Family!!

We're Home!

Just a quick post to say that we are home! We had such a wonderful time in California with our friends and family. I absolutely loved hanging out with my brother and his family. His kids are growing up so quickly and it was so much fun to play with them. We are going to miss them all very much. Of course we loved being with Tio and Tia too and watch them interact with the kids giving them hugs and besitos! I could have stayed another 2 weeks but like always, it's nice to get back to the routine of home. Oscar goes back to work tomorrow and Ki goes back to school. Back to reality. Thanks Lita for all the yummy food and good times! Thanks Daddy and Mama for the "hotel suite" in your house and putting up with the loud noises of kids running, laughing, and crying. I know they are going to miss waking up early and jumping in bed with you. I already miss you just thinking about it. Well, I will post pictures of everything when I have more time! (Back to laundry and unpacking!)

Lita's House

Well, we arrived Saturday morning around 7:00 and my mom and dad came to pick us up - we went straight to their house to unload our things and "freshen up". Our first trip was to my brother's house to see the cousins! It was great seeing them again - they have all grown so much in the last 10 months! I call Abbie my twinie because that's exactly what I looked like when I was 6. After hanging out with them for a while we went straight to Oscar's mom's house - we call her Lita because that's short for Abuelita (grandma) and when Ki was little, all he could say was "Lita" and now that's her name! Well, Lita and everyone else was happy to see us - Oscar and his mom hadn't seen eachother for almost a year! She made sopes for us and my parents (they loved them!) and we just hung out and talked. Later in the afternoon we starting smelling someone bbq-ing and Lita said she was hungry just smelling it and I agreed so we decided to get out the carne asada, cebollas, frijoles, arroz, tortillas, and tequila! It was great! Oscar and I haven't had Mexican food in so long and the absolute best Mexican food is Lita's food - and my parents agreed (they kept going back for seconds, thirds, and I think even fourths!) We ended up having a great time and the best part was that our families were having fun together. I loved being able to share this time with my parents to show them what happens "on the other side of the family". I'm so proud of both of our families and the heritage and culture that we can share with our kids! Ok, now I'm getting sentis!

California!!!

We made it! We were counting down the days for our California vacation and now we are here - it feels soooo good to be with our families again - we missed them so much! It was pretty crazy getting over here. First, our flight was canceled and we were put on a different flight leaving at a similar time along with everybody else on our plane. After having a complete search of our suitcases and a pat down (they even patted down Ki) we got to the gate and realized that it was going to be a packed flight. We were worried that we might not get seats together so Oscar went to find out about our new seats. The next thing I knew - he was telling me that we were boarding - First Class!!! I couldn't believe it. I hope our flight gets canceled on the way back too! We had spacious seats and were completely catered to. We got food and drinks for us and the kids for free. We were given headphones and warm towels - it was just amazing! The kids slept the whole time (all of them) but Oscar and I didn't sleep at all - maybe it was just too exciting!

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday Baby!

Well, ever since we had our babies - Oscar's birthday has turned into a day for the kids! This year he chose to go to Bishop Museum to celebrate with the kids and we had a lot of fun! The museum was decorated really neat and the kids were able to get LOTS of candy. We decided to have birthday candy instead of birthday cake! Happy 29th Birthday Baby!!!

Ezekiel turns 4 months!

Little Zek is now 4 months old and growing bigger every day! He is such a joy for all of us and I look at his little smiley face and thank God for another blessing! I bought baby cereal so he will start soon (as soon as we find the highchair pieces that are stored away in our shed). I can't wait to see his face when I put that first spoonful in his little mouth! Well, he sits up with support, rolls over from back to tummy, and gets up on his hands. He found his ears so he is constantly trying to grab them and keeps scratching them. Even when I cut his nails he somehow scratches himself. Because he is such a big boy now, we are getting rid of the baby bath and putting him in with the big kids!!

Shark Bytes!

Well, so much has gone on lately that I can't keep up on the blog but tonight we had some great family time and I actually have a little bit of energy so I decided to upload these pictures. We went to a short seminar called "Shark Bytes" put on by the public libraries. Shark expert, Gerald Crow, is a scientific researcher who serves on the Hawaii Shark Task Force and has been on Discovery Channel's Shark Week. He and journalist/ photo- grapher, Jennifer Crites, gave a presenta- tion on different sharks and even brought a jaw of a tiger shark for the kids to see and feel. Ki LOVED it and afterwards we checked out all the books on sharks that we could find. We even checked out the book written by the two authors, Sharks and Rays of Hawai'i.

Zek Laughing

I know He is very cute!!

Last weekend as I was working on a new video, I saw the kids dancing so I pick up my camera and got some groovy footage. We are not too sure where Ki pick up the dance moves but he sure does have some rhythm!

Ki Turns 4!

Ok, so I know I haven't posted in a while (just trying to catch up on house work and sleep lately) but I had to post today since it was Ki's birthday! We had a great day! In the morning Ki and Geni each got a present and then a special breakfast (Orange Rolls - a favorite of Ki's) then off to school. Geni and I stayed at school for a while and played with Ki during their outside play time. It was fun watching him interact with the other kids and I think he really enjoyed Mommy and Sister being there with him. Geni and I left for about an hour and then came back to have snack with the class. They sang the "Happy Birthday" song and had a special birthday crown to wear. Another friend had a birthday yesterday so they celebrated together. After we picked Ki up from school we came straight home to make his birthday cake. A tradition I started with the kids was to help make their own cake - it's fun for them and they get to lick the bowl when we're done! Daddy came home, we had dinner, and then we let him open one more present - a bike helmet. He kinda wondered why he was getting a bike helmet but then we told him to go outside and surprise...a new big boy bike was waiting for him. He was very surprised and maybe a little confused! To the park we rode! We then came home and frosted the cake. He wanted a chocolate cake with rainbow frosting (he is studying colors at school and even made tie die shirts!) so I got out the food coloring and together we frosted it rainbow style. It was a lot of fun and despite the way it looked, it was yummy. Then the rest of the presents. He always gets one from Daddy, one from Mommy, and one from Sister - the rest were all from Grandpa and Grandma which came in a big box today! Perfect timing. Well, it was a packed day and we are all exhausted! Just think 4 years ago I was in the hospital holding my first baby and feeling the love for the first time as I looked in his big brown eyes. Now I look in Zek's eyes and can't believe that God could actually give me something so precious! Three babies and my love doesn't run out. It's hard to imagine that God loves us more than that and he actually sacrificed His own son to have a relationship with us. Thank you Jesus for your love and forgiveness and for letting us experience a little bit of you with our own kids!

September 29, 2008