anna's special day

Anna turned 8 on April 25th, 2014!

She has been looking forward to getting baptized, and we couldn't have been prouder for her efforts and enthusiasm for this special day.

And then we remembered that we moved! And our new ward doesn't hold Child of Record baptisms on the Stake level...but has the families plan and execute their own baptismal services.

I thought and thought and prayed about it and made the decision to ask our old ward and stake if we could possibly join them for their monthly baptismal service.

I was so very happy to find that they all agreed! 

And so, Anna was able to join with her friends on this special day.

 Here she is with her Daddy.

There is just something special about seeing a child, all dressed in white, preparing to enter the waters of baptism that brings tears of joy to my eyes.  

I can only imagine the feeling our Heavenly Father has when he sees the same thing.

We cannot be more proud and pleased with Anna this day. (and every day!)

 Here she is with her good friends, Yazzy and Brennen.

She has grown up with these children, practically from birth!

She was blessed as a baby with Brennen when she was just weeks old.

Yazzy and Brennen have been with her from nursery through primary...until the day we moved away last year.  Getting to see these three enter the waters of baptism together, seeing them get to celebrate this special day together was the best present of all!

I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ-that brings friends together, and creates families through Ward activities and fellowship.  I know these kids will always share this connection and friendship, and this brings so much joy to me.

Our family.

We did have Anna's extended family come and join us as well...but with the oncoming rain and having to rush back to Airi's for dinner and the rest of the birthday celebration, we were not quite fast enough to snap a group picture.  BUT, we know they were there to help support and show their love for Anna on this special day, and we are so very grateful to them as well.

 Cupcakes and cousins!

 Anna chose purple and pink frosting for her cupcakes...and we had some of her cousins help with the frosting.  I had to go back and "fix" a couple of cupcakes...but it's all good!  No matter what they look like, as long as they taste good, that's all that matters, right? 

And yummy, they were!

happy easter

Easter Sunday was spent with cousins at Airi's house.

It really is the only place that can accommodate such a large group of kids and has enough space for hiding and seeking a hundred + plastic candy-filled Easter Eggs.

 Our egg-hunting party, before the hunt.

 We had the older kids do the hiding...while the little ones did the searching.

We've discovered it works out best this way!

What's the point of having so many older kids, if not to put them to work, right?

 And the little ones had lots of fun hunting around Airi's back yard for their eggs.

  

Kaden and his loot.  His cousin, Hugo, was very helpful in taking Kaden around and showing him where all the eggs were hidden. Not sure what exactly he's helping to do here...but Kaden sure did have more than enough eggs in his bucket.  Yes, that's a Halloween bucket.  We Seaveys like to recycle and make the most of what we have.  he he!

We know that candy eggs are not the most important thing about Easter...but to be honest, the kids enjoy getting together with their cousins and spending quality family time more than indulging on candy and chocolate.  

We are eternally grateful for the Savior's sacrifice for us.  And know that because of all that He did for us, we can one day make it back to our Heavenly Father again.  

Easter is a time for us to show gratitude to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

For all they have done to make it possible for us to be with our families for eternity.

Happy Easter!

blueberry

The kids have been asking and asking (and asking....) for a pet for YEARS.

And since we can't have a pet dog or cat, we compromised and got them a pet fish.

Here is Blueberry.  He's a male beta fish and the girls picked him out today.

He's blue and pretty and the kids are super thrilled that he has joined our family.

punchbowl

General Conference Sunday means we get to relax at home and sit in our PJ's while listening to the Prophet speak to us.  

It was an uplifting morning of listening to the Sunday morning session of Conference while the kids gathered in front of the TV to do their Conference Packets.

And then in between the morning and afternoon sessions, we decided to head out to have some peaceful family time outdoors.  Daddy decided it was a good day to give them a little history lesson as well, and so with that, we headed out to Punchbowl Memorial Park.

We walked along the path to the look out and the kids noticed all the gravesites and memorial stones.

They noticed all the different National plaques and we were able to tell them about all the different countries that the US has made peace with since the many wars.

 

At the top of the Punchbowl lookout. The view is so beautiful up here!

This was actually my very first time coming up here!  And I was so humbled to see the history of war and strife that has brought us to where we are today. 

To see all the gravestones, and to know how many people sacrificed their lives and families to help bring peace to the world is not something one can easily put into words.

But I am so very grateful for the freedoms we get to enjoy, and know that it was not achieved without great sacrifice by many.

Our family.  Well, minus Kela since she was taking the picture because there was no one else around to ask. 

These kids didn't complain once during the walk up and down to the lookout. It's not a short or easy one, and we were proud of them.  I think they felt the solemn atmosphere that permeates this Memorial Park.

  

We walked all around the murals of the many World Wars.  We read to them the history of their ancestors, and they were truly touched and saddened to hear about all the wars and bloodshed that happened so many years before they were born.  I discovered that while they knew some basic facts about the United States' war with Japan, they were a little misled as to some of the details.

Kela mentioned to me that the "United States accidentally bombed Japan."  

She and her sisters were pretty horrified when I informed them that it was not an accident, but a deliberate act of war--to combat a country that was equally bent on causing destruction to many countries around the world!  They kept asking "why?" And that really is the question, isn't it?  

From the beginning of the creation of the world, people have been in and out of war with each other for various reasons.  I had no real answers for them.  And realized that there is no easy answer.

I am so glad that war is a concept that is difficult for them to understand, that they have been saved from having to experience it first-hand. Who knows what is in store for their futures...there is currently a war going on in the Middle-East, and as they grow older, I am sure it will touch them or affect them some how or another.  I just hope that when that time comes, they will be spared any major heartbreak or tragedy.  That they may be kept safe from the harm and hatred of war.

Coming here to see the history of war in our world, makes me feel even more the need for the Savior in our lives.  When there is so much hatred and tribulation, He is the one we can always turn to for peace and comfort.

tiger tots

We look forward to this time of year, every year.

It's Tiger Tots time!

McKinley High School has their early education curriculum in full swing, and during their final semester, they hold a short-term preschool for a handful of kids to give their seniors some hands-on education experience with real live preschoolers!!

And us parents get a short, 2 hour break from the kiddos to exercise and run errands.  

We sure do love Tiger Tots!

This year, Kaden got to go with his cousin Caleb.

There is probably going to be lots of carpooling together this month! :)

 Walking to class....seeing this makes me realize how fast my little boy is growing up!

Pretty soon, he'll be walking to kindergarten all by himself too!

*sniff, sniff...

As I dropped him off, I saw him get started on his letter writing with his new teachers.

No tears, no theatrics or whining for me to stay.

And when I picked him up 2 1/2 later, he was all smiles and told me he had fun and wanted to go back!

Yay for preschool!

anna's karate exam: green belt!

This week, Anna wasn't feeling too well.

She stayed home from school a couple of days...but felt well enough to try for her green belt at this quarter's karate exam.

You can't tell, but she is so very tired here.

She came home and took a nap afterwards.

 Anyway, here she is lining up to take her exam.

They usually have it at Kapolei High School, but for some reason they decided to hold it right in their Dojo, which I was grateful for.  Having to only drive 30 minutes is always far preferable to driving close to an hour!

 And here we are!

Great Job, Anna!

We are SO proud of her accomplishments, and her dedication to the sport of Karate.  

I admit, when I first signed her up, I wasn't sure how long she would last.  I thought her desire to learn Karate would eventually fade and wane, but after nearly one year, she seems to continue to enjoy it as well and thrive in learning her new kata's and techniques.

Yay, Anna!

hiking manoa falls

Since we came home from our Spring Break vacation a little early, we had time to do some family activities right here on Oahu before school starts back up.

We decided to take the kids on an easy hike up to Manoa Falls.

 And despite the way being slightly muddy and rocky...they all walked by themselves without complaint.  Even this guy!

Okay, so Kaden didn't walk the entire hike...we did have to piggy-back carry him for the last 15 minutes or so on our return trip, but all in all, they did great and despite a couple of mosquito bites, they all had fun.

 The kids, each with their walking sticks as we traverse the path up to the falls.

And we made it!!

We must have had some good rain recently because the falls were pretty good sized!  Not too big but definitely more than a trickle. The kids were duly impressed.

 And since we packed some snacks for the trek, we stopped at the end to fortify our stomachs.

Spam musubis and chips.  

 On our way back, we discovered this little alcove build into the trees and bushes.  

We snapped a quick picture and headed out before any more mosquitoes decided to make lunch out of us.

How blessed we are to live in such beautiful country!

To get to experience the natural beauty of Hawaii, is truly something I hope we never take for granted.

Equally grateful for this wonderful family we get to experience all of these adventures with.

Can you tell that Kaden enjoyed the hike?