Papa Mele

Owen and I have been taking music class this summer. We had a concert last week. Here's Owen playing the Pūʻili, the split bamboo sticks.

Ah Mah and Ah Gu's visit

Wow, it been awhile since we've posted. We've certainly with busy with visitors. And now that summer school is in full swing, mommy has been super busy teaching her class. Owen has started swim class again and I'm loving the water play Wednesdays at school.

Let's backtrack a bit. A few weeks ago, Ah Mah and Ah Gu came to visit us! And we all went to the Big Island for some R & R. Here are some pictures to highlight our trip.

Sunset after dinner at Waikoloa.

Owen got to drive a boat around Waikoloa.

I also got a turn.

Owen riding on Daddy around the pool...

... and slide down a giant slide with daddy.

The big highlight of our trip was horseback riding! I was rode on BJ and Owen rode on Rosie in Waimea.

Here's Ah Mah and me at the original King Kamehameha statue.

We had so much fun on the Big Island. Owen keeps asking mommy and daddy when we'll get to go back again. Ah Mah and Ah Gu stayed a few more days at our house -- long enough for us to take them around to our favorite good eats. Daddy and Ah Gu hiked up Mariner's Ridge to burn off those extra calories. Until mommy gets her surgery to fix her knee, she has to babysit us instead of going on crazy hikes.

Daddy and Ah Gu at the top of the ridge.

Ah Mah with us waiting for the King Kamehameha Bicentennial Celebration Parade.

Thanks for coming to visit us, Ah Mah and Ah Gu. We miss you already!

Congratulations, Uncle Jeff and Aunty Lynne!

I woke up extra early this morning to get ready for the big day. After breakfast, mama helped Owen and me wrap a present for Uncle Jeff and Aunty Lynne. Owen personalized it with his advanced writing skills (note for the adults: some letters are backwards).

Guess what it is.

After getting cleaned up, we piled into the car to Punahou Chapel. Owen and I changed into our party get-up for pictures.

How do we look?

After taking some pictures, we took a break to feed the fish and the turtles in the pond. Here's Emma, my friend from Virginia who's also a flower girl.

Here's Owen feeding the turtles.

Soon after the ceremony - Uncle Jeff and Aunty Lynne, the happy couple.

Owen, Emma, and I took another break from our jobs by enjoying yummy snacks. Thanks, Aunty Linda for the yummy bunnies and duckies!

The wedding party

After the pictures, we headed over to the party at 3660 On the Rise where daddy's friend, Uncle Lydell is the Chef de Cuisine and Aunty Cheryl is the banquet coordinator. Lunch was super yummy! Mommy especially liked the edamame salad and the grilled steak.

Here's Uncle Bill, who came all the way from Houston with baby Maia who came with Aunty Thida and Uncle Matt from Seattle. Owen and I are having so much fun with Maia staying at our house.

Daddy made a speech - something about P school vs. 'Iolani. Owen and I didn't get the joke, but it sure made everyone laughed.

Uncle Jeff and Aunty Lynne during daddy's speech

Cake time!

It was a beautiful wedding. We had lots of fun! Thanks, Uncle Jeff and Aunty Lynne for packing toys for us to play with during the reception too! We love them. See you again soon!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to our mama, the bestest, most beautiful mama in the world. Thanks for taking care of all of us and for being such an awesome mama in every way.

Love,

Owen and Aki

May Day at Kawaiaha'o

On Friday we had our May Day program at Kawaiaha'o.

We started off with activities at school.


Making a feather "Tahitian" headpiece


Aki with her new hat


Then we got dressed up and went to the stage. Aunty Marlene and Grandma helped me get dressed as a boy from Aotearoa.


Aki's class went first for the show. They were representing Hawai'i. Some of Aki's classmates on stage


Aki showing off her Hawaiian outfit

Then it was time for my class to come out.

We sang lots of songs. This one was about the fish that got away.

Me and Aki in the park afterwards

Happy May Day!

Oh, and also, Happy Boy's Day!

Daddy and Grandma attaching the bamboo flagpole with daddy's old old koi and my new old one

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! Thanks for making us lots of yummy food, taking care of us when we're sick, feeding us frozen yogurt, and bringing us lots of presents!

Love, Owen, Aki, Mommy and Daddy

More Birthdays

April has been a month of birthdays. Here are a couple of ones we went to.

One weekend we went to Wyatt's house for his birthday. It turned out that it was actually Dylan's birthday, but we celebrated Wyatt's anyway. One of the nice things about Hawaii in April is that any day is a good wading pool day!


Uncle Brent spraying us with the sprinkler


Aki didn't like being in the big pool with us so she got her own pool

Then it was Julian's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. It was our second time to a Chuck E. Cheese. Aki loved looking at the monster mouse, but she didn't want to give him a high five.

I had fun on the rides

Here I am, looking out for the big mouse

Happy Birthday, April kids!

Eastercapades

Aki, thanks for taking over the posting while I've been on sabbatical. I was contemplating the true meaning of Easter. Here is what we were doing while on my writing break.

First thing we did was to go to the biggest Easter Egg hunt in Honolulu.


Do we look happy to be going?



Yeah we are!

It turned out that the biggest Easter Egg hunt was sponsored by the biggest church on our side of the island. That meant the biggest Easter gospel pageant before we could go hunt eggs.


Aki patiently waiting during the show.

Finally it was time to go out onto the field. We were all divided into age groups so Aki and I split up.


Here I am surveying the 4 year old eggscape.



Go! No kids within miles of me!



Here's Aki checking out an egg.

Nope. That one was already opened. Aki doesn't like the already opened ones.



Here's my loot. I was nice and left some for the rest of the kids.

After the island's biggest Easter Egg hunt came the smallest carnival. Kaiser High School had their first spring festival. Instead of driving into town to go to the mega-Family Festival at Ala Moana, we stayed local and had fun in the sun!


Pony ride on Sugar.



Me sliding down the mega slide.


Note the girl being carried by her about-to-be-landed-on father. Maybe if the Kaiser student at the top had stopped me from going down right away, this wouldn't have happened. Or maybe if my father had supervised me a little better...


All that work meant we needed some refreshment. Lucky there was a Jamba stand!



Can't have a post-Easter Egg carnival without the lion dancers!


Or ring toss!

Yesterday for real Easter, we got to celebrate in a more traditional way.


Candy!


Then we went to Aunty Brooke and Uncle Greg's house for another Easter Egg hunt.


Here's Aki on the prowl



I found some sweet Easter Eggs out by the trash



Later we dyed eggs. The best part was dying my hands!



And don't forget the Easter water guns!



Or water balloons!



Splash!


Of course we also got to go Easter hot tubbing.


Aki likes going up



And splashing down!

Happy Easter!