Our Little Getaway

It seems that the holidays of 2010 were just balled up into one big whirlwind. This proved to be sure for us especially in December. This was Cameron's busiest month singing with A Touch of Gold (they sing mostly oldies stuff like songs from the Temptations) with shows every single weekend. In one night they sang 3 shows moving from one to the next. More shows = more income but at the same time, we loose daddy time (something I was not crazy about since it was the holidays). With Cameron being at his regular job and then shows during the night, I was home with the kiddies a lot by myself. When Cristmas rolled around, my family wanted the kids and I to join them on Moloka'i, because it was my younger brother's 1st christmas back from his mission. The kids and I went but Cam couldn't. This was the first Christmas that we've spent apart. The kids and I were there for about a week. While we had fun on Moloka'i (something I still need to post about :), it wasn't the same without our Cameron.

We finally returned back home a few days after Christmas, and was able to spend New Years Eve with Cam. BUT, he had a show that night too, so...it wasn't exactly the best FAMILY time. Anyway, the holidays passed, and we were beginning to get back into our normal routine. Cam and I thought that as a couple, we didn't really get time to ourselves during the holidays. SO, we went on a little getaway and stayed at the Marriott in Waikiki compliments of Cameron's cousin, Monica. Thanks Monica! We stayed there 3 days and 2 nights. It just so happen to be my dad's birthday the same time so we figure, we get my parents a room too for a night. My parents have been married for 30 years and have never been on a vacation. We thought it would be a nice present where they could stay at a hotel, eat out, and just relax. It took a little convincing, but they agreed to come a day early to come and stay at the hotel.

This is what it our rooms looked like.


Both of our rooms were on the same floor...just a few doors apart. I don't know if that was a good or bad thing because our kids kept on wanting to visit papa and mama's "house" practically the entire time.

That night we took my parents out for a birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I love this place. They give a good amount of ono food and the cheesecake is to die for. Whenever we go there, both Cam & I never finish our food. Sometimes we are so stuffed that we don't even order dessert.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and to keep Na'u and Iwi in our room, we made them a tent. They loved it! But, Iwi soon discovered that breaking the tent down was way more fun than lying down under it...typical boy :).

The next day, I asked my dad how his night went. His reply was, "I couldn't sleep all night. I was tossing and turning. There were too many pillows. The bed was too soft and I was way too full." Too funny. I hope you had a Happy Birthday anyways dad :). Love you!

The best part of our little getaway was when my parents took the kids back with them to Moloka'i. Cameron and I got to spend one more night in the hotel...just the two of us. We did miss our two monkeys though. It was nice to have some peace and quiet yet at the same time, we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. Let's just say there is never a dull moment with them :). This little getaway was just what we needed...enough to relax a little bit to recharge our batteries. Thanks mom and dad! You're the best!

Silly Bands are DANGEROUS!

I see kids every where wearing these Silly Bands. I've noticed some kids with a few bands on each wrist but some other kids who go way overboard with bands going up both arms almost up to their elbows.

When I first saw them, I thought that they were cute with all the different colors and shapes.

I got Na'u a Tinkerbell set and she loved them. The hot pink ones were her favorite. Most of the time, she would wear one or two for a few hours, loose interest and take them off.

When my parents were here in Dec, my dad bought Na'u a pack (I'm pretty sure that she kept on bugging for for them). Next thing I knew, she had the entire pack divided onto both her wrists. She actually went a few days with them on and there was no problem.

The morning we were going to take our Christmas family pictures, Na'u woke up and started crying and complaining that her hand was sore. When we looked closer, her right hand was SWOLLEN. The silly bands were all tangled up and pulled very tight on some areas cutting off her circulation. We quickly took them off and Na'u screamed in pain. Just looking at it made me want to cry. It looked like it was about to pop if we touched it too hard. When I though about what could have caused it, I remembered that the day before Na'u kept on taking bands off one at a time to see what shape it was. I'm pretty sure that is what did it. Just all that tugging and pulling made it tangled and tight. Cameron did notice that all the silly bands looked a little tight the night before so he took them all off of her left wrist. He didn't know that she had it on both. I'm sure that we would have had TWO swollen wrists instead of just one if he didn't take them off.

We were REALLY worried because it looked BAD. We didn't know if we should take her to the ER because it was so sensitive. Na'u was in total tears. She would cry even more if we touched it lightly. Cameron quickly jumped on the internet to see what we should do. It said to pinch her finger tips to make sure they turned white and then pink again. Finger tips white then pink....check. Then it said to gentle massage it so that the fluids could circulate. We tried the best we could but like I said earlier, she cried whenever we touched it. It took about 3 days for the entire swelling to go down. Even til today, she still has marks from those stinkin silly bands.

I think it looked worse in person.




In this picture, you can compare both hands.



The marks you see on the right wrist (left side in the picture) are the ones still there today.

Now whenever I see them around the house, I just throw them away. I do not want her to go through anything like that ever again! Na'u remembers what happened and how sore it was. Now when she has one on, she'll show us and say, "it's ok...I'm only wearing one. It's not sore." But she won't dare wear them for a long time.

If you do buy these things for your kids, PLEASE be careful and make sure to check them often. They don't need to wear a whole bunch of bands at a time. Better safe than sorry.

"Mom, I'm a BIG girl now!"

Our girl is definitely getting big but she's still our little girl. Na'u celebrated her 3rd birthday way back on November 26th. We had a little party at home with her favorite colors purple and pink (orange was just an added bonus).

I made these super easy tissue pompoms to hang around for decorations.


Goody bags for the keikis.


I really wanted to make Na'u's birthday cake and plus too, I wanted to practice my cake decorating skills. I came up with this.


I made purple roses, white daisies, and little pink and orange flowers.


Super HUGE THANKS to my friend Gabby who helped me get the right consistency for the buttercream. It was starting to look like a disaster until she came.


By the end of the night, after everyone had taken a piece of cake from the BOTTOM, it toppeled over :).


Thanks to my mom who made the ONO food! We had rice, potato salad, green pasta salad, baked beans, deer meat, char shiu chicken and sweet BBQ chicken. I wish I got a picture of the food but I have the next best thing...the kids eating it :).


Iwi eating with Gma Sandi.


I LOVE this picture of the kids.


After eating, we had a little scavenger hunt for the kids. Cameron sat all the kids down and told them of a typical Na'ulei day. The story was full of things that the kids had to find or take a picture with. They had to find a mango leaf, a piece of mail, a Na'u dollar (money we made for her birthday last year), a left slipper, grass, lemon leaf, a white flower and pictures with the swing, on the bench, with torch ginger, and one with the birthday girl. It was fun watching the kids run around the yard.





Poor Iwi Boy didn't last.


Aunty Leila helped Na'u open her presents.


We LOVE our "big" girl!

OOMPA LOOMPAS

All through October, I asked Na'u what she wanted to be for Halloween and most every response was "treak-or-treat". I was expecting that maybe she'd say tinker bell or little mermaid but she didn't. I don't think she quite gets the whole Halloween concept of dressing up as something/anything, say one little phrase, and get loads of candy in return. Since Na'u wasn't very passionate in what she wanted to be, Cam and I decided that they would be....
Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.







Na'u loved her orange face and green hair. It was a hastle to put Iwi's look on, but I am very happy how everything turned out :). Although, I wish I had decided what they were going to be a little earlier so that I wasn't stressing but that's just how it goes.

We joined my brother's ward for trunk-or-treating. On our way over, I had the following conversation with Na'u.

Me: Na'u, what do you say to people so that they give you candy?
Na'u: Can I have candy, please?
Me: No, you just have to say, trick-or-treat. What do you say?
Na'u: Can I have candy, please? Trick-or-treat.
Me: (lol) No...just trick-or-treat. You don't have to say, Can I have candy please. So what do you say....
Na'u: Can I trick-or-treat.

I just LOVE it! We have drilled the "Can I please" phrase into her so much that she carried it over to Halloween. What a little cutie! By the time we actually went out, she said trick-or-treat a couple of times. Then she decided that she didn't want to say anything but hold out her bucket for people to put candy in. This method was still very effective :).

Alot of people had games for the kiddies to play.


We ran into our cousin Ashley there with her cute Tigger. As you can see, I did dress up but no one knew who I was. I'm suppose to be Vironica Salt trying to stay with the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme but I guess this character wasn't a very known character like Violet. Oh well, I tried :). I should have just worn a santa hat and been Mrs. Claus.


The Oompas with Uncle Keola and Uncle Kana.


They feel asleep on our drive over to Kaneohe to visit their cousins. Notice the green from their hair ALL over their carseats? I didn't think about that little detail:).


The Oompas LOVE spending time with their Kaneohe cousins! They had the cutest costumes ever! La'iku was a lobster in a pot, Chan was the customer, Chris and Sina were chefs, Ka'ehu the lobster catcher, and Sarai the waitress. Such a cute idea! Channy and her grandma made all of their costumes....so talented!






Halloween day Evan and Paigy came over. We decided to go trick-or-treating right around our neighborhood.


You can see Cameron's costume here. He is a member of A Touch of Gold. He came straight from a show and made it just in time to go door-to-door collecting the goods.


A Hello Kitty pumpkin


Every year, this particular house in our neighborhood makes a huge sculpture in their front yard based on a movie that came out earlier in the year. In the past, they have done Kong Fu Panda and Pirates of the Carribean. This year was Avatar. Definately COOL!


We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween just as we did!


With all that sweets, don't forget to brush your teeth :).

Unlimited Messaging....A Great Feature

(Cameron's Post)
So, like most American Families, I work during the day. I guess it's my duty as Father to be the breadwinner for the family. Anyway, working a 9 hour shift as a policeman can vary. Sometimes its fun and exciting, and other times is long and boring. We'll, I'm grateful that I have a GREAT message plan with my cell phone company.

Now, I've always been kind of a tech savvy person. So, getting the new iphone was never a doubt in my mind. However, I was excited when my wife told me that she too wanted the iphone. It didn't take long before Lohi was learning all the tricks to the phone. I decided to get an unlimited messaging plan (unlimited text, picture, and video messaging), since we text each other now and then (plus I use a lot of texting for work).


Well, like I mentioned before, sometimes work can be long and boring. So of course, I call Lohi and chat with her and the kids. But talking can get repetitive. So Lohi started sending me pictures. One day, she sent me 4 pictures within a half hour time period. IT MADE MY DAY! I was able to see what my kids were doing, and put a smile on my face throughout the day.

Since then, Lohi has been great at sending me pictures everyday. She sure is taking advantage of having an unlimited message plan. Whether it be a picture of the kids swimming in the pool, a fresh injury from falling, or even some bananas growing in our backyard, the pictures make me feel like I'm with the kids all day. Thank you Lohi for taking the time to do this.


Now, she sends me videos once in a while. And with the new iphone, we can even Facetime (video chat) from time to time. Technology is great!

So for all of you who have similar message plans, take advantage of it. Send your wife/husband a random picture, or even a short video. An unexpected picture from a loved one will put a smile on any one's face.

Aloha Week Parade

Last weedend we went to the Aloha Week Parade. I'm pretty sure that every island has this and different festivities through out this time of year. But I know for sure they have it on Moloka'i. I grew up going to the parade and the ho'olaule'a, but this was the first time that I went here on Oahu.

Here we are on the median waiting for the parade to start.

I was a bit sad that Na'u didn't get to see all of this because she was on Moloka'i again. I knew she would have loved it all. Maybe next year.

For these Aloha Week festivities, they have a royal court that attends all the different events.


...and for the parade, they have pa'u riders that represent each island. There is a princess and her court. These riders (and horses) are dressed in their island color. They are soooo beautiful. Secretly I've always wanted to be one :). They look so graceful guiding their horse to either side of the street, smiling and bowing to everyone. I figure I can ride a horse and smile, should be nothing to it :). Here is....

Moloka'i


Ni'ihau


Oahu


Maui


Lana'i
This is one of my hula sisters from Ka Pa Hula O Ka Lei Lehua. She did awesome!


Here is a close-up of Lana'i's horse's adornments. BEAUTIFUL! Alot of work goes into preparation starting weeks in advance.


And here's our friend Mandy who was singing and playing ukulele behind Lana'i's pa'u riders.


Kaho'olawe


Kaua'i


Big Island


There were many bands that participated. Here is Cameron's high school Marching Band. He said he marched in this parade when he was a freshman. It was "super hot, and super long." In fact, they're wearing the same uniform.


There were floats that came by all beautifully decorated with native flowers. Some even had hula dancers like this one.


We had so much fun. Can't wait til next year!

FYI-All pictures and videos were taken with our iphones :).