Family Moments

"MY FAVORITE TWO PEOPLE (Okay, besides, mommy, daddy, Bella, Maddie, and Buddy....ha!) Look at Aunty Autumn staring at me...I think she is going to take me home one day..."



"My new little cousin...meet BROWNIE! Hey, is somebody behind me?"



This was Bella on her activity day at school. All the kids were participating, but she stood in the middle of the room looking at her fingers! I asked her, "Bella, how come you didn't want to sing? You love to sing!" She said, "BECAUSE! I was trying to get all the glue off of my fingers!" Okay then.

OCTOBER A BLUR.....

BELLA TURNS FOUR! She asked for a "Princess Belle" cake (of course!)



BELLA AND CHUCK E CHEESE. She's not sure if she's scared or surprised...



Zak is eyeballing Bella's cake...yum...

This month was crazy! It truly was a blur...! Bella turned four on the 10th so we had a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. Aunty Amber (my sister) was here from Washington for the month (to spend Halloween with the kids.)



MADDIE MAKING PUMPKINS AT SCHOOL



CHANEY & BELLA AT ALOUN FARMS - Chaney chose the largest pumpkin (she could barely carry it) and Bella chose the smallest pumpkin (see the little one on top!) Ms Kotake said that Bella found the most perfect little round pumpkin!



Zak was overwhelmed! What the heck are all these things on the ground!?

MADDIE TURNS SIX!

MADISON & BELLA - BEST FRIENDS AND WORST ENEMIES! HA!



MADISON'S POKEMON CAKE

It's hard to believe that Maddie is six! She is such a sensitive, sweet girl with the most amazing memory. We celebrated her birthday with a big pool party at the house. It was a crazy weekend because we had her soccer friends come over on Friday to swim, and then on Saturday, nearly 24 kids were swimming or running around the house! Needless to say, she was exhausted! But she had a wonderful weekend!



A LOT OF KIDS...



GETTING A LITTLE HELP FROM BELLA

Labor Day Weekend

"YUM, SAND IS GOOOOD!"

We had a great 4 day vacation and stayed in Waikiki at The Hilton Hawaiian Villages! We had SO much fun! We went with mom, dad, and Autumn/Bert's family. We literally spent 4 days at the beach or in the pool. Maddie was burnt! Maddie finally learned to swim confidently (without her floaties!)



BELLA LOVES THE BEACH!



BEACHED WHALES

Madison's First Soccer Game

Madison with "Team Speed" teammates, Kaitlynn and Alyssa



Check out Maddie in action! She scored the first goal of the game for us when the other team was up (2-0)! Then, we ended up winning 4-3! Autumn, Bert, and Carter came to watch the game and everyone said it was SO EXCITING! We were shocked that the girls at this age actually had strategy and were playing like a real team! ha! I guess I thought they'd be just tossing the ball around and MAYBE heading toward the goal! It was funny though, our team made 2 goals for the other team! We had so much fun and we were a rowdy group. Carlos is the Assistant Coach and I'm the Team Mom (don't know how I got appointed this!) Oh-by the way, the other team we were playing had Raena Santos' daughter on the team (RaeAnn!) So cute!



Zak cruising...watching the game with a spam musubi!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Geez, Carlos and I had anxiety all week about Bella starting Pre-K at Maryknoll. Carlos literally slept only 2 hours the night before!

So the night before their first day of school, Carlos and I did BIG preparations for the kids so they would be super excited. Carlos mounted pink wooden coat hangers downstairs for the girl's to hang their uniforms and backpacks. We brought out their new princess backpacks, new tennis shoes (yup, Bella was excited about this), and their favorite snacks for school. I made picture tags for the girls and covered all of Madison's school books with princess paper (Carlos helped me with the contact paper!) The next morning, the girls ran downstairs...it was like Christmas Day (well, sort of) and they were SO excited! I have to admit, I had total butterflies for Bella (we ALL know she is NOT good with "change!") Of course, I had no qualms about Maddie...she is a veteran and so excited.

Anyway, when we walked Bella to class, she was ALL happy and smiling until the MOMENT we stepped through the door! Yep, you guessed it...she FROZE. I literally had to pull her in! We all gave her lots of hugs and I wanted to linger, but the teacher was saying, "BYE MOMMY, BYE MOMMY!" So our brave little Bella looked at me and tears came flowing as she held her arms out to me....! Ahhhhh, I ran to hug her again and literally rambled that I'd be back to pick her up and never looked back! That was hard!

Madison ran into her new classroom and was greeted by many old friends. She is a little popular girl as she is SO OPPOSITE from Bella and has such a mellow demeanor.

When we walked back to the car, I begged Carlos if we could go peek into Bella's class but decided not to when we ran into Maricar (cousin) who told me that Bella wasn't crying, just sitting quietly on the teacher's lap!

ANYWAY....both teachers (Ms Kotake and Ms Costa) told me later that Bella did great! **PHEW!** Everyone knows, of all my kids, Bella is SUCH "my challenge," but because of this, she is always forefront in my mind and I constantly worry about her. I was just telling some of my friends that every rule book or parenting book out there...I swear I have to throw it out the window! She's breaking new ground, I tell you! My crazy Bellz, how we all LOVE HER!!!!

Family Night

So...we have started this family night thing (well, I guess we've always done it) and we try to come up with fun games for the kids. A few weeks ago we decided to play charades. It was so hilarious that I nearly pee'd my pants - no kidding. The kids were making us laugh so hard. Carlos and I were trying to teach them to act something out and they had to guess what we were. Their answers were so funny! Only a kid would say that you were pretending to be a rock!? But it got funnier (hysterical!) when they started doing their own charades! Bella cracks us up! First, I would pretend I was a bear and then, when it was her turn, she'd be like, "Who am I?" And then...she'd be a bear, too! Then, I'd be a turtle and on Bella's next turn, she'd be a turtle, too. The funny thing was that she honestly thought she was playing the game right and would get so excited when we'd guess correctly. She was like, "Wow mommy/daddy, you guys are SOO good at this game!" I guess you had to be there. It was pure comedy!

So, tonight our game was the freeze dance and again, the kids make me laugh so hard. I'd start the music and they'd start dancing like crazy...then, I'd mute it and they'd freeze until I start the music again. Maddie's expressions were so funny! Bella was her usual hilarious self and every time the music would turn off, she'd take an extra second to put her hand on her face and the other hand on her heart. I dunno why she was doing it, but I had some good laughs... My crazy kids. (Oh, and Zak was getting into it too...he was dancing and shaking his head to the music!)

Zak and Daddy

Zak and Daddy walking at the zoo...they looked like twins! Zak is walking SO much better now! (Okay, so maybe you would have seen how much they looked alike IF I caught Carlos in the picture. Oh well!)

Bella's Big Week

So, this past week was all about Our Bellz. She got a cold at the beginning of the week and had her first bloody nose on Monday (she ran into another girl at school.) Mrs. Ilima said she freaked out over the blood (ahhh...she IS my girl, right? At least she didn't faint like her mommy!) So I kept her home on Tuesday and took her and Zak to the zoo. She was so excited because we got to see the elephant show (yeah, who knew that there was one) and she kept telling everyone, "did you know that an elephant can hop on 3 legs? And they wave good bye like this?" {she is covering her head with her arm and waving it wildly...}




A Fond Farewell to Mrs. Ilima...

Anyway, Bella's last day at Kuapa Preschool was yesterday (Friday.) It was SO sad! I spent the whole week worrying about both Bella AND Mrs. Ilima because they are so close. Bella always tells us how much she LOVES Mrs. Ilima and it's so cute because Bella calls her dolls "Boo" and we all know that it's the nickname that Mrs. Ilima uses for her. Anyway, when I went to pick up Bella on her last day, ahhhh...Mrs. Ilima started to cry and shucks, well, you know how I am...I totally started to cry, too! Poor Bellz...she was looking up at us like we were crazy! Later in the car, she said, "Mommy, where does Mrs. Ilima live? I want to go visit her because I miss her." Ahhh that made my heart melt. Later, she told both my mom and I, "Teachers are not supposed to cry. How come Mrs. Ilima was crying?" So I told her that she misses her and Bella responded quietly, "I miss her, too." I have so much anxiety about her starting at Maryknoll next week (Pre-Kindergarten)...I think that's why I've literally had a headache every day this week! Anyway, although I was sad about Bella's last day with her favorite teacher, we had a great week. I tried to take Maddie/Zak to all her favorite haunts before school starts so we had a lot of fun. A couple days we even took Chaney (and Ashlee) so it was a real treat for Madison.

I'll let you know how their first day of school is next week! I can hardly belive Maddie will be in 1st grade! Bella is still our baby--she'll be entering Pre-K as one of the younger kids since she is still 3 and doesn't turn 4 until October. Say a prayer for her, please! She is my clingy one and hates change! Okay, I'll stop being a worry wart...

Here's a few other pictures of Bella's Teachers:



MS MICKIE (SHE STARTED THE NICKNAME BELLA-BOO AND THE WHOLE SCHOOL CALLED HER THIS ALL YEAR ROUND!)



MS RAE (HER FIRST TEACHER EVER--SHE WAS AWESOME!)

Aquarium

Took Ashlee with us to the Aquarium! They had so much fun! I had to post this because...notice the BIG fish I got in the background!? Those fish freak me out!

Nacho Night

Last week was crazy (as usual!) in the Campos household. The week started with our little Zak getting a high fever of 103 - 104 for 4 days! Yup, you guessed it...he ended up having Roseola (we all figured so...) and he broke out in a rash when his fever finally broke. Incidentally, Zaky boy cracks us up and is still not fully walking at 15 months old. He is trying though and CAN walk...but believe it or not...we think he's just LAZY! Hmmm....The lei shop was crazy, too. We had tons of big weddings this week -- I guess everyone wanted to celebrate on 8-8-08! Of course, we had the normal pandemonium....soccer practice, music lessons, dance lessons (Bella's first...) and, of course, most notably... our Nacho Party! That was so much fun! I forgot to write in my other blog what Carlos bought me for our 11 year anniversary! As some of you have recently discovered...he bought me a NACHO CHEESE DISPENSER! (Oh, and for those of you who don't know...I am obsessed with NACHOS!) He begged and bribed Gehl's to send us a Nacho cheese dispenser (you know, the kind you see at 7-11 or the movie theaters!) The sales rep told him that she could only sell or lease the machine to a licensed food distributor. Well, luckily that did not stop my hubby! Carlos got the address and name of the sales manager and sent her some fresh flower leis (all the way to Wisconsin!) The rest is history...she called Carlos and told him "I love the flowers..whatever you need...I'll do it!" So she sent Carlos a dispenser and lots and lots of cheese! We have hot nacho cheese 24/7...yeah....um...I don't know if that is a good thing. We eat it constantly! Yup...I haven't gotten sick of it yet! Everyone loved it and I can't wait until we have another party. I asked Carlos if I could lug it to Shari's sushi night this coming week but I think it's too big and too hot. bummers.

Pictures of the Kids

These pictures were taken back in May, but I thought I'd post them anyway. In every picture, Bella would NOT smile. She would make fish lips or stick out her tongue. My Crazy Bellz!!!!!! We went to take these pictures when Zak turned 1 years old.

"I want to get wet, too!"

Zak was feeling so left out. He was calling, "Da Da" (Daddy) and tapping his hands on the glass. He was watching his sisters scream and laugh as daddy surprised them with a shot of water from the cold hose!

OUR 11 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

So, I asked Carlos what he wanted to do for our 11 year anniversary. He said, "why don't we do something different and do a daytime activity? We always do the dinner/movie thing!" So I offered to go golfing with him! Yup, I said it. Go GOLFING with him! He was SO EXCITED! I've been with him on the courses (usually I ride in the cart and just keep him company), but I've NEVER golfed on a course...ever. Not in the 13 years we have been together.

I have to say, I had A BLAST! And Carlos was SO proud of me! He was teaching me as we were going from hole to hole (I use to practice with him at the driving range in San Diego about 6-7 years ago, but I've forgotten everything!) By the 15th hole...I was sort of catching on and starting to do kind of good! And then, straight up..on the 17th hole---I made a par! I even beat one of the guys playing with us! I was so excited I was jumping up and down! Carlos told me later that was the best present I ever gave him.

Later...Carlos bought me the best present EVER, too! I'll tell you in another blog because I want to take a picture of it! You'll laugh...

Our San Diego Pal...Kristina!

Shout out to Kristina Avila for actually tracking me down! "Bad friend Sum", still at large....

So, apparently Kristina has been trying to email me for a few months that she was coming to Hawaii in April...yup...I missed her. (I hadn't checked personal email from April thru July--we were so busy with graduation season!)

So she emailed me again that she was coming in July. ALMOST missed her again(she didn't have my personal phone number) ...but luckily, Kristina looked up our website and came to our lei shop! She got LEID and looked so beautiful! Anywhooooo, she came over to our home and hung out all night. We had a blast and it was like old times! Thank God I have Such good friends! I'm terrible, yes, I know!

Putt Putt

Trying to follow in daddy's footprints! Maddie is really good at golf!

The Perfect 4th of July

Zak and Bella at the Beach



Where did Maddie go?



I love da beach!



Me and My Gramps!



Getting a little assistance from Nana

4th of July

Carlos said our 4th of July was the PERFECT day! The kids were SO excited! We all got an early start and went to Sherwood's for the day! Mom and Dad brought tons of food (of course) and we had a great time playing in the sand and water. Surprisingly, Bella could not get enough of the waves. Of course, our little fishes (Maddie and Zak) loved the water. We stayed for about 4 1/2 hours and then went home, took a bath, and slept for about 4 hours! It was greeeeaaat! Then we went to Nana's and had lots of good grub and watched the aerial fireworks in Hawaii Kai.

Purple Walls

So, one day, I told Carlos...let's paint the dining room and the kitchen! So he got all excited (PROJECT!) so we immediately went to Home Depot with the kids. Bad idea. I let Maddie help me with the color choices and she somehow got me to agree on purple. Actually, a dark lavendar...! To offset the brightness, we chose a sage for the kitchen. My mom walked in and said, "Hmmmmm, well, it's definitely purple!" Autumn walked in and well, let's just say she didn't even notice it at first! Huh?

Well, it's sort of grown on me and now I think I like it! (Carlos said good{!} and I'm stuck with it for a while since it ended up being a pain in the butt to do and he had forgotten how much he hates to paint!)

JUSTIN

Every day this summer, Maddie comes home talking about "JUSTIN." We ask her, "Who did you play with today?" Justin. "Who was your field trip partner today?" Justin. "Who gave you that magic rock?" Justin. So one day, she tells us, "Mommy, I need a haircut. I think Justin will like my hair short." Huhhhh? So she got a haircut (yeah, not because we like the idea of "justin...") and the next day we surprised her by showing up on her field trip at Kapiolani Park. Who was she playing with? Yeah, you guessed it...JUSTIN.

Sesame Street Live

Aunty Autumn and Uncle Bert took the 3 yoots to see Sesame Street Live. They had a blast.

A Rare Date Night

Our Patented Pose (Yes, we always take our own picture!)

Here's the thing. I don't know how Carlos and I don't get sick of each other. We spend 24/7 with one another but I'll tell you what....we still love to spend time together. He's always bugging me to go out, so he planned a date night to go see Kathy Griffin's live stand-up show (Yes, I like her.) So I actually spent money to buy a dress and new shoes! (Yes, I had buyer's remorse later...but Carlos made me keep the shoes! There is a story to these shoes....) Anyhooooo...We had such a good time--Kathy Griffin is so obnoxious, but hilarious!

May and June -- What a Blur!

RIDE 'EM HORSEY!



SHAKE THEM BOOTIES!



DAY AT DOLE PLANTATION...DADDY/GIRL'S DAY OUT



DISCOVERY CENTER



"HEY--I CAN'T SEE!" (Zak...)

So, to be honest, the months of May and June were crazy and stressful. Carlos and I (and the gang at our shop) were working day and night. We had time for NOTHING except work and the kids. Many nights, we didn't sleep at all. Not a wink. The thing is, we were so lucky to have had so much help and we couldn't have done it without everyone. Amber (sis) came down for 6 weeks to work full time at our shop and my mom helped so much with Zak and the girls. Actually, our whole family pitched in and we made it through another crazy season!

Toothless Grin

Madison screamed one night and we went running up to her room! She was jumping up and down and was SO excited! Her 3rd tooth came out! This time she didn't swallow it! (The first one she swallowed, the second one the nurse pulled out at school..ouch!) The tooth fairy visited her and she got $1 and a bag full of toys. The grandmother tooth fairy (Nana) also gave her strawberry sparkling toothpaste and a new toothbrush!

May Day Program

Hmmmm...can you spot Bella? Yes, she was the only one who's pareo kept opening when she'd shake that booty. Bella and Carter were so cute at the May Day Program!

Zak's 1st Birthday

Hey, who's eating all my cake? For Zak's first birthday, we kept it low-key and invited just immediate family over. Don't worry, we will keep tradition and still have a big party, but we're going to do it for his 2nd birthday. We did the big 1st for Madison, but she was too young to enjoy all the bouncers and games, so we decided for Bella we would try the 2 year birthday bash. It was a big hit and she loved it. So...stay tuned, we're doing a Mexican-themed Fiesta next year for Zak's big party (of course, what else would we choose! going back to our roots! okay--so i still think i'm Mexican...) ha!