this and that..

Here it is.
Another consolidated post of random happenings.

And here's our little Bubba.
At 2 months old, he's almost 14 lbs.
And just a tad shy of 2 feet tall!

And smiling!

And still the star of the family.
Everyone wants a piece of him.
Which simply means that he's super loved.

Getting a decent smile on camera is quite tricky.
Actually, more like nearly impossible.
Because Mitch doesn't like to take photos (read: not a great picture taker...), I have to be the one wielding the camera.

But once I'm not holding him...I'm usually frantically trying to get other things done like laundry, dinner, cleaning, bathing (the kids or me) and etc. etc...so snapping photos isn't forefront on my mind when Mitch is holding baby.

And then, have you ever tried snapping a photo of a squirming baby with one hand while simultaneously trying to get said baby to smile?!

Yea, it's quite a feat.

Which is why pictures like this (though not high quality) are so rare and precious to me.
Minus the drool spot on his shoulder.

Here's Anna at Gymboree with her friends.
Does that bowed bridge make you nervous, too?!
Not sure it was made to hold the weight of 3 big girls.

Anna's turning into quite the monkey...and has gotten quite good at navigating the monkey bars.

Remember what I said about being loved?
The girls are always asking to hold Kaden.
And getting Kaden to smile (and not cry) whilst being held by sisters is yet again, another feat!

Our kids.
How precious is this shot?!

prayers needed...

12 years ago, I left the creature comforts of home in Seattle to serve a Full-time Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
In May of 1999, I arrived in the beautiful city of Sendai, Japan. I was excited and nervous and eager to serve the Lord.
I spent a WONDERFUL 18 months in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture and Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture...riding my bike in the city streets, talking to the local residents and loving the feeling of doing something good! I had countless unforgettable experiences and made many everlasting friendships. 18 months later, I left knowing I had done all I could to share with the local Japanese people my belief in God and the blessings that come from having Faith in Him.


And then...March 11, 2011...this beloved area where I lived for 18 months was hit by a massive earthquake, and subsequent tsunami. You've probably seen it on the news (how could you have not?!) and heard some of the stories. I've been glued to the news, Internet, blogs, etc. just so I can find out as much information as I can on what is happening there.
I'm in shock. If there is anything to test one's Faith in God...it is something like the tsunami that hit Sendai. My heart is literally bleeding at the sight of the mass destruction and turmoil.
Thankfully, I have managed to contact several members there and heard their stories of survival and Faith. It's incredible how much Faith and strength these people have-amidst such difficult situations, many are pressing forward with Faith and optimism. I know that despite many lives lost (according to the news, possibly over 10,000), those who have survived are selflessly helping one another and sharing of their sustenance.
Many see what's happening and ask how God could allow such horrible things to happen...and truth be told, I don't completely understand myself. But I do know that despite this and many other disasters we have been seeing around the world lately, there are blessings to be had and lessons to be learned if we can find some way to look forward with Faith.

Sorry for the "heavy" post...I can't help but think about all that's happened-and has been happening-in Sendai and the surrounding regions since this massive earthquake. It is constantly weighing on my mind and at times, bringing me down emotionally. But the more I think about it, and pray about it...I realize that there is still plenty of hope left for those in the area who have survived. Many people from around the globe have lent their aid and support for the people of Sendai and all of Japan. What a blessing to see so much humanitarian aid come together to help those in need. And there are many in need all over Japan now.
If there is anything these people need right now besides physical necessities such as food, water and shelter...it is the diligent prayers of all of us. I know I can't stop praying that help will arrive for those in need...and that peace can be had for those who have suffered.

good job, pink lava's!

Another soccer season under her belt!
Kela's team, the Pink Lava's, had an incredible winning season.
This being her second season...she has started to gain a bit more confidence out on the field, not to mention a tad more skill as well.

As you can see...Kela is NOT the smallest player on the team!!
(She's the second smallest)

Mitch was one of the assistant coaches...hence the bright yellow t-shirt.
Although between you and me, he did happen to wear that hideously ugly t-shirt on non-soccer days as well....
As to why, you'll have to ask him!

During Kela's last game...Anna and Jolee were excellent cheerleaders, as usual.
When their noses weren't buried in our iPhones, that is.
(which was NEVER!)

Kela with Coach Jon.
He was an excellent coach for Kela...with a lot of patience and fun practices that really helped get her to enjoy the sport even more!

And the post-season coach soaking...
Great season, Kela!

baby blessing

2 months later...but we were finally able to have Kaden's baby blessing this past Sunday.

Due to some family members being out of town, and then our family getting sick, we had to wait a bit longer than usual to have it, but better late than never, right?

I'm also happy to note that Kaden was awake throughout the prayer...and didn't fuss! Also...the mic was actually working this time (unlike the past 2 times)!

Double Yay!

Here's the family that came out to support!

Minus a couple people since some couldn't make it...but all in all, it was a GREAT turn out! It was a good day.

week in review.

The past couple of weeks have pretty much been a blur.

Why you ask?

Kela brought home some crazy fever bug that lasted about 2 days. Then, as soon as she kicked it, Anna caught it.

Really....isn't that how it works?

And then, miraculously, it seemed to have stopped there!

...And then one week later, Jolee got it.

Followed by me.

It's been a FUN 2 weeks, let me tell 'ya.

So, in the midst of all this sickness, my niece Rumi turned 8 years old and was Baptized!!

This also happened to be on her birthday!

Mine as well, but that's almost not worth mentioning since this was the day that Jolee and I got sick. Ever been sick on your birthday? As if getting older isn't bad enough, eh?

Anyhoo-How many kids can say they got to be baptized right on their birthday?!

I know, I'm kinda jealous!

Here the little cousins are singing "I Am a Child of God" while waiting for Rumi to change...

What's with the cooky angle of the photo, you ask?

Mitch.

Need I say more?


Also the same weekend (that Jolee and I were sick), Grandma and Grandpa Seavey flew over to visit and meet the newest grandchild.

It happend to be a CRAZY weekend.

With the kids and I being sick, the girls having soccer games & potlucks, birthday parties, baptisms and then Mitch getting a brand new calling at church...I felt bad that we really didn't get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked!

But, the most important thing was getting to see them, and getting to introduce our little Kaden to Grandma and Grandpa.

In THAT sense, I suppose it was a success!

Kaden checking out his Grandpa Jim.

His middle name's namesake.

We'll be seeing them in just a few short months when they visit in the Summer (as always).

Ah, here's our little chunky monkey at 8 weeks old.

Walking like an Egyptian.

His favorite pose.

I don't own a scale so don't know how much he weighs...but I'd guess he's upwards of 14+lbs.

He's a big one!

february birthdays, part 1

In our family, February is THE month for birthdays.

9 birthdays, to be exact.

And to kick it all off...here's what we did for Kumen's birthday.

He turned 5!

We headed out-on a Saturday, no less!- to the Zoo.

It was HOT.

But the kids didn't seem to mind.

Weird...we've been going to the Honolulu Zoo forEVER, but this was the first time I realized that there's an Alligator there!


Here's the kids...climbing the tree that they're NOT supposed to.
The "Do Not Climb" sign is posted on the other side of the tree.
ha ha ha...

Then, after the zoo...we headed back to Airi's house for the rest of the party festivities.
Including some piñata time.

Yup, that's Paul up on the roof holding the pole the piñata is attached to.

And then, after piñata breakage...the kids scrambled for some candy.

While Kaden slept through the whole thing.

Can you say, Chunky Baby?!


Here's Anna showing her "loot."

Which she shared with her sister, Jolee.

Who, by the way, shortly after this picture was taken, started choking on the candy.

SO grateful for Mitch's quick thinking, and first aid skills in dislodging the candy just in time with several sharp whacks on the back!

Talk about scary!

Mental note: No more hard candies for Jojo.

Especially while on the trampoline.

The birthday bunch again...
ready to eat some cake!

By far, one of the more annoying toys passed out that day.
But the kids loved 'em.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Then, on Sunday, it was time to celebrate the OTHER February birthdays.

Well...the first half, that is.

Here's Elika (10th), Marques and Kumen (12th) and Hugo (14th).

Not pictured is Paul who's birthday was on the 2nd.

I mean, really...who needs a birthday party when there's THIS MANY cousins to help celebrate it with!

See you in a couple weeks for the rest of the February birthdays.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Then...just for fun, here's a couple pictures of my girls pretending to be me.

week 5 update

Kaden is now 5 weeks old.

He weighs 12 lbs. That's a weight gain of almost 4 lbs. in three weeks!

My, he's growing fast!

Here's just a few pictures of what we've been up to lately.

Kaden likes to sleep. A lot.

Especially during the day.

And most especially on people's chests.

Here he is on Daddy's chest.

I had to crop out Daddy's face because the evil glare he was giving me (and warning me: "Don't post it!") while I took this photo would detract from the cute slumbering baby.

Since I cropped "said grumpy face" out of the picture, I figure his warning is unfounded and therefore, null and void.

Also this past week...Mitch's friend Corey, from waaaaaay back in the days (high school days, that is) came for a visit with his lovely wife.

Since they seemed to enjoy Japanese food...we decided to take them to our favorite ramen joint, Tenkaippin.

It's super cramped inside, they only take cash, and probably doesn't have the cleanest kitchen around, but the ramen is SO good!

We also took them to eat yummy mochi ice cream at Bubbies..but since we were too busy chowing down on the ono homemade desserts, I didn't take any pictures there.

What's new, right?

But regardless...with excellent company, the evening was spectacular!

On our way home, Jolee fell asleep holding her very first Kumon book.

Kela and Anna have been studying out of these books for a while, and Jolee was SO excited to get her very own, that she refused to let it go the entire evening. Even in her sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

And below are just a couple pictures I took with my phone.

Hence the grainy quality.

With a bit of help (aka, my leg), he's starting to sit up!!
He's getting so big!

*sniff, sniff*


And just starting to learn to smile...


Awww...now tell me this face doesn't melt your heart!