The Man!

We started Father's Day yesterday evening.  After a long day at work, daddy needy a little DQ.

 The kids made these at JoAnn's Fabrics for Daddy

 I love listening to my Dad play the guitar.  One of my favorite things!!!  I haven't heard him play in years!!!  It was so nice to listen to him.

 My brother Jared, my Dad and Me.
I love my Dad.  I have been so blessed to have him.  He has such a soft heart, and is truly a humble man.  He is amazingly hard working and soooo patient and loving.  I don't know if my dad ever gets mad, he always tries to see from the other persons perspective.  He never talks ill about anyone.  If he has some thought he wants to say, he says it right to you.  I am going to be really sad when he leaves for Missouri.  I love talking with him sooo much and hanging out with him and the family.  He finds joy in the simplest things, mostly just seeing us, or my siblings.  And he gives the best hugs. I love him for that.  My dad would sing me to sleep with the "Star Spangled Banner" as an infant and rub my eyebrows.....  I know it sounds silly, but it worked.  I was a horrible baby.  He still has a way of calming me, no matter what.  When I was pregnant with my first, and crying over the unknown.  It was my Dad who sat and comforted me and told me everything would be ok.  Despite what the world thought.  Daddy, I love you.  I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day!
 Papa Nui loves his grandkids, so I posted a bunch of pictures.

 Ileana in her Tinkerbell swim suit, with her Tinkerbell umbrella, singing "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella" from Glee and dancing.

 Ikaia is 4 months old now!  And he has 2 teeth!!

 Here's Pono with Mychaila, Ani and Napela at TVA.  I'm so grateful for him and the wonderful Father he is.

 He used to put Napela to sleep everynight just like this.  It was so cute!

 Daddy enjoying time with the kids.

 He sings the word popcorn, loves the hotdogs at Sam's, plays "where's the ornament" at Christmas, loves to hang with the fam......denies the use of clippers, or scissors or blades, rolls hard on the bus to work for the day.......anchovies grace the surface of a once perfect pie, for the one CiCi's calls, "Ed's here, anchovie for the guy"!  Movie theaters are for slumber, clothes hangers to rig parts for a car, food is for eating for most but turns Dad into a dancing star......a perfect row of teeth with a smile that charmed our mother, but when Dad toots his horn, mom says, "oh brother"!  Standing at a height attained by only one, with the other two not far behind, just a hair shy of that son.  His two daughters youngest, walk the path of "heightened" glory, just like his sons but not as tall, one just shy of mother-dear and the other over six feet tall.......His legacy lives on shared with the girl he married, Karen Lee, through his daughters, Kelci and Kailee, and his sons three, Pono, Jordan and Keli'i. 
Napela writes letters to us all the time.  This letter he wrote to Daddy the other day.  I thought it quite fitting for today.  Happy Father's Day

School's out!

 The kids have been out of school for a week.  It has been wonderful!!!  It has been so nice to go and do things with them.  We have been spending a lot of time at the pool.  Ileana is so crazy at the pool!!! She loves it!  She is just plain fearless.  She is already learning how to swim.  If I can just teach her how to breath she will have it.  She loves to put her head in the water.  Sometimes even with the floaties on she will put her head in the water and just float there.  She loves it that much.

Napela is learning how to swim too!  He is just a little braver with his floaties on.  I am hoping in the next week to have him more comfortable with it.  I have a video of him and Ileana swimming, but I will post it later.

Ikaia and I hanging out during adult swim.

Mychaila was able to catch up with an old friend.  They have had so much fun catching up.

Ikaia loves the pool too!  He loves the outside in general.

My fearless jumper.  We don't even have to ask her to jump to us.  She just keeps going and going without us there.  We have been having to teacher not to do it without us near.  Thankfully she has been very obedient.

The kids hanging out during adult swim.  Do you like Ani's face?  It is sooo hard to get a picture where he is not making a face.

Yay!! Daddy was able to join us!!

We also went blueberry picking this week!

We got almost 5 pounds of blueberries!! Whoop Whoop!

I am so grateful that he is such a good baby.  He just cruised in his stroller the whole time.

It was really hot.

Next time we will go earlier.

So of course we went to the pool after.

Ikaia also started eating rice cereal on his hungry days.

And the kids have been helping me cook. 

It has been delightful having them home!

Blessing Day.

Today we blessed little Ikaia.  I thought i would take a moment and give my feelings as a father and give a little rare insight into the beauty and majesty of blessing your baby.  It is a responsibility shouldered well before the foundation of the world was, and carries on through the eternities.  Accompanying me in the circle was my brother-in-law, Terry Thompson, one of my closest friends, Josh Lund, and Bishop Call.  We all have our own unique and special relationship with one another, harboring only the best of feelings for the other.  The blessing began before the words were uttered by the mere gathering of men around the baby.  All were in unison in spirit and there were only feelings of harmony and love which set the tone for the special occasion.  The blessing was given with promises made and blessings pronounced upon Ikaia's head and then it was done.  The circle lacked a few men close to me, namely my father and my brothers Kelii and Jordan, my father-in-law, Jerry, who just finished chemo and radiation, and my brothers-in-law Zach, Josh, and Jared Gibson.  Their presence in the circle was missed greatly.  A small but sincere and heartfelt thank you go out to my friend, Josh Lund, and my brother-in-law, Terry Thompson.  Thank you for helping make Ikaia's blessing so special.

Picnic Day

Mychiala with her teacher Ms. Tatem.

 Mychaila's Class

The girls played horse with the teacher after they ate.

 Ikaia was tuckered out.  He slept during Mychaila's lunch.

 Ani and his teacher Ms. Nix.  They had the sweetest relationship.  She is such an amazing teacher.  Poor Ani was sooo upset that she is retiring.  He wrote her the sweetest letter.  I wish that I had copied it before we gave it to her.

 Ani, and a couple of his friends.  Ikaia in the background playing with his feet.

 Ani's class.

 The boys did races after they ate.

 My little trooper.  The younger ones did awesome!

 Napela had a ton of fun with Ani and his friends too./