Ake Ohana

Reflections Winner!

2011-11-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

Kiana was selected as a winner in the visual arts category for Reflections. I've always known she was a great artist, but it's nice to get a trophy every once in a while.

2011-10-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

In an effort to save money this year, I made Kaleo's firetruck costume out of an old diaper box and felt.

Total cost: $3
Time Spent: 6 Hours!

I'm not sure it was worth it...

Getting Bigger

2011-09-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

My kids are growing up! Here is a picture from last Sunday. (Kiana - 7, Kaleo - 3, Lauren - 1 1/2).

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!

2010-12-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

Me, my sister Caitlyn, and sister-in-law Michelle all have girls within 7 months of each other. Lucy, Lauren and Lily (no, I promise we didn't plan the "L" thing).

Lucy (Caitlyn's), Lauren (mine), and Lily (Michelle's)

They don't look related at all. Do they?

Jazz 2010

2010-11-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

The fan relations office with this year's team.

GO ELVIN! oh, and GO JAZZ!

Halloween

2010-11-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Kiana is a big fan of Avatar. She's knew months ago that she wanted to be Katara for Halloween. And you can't have Katara without Aang. (Sorry if you don't know what I'm talking about. I didn't know myself until my family turned into Avatar groupies).

Kaleo was really sad when we cut off his hair.
I don't think he was expecting it.

Kiana's really into it...

For those of you who aren't nerds... here is what Karara and Aang look like

Look what Lauren can do!

2010-09-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last week Lauren started pulling herself up and standing -- and she's only 6 months old! She's been crawling well now for a few weeks, but could scoot anywhere at 5 months. I'm excited for her, but really, this just makes my job harder. She already has had a few bruises on her face from not so gentle landings. And yesterday, I found her on the first landing of the stairs stuffing goldfish crackers in her mouth (where Kaleo dumped them *angry sigh*). She climbed a stair!

I'll make another post when she's walking next week :)

New Hairstyles

2010-09-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

So. I'm a bad mom. In many ways, but one way is because my lovely Kiana has the most beautiful hair and I never do it. We are ponytail people and if I'm feeling fancy we do a braid. I found an awesome blog (see right panel) and decided to try to be better. Here are some of my attempts:

This one is pretty elaborate so I have pics from different angles:

Check out my sister's blog (Caitie and Benjamin), she's better at it than me. And she has a lot less to work with.

Too bad it's not Christmas!

2010-08-16T15:22:00.001-07:00

Our Samoan Adventure

2010-07-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun in Samoa. It was awesome! I could write all about it but pictures are better. This is mostly in chronological order:

We didn't know what to expect when we got to Samoa. All Elvin's dad had told us was that he had built a house. We weren't even sure if this house had walls...

This is a traditional Samoan house. It's called a fale.

see? no walls.
A lot of people still live in this type of house.

So, you can guess that I was very pleased to see this:

His dad lives up the road from the prime minister. Not too shabby...

The view from the front porch

First on the agenda, visit the cave pools.
Elvin took these pictures from the car:

see? another fale

The cave pool.
The water was crystal clear. You could see everything at the bottom. I asked Elvin to take me in the cave, but he had gone in earlier and said it was "too creepy." (He has a small fear of very large spiders...)
After we got out a 3 ft. eel started swimming around. That was creepy, but also very awesome.

Cousins!

Lauren, meeting her cousin R.J. with the customary ear-tasting.

Kaleo at the umu.

Elvin making coconut milk for the umu.

Time to eat!

Kiana was picky about most of the food. But Kaleo loved everything!

So ready for solid foods!
She grabbed this out of my hands and shoved it in her mouth before I could take a bite!

Samoan Wedding.
Elvin's cousin, Siautu, from New Zealand got married in Samoa.
Kiana was a flower girl.

Siautu & Wesley

Junior bridesmaids and flower girls

Aunty Marisha, Kiana, and uncle Jared

Elvin's dad, Timo, and his partner Rachel.

Kiana dancing with the cousins at the reception.

The day after the wedding we went to Savaii. The other island in Western Samoa. It's really big. I think it's the same size as the big island in Hawaii. Savaii is known for begin untouched. There isn't much in Savaii. Just Fales (traditional Samoan houses) and a lot of trees. The beaches are particularly beautiful.

The ferry to Savaii.
It takes about an hour. I'm glad I wasn't sea sick.

The view from our roach motel, The Vaisala Inn.
The beach was the only good thing about our one night stay in Savaii

Kaleo was happy to stay on the sand.

Later,

Swimming with the turtles in Savaii.
Elvin was really good at catching them.

Did I mention it's really hot in Samoa?
This is the only fish and chips place we found in all of Savaii.
It took two hours for our order to be done! I think they left to catch the fish...

While in Savaii, Kiana lost a tooth!

We were nervous; does the tooth fairy come to Samoa?
Whew. Yes! She does. Kiana got 2 tala. (about 80 Us cents)

This is what Kaleo looked like after two weeks. He turned into a real Samoan.

The family at the closing dinner

Family pictures at the Apia temple:

Samoa!

2010-07-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

We're leaving for Samoa in a few hours so I thought I'd hurry and write a new post. But... I don't really have anything to say... so, yeah.

Um, here are some new pictures I took at Elvin's work party

Yes. That's the best picture I have of Kiana. She wouldn't stop playing.

I'll have lots more pictures when we get back from Samoa! Tofa!!

HAHA! Side story: I was looking up how to say "goodbye" in Samoan (I know, I should probably know...), and I came across a website of Samoan phrases. There weren't very many. Stuff like:

Do you speak English? Ete tautala Igilisi?
How are you? O fa'apefea mai oe?
Please, don't hurt me. Fa'amolemole, aua le fasi a'u.

HA! "Hi, how are you? Oh, and please don't hurt me."

My family

2010-05-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Books!!

2010-04-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

I love to read. I just recently realized that there are a lot of books I haven't read that I really want to. While compiling a very long list of books to check out at the library (mostly young-adult), I stumbled across this website. It's awesome. I started my own profile and everything. I guess it's kind of like facebook... for nerds

If you're feeling particularly nerdy, come and join me. (Please... I don't have any friends :(

Check it out: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3654065-callie

Who's Fatter?

2010-04-21T12:43:00.001-07:00

Kaleo at two months? or Lauren at two months? I couldn’t decide…

Blessing Pics

2010-04-15T15:28:00.001-07:00

Lauren Anuhea Kahawaii Taumaoe Ake:

My sister Michelle made the bracelet and bow:

I just like this picture because it shows off Anu's cho cho lips:

An example of the effects of the media on developing minds:

2010-03-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kiana told me she played "New Moon" at recess:)

One Month Old

2010-03-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Our little Anu (as she has become to be known as) is a month old! All is well. The whole "three kids are difficult" thing just isn't so... well, for me at least.

The only real difficulty I've run into is getting 3 kids in and out of the car. (It's the 1 1/2 year old that's making it particularly burdensome). And I suppose taking all of them to the store by myself may be challenging - I haven't done that yet.

Lauren Anuhea Kahawaii Taumaoe Ake

Someone asked what Lauren's name(s) mean. Here it goes:

Anuhea (Awe-new-hey-uh) means cool mountain breeze;
Kahawaii (Kuh-hawaii yes, like the place) is Elvin's mom's maiden name and it means "the ancestral Land" (I think...);
Taumaoe (Tow-as in ow!-muh-oy) is Lauren's great aunt on the Samoan side. I forgot what Elvin's dad said it meant. Is that terrible? I'll ask again.

More Pics

2010-02-21T21:04:00.001-08:00

Here are more pictures of our little Lauren:

She's Here!

2010-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

Lauren Anuhea Kahawaii Taumaoe Ake

February 17, 2010 8:28pm
7 lbs. 3 oz.
20 1/2 inches

She arrived Wednesday evening after a little scare. She was breech at the last minute. The doctor had to turn her manually from the outside; not a terribly comfortable or enjoyable experience... but it worked, so I didn't have to have a c-section!

Growing up

2010-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Kaleo & Kiana 2008:

Kaleo & Kiana 2010:

Kaleo 2008:

Kaleo 2009:

Kaleo 2010:

I have all the pictures in our computer organized by year, and as I was looking through 2008 & 2009, I noticed how much my little kids have grown in the last year. The weird thing is that you don't even notice them changing...

Narrowing it Down...

2010-01-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciated all of them! Elvin and I got together last night and went over our separate lists. Here's what we narrowed it down to:

Keilani
Rachel
Keila/Kayla
Lauren
Anuhea (aw-new-hey-uh)
Jessica
Sara

I don't particularly love any of these names. these were just the ones that Elvin and I both agreed we didn't hate...

I'm worried though. Should I love something? Should I keep looking for something that I love?

What does everyone think? Don't be shy; I want to hear honest opinions. I won't cry... too much.

Any Suggestions?

2010-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

We have six weeks to go until our baby girl arrives, but we still don't have a name for her. I realize that I just need to settle down and choose something, but it's a lot harder
than it sounds.

Elvin's grandma's name is Emma, and we always planned to use it for our next girl, but I just can't do it! It's too popular! I almost just swallowed my pride and did it anyway, but one of our friends, who is a nurse in the St. Marks Nursery, told us that they see at least 2 Emma's a night!! I don't want our little girl to be "Emma A." her whole life...

So now we're starting from scratch. Elvin and I are making separate lists of at least 10 names and are going to compare them sometime this weekend to decide on a name. The strategy is great, but it only works if you have good names on the list in the first place and I'm drawing a lot of blanks!

So I need some help. Does anyone have any names that they like, but can't or couldn't use for some reason? I like the idea of giving her a Hawaiian first name, but I'm definitely not a Hawaiiana expert, and have no solid ideas about what even makes a good Hawaiian name...

Other than that, I like pretty much anything (no made up names please. I don't think my daughter would forgive me if I named her Jolissa, Caslynn, or Skyleigh).

Thanks!! We'll get her named, I'm sure. But if not, I'm pretty sure the lead character in Dirty Dancing is named "Baby," maybe it will make a comeback...

Elvin's Jazz Voice Over

2009-11-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

For the Jazz home opener this year, they did a whole warrior theme for the intro. The guys who were in charge of it asked Elvin if he could read a script for the opening light show. They went all out -- even had guys come in to do the haka. Elvin went to a recording studio for a few hours to portray the script in his best "Polynesian warrior" voice. He did a great job. I got to be there to see it. I didn't take this video (Elvin got me much better seats :), but I forgot my camera. Check it out: It's Elvin's voice right before the haka.

Drum Roll Please...

2009-10-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

We found out this afternoon that our #3 is a girl! We are surprised, but very excited. For some reason we thought it was a boy. She'll be here middle of February.

Charity Dodgeball

2009-09-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Elvin and some of his co-workers from the Jazz signed up to be a team at Kyle Korver's and Deron Williams' charity dodge ball tournament last Saturday. It cost $400 a team and spectators paid $20 to watch Jazz players battle it out with the winning team. I don't know how much money they raised for the Christmas Box House, but it probably was a lot. Elvin's team (The Bone Crusherzz) didn't win, but they got to play the Jazz players anyway. They lost 2 games to 1, but not before Elvin knocked Ronnie Price off his feet (or so he bragged to me). Here are some pictures:

First Haircut

2009-09-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

I Finally talked Elvin into cutting Kaleo’s hair. We did it Sunday night in the backyard. I cut and Elvin held Kaleo on his lap. Kiana took the pictures. (I didn't have very many clear ones to choose from, but I should be surprised we got decent pictures at all. Good job Kiana.) Kaleo looks so old now!

Excited for #3...

2009-09-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know that many of you are aware, but as I have this blog, I feel the need to publicly document the important stuff. Like, oh yeah... we're expecting our 3rd baby. My due date is February 18th. I'm 4 months along today. Elvin and I are really happy to be reaching our goal of a big family.

Home Maintenance

2009-08-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

The scary thing about owning your own home is having to become a do-it-yourself expert overnight. I admit I miss calling maintenance on the phone to complain about any little problem and expect them to come in a timely manner and fix it (free of charge, of course). Now, we're on our own.
Our first task as homeowners was to clear out the birds that were living in our dryer vent. Yep, there were birds living in our dryer vent. We had seen them come and go for a few days before we decided that we should do something. And to our surprise, we found three baby birds in there.

We had no idea what to do, but put them in a bucket and hope their parents would come and get them... Do birds even do that?

This picture does not even come close to representing the mess that was in our vent. The bits of feathers, grass, tape, and who knows what else went back three feet in our 4 inch diameter vent. Elvin had to connect two wire hangers end to end to reach it all. There must have been a nest in there for years and different birds would come and add to it each season.

To our relief the birds survived. At least we think they did. The morning after this ordeal one of them was gone. We figured he flew out of the bucket and ran away. They weren't tiny birds. They must have been close to leaving the nest anyway. The next morning, another was gone. The smallest one stayed for a few days more and even let me give it some water. We thought we were free of them when the the last bird left, but Elvin spotted in down our window well after he came home from work. It may have flown out of a 12 inch bucket, but there was no way that it would ever fly out of a three foot window well before it died. Elvin ingeniously captured it (using a pole and Kiana's play teapot). I wish I took a picture. As soon as we placed it back in the bucket it hopped right out and ran away through a gap in our fence. Kiana made sure we prayed for it that night that it would find it's family... so, I'm sure that's what happened...

WE GOT IT!!

2009-06-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

I decided not to chronicle every move made in the craziness that is home buying. A lot went on after that first counter. So here it is now, yadda yadda yadda, we just bought a house!!! Well technically, it's not a done deal until we close (July 16th). Hooray! I'm so excited. The sellers were awesome (please disregard previous post) in finally compromising, we got a pretty good deal too .

Counter Offer

2009-06-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

We got a counter offer this afternoon. Our initial offer was low, but not totally unreasonable. We were surprised then when the sellers hardly budged from their listing price. Maybe it wasn't meant to be? Either that, or they're gits.

We'll counter tomorrow, but if they won't come down, we need to keep looking. Thanks for all the comments. I'm sure we'll find the "right place" for us.

Making an Offer...

2009-06-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Elvin and I are meeting with our agent tonight to make our first offer! It's not the house I posted last time, but I think this is the one. First of all, it's about the only one we've seen that we can afford. But besides that, we really like it. It's a condo (I like to call it a townhouse - sounds fancier). Here's the link http://www.utahrealestate.com/886366

A Change of Plans

2009-05-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

I removed the countdown about buying our first house, because I don't think it's right anymore. Elvin and I were planning on waiting until our lease ends in October to buy our first house, but that is probably going to change. My little Kiana is starting kindergarten this fall and it would be ideal if we were in a house before she started. So why don't we just move early? Our lease is the only thing stopping us. We're going to start looking now and when we've found a house, find someone to take over the last 3 months of our lease. We're not exactly sure how easy/difficult this will be. I'm sure it will work out (a positive attitude reverses the effects of stress).

So if I were to put up another countdown, it would probably say something like "50 Days Until We Buy Our First House." I've been feeling really excited, and nervous, and hesitant, and then usually happy again.

We've looked at a few houses and I liked one of them, but I'm not completely sold yet, there's still a lot to see. Here's some pictures: http://www.utahrealestate.com/870940

First Words, Steps, and Gray Hairs

2009-05-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

This month has been full of firsts. Last week Kaleo took about 5 steps in a row out of nowhere. I thought it was a little strange that he didn't just have a"first step," but several. He's done it twice since - taking 4 or 5 steps and falling down. He seems to not care for it though - only walking when he's not thinking about it, realizing, and then promptly falling.

Kaleo has also chosen to be a little more vocal. His first word is "ball" Which, coincidentally, was Kiana's first word. I was worried that it was all in my head or something ( Am I making it their first words? is "Bah" really the word "Ball"?), but after close observation, I am confident that he understands he is communicating the verbal representation of a spherical object.

Another "first" concerns yours truly. Last week I discovered my first gray hair! I am not sure why I was, and am still, very excited about this discovery. I can only conclude that it feels like some sort of badge of honor. that I've earned some sort of distinction only held by hard working, dedicated women.
Yes, I am quite sure it is a gray hair (Elvin doubted me). I remember my mom talking about, and often simultaneously yanking out, her white hairs. She would say that they're not like normal hairs; they're thicker and kind of wiry. I, on the other hand, have left my wiry, white emblem of fortitude right where it is.

The BIG 3-0

2009-04-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

My dear hubby is officially an old man (just kidding hun...). His 30th Birthday was Monday the 27th. We had a small surprise party with my family on Sunday that I actually pulled off (Elvin has a way of finding things out). I can't believe we're past the "30" mark. elvin was 24 when we got married! Time has gone by so fast...

Elvin, Here is your life (In about 10 pictures):

I love you, Elvin! Here's to 30 and many more!!

Easter Pics

2009-04-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'm always so bad at taking pictures of my kids when it matters (like Christmas, and of course, Easter). Here are some of the better ones I was able to get (I forgot to pull out my camera until we were already late for church).

Bird Watching

2009-03-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Kiana and I were walking home from school yesterday when she pointed out a bird in a tree above us, "Look mom, a mourning dove!" I just gave her a "uh - huh," (not believing that she could really point out different species of birds). There was a woman in her front yard filling her bird feeder that overheard Kiana and came to look. "Yep, that's a mourning dove" she said. I was shocked. I thought it looked like some kind of pigeon... Preschool: 1, Mom: 0

Kaleo Updates

2009-02-22T17:55:00.001-08:00

Kaleo is 7 1/2 months old and has just had some major milestones. He started crawling last week and sprouted his first tooth a few days ago! Besides waking up a few times during the night, he is taking the shards of bone protruding from his tender gums pretty well. He is happy to be able to move around. I can just put him on the floor with toys while I do the dishes. It's great. Kaleo loves to make noise. He has discovered how to clap and loves to scream (especially when we're in line at Walmart) His eyes are still hazel, like his moms, and quite lovely - I must say.

Breakfast: by Kiana

2009-02-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize I fell asleep as I was reading in bed this morning, but Kiana came and woke me up and told me she had made breakfast. She will sometimes make me toast sparsely coated in jam, so I was surprised when I saw this:

Kiana's Breakfast:
Complete with a pancake, roma tomato, and candy!

My Breakfast:
Notice the sparkling cutlery?

She is sooo funny. See how clean the table is? It wasn't clean earlier this morning. It was littered with remnants of last nights dinner. She cleaned the table, set out plates, forks, spoons, and even napkins!

Countdown to the Big Date!

2009-02-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Elvin and I have been saving for our first house for a little over two years. We were lucky to get involved with the "Utah Saves" program along with a research study at BYU. We save a little money every month for 3 years and they'll triple it! We only have until November 1st, 2009 before the 3 years are up. We are so exited!

I made a countdown to the big date. As you can see I chose a cute, but small house to represent our future home. (We'll be lucky if we can even afford one that's cute:)

2008

2009-01-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

I like what my sister-in-law, Michelle, did on her blog, so I'm copying it. Here's what 2008 looked like for the Ake's:

Sorry!

2009-01-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

I want to apologize... I've been a terrible blogger. But I guess I have excuses, here they are some of them:

1. My not-so-little baby. He'll be 6 months this weekend. Happy Birthday Kaleo! Well, not really... But any excuse for cake, right? Kaleo is still nursing, ergo requires 30 minutes of my time every 2-3 hours. He loves to play and giggle. He babbles a lot, but only says one thing... "DaDa!" I don't think he knows what it means, but Elvin loves it. He's said "MaMa" once, but despite daily attemps, hasn't said it since.

2. My favorite preschooler. My adorable little Kiana attends preschool 4 days a week and is learning so much. She writes her name well and loves drawing. Just today she gave me a picture with words on it. It said "Fish Kisses and Gorilla Hugs." Surprised? Yeah, So was I! She had copied the letters from one of her books. She is so smart. when I'm not feeding hungry Kaleo (or making dinner for hungry Elvin) I love playing games with her. I would much rather participate in a rousing game of memory than blog, sorry...

3. Utah Jazz. Elvin still works in the fan relations department and now that the season is in full swing, he works more than usual. Not a lot more, but the hours can vary from the normal 9-5. And so affects all other aspects of daily life.

I hope these excuses suffice for now. They come with a promise that I will update as much as I can (without interrupting rhino rampage... we love that game.)

Fun at the Museum

2008-12-11T21:53:00.000-08:00

I always feel guilty that Elvin and I never take advantage of all the great resources we have here in the city -- so I made him go to the museum last week :) He complained, but I know he secretly loved it...

lots of big bugs

"Is it real??"

I'm not sure what this is...

Solid Food!

2008-12-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

My little baby has been dying to eat some real food. We gave him some mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and I've been giving him rice cereal everyday. He loves it! He's so excited that he can hardly sit still.

Mmm...Mashed Potatoes

All Gone

S0 Excited!

They're Back!

2008-11-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

My brother and his lovely wife, Michelle, and their two boys have returned to the homeland! No, not England or anything, UTAH! Sorry, stinky Decatur, Illinois, they're ours now. No offense, of course, all you Decaturians, Decaturites? It's going to be great having them around again.

Luke and Kaleo

Little Ty

Peek-a-Boo

2008-11-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

My little Larry playing peek-a-boo with me. He's almost 4 months!

Kaleo's New Toy

2008-10-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Farm animals "exersaucer" (I know, it's a dumb name...)

Concentrating really hard

He got it!!

We got Kaleo a new toy yesterday. I felt bad that he was spending most of his waking moments staring at the wall... He didn't mind, but I guess a three-month-old wouldn't really know. I know, I'm a terrible parent :) Well, it's not too late to change, scientists say that most kids don't remember anything before age 3 - they call it infantile amnesia (hey! my psych degree at work!!). So, for all you parents with children under 3, don't worry, you can start over... your kids won't remember :)

Two is a Wonderful Number!

2008-10-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

I remember the trepidation I felt just a few months ago at the perspective of doubling my children. I worried how I would cope with two sets of needs; how to divide my attention among both without leaving one feeling forgotten or neglected. While I admit it hasn't always been easy, it has been wonderful! It seems completely natural to love each child wholly but uniquely. I love to see them interact and how effortlessly Kiana has accepted her little "Le-Le" (Lay-Lay). I'm sure Kaleo has mutual feelings for Kiana -- he loves to stare at her and tracks her every movement

Here they are watching T.V. -- a past time they both enjoy.

And while two is a wonderful number, I must admit that I can't wait for a whole lot more :)

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this is really "blog-worthy," but I haven't posted anything in a long time... so here it is :). We carved pumpkins for family night and had a grand ol' time.

Kiana's First Haircut

2008-09-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, Kiana is 4. But no, she's never had her hair cut. Her hair started growing really long when she was about 2, and we didn't have the heart to cut it. I finally convinced Elvin that it was time. Her hair has become increasingly difficult to brush. It was so damaged and tangled at the ends (her newborn hair) that she would scream like death whenever I combed it. There was often a night I would be chasing her around the house with the brush! I tried detanglers, leave-in conditioners, anti-frizz cream and it was still like trying to comb a wet tumble weed. I took her to the local Walmart and spent $10 (haircuts are expensive now-a-days). She was really scared at first, but after being offered root beer flavored hard candy, had quite an enjoyable experience. Of course I took lots of pictures (some before and after's) and even saved the hair. I plan to get a trim every few months, but at the behest of her father, keep it as long as possible.

Football Hopeful

2008-09-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Elvin posed Kaleo for these pics. The football is as big as he is :) Oh, and one with Kiana (she hates when we take pictures without her.

Two Months Old

2008-09-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

My little newborn is no more :( He's HUGE! He had his two month check up yesterday and his doctor said he looked more like a four month old. He was in the 80th percentile for height and 95% for weight. In two months he has gained nearly 7 pounds!! Does that even happen??

Hawaii Pics

2008-09-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted a million pictures of our trip to Hawaii, but an internet filter in the Energy Solutions Arena doesn't allow Elvin's co-workers to see the slide show, so this is for you Amanda, Debbie, Brittany, and Mary Jo ;)

A Rainbow at Waikiki Beach

Ice Cold Coconuts at a Roadside Stand

Tattoos at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Lovely Larry

Kiana at Baby Makapu'u Beach

Family Pictures

Hawaii!!

2008-09-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Hawaii! We got back late Tuesday night. Despite loads of drama getting there, we arrived and had a fabulous 11 days. We didn't have time to do everything we wanted, but Kiana loved the beach and I got to try almost all of Elvin's fav food spots (yummy's, Yakiniku, On On, Zippy's...). Elvin was able to see his family. His dad came from Samoa to meet baby Kaleo. And He and his siblings finally designed a headstone for Eric (it should be up in a few weeks).

Kaleo's Blessing

2008-08-26T22:06:00.001-07:00

These are the only pictures we got on Sunday of the blessing (I know, we're terrible at taking pictures). Kaleo wasn't too happy about his tux, but he sure looked cute and thank goodness, after this ordeal, he slept the whole time.

Notice the open top button? Yeah, it wasn't even close. A true Ake neck :)

Pics

2008-08-24T21:26:00.001-07:00

Preschool!

2008-08-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

Kiana started preschool a few days ago. She's officially a big girl! It's at the local elementary school. She attends 4 days a week for 3 hours a day. She loves it. I'd like to lie and say that this picture was from her first day of school, but we were so frantic the first day we weren't able to get any pictures. This is the second day of school :). Notice the wet hair? Yeah, we're still not on top of it. Maybe next week...

So Expressive!

2008-08-14T22:37:00.001-07:00

Come on, take the picture. We can't get any more adorable

Hey lady, leave me alone already ...

No, I don't beat her. I told her she couldn't have cookies for lunch :)

Having a really good dream :)

Kaleo's First Bath!

2008-08-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Kiana & Kaleo

Yeah, I know... She's Crazy

All Clean!

Baby Kaleo

2008-08-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

He's on to us!

Just Chillin'

Kaleo, Kiana, and yes, that's Dora...

My Big Boy

2008-07-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Before
After

Kaleo was 7 lbs. 6 oz. when he was born. He got down to 6 lbs. 15 oz. when he left the hospital. He was tiny! At his 2 week check-up today he weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz.! The doctor was shocked at how much he's grown. He's still not very chubby, but he'll get there if he continues to eat the way he does.

Getting to know Kaleo

2008-07-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Spending all of your time with a new baby really enables you to get to know him. It's fun to watch Kaleo and see his mannerisms, hear his cries, and see him trying to focus his eyes to look at you - and when he goes cross-eyed in the process :)

One thing I really love about Kaleo is, after he eats (which is pretty much every waking moment) and before he falls asleep, he just lies there - almost paralyzed. His eyes roll back into his head and his breathing sounds incredibly labored. I was trying to remember what this reminded me of and I finally got it --- Its Mojo! Next time he eats, I'll take his picture. I think you'll find it looks a lot like this:

Ballerina Kiana

2008-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

We signed Kiana up for a community ballet class and she had her recital a few days ago. Here are some pictures. I know I'm biased, but she was definitely the cutest ballerina there.

More Pics

2008-07-17T14:59:00.001-07:00

He's Here!

2008-07-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

On July 10th at 10:13 am, we welcomed our little boy, Larry Kaleoho'omaunui Timoteo Heong Ake, into the world. We were scheduled for an induction on the 9th, but the hospital called and told us that they wouldn't be able to get us in. We were bummed, but surprisingly I went into labor on my own that night. Despite the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice, he is very healthy. He looks a little like Kiana, but definitely has his own unique features. He is so sweet, but very demanding. He ALWAYS wants to eat and makes an unbelievably cute squealing sound when he's hungry. We are so thrilled to have him in our family. We've only known him for three days, but I feel like he's been with us forever. Kiana loves her little brother and can't wait for chances to show him off.

Waiting for Baby

2008-07-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

No baby yet! I was due yesterday, but we're still playing the waiting game. We've scheduled an induction for tomorrow. I'm not crazy about being induced, but things will work out better this way (with Kiana and all). Who knows? Maybe I'll go into labor on my own tonight:) I'll make sure to post lots of pictures of the baby when he comes.

My Haole Husband :)

2008-06-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

Elvin's family tree is extensive and confusing. I'm still not sure how certain "aunties" or "uncles" are related to him (if at all!) Elvin has recently been very interested in sorting everything out too. It seems like everyone he asks has a different answer, but his oldest aunty (who is not really related to him at all: his grandma was adopted into her family...) seems to remember things others don't. Anyway, little is known about his grandma's real parents. Some stories say that her dad was a gambling man and lost her in a card game :) Others say that her family couldn't take care of her and gave her to some friends to raise.

Elvin was trying to figure out where his Chinese ancestry came from and discovered, from his oldest aunty, that his grandma's dad was German! Others don't agree, but if she's right that means Elvin is 1/8th haole! This is very unsettling to him. He's been looking in the mirror the past few days and whining (like he looks different now, or something:). It's not just that he may be part white now, but that means he's less Hawaiian than he thought. I suppose it would be traumatizing to believe something about yourself your whole life only to find out something else.

5 Years Down, Forever to go...

2008-06-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary! It seems like such a big deal. I feel like we need to do something really special and romantic - there's only one problem though - I feel like I'm about to explode with child! I'm due in 8 days. Elvin and I talked a lot about what we want to do tomorrow and we decided to have a "family anniversary." After all, we are celebrating the start of our ohana. We went out to dinner tonight as a family- Chinese, of course - with all-you-can-eat crab legs. Yum! Tomorrow we are going swimming, lunch, and then a matinée showing of WALL-E.

I know it might be kind of lame to spend your 5 year anniversary at a matinée showing of a Disney movie with your 4-year-old, but it's worth it! I'm so happy that I get to be having another incredible child with my wonderful husband. He's my everything. I need to remind myself more often of how lucky I am to have someone as amazing as Elvin. He is the kindest, most gentle, and completely loving person that I've ever met - a perfect situation for an abrasive and demanding wife :)

I love you, Elvin!

Serious Tan Line!

2008-06-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

I always put sunscreen on Kiana when we go swimming, but she came in yesterday with a major tan anyway. Her skin just absorbs everything! Without the sun, her skin is pretty pale, but put her in the sun and she turns brown! This is from swimming for an hour yesterday. Elvin says that if we lived in Hawaii, she'd always be brown and her hair would probably be bleached from the sun. But I guess anywhere we are she'll have to get used to serious tan lines.

To induce or not to induce?

2008-06-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

My doctor asked me last week if there is a chance that I would want to induce labor at 39 weeks. I also have had lots of friends telling me that induction is the way to go. While I can see the benefits, it seems so strange that I can have so much power over what happens in such a natural process. Who am I to decide my baby's birthday? Shouldn't he decide? A baby's weight is also so important - everybody asks how much your baby weighed when he/she was born. If I took the baby a week early what would be his real birth weight? Would I have to say for the rest of my life, "He weight 7-1, but he was a week early."

Who knows though, maybe in a week and half (when I'm 39 weeks) I'll be banging down the hospital door...

Camping Adventures

2008-06-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

We took Kiana camping on Friday. A sort of last hoorah before the baby comes. We felt bad because we had never taken her camping before - something that both Elvin and I really enjoyed growing up. We went up big cottonwood canyon with Elvin's mission companion, David, and his two boys. Kiana had a blast! Depending on the temperament of the baby, we hope to go again before the summer's over.

Kiana and Ty

2008-06-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

I watched "baby Ty" (as Kiana calls him) for a few hours when Jake and Michelle went to the temple while they were here. Overall, Ty was pretty miserable, but especially when Kiana left his sight. She would leave the room and he would instantly start to cry :( The only time he was really happy was when Kiana laid with him on our bed and sung him songs.

New Calling

2008-06-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was called to be the first counselor in the primary yesterday. I'm excited but worried about two things: I love Relief Society and I don't care for kids... We'll see how it goes :)

Superhero Crazy

2008-05-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

Right now Elvin and Kiana are bundled up on the floor watching "The Justice League." Kiana is making sound effects and pretending she's the "flash." I don't see the appeal, but every Saturday morning I wake up to those two already watching another series featuring their favorite heroes. This is usually annoying (they're happy when I wake up because it's finally breakfast time for them), but overall pretty cute. Elvin loves that he has a little buddy who shares his interests. If Kaleo is anything like his sister and dad, I'll have to get used to this...

My Family

2008-05-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Aren't they cute?

Unbelievably Silly!

2008-05-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Kiana's favorite new thing is posing for pictures. She's always asking to get out the camera. She's no Olivia, but she's starting to be a real ham. The main difference between Kiana and Olivia is that Kiana refuses to make a pretty face (I have to catch her off-guard to get anything decent). Kiana loves "funny" pictures.

Kiana's Preschool

2008-05-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Kiana has been going to preschool once a week with other 3-year olds. She loves it. Today is her last day and she starts real preschool in September. Here are some pictures I took last week.

Happy Birthday Michelle!

2008-05-13T15:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Michelle! I saw this picture of you and Kiana and it made me laugh. I hope you have a good day... or as Elvin, and I think Jake, says a "birthday week!"

GO JAZZ!!!

2008-05-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

With the threat of utter defeat from the Lakers behind us, it seems more possible than ever that the Jazz can finally go all the way! Next game is Wednesday night in LA, so we need unwaivering faith. No doubts. Go Jazz!!!

Superhero Song - Andy Samberg

2008-05-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

This video is from Saturday Night Live. It's so funny! Enjoy!

Kiana's First Stitches :(

2008-04-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Kiana cut her foot and had to get stitches last night. I put a garbage bag outside on our back porch because I wasn't ready to take it out; and Kiana walked passed it and I guess there was a can lid that sliced right through the bag and her heel. It wasn't that bad of a cut (I think the stitches were far more traumatizing than the cut itself). I was scared. I realized at that moment the weight of my responsibility as a parent. I am responsible for her. It's my responsibility to decide what to do; she relies on me. In the panic of it all, Elvin and I couldn't find one bandaid! (I think Kiana's been taking them to use on her dolls...) I luckily found some gauze and it was Elvin's creative idea to use scotch tape to hold it on (Yeah, the nurses laughed a little). By the time we got to the hospital she was fine - like she had forgotten she hurt herself. I wasn't sure if I had overreacted by deciding to take her to the hospital. She did need 3 stitches, though. It was so painful to see my little baby scream as they numbed the area. She looked at me with trust, and I again felt inadequate as a parent. I'm glad Elvin was there because I started to cry and had to sit down. But everything is okay now. I'm glad I had this experience. I know I can handle more than I think I can...

Enjoying the Weather

2008-04-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

Right after Caitie and Ben left it got really warm. It's too bad it wasn't nice when you guys were here. It's no Florida, but here are pictures of Kiana playing outside. have fun, you guys. Take lots of pictures.

Third Trimester, WooHoo!

2008-04-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm 7 months pregnant today, officially in the third trimester. According to those weird pregnancy websites my baby is about the size of Bok Choy... Anyway, 3 months left. Yay! It's gone by pretty fast.

I'm due July 7th. Let's hear some predictions of when the baby will really come. The closest prediction will win a new car! A car being a metaphor for nothing, of course...

Elvin's Other Wife :)

2008-04-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

Elvin, Kiana and I were looking at some pictures on our computer last night. When Kiana saw this one of Elvin at a high school dance she said, "Daddy, your wife is pretty." Elvin and I laughed so hard! It's cute to hear the interpretation of the world through a toddler.

"Where does it come from?"

2008-03-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

The past few months Kiana has been obsessed with asking where things come from. I mean everything! Every meal she eats, her shoes, her toys, Mcdonalds, air!! One of my favorites was when she asked me where fingernails come from. Translating what you know of anatomy into 3-year-old speak is surprisingly difficult...

"where do houses come from? Is there a mommy house?" "Where does chocolate come from?" "Where do letters come from?" "Where do clouds come from? Do they sleep at night? Where are their faces?"

Yesterday, she asked me where paper comes from and when I told her 'trees,' she just laughed and said I was being "silly." She doesn't believe me! When she asked me where babies come from, I was surprised how easy it was to explain compared to explaining where air is and why we can't see it. I told her that all babies come from heaven and that mommy's and daddy's help each other make the baby and put it into a mommy's tummy. She was satisfied with my answer, but told me next time she would help me make a baby because daddy made a boy baby (and she really wanted a girl)!

Disney Princess on ice!

2008-03-26T12:27:00.001-07:00

Because Elvin works with the Jazz, we get free tickets to a a lot of the events at the arena. Last week was "Princess Wishes" the Disney Princess ice show. Kiana had a blast! She loves the princesses. Sommer got tickets too and brought Jadyn. Kiana was Snow White, Jadyn was Sleeping Beauty, and Olivia was Belle. The day after the show Kiana asked to go again. I had a hard time explaining that it's not an every day occurrence!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-03-26T11:44:00.001-07:00

I was tagged by my sister, Michelle. So, here is a little info about my hubby and me...

What is his name? Elvin Kamana'o Taumafai Ake.
How long have you been together? We'll be married 5 years June 28, 2008.
How long did you date? Our first date was February 13th and we were engaged March 29th!
Who eats more? We both love to eat! It's one of our favorite pastimes, but I'd have to say Elvin. I can hardly eat a full meal anymore. My stomach's so squished.
Who said "I love you" first? Elvin. I didn't tell him until the week after...
Who is taller? Elvin. But the height discrepancy is small... good for avoiding awkward kisses.
Who is smarter? Elvin knows a lot of things I don't, like computers etc., but I know everything else. Just kidding, honey! We compliment each other nicely.
Who does the laundry? Definitely me. If it were up to Elvin we'd never have clean clothes... He tries to help with the folding, but thanks to my dad, I'm super picky about how things are done; and I've relieved Elvin from that responsibility.
Who sleeps on the right? Elvin. When we were on our honeymoon I wanted to start sleeping on the side that our future kids could get to me easier if they needed, and it stuck. I guess I didn't realize that it depends where the the bed is... anyway, it feels weird to change sides now.
Who does the dishes? Me. I won't let Elvin do the dishes. He did them almost exclusively the first 4 years of our marriage, before we had a dishwasher. I hated doing it. Now we have a dishwasher so I have no excuse not to do them. Plus I need to make up for what I didn't do for so many years...
Who pays the bills? Elvin puts money in the bank and I write the checks.
Who mows the lawn? Lawn?? Yeah right! Maybe in a few years. We're still apartment-bound.
Who cooks dinner? I usually do, not because I'm better at it though. Elvin is a great cook. I love when he makes dinner!
Who is more stubborn? Definitely me. I'm working on it (sounds familiar, Michelle?) Elvin is so sweet and puts up with me; the good and the bad.
Who kissed who first? Elvin kissed me on our second date. I tried to turn away, but I was sucked in to his beautiful, dark eyes. I still can't resist them...
Who proposed? Well, Elvin never really asked. He told me we were going to get married. He said he knew it was right and that I would soon come to the same conclusion if I prayed about it. He was right...
Who has more siblings? I have 8 and Elvin has 4. I win!
Who wears the pants? We definitely both share the leadership role, just in different areas.

About the Ake's

2008-03-13T13:54:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Michelle, for forcing (I mean helping) me to start a blog for our family. It's good to see what everyone is up to and keep in touch. As you can see from the pregnancy countdown, we still have a long way to go before our little boy arrives. He is due July 7th. We've been calling him Kaleo (Kuh-lay-oh), so if history repeats itself, that's what his name will be. We are planning a trip to Hawaii in September so that Elvin's ohana can meet the new baby. Here's a picture of one of the many beaches we'll be frequenting - just to make everyone jealous...

Some pics from the Ake Ohana

2008-03-12T21:52:00.000-07:00