catching up with ahonui

this little boy has been quite the busy bee lately, which is ironic because he is not the type of kid that enjoys having a tight schedule.

he needs to wake up early each morning to get himself ready for school, eat breakfast, and make his lunch for the day.  (I've done away with buying him school lunch...he's a VERY picky eater so all he consumes is the fruit and milk!  what a waste of $2.25 every day.  that's $45/month!  so he now has the responsibility to make and bring his own home lunch.)  sometimes he has to walk all the way home when school is done. when he gets home, the first thing he's supposed to do is his homework. this usually includes reading a chapter from "sideways stories from wayside school" and math.

I'm guessing that all his "hard work" has paid off, because he was finally chosen to be super citizen for the month of April in his first grade class!  it was his last chance to be super citizen for the year and this boy pulled it off.  whether he was chosen by default or by hard work, I'm proud of him.

 

on tuesdays & thursdays he had baseball practice at the cricket field, and on wednesdays & saturdays he had games at hauula elementary school's baseball field.  when brandon & i told him that we signed him up for the baseball season, he cried.  i mean literally cried and threw a fit. i had to calm him down and explain to him that nobody on the team really knew how to play, and they would all be new to the game, so he didn't need to worry.  the coaches would help him.  he seemed to feel better and he did awesome this season!  even though he dragged his feet every time i told him to get ready for practice or a game, he'd give it his all while on the field.  this past saturday was his final game of the season and we are SO SOOO proud of him for sticking it out!!

a few weeks ago, laie elementary held their may day program.  each grade performed dances from different countries around the world, and the first grade performed mexico.  when he told us that he'd be SALSA dancing, i couldn't help but giggle thinking of his dancing skills (or lack of).  when he finally got onstage with his dancing partner, he did amazing!  he seemed to remember all the moves and he didn't have any stage fright at all.  once again - proud mama hen status here.

and very soon summertime will be upon us...which means he can set aside his busy bee schedule and make room for free time and hot, sunny beach days!!  we love our sweetheart of a son.

the boy is 7!

our first born turned 7 on january third.  the old saying, "it seems like yesterday when they were born..." doesn't really apply here because i feel like we've been through a lot since ahonui was a little one, but time surely does fly.  next thing you know, he'll be getting baptized, graduating high school, getting married, and having babies of his own! gaaah!!
 

to celebrate his special day a little differently (because we usually just have cake & ice cream in our living room...) we invited a bunch of his cousins and a school friend to chuck-e-cheese!  this was officially his first "friend only" party where he didn't have aunties/uncles/grandparents/older cousins, etc. celebrating with him.  and he seemed to enjoy the company from his similar-age peers.

i wanted to make it easy on the parents for the children that we invited, so we packed them all up in our van and drove them to pearl city for the birthday festivities.  i assumed that it would be a hefty responsibility to haul a load of kids to town, supervise them as they run wild with pocketfuls of coin tokens and then stuff themselves with of pizza and cake for several hours...and boy, i was right.  even though all the kids were actually very well behaved and fairly easy to manage, i don't think i'll sign up to take on a bunch of 5-8 year olds again anytime soon (especially while being 8 months pregnant - lol!)

and so my handsome continues to get older, grow taller, and tug on my heart strings a little more each year.  but for now i'm going to revel in his willingness to hold my hand, give me kisses in front of his friends, and cuddle close to me at night.  we love you, ahonui!!

stay-cation: fall break 2013

ahonui had fall break from school all last week until Monday.  we didn't wanna waste ahonui's free time with television, or sitting around the house.  noSIREEbob.  so brandon requested to use his vacation time during the entire week...and what the heck, i requested to be off for the last few days of the week too!

on monday he was invited to his cousin ava's bday party in kapolei.  he spent the entire day with cousins traveling the island, doing artsy crafts at the party (thanks aunty ange & uncle tane), then treated to the movies watching "cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2" (thanks to uncle marcus & aunty nue)!  love when his days are filled with brain improvement activities and social situations.

i had my prenatal appointment on wednesday when we were able to see baby on the ultrasound.  after we found out that baby is a boy, brandon & i wanted to celebrate and thought it was perfect timing for a date night!  my faaaavorite.  so we watched "gravity", ate at ninja sushi, and topped the day off with a trip to walmart.  because a peaceful, kid-less, walmart excursion is a date in itself.  you can't deny it.

what would date night be without a little sushi?  yummm-errrrrr.

thursday was my first day off for the week.  brandon had been wanting to take the kids to try a different hike on the island (we've taken them up through the laie mountains several times already).  so we asked my brother & sister-in-law for directions on some of the trails that they've been on.  they tipped us off on a nearby, kid-friendly, short hike, with a river at the end to cool off at in kahana valley.  since i'm sure they didn't wanna spend the week sitting around either, they joined us!  we ended up with 15 kids and 6 adults total going on the hike.  the more, the merrier was definitely the case here, because we had a ton of fun together!

a rare SMILE from the girl!

by the time we got home and cleaned up, we needed a power nap (okay - maybe just me).  and then decided to take the kids to brandon's stomping grounds - PCC night show!  lol.  usually when i take the kids, nahe somehow all of a sudden gets ants in her pants and won't sit still.  this time though, she seemed mesmerized with the music & dancing and we were all able to enjoy the show together.  aaaaaah....

waiting to get seated for night show with cousin, jaden.

 

friday morning we got up bright and early to be a part of a historical event for the community...Hawaii's famous double-hulled polynesian canoe, the hōkūleʻa, stopped at hukilau bay for a welcoming ceremony.  this was the first time ever that the hōkūleʻa ever came to laie, so it was kind of a big deal - and i wanted to make sure that our kids were there to witness the special event.

tons of people showed up that morning to see the hōkūleʻa's arrival.  and even though it arrived several hours later than expected, we were lucky to have had some family that were there a lot earlier with a little tent set up - because thick rainclouds brought a lot of wind and rain during the wait.  the kids didn't seem to mind a whole lot...since they got themselves drenched anyway by running into the beach.  *note: it is unreasonable to take a child to the beach expecting them to not get soaked.  whether they are dressed for swimming or not, it is inevitable that they will get wet.

  

 

after the hōkūleʻa welcoming, we showered up and were starrrvation!  so we headed down to byuh for the local farmer's market for lunch and treated the kids to a few ice cream cones from the seasider.

our last day of the stay-cation...all day beach day!!  brandon's entire immediate family (it's a big one - but i like it) planned a beach day at kakela's (now called kokololio beach park).  so we had lots of food, family, and fun!  i feel that relaxing days such as these, spent with family at the beach under a tent with lots of good grinds are what make living in hawaii so worth it.  i really think that this was the perfect way to end the week.  family + swim + eat + play + sleep + repeat = happiness.

who says you need to spend a bunch of cash or leave our little rock for a whole lotta fun?  not i.  and this week was proof of that.

adjusting to the real world - of first grade

today is the last day of ahonui's first quarter for first grade.  i have to say - it's been a tough couple of weeks for our eldest.  although this is technically his fourth year attending school (with 2 years of preschool and last year in kindergarten), this is really the first time that we actually expect a lot more - academically - from him.  so i think that he was probably feeling a bit shocked and somewhat surprised about how school is truly supposed to operate.

if he could articulate his thoughts, i'm sure it would go something like this..."you mean i have to actually THINK, FOCUS, WORK, and APPLY myself?!  that doesn't make any sense...school is all about playing with friends and toys and coloring.  right?  riiiiiight?!!"

the excitement at the end of each school day is evident in the time it takes to get to the car after the last school bell rings.

the real world (well - as real as it gets for a first grader) of applying math concepts, reading comprehension, science facts, and writing full sentences are coming into play now.  and he didn't like it.  the sad thing is that i wasn't aware of how much he didn't like it all - until i received an email over a month ago from his teacher informing me of his status in class.  apparently our little boy needed a little nudge in the right direction...because he had no idea where he was supposed to be - focus-wise.  and i don't think that was his fault.

this redirection of focus began a full-on pleasure purge for the boy.  relieving our 6 year-old of any and all video games, iphone access, and television.  the initial result of this?  an uncontrollable, arm-flailing outburst of technological withdrawals. it wasn't very pretty, but in the long run has proven to be pretty effective.  during a trip to the school playground one saturday morning, we bumped into ahonui's reading teacher (different from his general teacher) and she let us know that he's been put in the highest reading class!  if that news isn't enough to make a proud parent jump for joy (or in my case shed a tear of pure happiness), i don't know what will.  well, maybe a 100% on a math quiz...

outdoor play with cousins has replaced horrendous video game sessions

with the eradication of distractions, and the combined efforts of his teachers, counselors, and us!...i'm hoping that he is continuing to improve overall since that fateful email.  we have set goals for him.  we have a LOT of reminders in place.  we try to encourage gently instead of by force.  and from what we can see, homework moves along a lot smoother, concepts are recalled with more ease, and there's definitely a lot less tears and outbursts.  so i'd say that's a good indication of improvement thus far.  wouldn't you?

cuddle time & selfies are essential for good study habits...didn't you know?

back to school: 1st grade

I remember my first day of school each year.  it was usually met with a great deal of anticipation, preparation, excitement, and expectations.  there was so much newness to look forward to: new teacher, new classroom, new friends, and new things to learn!

but in contrast yesterday when I tried to wake the boy, knowing that it was his first day of first grade - all I got in return was a slow drip of drool.  interesting...

it was all quite a blur following that though.  ahonui had a mushroom cap of hair growing atop his head, so as soon as the boy got out of bed, Brandon got to work on chopping off that unnecessary and unsightly cap.  I got the boy into the shower to clean off the bush, then promptly had him brush his teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, and have a quick family prayer.

we rushed out the door (as usual, running late) so we could help him find his class and meet his new teacher.  turns out that his classroom is in the building that was once the school's main office so I got a bit lost trying to figure out where he was supposed to be.  it was comforting to see that he had a few familiar faces in his class so he wasn't too intimidated with the new surroundings.  i'm hoping his new teacher will be patient and caring and able to instill in our boy a passion for learning.  because i'm definitely still working on that with him.

when I picked him up at his classroom at the end of the school day, he looked like he had a full day: happy, yet happy to be going home.  I asked him how his first day of school went and of course, he gave the typical young boy answer: "it was good." nothing more, nothing less.  of course.

crossing our fingers for a fabulous new school year for my handsome.  and maybe in English class, they'll teach him how to be a little more articulate and expressive.  ha!  love this kid.

may day, bay-baayy!

ahonui participated in laie elementary's may day program last week Friday.  although this is the third time he has been in a may day (2 years in bright beginnings preschool) program, I think that he may finally be getting the hang of performing in front of a large audience...because this time - he blew me away!

 

if you didn't already know this about ahonui...he is one shy kid.  extremely sensitive, often emotional, the epitome of an introvert, and prone to avoiding any and all kinds of attention, if possible.  in his previous may day programs he's kind of just thrown his limbs around and watched the other kids dance during the performance.  so the fact that he got onstage (in front of hundreds of people, mind you), remembered all the practiced tae kwon do moves, and worked it when it was time to jam to "gangnam style", colored me quite impressed!!  we were SO proud of this shy guy.

 

 

one of the surprises of the day was how incredibly packed & crowded it was that morning.  apparently if you're not there at least an hour and a half before it begins, you're left with seats in the nosebleed section.  no bueno.  luckily we've got ohana saving us seats!  thanks marcus & nue!

 

if you ever get a chance to experience a may day, I think laie elementary's would top the list.  but i'm just biased like that.  seriously though, where else in Hawaii can you find a may day that performs on a full stage with sound & lighting, kids in awesome costumes, and great choreography?  I love this town!  and to our little Korean Kindergartener...you were amazeballs!!!  love you ahonui.

 



 

nahe loves you too...she's just tired.

beauty of technology

this here is our son...on his iPod.  it keeps him busy.  it keeps him content.  it keeps him comfortable.  and it keeps him quiet.  24/7.  on his iPod.  he got this beaut for Christmas and he's really getting our money's worth with it.  while there are several occasions where his eyes aren't constantly fixated on that screen, and his heart isn't aching for this piece of technology - more often than not, this is how you can find our little boy.  sad and true?  perhaps.

i'm thinking something along the lines of...future tech nerd.  because he's been at these shenanigans since he was 11 months old.  microsoft/apple genius?  yes, please!!

a super citizen post

at laie elementary, each month two "super citizens" are chosen from each class in the school.  usually the teacher chooses one boy and one girl from their class each month.  a student is chosen to be super citizen when they excel academically,  have great attendance records, show obedience and attention to their respective teacher, and are pretty much the overall awesome student.  when I was a student at laie elementary, I recall being super citizen once...in my 7 years there.  pretty pathetic, if you ask me.  so the fact that my little boy was selected for the month of march in his kindergarten year, makes me kinda proud.  nevermind that this was his last chance to be super citizen for the year.  i'm taking in the fact that there are 11 other boys in his class, which means that there are still 4 other boys NOT getting to be super citizen this year (sad for them, happy for us!).

I have to admit that Brandon & I put a lot of pressure on him to try his best to become a super citizen.  while he's an extremely bright little guy, I feel that he doesn't always show his abilities and reach his potential in most situations because he tends to drift off in his own little world.  we're hoping that with our positive encouragement (and constant annoying reminders), he can be focused and attentive while he's at school.

I also hope that he felt our love for him the day of the assembly, because the night before I was pretty frazzled and frantic trying to get things ready.  we had to get the boy's hair cut (it grows so fast, and i'm not a big fan of the bush/long hair on my little boy), pick up pictures from walmart for his super citizen poster, then put together his poster for his classroom door, and get his candy leis done...yes, yes, i'm a full-blown procrastinator - what do you want me to say?

we got to the school a little late (yeah, I tend to be a tardy one too....so sue me.), but in the end everything turned out fine.  his grandparents from both sides as well as some of his aunties and cousins came out to see him get his certificate of superbness.

 

his little sister hasn't been feeling too well lately but she seemed happy enough to be out of the house.  can you tell?

 

we hope that ahonui will continue to be our bright, little boy showing all the wonderful characteristics of a true super citizen.  and even though it is possible that he may not be chosen again in his future at laie elementary, we'll have proof that he has been chosen at least once - which puts him in the same ranks as his mama!

 

not too shabby, right?

 

say yes...

 

thanks.

 

love you, ahonui!!

sneaky buggah

there was a time when i was able to shove practically anything down my children's gullet.  leftovers, store-bought baby food, failed experiments in the kitchen...if it was somewhat edible - they ate it.  unfortunately, those days are now long gone.  since nahe is oblivious to what's in her food, she's more tolerant of the delicious mysteries in front of her at mealtimes.  ahonui - not so much.  even if i threaten and force him to finish or even just sample my home-cooked goodness, he sends back threats of regurgitation.  so not cool.

 

if i were serving boiled brussel sprouts, tripe stew, or even liver and onion type dishes at mealtime, then yes - i would be more accepting of his disdain for the sustenance that i've provided.  but no...i feel like i'm dishing out some kid-friendly, ono kine grindz!  i'm talking, hot dogs w/ mac & cheese (and maybe some hidden broccoli in there), chili and rice (and perhaps there were tomatoes and corn involved), and more meals along those lines.  so i constantly find myself thinking, "what's the deal with this refusal to consume my hard-earned concoctions from the kitchen?" 

 

so in an attempt to create more nutritious and balanced meals for my family - that they'll actually eat, i invested in a book called the sneaky chef for a little help.  while it turned out to be beneficial in giving me a lot of little tips and tricks to incorporate fruits and veggies into daily life, i never really got any momentum going on using any of the recipes from that book.  (story of my life - buy something to improve your life - and end up not really applying it...does this sound familiar to you??)

 

then i stop at jamba juice during a trip to town, and along with my usual caribbean passion smoothie, i get a little impulsive and throw in a slice of their toasted zucchini carrot bread.  if those little slices of heaven weren't so unbelievably pricey i probably would've gotten a few more to indulge in.  and so, in that single slice, i felt inspired to begin my quest to find this recipe...



i present to you...my little partially-eaten whole wheat zucchini carrot bread loaf (in brandon's masculine hand, not mine).  i now have no trouble getting the kids to gobble up their veggies and fiber!  now if only they were requesting a zucchini carrot loaf for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week.  hmmm....

2013 comes with some real stuff

hello world!

i wouldn't say that updating my blog is a major resolution for the 2013 year, but it's definitely one on my list.  i am often reminded by one of my favorite aunties, who lives in idaho - and is somewhat disconnected with laie life, that she looks forward to my updates and unfortunately i have let her down these past few years with my lack of blog nurturing.  so this one's for you, aunty norma!

to sum up 2012, honestly nothing really jumps out at me as being exciting or totally newsworthy.  i think overall we had a good year, though.  here are some of what i think are 2012 highlights from our little family's lives:

• ahonui started kindergarten at laie elementary in august and is in mrs. lefau's class.
• nahe turned 2 on august 30th and is a typical energetic, playful little girl.
• i had gallbladder removal surgery in june and was out of work for 6 weeks.
• i work 3 times a week for my mom in her island transporter office which reduces our monthly rent a good amount.
• nahe was potty trained i think in october, but she has the occasional accident (particularly in mrs. america's home - can you say, embarrassment central?!).

we continue to love living in laie.  i am so grateful and feel so blessed to be near my family, laie first ward members, and many friends.  this 2013 year comes with resolutions of getting in shape, getting out of debt, and getting closer to our Heavenly Father.  we are a work in progress, and are excited for what the future holds!

not so little nui

each morning after waking up, i begin to get ready for work and brandon makes breakfast for the kids as well as ahonui's lunch for school. the other morning i had the task of waking the boy for another day at preschool. it usually begins with a gentle kiss on his little cheek, and a softly-spoken "time to wake up, son. gotta go to school." in his little ear...but no response.

so it escalates to a nudge and a hug, with a not-so-quiet song: "good mornin'! good MOORNING! you SLEPT the whole night through..."...but still nothing - except a puddle of drool.

and so i must graduate to the whole ordeal of picking him up, shaking him and firmly exclaiming, "come ON, ahonui!!! daddy's got breakfast for you!" which, of course, leads to the groggy fussing and dragging of heavy feet to the living room. this behavior only lasts a minute or so, but as i laid next to him on the oh-so-comfy morning bed, i was thinking to myself...he's 4. only 4 years old! how the heck am i gonna handle him when he's a TEENAGER?!

i am definitely not looking forward to the teenage years. not only because it'll be a nightmare trying to wake him up each morning, but i'm thinking more along the lines of - incoming phone calls from female(s) with the cringing sound, "can talk to ahonui?"...or his requests of "ma, where's da car keys?"

deep breath. i do have another 10 or so years before any of these agonizing situations actually occur. he is only in preschool...but those situations really do pass through my head every so often.
he completed his first year of preschool in may, but since he doesn't turn 5 until this january he can't begin kindergarten until next august. so he is now going through his second round of preschool which is allowing him more time to perfect his reading & name-writing skills...

he also had his first may day performance. when else? in may.it was held in the CAC with the kahuku elementary school may day program. it was themed "we love rock & roll" so the boys had blow-up guitars and spray painted hair, along with a one-handed michael jackson glove. and i must say, those preschoolers are darn cute...and talented!

also in may, the little guy's graduation from his first year of preschool. i'm pretty sure he was going through the motions at graduation...and probably during most of the school year. but now that he's one of the oldest (and definitely one of the biggest), his teachers say that he's now a leader in class...letting the rest of the kids know how things are done, where things go, stuff lydat. kinda proud of my little nui.

his last doctor checkup & physical showed that he has perfect vision, is in the 80th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for height, and 70th percentile for BMI. so in other words, a normal polynesian little boy. we love our big little guy!