6 months old!

Kaden is officially 6 months old!
I can't believe how fast time has flown by!
And how big my baby boy has gotten!!


How big, you ask?

His 6 month check up revealed that our Bubba is now:
28" tall (94%tile)
18.9lbs. (71%tile)
with a head circumference of 16.9" (29%tile)

As always...big body, small head.
ha ha ha..

• Anyhoo-at 6 months old, my baby boy has started eating solid foods. And LOVES it! (duh!)

• He still spits up. A lot. (Which combined with the above item makes for frequent -and messy- wardrobe changes throughout the day)

• He can roll (and roll, and roll) over like a champ-forwards and backwards.

• Though he can't crawl yet, he has learned to get up on his knees and often scoots forward and backward as he kicks his chunky legs. And believe me-he's a good kicker. (But I've known that since he was in utero)

• Has started wearing size 4 diapers...the same size as his almost 3 year-old sister (though I'm hoping said sister will be out of diapers soon...)

• LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the attention his sisters give him. Which is probably a good thing since his sisters give him A LOT of attention. As do I.
  

the fourth

Fourth of July, 2011 was spent at Waikiki Beach.
Amazingly, we managed to snag a prime location right next to the water!
Unfortunately, Mitch forgot to bid the day off, so he had to work...but the rest of us got to enjoy a LOOONG but fun filled day in Waikiki!

So, here's our set-up.
Courtesy of the Kurihara's and Daley's, we had 2 E-Z up tents and even a huge netted tent for our food and such.
It was quite the get-up.
I was vastly impressed.

Upon arriving at the beach a little after noon, the kids wasted NO time hitting the water.
It being Waikiki beach in the Summer, the waves were a bit stronger than I would have liked, but the kids were oblivious and (thankfully) safe.

They spent the majority of the day in the water, with only a short break in between swims to eat and whack a watermelon.

?? Curious about that last one about the watermelon?
More details on THAT to follow.

Kaden spent some time in the sun...but with the warmth of the rays, fell asleep and took a nice long nap.
(note: he's not actually napping here...just that whenever he wears this hat, it somehow manages to fall over his face. Ergo, his dislike of hats.)

Relaxing in the shade of the tent.
Something he has learned recently...getting up on his knees!!

Caleb on the left, and Knox on the right.
Do they look like cousins to you?
Yea, me neither.

Anna and Aya.
After their after-dinner swim.

Jolee spent the majority of the day inside the food tent.
NOT because of the food, mind you.
No...since Airi brought her 2 dogs, Jolee used the tent as a barrier between her and the dogs.

It was actually quite funny...any time someone unzipped the tent to go in or out, she would rush to zip it right back close.

One could arguable call her the "Zipper Nazi"

It did sprinkle rain a tad towards the end of the day...but for the most part, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

Ok, so here's the whole thing I mentioned earlier about the watermelon whacking.
Apparently, this must be a Japanese thing...since NO ONE ELSE had heard about this fascinating summertime ritual!
You place a watermelon on the ground and take turns whacking it with a stick (blindfolded, of course...though the little ones did without since they barely made a dent in the rind un-blindfolded!).

And after everyone had a turn, the cracked open watermelon is cut up and distributed and eaten.

Still never heard about it before?
Well, the kids enjoyed it and the watermelon was delicious.

I recommend it at YOUR next picnic gathering!

(Though, I'd also recommend a relatively small stick. I imagine a baseball bat would obliterate the melon instead of simply cracking it open...just a thought.)

These two...were practically inseparable.
As always.

At the end of the day...waiting for the fireworks to start.
Since our new mayor decided to ban the sale of ALL fireworks, we had to make do with watching the professionals do their thing.
While LAME, it was actually pretty nice for me...since my girls don't care for fireworks anyway. Also, I admit it was nice enjoying the evening without being smothered in smoke and being bombarded with popping and cracking all around us.

All-in-all..,I'd say our Fourth of July celebration this year was a huge success!!
And despite the fact that we were there ALL DAY (seriously, from Noon till 9 PM), you know you had a great time when it didn't FEEL like you were there all day!

...except when you get home and feel dead on your feet!

I sure hope you all had a safe and fun Fourth celebration as well!!
I'm grateful for a large and close family to celebrate this holiday with...
And am equally grateful for the many great people, past and present, who have made it possible for us enjoy the freedom to do so!

And as always...I took TONS more pictures. To check those out, click HERE!

japan in a day

As most of you probably know, Mitch is a pilot.
He flies pretty much from Hawaii to California's Bay area...but now and again, he gets to fly to Japan. He stays for a day or two at most, and then flies back home.
We have gotten used to this routine and despite having 4 little ones at home, life is not too hectic or difficult for me. It is what it is.

Ever since he started flying to Japan, he keeps saying how great it would be for me to tag along on one of his trips to Japan...I'd get free airfare and free hotel! All we'd need to worry about is...of course, the kids.
Well, this being Summer and the kids out of school, we thought it the PERFECT opportunity to put these long awaited plans into action.
Mitch's parents are here for the Summer so it really was the IDEAL time to go.
And so I went.
But with Kaden, of course.

As Kaden and I were waiting to board the plane, look who showed up?!
So official looking!

And to be totally honest, this is the first time I've ever seen him all suited-up in uniform!

On the flight.
His was the ONLY car seat I saw on this flight. In fact, many people were looking at me like I was crazy for taking a car seat on the plane with me! I guess not many people take car seats on international flights...but I was SO glad I did!
NOT having to hold him the entire 8 hours to Japan was worth the annoying stares!
Plus, I actually got to sleep!
Yay for me!
Here he is trying to eat his boarding pass...


We arrived into Haneda International Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo...and then shuttled to the Prince Hotel in Shin Yokohama.
Hotels in Japan are TINY!
But we didn't spend too much time indoors so it was perfect for the three of us.

Here I am...in front of Shin Yokohama train station.

With the jet lag, we ended up waking up around 5 AM...and had to walk around waiting for everything to open up!
We hit the convenience stores (since they are the ONLY things open at that ridiculously early hour) and then at 8 AM, headed out to the station.
This was taken around 8 o'clock in the morning...before most of the heavy foot traffic.

Out of all the options for breakfast, we chose...McDonald's!
I know what you're thinking.

What are we doing going to Japan and eating McD's for?!
Well, let me tell you.

McD's in Japan is NOTHING LIKE McD's in the US.
It actually tasted fresh!
And good.

So, McD's it was.

This is just a picture of my FAVORITE drink in Japan.
It's Peach water...but SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!
I absolutely HAD to have one of these~!
And since it was SO hot in Japan...it was the perfect mid morning beverage.

After resting in the hotel room for a bit (and Kaden's nap) we headed out to the store for some real omiyage shopping. On our way back, we hit a convenience store (which, unlike the ones here in the US are AWESOME!) for a yummy ice cream bar.
Mitch chose this one...
And while taking this picture neglected to tell me that I had a piece of the cone stuck to my lip.
Thanks, Mitch.
But since the ice cream was SO good, I forgave him.


So, upon arriving in Japan, I had this LIST.
And on this LIST, were written several things that I HAD to eat while in Japan.
I can honestly say that I fulfilled ALL items on this list.
(#4 on the list is Menchi Katsu which is a breaded and deep fried ground meatball. I got it to go and ate it on the plane. :) #5 & 6 are bread and mochi...which although available in Hawaii as well, just isn't quit the same as the real deal in Japan.
I brought some of each home with me.)

Most important on this list was to eat some sushi.
Check!

And it was GOOD!

I also had to eat some yummy Takoyaki.
Sure I've had it here in Hawaii...but was it as good as it is in Japan?
No.

Also on this list was Mos Burger.
I had what I always used to get at Mos Burger...the Rice Burger.
It was yummy.
Even Kaden wanted some too!

Here we are riding the subway.
We didn't get to ride the train, but figured the subway was close enough.

Summer in Japan is unbearably hot.

I sure wished they had a "strongly air-conditioned car"

Well...that was our trip in a nut shell.
On our way home...I almost didn't make the flight back!
I got to the airport and discovered that the fight was FULL!
Luckily for us, a few people didn't show up so after 2 hours of anxious waiting, we were told that Kaden and I could come home...!
Yay!
And even though I could have gotten a seat for Kaden again, we relinquished his seat so another stand-by passenger could fly home. Which meant that I had to hold Kaden the entire 8 hour flight. But thankfully, Mitch didn't have to fly the plane on the way back so he sat with me and helped with Kaden--who flew GREAT both ways, by the way!
Double yay!
I am SO grateful that I got to take this trip! Since it had been over 11 years since I last stepped foot in Japan, I was nervous about a lot of things...my language ability, getting lost, anxiety over leaving our girls home with grandpa and grandma (not that I don't trust them...just that I haven't ever left them before!). But all went well. I was able to speak Japanese fine, Mitch knew his way around the area, and our girls did great with grandma and grandpa as well.
I probably won't get another opportunity to fly to Japan again in some time, so I had to savor every minute of my 24 hour stay.
Which I did.
I took a bit more pictures...you can take a look at them here.

beach & first foods

After the cold, cold weather of Seattle, we were itching to head out and bask in the heat of Hawaii...
SO, to the beach we went!

We still didn't put Kaden in the water yet...

I know, I know, it's about time.
We're working up to it, I promise.

We met up with a few cousins...

Made a huge sand pit...

Did some practice standing...

And generally enjoyed every minute of it.
It was a HOT day!

LOVE Summer!

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

And then...as Kaden is such a BIG 5 1/2 month old boy, we decided to start feeding him some solid foods.

Here he is eating some rice cereal mixed with Okinawan purple potato.
He likes it!

Though really...is it really so surprising that he enjoys eating?
I didn't think so.

seattle!

This is it.

Our big Summer trip.
We headed out to Seattle to visit my family and some friends...and just enjoy the great Northwest. We (and by "we", I really mean ME) took a ton of pictures, so for all the other great pics we took (and yes, they are GREAT!), take a look here!This is a grainy picture because I took it with my iPhone...and then edited it with my Instagram app.
It was a GORGEOUS day when I took this.
You probably can't tell because of the quality of the pic, but believe me.
It was beautiful!

Before take-off.
Did you know that Honolulu Airport has this fancy Asian-inspired garden near the International terminal?
Apparently they do!

And...we're off!
Kaden's very first flight. We were a bit worried about how he'd do, but turns out there was no need!
He flew beautifully!

At least, he did on the way there....coming home was a different story, but all in all...he did great!

The girls, as usual, enjoyed the flight.
Well...they enjoyed watching videos for 5 1/2 hours.
No complaints from this parent!

Jolee's sandwich.
That was BIGGER THAN HER HEAD!

At my parents house...before bed.
They occupied themselves with what else?
Popping bubble wrap.
hahahaha....you probably think I'm joking, right?
They did this EVERY NIGHT.

At Greenlake park.
We discovered a RED ladybug.
Here in Hawaii...we get a lot of blue ones...but haven't seen a red one in a long time!
I do believe Jolee would have enjoyed seeing it more had it chosen to land on someone ELSE's arm.

What are these called...?
Merry-go-rounds?
The girls loved this.

Kaden and me hanging out...with Mitch and the girls spinning on the merry-go-round thingy in the background.

After the merry-go-round (and some swinging and monkey bars...which are not pictured here, but on our photo site here) we fed the ducks.

Oh, and for those interested to know, ducks like tater tots.

Kaden meeting his uncle Makoto!

(His namesake)

All buckled in!

Even pandy.

The girls enjoying the outdoors in my parents back yard.
Notice the sweatshirts?
It was pretty cold.

Here we are at Edmonds Park.
I used to come here as a kid...of course, back then, the playground was much older and dilapidated, but it was still great seeing my girls playing at the same park I used to over 20 years ago!

Yikes, did I just age myself?

You probably can't tell...but Jolee is actually small kine freaking out here.
All the cracks in the wood and spaces between the stairs on the jungle gym was too "scary" for our little miss afraid-of-everything!

One of the major reasons we headed up there was for our girls to play with their cousins up there.
They have so many cousins here in Hawaii that they get to see often, but they LOVE their cousins up in Seattle and have been looking forward to playing with them for a long time!


And what do girls do after not seeing each other for over 8 months?
Silly bands.
Really...I can't think of a better, more fitting name for these ridiculous pieces of over-priced junk.

And then, there's their friends.
Here they are playing at the pool with my friend Rachel and her 2 girls Lucy and Alice!
I stayed dry on the side with Kaden while the girls splashed around in the kiddie pool area.
A BIG thanks to Rachel for actually going into the water and helping to watch Jolee who can't swim.
Because I was literally having mini anxiety attacks every time she veered away from the edge of the pool.

And my friend, Alannah and her husband, Ky...whom I haven't seen since HIGH SCHOOL!
You don't need to know how many years it's been...just that it has been a LONG time!
And I got to meet their 2 boys, including this cutie.
Their little Kelso is 2 months older than Kaden...but the same size.

And my friend, Miwa and her little guy, Gordon.
I forgot my camera so this phone pic will have to do.
Also edited with Instagram.

If you have an iPhone...I recommend downloading this app.
It's fun!
And addicting.

And of course, my good friend, Carrie.


And her fun kids.


After a yummy dinner, they introduced us to sin on a plate.
Otherwise known as "Fried Twinkies"
Kela didn't want the strawberry sauce on hers...but let me tell you-
It was sweet and pretty yummy both ways.

On our last day in Seattle, we headed out to the pier.
We started out by eating some lunch.
I ate Ivar's --of course!
Can't go to Seattle waterfront and NOT have some Ivar's clam chowder! Though for some reason Mitch and the girls ate Subway instead. SUBWAY! I don't get it...

The best part of lunch was feeding my left over fries to the seagulls.

Which were HUGE!
And NOT afraid of people.
AT ALL!

See? Here's one having a staring contest with Anna.
Yeah, we didn't stay long.

And despite having taken the girls to Seattle numerous times, they had NEVER ridden on a ferry boat!
I know, shame on us, right?
So we decided to remedy that on this, our final day in Seattle.
The weather was GORGEOUS! And perfect for a ferry ride!
Although, it was still pretty nippy out with the wind blowing and all.
But the girls LOVED it!

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

We were there for one week...pretty short, but was actually the longest vacation we've had in quite a while!
And as I mentioned before, Kaden flew great on the way to Seattle...and then on our way home, we had to fly to Maui first before flying back home to Honolulu. He did wonderfully on the first leg of the trip, but on the short 20 minute flight from Maui to Honolulu, he had had enough of flying and let us (as well as the other 100 or so passengers) know just how tired he was of airplanes.


But despite that horrible ending to our trip, we had a blast and came home looking like this.
Which just goes to show that while flying for free has its benefits...it still doesn't change the fact that any travel with kids is never hassle-free.
But we just can't seem to stop!

Where shall we go next...?!