Our Halloween

Last week, Na'u and I went to Maui to watch Kayla get baptized. It was such a special day for her. Kayla, you looked so pretty in white and we are so happy we could be apart of it!

Congratulations Kayla!

Since we were on Maui and Halloween was the day after Kayla's big day, I figure we spend it with lots of cousins. It was Na'ulei's first Halloween and we had so much fun. I wanted Na'u to have a really good costume and was totally racking my brain to come up with something. I was inspired at a UH football game by one of the band members. Here she is....

...our little SPAM MUSUBI!

Here's the back view, nori and all.

If you don't get it...

....maybe this view is better :).

I had to dress up too. To go along with the theme, I was the musubi/sushi chef.

I think we made a great pair :)!

First, we went to Lia's brother's house to go trick-or-treating. Here are all the kids that went. We had a Sleeping Beauty (Teija), Selina Gomez (Kayla), a cheerleader (Lynea), army men (Kainalu and Kamalei), cats (some friends), a musubi (Na'u), and a Tinkerbell (Kailea).

We even had a cute Little Red Riding Hood (Miss My) with Red Riding Hood's Grandma (Lia).

We went house to house around 6:00pm and I guess that was a little early because not too many people were handing out candy. Na'u loved her little pumpkin pail, which she held on to super tight. We followed the other kids up to the door to collect the goods. It wasn't 'til a few houses later that things were in her bucket. Then, all she wanted to do was reach in and examine each one :).

After that, we went to the Makawao Halloween party. While waiting in line for the yummy chili and corn bread dinner, this Chinese man started tickling Na'u with his beard. She was cracking up. The Chinese man calls himself the "Hawaiian" Hypnotist...but he looks more Chinese to me.

After dinner, the kiddies were let loose to go trunk-or-treating. The kids went round and round until all the candy was gone. First round, I held onto Na'u while she held on to her pumpkin.

Second time, I let her walk around.

To my surprise, she actually walked up to a few trunks on her own holding out her pumpkin for the parents to put candy in. Too cute!

After walking and getting enough candy, she went to a grassy area to continue examining each candy...making sure it was the real deal :). She was very happy.

This was Na'ulei by the time we got home. I guess I should have told her that collecting free goodies would be exhausting :).

Thank you Maui Tuitele's and Akinaka's for a great vacation and letting us stay at your house. It was a nice change of scenery. Hopefully we can make it another time with Cameron.

ROTTEN!

A few posts ago, we mentioned our pumkin project, which we thought came out pretty good. University of Hawaii was the theme, and we did the new logo.

Here is what it looked like then...

AND HERE IT IS NOW....

(mildew and pumpkin juice was all that was left of our creation...almost like whats left of our football season!! GO BOWS!)

It didn't make it to Halloween. Oh well, I guess next year we'll delay the carving till the week of.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

We Love Cousins!

I just had to post these pictures from when the Maui cousins were over.

Here they are...Na'u, Myla, and Kailea sporting the pigtails. I know, I know...you just have to look very closely to see Na'u's. Myla has TONS of hair that beat both Na'u and sister Kailea...put together!
HELLO??!!!

Wassup, Dude!

I just have to share....
One night, Clarke and Lia went on a date. A date wouldn't be a date if all the kids went along so, I stepped in to watch the keikis. Kayla and Teija were content with watching the Disney station so I pretty much had to keep an eye on Na'u and Kailea (Myla got to go with mommy and daddy). If you know Kailea, she takes a while to warm up to most people. My mission when ever I see her is to break that little shell. I guess now that she's a little older, it's a little easier but I still have to do some work. Well, this particular night, Kailea was fine with mommy and daddy gone and was actually talking my ear off. I loved it. I don't think I've heard her talk so much.

We were playing and talking and then all of a sudden Kailea says, "My mommy and daddy came home." I then tell her, "Quick! Hide!"

She quickly gets up and finds the best hiding spot....under the rocking chair.

Someone (Na'ulei) sees the action going on and wants to join in the fun. She then proceeds to squeeze through the small opening to be with cousin.

Na'u's thoughts, "It's a little tight but, we can fit! Hmmmm, this is actually quite comfy."

Kailea's thoughts..."Well, false alarm. Mommy and Daddy wasn't home yet so we came out. That was fun though!"

I love my cousin!

This was so funny!
We definitely can't wait to see the Maui Tui's again! Never a dull moment!

Clarke, Lia, I hope watching the kids for a little bit was something in your book :). I know it wasn't an over night thing like good Aunty Megan but it has to count for something.

Thoughts on My Mind

Due to some recent events, I (Lohi) have been doing ALOT of thinking.

First off, I am so grateful for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE that is in my life. I have a wonderful husband who takes care of our little family. We are the best of friends and we have fun wherever we are. There is no one else I'd rather be with :). We've been blessed with a beautiful daughter who definitely keeps us on our toes. She is almost 11 months and is already Miss Independant. We live for those hugs and kisses, smiles, laughter, and pretty eyes. We love Na'u soooo much and couldn't see our lives without her. I come from a wonderful family with loving parents. It's so much fun to have 6 siblings because dull moments are rare. We are constantly laughing and having a great time. We have tons of friends that we know we can count on if we ever need anything. I'm grateful to have the true gospel apart of my life. I have been raised in the church and I know that we have a Heavenly Father and Savior. They LOVE us so much and only want whats best for us.

So far, life has been wonderful. We've been married for 3 years now and I am very happy of where we are in life. We aren't perfect but we are trying to improve as a family everyday. Being idle isn't going to make the cut. Our ultimate goal is to live with our Heaveny Father and to inherit all that he has to offer.

I remember a while back, our family had the missionaries over. Their lesson was about fortifying your castle walls. If you do what you're suppose to be doing (reading scriptures, prayer, FHE, attending church etc.), you are building up your defenses for when opposition comes your way. This lesson has always stuck with me. With all the things in this world and choices that we are faced with, it can be difficult to stand strong and steadfast. It can seem so easy to take the easy way out and do what we want but, will it be worth it in the long run?

We are all faced with trials. In the 1995 Conference Report I found a quote. "Trials, disappointments, sadness, and heartache come to us from two basically different sources. Those who transgress the laws of God will always have those challenges. The other reason for adversity is to accomplish the Lord's own purposes in our life that we may receive the refinement that comes from testing. ...[Some trials] are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more." Heavenly Father gives us trials that He knows we can overcome. We will never be left alone. In Alma 36:3 it says, "...I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." I'm grateful that I have endured the trials that I have faced thus far and hope to endure things that will come our way.

Since being a Temple Prep and Relief Society teacher, I have touched on a certain topic a few times...our Savior. Jesus Christ is ALWAYS constant. He will ALWAYS be there for us. Are we willing to come unto Him? Most of the time, it is our actions/feelings that keep us from reaching out to Him. We are the part of the equation that changes. Sometimes I feel ashamed and unworthy to come to Him. Sometimes I forget that He knows exactly what I'm going through. He paid the ultimate price for me. Tonight I read a scripture in 2 Nephi 9:21, "And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam." I hope that I can always remember His sacrifice for me and always keep my end of the bargin.

This is my favorite picture of Christ.

Sorry for sounding like a sacrament meeting talk (not that anything is wrong with that) but I just wanted to share with you what I'm feeling right now. I hope we can all stand with Heavenly Father and Savior when the time comes.

Carving Pumpkins

Halloween wouldn't be complete without carving a big 'ol pumpkin.

We've been pretty good about doing it every year since before we were married up in Utah. With our lawn covered in snow, we always had a tropical theme to remind us of home. We carved a flower, coconut tree, and ALOHA. This year we wanted to be different. We got together with the Del Toro's and DC Tuitele's.

It did take a while before we (the men) came up with the ideas.

...brainstorming...

...and it was on.

THEME: University of Hawaii

Most of the time I (Lohi) will gut the pumkin. Cameron is the one to draw the design because I don't have a creative (drawing) bone in me. I always think...."I can carve while following the outline on the pumkin. There's nothing to it." So...I ask Cameron for a turn. He gives the tool to me and I dig right in...and of course he's watching me the entire time. A few minutes later he says, "I got it babe" while taking the tool away. No fair! I want to contribute to the carving too!

This was my contribution...making some parts of the design deeper without going all the way through. What can I say...I'll take what I can get :).

Although I didn't help much with the carving...Cameron did do a great job!

Here's the finished projects.

GO WARRIORS!

Ours...

and the Del Toro's.

We didn't leave Na'u out.

She got to play with the guts!

Did it

taste good Na'u?

I know what you're thinking and NO...I didn't feed her the pumpkin. I was actually taking it out of her mouth :).

Thank you to our friends for carving with us. We hope we can do this every year!

Channy, did you carve your's yet?

Water and Ice

Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park

We are so lucky! We went to the water park 2 fridays in a row. First time around, we went with my (Lohi) family for Ka'ohu's 10th birthday and Keola's last chance at the H2O park before leaving on his mission. The second trip was made because the Maui Tuitele's and Akinaka's were visiting Oahu for their ward temple trip. Na'u had a blast...she LOVES the water. Thank you to both families for watching baby Na'u for a bit while Cameron and I rode some rides. We had so much fun!

These two spouts in the kiddy pool were Na'u's favorites. She couldn't get enough of them.

There were two water spouts coming up from the ground. Na'u kept on walking back and forth playing with each one. Thank you spouts for keeping her entertained.

She even went down this little slide with both mommy, daddy, and papa Ipo. She was scared on some of the runs....which explains her expression in the above photo.

Here is Kailea and Myla posing for a picture while Ka'ohu and Ava slide down the yellow slide.

Kayla and Teija enjoyed sliding down the giant green slide. Click on Teija's picture to check out her expression :).



We rode everything that was open but this was the first time we went on a new ride...the Tornado. It's a huge, red, funnel shaped ride. It's kind of like the Shaka but with 4 people. FYI-I think the Shaka is scarier :).

Ice Palace

To keep the kiddies entertained, the Maui Tui's and Akinaka's planned to go to the Ice Palace. Both Cameron and I haven't skated in years. This was the perfect chance for us to prove that we still got it. We didn't even fall once :).

Too bad Cameron and I had to skate in shifts. One would hold Na'u while the other played on the ice. We could only squeeze in one lap together.

Ava stayed with us so that she could go too. She was hesitant at first but got the hang of it pretty fast.

She did fall a few times and we just happen to catch this one. She caught the wall on the way down :).


Here the little kids are watching a movie on the side. Three of them were too small to skate.

We had sooo much fun. Even though we live here on Oahu where all these attractions are open and available to us...we end up doing things only when family and friends are in town. We love spending time with all of you so you have to visit us more often. It's the only way to get us out of the house :).