just call me soccer mom

So, it's that time of year again.
Don't ask me how...but I managed to get myself ensnared as Kela's team mom.
That's what I get for being early to the first practice!
Don't worry. I've taken note for next season!

And although Anna hasn't started yet ( her season begins in another 2 weeks), Kela had her very first game on Saturday.

Go! Pink Angels Tigers Cheetas!

Sheesh...7 year-old girls are SO indecisive!

So...while Mitch is busy refereeing the game, my job is to keep these kids entertained.
Because apparently, the GAME isn't enough.
So, we pitched our giant umbrella (which although blocked the sun, didn't block the heat all that much...) and busted out our new chairs and of course, our iPhones as well.
Oh, and don't forget the food.
Popcorn was on the menu for this week.

This guy, however, wasn't amused with any of those previously mentioned entertainments.
No.
He only wanted me.
To stand.
Outside of the umbrella.

LONGEST and HOTTEST 40 minutes-EVER.
And to think the game was at 9am!

I'm SO dreading the NOON game!!

Anyway, here's an action shot.
Kela did great! She's really improved since last season and has begun showing a bit more aggression and assertiveness.
Her coach is nice, and the coach's daughter is one of her classmates so she's really enjoying the season so far.
The score for her first game?
8-2!

Woo Hoo!
Way to start off the season on a positive note!

since school has started...

Kela has started soccer practice.
While I somehow got delegated to be team parent.

yay!

(enter sarcastic voice and rolling of eyes...)

But seriously...Kela is excited for her season to start and I'm bracing myself for some HOT and LONG days in an open field ahead.
That's because Anna also starts her soccer season soon...though I'm still waiting to hear from her coach.

Also new to these past weeks is Anna learning the art (or, lack thereof) of a Karate kick.
I'd post the video, but all you'd see is her kicking her leg up in the air...and then losing her balance and falling over.
Repeatedly.

So, while Kela and Anna are in school, I started heading out-of-doors with these two.
(like Jolee's choke-hold on Kaden? Hence, my supporting hand)

Usually, I'll let Jolee play around at the playground...

After jogging around with this loaded stroller.
Which, by the way, is around 70lbs (stroller + Jolee + Kaden).

My POV.

Oh, and did I mention I got a new camera?
I did.
And It does funky things like this.

And finally...Kaden is now 7 1/2 months old.
He's getting stronger!

And has gone from doing this...

To THIS!

Oh boy.
I think it's time to bust out the baby gate for the stairs!

first snip, snip!

It's no secret that all of my children have been born with a healthy head of hair.
It's also no secret that I had 3 girls in a row...before being blessed with a precious little boy.

And in case you can't put those two facts together...let me spell it out in plain ol' English.
Despite having 3 kids...I've never had to cut a baby's hair before.
Until now.
Despite Mitch's insistence that Kaden's head of hair looks "fine the way it is," my sister Elika disagreed.
As did I.
For starters, baby hair rarely grows evenly. Am I right?
So as Kaden's hair has grown...it has also grown unevenly.
As in...long on top, short underneath...it started looking like some weird reverse mullet!
And I just could not, in good conscience, allow my only son to be sporting some funky reverse mullet in public!
And secondly, he's a BOY!
And I just think boys should "look" like a boy (and not like a girl wearing boys clothing and in need of a rubber band for their pony tail!).

Furthermore, since neither Mitch nor I have any experience cutting baby (let alone a baby boy!)'s hair, we enlisted the help of someone who does.

My brother, Atau.

(He does, after all, have 4 boys of his own!)

So here Kaden is as we were getting started.
Happy as a little clam.

A couple minutes into it...still pretty happy and kicking his tiny little feet.
...getting a bit antsy...

...antsy-er...and biting the cape...

....reaching the boiling point!!
(notice the cape is gone...he ripped it off...)

Complete melt down!

(Good thing, we were all done!)

See?!
You probably can't even tell the difference!

But let me assure you...there IS a difference.

It's nice and short, but not too short.

And best of all...NO reverse mullet.

back to school!

Anna has started school this year as a brand new kindergartener!!
I can't believe she's already old enough for school!!
This picture was taken on her assessment testing day...she's super excited to join her big sister, Kela at Pearl Ridge Elementary!

Here they are...Anna's first day of school.
(Kela started 4 days ago, but since this was Anna's first day...only one picture. Sorry, Kela.)

kaua'i

This is it.
Our last vacation trip for the summer before school starts!!

I wasn't planning on going anywhere since we've already taken 2 rather large vacations already...but since both my sisters were going to be there....and since Mitch had a long trip to Korea on his work schedule...I decided to go with just myself and the kids.

We stayed at the time share units at Princeville, Kaua'i.
We had a 2 bedroom unit which we shared with my sister Elika and her kids.
Airi and her family were just across the parking lot and we basically got together every day for lunch, dinner and pool!

The kids.
Right before hitting the pool.

Whoa, that's a lot of kids!

And a lot of babies, too! Ha ha ha...

There were 2 different pools near our units.
Both had sand areas for little kids, and shallow pool all around so the kids could swim safely.
They were fabulous!
Kaden's first time hitting the sand and water.
He loved it all!
The sand, the water, the sun...ok, not sure about that last one, but I sure did!

Here we are.
He couldn't look up from the water because he was too busy kicking his feet!

I was a bit worried that the water would be too cold for him...but no.
He loved it!

Kaden, my waterboy!


On our way to Poipu one day...we stopped by this huge park and let the kids run around.
They had fun...and the park was ginormous...but it was quite literally the HOTTEST. DAY. EVER! I was dying just following the kids and taking pictures.
Here's all the kids.

At Poipu beach...the kids crafted this makeshift see-saw.

Chasing the waves at Poipu Beach.
The waves were pretty large...so most of the little kids just played around in the sand.

Family pic.
Poipu was beautiful~!

Me and my sisters and our babies.
Who has the biggest baby...?

And here are pictures from the other pool.
This one had less shade for us...but had a shallower pool and even had this fountain thingy for the kids to play in.
Jolee and Justus couldn't get enough of it!

Probably what the kids will miss the most...
The fun of the beach...without all the messiness and hassle!
If I ever buy a house with a pool...I think I shall make one side a sandy pool.

(Ha! And as long as I'm dreaming...maybe I'll add a million dollar view, a luxury car, etc. etc...)

Justus and Jolee.
Surprisingly were pretty inseparable on this trip.

See what I mean?

Eating dinner together.
Traveling with cousins can get stressful when there's so many little kids...but there's definitely benefits as well.
This is what my girls loved the most about this trip.
Always someone to eat, play, and sleep with.

Our last day there...we had some time to kill before heading to the airport, so we hit the pool for one last time.

Relaxing in one of 2 jacuzzi tubs there.

And then...near the park we found this contraption.
I think it's some type of exercise equipment...leg press, perhaps?
The girls thought it was some type of see-saw.

Kela scaling the monkey bars...

I rented a small car...because I knew that once we got to the resort, we could shuffle the kids around and drive legally. Which meant that on the way to and from the airport, we had to squish all 4 kids in the backseat.
I know, I know...small kine illegal.
And the kids slept for the most of the drive home anyway...

At the airport, we met up with Mitch (who flew in just to fly home with us so I wouldn't have to fly with 4 kids all by myself! ) and headed back home to Oahu.
In style!
We got to fly home in FIRST CLASS!
Sure, it's only a 20 minute flight...but still.
It was nice.

To check out the many, many, many other pictures I took, check out our photo site here!!

"3"

Three years ago...we had this birthday part for Kela planned. It was her 4th birthday and we decided on a pool party at my friend's house.
HOWEVER, instead of my daughter's pool party....I spent the day in the hospital.
Delivering her:

Here's Jolee at a week old.
She was born July 19, 2008
Weighing 8lbs 2.5 oz.
(my smallest baby)

Her birth was 2 weeks and a day early.
Not to mention a mere ONE day after Mitch returned home from his 3-week training in Seattle. Had she come one day earlier...I would have delivered her solo!!
Anyway, the day she was born, I didn't know I was in labor (I thought it was a false alarm...), we had NO baby bag packed, her carseat was still in storage and I had NO baby supplies.
You'd think it being baby #3, I would have been better prepared!
But no. We were not.
Anyway...to read up on THAT adventure, click here.

And here's our little girl now.
She is our most precocious, sassy, head-strong, and hands-down the most accident-prone child in our family.
She makes us smile and laugh every day.
We call her "Stinky" because...she has always been a real stinker when it comes to getting into trouble and causing a fuss.
We love her and are glad she's still in one piece-with all her fingers and toes in tact.
What does that mean?
Read it here and you'll understand what I mean about her being accident-prone.

So...as I mentioned in Kela's birthday post...we planned to keep Jojo's birthday party very low-key.
How low-key, you ask?
It was just us and Grandma.

And some Trader Joe's Cake with Trader Joe's Frosting.
Along with some sub-par pizza.

(NO more Domino's Pizza for us, thank you very much!)

Here's the cake.
And may I just say...Trader Joe's cake and frosting TOTALLY made up for the bad pizza and small shindig.

See?
Jolee was happy.

After dinner, we played around with our cousin Boston.
He's visiting from Arizona and hasn't been having the best time adjusting to the time change and different surroundings.
But tonight? He was happy as can be.

As for our Kaden (because I can't seem to post about anything without mentioning him at least once! I mean, look at him? He's just too stinkin' cute to resist)...well, at 6 1/2 months, he has finally cut a tooth! I couldn't get a decent shot of his singular tooth, but let me just say...it's there!
And it's sharp.
(which many mothers will probably tell you...is NO fun while nursing)
But all that aside, just further reminds me how fast time is flying by and how fast children grow up!

A Happy, Happy Birthday to our little Jojo!