June 2022

Summer at Home:

On June 12, we got to see baby JUNE! We had the Tau'as over to swim. Charles and Jasmine came, as well as Geli and Lahela.  Aunty Tammie was able to stop by too ;)

We made several big trips to the Library! The girls love going to the library and really enjoy reading books :) Lily especially is reading so much on her own, I can barely keep up! Emma is a budding reader and we try to find books on her level to read to me.

From the looks of the next picture I guess we went to the Rock Park, also known as Sundial Park in Mehana.

In June, we also did the Upper Waimano Ridge Trail hike (in Pearl City) to the first tunnel.

Emma lost her first tooth in June, but it took FOREVER! This is a picture of the new teeth growing in, but the old ones hadn't come out yet!

Uncle Logan helped Mike get the new sliding glass door set for the second time. It slides open so much better and Mike has peace of mind knowing that everything is level, even and perfect.

While the guys worked, the girls and I went to visit Amber in town. We swam in the pool and Cary did her best swimming yet without a puddle jumper!

We brought Amber back home with us, and Abbey came to babysit the girls. The four of us adults drove out to Turtle Bay for dinner and a double date. It was a lovely day with a beautiful sunset!

Emma sleeping with the lights on full blast in her bed. Lily couldn't stand it, haha!

The next day was Father's Day and we celebrated Mike by watching him surf at Swabbies and bringing him Taco Bell and Mountain Dew, his fave!

The following weekend, we hiked Lulumahu Falls as a family. It was amazing and the girls did AWESOME! Afterward, we made a quick stop at the Pali Lookout.

This is a picture of Lily's so-called "failure." We think it looked great, but then it got knocked on the ground and a little figure fell over inside and there was no way to fix it... but at least we got a picture while it still looked nice.

On one of the Saturdays in June, we met Alissa Makaipo and her boys out at Makua. It was a beautiful day! Mike stayed home to work on the house.

The Monday after the beach, we had the Thiesings over to swim! We were watching Leia that morning too. What a fun day :) John loves our keiki clubhouse.

FINALLY, Emma lost her tooth. Momma had to pull it very hard with a wet wash cloth to get it out!

We got the solar panels reinstalled on the roof after Mike finished painting it. We asked them to come back to make them straighter. We're glad they did!

Leia came over for a play date and tea party!

Mommy started a new series by Tracie Peterson--the Song of Alaska. Mike is reading Wheel of Time, which is super long! 14 books, and each book is over 1,000 pages...

Auntie Alyssa hosted a sewing class for the girls at her house. We love it! So far, they have made pillows, stuffies, scrunchies, and bags. They've learned how to thread their needle, how to do the running stitch and the whipstitch. So adorable :)

Emma gave us all a laugh when she buttoned her sweater on the way to family group!  She thought she was saving time, but actually took more...

I got a jumpstart on prepping for VBS Craft for July.

That's all we can remember about June. It was a blast and we had a great month. Wanted to make it to the beach a bit more than we did, but it was rather windy. It's not pictured, but we did go to Leftovers with the Pierce family on Kamamehameha Day, June 11.

Lily's 8th Art Themed Birthday Party

We celebrated Lily's eight birthday with an art-themed party this year.  We decided on three different crafts to do, I prepped the supplies before hand, and on the day of it was easy to just dive in and enjoy the day with all the girls. It helped that we had several older girls there to help the younger ones!

First, the girls made lip gloss. I don't think I took any pictures of the finished products, but it was very simple and easy. I ordered small containers on Amazon, bought a tub of petroleum jelly (Target brand) and several packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid mix. They used craft sticks to mix the contents together on a paper plate, and then transferred the lip gloss into the containers.

The second craft was a rainbow mosaic. I cut out rainbow shapes from a cardboard box I bought from Home Depot for $1.68. Then I used spray paint to make them all gold. It was a color I had in the garage from a project I never did, lol.  While at Home Depot, I took the opportunity to grab several handfuls of paint samples from the paint department. I cut those up and used them for the mosaic tiles. Finally, the girls dotted and slathered glue on the cardboard and stuck the cardstock paint swatches in place. We added a little glitter to glam them up and voila!

The third and final craft was a painting we did using various acrylic paints.  I found a cute template online that I printed and transferred onto a thin piece of plywood. Mike bought a piece from Home Depot that he said was around $12. I used his jigsaw and cut it into 12 equal pieces, then rounded and sanded the edges. Then I drilled two small holes into the tops of each piece and once the painting was complete we uses hemp to make a hanger. They did so great and even Cary made a masterpiece that's currently hanging by her bed!

Of course the trusty Oreo cupcake had to make its annual appearance for Lily's party. She wanted a pull-apart cake this year and I was all about it because that made the dispensing very easy. Overall, it was a great party.

There was lots of swimming and eating and enjoying this life that God has given us. Every year, I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate these beautiful girls that God has given me and Mike to steward. What a gift!

Lily Turns EIGHT

 Wow, it's hard to believe that the girl who made me a mama is now EIGHT years old! 

Lily, 

You are such a treasure! From creating art and stories, to putting on shows and organizing ideas, to reading books and watching Bates with the gals, to making pancakes, muffins, cupcakes and cookies (without my assistance), to swimming and diving in the ocean... it is a true joy to watch you grow and learn. You are such a helpful big sister, daughter and friend! You genuinely love and care for others, and I'm thankful for your joyful attitude when Daddy or I ask you to do a task/chore. 

Your knowledge and love of scripture has increased with each year, and I pray that God would keep you on the straight and narrow for His glory. I pray the Holy Spirit would continually work in your heart to bring that knowledge of Him in alignment with your actions, words, attitude and heart desires.

One of your best friends just moved away yesterday and though I know you're sad, you're handling it like a champ! I'm looking forward to learning alongside you this coming year in third grade as we begin our homeschool journey together. Watching you in second grade at public school was so neat. You never had to be reminded to do your homework, and I was surprised at how fast you and Emma fell into a routine. Your teacher had nothing but positive things to say about your work ethic and concern for others as well as your academic performance. All glory be to God! 

I remember clearly all those moments as an infant when we couldn't calm you down or get you to stop screaming. All I could do was cry because that wasn't how I pictured motherhood. It was HARD. Boy am I thankful you outgrew that stage!

Happiest of birthdays, my love.  Can't wait to celebrate with your friends next week!

Love, 

Mommy