Private Surfing Lessons With Daddy

Oscar turns 30!!!

We had such a GREAT time celebrating Oscar's birthday last month with our good friends, Roger and Jill! Thanks Rog for all the work that you did putting the "party" together! Jill also has a Halloween Birthday (so unique!) so we all celebrated together! Here are just a few pics. I love you baby - you are finally in your 30's!


The Hawaiian tradition is give a lei to the birthday boy. (He took it off right after this picture was taken)



The birthday kids


The four of us


Oscar's co-workers

The Morning After!

First thing the kids did when they woke up was run to the candy. I love their morning faces!

Trick or Treat!

Zek's first candy after Trick or Treating


Geni's first candy - lollipop


Ki's first candy - See's Candy Stick


At the Kahala Mall - getting as much candy as possible


Ki found a look-a-like Batman and of course, I had to take a picture!

Pics Before Trick or Treating

Big Pink Poodle

Lil' Isty Bitsy Spider

Ki's Halloween Parade

One of my favorite things about being a "stay- at -home -mom" is that I get to go to all the school functions and parties. Ki loves it when I come to his school for any little reason so he was excited to see me back after droppingGeni off at preschool. Of course, I had to come take pictures of him walking around in the parade. He is getting so big and it's so fun to watch him with his friends.

Carving Pumpkins!

I love carving pumpkins! It reminds me of when I was little. So... in pursuit of making memories we did it all, including roasting the seeds. The kids love it and someday on their blogs they will be posting how they washed, roasted, and salted the seeds.

Our New Camera

Oscar and I had to buy a new camera - since our really nice one was stolen :( but didn't want to pay hundreds of dollars so we went looking for something small but nice. He was very excited to see a great deal on a waterproof camera. I liked the fact that it was pretty cheap, small, and simple. Since we are constantly in the water with the kids, this was perfect. That same afternoon we took it in the pool and these are some pics that we got. I think the pictures turned out pretty clear and the kids loved getting pictures of themselves swimming around. We can't wait to take it out in the Big Blue!

The Pumpkin Patch

Well there aren't many choices to pick a pumpkin here on O'ahu - in fact - it's Aloun Farms real pumpkin patch or the supermarket! So over to the west side we went in search of the pumpkin patch. It was very hot and dusty but the kids had a great time finding a pumpkin and then going on a pony ride.

My Dad

I'm so proud of my dad! He works so hard and whatever he does, he is successful. God continues to bless him in his work. He has always been very involved with the BIA and is now going to be sworn in as President of the Building Industry Association of Southern California. Wow! Check out the link. Love you Daddy.

http://www.buildingindustryshow.com/EV-BISevents.php

Swimming

It's funny how things are so crazy at times I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water and then there are times that I'm actually feeling on top of the world! As I think about the difference between the two, one thing keeps coming to mind - God. When I'm in tune with Him and trust Him for every single little detail of my life (like finding our missing car keys) then no matter what happens, I'm indestructible. When I take my eyes off Jesus, I start to sink. There really is a deep hole in our souls that only Jesus can fill. I love just letting go and enjoying life. I love leaving the house (even though there may be laundry to do) and taking the kids to the museum just for fun. I love having a Friday night where nothing is planned but just hanging out as a family. What a joy it was to eat dinner, play games, and watch movies tonight. Thank you Jesus for loving us and blessing us, even with the little things!

Changes

So many changes lately...
I decided to make a few changes again. I love doing this. I don't consider myself creative at all but I like to "borrow" ideas from others :) Our lives are all about changes. The kids grow and change everyday. God changes us from within. We grow as a family in our ideas, thoughts, and just life. I love changing!

It's been so long!

Again...I have let time pass from me. My last post was in March! now it's July!! Wow. Where do I begin. So many things have happened since then! I've been contemplating whether I go back and update everything or just start from today. It's overwhelming to even think about it. Let me just highlight a few things we've done since March.
* My mother -in-law came to visit and made all kinds of Mexican dishes for us to enjoy. You could smell the aroma like none other when you stepped out of the elevator. Oscar's older brother, Miguel, and his wife, Melanie, also came to the island. We had a great time all hanging out as family.
* Just a few days later, my brother and his oldest daughter, Hanna, came to visit! We were pleasantly surprised to have them here and had a great time showing them around the island. We were able to spend my 31st birthday together!
* Ki graduated from Preschool and we registered him for kindergarden. He will start in August.
* Genesis turned 3! For her birthday she wanted to go shopping! Two of her best friends, Abby and Naomi, joined us for manicures and pedicures and then dinner and icecream.
* Zek turned 1! We celebrated his first birthday with a Hawaiian tradition Luau. My parents came, Oscar's little sister, Cynthia, and Miguel and Melanie came back again to all help us celebrate along with our wonderful friends.
* We've had many days at the beach, hiking, hanging out with friends, and just watching the sunset from our lanai.
Well, if I posted pictures of everything, you would never have time to go through them, so tomorrow I plan on posting just a few special ones. And I promise...I will keep more on top of things, updating you on our crazy life!

Honolulu Festival

I'm positive that Hawaii wins for having the most parades!! It's crazy - there is always some parade going on for some special king or festival. It's great and now that we are 31 floors up we can tell when the main street is about to close for another parade. Well, for the Honolulu Festival we decided to hang out at the beach (what's new?) and then watch the parade. Our good friends, Roger, Jill, Kennedy, Tommy, and Isabelle joined us. We always love hanging out with you guys!