A Day in LA

On Saturday afternoon, we realized that we had a free Sunday and that once soccer season is in full swing, we won't have any free weekends for quite a long time.

So we spontaneously (which is a word not usually part of my vocabulary) decided to head to LA for a very quick trip.

The kids were excited to see the "Hot Now" sign on at Krispy Kreme and no matter your age, you have to love the conveyor belt of donuts, the sheet of icing and the free samples as you stand watching the yummy-ness happen!

Jason thought he had his career path figured out.  He was going to follow in Ben's footsteps and work at Legoland.  After the Krispy Kreme experience, he's now thinking of a second career.  On the drive back home he asked if kids could volunteer to help at Krispy Kreme.  Now he's thinking!

We stopped at the Lego store to see what new things they might have... everyone came home with a little something.  I think one of the coolest parts of the store was the city that someone had built and was on display.  In addition to incorporating Marvel, Transformers and Star Wars into the city, the kids were excited to see homage paid to Back to the Future!

We went to Porto's for Sunday breakfast and could not believe how many people were up and out before 9am in LA!  It's a mystery why they don't have Porto's in other cities.

We spent some time at the Natural History Museum, which we haven't been to in quite awhile!  Everyone has their favorite part, whether it be the gems or the dinosaurs...

But my favorite part was going to Pho 87 in downtown.  I love this place.

For me, this is heaven on a plate and in a bowl...

 
Since the kids have never been to UCLA, we felt like it was time to give them a tour.  It's been a long time since Sho and I have been on campus... it was great to reminisce and also see what's new.

 Feels like we did a lot (of eating) in 24 hours... I guess there's something to be said for spontaneity! 

Back to School

Today was the day!  We worried that with the time change from being in Hawaii and the late nights watching the Olympics, it might be hard for everyone to be ready for the first day of school.  But, the kids were up and eager to get back to school!

Kara is starting 4th grade and even though it's a very small school, she crossed over to the other side of the sidewalk division and is now with the big kids at school.  As a 4th grader, she is looking forward to being a book-buddy to one of the girls in kindergarten.

Ben is starting 2nd grade and he has a teacher that Kara never had, so he is eager to see what this year will be like.  

To our surprise, even Jason was excited to go back to school.  Even though he is not actually starting until next week, we stopped by preschool to check out his new room and say hello to all the teachers.  Usually when Jason wakes up and learns it's a school day for him, his response is "Aw, can't I just stay home today?"  So when we were still on the plane coming home from Hawaii, Jason asked if he was going to school the next day and was disappointed to learn that he had to wait a couple of weeks.

A dropping off Kara and Ben and getting Jason ready to head back to kindergarten, I said to Jason, "You just have one more year and then you'll be in kindergarten already.  I'm going to miss you when you're in school every day."  Jason's reply was, "Don't worry, Mommy.  I'll come back."

So we're back on school schedule now... but there's nothing like a little shave ice (and a costume) to remind us of all the fun we had during summer vacation.

Jason's Island Birthday

For months, Jason has said that we're going to Hawaii for his birthday.  We had actually planned the family trip to Maui and the dates just happened to coincide with his birthday, but isn't more fun to think you're taking a Hawiian vacation for your birthday?

Jason turned 5 on August 8th.  Sho and I cannot believe that our baby is already five.

 Jason was excited to have an "island cake" to celebrate his birthday.

We also enjoyed a banana creme pie to celebrate Jason's big day.

And Jason came home with the ultimate birthday gift and souvenir all wrapped into one!

Jason loved playing and swimming in the ocean, playing in the sand and snorkeling.  He saw lots of different fish, but I think the highlight (for me, at least) was that he saw and swam with a sea turtle on his birthday!  

Ben loves everything about Hawaii... he said his favorite part was the Portugese sausage and loco moco, spending time on the beach and snorkeling and writing his bucket list (of things he wants to do in his lifetime) while we sat at the beach.  Ben is fascinated with the humpback whale.  He chose a wooden whale as his souvenir, got a fact book about whales and is determined to see a whale in person one of these days.

Kara loves the ocean... she really enjoyed boogie boarding and snorkeling.  We thought maybe there would be a surf lesson during this trip, but maybe next time.  I'm glad she still enjoys things like playing in the sand and making sand malasadas for the family.

Since Uncle Jack grew up on Maui, we always make a point to visit Makawao and see some the the places he remembers from childhood.  

On these family trips, we don't seem to do anything particularly special, but what makes it so special is that everyone is together, having a great time and we all have wonderful Maui memories that we'll cherish always.

Until next time.... Aloha!

Happy Birthday floats

Before heading on vacation, Jason invited Grandma and Grandpa for dinner and then root beer floats.  A simple, yet wonderful way to celebrate Jason's birthday.

After the floats, Jason gave me a hug and sweetly said, "Mommy, thank you for celebrating my birthday." 

One more celebration to go on the 8th - finally, his real birthday!