 years!!!

Kalani started 4th grade and is now taking over the role of the big brother that takes care of Kaili. He was is excited to go back and loves being able to see his friends everyday.

Kaili is in 1st grade this year. It's been a little different now that she is gone at school all day. Kalei and I miss having lunch with her everyday and playing. Kalei especially miss her princess partner. :)

Kalei started Preschool and is enjoying learning new things and playing with her friends. She's growing up too fast.

He's how old!?!?!

2009-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it myself-Kawika is now 12!!!! Aaaaah! Where has the time gone! I don't know if I'm ready to have a kid in Junior High!! Despite mom having trauma, we are really proud of Kawika!! He is such a great kid! He has a great sense of humor, loves baseball, reading, video games, basketball, and being outdoors just like his dad! He also is such a great help to his dear old mom!!

He got laser tag, that he was so excited about!

His friend Kyle gave his this fun candy gram-what kid would not love to have that much candy all to himself!!(It was really cute-click on it to read it :)

With Kawika turning 12 there is a whole new realm of things -being ordained with the priesthood, passing the sacrament, graduating from Primary and moving up to Young Men's, Mutual, Scout Camps, Junior High. . .What in the world!!! All of that with just one birthday!!! I'm gonna need some help here! With all of this exciting stuff we were able to have a lot of family visit for the special occasion of Kawika being ordained a Deacon. My dad came from Hawaii, Dave's dad came from California, my 2 sisters Kahi and Nia from Utah with Kahi's oh so cute kids, and Jason and Anna from Taylor with their fun bunch that keep us laughing! Needless to say we had a full house for a couple of days which I loved!! I miss being close to family! It was so nice of everyone to take the time to be here with us-we really appreciated it!

Papa and the girls watching the boys at their baseball game-my dad was really getting into it! :)

Here are the priesthood holders that were able to be here
(Grandpa B, Jason, and Papa)

We had a fun camp fire in the back yard and roasted hot dogs and smores!

Nia with cute Chloe!

This is how the kids kept themselves entertained!

Kahi and her kids!

Sweet Abbi who did not like the long car ride either way-poor thing!

Grandpa B, Anna, and Jason

I was mad at myself for not taking a group picture-oh well! We had a wonderful time visiting and spending time together!! The weather was perfect and the company was even better!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! I had a wonderful day of being pampered by my family! I know I'm spoiled! :) (I'll post pictures tomorrow) I wanted to say how grateful I am for the moms I have been blessed with. My mom is amazing!! She is such an example of strength, kindness, and a willingness to help in anyway she can. My mom has the best sense of humor! She loves to laugh and it's quite contagious! One thing I have always admired about my mom is the complete trust she has in the power of prayer and in our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for my mom and her love!

My other mom(mother in law just doesn't sound right) is wonderful! I definitely miss her. Even though she is not physically here with us we still see her influence in our lives every day. She was faithful to our Heavenly Father and put everything into her family. She found true joy in living the gospel and loved sharing it with others.
I have been so blessed with these unbelievable moms and am so thankful for all that they have taught me and continue teach me. We love you!

Easter 2009

2009-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves, here comes another post with a lot of pictures. Each Easter helps strengthen my testimony and makes me more grateful for my Savior. Here we have the Easter Pageant, it is a huge production that shares the life of Christ and the reason we celebrate Easter. The spirit is so strong and I love being able to help remind my kids of the true meaning. This is a picture of the end where Christ appears(at the very top) triumphantly as our Savior. I am so grateful for my Savior and his willingness to suffer and atone for our sins. There is a primary song that is one of my favorites called "He Sent His Son" in it says "How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go? He sent His son to walk with men on earth that we may know." That says it simply we have it all laid before us and so many things to help us along the way given to us by a loving Father in Heaven. What a blessing!

Kaili was very cute during the performance. She kept saying "Oh I learned about that from my teacher in primary!" And then she would proceed to tell us all about it. Aren't primary teachers wonderful?!!! At one point it shows Christ being baptized and then you hear the voice of Heavenly Father saying that he is well pleased. Kaili leaned over to Dave with wide eyes and says-"Dad, that's just a speaker, right?" She wasn't sure if she was hearing the real deal. :)

The girls and I got to spend the Friday and Saturday before Easter with Dave's brother and his family while Dave, his dad who flew in from California and the boys went on the Father and Sons camp out for our ward. The Easter bunny comes on Saturday around these parts. :)

The girls with their cheesy smiles.

We love going up to Taylor and spending time with family! The boys enjoyed the camp out but were a little cold and wet. It snowed and rained, but they had a fun time anyway!!

Kalani and Grandpa shooting the air soft gun.

Kawika in the falling snow.

They stopped on their way to his brothers house at the Red Onion for some tasty burgers.

The Easter bunny left eggs for Kawika and Kalani to find when they got to Uncle Jason's house.

Before the boys got back from camping Anna took the girls and I out to lunch at a cute little place called Celebration. The girls dressed up in princess clothes and got to sip lemonade out of their tea cups. We had a great time, thanks Anna!!

After we ate our delicious lunch and sipped our lemonade with our pinkies out, the girls played dress up with the hats they had there. They had too much fun and it was cute to watch.

April Fool's Day

2009-04-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

So last year I went a little crazy with April Fool's day, I was playing tricks all day! Dave thought I had gone crazy. I froze the milk in the kids cereal bowls and gave them mashed potato ice cream just to name a few. I had a great time :) The kids were very leery of me all day-not really sure what mom was going to do next. This year I was going to be gone all day so I didn't do as much but we had fun anyway. Dave was able to be home that morning and made pancakes-and the kids got a little surprise when they tried to cut into their pancakes. :)

I put saran wrap across the boys door so they couldn't get out. I was hoping they would be sleepy and run into it but not this time. :)

We'll see what we come up with next year! :)

Spring Break in Califonia

2009-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

I know these next few entries are all old news-but better late than never. :) Get ready for a crazy amount of pictures. I tried only pick a few but that is impossible when we had so much fun! For part of Spring Break we went to southern Cali to visit family. Dave's grandparents live there in a little town called Ojai in a beautiful picturesque valley with lots of orchards. Ojai has a lot of memories for Dave and now it has become a place our kids love to go! Grandad and Grandma Owens have been so gracious to let us come and visit and invade their home. We love it!

Dave's sister Amy and her husband JR live in the next town over. His dad and sister Melanie and her kids came down from northern CA and his brother Stephen flew in from school at BYU Idaho to join us too!! We were so excited to get to spent time with family!

Grandad and Grandma Owens

They have the perfect grandparent backyard-lots of room to run and a very cool tree house.

Dave's family is a hunting family, hence the reason there is a stuffed grizzly in their living room. :) The kids think it is so cool and love to sleep out by the bear when we come to visit.

Stephen grew antlers while we were there

Melanie is a FABULOUS photographer and was nice enough to take our family pictures for us. She did and amazing job! We were excited to have them taken on the beach(we would have loved them on the beach in Hawaii but that will have to come another time). Thank you so much Melanie!! And thanks to the rest of the family who sat around waiting for us and making our kids smile!

One of the main reasons for this trip was for Dave and Stephen to go surfing. We also wanted Kawika to be able to try it out. So Grandpa surprised Kawika with an early birthday present-his very own surfboard! He was very excited!

We went fishing on Ventura pier.

Grandpa, Jacob, Lydia, and Kalani

Horse back riding with Amy

We went to Aunt Patti's farm and rode Amy's horses. The kids loved it and Amy was so nice to take each kid riding till their heart was content. Thanks Amy we had a great time!

Melanie with her daughters Lydia and Elise.

The girls and Jacob

A Day at the Beach

We got to spend a day at the beach while Dave and Stephen went surfing. Amy and Kaili had fun building a mama and baby sea turtle.

The kids loved playing in the surf. I still can't figure out how they weren't frozen popsicles-that water is soooo cold. I steered clear of the cold water.

We found 3 cute little mermaids on sunning themselves on the beach.

Kawika tried to catch a couple of waves and got up on his knees!! Wooohooo! He was freezing after this wave and promptly got out. He had fun but we'll have to try again in warmer water.

Dave and Stephen had a great time surfing. Dave loved being back out in the ocean-that is something we definitely miss being land locked in the desert.

Playing Ketchup

2009-03-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Playing catch up seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life, hmmm-not a good sign. This past month has been busy and fun. I'll post things we've been up to over the next couple days-namely Spring Break. First, our not so little Kalei turned 4! Here are four things we love about Kalei

1. She has the best sense of humor and keeps us constantly laughing!

2. She loves to take care of people and is always trying to do something nice-she also likes to tell the people she is taking care of what to do. :)

3.She loves to say the prayer and says some of the sweetest ones that remind us of why Christ tells us to be like a little child.

4. She loves animals but is allergic to some of them-namely cats and dogs. We always tell her to just look and not touch. When she sees them she'll try and sit her self in front of them and smile and talk to them, she tries so hard and you can tell it's killing her not to be able to hug them to death.

We love you Kalei! You are such a blessing to our family!

Dave's weekend recreation(a.k.a. hunting)

2009-03-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

Dave had a great time out with some friends coyote hunting this past weekend. He stays quite busy and so taking time out for some fun only comes around once in a while. He just loves anything involved with being outdoors-hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, rappelling off 1oo ft. cliffs, the list could go on forever.

One of the dangers of the outdoors here in Arizona is obviously cactus-and one you want to steer clear of is "jumping cactus". This one jumped onto Dave's leg.

Look at those lovely spines! OUCH

Pinewood Derby

2009-03-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

Kalani just had his second Pinewood Derby. He had a great time working with his dad deciding on his design and helping cut it out, sanding it, painting, and getting it ready.

Kalani had a great time racing and came in 1st place. Great job Kalani!

President's Day

2009-03-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

I realized I never posted pictures of what we did on President's Day. We made another trip up to the snow and met Dave's brother Jason and his family. We had a blast enjoying the snow with family! My kids love getting together with cousins. Anna made delicious chili and we had hot chocolate to warm us up after a fun time of sledding and snowball fights.

Kalani and Bryce with awesome hair do's after wearing playing in the snow.

Fun snowball fights!!

The kids built this cool fort!

Kawika having a great time sledding!

Picture Tag

2009-02-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

My friend Heather tagged me and you are supposed to go to your picture file and pick the fourth folder and the fourth picture and tell about it.

This is a picture of a trip I took with a bunch of friends to the Price is Right! It was a blast!!! Normally if you want to go to the show you have to arrive before the crack of dawn to stand in line. Fortunately we had a group of 20 so we only had to be there a few hours early. Once you get there you get a number and then you get to wait, and wait, and wait some more. Then they take you in groups of about 10 and you have to introduce yourselves to the producers(this is your one chance to impress them in hopes that they will call your name during the show). After the interview you go another waiting area and then they seat you in the studio. The studio is a lot smaller than it's made to look through the magic of television. Mary Jo's hilarious aunt(she's the one in the middle holding the card with her name that the cue card guy held up) got to "come on down" and she had the chance to win a mustang but sadly it didn't work out, but she won other fabulous prizes and our group had our 30 seconds of fame on TV!

Lots more to update

2009-02-15T20:43:00.001-08:00

So here goes another big update once again but first I had to share this picture of Kalei tonight. Apparently I am showing my age once again by saying really long prayers that put people to sleep. :)

Kaili turned 6 after Christmas and we had a great time celebrating it with Dave's family!! So in lieu of pictures I thought I would share 6 fun things about Kaili.
1. She has the most contagious laugh!! Once you hear it you can't help but join in!
2. She loves crafts especially scrapbooking and card making! Maybe I should have her start saving for this hobby!
3.She is an amazing organizer! If I give her a drawer full of junk I can rest assured that everything will be neatly sorted and categorized! It's amazing!
4.She loves to accessorize! Give her a belt, a cute purse and ribbons for her hair and she is one happy girl!
5.She loves to read and can often be found curled up with a large stack of books.
6. She is an awesome sister and great helper to her mom and we love her!

Happy Birthday Kiki!

We inherited some of Dave's moms canning supplies, which I was very excited for! So for FHE we bottled lemon and orange juice. The kids had a great time! (sorry for the blurry pictures-I know it's a problem)

A couple of weekends ago we had a free Saturday, which is rare around this house so we decided to take the kids up to the snow. We had a blast just spending time together! We went sledding and had fun building a snowman!

We brought a little camp stove and had soup and hot chocolate!

We had a fabulous time but I must admit that my favorite part about the snow was that we don't live in it! I hate being cold!

This past week we celebrated Kalani's 9th birthday!! Seriously! Where has the time gone?(Is that another phrase that is showing my age-yikes I need to be more careful!)

Here are 9 fun things about Kalani:

1. He has a great sense of humor and laugh! When Kalani thinks something is really funny it's not unusual to find him rolling on the floor!

2. He is very logical and systematic about things.

3.He love legos and can build for hours with his brother!

4.He loves to read!

5.He loves to play games-when he was little he asked Dave to play a game but he was busy at the moment and Kalani said "That's okay, I'll play for you." Dave said "well, okay(a little confused)" He came back a little while later and said "Dad you won!"

6.Kalani will only drink water and chocolate milk-he hates juice and soda!

7.He works really hard at school and is an excellent student!

8.Kalani loves to make people happy-when it comes down to it he would rather someone else be able to have what they want.

9. Kalani is such a fun kid-so helpful, kind, funny and an awesome brother!

Happy Birthday Kalani! We love you buddy!

Growing up too fast. . .

2009-02-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

Kawika is growing up too fast. He's turning 12 this year(Aaaaah!) and will be starting Junior High this next school year. This morning Kawika and I were talking about what he wants to do when he grows up. We talked about a lot of things and these are a few things he thought would be great-

1)a professional baseball player

2)a video game creator(is that what you call them? maybe it's developer,anyway)

3)a gas station owner-preferably QT, so he could have all the treats and slurpees he could ever want.

He obviously has his priorities. :) Play all day and eat all the junk you could possibly consume. Sounds like a typical 11 year old boy to me. :)

Kawika really is a lot fun and makes us all laugh a lot. Like the time he tried to show us how easy it is to eat sour candy. It was pretty funny!

2009-02-02T20:52:00.001-08:00

So much has happened in the last little while, I don't even know where to begin. We've had a whirlwind couple of months. Some of these things are going to be hard to put down so bear with me at I try to make sense of everything in my head.

This year we were very excited to be able to spend Christmas with Dave's family. We had such a wonderful time and made memories that we will cherish forever. We were able to be there for 2 weeks and enjoyed every minute of it. My kids loved playing with cousins and getting to know their Aunts and Uncles. We had lots of fun going to the park, Old Sacramento, playing with nerf guns and laser tag. Sorry for the lack of picture-they are in California-I'll have to post them later.

As some of you know Dave's mom had been battling brain cancer for the past 4+ years and a week after we returned from Christmas she passed away. It is amazing how our loving Heavenly Father continues to bless you even amidst trials. His continual "tender mercies" and comfort through the spirit have carried us through this difficult time and I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel. We know we will be able to see mom again one day. My kids helped us put everything into perspective. Kalei kept saying "Mom, I'm not sad." She knows Grandma is with Jesus and in her eyes isn't that the best place to be? I must agree but we still miss her. She was an amazing women! She put her whole heart into her family and the gospel and showed us what really matters!

A sweet good night

2009-02-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

I know, I know it's been forever since I posted and I will post the big catch up tomorrow-I promise. I just had to post this so I wouldn't forget. We were just putting our kids to bed and as I was kissing Kalei she says "Good night my favorite mom!" Oh, so sweet just melts your heart. Then she says "Mom, say good night my favorite daughter."(This is a bad habit of Kalei's, she likes to tell me what I should say-a lot) Wanting to be politically correct I say "Good night my favorite 3 year old daughter" Then she says "Good night my favorite OLD mom!" Kids know how to put you in your place don't they. :)

What we've been up to. . .

2008-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

So I haven't felt much like blogging lately and then when I did there was so much to write about. So I decided a condensed version was best since my to do list keeps growing each day.

On Nov. 21 was my dad's birthday. My dad is the strong silent type who has a heart bigger than his body. He will drop everything to help someone out. Growing up even though my dad worked long hours to provide for us he was always helping out in any way he could. I remember when there was a hurricane coming and where was dad-out in the neighborhood making sure everyone was okay.

A few things I love about my dad:

*he loves the gospel

*he taught us the value of hard work by example

*to hear him sing

*he adores my mom

*loves and knows his family history

*his laugh

The picture above was taken by a wonderful family friend. He does amazing work, check him out here.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was the perfect day-we slept in a little, cooked a boat load of yummy food, watch the parade and some football, ate, slept, and ate some more.

The next day Dave left for a couple of days to visit his parents in California. He had a wonderful time. He has the most amazing parents!!

This year Kawika was in the Geography Bee at school. He's been in the Spelling Bee the last few years but this was the first for the Geography Bee. The principal warned us at the beginning that the questions were really hard and that even she wouldn't know a lot of them. And she wasn't kidding. If you got two questions wrong you were eliminated, after the first 2 rounds 7 out of 10 were eliminated. Kawika was one of the 3 left. Then the person who came in 3rd was eliminated. That left Kawika and one other boy. In the final round they were each asked questions and if one answered wrong and the other right then that person won. They were asked probably 7 or 8 and finally the other boy answered correctly and won. We were so proud of Kawika he did awesome!!!! The funniest part was at the end when they were congratulating the other boy for winning and let him know that over Christmas break he would be studying to take a test to qualify for the state level. This boys jaw dropped to the floor-his expression said it all-Are you kidding me I just won and my prize is studying!! I looked over at Kawika and he had a smirk on his face that said Whew, I'm glad I got 2nd place!

That night we had a party to celebrate. I made a cake and we gave him a box of nerd candies. I thought I did pretty good at my little globe cake-but don't look to closely I'm sure it's not that geographically correct.

Yoga or something like that

2008-11-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Often times when the kids play with Dave they get pretty rowdy. He is just too much fun! There's a lot of chasing, tickling, screaming, wrestling, and anything else that entails fun and laughter. So to get them to calm down he has them sit down and do I guess you could call the Brubaker version of Yoga or meditation. Now keep in mind that my husband is the instructor. . .

See he starts out with good intentions of calming them down. . . looking good girls-can you feel the calmness and peace washing over you?

Then it moves straight to silliness again.

Good thing all their silliness is gone. ;)

A Band-aid can fix anything, anywhere. . .

2008-11-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Even an owee on your ear :)

(silly girl, as long as it makes you feel better)

Fall Festival

2008-11-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

We went to the Fall Festival at my kids school on the 8th(I know I'm behind). The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. Kawika and Kalani both brought friends which they were very excited about. Kawika and Kyle both spent a bunch of tickets at this game.

Kyle with a nice jump shot.

Kawika shooting a basket.

Kalani and David

Kalei was so excited to ride on the pony(although I didn't capture that in a picture).

Kaili and Kalei had fun on the bounce obstacle courses.

Last year at the festival Kawika and Kyle each won 4 2-liter bottles of soda at the ring toss. They have been planing all year long to go back to the ring toss and set a world record of most soda won at one festival. But they made the game harder this year so they didn't set any records but still came away with 6 bottles of soda! They were so excited! All in all the kids had a great time at the festival and overloading on treats(anybody want them for a bit while they're on a sugar high?)

She's finally lost it!!!

2008-11-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

Her first tooth that is. . .HOORAY!!!

That tooth has been hangin by a thread for what seems like forever! Dave finally pulled it out last Monday. She was so excited to have lost her first tooth and finally get a visit from the tooth fairy.

The thrill of the chase

2008-11-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

I was outside with the girls the other day watching them chase each other on their bikes. I remember loving the thrill of being chased. I'm sure things like that and spinning till I fell over kept me busy for many hours as a kid! :)

Glad it's over

2008-11-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

I just have to say I am so glad that this whole crazy election stuff is over. The thing I am most happy about was the Proposition 102 passed here in Arizona. It's the same as Prop 8 in California. I am so grateful that it passed, it's been really stressing me out. We had received counsel from our leaders here that this was a very important issue and how critical it was for us to get the word out and support this cause to save traditional marriage. I am so thankful for the Proclamation, the scriptures, inspired leaders, the spirit, and with that, what more do we need. I've had some good thoughts through all of this, I have realized that I cannot control what goes on outside of my home. I can make sure that I have a home where my children are taught true principles and the spirit can be felt. I can arm them with the truthfulness of the gospel so that when they leave the sanctuary of our home into the world so that they can make their own choices the way the Lord would have them choose.

A fun Halloween

2008-11-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

The week leading up to Halloween was a pretty busy week and to top it all off my poor hubby was sick. We tried to find a night to carve pumpkins but finally just carved them on Halloween. The kids got out of school early and had a lot of fun carving them out. They actually helped scrape out the seeds this year which they always were grossed out by how slimy they were.

The boys liked that the candle gave their pumpkin a lit tooth

The girls jack-o-lantern masterpiece

Dave was able to convince the kids to dress up as things we already had stuff for, so it was nice that we didn't have to buy very much.

Kawika was excited to be able to wear his dads football jersey.
Our ward has a trunk or treat every year that has kind of turned into a neighborhood party. They had games, hot dogs, and cotton candy. The kids and I had a great time and Dave stayed home to pass out candy:( When we got home the kids spent a good hour trading candy with each other and of course they still have enough candy to last them till next Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-10-31T10:57:00.001-07:00

THERE'S BEEN A GHOST SITING!!!

(aka Kalei)

October Happenings

2008-10-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

So I've been MIA for the past month. This month has gone by so quick with lots going on and Halloween has come faster than I realized. I thought I would post random pictures of things that happened-now that I look back at the month I'm wondering what I was doing!!?? Nothing major-somehow every day things can always manage to keep us all so busy.

Yesterday the girls decided to make bubbles in the sink. Their giggles were so contagious and I couldn't help but laugh and giggle along with them, and be amazed at the pure joy they found in playing with those magical bubbles. What a blessing kids are!! They help us crazy adults stop and enjoy the simple and beautiful things surrounding us.

I was working on the girls tutu's for Halloween and I needed to have them try them on to check the length. Kalei was kind enough to oblige. She was so excited to try it on and was running through the house.

I couldn't help but laugh as she was running away from me looking like this. . .

Dave had the opportunity to gone on the Pioneer Trek with the youth in our ward. We have great youth in our ward. He said it was a great experience and wants me to go on the next one in 4 years-we'll see about that-let's see-hike 21 miles in 3 days, up and down mountains, out in the cold, hmmm. . . I'm telling you, I would been the first casualty if I were a pioneer. There is more than one reason why I was not born at that time. I do realize it would be an amazing experience, I guess I have the next 4 years to sike myself up for it.

This is what 3 year olds find amusing. Spinning and getting as dizzy as you can!

Something else little girls love-My Little Ponies and Polly Pockets. Recently a sweet girl in our ward was going through her toys that she doesn't play with anymore and decided to give our girls all of her my little ponies. I felt so bad though because my kids tend to get a little shy if front of people and don't really show any emotion. So as this cute girl was giving these fun toys she had so thoughtfully decided to give our girls Kalei was just standing there and only managed to say thank you(I can't blame my kids for being this way because they take after their mom-poor things). Even though my kids didn't show her how excited they were while she was there as soon as the door shut they were giggling with excitement. With huge smiles on their faces they have played with them everyday!! They love, love, love them! Thank you Ashleigh!

I can't tell if there was more paint on her or the picture. She loves drawing and painting and does a great job!

We also got to see Kaloi and Darren and their cute kids. We got to see Darren last month but this is the first time we've seen the rest of them in 7 years. It's been way too long. They came down because their oldest daughter Breesa had a soccer tournament. She is so beautiful, and Iospea and Keahi are two of the cutest boys-sorry maybe I should say handsome-you ever saw! I got to hang out with Kaloi and do a little bit of catching up-I've missed that(late nights talking about everything and anything). It was great to see them even if it was just for a short time.

Surfing. . . Arizona Style

2008-09-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

To water our lawn here we irrigate, which basically means that we flood our lawn. The water is sent through pipes(only certain parts of the city have these irrigation pipes) and when it's your turn you open up your valve. The kids think it's great when I'm a nice mom and let them play in the water. Some of my friends might be grossed out by the fact that I let them play in it, but hey they're washable right!? Actually, this reminds me of Hawaii when it would rain for days and everything would flood. School would get canceled and the football field would turn into the pool and the guys would all head out to the field for some mud football. We loved it!

It's even more fun when Dave's brings out his Windsurf boards and the kids can surf in the back yard! Not to shabby for land locked Hawaiians!

The kids had a blast and can't wait til we irrigate again!

P.S Sorry the photos are fuzzy and dark-arrgggh! I'm not loving my camera too much right now!

Chicken what!?

2008-09-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kawika has the chicken pox! That's right my vaccinated child has them! I won't post a picture to spare him but I will take some pictures to at least document it. Poor kid! He came to me Friday morning and said he had a couple of red dots on his chest. I looked at them thinking that there could be a slight chance, but I didn't they looked like them. His skin gets kind of sensitive and it's not unusual for him to get a rash. So I sent him on his merry way to school to apparently infect everyone. I even unknowingly sent him to expose all of the kids at our date night group! Saturday morning he woke up and had them all over his chest and back. So we took him to Urgent Care and the doctor said yup it's chicken poxes(is it s or es?-oh well)! He said this is the worst case he has seen in someone that has been vaccinated. He said it is a-typical-meaning it is not presenting its self as it normally would. I guess you usually get a fever-no fever for Kawika, they usually start on the head and neck and then move down-his started on his chest and has moved up to his neck and face, they are usually itchy(I remember feeling like I was going to go crazy)-nope not for Kawika-he's had maybe one or two itch but not much more than that. Go figure!
The good things:
-The doctor gave us some medication to help it run its course faster
-They aren't really bothering him-I don't have to buy a year supply of Calamine lotion.
-He's old enough that if I have to run somewhere I can leave him at home
-I get to spend time with my son
-He still feels up to doing things-although he can't go anywhere
-He doesn't have to go to school(this is according to him-he'll be hating it when he's trying to catch up)
The bad things:
-I worry whether my other kids will get it or not-the doctor said they could go about their normal activities and just to watch them-I've become sort of fanatic about it-checking their temperature all the time and looking for spots-thankfully nothing so far.
-I feel itchy just because thinking about them makes me itch.

I guess it's a good sign that the good out number the bad on the list!

I am blessed. . .

2008-09-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

I was sitting on the couch watching my children smile as they traced their hands. The sound of giggles filled the room and I realized I am so BLESSED. What a wonderful Heavenly Father we have that blesses us with the things that matter the most. Children that recognize the simple joys of life, health, a loving husband, family, friends, good neighbors, laughter, a roof over my head, freedom, a testimony, the spirit, my list could on forever. I am feeling so grateful, I just had to stop and say that.

Sweet baby!

2008-09-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Dave's sister Melanie and her husband Matt welcomed their newest addition on the 15th, sweet little Elise Diane Crookston. We are so excited for them! This makes 3 for them, and thus begins the adventures that go along with the kids out numbering the adults! I took this picture from my sister in law Corri's blog-hope you don't mind :).

On another note, these past couple of days our family has had a blast hanging out with Uncle Darren. Darren came into to town for business and we were so glad he called. I grew up with Darren and his wife Kaloi and we haven't seen them since we lived in Utah. It was fun to catch up and reminisce about the good old days(that makes me sound old). We were so glad that the kids really took to Uncle Darren which is not always the case with our kids-they aren't the type to go up and say hello to everyone. Thanks for visiting Darren and we're excited to get to see the whole family in a month when they come to town again!

Ward Campout

2008-09-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were able to go to our ward camp out on the rim. The weather was absolutely perfect. Not too cold and refreshing. We don't get to camp very often but we love it when we do. I must mention that even though there are things I don't love about camping my husband always spoils me when we go camping. He does the cooking and takes the kids on hikes so I can take a nap in the hammock(this is making me sound so terrible-I'm so spoiled). He really is so sweet, and so despite not liking the stinky toilets and bugs he makes camping very enjoyable.
This is one of the few times I saw my boys. I had to make them stop so I could take a picture. They had a blast running around having air soft gun wars, playing football, hide and seek, and hunting for "snipes"

The girls had a great time running around with their friends, picking flowers, and performing on their stage(aka the log).
This was a picture I couldn't pass up on!

Dave was their entertainment for awhile. Here's Kaili doing the helicopter.

Then he became their horse and got a good workout bouncing the kids on his knees.

John was nice enough to take the girls on a hike.

The Rivera's brought up a pinata for their sons birthday. The kids thought it was fabulous!! She even had treat bags for each kid and cake!

The adults enjoyed playing bowling ball croquet. It was pretty funny to watch. I don't know if you can see the bowling ball Dave was hucking.

So most of our friends know we have some kind of car curse. We have sooo many stories of our cars breaking down it's become legendary(not in a good way, obviously). We always seem to have trouble when we go on a trip. We actually haven't had very many care troubles for a couple of years, which was good but I suppose it couldn't last forever. All of the guys at the camp out we kind enough to tinker with it so we could make it home. I was grateful that we figured out we had a problem when we were at the camp out-what better place could it happen where there are several men there with the know how,that was definitely a blessing. It was also a blessing that we made it home just fine and one of the men offered to help us fix it which will save us a bunch of money!

This is what the boys looked like on the way home. I think that a sign of a fun time. Kyle was the only kid that didn't pass out(we were so glad he came along with our family). All in all I think it was a fun time!

Labor Day

2008-09-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Our Labor Day was filled with fun. As a family we had recently finished the Book of Mormon so to celebrate we went to the Skating Rink. We had a blast!

We thought it would be fun to take a picture in the photo booth. It was quite comical trying to fit all 6 of us in there.

Kawika is becoming a pro.

Kalani has improved so much .

Kaili had a great time skating with Mom and Dad.

Kalei liked it and was such a trooper working on staying upright. I'm not that great on skates, so imagine me trying to keep Kalei and I from kissing the floor for a couple of hours. Let's just say my legs got a good work out.

Random Post

2008-09-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when my kids are bored on Sunday. My kids are testing their gymnastic skills.

American Idol here we come!

Work it girl!

Kalei started taking ballet last month and loves it!

This is what happens when Kaili takes on the cement floor-can you tell who won?

Kaili sometimes has the most random thoughts-I'm sure their not random to her -but when she says things they sometimes have no relevance to what's going on. I think she's just a busy thinker. Like the other night in the shower she says"Mom don't we need a Christmas tree?" Umm, yes but not for at least 3 months-let's get past Halloween and Thanksgiving.
So the other day she says "Mom I can make my nose big and small." Really! So she proceeds to show me. . . It made me laugh and I had to get a picture!

See my nose is small. . .

And now it's big.

I love her random observations. Maybe this is what she does in the mirror, and why she takes so long in the bathroom.

Why did you not know that mom!

2008-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have other things to post later but I just wanted to post the conversation I just had with Kaili
Kaili: Mom, on Saturday can we have a rectangular?
Me: A rectangular what?
Kaili: A rectangular.
Me: I'm not sure what you mean? Rectangular is a shape but what is it that is rectangular that you want?
Kaili: (giggle, giggle) Mom, you know!
Me: No I don't(help me out here!)
Kaili: Cereal, mom!
Now why didn't I think of that!

Was that an explosion?

2008-08-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last night I was jolted out of my bed at 3 by what I thought at first was a loud explosion but then heard rumbling and realized it was thunder. A second later Kawika came in and said mom it sounded like a loin roared in my bedroom. Kalei who was already sleeping in my bed(little stinker) got scared and was covering her ears and tried to hide under the covers. The storm stayed right over us for at least 15 minutes, there was not even a second between the lighting and thunder! It was so loud our windows were raddling and the neighbors car alarm went off. Kalani and Kaili slept right through it(I still can't figure out how). I asked Kaili this morning if she heard the storm last night and she said "No I was wide asleep!" Now that's I trick I have yet to see. Even though it was a rude awakening I still love it when it storms here. The rain is one thing I really miss.

You're the mom because. . .

2008-08-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Kalei had a doll in her arms and was bouncing it up and down like she was trying to put it to sleep.
Me: "Kalei you're such a good mom."
Kalei: "No, I'm not the mom! You're the mom!"
Me: "You're right I am the mom."
Kalei: "Yeah, because you give us time outs."
Gee thanks-It really did give me a good laugh! I guess I have a lot to work on! ;)

Scripture Reading and other mishaps. . .

2008-08-22T13:19:00.001-07:00

This is how our scripture reading ended up the other night. I thought it was pretty funny. Hopefully it's the effort that counts.

Kalei came in the other day a little frustrated. I guess this is what happens when a 3 year old tries to brush her hair on her own. She'll keep trying-I'll just have to remember to not let her try with a comb again.
It took a little while to get her out of this mess.

First day of School

2008-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's almost been 2 weeks since the kids went back to school and maybe posting these pictures are almost pointless but I'm still catching up-oh well.

This probably wasn't the best spot for a picture since they are all squinting.

Kawika started 6th grade this year!! Where has the time gone!?
Kalani is in 3rd grade this year.
Kaili started Kindergarten this year!
Kalei ready to take the kids to the bus.
I must say I glad that our family is back to some sort of schedule. The kids seem to be enjoying school and I'm having fun with Kalei.

Yay for grass!

2008-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Our landscaper was so nice and worked really hard to have our yard done by the time I got home from Hawaii! Our front yard used to be rocks and we took them out and replaced it with grass! I love looking out my window at the grass!! They also put in sprinklers and a drip system in the flower bed! Hooray-now I don't have to feel so guilty for forgetting to water my poor flowers!

Sorry this isn't a very exciting post for most of you(probably none of you) but I was so happy to have my front yard re-done!

Camping at Lyman Lake

2008-08-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Kawika and I flew in at midnight from Hawaii. We were so excited to be back with Dave and Kalei. Kalani and Kaili were still Dave's brother up north. So the next day we packed up to go pick up our kids at Jason and Anna's and go camping at Lyman Lake. Dave and Kawika packed for camping while Kalei and I went over to our friends the Prices to help them finish packing up. Over the last few months we have had a few of our friends move and its been really sad. Change is hard and I miss having them close(my kids miss them too). There are too many things that I miss to say but I am glad that our friendships will never change.

We left for Taylor and stayed overnight at Jason and Anna's home. It was so nice of them to take care of our kids! They had so much fun! We were so happy to be back together again as a family! We drove to Lyman Lake and camped for the next few days. Jason and Anna joined us for a couple of days playing in the lake. We had a great time!

The things I loved:

-being with my family again

-nice clean bathrooms-with flushing toilets

-showers-with hot water

-a new cot to sleep on-no more deflated air mattresses

-looking at the stars

-sitting by the fire and eating marshmallows

Things I didn't like:

-BUGS, BUGS and more BUGS-now I know this goes along with camping but come on! They were out of control-like 40 ant hills, centipedes, ginormous beetles, flies galore and too many more to name.

-the muddy lake-it didn't help that I had just come from Hawaii-I don't mind being at the lake I just don't want to swim in it.

The kids enjoyed the ice cream from the little store at the lake

The kids playing with cousins in the lake

Dave and Jason enjoying windsurfing

Kalani even tried it!

So did Kawika!

We had a great time camping this summer!!

Fun in the sun!

2008-08-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went down to Hukilau beach to participate in a Hukilau. A Hukilau is where the community gathers together and a large fishing net is taken out around the bay and everyone would help to pull in the net and then they would divide whatever they caught. I have fond memories of doing this when I was a kid. I was excited for Kawika to have an opportunity to do this.

Sunday we went to the temple to enjoy the peaceful grounds.

Monday was our last full day in Hawaii and Kawika really wanted to go snorkeling. We spent the day on the North Shore again. We went to Sharks Cove-I'm not sure why it has the name it, I've never heard of any sharks in that area or shark attacks. It is a great place to snorkel because there is a rock that creates a protective barrier from the open ocean. There is lots of tide pools to explore and lots of fish to see under the water. We even got to see and eel. I just kept hoping nothing would bite me.

Umm I think Kawika's mask was just a little too tight.
That night we ate at Laie Chop Suey-mmm good!! Nobody makes chinese food like they do! Thanks Lia and Namu for dinner!All in all we had an amazing trip! It was so fun to see familiar faces and old friends! I must say though we had a wonderful time we HATED being away from the rest of our family! In my head I thought 2 weeks-no big deal! Umm. . .think again! I loved being home but some very important pieces were missing-needless to say we loved reuniting with our family once again! Thank you mom, dad, Lia and her family for being so kind and accommodating us in every way! We love and miss you all!

Ho'omaika'ika'i Explorations

2008-08-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

We dropped Kawika off on Sunday afternoon at Kamehameha school for his week long camp. It was hard to drop him off-but I did manage not to cry although I was pretty close to it. It was weird being without any kids for a whole week. I had brought a few books and planned to go to the beach and get a tan. Well that didn't exactly happen-the one day I decided to go it rained on me-that would be my luck! I did have a great week despite not lounging on the beach everyday. I went shopping with my mom and sister, we had a blast! I had a great time relaxing and hanging out with my parents, and my sister and her family. I was even able to do a session at the temple. It was a wonderful experience to be there with my parents! I worried about Kawika all week hoping he was okay and having fun. Friday finally came and we went to pick him up. The kids perform songs and dances that they learn during the week. It was such a neat experience! When we finally sat down and got situated I looked around to see if I could find Kawika, and there in the mass of children I saw him madly waving his arm! He looked just as excited to see us as we were to see him! I could hold back my tears any longer(call me silly or just a mom). I was so happy to see him and I didn't realize until then how much I had missed him! He had this cute grin on all night!We were able to see our friends that we had not seen since we left Hawaii 9 years ago. Ethan and Kawika were best buddies when we lived in Hawaii! It was so nice to see them!
I mentioned earlier that I had fun chatting with some gals on the plane. There were 2 sisters, Tia and I can't remember her sister's name(sorry!) and they were meeting up with the rest of their siblings and 6 cousins who were going to be attending the same camp as Kawika. During our whole trip we keep running into their family-it was funny! What made it more funny was that our parents flew into Hawaii on the same plane too. Their family helps to put on the Arizona Aloha Festival every year. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more them as time goes on! They were all so nice and during the camp Kawika hung out with them a few times and they all seemed to get along so great! Here he is with his Arizona buddies!Thanks family for coming with me, it made it that much more special!

Haleiwa, ono shave ice, and more fun!

2008-08-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Friday we went to Haleiwa(on the North Shore) for a fabulous day of going to the beach,

eating yummy burgers at Kua'aina Burger,
and eating ono shave ice at Matsumoto's-sorry but snow cones here on the mainland just don't compare! You can get ice cream in the bottom-oh my it's heaven! We had so much fun with Pomai and Nalia! Thanks for coming with us girls!
Saturday we went to the Swap Meet and spent lots of money. My mom was so nice to come along and be hot and tired with us. Lilia and her family met us there later and we did a little more shopping and then went to Zippys for an early dinner. They had an lego exhibit there at the mall that we took the kids around to see. It was really amazing. My boys love legos and can spend hours on end building and imagining. Kanamu was so nice and watched the kids for a long time while my mom, sister and I did a little shopping!

Polynesian Cultural Center

2008-08-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

The next few days were spent sight seeing and having fun before Kawika left for the camp(Exploration) on Sunday. Thursday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center(PCC). Thanks again Nue for the tickets!!

We had a lot of fun watching the shows in the villages. The Samoan village is always fun! Here is Cap(yes that is his name) making fire with sticks.
This is what Kawika looked like all day, we had a great time!
Here is another Samoan climbing a coconut tree.
We had fun on a canoe ride. This brought back a lot of memories because Dave used to be a canoe guide during our dating days. I'll have to dig up a picture of him.

Kawika liked throwing spears in the Tongan village!
We had fun going to all of the villages, watching shows and making things. I couldn't get him to try poi in the Hawaiian village though, we'll have to try next time.
One of Kawika's favorite parts of the night show(the big show in the evening) was the fire knife dancers. He was fascinated by it! I must admit it is one of my favorite things to watch too.

Hawaii here we come!!

2008-08-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

We got home on a Monday night and then early Wednesday morning Kawika and I were on a plane to Hawaii(that's right I had one day to get us unpacked and packed again)!!!! Hooray for beautiful beaches, the warm sun(not to warm), family, friends, breath taking scenery, the cool breeze and yummy food(can't forget that-hawaiians really love their food)! We were really sad our whole family could not make the trip. Dave stayed behind with the other kids. My friends were nice enough to let my kids come over and play while Dave was at work. A few days after I left Dave took Kalani and Kaili up to his brothers house in Taylor where they stayed for the next 2 weeks. Kalei got to come back home and stay with Dave(which she absolutely loves-who wouldn't want to have their parents undivided attention for 2 weeks). Thanks to my hubby, Jason and Anna, and all my friends who were so kind to take care of my kids while I was gone! You are all so amazing!

There is a Hawaiian Cultural camp you can only attend the summer after your 5th grade year-so this was Kawika's summer to go. He has not been back since we left when he was 2 1/2. When we got on the plane he was very excited! He looked at me with surprise and excitement in his eyes and said "Mom the wing moved!" Then it dawned on me that he has not been in a plane since he was 4-he really had no memory of it. So sad-but it was cute to see how excited he was to be able to see the clouds and how everything looked like ants from way up there. I got to chat with some really fun gals who happened to be taking their boys to the same camp as Kawika. I think Kawika was getting pretty anxious to get off the plane when he kept asking when we were going to see land. The only thing I was dreading about going back home was the humidity. You feel hot and sticky all the time. You feel like you need a shower right after you get out of one. To my amazement as we got off the plane the weather was absolutely PERFECT! Not hot or muggy-just right! It only lasted for a couple of days but it was worth it!

My cousin and her family were kind enough to pick us up from the airport. Thanks Nue and Marcus! They even had yummy treats for us to eat! Nue told us that they had a keiki(kid) surf club that met that day at the beach and invited us to come. So we went and joined them and hung out with old friends. Kawika had fun paddling around on the surfboard until he cut his toe pretty bad on the reef. Bekah(high school friend) sacrificed her shirt and ripped it up to make a bandage for his toe. I felt so bad, his first in Hawaii and I take him to a rocky spot and he gets all cut up. Sorry buddy! That gash proved to be a pain in more than one way for the rest of the trip.

Trip home

2008-08-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

So this is what we looked like and felt like after our fun filled time in Utah!

Okay, so last summer our good friends told us about the Cache Valley Cheese Factory in Beaver. So on our way up there last summer we stopped and got "squeaky cheese"(cheese curds) and some of their oh so yummy ice cream. So when we planned on coming to Utah again this summer the kids were so excited to stop in Beaver again. Well our drive up wasn't as smooth and so we missed it. So on our way back home we promised the kids that we would stop. It's a couple of hours south of Provo and so here are my kids with eating their ice cream they had been waiting all trip for at 8:30 in the morning. What a good mom I am! Ice cream for breakfast anyone! The kids were in heaven!
Kalani showing off the yummy cheese. When the cheese is fresh it actually squeaks when you chew it. Kind of funny! The kids think it's the best!
This is a random picture of Kalei. It's her favorite funny face to make and it always makes us all laugh. As she does it she says"Do you love me?" Goofy girl!

4th of July

2008-08-10T20:38:00.001-07:00

Instead of camping out to get a good spot for the Provo parade we decided to go and watch the hot air balloons.

It was a pretty cool thing. We got breakfast at McDonald's and sat on a blanket in the field and watched them fill up the balloons and then one by one take off. I guess they actually have competitions-who knew. They had to try and drop things on targets and pop balloons. They would get points for the things they did.

Later that day the husbands took care of the kids and my mom and all of the sisters went down to the Provo craft fair. We had a great time and spent a lot of money. Such cute stuff and yummy food! We just had to try the deep fried oreos! Evil written all over it-that's one way to gain 10 lbs. in only 3 bites! Thank you hubbys for letting us go play! That night we went and watched the fireworks from Stadium of fire in a church parking lot. I just love fireworks. We probably would have gone home and done some our own fireworks but it took us an hour to drive what would usually take us no more than 5 minutes-craziness!!

The next day we went and played at the water park down the street from Kahi's house while the men went shooting! We had so much fun on the water slides and cooling off in the pool!

The next day was Sunday-thank goodness we were pretty worn out by then. We enjoyed a nice day at church and some ono(delicious in Hawaiian) Hawaiian food! We spent the rest of the day packing up and getting ready to leave early the next morning. We were sad to leave but we had a wonderful time! Thanks Kahi and Mike for opening up your home and everyone else we loved spending time with you!

Mini Olympics

2008-08-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Each family planned an activity on one of the days. Dave and I were in charge of the next days activities. We decided to have a Mini Olympics, family baseball game, and a water balloon fight. Here is Dave getting everyone warmed up with stretches.

Our little Olympic parade. The aunties sang the theme song.
The kids decided to dog pile Kawika. He's somewhere under there, you can see him if you look really hard. Ezzie is sitting on his head! The kids had a lot of fun playing and running around. We had a relay race, discus throw, long jump, and shot put with water balloons. The adults even joined in! We had a great time! Once again I relied on Pua to take pictures so we'll have to do another post later.
When we had down time cousins had a great time playing together and adults had fun hanging out. The older kids had a lot of fun with the legos. There an endless amount of pictures with the kids posing in front of their creations they made.

Family Pictures

2008-08-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

That evening a great friend of the family Malia took picture of our crazy bunch. She did an awesome job and we greatly appreciated her willingness to share her time and talents with us. This is the whole clan minus Lia's husband Kanamu who wasn't able to be there-we were sad he couldn't be with us.

My mom and dad with all of the grand kids. I think the crowd behind the camera was funnier to watch than the kids.
My poor dad is so out numbered-I love having sisters!

I had to put this picture up because these 2 were inseparable. It was so cute! They are so much alike and had so much fun playing together. very much girly girls! Kaili misses Nalia!

Let the fun, laughs, craziness, and pure exhaustion begin. . .

2008-08-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

After our fun visit with the Smiths we went to Kahi's. We were so excited to be able to spend a few days with family. Just think of all of the fun to be had in one house with 23 of us! So from our last reunion 3 years ago we all decided that we needed to plan more activities to do. So leave to the Kekauoha girls to over book-it actually worked out well-we didn't get to do everything but we got to do a lot and made some great memories. The first day we went up to American Fork Canyon for some fun. As small rock slide happened just after we got settled at the picnic area. So the pregnant She-ra(Kahi), He-man(Mike), and Shegyver(Nia) went off to clear the road for all of the drivers there in the canyon-so nice.

The kids thought it was pretty cool to see how big the splashes were from the rocks. This one was pretty good-as you probably guessed. Go He-man!!
We went on a very short but steep hike just by the picnic area
Kahi and her sweet little girl Abbi
Lia and her cute little man Helaman-who we also can He-man. He looks a little surprised here-maybe I really do look scary that day :)
Kalei having fun blowing all of the puff balls
My mom's dad was a Biologist at the University of Utah-he mainly studied the Mayfly. They live under rocks in streams so my mom taught all of the kids about them and they looked for them in the stream. The kids had a great time! After our little nature walk and learning about the mayfly we had a delicious lunch and then had a marshmallow war. I didn't take any picture because I was to busy shooting everyone. Pua(our designated photographer) took a bunch of pictures so I'll have to get some from her and post them later. It was so much fun! The kids and adults had a blast! There was a lot of laughing and the kids had fun ambushing the adults!

After the picnic we decided to go do some 4 wheeling. We drove to the upper lake and went through the stream a few times. The kids thought it was so much fun! I think it's a toss up as to who had more fun Dave or the kids!

And the trip continues. . .

2008-08-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

We left Pua's on Tuesday and spent the day in Salt Lake at Temple Square. We were able be there last summer but didn't have time to see everything, so we saw a few more things this time. The sister missionaries did a cool demonstration to show the acoustic of the tabernacle and you really can hear a pin drop.

After seeing the Tabernacle and walking on the grounds we went over to the Pioneer Museum. It was fun to watch my kids reactions to the neat things in there, or new information we found out.
Their favorite section was the kids section of course. There were so many fun things to do.
The older kids loved going to all of the different stations. But Kalei only wanted to play with the babies. They had a cute station where you could dress baby dolls, give them a bath, and play with them. We could not get her away-which was not a bad thing. She is such a little mommy. It is very fun to watch. The only way we could get her to look at the other displays was if she brought all of her baby dolls with her. She couldn't carry 3 so she made Dave carry one and she had the other.
We enjoyed our day downtown and then headed off to my friend Jana's to have dinner with her and our other friend Maile and their kids. Jana and I grew up together and all three of us were friends in high school. I thought I got a picture but apparently I didn't so I 'll have to get one from one of them later. It was so fun to visit with them and catch up on life. We don't get to see each other often enough. Their kids are so cute, fun and grown up! Maile's girls kept us laughing and Izzy was so cute! Thanks for having us Jana and Maile!

Then it was off to see the Smiths who recently moved which we are very sad about that but we were excited to see them again. And once again I didn't get any pictures, what was up with me that day! Rachelle actually did get a couple of pictures which she put on her blog. It was so fun to visit and we just picked up from where we left off. We miss having them here in so many ways! Thanks for the fun visit!! Sorry we keep you up so late!

Then it was off to Kahi's house!!

The beginning of our Utah trip. . .

2008-08-06T11:04:00.001-07:00

My family planned a reunion this summer up in Utah. My parent stopped here to visit on their way up to Utah, so a few days after my parents left we left too. We usually break up the drive and stay overnight somewhere but couldn't do that this time. It wasn't that bad except for the fact the we stopped so many times that it seemed to take FOREVER! Kalani also managed to lose it all in the back seat. Poor thing! Although we couldn't figure out how he didn't get one speck of the stuff on him. He was spotless, the car wasn't. Enough said about that. We went up to my sister Pua's to stay for a couple of days before we were to meet in Provo for the reunion. We had so much fun playing at their house. We cooked smores one night! Yummy!

We went swimming at the rec center. The kids loved the whirl pool and slides.

The kids spent a lot of time playing the Wii together and had a blast. It's a good thing they're smart enough to figure these games out because I sure am no help!
Kalei and Koa riding together while my sweet husband washed all of the cars.
We had so much fun hanging out together. We also had fun hanging out with Aunty Nana who doesn't live too far from Pua! The kids always have a blast with her and we love her so much! Thanks for having us Pua and Matry! We love you guys!

Ketchup time once again!

2008-08-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well were do I begin?! It seems like forever since my last post. Being home only 2 days out of the whole month doesn't really work well for updating my blog.

My parents came to visit on June 19 and we were so excited to have them! And it not just because they bring us yummy treats and surprises from home-although that is a great bonus! We didn't do a lot since it was blazin hot outside as usual! We did manage to get to the pool one night which was a lot of fun! Sorry I didn't really get any good ones except this one of my parents!

My kids love reading with Grandma!

We also took a day trip up to Sedona, which my mom has always wanted to see. The plan was to go to Slide rock but since there was a 45 min wait just to get in the parking lot we scratched that idea. We parked on the side of the road and hiked down to the stream.
Dave and the kids had a lot of fun swimming and exploring while I stayed on shore with my parents. Someone had to keep them company! I have issues with lakes and rivers-I'll go into that in a later post.
Something got Kalani!!! They found a crawdad claw and Kalani was pretty proud of this little trick he managed to do! What talent!

Flagstaff

2008-06-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

Dave and I had the opportunity to hike through a lava tube in Flagstaff. I get claustrophobic and was worried about going down in there but it actually wasn't bad at all. It opens up and it one spot the ceiling is 30 feet high. When we got down there we turned off our flashlights and you could feel the darkness. I couldn't even see my hand if front of my face.

Then we went and rode the ski lift at Snow Bowl. The views were breathtaking. The entire ride was 50 minutes and it was so relaxing.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Kawika had a great idea to put on a carnival for Father's Day!

Kawika was in charge of the balloon dart board.
Dave was only 100 off. That's pretty good in my book.
Kaili had Dave bobbing for apples. And Kalei had a ring toss for Dave to win a boat load of soda(the kids were very excited-since most of the time they only get good old water)
After each game Dave got a prize. The kids loved being in charge of a particular game and getting everything ready for it. It was a fun time!

THE DADS WE LOVE!!!

2008-06-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

I know this is late-but better late than never! I am so grateful for the wonderful husband I have. He is the most amazing father. I learn from him each day on how to be a better parent. He is so much fun and is always making us laugh. He makes each one of our children feel special! He is patient, kind and insightful! We love and appreciate who you are and all you do!

The other dad in my life has taught me so much. My dad is the silent type that teaches by example. The one thing that stands out the most about my dad is he was willing to help anyone and everyone. He was always helping the neighbor, or the aunty down the road , or decorating for a wedding, feeding all the missionaries and half of the BYU-H student body. He has the biggest heart and best of all he loves his family and the Lord! Thanks dad! We love you!

And the update continues. . .

2008-06-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to post anything about my birthday but I did want to mention what fabulous family and friends I have. It started out with the most yummy dozen doughnuts from Mindy at 7 am, followed by fun calls, then beautiful flowers and the most delightful truffles from my visiting teachers. I had a great time talking to my family throughout the day and my friends made such a delicious lunch!! It was so fun just to hang out and enjoy all of their company!! Thanks ladies, it helped me to have a great day! Another great surprise was to get to have Rachelle join us for lunch via web cam!! It was the best surprise ever! I truly have some of the most thoughtful friends and they each bless my life so much!!

School got out on May 22nd(also my almost twin Kahi's birthday-haha). The kids were very excited to say the least. Both boys had fabulous teachers this year! Kawika had a great year and was able to participate in the Spelling Bee, this is his 3rd year in a row. He really enjoys it and did awesome! Kalani had an equally great year. He was a great student and enjoyed recess with his friends. His favorite past time was shooting 3 pointers on the court. He kept track all year and racked up 321 of them. This boys loves competition. He has a very mellow personality but when he is determined watch out. Kaili had a fun time attending a Pre -K program and she can't wait to start kindergarten. She amazes me everyday with the things she knows!! I have had a lot of fun spending one on one time with Kalei. She is a funny girl! The other day she got a new stuffed bunny as a prize for the Summer Reading Program and I asked her what it's name was. She promptly replied "ribbit, ribbit"(maybe I need to work on animal sounds with her). We all got a good laugh. She is cute and growing everyday.

The next week Dave went on a week long camp out with the Young Men and I took the kids up to Taylor to visit cousins at Dave's brothers house. We have so much fun when we go up there. I usually don't see them unless their hungry or it's time for bed. We enjoyed relaxing and cousins had a blow up water slide the the kids played on all day and have peeling sunburns to prove it(no pictures because Dave had the camera-we'll get some next time). We came home just in time for playoff games for baseball and then cousins were able to come down a few days later and they had more fun(and the moms were just worn out!). Dave got back from his camp out but had leave for Girls camp a fews days later. I thought he would be camped out but he very excited as we all are to go camping as a family this year.

Since all of this we have been hanging out and were able to work on the yard this past weekend(hooray!) The flower boxes have flowers and the yard doesn't have as many weeds and hopefully in a few weeks grass should start sprouting in our front yard. Okay, sorry this was a long post but I think we are up to date now. Whew! I guess this will teach me to be more consistent-haha!

Boys, bats, and baseballs

2008-06-06T22:49:00.001-07:00

Baseball season has come to an end for now, just in the nick of time as temperatures are starting to rise. The boys love playing baseball and are out in the back yard every chance they get. Dave was able to coach Kalani's team this year and they had a lot of fun. I didn't do a very good job at getting picutures of the boys, I spent more time taking video(which I still have to get off the video camera and on to the blog) or gabbing with the other fun moms there. Sorry boys!

Here is one of Kalani as the catcher(thanks Jennifer and Michael)

Kawika played on the Astros in the minor league(kid pitch). He really enjoyed having the opportunity to pitch and play first base. His team had a great season and came in 2nd place!! Way to go boys!!!!

Kawika with his team!

Despite the craziness of having two different sets of games to go to on top of everything else we had a lot of fun!!! Boys it was so fun to watch you play and cheer you on!

Lots to catch up on!

2008-06-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know I said I wasn't going to be a blogger slacker but as many of you know I'm not very consistent. I do good for a little bit and then my determination fizzles. Yes I know this is a problem that needs to be fixed-obviously still working on it. So here is my update for the last little while. I'm going to do it over the next few days.

On May 17 I took Kaili to a ballet version of Peter Pan. One of Dave's students was performing in it and Kaili has been really into this ballet thing since I signed her up for classes with a few friends. She loved the play! It was so fun to spend some one on one time with her. She is so fun, very girly and loves to talk. I haven't heard her talk so much in a long time probably because she is always having to compete for my attention. She apparently has a lot on her mind. It was so fun to just listen to her, sometimes she says the most random things that just makes us laugh. Like a long time ago she told me that she and her friend Eliza wanted to be ice cream truck drivers when they grow up. What aspirations I have inspired in my children. I asked her why- thinking it would be somewhere along the lines of being able to eat ice cream whenever she wanted to-but no it was because she wanted to be able to give ice cream to all of the kids-she really does have a sweet heart. This fun night out with my daughter just reaffirmed how important it is to spend time and have "moments" with each of my children. I have been so blessed!!

The next week was the last week of school(I'll post about that later)-all I can way was it was a little CRAZY but a good kind of crazy. The Saturday after school was out Kaili had her ballet recital and it was so fun to watch her. I still haven't figured out how to post a video but when I do I will put a clip of her recital up. She loves to dance and does it all the time. She doesn't just put her clothes away- she twirls to get there. She leaps, twirls and dances her way around all day. If I call her she comes in spinning and says "what mom?". It's fun to watch but sometimes I must admit I'm like okay just come here. Grouchy mom!

Here she is with her stage makeup on. Her friend said she looked like a woman-should I be worried?

Here she is with her cute friends from the ward who also took ballet. They all did such a great job!

With dad and the other kids(I could not get Kalei to look at me or smile)

Kaili you did such a great job and we love watching you dance!

Just what the Doctor ordered!!

2008-05-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!! I must say I am so grateful for my mom! She has taught me by the way she lives her life where true happiness comes from! And that by prayer, faith, and trust everything always works out! I am also so grateful to have an amazing mother in law(that sounds weird I just call her mom too)! She has inspired us to strive to live better and to trust Heavenly Father! We love them both more than words can say! Happy Mother's Day moms!

This year we knew Sunday would be extra busy so we celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday at our house!

This is what I woke up to-

I didn't know doctors still made house calls. As they were waking me up I heard Dave say "Yup she doesn't look so good. I think she's sick." Each of the doctors proceeded to check me out and unanimously agreed that I was not doing well and that they were giving orders to stay in bed and rest all day. It was as Kaili described it "Happy Sick Day!" Dave took my canning lids and poked a hole, stuck a brad through them and attached them to ribbon-very official doctor looking stuff. They each had and instrument to check the patient with-Kawika had a stethoscope, Kalani had a breathing thingamajigger(very technical name I know), Kaili had a thermometer, and Kalei had pills(yummy whopper candy) for me to take.

Here is Kaili checking my temperature!

Kawika was very concerned because he couldn't find my heartbeat!

Here are all of the doctors!(Kalei's light even came on-haha)

What a fun bunch of kids and a great husband!! I had a great day! They cleaned the house while I was on bed rest-they even bought me a craft magazine to read so I wouldn't get bored!

Dave said the idea came after our whole family was sick at Easter. After taking care of so many sick people for so long I had a pity party and told Dave that I just wanted to be sick for one day and have someone take care of me! They surely did and it was wonderful! The best part was I didn't even have to deal with any of the sick stuff-I just got to relax and play!

The Art of TPing

2008-05-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

We've been working on the potty training thing for a while and Kalei is getting much better. I sent her to use the bathroom the other night and when I cam back to check on her this is what I found. Is this a sign of things to come- perhaps the neighbors yard when this child is a teenager? I guess she has to start somewhere! She said she was hiding the stool. I guess I can be grateful that all the TP(she finished the roll) didn't end up in the toilet and cause a major mess!

P.S. Don't mind my nasty linoleum(is that how you spell it?) floor it doesn't look clean no matter how hard I scrub it(I guess I can't lie I should say no matter how hard my husband scrubs it! He just really is too nice to me!)

Excited for summer!!

2008-05-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

The other day as I was working on the computer and the girls went exploring in the house and found our huge beach umbrella and all of the beach and pool toys. They were so excited and put on their swimsuits and played under that umbrella forever! They were so cute! We had a picnic lunch and enjoyed talking about the fun things we can do this summer, namely swim. Poor Kalei can't understand when she can't go to the pool yet! The Arizona heat will come soon enough!

My bathing beauties! I laugh every time I see this! They giggled a lot at each other too.

We're excited school will be out soon and we can have fun going to the pool and having fun together! Hopefully this lame mom can come up with a few exciting things to do!

How old were you?

2008-05-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

We were taking our kids to our date night babysitting group(which we love) and Kawika was telling Kalani that he was 11 when he had done something(I can't remember what it was).
Kalani - "Are you sure you were 11 and not 10?"
Kawika - "Well maybe I was in my late tens."
I looked at Dave and kind of smirked.
Kawika - "What's so funny?"
Which made me giggle even more.
Kawika - "People say late twenties!"
Dave - "That means like 28."
Kawika - "Oh, then I guess it was my late ones."
That made us all cracked up, especially Kalani who was laughing as hard as my mom does! It's so fun laugh with them! I don't do it often enough!

Blog Slacker

2008-04-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know I haven't posted for a little bit. At first I was like well there is nothing to blog about, just the same old stuff goin on. Then I got a message from my 2 cute sisters reminding of what a blog slacker I am. You girls are too funny! So this is an attempt to get better at this.

This past weekend Dave and the boys left late Thursday night after Kawika's baseball game to the Father and Sons Campout. They were so excited! Dave took pictures on his cell phone and I still need to figure out how to get those(my middle name is technically challenged). They had a blast getting dirty, riding quads, swimming in a cool swimming hole, and staying up all night playing games and eating candy(Dave is usually the first one out!)! When they got back my car smelled like a camp fire! They had a great time and there weren't any catastrophes(like the year Dave sliced his finger pretty bad, Kalani fell in a cactus, Kawika had a big goose egg on his head, and they locked they keys in the trunk-I can't believe it happened all in one trip). They boys came back happy and filthy!
Saturday night Dave and I went out to celebrate our 12th anniversary!! Where does the time go!!?? We had the yummiest dinner at Olive Garden. On Sunday morning (our actual anniversary) I woke up a bunch of gifts that came in dozens.

A dozen of these beauties!

Just a warning this can get mushy but the gifts were so cute I had to brag about my wonderful husband a little bit!
I had to wait 12 minutes between opening my presents and each one came with a cute note.

The note said Don't you know the best things come in 12-

A calendar with a sweet treat for every month of the year

A dozen eggs-"You are 'eggsactly' what I needed!"

A dozen kisses-hershey that is-yummy cookies and creme

A dozen donut holes-"You fill the 'holes' in my life"

A ruler-"There is no way to 'measure' my love for you"

A cute desk clock-"I love you every hour of the day"

12 dollars-"Money can't buy the type of love we have"

The kids and I had a lot of fun opening the gifts. The kids were cute and sung Happy Anniversary song to us to the tune of Happy Birthday and even made a card for us! It was a great day! I am so grateful for the amazing husband I have and that we get to spend eternity together!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAWIKA!!!

2008-04-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Okay so my little boy is not so little any more and I am feeling a little old-okay a lot! We celebrated his birthday this past weekend by taking him to a Diamond Back baseball game with a few friends. Dave and I had a lot of fun with 5 boys especially as they sang "We are the champions. . ." at the top of their lungs while we entered the parking garage. The parking attendant looked a little concerned.

They got free hats and pom poms (Ren, Matt, Kyle, Kawika, and Kalani hiding behind Wika. He didn't want anything to do with the wigs.)

We all had way too much sugar and sunflower seeds, but isn't that what it's all about? The Diamond Backs won 10-3 and because they had more than 8 runs everyone got a coupon for a free chalupa from Taco Bell, which we stopped and got on our way home! Kawika is an awesome kid and I could not survive without all of his fabulous help! He loves baseball, basketball, legos, reading, and hanging with his dad!