Sea World!

May 13, 2011

The 3rd graders at the elementary school Hokulani attends went on a field trip to Sea World. I went as a chaperone. It was very nice that the chaperones were per class. Being that the class sizes are relatively small, I only had 2 people in my group--Hokulani and Desmond.

We had a great time at Sea World. If only it hadn't been so hot and humid and long and. . .

Okay, I'm complaining, but only because I was SO tired at the end of the day. My feet were killing me and I had a headache.

We enjoyed the shows and rides at the park. Fortunately, some other chaperones were willing to go on the big rollercoaster, Kraken, because I did NOT want to go on it. I get motion sickness. Desmond wanted to ride the rollercoaster so he went with that group for the ride. Hokulani stayed with me.

The Shamu show was amazing! The whales were cute, even though they're so large. The chaperones sat higher up from the children so we wouldn't get wet (or as wet) as the children who sat on the bottom row. Yeah, right. The whales cleverly flapped their flippers so that everyone in the Splash Zone got soaked. I didn't realize we were still in the Splash Zone (we were on the top row of it). I had just enough time to cover my camera and then I could grab my towel from my backpack to dry my face, at least. Thankfully, we (adults) didn't get as wet as the children.

Hokulani and other classmates rode on the Swishy Fishies, which were like the teacups at Magic Kingdom, except that these "cups" rose up into the air.

We also went to the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium to watch "Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Island". The show was kind of cheesy, but the sea lions and otters were cute.

Desmond loved the stingrays. At Stingray Lagoon you can touch the stingrays. You can also buy raw shrimp (crayfish) to feed the stingrays. ($5 for 4 or 5 pieces of shrimp!)

Baby ray!

We also went to the Manta Aquarium, Penguin Encounter (stinky), and Shark Encounter. Fun!

After the long trip, I was so glad to get home and rest. Did I mention that I get motion sickness? Well, I was feeling sick just on the bus ride TO Sea World. Thankfully, I fell asleep on the bus ride back to the school.

One of the other moms took a lot more pictures. I'm hoping to get some from her soon so I can add them here, especially with pictures of Hokulani.

Nalani's Final Concert

May 9, 2011

Nalani was so anxious for her final band concert at Lawton Chiles Middle School. She invited friends from church, and was happy that some could attend. (Thank you, Howard family and Hunter Winters, for attending!)

The Beginning Band (Nalani's in this one) and the Concert Band performed this evening. Each band took turns playing a number of songs.

Here's Nalani with her trombone:

The Beginning Band:

Happy Mother's Day!

May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day to all of you women out there! I'm so grateful for my mother who has taught me so much about life, about being a mother, and about choosing the right. I'm also grateful for my mother-in-law who is a wonderful example to me.

For Mother's Day this year, my family was wonderful! Jason and the children made the food during the day so I didn't have to prepare the food. They also helped with Leiohu (who normally takes up a lot of my time) so I kind of got a break. Yeah!

Here I am:

Jason made Seafood Paella for dinner. Mmm!

Jason and the children also made stuffed mushrooms for dinner. Double mmm!

Here's a pretty fruit salad of strawberries, mangoes, and apples:

At church, the Bishopric gave each woman a beautiful rose. I got pink!

Hokulani made a flower magnet at school with her picture on it:

Hokulani also gave me a ribbon & bead bookmark. I love it, because I'm always reading.

Jason and Anuhea gave me Bath & Body Works goodies. My favorite scent is Japanese Cherry Blossom. I got two kinds of lotion, body spray, shower gel, and a bath puff.

Anuhea chose these earrings for me. I don't usually wear earrings anymore, but since she gave these to me, I've started wearing earrings again on occasion.

Hokulani also made me a card. It's supposed to say "Happy Mother's Day", but she forgot "Day" on it. Oops! :)

(Inside of the card):

In Nalani's Language Arts class, she worked on poetry that she compiled for her gift to me. This is just the first few pages. I love it!

I love you, Mom!

We're moving!

I've been wanting to post this, but haven't gotten a chance. It's finally official! Jason has agreed to teach at the University of San Diego (USD). We will be moving to the San Diego area in August this year, and we're very excited.

Of course, the children are not to eager to leave their friends, but they have known we were going to move.

Now, Jason needs to finish his dissertation and we have to find a place to live. Ugh!

Teacher Appreciation 2011

We sure do appreciate the teachers our children have, especially the ones they like. :)

For Teacher Appreciation week, we used an idea I got from a friend. This is best for those who like candy. Otherwise, the teacher will be able to share the candy with others, because that's all that's in the container.

First, we bought a container (that's like a clear, plastic paint can) from Michaels craft store. It was only about $2.

Second, we bought the following list of candies to go with the poem on the tag. The candies can get kind of expensive, especially if some of them are difficult to find, but the overall cost of the gift for the teacher is worth it, I think. Sorry, I don't have a dollar amount.

• Skor
• Snickers
• Airheads
• Twix
• 100 Grand
• Almond Joy
• Whatchamacallit
• Butterfinger
• Smarties
• Lifesavers
• Hershey's Kisses

Third, we put all of the candies into the container.

Fourth, we printed the tag, and tied it onto the handle with a matching ribbon.

Fifth, was giving the teacher the gift and seeing his/her face.

Thank you, teachers, for all you do!

Tornado

No, we did not experience a tornado so don't worry. This is about a book called, Tornado. Hokulani read it for a book report, and part of the assignment was to make a "movie" poster to advertise the book.

Here is a picture of Hokulani's poster:

We used feather boas to make the dog, Tornado, soft. Leiohu loved touching it and feeling how soft it was.

Anuhea cut her hair!

May 4, 2011

Anuhea was getting sick of her long hair. She couldn't figure out what to do with it so she decided to get her hair cut. It's still long, but much shorter than it was. Look at the picture of what she decided to do with her new haircut:

Unfortunately, Anuhea's new hairstyle takes a lot of time. Thankfully, she only does it occasionally.