Beto is here!

Oscar's little brother, Beto, is here visiting us and we are so excited to see him! They haven't seen each other since January so it's been real fun watching them together. One thing that Oscar has really missed since we moved here is watching soccer and sports news en espanol together. Beto used to come over a lot and watch games, play with the kids, and just hang out and eat all my food! That's ok - I'm not complaining (he actually bought dinner for us tonight!) Ki even said that he couldn't wait to watch Shark Week and eat pica chips (hot cheetos) with Tio. It's been great having him here and showing him around since it's his first time in Hawaii. He loves the water just as much as Oscar so we've been to the beach 3 days out of 3! Hmmm...maybe he'll want to move out here with us! The only thing is...we miss Tia!

Trying out the moped!


What more can you ask for?


Opening up presents from Lita and Tia!


Hanging out on the raft


Oscar and Beto on the board.


We love you, Tio!

Ki's First Day of School

Ki was so excited for his first day of Preschool. He got a haircut, a new outfit, and a "suitcase backpack". Oscar took the morning off to walk him to school with us and also to pick him up! It was so great that Amma was here for this special day. We started the day off with chocolate donuts and lime chiffon cake from Liliha Bakery (very famous bakery down the street from us). Then we walked to school, found his classroom and took a picture with his teacher (Mrs. Carolyn) and said good-bye! He just gave us kisses and hugs and waved bye! What a big boy! We picked him up right before lunch so we were able to walk over to McDonalds for Chicken McNuggets! For dinner I asked Ki what he wanted me to make for his special day and he said, "grilled chicken, brown rice, and green beans" so that's exactly what I made! Mom was happy to see that he put vinegar all over his green beans (a Klinger tradition). The kids went to bed early and Oscar, Mom and I made a Kona Coffee Shake run and watched a movie - how fun!

Ready for School - Good Shepherd Preschool


Mommy and Daddy are so proud!


Little sister is proud too!


Can we play at school too?


Teacher made Amma get in the family picture for the class wall!


Mrs. Carolyn

Zek getting a tan!

We were so excited when we went to Sam's Club and saw a raft that we had really wanted on sale! I guess they are trying to get rid of their summer things (I don't know why - isn't it always summer here?!), so we bought one of the last ones! Wow, am I glad Oscar talked me into it - it was a blast and perfect for our family - all the kids could get on and it was safe. At first we had their life jackets on but they felt stiff and uncomfortable so we took them off and they were jumping around without a care in the world! Even Zek hopped on! This was Zek's first time in the ocean and we are proud to say that it happened at Lanikai Beach - the #1 beach in all of Hawaii! Look at my three beach babies!

Waikiki Sunset

One night Mom and I took the kids down to Waikiki to watch the sunset, play in the sand, and go out for dinner. So far, every time Mom has come, we have taken a picture of us two on the beach. That was a fun night!

We did it! We jumped off the rock!

For Labor Day we woke up early and headed out to Waimea Bay and we did it! We jumped off the rock! Even Mom jumped and I have proof! We had a great time with lots of friends. The Fongs, the Hays, and the Homesleys joined us for the day! The water is always beautiful there and we can't wait to go back!

Sunset on the Beach

Sunday evening we met up with our friends Roger and Jill and their kids (Kennedy, Tommy, and Isabelle) to watch "Horton Hears a Who" on the beach at Waikiki. We went a little early so Oscar could surf with Tommy and Kennedy who both did great for just learning not too long ago. After a little surfing, they did a little jumping off the pier, then we had dinner, shave ice, and watched the movie! We always have a great time with the Fongs and I'm glad that my mom had a chance to hang out and get to know them too!

Sea Life Park

We decided to finally go to Sea Life Park since my mom is here. We have drove past it several times but never actually gone in - with my mom here to help, we have a reason to go and actually enjoy it! We all really liked it! The kids loved the huge tank with turtles, sting rays, and even White Tip Sharks! The dolphin show was pretty good too! After visiting the park for several hours, we drove around the island showing mom some other spots on the Windward side. We stopped for Spanish rice and Pastele that was being sold on the side of the road - it was good! After that we stopped for shave ice and Sandy Beach then headed for home - we were exhausted!

Surprise!

Surprise!  Mom's coming on Friday!  Yeah - we can't wait!  My mom called and said she had some news and when I called her back she said that she got a ticket to come out and see us.  She will be here in two days!  I'm very excited because it was such a surprise and I really miss her but try not to let it show (don't want to make it harder for her).  I wish my dad could come too but I'm happy to have at least one of them!  This will be her 4th time out in 7 months!  

Best Mexican Food in Hawaii!

A couple of things keep us from going out to eat - 1) the prices 2) the kids 3) the Mexican food just isn't that great! So, tonight, because I love my husband sooo much, I decided to make his favorite - sopes! It's pretty messy and uses a lot of pots that I have to wash afterwards, but he's worth it!  Thanks to Lita, I was able to make his special (very hot) salsa to top it off.   He always helps me cook sopes, so it's fun to be in the kitchen together.  They turned out really good and we were all stuffed afterwards!

The Zoo at Night

HMSA (Oscar's work) had an employee appreciation day at the zoo. It didn't start until the evening and went until 10:00 so the kids were excited to go to the zoo at night. All of the animals were sleeping! But HMSA did a very good job at entertaining us. There were all kinds of things to do for the kids, the food was yummy, and of course they had shave ice and kettle corn. It made for a late night but we had a great time!