Hoogle Zoo

What a fun day we had. It started nice and early as we tried to beat the heat by getting to the zoo early in the morning. We were sure glad when it was so hot as we were leaving a little after noontime. We spent the rest of the day and evening visiting my older sister Kasandra in her other-in-law's home. Karen is so welcoming it felt just like home. We ate delicious shish-kabobs and hung out. It was a great day. The only thing that was a bummer was Kyle couldn't be with us. He was busy with work and school. We sure missed him though. Here are some pictures from out fun day.

Kekoa, the little stinker, wouldn't take a picture with me. I had to try and hang on to him as my sister snapped a quick one.

Here is a fun one with the rhino. I love it because you see all three of the boys (barely).

Kekoa was so excited to ride the carousel. He was very upset however to not have his zebra to ride. This was the closest thing to it we could find in round one - a okapi. He was no fool though. We had to do a second round to fulfill his life long dream of riding a zebra.

My favorite picture of the day. Sepa loved looking around at everything. And when he couldn't take it any longer he knocked out for a little siesta. Cute boy.

Sepa - 5 months (June 21, 2008)

I keep forgetting to post this picture. I did take it on the day he turned 5 months. Again - not so easy to do the picture in the teacup. Next month should better. Sepa is doing well - Yesterday he rolled over for the first time. Too bad I missed it because I was helping Kekoa pick up his toys. I laid Sepa on his back on the floor and when I turned back around he was on his tummy. I did see him do it later on in the day though. Another cute thing was he held on to my arm for the first time. I went to pick him up - he was so excited to see me - and he grabbed on to my left arm with his whole arm. The little squeeze was so cute. I love him - he is growing well.
Here are a couple others . . .

Call It Courage

Early one morning last week Kekoa let me know he was ready to do some pictures in my studio of his "daddy-dance" costumes (which are like the ones Kyle has for his Polynesian dancing). I do not get a whole lot of cooperation when it comes to pictures - so I jumped on this opportunity. It was so fun to dress him and do pictures. He put his costume bag in his room and had to change away from the studio (just like Kyle changes in separate room during a show). There were a couple times I had to remind Kekoa that Daddy did it a certain way and he was very willing. I had a blast and here is one of the pictures I was able to create. I found the tapa cloth picture online - it is from a book called Call It Courage. I thought it was perfect for Kekoa, my courageous one. I gave it to Kyle as a late father's day present. I am thinking about printing a canvas of it. . .
~m

tagged

attached or single: you could argue attached at the hip - I do count downs everyday to when Kyle comes home
best friend: Kyle
cake or pie: a little bit of both please
day of choice: any day we spend as a family
essential item: flat iorn - I really don't like my slight natural curl
favorite color: Blue and Brown
gummy bears or worms: either - the best is with a little Li Hing Mui
hometown: Ganado, Arizona
indulgence: chocolate, ice cream and my 24'' MAC
january or july: not a big fan of either - too cold and too hot - but my sweet Sepa was born in January
k ids: three sweet boys
l ife is incomplete without: my family - they give me purpose and joy
marriage date: August 29, 2003
number of siblings: three sisters and three brothers, including my twin brother
oranges or apples: gala apples, love the crunch
phobias or fears: not being prepared for a disaster
quote: Our family scripture - "But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another." - Mosiah 4:15
Kekoa almost has it memorized.
reason to smile: the smiles of my little ones
something new: hmmm... need something new cause I can't think of anything...
tag: Sarah P, Jess T and Kyle
unknown fact about me: I only have 2/3 left of my left knee cap - gross huh?
vegetarian or oppressor of animal: meat, meat, meat
worst habit: my slight pack-rat tendency (I am getting a whole lot better though)
xrays or ultrasounds: ultrasounds - three times seeing for myself that it was a boy before the technician told me.
your favorite food: love chicken katsu and curry
zodiac: Pisces

Mommy Playtime

The other day Kekoa asked to play with some playdough. With my efforts to encourage creative play, I was happy to get it out for him. I was about to do the usual thing of clearing their table, plopping dough and a dull butter knife down, and then rushing off to use the free moment to get something done. But this time I decided to sit down and play with them. It was fun and I felt like they got more out of the activity as we talked about shapes and created a cute horse. I asked Kekoa what we needed to build it and he gave me instructions for 4 legs, a head, a tail and 2 ears (and even a saddle). It was a lot of fun and though my dishes were still waiting in the sink- I decided I need to do that more often.
m

Everyone Loves Daddy

I was busy last night catching up on the blog from Ikaika's birthday that I didn't get a chance to post my Father's Day thought.
I am so thankful for the wonderful Father of my children - I could not ask for anyone better. The boys love him so much. I often think of how blessed they are to have such a involved, loving father.
Since pictures are more fun and telling, I thought I'd just post a few pictures of Daddy and his boys : )

Here is a fun picture of Kyle and the boys on Ikaika's birthday (my nephew Kono is also in the picture). I love the silly face Kyle is making - most people know Kyle's great sense of humor. That fun side of him is partly what makes him such a great father.


Kyle always takes time to get outside and play with the boys - even when he has a plate that is overflowing.

Superman Daddy - the boys love to be carried across the floor hanging on to his legs. I don't know what we will do when Sepa gets big enough to want to join in.

A couple fun ones from my studio.

We love Daddy!

FATHER'S DAY LOVE

I awoke this morning to the smell of a wonderful breakfast in bed. Michele let me sleep in after I stayed up till 2:00am working on homework. She and Kekoa brought me breakfast on a nice little tray and Kekoa once again said, "Happy Easters." (For anyone who saw Nacho Libre, that was pretty funny). He said that phrase to Michele on Mother's Day as well. I love it. Michele hooked me up with a nice little Polynesian breakfast of rice, eggs, and spam. She sliced some peaches and had my non-fat milk on the side. It was perfect. I devoured the food and fell back asleep (and then had the wierdest nightmares about moving to Arizona to the land of snakes). After a long morning, teaching at church and keeping up with our three little tornados, Michele made one of my favorite dinners....baked rice and chicken (Colombian style). She did so much to show me her love today. Thank you Michele for a wonderful Father's Day. I felt loved and valued as a husband and father. Every day in the Reyes home feels like Father's Day.

K

Non-Private?

So we are not sure we like the private setting. It seems like a hassle for readers and we don't get the surprise comments of new people (old friends) who have found our blog. So I think we will switch back for now...

More Birthday Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from Ikaika's birthday party. His birthday fell on a Thursday and we decided to celebrate it on that day (partly because of an extended family wedding happening on the weekend). But I really enjoyed focusing the whole day on Kaika.


This is a favorite picture of mine because I know he was helping us sing his birthday song. He is singing the word "to." I can just hear his little voice, "Happy Birthday to you." We practiced the whole week before so that he could blow out his candle just right - too bad it was initially blown out by his excited cousin. But he did get to blow it out after another try.

We had a monkey theme for him. All I found at the party store was Curious George, but it worked. I love the way Ikaika makes the sound of a monkey - ooohh, eee, aahh ahhh. It is my favorite animals sound of his.

The challenge of the day was to keep his older brother from overtaking everything - the balloons, the presents, etc. Here you can see Kekoa checking out the new stuff.


I decided to make Ikaika's cake this year. It was a rushed day and this was the best I could dish out for him. He liked it.

I love celebrating my little one's birthdays as I remember the day they were born. I remember the first nights holding him close in the hospital room. I can hardly believe it has already been two years. He is such a cutie pie. How I love being Ikaika's mommy.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ikaika!!!

My sweet Ikaika turned TWO today. It was a wonderful day and I hope Kaika felt how much he is loved. He is such a special part of our family - we love having him around. I'll post more pictures when I have another few minutes : )
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAIKA!
m

The Bat

The Laker outfit lasted all of one day because this little outfit arrived in the mail that same day. The mask came as a gift from Kyle on one of the days he was away to FL. The cape was a piece of scrap material I had up in my studio - with a little edging from Aunty Celeste it completed the outfit. So Kekoa has now become Batman. It has actually been very economical since he has outgrown his summer clothes and instead of buying him new stuff he will just wear this everyday for the rest of the summer. Don't you love the abs - he gets it from both Kyle and I. And the poses were all him.
PS. I have declared full potty training. Hurray, hurray, hurray : )

A New Day

This is one of the most traditional studio pictures ever - neither Kyle and I are a fan of such a style - but they all looked so handsome before church I had to get a picture of them together and this was the result. So, I do not normally have them all so formally dressed - many times Sepa goes to church in a pair of pj's and I often just throw an Aloha shirt on the older boys and call it good. But today was a special day so we went the extra mile. It was one of the most bittersweet days of my life so far. Kyle was called into the bishopric of our ward. It has been a roller coaster of emotions these past few days and after much prayer, talking with Kyle and even a visit to the temple I am beginning to feel at peace. It has been a major test of my faith as Kyle's plate is already overflowing with responsibilities and now this big calling. He has been in a bishopric before, but life has never been this busy before. But I have great confidence in Kyle's ability to be superman and in his devotion to me and the boys. Somehow we will find time to be together. The words of the hymn go through my mind, "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven..." I trust in that promise.

Note to Self. . .

. . . do not leave syrup on the table with Ikaika.
Kyle made yummy pancakes for breakfast on Saturday. It was such a hit that the boys ate it for lunch later in the day. Ikaika is at an independent phase where he wants to do everything himself - so when he asked for more syrup I helped him squeeze out about two more tablespoons worth on to his plate. I got busy with something else and left the bottle on the table. Before I knew it he had emptied the whole bottle on his plate. I guess at least it was all on the plate.
Anyway - at times like these there is nothing left to do but take a picture and post a blog about it. : )

Not So Little -

Kekoa asked to hold Sepa today and it amazed me how much the little sweetheart has grown in the last few months. Here are a couple pictures to compare just for fun....

Eatin' It Up

A couple days ago we decided to introduce rice cereal to Sepa. I thought he might be ready as he constantly tried to attack the food I was eating. He is growing well and in the 50th percentile for his height and weight. He doesn't look all that excited in these pictures, but believe me he is diggin' the new food. Both yesterday and today he cried in between spoonfuls - I just couldn't get it to him fast enough. So cute. I like these pictures because I am actually in them - our family friend Keisha took the pictures. I held Sepa as Aunty Celeste fed him his first spoonfuls.

Stake Conference

This weekend has been Stake Conference for us. I had a chance to attend the adult session on Saturday. It was so good - I was glad I was able to go.

The messages were centered around the Plan of Salvation. I love simplistic and fundamental topics like that. One sister spoke of her individual role in the Plan of Salvation. She compared it to a relay race and each of us doing our part. I thought of the relay race analogy in terms of generations. My dear mother was the gospel pioneer in our family and because of her faithfulness three of her daughters have been married in the temple. I think of my sweet children and how much the Lord entrusts me to teach them. I must not drop the baton and be ever so careful and sure to pass it on.

The stake president talked about tests and trials of life. He had a brother share his testimony and their experience of losing their child. He urged everyone to enjoy and treasure each day.
I came home and held my boys as they fell asleep. We had or nightly song, prayer and scripture. I offered the prayer. It was the most sincere prayer of thanks for a day we had to spend together.

The boys and I miss Kyle so much. We count the hours until he is at home safe with us. I tell him all the time that life is just better with him around. I also thought of my extended family who live so far away. I am always so happy to hear they are coming to town so that we can be together. Though I still miss my extended family, I must not forget what I have right in front of me. What a blessing it is to be with my children all the time. I love being with them.