.salt pond.

We finally got a chance to take Kaiya to the beach!  We were a little worried how she would react to the water because a few months ago, we tried to put her in the kiddie pool with Kaytin and Caleb and she SCREAMED.  We thought it was because the water was too cold, but now we're not too sure.  Maybe she just wasn't ready at the time.  However, this trip to the beach she LOVED!!!  She loved being there, she loved the sand, she loved the water, she loved the sun, she loved everything.

However, before we were able to go to the beach, Kaiya had to go into Dr. Carolan's office to get her H1N1 booster shot.  Aaaahhh shots!!!  Amazingly, she didn't cry one peep!  I think she was in shock because Aunty Flo came right in and gave her the shot..no warning or anything.  Kaiya looked a little shocked and didn't quite know how to react so we clapped and tried to make her laugh and that seemed to do the trick.  I highly doubt that will work again, though.  We also got a chance to weigh her and she came in at 17lbs. 11oz.  So she's right on track and gaining about 1lb. a month.  Which is good, because in those first couple of months she was gaining about 1lb. or more a week!  Could you imagine?  Now, we just hope she's growing taller too.

When we got back from the Dr.'s office, we all got ready to head to the beach.  Boy does it take longer when you have a baby!  It's not just put on a bathing suit, grab some towels and sunscreen and go.  We had to gather swim diapers, towels, put sunscreen and bathing suit on Kaiya. pack a cooler with water and snacks, bring Kaiya's lunch and snacks, pack hats, an umbrella, chairs and mats...the list goes on and on.  But in the end it's all worth it when Kaiya's laughing and splashing in the water and on the sand!

Here's her first look at the ocean!

After mommy and daddy ate lunch, daddy brought Kaiya to get a feel for the salt water.  She didn't scream so that was a good sign!

So daddy decided to take Kaiya in the water for a swim.  She loved the salt water, or the taste of it at least.  She kept trying to lick it off of her face and hands!  The salt water helped drain her nose, though, since she had a little cold the week before.

When we got out of the water, she couldn't help but play with more water (eventhough it was in a bottle).  And how cute is her bikini?!?

When we were in New Mexico, we picked up a big straw hat for Kaiya to wear when she was in the sun.  She looks so ridiculously cute in it don't you think?  I know, you can't even see her face!

She got sleepy after a couple of hours, so we blocked the sun with one of the chairs and she fell asleep to the sound of the waves.

And while Kaiya was napping, a monk seal came onto the beach right in front of us.  You're supposed to keep a certain distance from them since they are endangered, so we would've had to move it came closer.  But after this picture he swam back into the water, I think because there were so many people around that spot.  He swam a little bit further and found a spot on the beach to roll around in the sand...and the lifeguard came and put warning tape in order for people to keep the right amount of distance.

We can't wait to get Kaiya back to the beach...the weather just needs to start cooperating more!  But I'm sure there will be future posts about other trips to the beach with Little Miss Kaiya.

.let's play catch up.

Ok, since I'm WAAAAYYY behind on the blog, I decided I would write one that would do a catch-up for the last half of April.  

January 2, 2010:  So this picture is a few months old...but it was Kaiya's first time at a wedding.  We went to Aunty Denise and Uncle Enoka Karratti's wedding back on January 2nd at Kilohana.  It was beautiful and mommy got a chance to catch up with a lot of OSU friends since her and Aunty Denise both went there after high school.  We had a great time, ate good food and are so happy for the Karratti's.  Hopefully they'll hurry up and give Kaiya a little playmate soon.  :)

April 20, 2010: Kaiya's legs continue to get stronger every day.  She's now able to stand while holding onto things, but she doesn't actually pull herself up yet.  But she's all about making her legs straight whenever she gets the chance!

She also LOVES to look at the cute baby in the mirror.  I read that babies don't recognize that it's their reflection in mirrors until they're about 2 or so...but Kaiya gets really excited whenever she we put her in front of a mirror.  She must be thinking...that baby is sooooo cute.  hahaha!  So whenever mommy is getting ready and doing her makeup or hair, all she has to do is put Kaiya in front of the mirror and she'll just sit there and play and be entertained the entire time.  So awesome!

April 23, 2010:  It's been over four months since we first pierced Kaiya's ears and daddy has been itching to change them.  So he put in her birthstone earrings that she got from Kaytin and Caleb for Christmas.  I believe they're sapphires.  I love her earrings and I'm so glad that we pierced them...I just hope that they don't end up being crooked as she continues to grow.  

We went to the place where we pierced her ears to see what other kinds of earrings there were for future reference...we looked at the piercing earrings since they have a backing that covers the entire end of the post so it doesn't poke Kaiya when she's sleeping.  On the way out, we spotted some mini jade bracelets, so Kaiya walked out with a little one and she looked so cute in it...it also hides her wrist fold.  :)

Here she is crawling all over the place...she crawls with her belly off of the ground now!

April 24, 2010:  KIUC, where Grandma Barbara works, was participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  It's a charity walk where people walk throughout the night, and there's a special luminaria lighting to remember those affected with cancer.  It's really touching because the first lap is done by all of the survivors and those currently fighting cancer.  The second lap, the caregivers join in.  Mommy tears up every time!  Daddy was off, too, so we went as a family...joining Grandma Barbara and Papa Harry, and Aunty Dawn, Uncle Wes, Kaytin and Caleb.  Kaiya kicked it in her BOB stroller and we all did a few laps and checked out the other booths.  KIUC provided dinner also.  It was such a fun night and I can't wait until Kaiya gets older so we can teach her the importance of these types of events!  

April 26, 2010:  Mommy and daddy have been taking Kaiya, Foxxy and Lennox out on walks a few mornings out of the week.  It's good exercise, nice to be outside, and all of us enjoy walking together.  Sometimes, Aunty Dawn, Caleb and Koge join us too.  It's been kind of rainy lately, so whenever it's nice we take advantage of it.  It still hasn't seem to calmed down the dogs, though, like The Dog Whisperer says it should.  (Maybe it's because it's not a set schedule, though).  However, they are better walking on the leash than they were when we lived in Vegas.  The route we walk has a bunch of barking dogs, sometimes it affects them sometimes it doesn't.  But they never want to charge them or anyone that crosses our path.  Whew!!!  Daddy walks Foxxy, since she's so heavy and strong, and Lennox walks alongside Kaiya while mommy pushes her in the stroller.  

Anyway, one morning after our walk, mommy, daddy and Aunty Dawn sat down in the kitchen to eat some breakfast.  And we noticed that Kaiya was a little sleepy.  She usually naps during the walk, but for some reason this time she didn't.  The next thing we knew, we looked over at her in her highchair and she was fast asleep.  Luckily, the highchair seat has a recline so we let her nap in there for a few minutes while we all finished up our post-walk snacks.  

So that sums up pretty much the end of April.  I've been slacking on taking pictures of outings and what not.  But now that I'm catching up on posts I'll be sure to take more photos and post regularly again.  We hope everyone who reads this is doing well and enjoying the blog!

.kokee.

The Taba's and a few other friends rented out Camp Sloggett in Kokee for the weekend.  Although daddy had to work, we all went up for a couple of hours to visit them.  It was daddy and Kaiya's first time to Kokee.  Boy was it cold.  But, not as cold as New Mexico.  It took us a while to find the campsite, which consists of a bunkhouse, a couple single cabins, a kitchen, and a outdoor eating area.  There's also a firepit and a huge yard.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures at the cabin, but I took some of the view on the way back down.  And one of the little girl passed out in her carseat.

Can you see Niihau in the distance?

So on the way back home, we stopped by the original JoJo's so that mommy could have some shave ice.  Yummmm!  The last time she had JoJo's shave ice was when we found out that Kaiya was going to be a girl.  So over a year ago!  Eventhough it was a little cold outside, it was delicioso!!!

We also stopped by this place in Hanapepe that advertises fresh eggs and produce, along with tacos.  We've been wanting to try it for a while and see what kind of produce there was.  The tacos were ehhhh.  Nothing that makes us want to go running back and get more.  And although it wasn't that big of a selection, there were some good fresh veggies and herbs available.  And mommy found out there was something called a Cream Apple.  It was soft and squishy...now that I think about it we should have bought it so I could have tried it.  But I did take a picture of it.

.seven months old.

Geez, like the old saying goes...time flies when you're having fun.  Seven months already!!  Didn't we just find out we were expecting?  Didn't I just give birth?  Wasn't Kaiya just a little newborn baby?  Kaiya is growing up so fast and we are definitely loving and cherishing every minute of it!  I'm working on Kaiya's 1st Year photo album (actually, I only have maybe 4 pages done, including the cover...haha)...but I'm so glad that we have all these pictures to be able to look back on year's from now.

So without anymore delay, here are Kaiya's 7 month photos!

By the way, we borrowed the cute flower clip from Aunty Dawn.  We thought it would make the pictures that much cuter.  I think Kaiya knew she looked super cute with the pin on.  Don't you just want to eat her up!  

.funny face tuesday: 13apr10.

Here's Kaiya...back in action.  Enjoy the lovely faces of Kaiya...if you could only hear her while she's taking these pictures.

Carrot Nose

Cheekies!!

Arghhhh!!!

And for fun...here's some pics of Kaiya and Caleb....

Yasu (our nickname for Caleb) helping feed Kaiya snacks

Look Kaiya!!

.kaiya meets fiona.

Ok, so whenever we go on a trip, it usually takes us days to unpack and do the laundry, etc.  When we came home from NM and LV, we were determined to unpack quickly.  Daddy was unpacked within the hour we got home to Kalaheo...and mommy was on her way to unpacking just as quickly.  However, she glanced out of the window and saw Uncle Wes and Caleb showing a friend something in a cage down by Uncle Sonny's shop.  Knowing there were pigs that were destroying the yard prior to leaving for vacation, mommy scooped up Kaiya and took her down there to see if they caught one.  Sure enough....

Meet Miss Fiona...

Fiona was the second piglet they caught while we were gone.  The first one escaped.  I think her piggy pack caught on that they were being hunted because the yard is no longer being dug up.  We do still hear Koge barking late at night and in the early morning, so they might still be eating the scrap fruit that falls from the trees.  But lucky for Fiona...she gets to munch regularly on pig feed and scraps that Uncle Wes and Aunty Dawn give her.  I think she'd rather be where she is now than fighting for grubs in the yard amongst the other 12 pigs.

Apparently, Fiona loves tomatoes!

.viva las vegas.

Although we were sad to leave all of our family and friends in New Mexico, we were excited to see our Ohana (family) from Roy's Summerlin (where mommy and daddy met) in Las Vegas before heading back to Kauai.  A couple of other ohana members have had babies since we left a little over a year ago.  First of all, Kaiya did another great job on the plane ride from ABQ to LAS.  She was a happy little girl and eventually her, mommy and daddy got a little bit of sleep on the short flight.  And before we knew it, we were flying into Las Vegas.

A bunch of the old Roy's Summerlin Ohana got together on the Lanai the night we flew into Vegas.  It was so good to see good friends.  Conversations picked up like we never left, and we laughed and talked until we were practically the last ones at the restaurant.  We had such a good time, we didn't even realize how long we were all there for...we even went extra early just in case the babies got sleepy or cranky.  But luckily, all the babies were up for a bit and quietly went to sleep leaving the adults to enjoy each other's company.  

Here is Aunty Aleathia and her daughter Peyton, who was just under 2 months old.  Aunty Aleathia was the one that convinced mommy to go back to school with her and get her Master's degree at UNLV.   So mommy has Aunty Aleathia to thank for her M.Ed.!  Aunty Aleathia is from Oahu, along with her husband, Uncle Mike...who was working.

This is Uncle Andre and Aunty Anna (in black) with their daughter Bella.  Bella is just about 1 month older than Kaiya.  She is such a cute and happy happy happy girl.  She seemed very excited to meet Kaiya for the first time, bouncing around in her mommy's arms and what not.  Kaiya, on the other hand, just looked at me like we were all crazy.  :)  Uncle Andre is also from Hawaii.

Here is Uncle Brian, Aunty Jen and Daddy posing for a picture.  Uncle Brian came to mommy and daddy's wedding on Kauai.  He used to work with mommy and daddy when they first started working at Roy's.  Aunty Jen was a hostess with mommy for a few years.  She's from the Big Island...we're hoping she can make it out to Kauai on one of her next visits back home.

Here is the first group shot we took, right before Aunty Hilary left for the night.  Aunty Hilary, standing right in the middle next to Aunty Aleathia, also has her M.Ed. in Health Promotion from UNLV.  She was also working at Roy's when mommy and daddy first started.  

And here is a group shot at the end of the night.  We all think the sign we're standing in front of is a little ridiculous.  It's so tacky...it's right in front of the front door, obviously blocking it so you can't walk straight in.  

We met up with Aunty Aleathia again on Saturday for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen at Town Square.  And Uncle Josh and Aunty Britney, who are also from Los Alamos, met up with us later in the afternoon.  We also got a chance to see Aunty Nancy, who was working at Brio at Town Square. 

It was a fun, quick trip to Las Vegas and the next time we're there we definitely want to stay a couple of days longer so we can see a few more friends.  We left on a 245am flight out of Las Vegas and arrived back in Honolulu around 630am.  Kaiya did another FANTASTIC job on the airplane and didn't wake up until the final 30 minutes before we landed in HNL.  She also slept from HNL to LIH.  On when we were approaching the landing to Kauai, there was a rainbow over the ocean to welcome us home.