the little princess's 3rd birthday

our little nahe girl turned 3 on august 30th (yes, about a month ago).  and for some reason i always feel under the impression that a simple family party will be just that - simple.  but when you have a husband with 10+ siblings, around 16 little nieces and nephews, it calculated to almost 40 people in the end.  and i know that's still not a whole lot of peeps, but i'm not one for party-planning in the first place.

and then i get caught up in these thoughts of extravagant pinterest party ideas...that are basically impossible or too much of a hassle to execute.  so we end up with streamers and balloons and a homemade sign that is printed out from the computer an hour before the party starts.  oh well, mission kinda sorta accomplished...we're having a party!  cheeeee hoooooo!!!

in the rush to get things finalized - I realize that I didn't even brush the birthday girl's hair before the guests arrived.  firrred.

that's right - we even had a professional balloon animal artist (because technically i paid the 14 year old for her services).



party planning is a lot of work.  teeny tiny details from tablecloths and strawberries for the cake, to larger details such making sure the shoyu chicken gets cooked.   needless to say, i sent Brandon to the store twice to get the detailed odds and ends that i forgot.  and while i cooked and prepped, he cleaned and ran errands here and there.  and then in the frenzied madness of everything, we missed taking pics of major moments of the party: blowing out of birthday candles, the piñata bashing, the yummy spread we devoured, the beautiful pink strawberry cake, the table full of gifts, and all the wonderful family and friends that made it all so much more meaningful.

but in the end, i think we all had a good time.  once everybody went home and all the leftover food was given away, i literally plopped on the couch and zonked out.  there was absolutely nothing left in me.

and it was worth it...this little monster - is worth it all.

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!!

sleepy time battles

i've been trying to get the kids to sleep in their own beds on a more consistent basis lately.  ahonui tries to fuss and complain about it, but after 10 minutes or so, he's out for the count on his big boy top bunk.  must be something along the lines of running non-stop during recess and lunch at school that does it for him.

but nahe...oh man, this girl is somethin' else.  she tends to trick me by getting me into bed and falling asleep so she can quietly sneak out and wreak havoc (e.g.: find chewing gum, candy, and my credit cards to play with and get naaahtz in the living room) without mommy's supervision.

and lastnight she tried to pull a fast one on me.  i put her down on her bottom bunk, laid with her so she would fall asleep, sang her a few songs, and as usual, i unintentionally put myself to sleep...gunfunnit!  much to her disappointment, i woke up when i felt her try to move around my feet to get off the bed.  i got upset from her deceptive success and made her go back to bed.  i began raising my voice because she wouldn't listen (and also remember that deception part?  arrgh.) so she ran to her daddy for protection from mean 'ol mom.  she then started putting in requests, claiming she was hungry, wanted to watch tv, needed to eat a vitamin, etc. anything to get out of closing those tired, little eyes.  i finally got her away from daddy's arms and walked her back to the bedroom - by that time, compromising my consistent efforts by going onto mommy & daddy's king size. *sigh...*  and another one bites the dust.

 

needless to say, she conked out soon after that. snuggled up warm and close in the crook of my arm.  compromises aren't always so bad, right?

while home with my monkey

back at work today, and i noticed several things...

1. it feels nice to be somewhat useful again since being drugged up throughout the past week.
2. i should have brought hawaiian salt with me so i could rinse out my mouth in the bathroom.
3. taking percocet when you're supposed to be focused, task-oriented - oh yeah, and awake - doesn't marry too well.
4. i miss this chick:

 

even though my in-laws would be only too happy to take nahe while i was out for the count after my wisdoms were extracted, i kept her home with me.  with the limited time that i have with her on a daily basis, i decided that my extra time at home would be best spent with my opihi next to me.  here's a few updates on my little monkey...

• she is two and a half years old now.  very bright and sooo very naughty...as two and a half year olds go.
• she is able to drink from a cup, but only wants to drink from her specific sippy cups.  and she drinks a LOT, which leads to peeing like a racehorse.
• she is very affectionate...loves to cuddle and kiss and tell me that she misses me - even if i've been with her all day long.
• she is her brother's copycat.  when ahonui gives our family prayer, she mimics him word for word - which drives him nuts.
• she is very unlike ahonui.  whether it's dancing, counting, or tattle-telling, she must be the cutest, the loudest, and the center of attention.
• she eats from everybody's plate of food.  she'll eat her own food, then once that's done, she'll be a little nomad and move on to everyone else who has any kind of sustenance in their possession.

now that i'm back at work, i'm eager for that moment when i get to kahuku, open the door to my in-laws, and hear "mommy!" and the pitter-patter of her little feet as she runs into my arms.  absence is making this heart grow fonder.  the thing is, i didn't think i could get any fonder of this girl.



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!

a work in progress

i'm pretty sure that i'm out of excuses for not updating on a more regular basis. i don't know if i'm feeling more comfortable settling into my role as a mother (even though it's been about 5 years), or if it's because i took a long nap and now i can't fall back asleep. heh. but i finally seem to have time to update! yeah, i'm pretty sure that i'm still a work in progress.
 

so where shall i begin? well, since it's been almost 10 months - perhaps i'll begin with the most recent...

our baby girl turned a YEAR old on august 30th and we celebrated at the wet & wild hawaii waterpark in kapolei with our family.

i must admit, i freaked out a little while planning the party. i honestly don't know how some people can plan huge events because just brandon's family & mine alone brought the guest count to almost 40 - and it was enough to turn me into a stressball. but after it was all over, and everything turned out fine, i ended up wishing for more days like that.

in my humble opinion, a full day with family, food, and fun is all i ever want. wouldn't you agree?

more updates forthcoming...don't touch that dial! ;-)

waitin' & bloggin'

brandon is rehearsing for a fireside on sunday...

 

nahe is fast asleep in her crib at home with granny & grampa walford listening to the baby monitor...

 

ahonui is running aimlessly around the aloha center...so what better time for me to do a lil' bloggin' than right now??  my phone's battery is about to die so I'm under tight time constraints to get this post out before it goes out on me.  just thought I'd update y'all on our little princess who has stolen our hearts...

 

baby nahe is about 3 and a half months now. she is truly just as her name describes her - a "sweet, gentle, heavenly star". she now only wakes up once at night, usually at around 5 or 6 in the morning. as long as she's fed, clean, and rested, she's pretty much the perfect little bubba. she's very easy to love, and is always eager to squeal with delight when being given a little attention.

we can't get enough of this fat girl. she's got us all wrapped around her chubby little finger...
 

our little nahe girl

although our newest bundle of joy was born almost six weeks ago, i am sticking to the "i just had a baby" excuse. how long do you think that "get-out-of-jail-free card" will last? well, since i'm going back to work in less than a week, i'm figuring my time is just about up. saaaaad.

at the same time, however - EXCITED! because she's finally here!!! nahe wheturangi kahaialii was born on monday, august 30th. for the handful of you that may be interested in reading the birth story - this one's for you...

my due date was actually august 30th, and i had originally planned to work until i gave birth. but just over a week before my due date, my doctor allowed me to stop working. that extra time was wonderful because i wanted to tie up loose ends and make sure that everything was ready for the baby and that we had everything she might need before her arrival. plus, i found myself sooo tired every day and all the extra weight i was carrying really was taking it's toll on my body.


anyway, the day before my due date i woke up at around 7am because i was feeling some minor contractions. i thought they may have been braxton hicks because i had frequently been having those since i was 15 weeks along. i began timing the contractions and they were very random so i didn't think much of it. my mom checked on me later that day and i told her that the contractions were coming, but they were so sporadic i didn't want to head to the hospital yet. then at about 7pm they were really coming...this time closer together and a lot more intense. i still felt like i had time before we needed to head to the hospital but my mom insisted that we leave right away. being the crazy procrastinator that i am, i didn't pack my hospital bag yet. (so much for the week off of work! hehe) so while i took a shower, my mom got my bag packed, and brandon took ahonui to my in-laws. while i was in the shower, the contractions were almost right on top of the other and that's kind of when reality struck. i started trippin' like - wow, this is really happening...this baby is coming!

before we left, we stopped at my brother, jared's house - who lives nextdoor, by the way - so i could get a blessing. after that, i really felt that Heavenly Father was watching over me and baby and i knew things would go smoothly from then on.

we got to kaiser hospital in moanalua at about 11:30pm and we went straight up to labor & delivery. they checked me in and LUCKY ME - my midwife was on duty that night! apparently with kaiser, it doesn't matter which doctor or midwife you've been dealing with during your entire pregnancy, you are stuck with whichever one is on-call or already at the hospital. craziness, huh?! so i was VERY VERY relieved to know that my AWESOME midwife, linda chong-tim, was able to help me after all those appointments i had with her. so glad that i didn't drive all the way to kailua for our checkup appointments for nothing! the nurse checked me and i was only at 5 cm. and since i'm a wimp when it comes to pain, i requested the epidural right away. hey, why deal with the pain if you don't have to, right?? *sigh* (when i was in labor with ahonui i didn't want the epidural and got stuck at 8cm for 3 hours - and then once i gave in and got it, both brandon and i knocked out from exhaustion. so the next time around i told him, forget it - i'm gonna get it right when we get there! and of course, he was all for it. lol!)

after the anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural, again - both brandon and i knocked out! =) peace at last...but at about 2:25am my nurse came in to check on me and asked how i was doing. of course, i couldn't feel much so i was all, i'm good. so she said she'll come back later and that baby would tell them if she was coming. 5 minutes later, the nurse AND my midwife came rushing in to wake brandon & me up saying, "she's telling us something!" according to their charts in the nursing station baby's heartrate was dropping and showed that my contractions were so close together, so she checked me again and said "fully dilated, plus one" - our little nahe was ready to come out! =) they rushed to get things ready, and my midwife told me to let my body and the contractions naturally push baby out and after one tiny push, she graced us with her presence! she was born at 2:35am, 7 lbs. 13.5 oz., 19 3/4 in. long.



i think the labor & delivery experience is such an amazing and surreal event. i'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has put his trust in me and brandon to care for these two spirits. so far our little nahe is a wonderful baby. she is so beautiful (even though my opinion may be biased, i'm entitled to think so), and we are so happy that she chose us to be her parents.

39 weeks and counting...

we are almost there! and these are some of the reactions to my growing belly over the past few months:

• my mother is under the impression that i'm having twins despite the confirmation of a single baby showing up on the ultrasound.
• my midwife says that baby is healthy and strong.
• brandon loves to lay on my tummy and feel her kicks.
• ahonui is intent on informing his baby sister who he is by speaking directly to my belly button.
• almost everyone i run into tells me how "low" i am or that i've definitely "dropped", even though this is how i'm convinced that i've looked almost the entire pregnancy.

excitement, worry, exhaustion, laziness - these are the feelings that i've been dealing with throughout this pregnancy. my body is definitely ready to be relieved of the extra weight, aches, and pains. but in all honesty, it always feels like a special time and a privilege to hold another human being inside of you.   i know that this is a period in my life that i am blessed, especially knowing for the most part that she is healthy and that she will be coming only to enrich our family's lives even more.

hopefully, we'll be holding our brand new little girl in our arms by next week!

oh yeah...

...it's a GIRL!!! =) due date: august 30th, and i'm already huuuge.