waimanalo pumpkin farm...minus the pumpkin

It's the weekend before Halloween and we have put off getting pumpkins for the kids because, well, we've been so busy and didn't realize that Halloween was already here! Yikes, where did the time go?!  Anyway, last minute trip to the Waimanalo pumpkin farm turned out to be a semi-bust since there were NO pumpkins left in the fields.  As in NONE.  ZERO.  ZILCH.  

But, the kids got to hang out with cousins and pet some animals and ride the tractor, so...I suppose it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Justus, Jolee and Nixon in the pumpkin.

These cut out signs are so ridiculous, but we can never refuse!

The kids in front of the stinky sheep.  There were also pigs, cows, and a little bunny they let loose that the kids got to pet.  This was probably the highlight of this excursion for the kids.

The highlight for me, however, was this lemonade.  Seriously, the best lemonade ever.

I bought extra to bring home as well.  

The kids on the tractor hay ride.  Squished onto one seat, but they didn't mind.

Me and the girls.  If you're wondering where Mitch and Kaden are at, they were at home taking a nap on this muggy Saturday afternoon.  

And here are the cousins. 

Maybe we should have snatched up one of these pumpkins on display here...because seriously, how can a pumpkin farm have NO MORE pumpkins left?!  That's just crazy!

pink dragons!

Soccer season has come and gone yet again.

Anna joined the Pink Dragons in mid-August with 9 other girls for her very first season of U-10 soccer.  I'm not going to lie..I was a bit worried for her!  The field at this age level is HUGE!  Plus, the teams have goalies, positions, and did I mention the field is huge?!  

But, she jumped right in and had a great season and we couldn't have been more happy for her!

Here she is with Coach Rehan and her teammates.

This season also happened to be her first season with a new district, in our new neighborhood!

I must say, this district doesn't seem as organized or structured as our previous experiences with AYSO...but all in all, it was a good experience and we sure enjoyed watching her play hard every Saturday.

Or, well...some of us did, anyway.

Here she is on her first game day!

Rather than show all the individual games...I'll just post a few pictures I took of her throughout the season...

She really did work hard and improved in so many ways!

She was one of the youngest on the team, and definitely the smallest.

But she hustled and tried her best every game, and we were very proud of her.

Coach Rehan was a very patient and kind coach, and the girls really responded to him.  

We were glad to play with him and the rest of the Pink Dragons!

Good Job, Anna!!

arizona in the fall

For Fall Break, we decided to fly to Arizona to visit with our cousins in the desert.

The flights were surprisingly full, so we had to fly into L.A and then drive to Arizona, which put a bit of a damper on our plans, but the kids were all for a mini-road trip and we were exited to get off the island for a bit of cooler weather.

Here we are...waiting to board the plane.

Kaden LOVES flying and was so very excited to ride in an airplane!

 We actually flew to Maui first and then flew out to L.A...here we are, keeping busy with some friendly cards while waiting to board.

 After landing late at night in L.A, we headed straight out to Arizona without resting.  

We were a bit naive in thinking we'd have enough energy to do such a long road trip after a long flight.  Truth be told, we were both exhausted and had to switch drivers almost every hour in order to stay awake.  The kids, thankfully, slept the entire time.  Mitch and I, thankfully, managed to drive safely to Arizona WITHOUT any accidents or problems.   Whew!

Long road trips are NOT a good idea when coming off little to no sleep on an airplane.  

Anyway, despite the LONG drive over, we made it safely to Arizona and got to meet up with our cousins.  We had a pretty packed schedule and one of the items on our "To Do" list was to visit Mitch's favorite cupcake shop.  We patronized this cute little confectionary at least twice if not three times.  Cupcakes and cookies were enjoyed by all!

 Since the weather was too cold for any outdoor waterparks, we decided to visit an indoor one instead.  The kids loved this place since it had a good variety of small coasters, tea cup rides, trains, and even bumper cars.  Kaden was in heaven when Mitch took him on the race track course.  

And since they also serve food, we ate dinner and called it an evening.  

We always (always!) have to visit Bass Pro Shops at least once while visiting Arizona.  I'm not sure why, but the kids love this place.  We happened to come right at feeding time, so all the kids got to throw a few fish pellets into the Koi pond.  

And then we headed upstairs for some target practice.  We all tried out a few rounds and realized that Anna was the best shot out of all our kids.  

Jojo and Reina were content to simply "look" like cowgirls instead of acting the part.  Gun shooting wasn't really their thing.

Since the kids had SO much fun shooting at Bass Pro Shops, Mitch decided to bust out Grandpa's ol' BB gun and let the kids do some actual target practice in the back yard.  The weather was a bit rainy, but that didn't deter the kids.  Mitch set up some targets with empty bottles and and even bought a case of club soda so they could shoot some exploding targets.  Seriously, who in their right mind buys a case of soda for the sole purpose of shooting it with a BB gun?  That would be Mitch.

And for the record, it was a blast.

And on our final day in Arizona, we took the kids to the Children's museum in Phoenix.  This place is HUGE!  And since the Arizona public schools were also on Fall break, the place was super packed with kids galore!  But despite all the crowds, the kids had fun and managed to do all the fun activities they wanted to do. 

We were all famished by the time we finished at the museum and so took all our kids + Lynn's kids (because Lynn was working) to Matt's Big Breakfast.  This place is so yummy!  The kids ate their fill of some delicious breakfast (except for Kaden, who fell asleep) before heading back home.

Last evening swim before flying home...the weather was a bit chilly, but they all didn't seem to mind too much!  Although between you and me, they all spent an equal amount of time hanging out in the hot tub as they did the large pool.

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye to Arizona and their cousins.

We stayed for a total of 5 days, which was longer than most of our Arizona trips.  The kids were surprisingly happy to head back home, and so were Mitch and I.  We love vacations, but it's always nice to come home to our own house with our own beds.  

Oh, and the awesome flight attendants on Hawaiian hooked us up with some extra iPads so the kids were fully entertained on their flight back home.

snip snip, for a good cause

Almost on a daily basis, I find myself bugging my girls to get their hair cut.  And every time I mention it, they grumble and refuse.

Well, I invoked my parental authority and forced them to get it chopped.  And since their hair was SO very long, I thought it a good idea to donate it for a good cause.

After researching the net for a good and worthy organization, I decided on Children with Hair Loss.  This company provides FREE wigs to ONLY children who suffer from diseases and illnesses that result in hair loss.  Plus, they allowed for shorter hair lengths (10 inches, I believe) while most other organizations wanted a minimum of 12 inches.  

Anyway, the girls were not very happy with my forcing them to get their hair chopped...but I insisted and so, off we went.

I made several mistakes this day. 

The first was to force them to do something they didn't want to do.  In retrospect, I should have allowed them to make this decision.  They needed a trim for sure, but the amount I had cut was pretty excessive.  

And the second was the location of their haircut.  This place sucked.  I should have gone to a more reputable salon with more skilled stylists.  My mistake.  And never again.

Anyway, despite all of that, their cuts weren't terrible, and Kela wasn't overly upset....she didn't like the cut but managed to remain positive about it.  And she realized the sacrifice she was doing was for a worthy cause.  She knew that her hair would help other kids with feeling better and I was proud of her for that.

Anna, however, was far less accepting of her fate.

Once she saw how much the stylist cut off...she got madder, and madder.  To the point that she refused to look up at the end.  She cried and vocalized how much she hated the cut.  Honestly, the stylist didn't do a very good job at blending her cut.  She cut off way more than necessary after the braids were cut and I think that is what upset her the most.  

I thought it looked cute, but she was not happy at all. She continued to mope and complain as we were leaving, and I nearly lost my head for a few short minutes-scolding your child in the middle of the mall isn't something I have had to do often, but boy did I do it today!

Needless to say, it's just hair.  And it will grow back.

But for the time being, I have 2 less than happy girls with short hair to contend with for the next several months.  Doest this mean that I'm a mean mommy?  Maybe.  However, I've learned my lesson.  The next time my girls donate hair, it will be because THEY want to do it.  Which will probably be never again, but I am still proud of what they did and want to believe that deep down, they know they did the right thing to donate their precious hair to other kids who are less fortunate.

hickam air show

The Blue Angels are in town!!

And since Kaden LOVES airplanes (as does his Daddy) they decided to go to Hickam Air Force Base on the only day they allow civilians on base to go check out the air show.

Unfortunately, they didn't stay long enough to watch the Blue Angles actually do their stunts...but they did get to see them practice, check out some airplanes on display, and even got to sit in the cockpit of an old classic flyer.  

Despite his grimace-like smile, Kaden was in heaven!  

And since the girls weren't really interested in looking at airplanes, I took them shopping while Daddy and Kaden were at the air show.  This was our lunch.  

Now and again, it's good to split up so the boys can do what boys like....while the girls do what girls like.  

waikiki family fun fair

I'm not usually a fan of these school carnivals.  

They're usually super crowded, overpriced, and little more than cheap entertainment for the benefit of the school.

BUT, since the girls actually signed up to HELP participate at several of the booths, we were obligated to attend.  Plus, the girls really, really wanted to go.

So, even though Mitch was busy at work and Kaden was super tired and needed a nap, I parked a couple of blocks away, loaded a sleeping Kaden into a stroller, and headed to the school. 

And I was right.  About everything. 

It was super crowded with kids running around everywhere and all the foods were way more than I wanted to spend on cheap food...but buy some food we did. Does cotton candy count as food? 

While Anna and Kela had to help out with their class booths, I ended up following Jolee to the various booths she wanted to visit.  She kept asking to get sparkly tattoos and so even though it was ridiculously expensive, we waited in line and she got a pink, glittery seahorse.

She also fished for some rubber duckies...

...threw little balls in buckets (this was Anna's class activity)...

...and ate some popcorn.  And apparently also kicked her little brother out of his seat so she could rest after a full day of school and walking around the school family fun fair.

And even the older ones got to participate in a few activities after they were done with their booths.

I was hot and tired and slightly cranky after following these kids all round the school campus....but the kids really enjoyed themselves and even managed to score a few prizes at the end.

anna's karate exam: blue belt!

 I know what you're thinking...Anna has ANOTHER Karate exam?  Already?

Didn't she just have one?

The answer is yes, yes, and yes.

She has them every three months.

 And the other kids are always super antsy during the long examination in the stuffy cafeteria of Kapolei High School, so they usually run around and play on these bronze mudskippers that can be found all over the campus.  Weird, I know.  But highly entertaining for the kids.

Anna did well on her exam!

And her sparring.

And I was so very proud of her!

She works so hard, and truly loves karate.

As a parent, nothing is more fulfilling than seeing your child finding a sport or activity that they enjoy...and learning to excel at it!  

Good Job, Anna!!!

Next stop is BLUE belt!