Half way through Summer...

Can't believe it's July!

 The quilt my Aunty Lynette made for Kendyll's birthday. She didn't like how it came out, but we think it's BEAUTIFUL! Thank you! She made Cade a quilt here. Talented, huh!

 It's cute- Kendyll peeps through the window to see what the contractor and builders are doing.

 When my Grandpa was visiting, Kendyll helped him with his walker. She would push with him!

    

 Kendyll has been to the Ocean Center before, but only in the stroller or Ergo. We decided to let her walk this time, and boy did she enjoy it! She was so amazed at being so up close to the fish.

 

Kenny eating her Puk Sup Chili Chicken. (Puk Sup stands for Pukalani Superette- it's a small grocery store that has good food too!) She had a fit because she wanted to hold her own!

 Cade was very lucky to inherit a cool train set from his cousins,Wesley and Mikey. Chaz came over to play a couple of weeks ago and the two boys were in the new upstairs room all afternoon playing trains so quietly and nicely.

 Summer time means more beach time! We finally caught a picture of the two holding hands! Kenny practicing her surfing on Daddy's board.

 Cade playing at the park

 Kenny trying to run away because she had a "surprise" for Daddy. :) 

 

 Kitchen update! The countertops are in! YAY! After a slight delay in the countertops, they came a week earlier than anticipated! YAY! We hope to move in this week! WHOOO HOO!!!!!!

 Excavating roots from the back yard! We used to have a large Mango tree (it NEVER fruited... ok, now Mom claims MAYBE once or twice- but nonetheless- it just took up a large space in the corner). We had it chopped down right after we moved home and thought that was the end of it. As the contractor was digging and building the foundation, he found roots- the tree was still alive! He didn't want the roots to cause problems down the road, so dug them up!

 As we were getting ready to go camping, Sporty hopped into the car and wanted to go to the beach with us! It's so funny because he's never been to the beach, but knew we were going somewhere! Poor buddy ended up staying home. We didn't want to bring home a wet, sandy dog. :(

 Cade learning how to get his pole ready

 Garrett paddled out his line (cause he knew he couldn't throw out his pole that far! Ha ha ha). G and his cousin, Chase- wrong setting on the camera, that's why they're so dark. :(

 The beach we camped at didn't have much sand, but the boys still found something to keep them occupied- throwing rocks!

Watch out- these two are going to be troublemakers together!

Kendyll's 1st Birthday Party...

 We had Kendyll's 1st birthday party on Father's day. Yep, almost 2 months after her real birthday, but we were so busy with other birthdays and tests that we decided to celebrate during the summer.

We are SOOOOO fortunate and blessed to have family that are willing to help set up and clean up for the party.

 

Aunty Daeni (and her helpers Aunty Kasey, Aunty Amy, Uncle Glenn and Aunty Joce) made this BEAUTIFUL dessert table! I showed her a picture and she did her magic! Amazingly gorgeous, huh! Thank you Aunty Amy for the ono jello and Great-grandma Tamayo for the fruit salad!

For the cupcake stand I made cupcake owls! I saw the idea online and couldn't resist! We also made rainbow fruit kabobs, but I didn't get a pic! I'll have to see if someone else got a picture of them!

 Flower and poof ball topiary centerpieces. Thank you Grandma Carol, Aunty Sherie, Great-grandma Tamayo, Aunty Lorraine, and Aunty Kelly for helping with them! Also, Aunty Daeni made cake pops that were yummy!

 

Aunty Dayne, Aunty Kasey and Aunty Chansi (along with the girls!) sat at the sign in table. They were so funny- when they needed my attention... they all raised their hand like they were in school! Ohhh gosh...

There was a money guessing game to play and a fingerprint guestbook to leave a mark. 

 

Owl favor bags for the kids. Boys had a little blue bow tie and girls had a little pink bow in their ear. 

 

Candy kabobs that Aunty Daeni made for the owl favor bags. Such a neat idea! Thank you so much for all of your help Aunty Daen! Poor Kenna and Kendyll are going to have crazy mommies who LOVE to make crafty things for them and their friends!

 

Personalized fortune cookies I ordered in Seattle.  

 Kenny's bff Kenna. She is so calm and composed... she was patient enough to sit through getting her arm painted! So CUTE!

 Ariana and Kendyll saying hello!

 Lia girl (the tiger), Aunty Sherie and Rysee

 Shaina and her face paint

 Lindsey and Caitlyn's face painting

 Happy Father's Day Garrett and Mike!

Thank you so much to all of our family and friends who helped make Kendyll's party a success and so memorable! They were all willing to come early to set up, then stay late to clean up! Everyone was so eager to help with all of my crazy ideas! I told them what I wanted them to do and they did it even better than I had imagined!

Kawahara/Carvalho side.
Thank you Uncle Marshall, Uncle Chase, Uncle Mark, Uncle Nalu and Uncle Chris for all the manpower help!

Yamada side (missing the Miyamotos!)

Thank you Dad, Uncle Glenn, Aunty Amy, Great-grandma Tamayo, Uncle Dan and the Miyamotos for help setting up, cooking and cleaning up!

Kojima side

Thank you Uncle Les, Aunty Jocelyn, Uncle Ben and Aunty Lynette for help with all the food prep, set up and clean up!

Thank you for the awesome banner Aunty Dayne, Aunty Lorraine, Aunty Chansi and Aunty Kasey!

Happy 1st Birthday Kendyll baby girl! We hope you had as much fun as we did! Especially your brother... he was on the jumpy castle/slide the entire party! May you have MANY MANY more birthdays to come! We love you!

A 48 Hour Trip to WA...

Yes, I was VERY fortunate to take a trip up to WA to see my former students graduate. I was originally supposed to be gone from Thursday afternoon til Sunday afternoon. However, Hawaiian Airlines decided to keep me on my toes! Here's what I jammed into 48 hours...

Thursday, June 9
1:30 pm: Said goodbyes to the kids, checked-in at airport. Flying standby, so I wait at gate for a seat... and wait some more. Hmmm... they didn't call my name yet. Gates close, plane leaves. Uhhhh... the ticket agents didn't even say "sorry, you won't be on the flight today." Alrighty then... Garrett picks me up. Bags went to Washington without me.

You should've seen Cade's confused face. "You ride plane already, Mommy?" was the first thing he said. So I had to explain to him in 2 year old language that the plane didn't have a seat for me and left.

Text and contact WA friends that I didn't make the flight. Disappointed but hopeful for tomorrow. 

Friday, June 10
1:30 pm:  Say goodbyes again. Ever watch the old movie Groundhog's Day? Yah, starting to feel a little like that. This time, I waited 5 min at the gate, then they called me. Guess what... an open seat in 1st class. Alright Hawaiian Air- that made up for yesterday. :)

11:30 pm Washington time-  arrive. Bags there waiting. Kyle and Trisha graciously pick me up and let me stay with them. 

Saturday, June 11
8am:  Leave Kyle and Trisha's house, drive to Tacoma to surprise my dear friend, Abbie. I had contacted Abbie's husband, Cyrus, a week before the trip to see if they were busy. We decided to keep it a surprise from her. I arrive at her house, knock on the door. Her face was priceless! Cyrus cooked us his special blueberry pancakes while Abbie and I caught up.

Abbie and I went through the UPS Masters of Teaching Program together. Then we were both hired at Federal Way High School, where we taught together for 4 years. We also carpooled from Tacoma for a year- before we bought our house in Fife. So, we spent a lot of time together. She has continued to, and always will be, a wonderful and special friend, despite the ocean between us!

 

10:30 am: Leave Abbie's house. Drive up to Seattle to pick up a special favor for Kendyll's birthday party. (Sorry, I'll show you more later- after the party this weekend!)

12:00 pm: Lunch with Heather and more Federal Way High School friends for a SURPRISE Baby shower for Amanda.

Jean, Amanda, Heather

These women played a HUGE role in my teaching career and life in Washington. When I was first hired at FWHS, I was placed in a 'House'. A House consisted of the four core subjects (math, english, history, and science) and we all taught the same students. The three of them were already really good friends and I thought I was going to be the outcast. But, that wasn't the case. They graciously took the "newby" under their wings (ha ha ha, sorry, no pun intended- our mascot was the Eagle) and demonstrated caring and passionate teaching. We grew to become very good friends. Their mentoring and friendships have helped me become the teacher and mother I am today. 

When I was expecting Cade, Heather and Jean were always giving me wonderful advice and tips. Cade even went to the same daycare as Heather's kids. I would always laugh at Heather when she was going through funny potty training or tantrum events with her son, Owen. Fast-forward two years, and now Heather is the one laughing at me! :)

Amanda recently moved and is expecting a girl in September. We celebrated, caught up and spent the next couple of hours laughing and crying in the same old fashion we used to. 

3:00 pm: Drive down to Puyallup to see the Luceros. I was able to meet baby Micah!

The growing Lucero kids! Yes, look at how tall Matt is! 

4:30 pm: I met Joy, Shawn, and Jacob at Tacoma Mall for quick hugs and "hi's". Sorry Jacob- I didn't get a picture with you! :(

5:00 pm: Half an hour to shop somewhere... so many places I want to go (IKEA, Target, Gap), but I decide to drive up to Trader Joes for some gifts.

7:00 pm: Graduation! I was able to see my former students graduate! It was so fun to see their faces when they realized it was me. When we moved two years ago, I had mentioned to a few students it would be neat to see them graduate. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago- my former principal emailed asking if I would be there. Begged and gave the puppy dog face to Garrett- and he said it was ok to go.

Sunday, June 12
10:30 am: Goodbye Washington! 1st class again- ok  Hawaiian Air, you made up for the shopping and people I missed seeing.


1:30 pm Hawaii Time: Arrive home to see my babies! Cade was shocked to see me! The hugs and kisses that welcomed me home were priceless. :)



There you go... a 48 hour trip to WA. Such a blur. Who knows, maybe we'll do it again to go shopping! :)

It's officially SUMMER!

YAY for SUMMER! Yes, I realize school has been out for more than one week. However, with one last school-related exam (GOODBYE National Boards!) I can now breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy my break. With that said... I can update the blog more frequently- I hope!

 Kendyll's CHEESE! She is such a funny girl. We have been watching "My Baby Can Read" for several months now, and it's been fun to see her progress. She can now "clap", "wave", "arms up", point to her "nose" and "toes" and open her "mouth"- all in response to when she sees the word.

 

 Cade playing in the kitchen cabinets

   Cade and Garrett hanging out in the new kids room. Well- apparently G was supposed to be watching him. Hmmm... notice Cade doesn't have any clothes on! This kiddo- the first chance he gets to take off his clothes... he goes for it!

So...what happens when you leave an almost-three year old with a new roll of paper towels?

 

THIS! He was so quiet and sneaky! He even tore it off when he got to the corner of the dresser and repositioned the paper. Oh my...he is OCD.

Renovation update... here's the kitchen progress. Cabinets...check. Hood...check. Appliances...check. Counter tops...uh...a few more weeks til the new quartz countertops come. 

The cabinets are a dark brown- not black as they look in the picture.