Hawaii Theatre

Last Wednesday we took the kids to their very first opera, Cameron's too; The curse of Lao-Ling. It was short and and sweet and very cute.

It was the first time any of us had been to the Hawaii Theatre. A gem nestled in the heart of China-town; glowing with bright lights and immaculate tiled walls and gold trim. The audience was filled with children and they were encouraged to participate. Since the opera only had three people, (yep, 3) every performance they ask for six volunteers from the audience and they teach everyone the songs so we too can participate.

Marcus and Lohena loved it and I was very proud of Cameron for keeping an open mind.

I want to thank my daddy for making it a point to expose us as young children to the arts and wonderful world of music and theatre. I am so grateful that I have been able to experience some great and creative performances like, Fiddler on the roof, Phantom of the Opera, Honolulu Symphony, The Nutcracker, Lion King, front row James Taylor concerts and so much more; and I hope to do the same for my children. Next month we are going to see Wicked and I am so excited!

in my bed

Sweet baby girl. 

She found her way into my bed...again. I am such a zombie.

I remember with Marcus, I woke up and changed him, fed him burped him, rocked him and an hour later finally fell back asleep only to do again a few hours later. 

And now, I have no idea what happens. 

Poor third child. 

xoxo

Look at these squish-er-in--ers.

(Lohena, Layla & Marcus)

Halloween

I know that you have seen pictures of the boys dressed as Spider Man, but I needed to document this. Yes, Cameron is a Giant Nerd; I am a #2 Pencil and baby girl is a Spam Musubi. Until next year...I love Halloween!

Mr. & Mrs. Conway

Layla's first flight 2012

Last weekend, Cameron, Layla and I went on a small weekend getaway to Palm Springs. This was Layla's first trip and a much needed trip for Cameron and I, especially me! Side note, she did awesome!

Anyway, we flew up to see one of Cameron's childhood buddies, Scott get married. Scott was also in our wedding line, and we wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was so nice to be a part of this special occasion and share and enjoy in the love and fun that this couple and their families had to offer. Such a gorgeous bride, wedding and evening.

Me and Layla waiting for the wedding to start.

The gorgeous wedding reception at The Parker.

Cameron and Scott.

Fairy Tale Reception

Cocktail Hour

Adorable favors. 

Yes, I slipped into a pair of slippers as the night went on. And I sat at the Alice in Wonderland Table.

Photo booth fun. 

Although we didn't know anyone there, and I don't know the groom very well, and this was my first time meeting the bride...AND Cameron made me stay at the Holiday Inn (which was the bomb) we had so much fun. It was a small intimate gathering filled with people who obviously loved this couple. 

In this life I hold tight to those few friends who have stuck it out with me throughout the years. Those who have shared tears and laughs, even toys and boys. There is nothing like picking up exactly where you left off, as if time has suspended. Friendships like these are far and few and worth holding dear to the heart. I have met so many great people and cannot wait to see our new, old friends again soon. 

Congratulations and best wishes for a long, love-filled and prosperous marriage!

*I forgot this photo in the original post.

**They are having their first dance to song, "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid! So stinking cute!

Happy 2 months

Layla Kilinahehali`alaokamailelauli`ili`i Heide

(AKA: baby, baby girl, baby sister, pretty girl, honey baby)

On October 26th, baby girl made 2 months old. 2 whole months. Time sure does fly and yet at the same time, it undoubtedly feels like she has been a part of our family for a very long time. Layla is now 13 lbs and 25 in. She is in the 95th percentile in the nation for both weight and height. She is getting so big! Love you!

One Dollar

Upstairs in my room there is a plastic bin on my dresser filled with money. Coins found from around the house, dollars earned from chores, and all being saved for Disneyland. I would never know if there was any money taken from it, and in fact, there has been some money missing.

The other day Marcus, who just loves his teacher made her a beautiful card. It was filled with "letters" stickers and love. A modern-day love note really. That day he gave it to his teacher and apparently she loved it. After school when I came to pick him up I overheard him talking to his teacher about what she could do with her money. He said, "you can buy some goodies or whatever you want."

I asked Mrs. Nobriga, if she got her note and what was in it. She told me she loved it and that he had put a nickle in it. I thought it was so cute and thoughtful.

The next day, he made her another note. I told him that he didn't need to make her a note everyday even though she loves them and he promised it would be the last one. The next week Mrs. Nobriga asked me if I had gotten the dollar. What dollar? Did Marcus find a dollar at school? She said, no and said that her last note had a dollar in it. He wanted her to come to Disneyland with us and so he gave her a dollar from our Disneyland fund.

It really is sweet and he was extremely embarrassed. Apparently he gave her the dollar and when she gave it back, he snuck it back into the jar in my room. We went the whole weekend without talking about it. She giving it back must have been such a terrible feeling for him. Did he think she didn't love him back? Is that why he put the dollar away without telling me?

This whole thing had me a  little worried that Marcus was associating LOVE with money. Yes, Marcus is a words of affirmation kind of kid so obviously he loves his teacher, but it was still unsettling. What was I showing as love to my child? This experience was cute but also eye-opening. It gave me a chance to reflect on what Love Language I speak to others. If you haven't had the chance to read the 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman, it is a must-read. It will change your perspective on love.

Anyway, later that night he and I had a heart-to-heart. When I brought it up he started to cry. He was really embarrassed and I just wanted to make sure he understood that showing love didn't have to mean giving money to others. Together we brainstormed different ways to show love, like, teaching someone how to swim or finding their dog. :)

Marcus,

you are so thoughtful and kind. You are already associating and understanding love and relationships. I wish I could keep you innocent forever and never let you get hurt or grow up. I hope I show you love in all the ways that you need it. In all the ways that touches your heart and speaks your love language. Keep being who you are!

I Love you,
Mom

Haunted Lagoon

PCC Haunted Lagoon

2012

Last night for Family Home Evening we went with the whole family to the Polynesian Cultural Center to ride the Haunted Lagoon. The Haunted Lagoon is a canoe ride throughout the PCC about a woman who lost her child. In fact, I didn't really follow it too well with all the yelling and screaming, but it was worth the price.

Anyway, this would seem super scary for little kids, so PCC has a keiki ride. It's the same thing but toned down. Good thinking; we thought we were so clever. Anyway, we bought tickets for the kids to ride the keiki canoe and grandpa was going to take them so the adults could ride the scary ride. Yay for us.
BUT Of course what happened? PCC made a mistake and the kids "keiki ride" was treated like a regular adult ride. The kids were so scared! I felt so terrible for them and they asked to never come back again. *sigh. After I felt bad, I was pissed. How do you make that mistake. Ugh. Anyway, judging by the fact that they were able to sleep in their beds the whole night I think they are doing okay.

Happy Halloween!

Spiderman, Lightning McQueen & Spiderman

(Lohena, Kamahele & Marcus)

Alana, Layla, Kamaile & Kahala

Layla's Blessing

Layla's Blessing

10.14.12

(We struggled at a family photo!)

This past Sunday we blessed baby Layla. She was such a doll in her white outfit, headband and the beautiful white blanket grandma made. She didn't even cry and Cameron remembered her whole middle name and didn't have to use his cheat sheet. Cameron was able to give Layla a blessing and a beautiful one at that. I guess I will never truly understand the love a father has for his daughter. With every word spoken I could feel the spirit and it was strong. I wasn't sure if Cameron was going to make it all the way through. He blessed her with love, worthiness and prosperity. He blessed her that when the time comes she will find a worthy spouse that will treat her like the daughter of Heavenly Father that she is.

To all my family that came to celebrate and those who were able to be in the circle, thank you. I know it was a lot to wake up for 8 am church. Thank you for being a part of Layla's life and our's as well. What a touching moment to see Cameron, My dad, my two brothers, Kahi and Lopaka in the blessing as well. (Lopaka, I can't wait to go through the temple with you. xoxo) Thank you to Tyler, B, Shawn, and Megazar. 

Husband, thank you for giving her the blessing and for being worthy to do so. Also, thank you for honoring your priesthood. I don't know if you truly understand the magnitude of what that gift is and what it means to me. I am grateful to have it in my home and I thank my father for setting that high standard for me. Please give us blessing often.

To my children, I have such an amazing testimony of this Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I am blessed to be your mother. What an opportunity to be your mother here on Earth, I need to always remember that, especially when I am thinking, "Dear God, why me?!" I'm sure you boys are thinking the same thing as well. "Why us!?" The Lord has entrusted me with you and our eternal family. I have a testimony of our living God and our living Prophet of whom he speaks through. We are given many trials and blessings here on Earth and our goal is to return to him together as a family. Please never forget to stay close to the Lord and keep life in perspective. Service others often and remember that when you are in the service of your fellow man you are in the service of God. Remember why you are here and what your purpose is and you will indeed prosper. 

I love you all.

And, to Layla. You are such a joy to us. Continue to grow and grace us with all that you have to offer. You have endured much at such a young age already and we are so glad that you are healthy and strong. You have a such a sweet spirit and disposition. Go far in this life and set your standards high. Be dedicated, passionate, loyal and loving. Strive to follow your dreams and get as much education in this life, for knowledge is the key to success. You will always be my baby and I know daddy's little girl. 

I Love you ~ Mom xoxo

The enitre crazy Durrett eternal family...for now.

2012

Just had to share these 3 crazy cousins!

Lohena, Bobo & Marcus

The happiest place on Earth

I can not wait for this!

One more month.

Lazy boy

He fell asleep in the car and was too lazy to walk.

Typical.

Diamond Head

Diamond Head

10.8.12

This week for Columbus Day we had an awesome family day. 

We decided to hike Diamond Head to show the kids some of the beautiful things in their own back yard. I don't know what I was thinking taking Layla, but she slept the whole way ( I think she loved it) and to get my sweat on was so worth it. Not to mention the view was gorgeous.

FYI:

Diamond Head is a defining feature of the view known to residents and tourists of Waikiki alike. The volcanic tuff cone is a United States State Monument. While part of it serves as a platform for antennas used by the U.S. government and is closed to the public, the crater's proximity to Honolulu's resort hotels and beaches makes the rest of it a popular destination.

A 0.75-mile (1.1-km) hike leads to the edge of the crater's rim. Signs at the trailhead say that the hike takes 1.5–2 hours round-trip, and recommends that hikers bring water. Although not difficult, the signs also say that the hike is not a casual one: the mostly unpaved trail winds over uneven rock, ascends 74 steps, then through a tunnel and up another steep 99 steps. Next is a small lighted tunnel to a narrow spiral staircase (43 steps) inside a coastal artillery observation platform built in 1908. From the summit above the observation platform both Waikiki and the Pacific Ocean can be seen in detail.

The volcano is a symbol of the worldwide recognition of the Hawaiian Islands; because of this, Diamond Head is widely used for commercial purposes (see Diamond Head (film) and Diamond Head (band)). Many souvenirs from Hawaii and surf shop logos around the world bear the volcano's distinctive silhouette.

Kids Workshop- Fire Trucks

Kids Workshop-Home Depot

10.6.12

Every first Saturday of the month Home Depot hosts a FREE Kids Workshop, and every month it is something different. This month's theme was Fire Fighters. The boys got to meet  real firefighters, take a tour of a real fire truck, paint and build fire trucks and even play with a fire simulator. It's like a video game extinguisher that allows you put out a digital fire. 

Like always the boys got their certificate of completion and their pin. They even got a little treat for Halloween and cupcake.

Nana Rosa

Marcus, Nana & Lohena

Children's Discovery Center 10.2.2012

My mother-in-law Rosa flew in from Seattle for two weeks to help us out while everyone was sick. She has helped nurse us back to health, cook, clean, and babysit. Thank you for letting me sleep in every day. Not only are the kids a little bit more spoiled but so am I. Thank you for all that you did for us even though you had to sleep on the bottom bunk!

My dear Marcus was so sad to see Nana leave, he cried tonight in his bed. I expected something like this. He did this the last two times she came and left. It just broke my heart. When Marcus was born we lived with Nana for a year and together they formed such a strong bond. We will see you soon! 

Love and miss you already! xoxo

Sick Baby

Kapiolani Hospital 2012

Some of you may or may not know that just three weeks after my sweet baby was born, we were back in the hospital. Except this time it was not for a routine check-up.

The night before we were admitted into Kapiolani Medical Center, Layla had a fever. I wasn't quite sure, since I have never experienced a sick newborn. However, Marcus had come down with an infection. And like most families who have children in school and have more than one child, that infection swept through our little, unsuspecting family like wild fire in a dry meadow.

Not knowing what to expect and with the encouragement of my pediatrician, I took Layla to the ER to simply get her 100.3 fever (which is very high for a newborn) checked out. I soon learned that all infants under 30 days old were admitted for a minimum of 48 hours. And since they are so young EVERY single, dang test is performed. Now that is something you can't really prep for. She drew blood, urine, spinal tap, x-rays and even had a baby IV inserted. Flushed with antibiotics and vitals every four hours, we were finally released and able to return home. 

We are finally recovering and doing well. One month down and I regret to say that I have not been able to do all of the exciting new born things with Layla. For a while the days were filled with doctor appointments, night medicines and isolation. And now, I finally get to sit on the couch and do nothing but hold my baby girl. You know, the "exciting" things like, where you sit and stare at your child all day long. I love it. 

Five weeks old now, Layla is getting strong and healthy. She is 11 lbs, and 25 inches long. She still has a lingering cough that breaks your heart every time you hear, but she is going to get through it!

Thank you to all of my friends and family who prayed for us and sent positive thoughts our way. Also, I cannot express enough how grateful I am to all of those who took the time to prepare a meal for my family. It  was a huge burden lifted, and not to mention delicious.

Also, thank you to my mom who took care of my boys and Rosa, my wonderful mother-in-law who unselfishly flew in from Seattle to take care of us. 

We love you both! xoxo

Layla Photo Shoot

Here are the sweet, sweet pictures of my baby girl. 

Thank you to my sister, Alana Yates for photographing our little angel. Check out her site here.