Spring Break and Easter 2017

For spring break and Easter, Dallas’s parents, sister and niece came to visit. We all had such a great time hanging out with everyone! Makai acted like the perfect older cousin, holding Grace’s hand, warning her she’d get dizzy if she kept running in circles and chasing after her when she ran away.

Kathy came with Makai and I to his swimming lesson and afterwards we went to Joong Boo Market. Makai liked looking at everything, but did not like the area near the kimchi. He was clutching his Korean Cheetos and gagging. Kathy said he is not a real Korean. Outside we got dumplings to take home for everyone for lunch.

At night Kathy made Korean vegetables pancakes and meat jun.

Kathy, Caroline and I took Makai and Grace to the Chicago Children’s Museum. Makai had been there one time when he was younger and I think he was on the edge of being too young for a lot of stuff. This time he had so much fun in every exhibit. He could have spent all day in any one of them.

 Dallas and I unexpectedly came by some Cubs tickets last minute, right before the game started. It was a gorgeous day and I finalized a job offer at the ballpark!

While we were at the game, Makai, Grace, Caroline and Grandpa and Grandma dyed Easter eggs.

We went to an Easter egg hunt at Palmer Square. Makai and Grace had so much fun collecting eggs, but neither one of them wanted anything to do with the Easter Bunny!

We had a barbecue at our house. Dallas made Korean short ribs and mac salad and kimchi stew. Everyone loved the food. Todd and Kelly brought Chapo and all the kids loved him, especially Halle. Brian and Grace formed a lifelong bond!

On Easter morning, Makai and Grace found their Easter baskets that the Bunny brought. Grace had so much fun collecting more eggs that were hidden around the house. Makai loved his Raphael toy and yelled that it was exactly what he wanted!

It was so fun to have Makai and his cousin Gracie together. I cannot wait til we can all get together with Mahealani too!

Hawaii Day 5: Arriving at Aulani

On Day 5 Makai slept until 6 am, which seemed like sleeping in, compared to the previous days! We had breakfast and packed some things. We were headed to Oahu! Makai drank POG juice for the first time on our inter-island flight (Hawaiian Air). In the Honolulu Airport, we discovered that the car rentals are now in the airport so we didn’t have to take the shuttle over to the car rental place. So convenient.

From the airport we drove to Aulani, the Disney Resort. When we checked in, I was greeted in the lobby with an orchid lei, Dallas with a kukui nut lei and Makai got a menahune necklace. Josh was already at Aulani with Juney and Mae and Josh’s friend Angus. Angus was leaving, but we had plans to stay in the suite with Josh and the girls. Too bad that Tweeny had to stay home with the youngest, Daisy.

Our suite at Aulani was amazing and so perfect for us. It was two bedrooms, three baths. There was a full kitchen and an awesome and large breakfast booth in the dining room. There was a living room and three patios. We were on the ground floor and we could exit the room through the patios right to the pool area. We never really had to go into the actual hotel.

Josh showed us around the resort and we immediately ran into Chip and Dale.

And then Donald Duck! Makai was so shy!

Back: Rachelle, Billy, Damien, Angus, Hoku. Front: Juney, Josh, Mae, Makai, Dallas.

We headed to the pool with Josh, Juney, Mae, and Angus. Dallas asked Makai if he wanted to go on a slide and Makai, of course, said “Yes!” So they head up the steps and I wait at the bottom of the slide where it comes out, into the pool. I found out from the lifeguard that two people can’t go down at the same time, so I keep checking the stairs, thinking they’d be walking back down any second. I was waiting and waiting and kids were coming out of the slide, literally screaming. I was looking at the steps when Makai came flying out. He made no sound at all! I ran over and Dallas came out next. I asked Makai, “Did you have fun on the slide?” He said, “YUP!” I said, “Want to do it again?” and he said “NOPE!” I went down the slide 2 days later and it was so dark and scary! I don’t know how a 2 year old did it alone!

After a while, Billy, Ging, Damien, Hoku, and Ka’eo came over and joined us at the pool too! Oh, and also, Josh’s sister, husband and her two kids. Damien didn’t want to go down the slide but then we told him Makai did it and he’s only two, so Damien had to go! We also hung around the lazy river, the hot tub, which Makai called the bubble bath pool.

At 6pm we all headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. It was quite a lot of people who had to shower and get dressed, so good thing there were 3 bathrooms! Makai was in the tub cleaning up and Damien and Hoku came barreling in and jumped in the tub with him. It was pretty hilarious. Makai freaked out!

We had all had dinner at Makahiki on the Aulani resort. This was the most amazing buffet – scallops, sushi, mussels, prime rib, oysters, snow crab, sashimi, stone crab, jumbo shrimp.

 Back at the hotel, the kids all played together. Then, Billy, Ging, Hoku, Damien and Ka’eo headed home to Waimanalo. Mae headed for bed and so did Makai. Dallas and I stayed up with Juney, while Josh ran his sister and her family home in Honolulu.

 Juney and I played a game on Josh’s iPad where we took photos of Josh and Dallas and gave them crazy hairstyles!

Dallas and I slept in bed with Makai and it was the worst! Makai tossed and turned and I got kicked in the face three times! At one point I woke up and Dallas was laying sideways at the end of the bed!

Old Family Photos

Grandma has thousands of photos and over the week we poured over them remembering times long past. We each took a few of her photos as keepsakes.


1945: Grandpa (right) with a friend.


1946: Grandpa (far right) with a friend and a Red Cross worker.


1946: Juanita and Grandma.


1968: My dad, Rick.


Not sure the date on this one. Grandpa, Grandma, Rick.


1975: My mom, Mary, pregnant with me.


1976: Me with my plastic pants.


1976: Me playing dress up with dad. Look how skinny his legs are! Ew!


Christmas 1976: Me opening presents.


Christmas 1976: Grandpa.


Christmas 1976: Me.


1977: Me and Donald. Donald is still in my bedroom today.


1984: Grandma visits WI, our house on Pine St. in New London. Rachelle, Grandma, Richard.


1985: Family vacation to Orlando. Grandma and Richard.


1985: Family vacation to Orlando. The oranges weren’t ripe so me, Richard, and Lisa held up ripe, store-bought oranges to the tree for this photo.


1985: Family vacation to Orlando. Rick, Richard, Rachelle, Mary.


Dont know when exactly this is. Mid 80s. Mom and Dad.


1985: Sabrina, Richard, Rachelle, DJ.


1985: Sabrina, Dawn, Richard, Rachelle, Anna, DJ.


1985: Richard, Molly, Rachelle. Nice flip-flops. And notice how I’m giving the camera The Finger.


1986: Richard, Bill, Stephanie, Erica, Bethany, Rachelle, Kacey, Amanda.


1987: Richard.


1990: Doug, Richard, DJ, Rick.