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 :).

Pink Clothes, Pink Toys, Pink Eye

Whenever I go shopping for Na'ulei, I always get the items in pink. I love pink. I also want to emphasize that she is indeed a girl even though some people don't get the hint. Well, yesterday we got a dose of pink in a way we CAN live without. Na'u woke up with a more than normal maka pia pia (crusty) eye. At first I thought it was just a cold in her eye but when I looked closer, it was a little smaller and all pink. We went to the doctor and yes, my little girl has pink eye. I don't know where or how she got it. Her little right eye looks so sad. The doctor checked her out and Na'u doesn't have a fever or ear infection that can associate with pink eye so thats a plus. We got some antibiotic drops to help clear it up. Hope this episode doesn't last long.

This picture was take today (9.12.08) but Na'u's pink eye started yesterday. It's starting to look better already...Yay!

We Love Vacation!...continued

Whenever we're home we have to go to our favorite beach.

Aunty Ava had this tube which was perfect. Her little butt fit perfectly in the puka (hole). As you can see, Na'u was just kickin back with legs crossed, completely content with licking the salt water from her face.

We always take goofy pictures. I think it's funnier to look at these than the serious ones. Ava didn't know what to do though.

My dad put an opihi shell over his eye and Na'u was very interested in it. She kept trying to grab it.

I love going home because I get to relax. We were at home for 8 days, and of those days, I think I gave Na'u 2 baths. Papa Ipo would make her water, bathe her and let her play until she was done. Sometimes she would even get extra play time in the middle of the day.


Here Na'u is trying to put this shoe on. She walked over there on her own (with the help of Aunty Ena) and kept trying to put her foot in. At least we can see that she knows where it goes.

We found these little clips and put her hair up in pig tails. She was born with an old man head so now that her hair is growing out, only the hair on either side of her head is long enough to do this to. I think she looks more like a girl so hopefully people won't mistake her for a boy anymore.

Na'u learned a lot of things while we were home. Now when SHE wants to go walking (on her own two feet with assistance) she'll crawl over to someone, grab their fingers and scream, demanding you stand up. She then proceeds to walk (pretty fast considering her age) holding on to your fingers. Na'u has a head of her own cause she knows exactly where she wants to go. If you try to derail her direction, she twists her little body and whines until she gets what she wants.

Here is another thing that she picked up. Enjoy!

We had so much fun going home. Our next trip will be in a few weeks for my brother's farewell. Keola was called to serve the people of Denver, Colorado and reports to the MTC on October 8. We are so excited for him yet sad that he'll be gone. He sure does makes us laugh and is always so generous. Good luck and we love you Uncle Ola!

Avaʻs Baptism

We are so lucky that we get to visit family on Molokaʻi.  We try to find any excuse we can to come.  We went home this time because the last of the Albino tribe was baptized.  Ava turned 8 and was baptized on her birthday, August 21.   We canʻt believe how fast time has passed.

Ava girl was baptized by Keola and confirmed by Kana.

We were the only ones that got to go.  We wish daddy was here with us but he had to work.

This is the Albino Tribe with one missing, Kiki.  There are 3 girls and 4 boys. 

Uncle Kaohu loves the baby!

Here are the Albino men at their best.

We are so proud of Ava for making the decision to be baptized.  Her baptism was very special filled with family and friends and a day that sheʻll never forget.  We know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are very pleased with her.  We love you Ava!

To Have, or Not to Have....that is the Question

"Hey Cameron..." said Jay.

"Whats up, Jay?" replied Cameron.

"The cows called....they want their calves back!"

A very obvious physical feature Cameron shares with his brothers is the size of his calves. They are noticeably big! We've always worried that if we had a girl, she would inherit the TUITELE calves! Well, Na'ulei came along, and we are STILL worrying. Will she take after Lohi, or will she take after Cameron? She is starting to slim down (sort of), yet her legs remain the same size! We hope that over time, the calves start to slim down as well.

Here she is working out her calves! I guess we better keep things within her reach from now on!

Happy 3rd Year to US!

Time sure flies! On July 30, we celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Between the two of us we have challenging callings (ward sunday school and relief society teachers), two college degrees, great jobs (police and motherhood), and a beautiful daughter. We are so happy and thankful for all the blessings that we share.

Our previous anniversaries were flops :(. For our 1st anniversary, we were on Moloka'i. We didn't get a chance to do much because our friends had just gotten married. We had booked a hotel room there but didn't realize what time the front desk would close. We went down around 3 or 4 in the afternoon but they had closed at noon. So....we checked in the next day. Our 2nd anniversary ended with me going to sleep while Cameron on the computer. No...it's not what you think. Cameron had reason to be on the computer. He had to finish this video for an up and coming business :) but we celebrated a few days later.

We made sure that this, our 3rd anniversary, didn't follow the past two. First off, our little Na'u went to Moloka'i. She has gone once before without us...for about 8 hours, but this was the first time she'd be away overnight. Yes, Na'u......with no MOMMY! She was there for a total of 3 days and 2 nights, visiting her Mama Dino and Papa Ipo. I had to be a big girl and let my baby go. It's just that I've never been away from her for so long. It was harder than I thought.

Even though we couldn't go away on a vacation, we had a little much needed getaway. We went a whole 10 minutes away from our house to stay at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel (thanks tony).

We pretty much slept the entire first day. This was some much needed rest. I guess you don't realize how tired you are when you are constantly after an 8 month old. Sleep is sooo good. Later that evening, we walked around Waikiki and found ourselves in line to watch the Magic of Polynesia.

This is a magic/lu'au show and fun to watch. I can never grow tired of watching polynesian dancing. Probably half way through the show, I recognized one of the dancers. It turned out to be Tiff Iremia. What a coincidence. After the show, we ate at good ol Liliha Bakery with our friends, Gabby and Aho. If you haven't eaten there, we recommend it or at least try their coco puffs. They have the best ones around.

The next day, we hiked Diamond Head. The .8 mile trail included walking through a tunnel

and up almost 200 steps.

There is an amazing view when you get to the top.

If you're thinking about doing this, take water. It's super hot.

Later we went to the temple. This was the highlight of our getaway.

There's no greater way to get closer to your significant other than when you both draw nearer to our Heavenly Father.

When we got back to Waikiki, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. The food was sooo yummy! Lucky for us, we got cheesecakes for $1.50 each because they were celebrating their 30th anniversary. What a coincidence, the same anniversary as us!

The next day, we just walked around Waikiki. I couldn't wait to see my girl again. It seemed like she was gone for an eternity. I think I was pretty good though. I only cried the first day.

Who wouldn't miss that face?

All-in-all, we had a fun 3rd. This 3 day, 2 night getaway was much needed and made up for our previous flops. Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!