...JOIN THE PARTY!...

For those of you who don't know....my Zumba classes start this Friday, January 8th at 5pm at the Dance Studio on campus at BYUH!!! Classes are $3.50 (with cheaper rates if you are currently a student) and can be paid the day of in class with cash or you can buy passes from the Educational Outreach office in the Administration Building across of the Registrar. They are also offering specials for the month of January. Check out their schedule along with rates here.

It's a new year and a great way to kick off your fitness goals! To learn more about Zumba, check out their website at here. It'll be lots of fun, lots of dancing, great music, and a great time to spend with friends! :)

DITCH THE ROUTINE.....JOIN THE PARTY!!!

...Too Sick to Blog...

So, Ilihia and I have been sick this whole week!...It all started on our last day in Vegas (this will be another post with better pics...i swear!) and ever since we've been home, Ilihia and I have been coughing and blowing our brains out all day long! Pretty picture huh?! lol

Anywho, we've been starting to get better and since I refuse to take Ilihia to school or church until we are 100% better, I figured I better get my act together and try to do something productive with my child.

And so, here are a few pics of what we do in the Owan household when we are under the weather! Enjoy! :)

...so proud of her organizing skills :)...

...she almost got them in a straight line...

...we even painted a little...

...such a little artist...

...one of the many, finished projects...

...Mork & Mindy Moment...

This year for Bryant's birthday we decided to try something we've never done before. So, we went on the ATV rides at Kualoa Ranch! I've been on an ATV before back home on Maui but it's been a really long time! Bryant has never ridden on an ATV at all so it was good that we got to go. Our guide at Kualoa was pretty funny...at first we all thought he was deaf (there was a group of ladies that were in our group and we had to fill out waivers and turn in our tickets to him, but he seriously didn't speak and just kind of motioned at things)...then, out of no where, he starts speaking to us in Japanese...that threw all of us off! Then he finally spoke english and was cracking jokes the whole time.

After a brief test drive and some instructions, we were off on the trail! It was awesome and I am so glad that we got to see that part of the valley and ranch. The views were amazing and it was just nice to spend time with the hubby doing something new. I've got to thank Grandma and Grandpa Owan for watching Ilihia while we ran away to do this! Mahalo! :)

So, enjoy the pics and try not to laugh too hard at our alien heads! ;p

...the birthday boy......at the top by the bunkers you can see from the highway......the alien and the birthday boy in Godzilla's footprint......at the bunkers (you would think I would take off my helmet by now!)......site of Jurassic Park......Hurley's golf course on Lost......Bryant by Godzilla's other footprint......me on the ATV...

...such an awesome view of the valley...

...such an awesome view of the birthday boy! lol...

...our ATV riding crew...

I'm pretty sure Bryant had a good time, and even if he didn't...I sure did! :) We are definitely going to do it again someday!

P.S.--do any of you get my title reference (or is everyone to young to know what i'm talking about)? i felt like mork from the mork and mindy show with the helmet on! lol

To keep or not to keep?

We got a new toy camera and wondering if we should keep it. Here are some shots that we took with the camera. Let us know what you think and feel free to be honest. If they suck, we're returning the camera. : P

-B

Puppet Show

...Trunk or Treat Part 2...

I know you are probably thinking "what happened to Trunk or Treat Part 1?"...well, I was too lazy to upload the pictures from Trunk or Treat Part 1 (our ward's trunk or treat), so I decided to skip to Ilihia's second Trunk or Treat!

Ho'ala Na Pua (Ilihia's school) put on a Trunk or Treat for all of the kids this year at the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center in Punalu'u. It was really fun and my first trunk or treat with Ilihia. We had our ward's trunk or treat a few days earlier, but I wasn't feeling well enough so Bryant took her to that one. I was bummed that I missed it, but excited knowing that she still had one more to go to.

I knew that it would be hot at her trunk or treat because it was during her regular school time (9am-11am) so I wanted to dress her up in something that she would be cool in. She used her penguin costume from last year for our wards trunk or treat and I knew she would die in that if I made her wear it during the day! So, after thinking about it, I decided to turn her into an aerobics baby! It was simple, cool, cute and she loved it! :)

...my little aerobics baby...

...trunk or treating at school...

...standing in line waiting for her turn to play...

...just look at those toned buns!...

...after a long days "workout"...

It was a fun day and I think it was a success by that last picture! I can't wait for Halloween again next year! Oh, and Ilihia even won a prize for her costume in her age group! :) P.S.--Thanks Niki for letting Ilihia borrow your shoes! :)

...Pumpkin Obsession...

This year we finally made it out to the Aloun Farms Pumpkin Patch out in Kapolei. I was really looking forward to taking Ilihia there because she has been obsessed with pumpkins ever since Grandma Owan pulled out her first Halloween decoration! Needless to say, the weather was great (except, I wouldn't have minded if it were a tad cooler!) and we had a blast!

We figured we would leave Laie early and try to be there between 9-10am so we could beat the crowd...yeah, it was already crowded by the time we got there, but it was even more crowded when we left. ...Daddy and Ilihia posing with the pumpkins...

...Daddy and Ilihia posing with the pumpkins...

We stood in line for the Hay Rides which wasn't too bad considering the blazing hot sun! There was a breeze and the line moved fairly quickly which was nice.

...Ilihia finding ways to entertain herself (with some help from daddy) while waiting for the Hay Ride...

...happy now that we were on the ride and catching some breeze!...

...carefully looking for the right pumpkin...

...found it!...

So after a little more than an hour, we finally found our pumpkins! We got 2 small ones and 2 medium sized ones for $7! Not bad if I do say so myself! Ilihia had fun and it was a nice family day so I really couldn't ask for more! I'll post more pics later of our carving experience once I upload the pics! :)

...Potty in the House!...

So, it's been about a week now, and I must say that lil' miss Ilihia is getting the hang of this potty training thing pretty well! She is so cute and I thought that potty training was going to be really hard with her. But, like she always does, she surprised me! We've had the little potty seat for her for a while now in hopes that she would want to use it but it never happened until last week when she asked for the potty!

She already knows when she needs to go and tells me before she does anything that she needs to use the potty. I basically just stripped her down and have been letting her be "free" ("naked") all day while we are home. She only wears a diaper at night and during car rides. I'm so proud of her! Oh, and in this one week, she has only had two accidents! And even then, she stopped herself, came to me, said "mama gotta go potty", and finished on the toilet!

Ilihia loves to flush the toilet after and wash her hands too. But I think her favorite part is putting her stickers (1 for pee, 2 for poop) up on her potty chart.


So this weekend I get to shopping for cute little panties for baby girl, and I think I'm gonna need to buy more stickers too! :)

...SHOP TILL YOU DROP!...

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am running a special this weekend only in my Etsy shop. I will be giving a FREE gift away with every purchase of $15 or more from my shop. And, there is still FREE shipping on all orders $15 or more!! Happy shopping!! :)

...Firsts at PCC...

So I decided to enroll Ilihia into a community program called Ho'ala Na Pua (Na Kamalei). It's a Parents as Teachers program for the Ko'olau Loa area on the island. It's pretty awesome! We meet with other parents and keiki, as well as the kumu, three times a week, two hours each time.

I think Ilihia really enjoys it and I feel that it is important for her to be around kids close to her age if not the same. I try my best to do as much for her at home, but it really helps having a support system like Ho'ala Na Pua. I also love that they incorporate Hawaiian language, values, principles and culture into the daily classes.

Each session runs about 10 weeks and they usually have a field trip each session. This time we got to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. This was Ilihia's first time there (a shame really since we live practically right next door!) and my first time back since I stopped working there back in like 2003 or something!

The kids got to go on a tour to the Samoan and Tahiti Villages as well as on a canoe ride. They also got to watch a movie in the IMAX theater about the importance of coral reef preservation. Needless to say, Ilihia had a blast and fell asleep half way through the movie! I'm so happy I took her and can't wait to go back for more culture!...In fact, I was so excited, I bought annual passes for myself and Bryant! Now we can go whenever we want for a whole year!...and the best part...It was only $40 total for the two passes! SCORE!!!!

...Ilihia and I at home getting ready to go to the PCC...

...dancing in circle because she is sooo happy to see her 'fwens'...

...strapped in and ready to get the tour started...

...Ilihia and mommy on the canoe ride (Ili's first time on a canoe too)...

...Representing Ho'ala Na Pua...

...precious girl after a long day...

...Swingers!...

We went walking along the path in front of the hotel and came across this hammock. Ilihia loved it and now I think we may need to get one...but I think we need trees first in order to hang it?...hmmmmm...lol

...just hanging out...

...all smiles...

...she was very interested in these pretty purple flowers...

...so much so, that she didn't want to leave!...

All in all our trip home was great! I love being able to go home and visit with family! I also want to make sure that Ilihia gets as many opportunities to spend time with her cousins and great-grandma Purdy. That's one thing we didn't get to do this trip...visit my grandma...but I guess that just means we will have to plan another trip! ;)

...Tubs of Fun!...

Ilihia loves tubs!...bath tubs...hot tubs...okay...are there any other kinds of tubs?...jacuzzi tubs...lol...you get the idea! We went swimming first thing in the morning on one of the days we were there and the water was too cold for me and surprisingly too cold for Ilihia. So, we went into the hot tub! I think I can safely say that she enjoyed herself in there! What do you think?

...And we're off!...

We started off our trip to Maui quite early in the morning. Ilihia wasn't ready to wake up, but once she did...she was a blur! She seemed to be very intrigued by the luggage carousel when we were on Maui. I think she may have even helped Bryant grab the bags off the thing!

...Ilihia was pretty much a blur this whole trip!...

...waiting for our luggage (and no, that is not my FENDI bag!)...

We were fortunate to stay at the Wailea Marriott Beach Resort and Spa while we were there. My mom works there so we were lucky and got the hook-ups! SWEET! Ilihia got to spend some quality time with her cousins Kama and Keli'a. Those three are like little fishes! They seriously would have spent all day in the pool if we had let them! I love these kiddies as if they were my own! And Keli'a can melt Uncle Bryant's heart in seconds! She literally is like his second daughter!

...cousin kamaha'o and keli'a...

...the three musketeers with bryant pushing them on the swing in the pool...

...say cheese!...

...Greetings from Maui...

...me and ilihia taking a picture with her great-great-grandpa (fo' realz)...

...daddy b and ilihia at seven sacred pools in kipahulu...

...a sleepy ilihia and papa arriving at the pools...

A couple weeks ago we were able to go to Maui for the weekend. Bryant's mom and dad were able to go to. These are just a few pics from the trip. We got to go to Hana, Ulupalakua, Makena, and all over! We have more pics, but they are on Bryant's phone and I really don't feel like posting too much right now! So...until then, enjoy these! :) Happy Friday!

...Good Times Together...

Happy 4-year Anniversary Bryant! It was 4 years ago today that I made the best decision of my life and married this wonderful man! We've had so many laughs, good times, joys and growth over the last few years. You are amazing! I love the way you love me and the way you take care of me and Ilihia. You are an awesome person, and awesome friend, and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I love you! Even though we've only been married for 4 years, we've been together for nearly 7 (yay lucky number 7!) and I wouldn't trade any of those years for anything in the world!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

...Playdate with Daddy...

Today Ilihia got to play on the playground at daddy's workplace on his lunch break...no...Bryant doesn't work on a playground! It's one of the perks of working on a base...lots of family friendly things to do. Ilihia got to run around and spend some time with daddy. I love moments like this with family and wish we were able to do them more often! Ain't she just the cutest thing ever?! :)

...Hello...

Okay, so I know I've been sucking lately at blogging and picture posting...well, I don't have any really good excuses other than I've been playing...I don't seem to have my camera with me EVER...and oh yeah, I've been playing! :) Anywho, just wanted to write a quick post and let everyone know that we finally have Ilihia sleeping in her own bed! Woo-hoo! Last night was her first night in her own room, so I of course stayed with her for a while. Then, later that night, daddy b came in so I could go sleep in my own room. As soon as I left Ilihia woke up and started crying for me. I still went into my own room and watched helplessly as Ilihia cried, "Mama! Mama!". Daddy b was doing great at getting her to go back down and did so not much later, but boy was it hard to watch my little girl cry out for me and not run to her! I missed my little cuddle bug so much that it was hard for me to fall asleep and I even cried a little at the thought of my baby girl no longer being my baby. I know, I'm a wuss! But, I must say that I am very proud of myself for not running back in to be with her! One night down...a million more to come! :)

...New Promo...

FREE SHIPPING when you purchase $15 or more of my "Little Gifts" now-July 14th! :) Happy shopping!

...Gotta Love Technology...

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that I've got my 'Little Gifts' posted in my Etsy shop. Check 'em out on my site. Happy Shopping to you all!

...Who Doesn't Like Free Gifts?...

Oh, yeah....and to help get the word out about my little business....because I am just soooooo excited for all of this....I am doing a giveaway! The first person to comment on this post (or the previous one) and place an order, will receive a FREE hairpin of their choice from those pictured in the previous post (red, yellow, or green)! :) Yay for you!