LAM kazoku

It's so hard to say goodbye...

2012-02-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

Kaydence & Elizabeth (with Elle in the back)

It's the hardest thing seeing your 5 year old so sad. Elle gets sad for lots of things but today was different. Today her best friend from kindergarten had to say goodbye. This was Kaydence's last day of school because her family was moving all the way to Massachusetts!

Elle and Kaydence became real close friends halfway through the school year. They share a lot similarities and when put together they could seriously pass as sisters. During the school year I got to know Kaydence's mom, Charity and baby sister Savannah (who by the way, just so happen to be 2 months older than Isla!) We've had playdates together and really enjoyed getting to know one another. Elle was never happier when with Kaydence. They both enjoyed each other's company. This was Elle's first BEST FRIEND so saying goodbye today was extremely hard for her. It was so hard that she didn't want to take a farewell picture (as you can tell above).

Charity and I are going to try staying in touch and the girls are going to practice their writing skills by keeping in touch writing letters!

We wish Kaydence and her family the best and hope they enjoy their new home all the way on the east coast!

Things are getting so much easier!

2012-02-08T00:51:00.001-08:00

Isla is growing up way too fast! Although I am saddened by the fact that she won't be a baby no more, I have to admit that I am loving the fact that she is crawling/standing, feeding herself (with her 2 bottom teeth only), crying less with others and most of all sleeping through the night! It seems like all these new milestones happened overnight (they kind of did).

Right when Isla turned 8 months old my life just got a whole lot easier. I am so happy! The one thing I am most happy about is, Isla sleeping through the night! I thought it was never going to happen, ever! I am so happy to sleep again. :)

Random pics of Isla @ 8-9 months

2012-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

Isla is a curious little baby! She cannot keep from touching/eating ANYTHING! She is constantly MOVING, MOVING, MOVING (rarely can she sit in one spot). Her metabolism is extremely high because this girl can EAT, EAT, EAT and she is not a chubby baby. She loves eating everything we eat, especially her bananas and pasta.

She can clap very well, sings in the car, has an infectious laugh, began crawling overnight, loves pulling herself up on everything to a standing position, recognizes her daddy and sister and grunts whenever she sees them, sleeps through the night, has a great sense of humor and most of all... is so lovable!

We are so grateful she is healthy and a happy baby!

pulling weeds

see the holes in the grass? that's all Isla...

...with her bum in the air

Isla playing in Elle's room while Elle is in school.

Isla's newest thing with her lips!

tired and loopy

Isla's first ice cream cone

Turtle Bay 2012 with friends

2012-01-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

For the Martin Luther King holiday Huy and his buddies from work coordinated each of their schedules to be off from work so we could do a whole family fun day together! Huy's friend Del decided to head out to the north shore to have a fun-filled beach and potluck day at Turtle Bay. Such a great idea!! We had so much fun!!! Elle especially enjoyed it because she had her two buddies with her.

The day started off meeting in Mililani at Del's house. We then all convoyed it down to Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku for some yummy garlic shrimp. Then off to Turtle Bay. We set up on the lawn area with our blankets, tables, chairs and food. Everyone was ready to jump in the water, especially the girls. The weather was nice and hot so it was perfect!

our family

Here are the girls warming up, playing on the sand before heading to the water...

Karis (Del's daughter)

Kyrie (Karen's daughter)

Daddy and his girls... (Isla not loving the water so much)

my 3 loves <3

The whole gang!
Isn't this a nice picture? Look at the sky... clear blue skies! It was such a beautiful day!!

I LOVE Huy's co-workers! I hope we can continue to do these family fun outings more often.

I am also EXTREMELY grateful for Del and his wonderful camera that captures special moments like these for us to enjoy and remember!! Thanks Del!

We are already planning 4th of July at Turtle Bay! :)

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T02:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was GREAT! I didn't get to do much shopping this year but all in all our family had a wonderful time not to mention awesome gifts! However the best part of this Christmas was how much Elle looked forward to it. At the age of 5 she was very excited about santa, presents and decorations! Elle LOVES Christmas decorations and loved seeing the house with our Christmas tree lit and stockings hung on the staircase. She especially loved going to Nana's house because Nana always decorates the house from head to toe! Elle is very imaginative so the whole concept of Christmas with decorations and santa made everything so magical for her.

Before Christmas

As part of the Christmas festivities there is the train ride at Pearlridge which Elle enjoys. On a shopping venture to Pearlridge, its a must to let her ride the train. It's too bad that when Isla is of age they won't be able to enjoy it together.

In our new home I was excited to decorate our little staircase! I decided it would be perfect for our stockings. As you can see I have still yet to put our names on our stockings but hopefully by next Christmas I will be better prepared. I was just happy to put on a lighted garland. It was so pretty at night!

At Elle's school her kindergarten class put together a Gingerbread making activity with the parents. Huy went with Elle and this is what she created. She was so proud and she had so much fun! The one thing I love about Elle is that she doesn't eat candy (except some chocolate) so I was happy to say that this gingerbread house lasted a few days as a decoration in our home and then in the trash it went. (I am also proud to say that my daughter has BEAUTIFUL-CAVITY FREE teeth!)

On this particular occasion Huy was off from work so we decided to take a drive to Kahala Mall. It's kind of a far drive for us but we both love Kahala Mall. Grant it, there isn't too many stores like Ala Moana but we find Kahala Mall so relaxing and perfect for family outings. It's indoors and it seems so much cleaner than the other malls. I keep telling myself and Huy and I even mentioned it to my previous boss that one day I will live in Kahala. I don't know what it is but I have a strong feeling that it will happen. I love the neighborhood (especially the homes!), would love my girls to grow up there and it is so much more closer to everything (except Huy's work) but all in all, I just have a feeling that I will I just don't know when... :)

Anywhoo, since we were there Elle decided that she wanted to take a picture with Santa and so she did. This was the very first time for her and she did awesome! She even told him that she wanted a SCOOTER!

Elle couldn't resist making this face while daddy and Isla posed nicely.
See the yummy pretzel dogs in her mouth! (ugh)

Night before Christmas... Itokazu party at Lori-Ann's house! Our annual get together is only at Christmas. Every year we see new additions, catch up with cousins, aunts and uncles and of course... eat, eat, eat! This was the first time everyone met Isla. She did a great job smiling at everyone. I was worried she'd be fussy but she was happy on the carpet (not yet crawling) but just being able to do her own thing. It did get late for her but she did great falling asleep in my arms. Elle on the other hand was busy playing with the boys (no girl cousins her age) She was very polite and played well with the others!

Miss Isla

The Itokazu clan

And then.... Christmas morning! We first opened gifts we received at the party from my aunts, uncles and cousins. Elle was happy seeing all the gifts under the tree! She was even happier when she got to open Isla's presents too. I did come to realize that Miss Elle looked forward to toys. She wasn't so ecstatic seeing so many outfits (but I on the other hand LOVE outfits!) When she's older she'll feel the same way. I guess at this age, what 5 year old wants a new outfit?! Elle had never seen so many Macys boxes! She was very familiar with it because we go there quite often. So every time she'd open a Macys box she'd say, "I LOVE MACYS"! (*silly*)

Isla's first present. She liked the ribbons!

She was happy...just acting silly!

helping Isla with her present

Isla's new toy! She was very happy!

See how happy she is...always in her mouth

We then headed over to my parents house where Elle and Isla were engulfed with even more presents from aunty Amber and Nana and Papa! Elle got exactly what she wanted...a HELLO KITTY SCOOTER. She also got VTECH reading book, VTECH digital camera and lots more! Huy and I scored from my parents a XBOX Kinect which we all enjoy playing together (IT'S AWESOME!)

We had another great Christmas! We are so grateful for everything, especially our 2 girls, our home and our family! We look forward to a new year and next Christmas!

Photo Book

2011-12-22T00:24:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Our tree

2011-12-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Our tree!

Because of our horrific experience last year we decided to get our tree early. We didn't think we'd get it right after Thanksgiving but we did. After shopping at Costco for Thanksgiving we saw the trees they were selling and they were beautiful. They were selling 7-8 ft Noble firs for $60! I have to admit it was a gamble buying this tree because at Costco they were all bundled up and they weren't opening them up for you. I was hesitant but I really liked the sample they had out. So crossing our fingers we picked one that we thought would be nice. It wasn't until we went home did we feel that we lucked out! We thought this was the most perfect tree! It was so pretty and smelled so good! I didn't think it was that tall when we looked at it but after Huy put it in the stand it almost reached our ceiling. Good thing for high ceilings. Our place isn't that big but we liked our tree and rearranged things to make it fit!

Elle couldn't wait to decorate! Loving her forced smile (she's too much...)

Our end result!

Isla @ 7 months

2011-12-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Isla at 7 months

Here is Isla! Time is flying by... 7 months already! It is so hard to believe that last Christmas I was 5 months pregnant with her and now this Christmas she is already 7 months old. Miss Isla is still our little siren with the most infectious laugh. She cannot keep still, she is always putting things in her mouth, she tries her best to move when on her tummy but gets frustrated, however she can rotate 360 degrees when on her okole. She idolizes her sister and loves to bathe with her. She is eating her solids and everything else that I eat (I know... terrible!) Although she still has no teeth she's had pears, apples, bananas, musubis, chicken, chow fun, vietnamese rice noodles and LOVES them all. She has also ripped out of my hands a cornbread muffin! She loves her Gerber wagon wheels and throws a fit when she drops it! This girl is just curious and wants to be a part of everything we do. Huy says that she is our little chubby-chubs although she looks far from it.

At our doctor's appointment today she weighed in at 18 lbs 10 oz and measured 26 in long. She is growing healthy and is reaching all of her milestones. We couldn't be happier!

The next morning...

2011-11-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

The next morning Elle woke up on time for school. I told her we had to throw away her little pumpkins because mold started to grow. She was sad. I told her lets take a picture that way we'll always have something to remember her cute little pumpkins. She thought that was a great idea. Until next year!

Halloween night

2011-10-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

Well... I did say Elle was going to be Snow White and she sure was! It worked great because Snow White had short hair too. She was a very pretty Snow White (plus we got to make great use of the dress that's been sitting in the closet for a year).

My Snow White

Isla ready to go!

Pose #1

Pose #2

Pose #3

This year for Halloween I saw that the Hoakalei Country Club had a Halloween family fun function. I thought it would be cool to check out since it is right up the street from where we live and across the new homes that were built. I figured Country Club sounds "expensive" and maybe cool treats! Not really... The best part of it was the gourmet sliders and hot dogs they had to eat, plus it was free! The country club hadn't been built yet so they put up tents at the construction site. This was probably the first year. I'm thinking in a few years more residents will attend and there will actually be a building to hold the event. Elle got cool treats though.

Elle receiving a cool Halloween activity book

Isla having second dinner...

After the country club, we went back home and went trick-or-treating around our complex. It was hot and humid and not too many people were participating but all and all Elle had fun.

Elle not wanting to smile for me

Again I am so grateful for my mom and sister to help me take Elle around. Huy unfortunately had to work again so it was just me and the girls this year.

Trick or treat

Elle and Nana Itokazu

Elle and her buddy
I had to take this picture because they were dressed alike!

they even share the same smile, quite uncanny...

We finished the evening early. Elle had a nice size bag of treats. Great for mommy and daddy since Elle don't like candy too much. Her favorite is chocolate, so anything else usually goes to waste.

While we were finished trick-or-treating Huy was having fun of his own at work...

Huy and his co-workers Shaun, Will, Randy and ??

Look at my handsome ninja turtle!

Huy and his co-workers Will and Tyler

Halloween parade

2011-10-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! This morning at Elle's school they had a little Halloween parade for the kids to show off all of their costumes. I thought it was such a cool idea because Halloween is so much fun, especially getting to dress up. Well this year I thought Elle could be Snow White because I bought the dress last year and it still had yet to be worn (waste money). However this past weekend Miss Elle decided she wanted to be a witch. I was not prepared or in the mood to buy a whole witch costume so luckily my sister found a cute witch hat at Walmart for $ 2.00. My mom had a little broom perfect for Elle and I still had her black frilly skirt and black halloween shirt that said, "Daddy's under my spell" from last year. I thought perfect. This would work great! So I told her that she could be a witch for Halloween at school and at night she could be Snow White (if she wanted to). She was so happy and couldn't wait for today!

Soon after I dropped her off at class I waited with all the other parents for the parade to begin.

you could tell that most parents had done this numerous times
because many of them brought their fold out chairs

beautiful view of a rainbow while waiting
(which meant it started to drizzle)

and the parade began... she was so cute!
she loves her hat!

It was such a great turn out! Every child dressed up and looked so cute! It will be interesting to do this for another 6 years!

Girls just wanna have fun...

2011-10-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Isla loves, loves, loves sitting up and playing with her little playard. If she's well fed and awake she loves hanging in her room and playing with her little toys. I usually set it up for her and she can actually play by herself for a while. Today I hung out with her because I thought she wanted to sleep but she wanted to play. Elle of course wanted to hang out with us as well so she joined in on Isla's fun. To Isla this made her playard even more fun because she not only had her toys but also her big sis!

Elle had caught a little cold so she's been sneezing a lot (poor baby). I get worried about Isla getting sick but it's so hard to keep these two apart without Elle feeling neglected. Isla already thinks Elle is hilarious and so now with her sneezing Isla finds her even more hilarious and thinks Elle is playing with her.

my sick baby

I love seeing Isla's face light up when Elle makes her laugh!

beautiful girls

I hope these two have the same special bond like what me and my sister have!

Best sister ever!

2011-10-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

I am so happy I have my sister! She helps me out A LOT, especially with Elle. It seems that ever since Miss Isla joined us we've accepted the fact that we have a clingy baby. This in turn makes my time with Elle very limited. I call her my "opihi baby". I'm so grateful that Elle is a good sport. I often forget that she is only 5 years old because she does her best to act like she's much older. Of course, even 5 year olds need adequate attention. I love Elle at this age because she is grasping more concepts everyday and is so intrigued with EVERYTHING! This is where my sister comes in handy. Amber is my younger sister. We are 5 years apart. Elle LOVES her because they are so much a like! To Elle, Aunty Amber is fun and makes time for her as well as buys her cool new stuff.

Monday is Halloween and usually I'm excited for Elle because I'd get her ready by doing cool stuff like going to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, figuring out what she'll be for Halloween, etc. However this year... I wasn't that excited. It's not only because of Isla but also because money is tight and we can't be spending it on excessive things like before. It is really difficult for me. I LOVE to shop and buy cute stuff, but when you're not working it's kind of hard to spend.

Amber helps me give Elle the attention she deserves. She plays with her, takes her places and does cool activities with her. I make a concerted effort to visit my parents every weekend just so Elle can get the attention she craves and of course for Isla to get used to her family. Recently Amber bought the Just Dance 3 game for her WII and Elle just has a blast (well we all do! it is so much fun!!)

Today I had to take the girls to the doctor's office because it was Elle's annual check up as well as Isla's flu shot. I didn't want to go alone because both girls were scheduled to get shots so I dragged my sister along. (Huy was supposed to come with me but he had worked the night before and was scheduled to work tonight as well.) After our appointment we went back to my mom's and hung out. Amber decided to let Elle carve little pumpkins she had bought.

Elle helping to clean the pumpkins

Aunty Amber and Elle posing and carving...

...still posing and carving

It's the little things that Elle loves the most. I'm so happy I have my sister to help me out. Without her (and my mom) Elle wouldn't have as much fun during these holiday festivities (at least until Isla is able to participate as well).

Being silly

2011-10-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today, Isla missed her afternoon nap and was very delirious. When tired she is often either extremely cranky or finds the simplest silly sounds/movements extremely hilarious. We like the latter because 1) she's not crying and 2) her laugh is too, too cute!

Isla LOVES Elle and finds her to be the most fascinating person there is. Elle is quite a character. To see Elle make Isla so happy makes me happy because it shows the special bond they share. Elle loves her little sister and especially loves the fact that Isla is her biggest fan.

Grateful for these guys

2011-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Pali Momi crew (everyone is a respiratory therapist except for a few)

I never write about Huy but I thought this was a nice picture to share. About a month ago Huy's co-worker David invited everyone (in the Respiratory Therapy Department that worked nights) from Pali Momi Hospital over to his condo for some yummy bbq (I mean bbq from Texas bbq! David is from Houston.) Anyhow his place had a nice recreation deck complete with bbq pits, tennis courts, basketball courts and a little grassy area perfect for kids. Located in the Waikiki area, the view was a nice change of scenery. (It made me and Huy miss living in town.)

I can't say how happy I am for Huy to work with these guys. This night they were all off from work so this was kind of a rare occasion. Mostly all of them have wives, and kids around the same age as Elle so it was nice to be able to meet and get to know each other better while enjoying some yummy food and seeing the kids play together.

It's been such a blessing having Huy work at Pali Momi. He's found a place of work where he is happy, made numerous friends (with co-workers as well as patients), is respected, makes a decent living, and is also very close to home. Sum these all up and you have a happy, happy husband and father which in turn makes me a happy, happy wife and mother!

Guess who's trying to sit up all by herself?

2011-10-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at home we were lounging in the living room and pulled out the foam mattress for Isla to roll around on. I always sit with her and plop her upright so that she's in a sitting position. While playing with her I decided to see what she'd do if I let her sit by herself. To my surprise she was trying her best to sit up all on her own! She was so cute because she would be wobbly like a noodle. Whenever she'd start to tilt one way you see her legs straighten up and her hands waving just to keep herself from falling. She was so happy knowing she could sit up, as was I!

This is how it starts off... pretty good

Oh, oh I'm falling..

and we fall down!
It was a good 30 seconds... not to shabby at all!

unbelievably fascinated with the remote control

Great day for a bbq

2011-10-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day! We planned to continue to celebrate Elle's birthday by having a little bbq at our pool. In spirit of Spongebob Squarepants, Huy decided to grill Krabby Patties (mini hamburgers) to eat pool side. In addition to our yummy burgers we had chips, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, cupcakes and cold drinks. We also had Nana, Papa and Aunty Amber come join us to enjoy the beautiful weather. Elle had a blast swimming with daddy while the rest of us enjoyed the trade winds under the pavilion eating and playing with Isla.

Krabby patties!

daddy's pal

For some strange reason, Elle wanted to climb this tree. It was kind of hilarious! She really wasn't getting anywhere so Huy tried helping her. (I thought it was funny because Huy doesn't know how to climb a tree either!)

Elle wanting to climb a tree... (It's in the blood, I guess?)

Girls hanging with Aunty Amber

Isla and her papa

As an added post birthday surprise from her Aunty Amber, Elle received this life size Hello Kitty balloon! It is HUGE (for a balloon)! It is about the same size as Elle and has weights on her feet to help keep her grounded (so it actually looks like it walks around)

Elle and her life size Hello Kitty

Practice makes perfect

2011-10-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Enjoying her new bike

Elle LOVES her new bicycle! At first she was a little wobbly but after a day of practicing around the house, she's mastered riding pretty well. She's mastered it so well I decided to take her to the streets. Now everyday after school when the air starts cooling down we go riding around the block. I told her that if she continues to get better I'll let her ride it to school like all the other kids!

5 years old!

2011-10-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

My little girl turned 5 years old today!

from this...

to this

Because there was no school (Columbus Day) Elle woke up to find this:

a bicycle helmet

complete with a...

BRAND NEW BICYCLE!!

She was so happy! Where we live EVERYONE rides a bike to school and around the neighborhood. Elle has been longing for a bike so we thought this year would be perfect for her to start practicing. Hopefully in a year or two she'll ride her bike to school just like all the other kids!

After she tried out her bike, the weather was nice and hot so daddy took her to favorite place... the POOL! (We don't care too much going to the pool on a holiday because it is destined to be crowded but it was her special day.)

Her next favorite place was Nana's house. So after her nap from the pool we packed up and headed over to Nana's house where she was greeted with more birthday wishes (not to mention presents) from Nana, Papa and Aunty Amber! I bought her a little ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and we sang happy birthday!

We can NEVER get a picture!

Again...she refuses to cooperate

presents from Nana &Aunty Amber

Elle has such a fascination for learning new things! Her newest interest is learning about the human body. It may seem weird but her favorite show is 1000 ways to die (Yes, it does sound morbid but she finds it fascinating... as do we!) She also has a skeleton book and loves learning what the skeleton looks like. She knows what the ribs are and it's purpose, where the heart is, what a skull is... etc. Huy and I think she'll go into the medical field someday. (As of now, she wants to become a doctor and dentist. I'm glad I'm documenting this because I hope she follows through when she gets older.)

Elle enjoying her ice cream cake (or maybe just the frosting... ugh!)

It was getting late... as you can tell. We headed home soon after.

All and all, I think she had a great birthday. Happy birthday Elle!!

Our little Disney getaway (well sort of...)

2011-10-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

It is finally complete! After 3 short years this amazing Resort and Spa was recently opened to the public a few months ago.

Yesterday, I decided to take the girls on a little field trip to the Aulani Disney Resort at Koolina. I figured since we won't be able to go to Disneyland anytime soon, this would be the next best thing for the time being. It was a little humid but great to walk around and get some fresh air.

We walked in through the lobby and headed downstairs to walk through their huge pool complex. It was so tempting to jump in. Elle wanted to swim but she knew we were only there to walk around. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun. It was very family oriented. I can only hope we can one day plan a little stay-cation just so we can have as much fun as everyone else.

While walking around there were little hints of Disney everywhere. Minnie Mouse was taking pictures with the tourist, statue of Stitch, people wearing the Disney logo shirts and robes everywhere. I was hoping Stitch was walking around because Elle likes Lilo & Stitch but I was happy to see a little wooden statue of him.

Elle and Stitch

As we continued walking I saw that they had this little splash pad area for the kids. Perfect for Elle and one day Isla!

Elle and I were getting a little hungry so we stopped at one of their eating places to grab a little bite. I ordered her a yummy angus cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milk and we shared. It was their kids meal all for $6.95 (thank goodness I have Elle because their regular priced items were ridiculously expensive! $13 for a burger meal - no thank you)

As we sat down to enjoy our meal I looked up at the building and couldn't help but enjoy the view of my company's lanai railing. When I was first hired by my company (3 years ago) Disney was still a concept on paper and we were trying to bid on this project for the job. We fortunately won the bid and throughout my employment I had the privilege to work close with my boss in making his rail designs come to life on this project. From seeing his designs on paper and finalizing the paint color, seeing the end product is rewarding.

A view of my company's rails

All about Elle...

2011-10-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Words to describe Elle...

Friendly, sweet, goofy, smart, loving, creative, inventive, patient...

Elle will be turning 5 years old in a few more days! Unbelievable how fast time has flown by. She is not my baby anymore but my little girl. She is such a great big sister and daughter. I don't know what I'd do without her. She helps me out a lot! I love how loving she is to EVERYONE! Not only to family members but to total strangers. I've told Huy that if more kids were like Elle, the world would be such a better place. Her heart is so big, I envy her. She teaches me a lot on how to be a better person. I'm so grateful to have her in our lives.

Elle is quite a character. She makes us laugh with her goofy antics everyday. The things she comes up with is hilarious. We don't know where she gets it from. For instance, one night while tending to Isla, Elle was playing in her room while waiting for me (Huy was at work). She came in Isla's room to see me and said, "Mommy, look it's Oobi!" I started laughing hysterically. For those who don't know, on Nick Jr. there is this show called Oobi. Oobi is a show based on hand puppets. (I personally dislike this show because seeing peoples' hands talk creeps me out, but the stories are educational and kids love it.) Anyhow, Elle found the wiggly eyes that I had bought a while back for a craft project I wanted to do with her. She also found scotch tape and made her very own Oobi. She came up with it all by herself!

Elle's Oobi

Being the eldest and the sister of a newborn, Elle is often alone. She does well though keeping herself occupied and entertained. It's helpful having a private enclosed yard because she can play outside without me worrying about strangers or her running out on the street. When I'm unable to take her to the big pool I pull up a kiddie pool for her in the yard and she does fine.

Elle posing for me (what a goofball)

My daughter is an artist! Elle has a photographic memory and pays attention to detail. Last night we watched the movie Rio because daddy was off of work. We made it a movie night! Anyhow this was the first time we've ever seen the movie. Today, my Elle draws this picture. In order to understand this picture you have to watch the movie. She remembers what the characters were wearing, color of their hair, birds singing (see the notes), etc. We have so many pictures that she's drawn. We have many that we still need to frame and hang up. It's exciting seeing the pictures she comes up with!

Picture of the movie "Rio", by Elle

Isla - 5 months

2011-10-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

Look who turned 5 months! It is unbelievable how fast time is going by...

Last week Thursday (9/29) Isla had her 5 month check up. Poor baby was fussy as ever. To make things worst she had another round of shots that day too but all in all doctor says she is one healthy baby. She is gaining weight and reaching all of her milestones. Our doctor thinks she has a prolonged colic phase. (I never thought about Isla being colicky but she has shown all the symptoms since she came home from the hospital.) Although she has never cried 3 hours straight or for 3 days in the row (rule of 3), her tummy always gave her problems. Now at 5 months she is much more content than when she was at 1 month but she still has her moments.

Besides being fussy my Isla does have a happy side too when she's not uncomfortable. For one thing, she loves her new chair! I was hesitant in buying her a Bumbo seat because Elle disliked it and we never used it (such a waste of money). One day I saw the Bebepod at Ross in Kapolei for $25 and I thought why not. Isla loves to be wherever I'm at and since I can't carry her while doing the dishes or cooking I thought this may be a solution. To my surprise, she embraced her chair very well! I keep her on our island so she can see me in the kitchen. She's still working on sitting up without slouching in it but all and all she loves being eye level with everyone else. I also bought her a little sippy cup at Target because she loves her water. She is still practicing holding it to drink but she finds it fascinating.

Happy, happy Isla
(Daddy took a better picture!)

Isla's throne

Also, now at 5 months we've started her on rice cereal. She loves it and she's very good at eating. Not too messy at all. I can't wait to introduce a vegetable this week! She's so happy to eat like us! Before she'd always stare at us while we ate dinner together. She'd always have that look on her face as to why she's not getting any put in her mouth. It would be the saddest expression. I'm still trying to introduce the formula to her. She's not a fan of it but hopefully we'll get her on it soon. As for now I have no problem feeding her myself but it would be nice to have an option. : )

Loving her cereal in the morning

At 5 months, sleeping is still Isla's biggest challenge (as well as mine). She needs assistance. On a few occasions she can cry for 10 minutes and fall asleep on her own. It's loud and saddening but she does fall asleep. She'd always end up on her tummy. Recently I've noticed she prefers sleeping this way. She'll always start on her side and then end up on her tummy. She still does not sleep through the night. The longest stretch may be 4 hours but either than that she'll wake up at least twice a night for a little snack. I'm hoping that once her tummy gets stronger and less agitated she'll sleep through the night and deserve the rest that her little body needs.

favorite position to sleep

All about Isla

2011-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned various times that Isla is a "loud" and "high maintenance" baby but overall she is absolutely lovable! Her laugh is addicting and her smile illuminates a room. If she was a mellow baby she'd be perfect, but of course no one is perfect. She is a challenge for me everyday. My biggest and only challenge is learning how to get her to relax, self soothe herself and overall sleep "effortlessly". My poor baby cannot sleep. I read up on ways to put her down but I have such a hard time because she will scream (not cry but scream) and get all worked up rather than relaxed. These techniques seem to not work with her (or maybe I'm not trying hard enough to put it into effect) but at night it is so draining and so sad not to mention it takes away my time with Elle. Isla still needs me to soothe her before sleeping so I do it for two reasons: 1) she sleeps so much better and 2) it allows me to sleep better too. I like to still think she is a baby that is not ready to sleep on her own. I'm hoping she'll be the type of baby that will one day (preferably by 6-7 months) surprise me and put herself down all by herself.

A few pics of my little girl when happy and content:

All relaxed from her warm bath

All smiles

Tummy time... about to roll over again...

...and again

reading

excited seeing the different pictures in the book

What I've learned about Isla within these past few months:

1) She is overly aware of her surroundings and does not want to miss out on anything.

2) You will always see her looking around, kicking air, babbling, making motor boat sounds with her lips,

spitting and sucking on her hands.

3) She is constantly moving. She has got a mean kick!

4) It seems that she is impatient with being stuck in one place.

5) She is so determined to get mobile.

6) The only time she is content is when she is in my baby carrier.

7) She LOVES bath time!

8) She loves playing pat-a-cake

Isla has also learned to reach out to people. One morning when Huy came home from work she was so elated to see him she reached out her arms and started leaning toward him while I was carrying her. We thought it was so cute. She'd go to him then realize she was not with me anymore so then looks at me and comes back.

I want it short mom...

2011-09-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks Elle has been asking if we could cut her hair short (and she would always show us how short... every time) She would always motion with her finger tracing her back of her neck saying, "I want it short like this." I'm unsure why all of a sudden she has this interest to cut it short (it could possibly be because she hates the mornings when I brush her hair full of tangles or maybe another girl in school has short hair) I just don't know. All I know is that she wanted it short. So on Saturday I decided to take her to get her hair did at Fantastic Sams. I was VERY hesitant to taking her there because my sister had the WORST experience in the 7th grade. But because money is tight and the fact that I knew I needed someplace that wouldn't let me wait long (especially with a high maintenance 4-1/2 month old) I chose the Fantastic Sams right up the street from my parents home in Kunia. (There is a Supercuts in Ewa Shopping Center but it's right next to the place where a 20 something year old psycho stabbed a poor innocent teacher to death for no apparent reason! But that's a whole other story. I generally dislike that shopping center. Only in Ewa... : / ) Anyhow I decided on the Fantastic Sams in Kunia because it's a newer strip mall, closer to my parents and I had a feeling it wouldn't be crowded. I was right!

We entered and they weren't too busy at all. They were playing Christian music so it was very calming and not so overwhelming. Right when we got in Elle got started. She had her hair shampooed and conditioned in the grown up chair. She was so nervous at first but once she got comfortable in the chair and felt the water running through her hair she was loving it! She was propped up in the salon chair and sat very still the whole time. She did an AWESOME job! The last time she had her hair cut short was close to 2 years ago and she was kind of jittery because of all the other kids getting their hair cut. Now that she'll be turning 5 in a few weeks she's so much more mature and does very well listening. She listened and answered all the questions the hairdresser had for her. I was so proud!

Patiently getting her hair cut

After her haircut she had her hair blow-dried and was super happy with the results. She kept saying, "I love my hair short, mommy." "Do you like it?" I of course LOVED it! I thought the hairdresser did a pretty good job. She was patient with Elle and took her time getting it nice and straight. Not too shabby for $14! After Elle was done I gave her $6 to give as tip. I also told her to say thank you, and she did. On our way out she was lucky to get a lollipop too and that just made her experience even better.

This was Elle's first experience in a hair salon! I hope that when I can get back to work we can get our hair done together with my hairdresser and get some manicures and pedicures too and have a fun girls day out! Right now she could care less about where she gets her hair did (thank goodness). All I know is that she is the happiest little girl who tells everyone how much she LOVES her short hair!

My happy, happy Elle showing off her new do to her Nana and Aunty Amber

Isla - 4-1/2 months

2011-09-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is our Isla. She is our active/giggly/smiley/loud little girl whom we love so much! She is great to take pictures of. We just love her smile! She is our total opposite of Elle. Elle was laid back, this kid is everything but laid back. She is very easy to make laugh but can also easily get upset. Everything is in her mouth. She is constantly kicking air. She loves the remote control. She hates not being able to see what's going on.

Daddy's mini-me

Happy

Giggly

Silly

Sad

It's nice when daddy is home

2011-09-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate to have our little family and very fortunate for our comfortable home. A comfortable home usually comes with a costly mortgage and often other expenses to follow (i.e. food, utilities, entertainment...) --- Bleh!

When we first decided to purchase a home we were very apprehensive with the idea of such a big expense but we knew it was a necessity for our growing family as well as a gratifying investment. Well... months have gone by, we love our home but daddy seems to work, work, work. We are grateful he has a great career but often times wish we'd get to see him more often. (Elle is especially saddened during those times he has to work. She would always tell me, "but daddy misses me")

Huy works long 12 hour shifts 4-5 days of the week. His schedule is completely opposite from most normal people. He works nights and sleeps in the days. So when he is scheduled to work back to back days, we briefly get to see him leaving on his way to work. It's seldom that he gets to have dinner with us. In the daytime when he comes home from work, Elle is already in school so she never gets to see him until he leaves for work. It was the same situation for me when I worked but now that I stay home I get to spend a few hours with him in the morning until he crashes in bed. It's nice.

On occasion there are times Huy has gaps in his work schedule and he's off for a couple days stretch. And when he is off he's there to come with me to walk Elle to school and pick her up. Plus we get to eat dinner together as a family! Elle takes advantage of her time with daddy when he is home. She is daddy's girl and he LOVES her. Being that she is getting older, conversations with her are quite amusing. The things she says and does are hilarious! She has the same sense of humor as her daddy and they both love to play rough.

Elle loves being thrown in the air.

Elle created her own amusement ride.

Elle thinks everyone can play with her like her daddy. She forgets that she's a pound shy of 40 lbs and Huy's the only one that can bench press her.

Huy is off one more day this week then he has another long work week ahead... until next time.

4 going on 40??

2011-09-03T02:03:00.000-07:00

This picture speaks for itself.

Elle seems to make us laugh once again! I could not believe my eyes when I saw this. I was upstairs with Isla and Huy was downstairs putting away a few things. He thought this was too funny, and it was so he took a pic to show me. We don't know where she comes up with these things. I think TV is the culprit because honestly Huy and I don't do this. This is the first time she's ever done this. Thank goodness she didn't sit on the toilet for long and hopefully she doesn't continue to do this. I personally do not promote this habit. My thoughts are, you do your business and get out! Silly, silly girl!!

Celebrating 8 years of happiness this Labor Day!

2011-09-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

It was the summer of 1994 and a friend of mine asked me if I'd like to go with her to a church function with her. She told me it was called Youth Conference where a bunch of kids our age would attend for spiritual activities and dances. I thought, sounds like fun. Because it was a 2-1/2 day event we made it a sleepover at her house. The day time activities were fun. I learned a lot of new things, such as self defense and some kind of dancing (its been years...)

Who would have ever thought I'd meet the man I marry?

He was young, tall, dark, handsome, well built and had gorgeous hair. (I think his height was what caught my attention first.) I always knew I wanted someone taller than me (not that I'm that tall but I think height in a guy is a plus) He and the group he was with stuck out from the crowd at Youth Conference. They were all pretty big and tall. A lot of the other guys there weren't as tall. People said they were from the Waialua Ward. I had no idea where that was.

I remember at one of the dances he asked me to dance. (Well, today he "claims" he was being courteous and asking the whole table if anyone wanted to dance, but I knew he wanted to dance with me, he was only looking at me when he asked) I found out his name (I had a hard time comprehending a name like that but I thought, "cool")

The next day at the chapel for the conclusion of the Youth Conference we got a chance to talk again. He was pleasantly easy to talk to, as if we were friends for a while. He could make me laugh and his smile was most memorable. We went our separate ways but still kept in touch somehow (being that he was from Waialua and I from Waipahu) We didn't go to the same school but we managed to keep in touch.

Fast forward several years... He decided to serve his mission in Japan (which I thought was awesome!) for 2 years. We kept in touch by writing every week. He returned home figuring out what he wanted to do. He decided to live in California for a few years to try playing football. We were apart again but we still kept in touch.

While he was in California I thought I'd learn more about his religion. I decided to meet with missionaries with my friend (whom invited me to that very same Youth Conference where I met him). I had the honor to have him baptize me.

In 2001 surprisingly he decided to come home and proposed to me at Mokuleia beach. It was unexpected but such a happy, happy day for both of us. We didn't know how we'd get married but we knew that is what we both wanted.

On September 6, 2003 we made it official. We knew we didn't want a big wedding because, 1) we had no money and 2) we didn't want the stress that came along with it. We knew it was for us and only us. We only wanted the people that we cared most about there. So... two weeks before the date we said we were going to do it. We wanted to get married at the very place he proposed to me 2 years prior, at Mokuleia Beach. I got my dress, found a photographer, used a local florist for flowers all in 2 weeks!

Our little wedding party.
The two people Huy and I care about the most!

As a newlywed couple we enjoyed our first place together. It was a studio in Pearl City but it was home for us. We enjoyed celebrating our first Thanksgiving...

We also celebrated our first Christmas together...

Huy knew I wanted a real tree, so he got me one.
He even put lights up in our studio. It looked so pretty at night!

Three years later on October 10, 2003 we started our little family. Miss Elle Healani Leativa Lam joined us!

We moved 3 times since we were married but finally bought our home in February 2011!

Two months later on April 28, 2011 we welcomed Isla Chiyoko Lam!

We knew each other for nearly 17 years! That is pretty much half our lives. This upcoming Labor Day will be a celebration of 8 years of great times together! After all we've been through I am so grateful and lucky to have found my soulmate and best friend. It has been the best 8 years! We have a beautiful home and two adorable little girls. We look forward to many new adventures with our little girls and celebrating many, many more years of marriage together!

My Kindergardener

2011-08-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

School is GREAT! Where to begin....

1. I love the walks taking Elle to school and picking her up.

2. I love the fact that she's enjoying herself learning new things.

3. I love the fact that she understands her homework and enjoys it!

Elle is growing up so quickly that she is definitely NOT a baby anymore. She amazes me more and more everyday. I am so proud of her. She doesn't cry too often. She listens SO much better and she states her opinion with a valid point. Her imagination is unbelievably creative (it makes us laugh the things she comes up with). She is very free-spirited and very, very loving (in her own silly way)

Now that school has begun, I've noticed how more attentive she is to her surroundings. Her newest thing is sounding out words. Everyday you hear her sound out letters like, "sssss... "S is for snake, mom!" "cuh, cuh... "C" makes the "cuh, cuh" sound and so does "K". "C" is for "cat". "K" is for "kangaroo" and she can go on and on. Every time she finds a word she always has to know how to spell it. I'm thinking of labeling everything in our house so she can associate the object with the word.

I am so grateful for school and am glad that she is learning and having fun all at the same time!

On our way to school...

This was the first 1/2 day of school. Elle and daddy taking a stroll. It's such a nice walk!

Waiting with her classmates in the morning before the bell rings. (She didn't know I was taking a picture)

This is what happens after school. I guess with no nap time offered she makes up for it at home.

At least she's very wide awake to do her homework!

Elle happily doing her homework! (She was happy because she knew she was getting a brownie after finishing.)

3-1/2 month check up

2011-08-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is growing up!

This morning Isla had her 3-1/2 month check up at the doctor's office. Currently, here are her stats:

Weight: 13 lbs 11 oz

Length: 25-1/4 in

Doctor says she looks very good and that at the next check up (in 6 weeks - September 29) we'll start her on solid foods! Unbelievable how fast time is flying by. Soon she'll be turning "one" : (

She also had to get another round of shots (poor baby) and I didn't have Huy there with me. I hate seeing her in pain, but she did very, very well.

This is probably the first time I've ever taken my girls to a doctor's appointment without Huy there. But because Elle was in school and daddy wanted to play basketball, I figured this was nice quality time with Isla. It was kind of fun, just the two of us. After walking Elle to school, we got ready and dropped daddy off at the courts. From there we headed off to Kapiolani Hospital. I got there early because the parking structure is horrendous! Isla fell asleep so I gave her time to finish her nap. I packed her off in my baby bjorn carrier and she was a happy baby. She smiled at other babies and enjoyed the view while getting to the office. The doctor checked her out and said Isla looked very healthy! Great check up!

Crazy Elle

2011-08-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

I often visit my parents house whenever I go to Walmart in Kunia. My parents live down the street. It's great for my girls to take a break from the car, or for me to feed Isla when hungry, or just for my girls to see their Nana, Papa and Aunty Amber (if they are not at work). We usually run our errands on the weekdays so more often we only see Papa before going to work.

On this one occasion, I thought it would be nice to stop by and visit my dad (since my mom and sister were traveling in Europe). Elle LOVES it at my parents home because she knows she can do ANYTHING she wants there. She also knows that there is so many cool stuff in Nana's bedroom and Aunty Amber's bedroom (i.e. jewelry, make-up, stickers, DVDs etc...) To Elle it's like finding treasure every time she's there! Plus she gets Papa's attention!

While we were there Elle was getting a little tired, and when she's tired she gets loopy! She is so silly when she's loopy and often comes up with the most funniest ideas. It is easy to suspect when Elle is up to something because she is very quiet and disappears for a long period of time.

We were about to leave when I caught her in my mom's bedroom like this...

Note: Elle was not wearing this when we arrived. My mom keeps extra clothes for her in her room.

I asked her what she was doing and she told me that she was a mommy that needed to pick strawberries outside.?

I love this pic because of the curlers she put in her hair. It was hilarious!! I just had to take a picture.

This was the end result...

Elle will never smile on queue. It's too predictable for her.

Who comes up with these funny poses? Only our Elle!

That's what we love most about her. She is definitely one of a kind. We are so glad she's ours!

Crazy girl!!

My Exterminator

2011-08-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

It amazes me what goes on in my daughter's head....

Everyday I try to keep the same routine with my girls. After Elle comes home from school she sometimes takes a nap. At around 3-4 p.m. I try putting dinner together because Huy leaves for work by 5:30-5:45 p.m. At 5 p.m. I give my girls a bath so they can wind down. Isla usually is relaxed and tired after her bath so I try to feed her and put her down by 7-7:30 p.m. Sometimes she goes down effortlessly, other times she makes it difficult for herself. While I'm with Isla, Elle is usually playing in her room by herself. On this particular evening Isla took much longer to go down so I didn't get to see what Elle was doing in her room for quite a while. Once Isla was down I checked on Elle...

I looked in her room and saw that she had her headband and flashlight on her head. She tried her best keeping it on her head but it kept falling. I asked her, "what are you doing Elle?" She responds, "there is a lizard in Isla's room and I need the light on my head to catch it". (I couldn't stop laughing because she was so serious. I wish I took a picture of her with the light and headband but it kept falling off her head.) Because it kept falling she was getting a little emotional. (Elle has always been so hard on herself when things don't work out the way she intends it to.) After settling her down she thought about it... then a few seconds later she got happy and thought of her cowgirl hat. She realized that she could where the hat and attach the flashlight to it. (I was super happy she thought of a solution all by herself! She really amazed me!!) Then I see her mumbling to herself, "I need tape." (I was impressed.) She ran to get the scotch tape and tried taping the flashlight to her hat. At first the tape was too short and she started to get frustrated again. After calming her down, she relaxed and thought out loud, "I need longer tape". So she went ahead and pulled out a longer strip of tape and successfully taped the flashlight to her hat!

Elle's invention

It actually worked successfully! It didn't fall off. So proud of her!

My little exterminator.

She was ready to find that lizard and catch it with her net!

(Unfortunately, the lizard is currently still at large... until next time!)

Afternoon fun with my girls

2011-08-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Now that I stay home and care for little Isla, I get to enjoy my mornings doing my errands on the weekdays and not have to deal with crowds on the weekends. Often times I'd go to Target or Walmart (anyplace that gives me easy access to my car to feed Isla). I find that it's a great way to get out of the house and let my girls enjoy the weather. However, ever since Elle started school I enjoy staying home. It's no fun shopping without Elle plus I'm not spending money. : )

I still enjoy getting my girls out of the house, so on a few occasions we take advantage of our pool! On Elle's first 1/2 day of school she finished at 11:45 which was a perfect day for the pool because the rest of the school was still in session for a full day. I knew the pool would be empty.

My little girl always daydreaming.

I can't wait to go swimming with her. Without daddy, all I do is watch and let her have fun.

My Isla chilling under the pavilion while sister swims.

Me and Isla

Elle's after swim snack before heading back home.

On the short ride back home Isla often falls asleep.

It was cool this day so we stayed outside while she slept and drew on our porch.

We have a nice size porch which is bare right now but perfect for sidewalk chalk.

Elle (my artist) loves to draw and our porch is a perfect canvas.

Some of Elle's artwork.

Her new fascination is Spongebob Squarepants (thanks to my sister).

Above is Spongebob and Squidward.

These are pretty much all the characters from that cartoon.

From left to right (Spongebob Squarepants, Squidward, Sandy the Chipmunk, Patrick and Plankton)
According to Elle... she still needs to add Mr. Krab

New School

2011-08-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

My little girl is growing up so quick! Tomorrow is the first day of kindergarten for Elle! I am so excited but yet sad. Elle will be attending Keone'ula Elementary in Ewa Beach. It's a new school and it's located right around the corner to where we live. Everyday I will be strolling my little 3 month old and walking my Elle to school. It's a 5-10 minute walk so nothing strenuous (and it's all leveled with wide sidewalks). It's nice and cool in the mornings but in the afternoon it gets HOT! Not enough trees.

This will be very new for me because I won't be stressing trying to get to work on time after dropping her off. Now that I'm officially not working, I will be living the life of a stay at home mom. I'm kind of excited and I think Elle is too. We are definitely sad that she won't be attending her old school (being that EVERYONE knew her). She's going to start all over making new friends and getting know new teachers. It's a good thing she likes people.

Everyday my little girl will be wearing a red Keone'ula cub t-shirt (as part of their uniform) which I think is a fabulous idea even though I love dressing up my little girls. I used to try to mix and match things for Elle when she was in preschool so she would look cute every day. : ) I got lot of compliments from teachers, it's such a great feeling (but it really wasn't necessary). Who doesn't like to dress up their child? Now that I have Isla, I'm grateful for uniforms because do not have the extra time to create outfits for Elle. Being that school starts promptly at 7:50 a.m. this will definitely cut the unnecessary wasted time getting dressed in the mornings.

All and all we are excited, scared and sad all at the same time that Elle is starting kindergarten. Although this isn't her first time in a classroom setting, kindergarten is definitely not like preschool. Class sizes are much larger (20 kids as compared to 6) and there is no nap time. She's growing up!

Playing pretend

2011-08-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how observant little kids are. Ever since Elle was a baby we've noticed how she would just look and stare at people. She was often very quiet and always observing what was going on from a distance. At the age of 3 and while attending preschool she opened up, started talking and interacting more with other children.

Nearly 2 years has passed and Elle has opened up even more and adjusted well to the many changes in our lives. Elle is in Kindergarten at a new school, we moved into a new home and welcomed Isla along the way. Elle knows that she is a big girl and big sister now and shows a lot more independence. She's great playing by herself and has the most imaginative mind!

Elle loves playing pretend. Her new thing is pretending to be "mommy". She often tells me, "I'm going to be a mommy, teacher, dentist and doctor!" (Yup! All four occupations!! Huy and I are glad she has goals!) She also says that she wants to get married (Huy cringes hearing her say that. It's kind of funny. He knows that one of these days he'll have to let his little girls go... Every time Elle mentions marriage he always tells her, "you need to become a doctor first, then you can get married!")

At home I've caught Elle several times being a "mommy" to her dolls. She is always in everyone's room playing "mommy". I often find dolls wrapped in Isla's blankets placed in Isla's swing, bouncer, crib, changing table and Elle's bed. It's cute but I like to have less clutter around the house. However, our Miss Elle loves to make a mess! Whenever I ask her to clean it up she tells me, "but my babies are sleeping".

Today I caught her doing this...

Elle in Isla's room feeding her baby on my chair.

So sweet!

Isla loves water after feeding.

I stepped away for a second and when I came back Elle was helping Isla with her bottle.

Isla - 3 months

2011-07-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

ISLA stats at 4 days:

Weight: 7 lbs 7.8 oz

ISLA stats at 1 month:

Weight: 9 lbs 15.1 oz

Length: 22-3/4 in

ISLA stats at 2 months:

Weight: 12 lbs 0.7 oz

Length: 24 in

ISLA stats at 3-1/2 months:

TBD on August 15, 2011

Our brown baby

On Thursday July 21, Isla officially made 3 months! Where has the time gone?! Everyday she amazes me more and more with her new gurgles, multiple facial expressions and "kung fu" moves. She is one very ACTIVE baby. Always kicking and waving her arms. Isla is a very expressive baby that has so much to say. At 2 months I'd have little conversations with her. She is so personable that she smiles at everybody that talks to her. She responds with a flirty smile and pretty eyes. Her cries are very distinct that often turns into mumbling when she's tired, it's cute and so much nicer than her newborn wailing.

Isla's hair is growing, growing, growing just like her sister. Everyday it seems to be getting longer. Because she has so much volume her hair at this stage reminds me of Conan O'Brien so I decided I needed to find clips for her hair to hold it down and show off her bangs. It's really unnecessary but it's fun and cute. I also decided to do this because some people who just pass by always thinks she's a boy. : /

Isla truly fits her name because she loves outside. As our little island princess I've learned that she is most comfortable with the trade winds blowing through her hair and the feeling the warmth of the sun on her legs. Although we have airplanes flying overhead, I've noticed that she sleeps much better than inside our home. It's difficult trying to cook or even clean up a bit while she tries to sleep. She always wakes up. Sound travels easily in our home. I take advantage of the times Elle plays outside in her little pool. I sometimes leave Isla outside with Elle in the shade so I can tidy up the house a bit without worrying about making too much noise. It's great having an enclosed courtyard! Now I even take Elle to the big pool because Isla will sleep comfortably under the pavilion.

A new thing for Isla is blowing bubbles and making a "motorboat" sound with her lips. She's trying to tell me something all the time and this was something she had to share. (I was a little too close taking the picture... oops!)

I decided to visit my office one day and I was worried she'd be fussy, but she proved me wrong. I fed her and changed her before we got to the office so when we got there she was a smiley baby, especially because someone carried her the whole time. Even when she started to get tired we put her in her car seat and rocked her to sleep while she had her finger in her mouth and mumbled to everyone how tired she was. It was a great visit!

A little bit of tummy time. Her head is still a little wobbly but she's getting there. She grunts a lot while on her tummy, and a lot more when she is trying to roll over from her back.

The other day while Huy was sleeping from a long night of work, I took the girls over to my parents to visit just to get out of the house. Lucky for me they were on their way to get something to eat so we jumped in with them in their car. It was fun for me and the girls. To not have to drive and to sit next to my 2 girls in a car ride was a nice break for me. It's amazing that we all fit being that my dad drives a civic, but we were all very comfortable.

On our way there I tried snapping some pics of me and Elle. As for Isla... she was knocked out once the car started with her two fingers in her mouth.

I thought she was so adorable. She actually stayed asleep this way for a good 2 hours. : )

Sisters

2011-07-11T03:21:00.000-07:00

I love seeing my two girls together. Although their age difference is so far apart, Elle loves Isla and Isla ADORES Elle. As a 4 year old big sister, Elle has her moments of wanting to help with Isla and hold her and moments when she'd rather be doing something else. Often times I ask Elle to help me when I need something for Isla and she is willing to help (most of the time, but not always). Whenever I have to change Isla's diaper Elle is with me holding the wipes for me (she calls it Isla's toilet paper). Elle is also very observant. Seeing that I breastfeed, Elle has been caught sitting on the couch with my boppy on her waist holding her doll to her breast. She actually told Huy that she was feeding her baby. I am very grateful that she is a loving big sister and learning to be patient while I have to tend to Isla because Isla is one demanding baby : )

Isla is a baby that loves attention and cannot be by herself for more than 10-15 minutes (it's really difficult). She loves it when you talk to her because she has so much to say! She has to be able to see you. She is also a very light sleeper. This makes it quite difficult to get things done around the house or even spend quality time with Elle. At times I feel bad for Elle but she is a trooper and she doesn't whine or throw tantrums. I've noticed that as long as she feels that she's helping me she's happy.

Elle with Isla at 2 weeks old

Elle couldn't wait to hold Isla.

My fussy Isla, always crying...

Elle with Isla at 2 months old

Isla getting bigger and bigger and also smiling so much more!

Of course only one is smiling

Elle acting silly...again

Things us girls do while daddy is at work... We often miss him at night : (

Good night!

Good morning!

So serious... this is my favorite pic! I am so curious to see how these two grow up.

this is my favorite pic too! I love them so much!!

Checking in... anticipation of meeting our baby girl!

2011-04-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

This time around I must say labor was a very pleasant experience. We were ready this time! This baby didn't want to come out on her due date (4/24) so my doctor allowed me to get an induction. I was actually hoping labor would come on its own but I couldn't wait any longer. So we scheduled my induction for 4/27 at 6 a.m. Well.... that didn't exactly happened. From this experience I learned that my hospital of choice (Kapiolani Medical Center) was super busy and rooms were very scarce. Although you schedule to induce at a certain date and time, it doesn't mean you'll go in at that time. In fact the night before I get a call from the hospital telling me to call them at 6 a.m. to see if there were any rooms available. A nurse then would let me know if I should come in or wait a couple of hours to call again. Of course that's exactly what happened. The next morning I called at 6 a.m. only to be told to call back at 8 a.m. I called back at 8 a.m. only to be told to call back at 10 a.m. I was starting to get annoyed because I seemed to have wasted half my day waiting for nothing. But I guess the third time is the charm because the nurse finally told me that I could come it at 12 noon. We were exhausted but realized that this was it!

We headed to the hospital. Checked in with admissions and waited again in the waiting room, still waiting on a room to become available. While waiting we went to get a bite to eat at the cafeteria. We didn't get into a room until 4 p.m., yup... 4 p.m. I was exhausted, hungry and couldn't wait to get things started. Once we got a room things were so much better because Huy and I got to relax. He couldn't wait to turn on the TV and watch the NBA playoffs and I couldn't wait to get situated. It was nice just the two of us in the room. It was peaceful and we enjoyed the comfort of our room and talking with my nurse.

After getting situated, Huy went to get dinner at the cafeteria. I had a liquid dinner (compliments of the hospital -- ice pop, juice, ice chips, etc.) I was hungry, but because they started me on the pitocin and IV hooked up to me I wasn't allowed. Now all there was to do was wait. At least this time around there were free movies to watch in the room. Huy and I went through several movies just passing time. I decided to get my epidural a little earlier before pain actually started so I'd be fortunate to feel pressure when it was time to push. (*Last experience made it extremely difficult to push because I was totally numb) During this pregnancy, I think because I had an empty stomach I felt more nauseous as more pitocin was pumping into me. I actually threw up several times (which was unpleasant) I didn't start to progress with labor until the following morning around 5 a.m. It still took a couple more hours until I was given the go ahead to push!

On April 28, 2011 at 8:21 a.m. we finally met Miss Isla Chiyoko Lam for the very first time! She was perfect! Apgar score was high, her cry was beautiful, her eyes so sweet and she felt perfect in my arms!

After getting cleaned, I couldn't wait to hear what her weight and size were. Huy came back to me telling me, "7 lbs 15.5 oz and 22 in long"! Nice.

All about Elle

2011-04-26T01:37:00.000-07:00

The one thing we love about our new home is our pool! In Ewa it is hot and there is nothing better than to cool down in the pool. Elle LOVES the pool and since living here we try our best to go as often as possible. On this special day we made it all about Elle because the next day we scheduled to induce our baby girl the next morning. We knew that a newborn would make it harder for us to give Elle our undivided attention like she's had for the past 4 years so we figured we let her choose anything she wanted to do!

The nice thing about our pool is the fact that they have 6 BBQ grills at the pool for residents to use. On this afternoon swim Huy bought hot dogs and buns from Costco to grill and for us to enjoy poolside for an early dinner.

My 2 loves!

Seeing that smile on her face always puts a smile on ours! She is our sweet, goofy little girl whom we love more than ever.

Busy, busy, busy at 6 months pregnant...

2011-01-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

Where to begin...
It's a brand new year with so much to look forward to! To start off, things finally progressed further with our first home purchase! Can you imagine that it took the whole year for us to purchase our home? We literally put in an offer on this home in March of 2010 and only now finalized our loan documents! Ridiculous... but its done and we signed all of our loan documents and got our keys! We waited so long, it really feels good knowing that it is finally official! Cleaning up our townhome was a lot of work (being that I was 6 months pregnant) but it got done. I had help from my parents and sister who helped make our townhome look super brand new for the next tenants. Packing of course was another challenge I had. I realized the difficulty of trying to bend over, clean kitchen cabinets and carry heavy boxes with an extended belly in the way. It's hard!! All I can say is never again will I move while 6 months pregnant!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T02:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2010
(minus Elle who was taking her nap)

My husband & I

Mom and Dad

Goofing around with the camera...

The After Party...

2010-12-24T02:31:00.000-08:00

It was already late when we left the party at my Aunty Lani and Uncle Jimmy's home in Pearl City... I was ready to sleep. Elle was tired and very loopy in the car but she didn't fall asleep as usual. She stayed awake through the short ride home. I figured since it was past midnight, we'd start a tradition in opening one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day. Well... it did start out with one gift, but next thing you know she ended up opening up all of her presents she had at home from Santa and from what she accumulated at the party that night!

In the end it worked out well because we slept in the next morning and didn't get to my parent's home until the afternoon to open the rest of our presents with them. : )

Christmas gift opening has been so much more fun with Elle as she continues to grow up. At this age she's learning about Santa and presents and saying what she wants. (Not sure exactly if that is a good thing, but I love seeing how happy and excited she gets!) A year ago, she could really care less what she got. Any toy or book made her happy, but now she tells you how much she loves princesses and how she's Rapunzel (from the movie "Tangled"). Gift giving has never been easier...

Elle in her new Rapunzel night gown holding her new Cinderella doll

Brushing her new Cinderella's horse's hair

Oh the anticipation...

Elle was so blessed this year with tons of cool stuff this year. She couldn't have been happier! She was so pooped from the excitement of ripping through gift wrap plus the fact that it was past 1a.m., she knocked out in an instant!

Itokazu Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-24T00:42:00.000-08:00

Itokazu/Lam family
(minus Miss Elle who did not want to cooperate in picture taking...)

It's Christmas time once again! The one and only time the Itokazu family get together. It's something we all look forward to because it's a once a year event! Always great food (especially dessert), fun games and the fun filled atmosphere of catching up with everyone.

5 months pregnant!

Grandma, Elle & Aunty Amber

Elle and Kobe
(she loves dogs)

A little sample of the yummy spread... I love parties!

A little glimpse of half of my family. The Itokazus are expanding! Our family gets bigger and bigger every year... I love seeing everyone together enjoying each others company. It makes you truly appreciate the importance of family. I'm glad we continue to keep this tradition going every year. Until next year...

Note: Pictures courtesy of cousin Lori : )

Happy birthday to me and my sister!

2010-12-18T02:41:00.000-08:00

Sisters

Ever since we were little our parents always celebrated our birthdays together because the dates are so close. Amber's birthday is December 13 and my birthday is December 17. We are 5 years and 4 days apart. We like it. This year mom was generous to treat us to dinner at Tanaka of Tokyo in Ala Moana Center. Food was pretty yummy and very entertaining! Mom had to think of a place that would keep Elle enticed. It worked. Watching food being prepared right in front of you was very intriguing for myself and my 4 year old. It was especially entertaining when the cook made it look like the shrimp was dancing! Unfortunately my dad was not feeling well so he didn't join us. We were very fortunate to have our Aunty Dorayn, Aunty Desiree and cousin Crystal come celebrate our birthdays with us. We hardly see family so to have them join us was great!

Me and Huy
I was still recovering from my cold, but you can't tell...

Amber and Aunty Dorayn

Mom and Elle

Just us girls

My turquoise zebra girl
I love this dress from Nordstrom Rack and Elle liked it too!

Happy birthday to me!

2010-12-17T01:52:00.000-08:00

Another year has passed... and I turned 32 years old today. Sounds old but I still feel like I'm in my late 20's! Age is just a number to me. I feel great! I have a handsome loving husband who does anything and everything for me, a silly beautiful 4 year old girl who makes me laugh every single day, am expecting the arrival of another little girl in a few short months, is in the final process of owning a home and has a job that allows me to work part time to accommodate Elle's school schedule... life is quite nice right now. I am a very, very blessed. Plus, I got an awesome birthday present!

Today Elle began her Christmas break so when she's on break, I'm on break. Since we were all home and it was my birthday, I figured we'd start off the day going to the beach to get out of the house and get some fresh air. Elle loves the ocean and sand. She could stay all day if she had her way. So that is exactly what we did.

Waiting for daddy to make a mermaid tail for her...

My little mermaid

After the beach we ate burgers at Big City Diner, took a nap at home and decided to get some breakfast for dinner at IHOP. French toast and pancakes taste pretty good at night!

**********************************************************************************************

My present -- Huy did it again!! For Valentine's day 2011 he got us tickets to see Babyface in concert! We are only a few rows up from the stage too -- so excited! On Valentine's day 2009 he surprised me with tickets to see Boys II Men live in concert and now Babyface live in concert. Boys II Men was AWESOME so I can only imagine what listening to Babyface live will be. Our relationship was based on music sung by these artists, so to see them in concert brings back a lot of great memories all of which brought us together.

**********************************************************************************************

My future Botanist

2010-12-14T01:17:00.000-08:00

Elle's beautiful sunflower

Between the months of October/November Elle's class learned about different plants, vegetables and fruits. And so for one of their classroom activities they learned to plant their own plants and care for it and watch it grow. Each person from her class got to plant sunflowers, tomatoes and carrots. Right before Thanksgiving they brought home their baby plants. Elle's sunflower had just 3 little stems, her tomato plant in her cup was non-existent and her carrots had a few baby shoots...

Everyday I had Elle water her plants. Unfortunately due to windy weather, her carrot plant fell off of the lanai and didn't make it and a stem from her sunflower broke. I decided it was time to transplant her plants to our little planters we had outside so her plants had room to grow. After diligently watering her plants everyday, Elle's sunflower grew within weeks and her tomato plant finally made it's debut!

Elle's tomato plant - If we can sprout one tomato, I'd be so happy! : )

Elle diligently checking out her new sunflower!

Elle was super excited when her flower finally blossomed! I was excited too! Her flower was so pretty and it was only a matter of weeks until it bloomed. It was amazing seeing it grow so quickly. Someday I look forward to planting many more flowers, vegetables and herbs with my little Elle in a yard. It's a lot of work but so rewarding!

An unexpected surprise!

2010-11-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

It's a GIRL!

We were ecstatic in July when we found out that we were indeed pregnant once again! It seemed like it was never going to happen but to our surprise I guess we were meant to have another addition to our little family. We feel so blessed and excited not only for ourselves but for our little Elle. She is EXTREMELY excited that she's going to have a baby sister to care for. She's been such a trooper being my little helper and wanting so much to be apart of this experience. She actually tells people that she has a "baby bear" in her tummy, just like mommy. (Why a baby bear, who knows, but we think it's hilarious especially when she tells everyone, including the doctors -- she's a character!)

It has been a while since we've had a newborn in the house. Things started to go back to normal after having Elle for 4 years. We were thru with all the diapers, formulas, bottles for nearly 2 years and now reverting back is like starting all over again. It's scary but at the same time very exciting, just as exciting as the time we found out we were having Elle. However this time around should be quite interesting because I now have a little helper, which personally I think is the reason we were blessed with this pregnancy only now.

We look forward to meeting our newest little angel in April 2011. Name is still undecided.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T01:14:00.000-07:00

This year it was unfortunate that Huy had to work during Halloween. Last year Huy & I decided to take Elle to Mililani to go trick-o-treating and it was fun! It's great going to young neighborhoods that love to decorate and be festive. However because he was working I didn't want to go to a neighborhood all by myself with Elle, it just didn't feel the same. Instead I decided to see what it would be like to check out Bishop Museum with my parents and sister. I figured the festivities would start early and end early, perfect for kids. I think a lot of parents had the same idea as me because it was ridiculously crowded! The line to get in was extremely long (because at the entrance they were doing the candy give away)...I was forewarned because the ad did say that they anticipated hundreds of people to attend, but I didn't think much of it. I know better now.

Besides the long lines and me feeling nauseated from my pregnancy it was fun seeing all the kids dressed up. I thought Elle would have wanted to dress up but she didn't. I still have an unworn Snow White costume yet to be used in her closet, maybe next Halloween? She was very comfortable in her black frilly skirt and shirt that said, "Daddy's under my spell". I was more concerned for her comfort because I wanted her to enjoy herself.

Waiting patiently in line with Aunty Amber

Her first little piece of candy...

Checking out the fun science exhibits...

More exhibits to check out

At last dinner at Bravos... causing trouble to Nana

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

This year it was unfortunate that Huy had to work during Halloween. Last year Huy and I decided to take Elle to Mililani to go trick-o-treating and it was fun! It's great going to young neighborhoods that love to decorate and be festive. However because he was working I didn't want to go to a neighborhood all by myself with Elle, it just didn't feel the same. Instead I decided to see what it would be like to check out Bishop Museum with my parents and sister. I figured the festivities would start early and end early, perfect for kids. I think a lot of parents had the same idea as me because it was ridiculously crowded! The line to get in was extremely long (because at the entrance they were doing the candy give away)...I was forewarned because the ad did say that they anticipated hundreds of people to attend, but I didn't think much of it. I know better now.

Waiting patiently in line with Aunty Amber

Her first little piece of candy...

Checking out the fun science exhibits...

More exhibits to check out

At last dinner at Bravos... causing trouble to Nana

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T02:43:00.000-07:00

Every year we have the most difficult time figuring out where we should go to celebrate 4th of July and watch some fireworks. Before Elle came along, Huy and I tried many a places finding a fireworks show.

One year we watched the Ala Moana show from the Dole Cannery parking lot. It was a great idea. However the following year people caught on to our idea. We never went back.

Another year we watched the Ala Moana show in the Ala Moana Shopping Center parking lot and got stuck in traffic. That night instead of waiting in traffic, we decided to park the car and have a late dinner at CPK. It was great! Good food and no stress.

This year, now that we have Elle we wanted to find something more family oriented. We were informed by a friend that Turtle Bay had a fireworks show. They not only had a fireworks show, but they also had Hawaiian music, a variety of food vendors and bounce houses for kids all surrounding a great green lawn.

They opened up the parking at 5:30 p.m. so after church we rested a little and packed up our necessities. We got there at 5:30 p.m. and found great parking and a nice spot to spread out our blanket. The weather was beautiful. It couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was out and there was a cool breeze from the ocean nearby.

After settling in Huy and Elle scoped out the place and checked out all of the different vendors including the bounce houses. Elle was ecstatic about the bounce houses. She would fight you to the death if you didn't let her go!

Look at how beautiful. By dark, this lawn was packed with people...

Elle enjoying the bounce houses... she was in heaven!

waiting in line for the ice cream truck...

Before going home... it was a must for Huy and Elle to get ice cream

Note: Huy wanted ice cream when we first got there but I told him lets eat first.

Bad idea on my part because the line ended up being ridiculously long throughout the whole night! Oopsie!

After a fun-filled evening of yummy food and fireworks... we were ready to go home.

Until next year!

Pictures taken by Huy's IPhone 4 -- gotta love this phone!

Dinosaurs invade Pearlridge Center

2010-06-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

This summer the dinosaurs invaded Pearlridge Shopping Center. They had mechanical dinosaurs displayed at different parts of the mall. However the main attraction was in the center of the mall with a train set up for the kids to ride. Pearlridge is known for their train rides during their various exhibitions they showcase. This year I wanted to see if Elle wanted to ride the train. I've always been hesitant because she never has anyone to ride with her. But this year I thought she might be ready. Sure enough, I was right. She was ecstatic on the idea and she could not wait to ride. At first I thought she'd be scared of the dinosaurs but she LOVED them. Everytime she'd pass them on the train she'd say, "Hi dinosaur" and wave. It's so cute because she gets all the other kids to follow her and do the same. She loved the dinosaurs so much we took several trips to the mall just to see them... and she's rode the train twice.

$3 train ride for 10 minutes. It's pricey but worth seeing her so happy!

Patiently waiting...

Elle and Ms. T

(I made her a female because Elle knows her as a mommy dinosaur from the movie

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs)

Almost home...

2010-06-05T01:59:00.000-07:00

Like many young families, it's a dream and a goal to one day become "homeowners". This year we decided to take that plunge. It's very scary, but overall we are so excited! We've looked and looked at many homes and nothing seemed to catch our attention... until we found this place! We thought it was the perfect size home for our family. Not too big but not too small. It's easy to maintain, very clean, nearly new, has a great open floor plan and is well kept. It is everything we were looking for. Hopefully if everything continues to go smoothly... (preferably within a month or 2) we can soon call it our home!

Entry

Dining area

Living area

Private enclosed yard w/ detached enclosed car garage

Kitchen

Downstairs powder room

Split level

Three bedrooms

Absolute fun at school!

2010-05-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Huy and I were very fortunate that Elle was able to begin attending preschool this past January. Although she attended school for a short 5 months, Elle was embraced by wonderful teachers who genuinely expressed their love for teaching through creating unique/fun classroom activities and field trips throughout the year.

Elle learned so much and made so many new friends. From once a shy little baby, she blossomed into a vibrant little girl with a passion for learning. We are undoubtedly grateful for Kanoelani Elementary, Miss Winnie and Miss Rhonda for nurturing our little girl with educationally fun activities. We look forward to new adventures in August.

Representing Kanoelani Elementary at its best!

Field trip - Central Oahu Regional Park - Earth Day (rubbish pick up)

Theme for the month: Workers in the community - Police Officers

Workers in the community - Chefs

In this pic from left to right (Ethan, Kai, Elle & Miss Winnie)

Finger painting

Kanoelani Elementary - Run/walk event

My goofy girl...

Morning activities - play center with blocks

Intently concentrating on coloring...

Field trip - Waikele Fire Station

Lucky girl got to try on a fireman's jacket!

Field trip - Honolulu Zoo

Easter Egg coloring

Field trip - Pearlridge Center - Picture with the Easter Bunny

Field trip - Lowe's Hardware

Lucky girl got a hammer, apron and safety goggles!

Learning computer technology...

Funny face! -- This is my favorite picture.

Honored as Most Improved!

2010-05-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of the year assembly at Kanoelani Elementary, Elle was honored by her teachers as "most improved". We were so happy for her and looked forward to attending our very first school assembly honoring our little girl. It may be hard to believe from the looking at the picture below, but Elle did very well accepting her award. It wasn't until she saw Huy, my mom, my sister and myself watching her from the back of the cafeteria when she began to break down crying. I think it was happy tears. It's a good thing it was the end of the assembly at the time of her meltdown...

Very proud of our little Elle.

They're back....

2010-05-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Once again we were thrilled to find out that my brother in law and family decided to make a quick trip to Hawaii to celebrate Malakai's 1st birthday with us. Being that we don't get a chance to see each other on a daily basis, we always look forward to their visits. So far we have been fortunate to see Malakai 3 times since he's been born and for that we are extremely grateful.

Huy adores his nephew Malakai and the feelings seem quite mutual between the two. They have such a cute connection (only because Huy looks like his daddy). Elle likewise, loves her Uncle Vinnie and Aunty Sarah too and was also super excited to see them all again. We find it comforting knowing that although we live thousands of miles apart, Elle has no problem remembering her Uncle Vinnie, Aunty Sarah and baby Malakai. It makes the distance between Utah and Hawaii not seem very far at all.

Malakai, Huy & Elle

Sarah & Malakai

I love this boy's appetite.

Elle was a picky eater, feeding her wasn't as pleasant..

playing around...

Random family pic...

2010-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

We hardly ever take pictures together but this time we pulled off a random family pic while taking pictures of Elle in her "Cinderella-mouse" outfit. "Cinderella-mouse" outfit = Cinderella blue dress, pink princess Minnie Mouse ears hat (with vail) and glass slippers.

Elle really does look a lot like Huy...

Cut it short please...

2010-05-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

From the day she was born, Elle was blessed with a beautiful head of hair. It covered her head evenly and was very soft to the touch. She was born with deep dark brown hair with natural waves. As a baby, it was a lot of fun combing her hair and putting in cute hair accessories. I really adored her hair. As time went by, her hair continued to grow effortlessly. Things started to become more problematic and you could tell it began to bother her. By the age of 3 it reached her butt, as you can see above. Needless to say I thought it was time to get her very first haircut.

Since it was her very first haircut, I decided it was best to get it professionally done. On a lovely "furlough friday" morning I took her to Pigtails and Crewcuts. Very cute salon! I must say, they were busy, busy, busy...with lots of boys! It made me realize that if I had a boy, he'd have to have a haircut every other week! Luckily I have a girl and long hair is desirable!

Prepping the hair...

and cut...

voila!

I must say, the hair dresser did a great job. I loved it and I thought her new do suited her well.

*Interesting fact: This actually was the length of her hair at age 1.

The best part of this experience was the fact that her haircut ended up being FREE! Her hair was so long it met the requirement (10") for it to be donated. I was very pleased with the results and to add that it was free, made this experience even better! Some lucky child will have a beautiful wig, thanks to my little girl.

Dad's Birthday Breakfast at Halekulani Orchids

2010-04-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

Last year we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday with a surprise party at Tiki's Bar and Grill. It turned out great. This year we celebrated his 61st birthday in a more intimate setting at the Halekulani Orchids restaurant. I personally love mornings so I decided that a birthday breakfast would be nice for my dad. Perfect ambiance with the whole family. We had great seating with the view of the ocean and Diamond Head. It was a beautiful day and a perfect way to start the day and celebrate a birthday...

Of course Easter was around the corner and it would be my mom to make Elle a very special Easter gift filled with lots of goodies. It made her happy and kept her occupied.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Wake up... it's time for school!

2010-01-12T03:24:00.000-08:00

January 11, 2010 - Elle's first day of Preschool at Kanoelani Elementary

It was only 3 years ago we welcomed Elle into this world and today we are sending her to preschool! I can't believe how time flies. It was an exciting yet sad day for Huy and I. Our little baby girl was not a baby anymore but rather a little lady, seemingly overnight!

Just a week prior to this momentous day, we knew Elle needed to be potty trained. I have to be honest, we were very worried because she was still in pullups during Christmas break. Luckily I was off during the break and got to work more closely with her. I listened to a lot of people on how they potty-trained their children and the one advice that worked for me was given to me by the Vice Principal at Kanoelani Elementary. Her method worked. It worked so well Elle trained herself in ONE DAY. All it took was ONE DAY! I was amazed.

Next, we were worried on how she would handle being without mommy, daddy and nana for a whole day. To our surprise she was ECSTATIC on the idea of going to school. No fuss in the morning and once she saw all the other kids, she fell in love. Weirdly enough, I was sad that she wanted to go so quickly. She didn't even want to bother giving Huy and I a hug and a kiss goodbye because she was so excited.

Elle & Mommy on our way to class

Daddy & Elle

Elle checking her things into her cubby hole. Right besides her is classmate Ethan.

The Christmas with a fake tree...

2009-12-27T02:28:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Presents, shopping, caroling, decorations and most importantly Christmas trees.... I know that the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with having a Christmas tree but... to me a real Christmas tree is a definite must! There is something special about a real Christmas tree. It may be the smell, or just the fact that while growing up my parents always purchased a REAL Christmas tree for my sister and I. It was tradition. This year... was the very first year I was saddened to have to succumb to purchasing a FAKE tree! Yup, a FAKE Christmas tree. I admit it looks perfect, all the branches are even, the lights are evenly distributed but it is just not the same...

Huy and I thought 2 weeks before Christmas should be enough time to purchase a tree without it being dead by Christmas. We did it years prior. However with our luck, this was not the case. One of the containers filled with trees needed to be sent back because of bugs, in turn lessening the supply of trees for purchase. We were scrambling everywhere and there was nothing left anywhere. We made the ultimate sacrifice and purchased a fake tree at Kmart. It was not a pleasant purchase.

Christmas came along. Our house was decorated and festive and besides the unnecessary foolishness with the fake Christmas tree, we had a wonderful Christmas!

Elle's mini Christmas Tree

Presents...

presents...

the concentration...

and more presents...

oh the excitement!!

Elle is very fortunate to have so many people love her and shower her with presents...We are extremely grateful.

Elle insisting on helping Papa Itokazu with putting up their fake Christmas tree...

I guess after all those years of catering to my sister and I, my parents felt they need not to purchase real Christmas trees anymore and decided that a fake Christmas tree would work best in their favor from now on... Needless to say, my sister and I were very disappointed.

Thanksgiving in Waikiki

2009-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

This year we were very fortunate to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family from Utah. We get to see each other maybe once or twice a year, so any visit is a momentous occasion for all of us! This year we happened to celebrate Thanksgiving in Waikiki. It was great! It was the first for myself and Huy. My in-laws stayed at the Grand Waikikian and got a 2 bedroom suite with a full kitchen. It was the perfect place to have Thanksgiving dinner/second dinner/next day breakfast...

Lam Ohana (Sarah, Vinnie & Malakai) (w/Elle)

Uncle Huy & Hiku

Our Thanksgiving feast...It was simple yet, satisfying. Turkey, corn bread, green bean casserole, stuffing, yams, potatoes, cranberry jello (missing from pic), gravy...it turned out pretty yummy. Plus this was the first time I ever brined a Turkey!

Morning view from the room

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T01:01:00.000-07:00

Finally....my princess was able to show off her Cinderella dress. After 2 months of wearing it around the house, we finally got to wear it for everyone to see! This year we were very fortunate to have daddy come out with us Trick or Treating! Last year, it was unfortunate that we had to go Trick or Treating alone because daddy had to work. But luckily for us, this year he was off on Halloween. : )

We decided that since we live near Mililani, we'd try out Mililani Mauka where all of the nice newer homes were. We figured there were a lot of young families that go all out for Halloween and sure enough we were right! Everybody was in the spirit of the festivities that most homes were creatively decorated and lots of carved pumpkins were lit everywhere! We loved it, and I think we will do it again next year...hopefully we'd be living there by then! ; )

Elle and daddy going to the next house...

My pretty princess...

Elle & daddy ready to go home...

Elle diligently checking her candies...

Somebody was getting tired...Silly girl!

I think she had a wonderful Halloween.

We can't wait for next year!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

This year we thought it would be perfect to take Elle to the Pumpkin Patch at Aloun Farms because she loves pumpkins! I'm unsure why, but she just does so we took her. As expected it was super, duper HOT. Unbelievable. Huy & I didn't really want to stay long so we did our business and got out of there as quickly as possible. I couldn't wait to go home and take a shower! It is so hard to function in hot weather. We ended up going home with 2 little pumpkins and of course Elle was a big help!

Oooh, big pumpkin....

Elle and Mommy with pumpkin

My little girl is "3"!

2009-10-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official...my baby is no longer a baby, she is now a little girl. Time has gone by so fast. Huy and I still remember bringing her home from the hospital. Now she's running, talking, playing pretend, singing, dancing. It's great seeing her grow up! Even though she's now over 3 ft tall and weighs 32 lbs, Huy and I still see her as our little baby girl.

This year for her birthday we had another intimate affair. The weather was hot and humid. Too hot to stay home in the day, so we decided to go to the mall and watch a movie. We went to see "Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs" (very funny movie). It was the best place to be just to stay cool. We will never forget this movie because this was the very first movie where we had to pay for Elle's movie stub! Can you believe they charge for 3 year olds? She was pooped earlier in the day so on our way home Elle took her nap and didn't wake up until early evening and that is when the party started. We had Chinese food from Jade Restaurant because their food is so yummy, plus Elle loves noodles. This gave me time to make her cake. After everything was ready, Elle woke up and we ate. Then we opened presents, sang happy birthday and then played with her presents! Simple and yet most enjoyable!

Presents for Elle.

The night before Elle & I went to Waikele, we saw these McQueen shoes and she picked them out.

What can I say, my little girl likes cars!

Elle's b-day cake

We sang, "Happy Birthday"....

We ate cake and ice cream...

We tested out the toys. She loves her shoes! Can you tell?

A highlight from one of her gifts was the pot holder, she loved it!

Happy Birthday to ME!

"Punkin"

2009-10-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Elle is a very bright little girl and she is growing up so fast. Everyday there is something new that she picks up and something new that interests her. Recently, her newest thing has been pumpkins! She is fascinated with Halloween pumpkins. She calls them "punkin". It's really cute. She's never cared too much for them when she turned "2" last year and often times she was afraid. This year she is TOTALLY opposite! She loves them all!

My mom loves Halloween and she collects a lot of figurines and decorates her home with it when it's close to the holidays. Halloween and Christmas are the 2 holidays she highlights and Elle has a blast when she visits. It really makes my mom happy because she's found someone who appreciates it as much as her. : )

Elle has a little Halloween book that she enjoys reading. I've read it to her numerous times to the point where she's memorized what I'm reading. Often time you'll find her flipping through her book in the living room and you can hear her read the first 2 sentences out loud. It is the most adorable thing ever! (Kids really do listen and mimic everything you do and say.) Every time I read to her I use a lot of expression to make it interesting, so it's funny to hear her read it back to me the same way! It's great! The title of this book is called, "A Ghost Named Guy". I'm unsure where we got this book, but my daughter loves it! It's a really cute book which basically teaches you not to judge people by the way that they look and it also rhymes which makes it so much more fun to read.

Here's a glimpse of what Elle is reading: http://www.archive.org/details/AGhostNamedGuy

Translation:

Willa Witch and Biff the Bat came to visit Scaredy Cat. "Come in" he said, "It's Halloween, and look my house is really clean!"

You can hear her say "punkin" and point out Biff the Bat too!

Things that fascinates a toddler...

2009-09-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

I needed to remember this...We went to Costco last night to pick up a few items. I was tired and needed to take a hot shower when we returned home. While I'm showering, Huy comes in and asks me, "Do you want to see what your daughter is doing?". I didn't understand what he was talking about. Often times she does things to keep herself occupied, like singing to herself, dancing in place, jumping off the couches, playing with her toys, all things that toddlers love to do. As soon as I was done, I was curious as to what Huy was referring to? To my amazement, I come out of the shower only to see my little girl throwing ALL of our individually wrapped toilet paper (that we just bought) into the kitchen sink! Plus, she was laughing hysterically doing it! Huy and I just shook our heads thinking, "what a weirdo". : ) Mind you, she has a basketball hoop in the living room, but she hardly plays with it. Instead, throwing toilet paper into our kitchen sink is way more fascinating!!! Silly girl.

Huy and I ended up wondering which side of the family she gets it from...of course we blame each other!

Family time...

2009-09-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, we've been trying to make most of the time we have together as a family (just the 3 of us). Now that summer is over and everyone is back to school, the beaches are super empty, which is AWESOME! No crowds, no waiting for parking, it's really nice. Our favorite place to go is KoOlina. We've made an effort to go at least once a week, preferably after work and when Huy is off. As soon as it is 4 p.m. I rush home to change and Huy has Elle ready with all of our stuff and we are off to KoOlina! However now that the sun is setting earlier, our time is limited but there is still just enough time to take a dip, play in the sand and watch the sunset! Elle LOVES it! She knows exactly where we are going right when she sees me take her bathing suit out of her dresser!!

Elle and daddy...

Elle loves the sand, she could probably play in it for days...

End to a perfect day....It's always nice knowing we can come back tomorrow.

CinderELLEa

2009-09-22T15:44:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again....Halloween! Every year I love dressing Elle up. It is so much fun! At her first Halloween, she didn't quite understand the concept of people dressing up and walking along the streets at night, but being 3 years old this year I'm hoping she has fun!

Elle's 1st Halloween

Elle's 2nd Halloween

Her first year, she was the cutest Pumpkin ever! Her second year, she was little Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I couldn't resist putting her in red ruby slippers. This year because she's into reading her books and watching her cartoons she's had this fascination with "Cinderella", especially Prince Charming. Therefore I thought what would be more befitting than her dressing up as Cinderella. I must say she was ELATED!

CinderELLEa

Huy and I took her to the Disney store at Ala Moana about a month ago and they had all of the Disney character costumes out on display. Elle was so excited when she saw all of the pretty princess dresses! I found the Cinderella dress and gave it to Elle and she did not want to let go of it! I even found glass slippers (well their plastic)! Elle did not want to take them off. In fact, she wore it the rest of the time we were at Ala Moana while riding in her stroller.

"Look, and glass slippers"

We have little over a month until Halloween and Elle cannot stop asking about her dress! I tried my best to hold off from her wearing it so her dress will still look pretty for Halloween, but I gave up. Everyday, my little girl asks about her dress, her slippers and crown. She loves dressing up. Everytime she puts it on she is so happy and I love seeing her happy. The first time I had her put it on, she looked at herself in the mirror and said, "ooooh so pretty"....My heart melted. : )

Celebrating 6 years of marriage!!!

2009-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

It has been six years of marriage! It is amazing how time flies....I still remember the day we met and that was 15 years ago! Life seemed perfect. It even got more perfect when Elle came into the picture 3 years after we were married. But that's another chapter.

Well to celebrate our 6 years Huy decided to surprise me with a his/her day at the spa! We had reservations at the Bellaviva Spa in Pearl City. We started off by dropping Elle off with my mom. Elle loves it at nana and papa's house so she was excited to go!

Our package at the spa was called the "Just the Two of Us" package! It was nice because it literally was just the two of us. We both started out with a 60 minute full body massage together. The lights were dim, the music was serene and the bed was delightful! I never felt so relaxed in my life. My lower back has always been a problem for me ever since I gave birth, so it was really nice to get it massaged without having to beg Huy.

After our massage we moved to the next room sitting side by side preparing for our chocolate pedicure and manicure! As part of our package we were also given a choice of drink from Starbucks and a little lunch from any of the close by restaurants. We both don't do Starbucks so we ended up with a chocolate-banana smoothie instead of some latte or coffee drink. We also decided on sushi from Makoto sushi. Huy had his Maguro Lovers and I just had the Ebi Tempura Don. I wasn't that hungry but I couldn't pass up on the offer.

Our pedicure and manicure entailed a wonderful hand/foot massage and a chocolate masque to keep our feet and hands so silky smooth and smelling yummy! We were at the spa for almost 3 hours! It was so nice, Huy even suggested that we do this at least 4 times a year! I hope he meant what he said because it is worth getting pampered!

After the spa, we went home and got ready for part 2 of our anniversary celebration! Huy made reservations at Alan Wong's Restaurant. Oh the food was so yummy! He is one of the most notable chefs from Hawaii known worldwide! This was fine dining at its best!

I decided to try their 5-Course Menu Tasting and Huy decided to go for the 7-Course Menu Tasting! We both agreed that this was the best way to eat at a restaurant because we got to try pretty much everything on the menu! I'm happy to say that we both ate up everything we ordered.

Check out our menu:

5 course Menu Tasting (what I ordered)

Appetizer Duo

Butter Poached Kona Lobster

(Honda Tofu, Nagaimo Potato Cake, Green Onion Oil)

Ginger Cruster Onaga

(Organically Grown Hamakua, Mushrooms and Corn, Miso Sesame Vinaigrette)

Twice Cooked Shortrib, Soy Braised and Grilled "Kalbi" Style

(Ginger Shrimp, Ko Choo Jang Sauce)

Dessert Duet

7-Course Menu Tasting (what Huy ordered)

"Cold Seafood Salad"

Crab, Lobster and Abalone on Soy Katsuo Gelee, Edamame Honda Tofu Panna Cotta

"Soup and Sandwich"

Chilled Vine Ripened Hamakuo Springs Tomato Soup with Grilled Mozzarella Cheese, Foie Gras, Kalua Pig Sandwich

"Mini Loco Moco"

Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Mochi Crusted Meatloaf, Sunny Side Quail Egg

"Steamed Moi"

Pacific Threadfin, Shrimp & Pork Hash, Truffle Nage

"Coconut Butter Poached Lobster "

Galangal, Lemongrass, Chili

"North Shore Cattle Company Striploin"

Tomato Curry Chutney, Foie Gras Coulis

"Dessert Sampler"

Perfect way to end the evening! This was just my dessert. Huy's dessert had 3 more items on his plate. My dessert entailed a sweet wafer bowl loaded with tapioca, a scoop of passion fruit sorbet, topped with diced papaya, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and kiwi fruit and 2 wedges of a chocolate mousse wafers! It was yummy! It was a great anniversary. Huy knows how to treat my like a queen! I love him!