IN HONOR OF . . .

. . . Kelly & Des, I am putting a new post on! Miracles do still exist! Here are some pictures of Rebekah w/her Halloween costume. When I saw this online, I just HAD to buy it! She has spent the past year in love w/Elmo, and I couldn't resist (I actually tried making it but couldn't find all of the materials). These pics were taken before Halloween, when she actually enjoyed wearing the costume. If I ever get to post pics from the actual Halloween night, you'll see that she didn't last wearing it (arm bands first, then the head band, and even the frilly dress all came off!).

OCTOBER 9, 2009

Our beautiful "Elmo Princess"!!!!

Grampy and Cousin Brandyn (a.k.a. "Spidey") visit during my October break.

CHRISTMAS 2008

Okay, so my plan is to post this one on Christmas, one more on Patootie's 1st Birthday Luau (way back in January!), and then from now on only post "recent" events. I have come to the realization that I am just not diligent enough to blog about everything, so I will do it when I can and NOT FEEL GUILTY about it! My friend Kelly has once again motivated me to do my best; take only 5 minutes to post something quickly. If anyone still actually reads my blog, I hope you enjoy whatever I can put together (hee, hee!).

These pictures were taken in December, Rebekah's first Christmas. The month was full of excitement, exhaustion (as I was also planning her big luau), and gratitude. Altough she won't remember any of it, we still showered her with lots of love and gifts. Her Daddy wants to be sure her birthday is not overshadowed or overlooked, because it's around this ever so important holiday. I hope she will look back on these pictures and know just how very much she is loved.

December 2008 Memories

Amidst all of the hustle and bustle that surrounded our "Holiday Season", we were able to sneak in a photo shoot for our Christmas card (on 12/4), thanks to my friend, Kelly. (I think Kelly may be one of my most reliable friends . . . she may actually be the most reliable person I know!) Thanks Kelly! We had fun, and were able to get a few good shots before the sun set at Ko'Olina. I actually took a few pictures, which is a miracle, because I'm usually lucky if I get a picture centered, without cutting anyones head or limbs off!. A few days after that (on 12/7), my friend, Omi's (and Nate's) "new baby boy" (he's like 4 months old now!) was blessed. Ryan had to work, so Rebekah & I represented our family. Daddy Nate did a good job, and Nahaku was a good boy =).

MONTH 11 . . . LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR

I know, I know, I should just surrender & post only recent stuff, but if you know me, you know that I am just way too stubborn & O.C.D. about it . . . I can't just skip over months, I just physically can't! So, here's month 11 . . . I'm like the Little Engine that could!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND PATOOTIE MAKES 11 MONTHS!

We were so blessed to have my family, Grampy (Dad), Tutu (Mom), Aunty Teenie (Sister), and Cousin Brandyn (nephew; my older sis, Janel, had to work), come up & visit us. Our home was filled w/family, food, laughter, and love. Ryan fried a whole turkey, which turned out pretty good (and I'm not really a "turkey" fan) thanks to my parent's early Christmas gift to us . . . a turkey fryer. We had a feast and I was just really grateful to have family to share this day with.
MY BIRTHDAY . . . FULL OF SURPRISES! (11/12/08)

Ryan was scheduled to work on the night of my birthday (which happens sometimes, comes w/the territory of his job), so I was thrilled to have him & Rebekah come and visit my @ work for lunch. I got a pretty lei and great company. After work, I rushed home so that I would have at least a few minutes to spend w/him before he had to leave. When I got home, he asked me if I wanted to open presents first or eat. I was a bit confused about the "eat" part because I knew he had to leave in a few minutes. I, of course, chose to open presents first, and got many fun and loving gifts from both him, Patootie, and my family (thanks Mom!). When I thought all was done, Ryan told me about my final gift upstairs in our office. I was again confused and surprised (BUT, I do love surprises!). We three proceeded upstairs where I found this huge box, wrapped all pretty w/a bow. Patootie & I opened it up to find a gift I have been dreaming about getting one day (no, not a diamond tiara!) . . . a Bernina Surger (overlock machine)! I couldn't believe it, and knowing that these are not cheap, I scolded him @ first and insisted that we should've waited, saved up more. He lovingly told me that I deserved it, which I am grateful for. I then told him that this would now be my birthday, Christmas, and whatever upcoming holiday, gift. I was pretty "surprised" out and was ready to say farewell to my hubby, when he pulled yet another surprise out of his hat . . . he WASN'T going in for work, he had taken a vacation day, and we were going out to dinner! This had NEVER happened before, so I was pretty shocked, again! We, with our Patootie Sunsine in tow of course, went to a sushi restaurant in town called "Yanagi's" (I think). I LOVE sushi, and knew that Ryan was sacrificing for me @ this restaurant. He was a sushi eater when we first met. But, on our honeymoon cruise to Mexico they served "sushi" one day on deck. Needless to say, it was rather "interesting", and Ryan got really sick that night (like flu like sick, fever chills, stomach pains, everything!). Ever since then, he's never been able to look at sushi the same. I am a very lucky girl and had a great birthday. My favorite part of the whole day . . . reading the cards from my loved ones, and spending time w/Ryan & Patootie.
OUR SPECIAL NOVEMBER VISITORS (11/7 - 11/23)

During the month of November, we were blessed to have a few visitors. Grampy & Aunty Teenie came over to watch Patootie. My friend Pam Robinson, from my old Ward (but who now lives way too far away in California), came to visit also and dropped by our house. Pam is my crazy, loving, energetic, smart (the list goes on and on) friend who is never afraid to keep it real, nor to embarass herself. We love Pam and her husband, Chet, along w/their 3 kids, Audrey, Ty, and Luke. (Most of Patootie's wardrobe actually came from Audrey! . . . We love the clotes!) My memories of Pam & Chet: Running, karaoke, Sunday School class (joking around while Chet tried to teach), YW every Sunday & mutual night, hanging out & laughing. We had some great times and Ryan & I are truly blessed to have such great friends.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN . . . PATOOTIE'S 1ST TRUNK OR TREAT (10/31)

Patootie wore her Beautiful Baby Butterfly costume for Halloween. One thing we didn't think about before hand was whether she would fit in her carseat or not w/the costume on (oops!). Ryan & I dressed up as butterfly catchers (my idea to have Ryan dress up as a caterpillar didn't really fly w/him!), and w/our little Butterfly, we headed to our first trunk or' treat @ the Stake center. Rebekah didn't seem as interested in the event as she was with taking off her costume. We got to see some friends, a lot of really cute costumes, and a bunch of trunk or' treaters. On the way home, Patootie fell asleep, but awoke after we got home. So, while Ryan stayed home to give out our candy, I took her around some of the homes in the neighborhood. She got quite a big stash from the few places we went, and although she wasn't aloud to eat pretty much any of it, she had fun playing in the pile of candy! We did learn though, that by the time we tried to give out our candy, it was already late (we missed it during the trunk or'treat), so next year we have to figure out which one we want to focus on.

MONTH 10 MILESTONES

NO! WE DID NOT FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH! For any of my friends who actually cared to check our blog, and were repeatedly disappointed when they saw our 9 months post, I APOLOGIZE (Sorry Kelly & Omi)!!! Life just really kicked me in the butt and I hate to admit it, but updating (or even touching) our blog was pretty much at the BOTTOM of my priority list for the past 6 months. It all started w/our crazy preparations for Rebekah's 1st party, and continued w/the holidays, work, recovering from the party, work, and just every day life. I really do not know how many of you do it!

So, while many of you have wondered if we are still alive, the answer is "Yes, Alive and Kicking!" I am actually doing this during my Spring Break (one of my goals, that I am fearful I won't be able to complete), and have decided to try and make slide shows of the past 6 months in order to expedite this process. Once again, you do not have to read, or even look, at all of my posts (trust me, I won't be offended).

Here's a Summary of Rebekah's 10th Month:
*She had her first Ice Cream @ Outback Steakhouse on 10/10, I think she enjoyed it!
*First Temple Trip on 10/11, which I must explain in more detail because it was quite an experience! Notice the 1st picture, (I took w/my camera, hence the quality is a bit amateurish) Patootie has a ribbon in her hair. The pictures taken later w/Ryan's "more professional" camera are without the ribbon. There's a reason for that. We (Rebekah & I) were enjoying the Temple grounds & its beauty while Ryan was inside w/the Youth. On our way back up to the top of the Temple to meet Ryan, Patootie was drinking a bottle, then I heard her coughing. I didn't think anything, since she often coughed while drinking milk. The coughing continued, then turned into a gasping/choking sound. I stopped, a bit confused (but not yet worried) looked at her, then realized that she was spitting up milk. Still not realizing what was going on, I began cleaning up her mouth, w/a burb cloth. THEN, I saw something come out of her mouth . . . it was the pretty flower pin (that I paid $5 for!), she had pulled it off her hair, put it in her mouth, and was choking on it!!! I was in complete shock! I took her out of her stroller, and held her, I couldn't believe how "duh!" I was, she was choking right in front of my eyes. In my mind, I kept on thinking about "what could have happened", and shuddering at the thought. I truly believe that Heavenly Father was watching over us that day, that we were definitely at the right place at the right time, and that Patootie was saved by a little miracle. It took me days before I really got over the shock (and till today, shudder @ the memory of that day). As soon as Ryan found out his first words were, "No more bows!!!" I didn't argue . . . Ah, Women, the price we pay for fashion!
*Baby Expo Crawling Race 10/16. We knew that Patootie would either leave everyone in the dust OR observe all of the commotion going on around her. With every imaginable "bait" we could think of, from her favorite snacks, to my cell phone, her toys, and even THE DVR REMOTE CONTROL!, we set out hoping she would make us "proud". Both Ryan & I are VERY COMPETITIVE, and I was actually wondering how I would react to this whole thing (would I go ballistic and be one of those "crazy" parents yelling @ their child?). Well, as you can tell/guess from the pictures, Patootie did what she does best, moves at HER own pace. She started out strong, then part way through looked at the others w/this expression of "what in the world are all of these babies doing? AND why are their parents yelling?", and ended with her signature "strike a model pose" and observed all of the hoopla. It was the cutest thing, and I actually didn't go crazy or was one bit upset. We had fun watching her! Hopefully I can remember this day when she actually does play sports, I DON'T WANT TO BE THE "CRAZY" MOM!
*Brand New Combi High Chair in "Wasabi" Green (a color I never thought I'd buy, but kinda like it!)
*First Pumpkin Patch 10/25. We almost didn't go because of the weather, but am so glad that we did! It was muddy, but we were very fortunate to have been there right before the down pour came.
*Rebekah turns 10 months . . . 10/28/08. While she grew in size, her hair slowly but surely lessened in volume!

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN . . . REBEKAH TURNS 9 MONTHS!

Our Baby Girl is growing up way too fast, right before our eyes. This past month, she's been progressing in leaps and bounds. She loves to crawl, pull herself up into a standing postion, then try to walk . . .

Climb the stairs, Grab everything in front of, or around her, . . . Talk, laugh, smile, and . . .



Clap! (and say "yay" while doing so).

She loves to eat, more and more, and continues to talk. Her weight is still in the 25-50th percentile, while her length and HEAD SIZE are in the 50-75th percentile. We are so blessed to have a healthy and happy little girl. She brings complete and utter joy into our lives on a daily basis (yes, even when she's screaming like a little maniac!). We thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing our lives with our wonderful Baby Girl.

Ryan has been wanting (for months now, which in "Ryan Time" is almost an eternity) a nicer digital camera. I am all about saving money and waiting to buy things . . . especially expensive things. Well, Ryan waited, and researched, and waited, and researched, and waited, until finally he came to me with what he thought was a "can't miss offer." Apparently mentioning this to me qualifies as my accepting it's being purchased, so before I knew it, the camera was ordered and on its way! My hubby did find a pretty good deal, so I can't complain. Since then, he's been testing out his new toy on our most prized possession . . . Patootie. Can you tell which pictures I took and which ones Ryan took?

READING IS KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
Rebekah has loved books for as long as we can remember (in her short life of 9 months). When we're reading something, she'll come up to us and try to grab it. When we're singing @ Church, she insists on tapping her hand against the hymn book, and try to take it out of our hands. When I read to her at bedtime, she tries to grab the pages and pull them out. She just loves to look at books . . . of course, it could just be that she loves to shove them into her mouth!

One day I put her in her excersaucer and gave her a book. I then found her "reading" . . . I had to take a quick picture to remember this cute moment. Hopefully she'll continue to have a love of books as she gets older!

IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT COSTUME

Friday - August 29, 2008
If you've been following my blog, or talked with me, since Rebekah was born, you know that I have always thought she looks like a little panda cub (she takes after her father). So, for Halloween, I wanted her to be a little panda cub. We found a cute costume for her on-line a little while ago, but I wasn't sure what size to get for her (she was growing so fast!). When the costume arrived, it was a little too big, but I thought I'd just make the alterations so it would fit her. Here are some pictures of Patootie trying on her costume . . .



As you can see, the head as a little too big. So big, that Ryan was able to squeeze his head in it!

Saturday - September 19, 2008
While we were on another one of our shopping trips (searching for a b-day gift), Ryan found some other costumes and decided to have Patootie do a little modeling while I was shopping. Although she didn't need another costume, Daddy couldn't resist and so here were the other "contestants."


Flower Power . . .
and Beautiful Baby Butterfly.

We thought the flower one looked cute on the rack, but kinda funky on Patootie's head. The butterfly one was so adorable. Others in the store were having as much fun watching Patootie model as we did. Leave it to us, we go in the story looking for a birthday gift, and leave with . . .

THE BEAUTIFUL BABY BUTTERFLY COSTUME!
Saturday - September 20, 2008
Yup, she doesn't need it, but we couldn't resist! Here she is at home practicing for Trick or'Treat. What do you think?




I wanted to have Ryan and I in coordinating costumes. My idea was to cut out big circles and create a caterpillar costume for Ryan. Well, you can just imagine the look on his face when I shared my idea! His idea, which was much better (as in not as embarrasing), was to dress up as butterfly catchers. (F.Y.I. - for the Panda costume, our idea was to dress up as bamboo, so it would look like Patootie was climbing bamboo while we were holding her. We couldn't find any material that looked like bamboo, so that was a little hard.)

Now we have the dilema of which costume should she use? Butterfly or Panda? Butterfly fits this year and is CUTE. Panda was my first choice, but doesn't fit perfectly, and may be too small next year. Our solution: Butterfly costume is in first. But, if other kids have the same costume, we change to Panda costume. With slight adjustments to our costumes, we go from butterfly catchers to panda trainers. Hopefully this all works out in real life as well as it does in my head! Stay tuned for the Halloween update!

LOOK AT ME . . . I'M STANDING!

On Friday, September 19, 2008, Patootie accomplished another feat . . . she was able to pull herself up into a standing position! Aunty Teenie was actually the first one to witness this event when she went to get Patootie from her crib and found her standing up! (Aunty Teenie was up once again, babysitting, thanks Teenie!) The very next day, we lowered her crib down one level, then soon learned this wasn't enough and lowered it all the way down.

Here's our Patootie, the very next day, showing off her new skill . . . STANDING, HOORAY =)!


Strike A Pose! One of Patootie's favorite things to do is "strike a pose" mid-way through her crawling. She will be crawling around the house, and then for no reason, stop, turn to her side, and put her hand on her hip/side. It's so cute. We call it her "model" pose.

Another picture of her standing.

On this day (Saturday, September 20), we (sans Ryan who had to work) went to a birthday party for my friend, Kalei's, son Emiole Sabien Ohai. It was a pool party and we had fun swimming.

Patootie usually has an initial shock when she enters the water because of the "cold", but on this day she didn't even flinch. She was calm the entire time we were in the water, even with bigger kids jumping and splashing around. I had to watch her, however, because she was having a little too much fun drinking out of the pool! Along with the pool fun, ono grinds, and good friends, Patootie got to hit her first pinata at the party!

Patootie with Aunty Kalei and the birthday boy, Sabien!

Strings, Glorious Strings!

One of Patootie's fetishes is of all things, STRINGS! She loves to find strings on things, and when she does, she will of course pull on it, put it in her mouth, and start chewing! Here's a picture of her finding a string from one of my pants (in our never ending pile of clean laundry . . . we wash, but can never keep up with the folding and putting away of, the clothes). Rebekah also enjoys buttons and cords. We buy her toys, but she always ends up playing with the most random things.

On this day, Ryan and Rebekah got a surprise visit from Aunty Carol (Ryan's sister). She was in town for work and was able to drop by. Although I was sad I missed the visit, I'm glad that Patootie got to finally meet her Aunty Carol (who now lives on the Big Island, so we didn't get to see her when we went to Maui).

Grandma Iwashita Visits

Grandma Iwashita was in town visiting for the day, on her way to Korea. Patootie was able to spend some time with her, and the two had fun playing with each other.

Grandma Iwashita took us to a Korean restaurant in town, then we went to Ala Moana for some last minute travel shopping.

When Grandma Iwashita returned from Korea, she stopped off on Oahu on her way back to Maui. She brought back a beautiful Korean dress for Patootie . . . it's still a little too big, but I hope to post a picture of it soon. Thank you Grandma Iwashita!

"I Like Fish and Poi, I'm A Big Girl . . ."

Ryan, Rebekah, and I went to a baby's 1st birthday party for my cousin, Ginella's, son. Patootie was able to have her first taste of POI that night! She pretty much eats ANYTHING you give her, and loves it. With her first poi experience, however, we seem to have mixed reviews. While she didn't refuse to eat it, she was slower in her tasting it, and didn't seem to crave more of it. Since it is an acquired taste, we're going to continue trying to give it to her =).

LABOR DAY FAMILY FUN FEST FINALE

Evey year, for the past 10 years, our Mililani Stake has put on a Family Fun Fest on Labor Day. I think I actually remember being at the original one, and every year since then, it's grown. This year, unfortunately, was the last of this annual event (it is a lot of work and money to produce). This was Patootie's first, and last, chance to enjoy the fun . . . unfortunately, Ryan had to work. (Last year, the two of us had to work the entire day, so I was looking forward to spending this year "playing" with my family.) So that I wouldn't have to go "alone", I invited my mom and nephew (Brandyn) to fly up. I thought Brandyn would enjoy the festivities, and we (Patootie and I) could enjoy spending time with "Tutu." I did invite my co-workers again this year, and was happy when my friends Tom and Krystal came with their families.

Patootie was ready bright and early for our day of family fun!
Brandyn was one of the first kiddies to ride the train, he was so excited!

Patootie, Brandyn and I riding the train (Ryan drove this exact train last year!).


One of Patootie's two naps taken during the fun, but long and hot, day.

While Patootie napped, I got to ride this helicopter ride with Brandyn. I had planned to take Patootie back on it when she awoke, but when I went back later, there was a sign that said the ride was only for kids under 13, and no parents were allowed (to take infants). =(

Soooo, we went on the one and only ride that Patootie could go on (aside from the train) the merry-go-round. Patootie seemed to really enjoy it, BUT, for some reason this little ride made me a little dizzy! Go figure!
Patootie and I on the Merry-Go-Round.


Our little Patootie with her Tutu =)!

STRONG WILLED

I have NO IDEA where Patootie could have gotten this characteristic trait, but she is turning out to be very strong willed. When I was pregnant with her, we went through many trials, both she and I, with our health. One of our first trials was when she had to have her heart monitored early in the pregnancy. From that, I wanted to have a name for her that had the meaning "strong heart" tied to it (thanks to my friend Jamiee, part of "Mayumi" has that in its meaning). What I didn't anticipate was her being "strong willed". She can be the cutest little bundle of joy, and then in a split second turn into a demanding little tyrant! On this day, Ryan was feeding her and she grabbed his hand and tried to take the spoon our of his hand. Daddy didn't let go and asked Patootie to let go. I was in the kitchen, and heard the little tug of war going on. When I looked again, I found this sight . . . Ryan sitting there with baby food (I think it was carrots on the menu) on his forehead! Apprarently, Patootie played the tug of war, then when she decided she was done, listened to her daddy and let go of both his hand and the spoon. Unfortunately, Daddy wasn't ready for this, the spoon came flying back towards him, and his forehead was the bullseye for the spoonful of carrots! It was so funny! It's really hard to be upset with her when she's so cute! (We're in trouble, aren't we?!)

EIGHT MONTHS . . . AND COUNTING!

Rebekah turned 8 months on August 28th. She was able to better master her sitting skills, and continues to love to CRAWL! Her greatest "milestone" this month came with the arrival of her first teeth! On August 7th, we felt the first signs of her bottom 2 (center) teeth emerging from her gums. Along with her gums came high fevers and coughing/congestion. Her "hanabata" was so bad that we had to suction it out with a bulb syringe . . . this was always difficult for all of us, as Rebekah screamed as if she was being tortured everytime we did it. (I actually was worried that the neighbors might call the police!) I never enjoy her fevers or discomfort, and always feel so bad for her, but we were able to weather the storm and she overcame them =).

HEADING BACK TO THE GARDEN ISLE

TUESDAY - MONDAY, AUGUST 12 - 17, 2008
So, we got to take a trip back "home" to Kauai back in August. One of my High School friends got married. I haven't been very faithful in keeping in contact with my H.S. friends since we graduated and went off to college, but whenever I do get to see them, it's always fun. The rest of "Da Gang" (our group's name) seem to still keep in touch, some of them have remained close through all of these years. I think that for me, however, after going off to college, my priorities (i.e., BYUH, mission, temple marriage, etc.) were different from theirs (none of them are LDS, so we had less in common the older we got), so I kind of lost touch with them. Anyway, it was fun to see them, and of course visit w/my family.

TUESDAY - AUGUST 12, 2008
This was Patootie's second trip to Kauai (last time she was just 3 months old). She was more alert and aware of her surroundings at the airport. Here we are @ the Oahu airport, and on the plane.



Patootie after we landed on Kauai.
WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 13, 2008
We moved a trip up a couple of days because we decided to split a time share with our friends, Nate and Omi. The time share was actually someone else's, but when Omi called me asking if we wanted to share it, I jumped at the opportunity because it was at the Princeville Resort. We could never afford to stay at the Princeville, so I thought this was a great chance for us to experience resort life there. Unfortunately, my expectations were set too high, because the time share was by no means near "luxury". (Omi guys seemed to have a more positive outlook than we did.) The size of the timeshare was nice, but the carpet and furniture were outdated. My family drove all the way to Princeville from Lihue (which on Kauai is like driving FOREVER), we had fun hanging out with them. Here are some pictures of Patootie with Grampy and Tutu.



We got to go to the pool, which was near our time share unit. We had fun swimming with Tutu, Grampy, Aunty Teenie, and Brandyn. My dad also snuck away from the pool an found a more relaxing spot . . . a jacuzzi for grown ups only, so no noisy kids were allowed!



Perhaps the worst part of our stay @ the Princeville Time Share was the fact that soon after we returned from the pool, the ELECTRICITY WENT OUT! Not only did we have to bathe in the dark, with cold water, we also missed a chunk of the Olympics, and had to eat the food my parents brought cold! It didn't just go off for a short time, we were sitting in the dark for over 3 HOURS! I felt so bad for my family. They drove all the way up there to hang out with us, and had to sit in the dark. I am very blessed, however, because not once did they grumble or make us feel bad. Instead, we just hung out, talked story, and waited for the power to come back on.

Here's a picture of Brandyn playing with Patootie. She would sit on his back and he would "drive" her around the room. She loved this and had so much fun!

FRIDAY - AUGUST 15, 2008
We left the time share and stayed with my parents for the last few days of our trip (something we should've done from the beginning). Even though my parent's house is very hot, and small in size, we had fun spending more time with my family. Aunty Janel picked these flowers from my mom's yard. I love these pics because it looks like Patootie is dancing the hula. Hmmm, is there Merrie Monarch in her future?



SATURDAY - AUGUST 16, 2008
This was the day of my friend, Jayleen's (or "Beanie" as we called her in H.S.) wedding. I don't know what I was thinking, but I failed to get a picture of her and her husband! I did get to snatch a picture with some of my other friends from H.S. I hadn't seen some of them in over 10+ years! I didn't realize it until I saw this picture . . . I was/am somewhat taller than my classmates!

SUNDAY - AUGUST 17, 2008
Here's a picture of Patootie with Grampy. He helped watch her both at the wedding the night before, and during Stake Conference on this day.

Some last pictures with Tutu before having to fly back home to Oahu.

All good things must come to an end . . . while we always enjoy visiting family and friends, it's always great to return home. Patootie had fun during this trip. She continued to do so on the way back home . . . shouting aloud, pounding the airplane window, trying to drink the Pog juice, and playing with us.




We know she won't remember these trips, but hopefully when she's older and can look at these pictures, she'll know just how much she's loved =).

"Can-Chan"

My good friend, and former roommate, from college, Candace, was back home visiting with her family. My friend, Omi, planned a get together at her house, and, although she asked me about the date early on, unfortunately, I had to go to another get together at the last minute. So, I was very bummed that I missed the get together with my college gang.

Luckily for me, Candace ("Can-Chan") was able to come and visit us at our house before having to fly back home.

All of our "Girls" . . . it was amazing to see all of our daughters together. Larissa, Maylina, Noela, Nanea, and Rebekah, posed for a picture together. It's amazing how fast kids grow. I still remember Candace having Larissa after I came home from my mission.

Omi, Candace, and Me.

Some fun facts/memories I have of Candace:
*Candace was my roommate right before I went on my mission.
*We lived in Hale 1, where we had/were able to cook our own meals.
*Can and I lived off of Hamburger Helper for most of our time there . . . I didn't know that it was unhealthy until our friends Kalei and Julie told us one day to look at the nutrition label!
*Can-Chan can EAT! Girl would eat more than all of us, and still was as thin as a stick!
*As beautiful as she is on the outside, Candace is even more beautiful on the inside. She would never gossip, and was sweet to everyone! She inspired me to be a better person. Even until today, she is still one of the kindest persons I know.

Thank Goodness for Family . . .

Having to return to work, while leaving my Sunshine at the babysitter, has been one of the hardest things I've had to do. I always try to put on a strong face, but as I turn around, walk away, and get into my car, I pretty much daily have to hold back the tears. It's even worse when my Baby Girl is crying, reaching for me, as I hand her over to the babysitter. I know that she'll be fine, I know that the babysitter takes care of her, but it is still very hard.

Because of this, whenever I get the chance to have my sister come over and watch our Patootie, I snatch it! On this certain day, Aunty Teenie amazingly got Grampy to fly over with her. The last time he saw Rebekah was when we flew home for her "Baby Shower" back in March.

I think at first Patootie was a little unsure of who Grampy was, but in no time she warmed up to him. One thing I noticed about my dad is that he has turned out to be a lot "softer" with his grandchildren than he was with us. It's amazing how grandchildren can soften a person up. It's actually really cute to see him play with her, I guess because he doesn't have to discipline her, he can be more silly and playful.



Patootie giving the "Shaka" sign . . . local girl, through and through.

Lucky Number Seven

Soon after she started crawling (using her "army" style crawl, which actually is amazingly very fast!), Patootie reached another benchmark . . . she was able to SIT ON HER OWN! Although she needed help to get into position, and she wasn't always to remain seated on her own, we were thrilled with her ever growing progress =). Today, she turned 7 months. This past month brought many new adventures, accomplishments, and growth. If you look at her pictures, you may notice that she has slowly been losing her hair. We're not sure if it's that her hair's getting lighter, getting less, or that her HEAD is just getting BIGGER! Regardless, we're grateful that she continues to grow and is healthy and happy.

OUR BEACH BABY

Because I was born and raised on the Island of Kauai, and Ryan on Maui, I am very determined to make sure that our children do not grow up like "townies" (no offense to any "townies"). I grew up running around and playing outside, fishing (although I was banned from going w/my dad & brother years ago . . . that's for another post), and swimming. It's one of my goals to make sure that I expose my babies to as much of this as I can. So, this summer, we took Patootie to the beach as much as we could. It does take a lot to prepare for, drive there, and set up, but I really want Rebekah to not be afraid of the water. Here are some pics of two trips we took to Ko Olina.
MONDAY - JULY 7, 2008





TUESDAY - JULY 22, 2008
Remember the shades? Here she is, eating them!

Starr Light, Starr Bright . . .

My Girl, Starr, flew home for a visit. Of course, when I heard she was coming, I was determined to make sure that we got to see each other. It had been several years since we saw each other last; we used to be pretty inseparable when we were "YSA". She, Michelle, and I did almost everything together. So, I pretty much hunted her down, made sure she had time to visit us, and was thrilled when she, Ricky, and Chloe were able to come over for dinner!

Our little families . . . thanks for visiting us, Starr!

Chloe and Patootie, our Baby Girls.

So, just as I did with my friend, Brian, here are some memories I have of Starr:
*Even though Starr is younger than I am, she was always very mature . . . sometimes even more mature than I was.
*Starr always had my back, she would always defend me if she felt like she had to. I could always count on her. (As I wrote in my post about our friend, Brian, when I had the "crazy neighbor" in Salt Lake, she called Brian to drive all the way from Waikiki to check on me.)
*Starr has an AMAZING SINGING VOICE! She is very modest about it, but she can sing! We used to love going to Karaoke. I would "request" songs for Starr, and when she wouldn't choose them for herself, I would do it for her! When the songs came up, I would make her sing them (hee, hee!). Amongst my favorites were these two songs: "You Light Up My Life" and that Aliyah song (oh man, I can't remember the name of it!). Starr would be able to sing all of the runs . . . amazing!
*Starr was there for me whenever I was having "guy drama". She was there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to vent to, and even when I made some dating "faux pas" (I know YOU know what I'm talking about, Starr!).
*Starr and I have had many moments when we laughed so hard, we cried, and when we cried too hard, we laughed! She may not be my blood relative, but she's been like a sister to me =).
I could go on and on, but I just wanted to let you know, Starr, that I appreciate having you as a friend.