Soak up the Sun!

Last Saturday we went to Galveston.  We all had sooo much fun.  The kids fed the seagulls.

 Ileana ran amok.

 Napela and Ileana wore vest, because the current was soooo strong.

 Jared practicing becoming a para guard in the Air Force.  He is thinking of joining.

 Ani helping Uncle put up a blanket to block the sun.

 Yum, Yum, Cherries.  Can you tell how much Ileana like it.  It is all over her face.

 To get this picture was tortuous. 

 My Napela came back to life.  It was sooo good to see his bright smile again.  He has been in kind of a downer since we left Hawaii.  He just laughed and danced around like a leprechaun the whole time we there.

My sweet Ani turned 7 this past week.  He is such a great big brother and son.  He is always striving to do the right, and hates hurting anyones feelings.  

We were lucky enough to spend time with my dad and family at Chuckie Cheese on Ani's birthday.

 Ani and Ikaia

 Daddy and Ikaia

 My girls! 

 Ani blowing out his candles.  This cake took forever to make, but was sooo worth it!

 A dad sandwich.

Ani, we sure love you and are so glad you are a part of our family!

We're Homeschooling :)

     Next year we are homeschooling our children.  We are sooo excited.  We homeschooled the year before, and loved it.  I had the kids go back to public school last year due to my pregnancy.  I wasn't sure how much energy I would have to put forth for the amount of effort involved.  It was truly frustrating. Mychaila came home begging to be back in homeschool nearly everyday.   Ani came home almost everyday saying he was bored.  We thought he was just making excuses until I had a conference with his teacher, Mrs. Nix.  She told me that he showed great maturity throughout the year as he would complete his assignments quickly and quietly.  He would sit patiently, sometimes for long periods of time, waiting for his peers to finish their work. At times he would even show initiative to assist others.  I told her I was considering homeschooling and she felt that was the best option for him.
      As a parent I, of course, worried that I wasn't enough.  I hold their entire education and life in the palm of my hand.  What if I screw up?  What if 10 years down the road I find that I failed as a teacher?  This has led to massive research on homeschooling vs public school and curriculum.  The Lord has truly blessed me with people in my life to guide me and give me direction on curriculum and more self esteem to know that this is possible and can be completely successful.  One woman in particular has a daughter Mychaila's age.  Her daughter is in a private christian school.  She started telling about how great the curriculum is and how advanced her daughter is.  She asked if I had heard of the curriculum because it was homeschool curriculum. I was shocked and so excited.  That conversation led to me researching and falling in love with Shurley English, a grammar, writing, and vocabulary curriculum.  I'm so excited to use it this year.  Mychaila has really struggled in this area, and I'm so excited to find something to allow her to flourish. 
    That is the great thing about homeschooling.  Working on both the strengths and weakness in a personal way.  Helping them with exactly what they need.  Each of my kids are different learners.  Plus having a Kindergartner and a Preschooler, they need more hands on activities.  So this year we are including Montessori schooling as well.  I am also so excited because I found a way to organize using workboxes.  Such a simple system that will allow me to work with each kid and have a smooth day.
    I know homeschooling is not for everyone, but it is for us.  It is something we have fervently prayed about and researched, and it is what we are going to do.  Each family is different and thrives in their own way.  I in no way am trying to convince anyone that my way is the right way.  As my friend Daisy always said, "It is your family, do what's best for your family."  If you want more information about homeschooling, I would love to answer your questions.    If anything I can point you in the right direction.  I know that homeschooling is not for everyone, but please stick to the "Golden Rule" in comments about how I chose to raise my children.  Here is a cool video that has some great facts and statistics.  I actually have most of the links where the statistics come from, so for those that want to read the full article I can send it to you.

Our Tribe

Kelci took pics of our kids and family today.  These are our first family pics in forever!!!  I'm sooo grateful.  They came out awesome.  She has such an eye for photography.   If only my kids cooporated a little more in the pics.:)  Then again....5 kids doing the exact same thing at the exact same time is pretty difficult.

 Notice Ileana's hand getting closer to Ikaia's mouth. 

Thanks Kelci for capturing our tribe!

Just a few pics

I'm sooo tired, I don't know what to say.   So here are some pics.....maybe my mind will turn on later.

 Ikaia is nearly 5 months. YAY!

 Nana in Hawaii, this pic is for you.  It's your onesie.

 Mychaila got a wonderful haircut a couple weeks ago.  She now says that she loves her hair.  YAY!!  I will forever love that stylist for giving her a boost of self esteem. :)  Ani insisted on doing his own hair today. 

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!