haisai festival!

Time for the annual Okinawa Festival at Kapiolani Park!

We hit it up with our cousins as usual, and had a blast running around and eating some yummy (but over-priced) Okinawan fare.

The Andagi.  

The Okinawan fried donut.

It's super oily...but SO VERY yummy!

 Jojo always asks for the "anda-dog."

Which is basically a corndog...with the andagi batter on the outside.

Can you say...calories?!  Ha!  

She can afford it.

 The girls are always all about the Okinawa Soba.

We eat this at home at least once a week, but there's something about having a bowl at the festival that makes it special.

  (it BETTER with  how much it costs us!)

 After dinner, the kids simply run around enjoy the warm evening surrounded by Okinawan music and cousins.

Me and my "chura otoko"

alligator pond

Did I say we were done with the beach?  

I hope not...since we are NEVER done with the beach here in Hawaii Nei!  

This weekend we decided to mix it up a bit and head up to the North-ish shore and visit the beach up in Hau'ula with my sister Elika.

You may (or may not) be able to tell, but it was actually pretty chilly.

 The sun came out and then hid behind the clouds off and on the entire time we were there.  There was also a little wind that kicked up and cooled things down even more...but the kids didn't seem to mind too much.

 And Alligator Pond is great because there's something for everyone!  

It's shallow enough for the little ones, but there's also some deeper parts with waves for those that like to boogie board.  There's even a rock that you can jump off of, but none of our kids were brave enough to do that.  

 This little guy definitely kept us on our toes!

If he wasn't trying to climb over and around the reefs exploring...

 ...he was running off down the shore making us chase after him.

 This one took a short dip and ended up munching on chips on the shore the rest of the day.

Always a fun time with cousins...and nice to get out and visit another part of the island for a change!

ho'omaluhia gardens

On any typical weekday morning, I'm trying to think up of ways to occupy Kaden that does't involve the iPad.  This morning, I met up with my sisters for a leisurely walk and visit to Ho'omaluhia Gardens in Kane'ohe.  What's great about this place is that there's something for me AND Kaden!

Us moms get a nice workout pushing our strollers up and down the hilly roads within the gardens, and afterwards, the kids get to enjoy feeding the ducks and fishes at the lake!

 Here's Aunty Elika helping Knox and Kaden feed the ducks without getting attacked by them!

They're standing up on the picnic benches since there are a TON of ducks and they're all aggressive about getting our breadcrumbs!

 See?  Lots and lots of ducks!

 And not to mention lots and lots of fish!!

The three musketeers!

So fun watching these three grow up together!

more swimming

Just some more pictures of the kids swimming after a hot day..

 Jolee has become quite adept at jumping in and swimming, which is a far cry from how she used to play in the pool!  This from a girl who used to be afraid to get her face wet!

 Interesting contrast between how the older ones relax at the pool...

...and how the younger ones enjoy the pool.  

And if you can see this video, here's one of Jolee jumping in and swimming away!

Great Job Jolee!!

anna the fisherman

For her birthday, Anna finally got the fishing pole that she's been BEGGING for.  I don't know how long she's been asking for one, but it was a really long time!

She finally got her rod and we haven't had the time to take her fishing!!

But finally, after months of waiting, Mitch finally set up her rod and we hit the (dirty) waters of Pearl Harbor to let her fish.

 Unfortunately, the fish in this murky water don't seem to like shrimp very much. (picky fish!)

The crabs, however, DO.

She ended up catching a couple of crabs...which we quickly released back into the icky water.

Next time, we will try the bread!

mommy and me days...

With Jolee in kindergarten, its just me and Kaden at home, holding down the fort.

And sadly, the fort can get kind of boring.

So, as a last minute excuse to get a cookie, I took Kaden to the mall to ride the tram.

 Since Kaden LOVES anything that moves (ie. cars, trains, planes, trucks...) he LOVES riding the tram at the mall.  It soars above the parking lot between the two phases of Pearlridge Mall.  

 Looking down at all the cars and trucks...

And, can't forget about the cookie.

He loves cookies too. 

pool days

School is in full swing but it still feels like summer!!

We have been taking FULL advantage of the pool in our townhouse complex, coming down to swim nearly every day after school.  It's always sunny and rarely crowded.  This Friday, it was crowded ONLY because we came with such a big group!  

We invited our cousins and a friend along and soaked in some rays and chlorine.  

Even Jolee has become a pretty daring swimmer (with her arm floaties, of course.)

 I tried to get all the cousins in for a group jump...

 ...this was as good as I could get it.  Ha!

A friendly game of "horse"...

 And some more group jumping.

That kid in the pool  blocking the splash with the kickboard is some random kid that tried to join in with our kids.  Sadly, his social skills were lacking and our kids were mostly annoyed with his off-timing splashing and bossy attitude.  

 Kela and her friend, Makani, doing some cannonballs at the deep end!

 And just some more random pictures of the kids horsing around. 

We will definitely miss this pool when we move...

back to school!!

It's finally that time of year!  

Summer is over and the kids are back to school!

 Do they look excited?  Probably not as excited as us parents!! 

This year, these two get to start kindergarten!!  Unfortunately, they aren't in the same class...but since they will see each other at lunch and recess, I suppose that's probably for the best.  Who knows what kind of trouble these two could get in to if they were in the same class as well!

Hmm...I do believe Jolee's backpack is bigger than her little body!!

Hooray for growing up and new experiences!

baby kate blessing day

Today was baby Kate's special day!

She was blessed at church, surrounded by lots of loving cousins and aunties and uncles. 

 And, her family, of course.

 We sure are a large family when we all get together, huh?

 (and this isn't even ALL of us!)

Jonas and Kate.

Oldest and youngest cousin. 

After the blessing, we decided to take advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon and took a drive up to the Laie Temple to relax and enjoy the grounds.

We packed a picnic and ate some lunch outside the Temple Visitor's Center.

The usual cousinly shenanigans...

 Cousin Pyramid...sort of.

Since Daddy was stuck at church with meetings, it was just us.

We sure do love visiting the Temple!  Even if it's just the temple grounds and visitor's center.

another beach day

Summer is winding down and our beach days are soon to be no more...well, at least, not during the weekdays!  So we are soaking up as much sun and surf as we can before the kids go back to school.

Today we hit up Ala Moana with some cousins and Grandpa.

 Kaden loves the beach and the water.  

He would go straight into the water without a backward glance if I didn't keep an eye on him!

 Even I decided to brave the "deep" and take a spin on the SUP.

It was a little scary (as always) but so much fun!  We sure do love getting out on the water!

 And the kids like getting sand EVERYWHERE, it seems.

 Any time spent with cousins is a fabulous time, I think.

We took out the kayak and SUP and Mitch and Grandpa took turns going out for some relaxing exercise.

How lucky we are to live in Paradise!!