January 16th, 2021 – HaPpY nEw YeAr!!!

Hau’oli makahiki hou! Happy New Year!

I hope everybody had a nice Christmas & New Years Holiday. Even if you don’t celebrate – it is still a special time of year.

Christmas morning, not a creature was stirring (yet!)

Our normal Christmas routine was affected by the Covid 19 induced quarantine. We usually go to a couple of Christmas tree farms to visit Santa & ride the tractor pulled sleighs. Unfortunately that was a no go for us this year! The boys love to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Not as many houses were decorated this year, but we still got out a couple of times.

BELIEVE!

Keoni, Makani & Keoni and the Rombiero’s Christmas house

I think the boys had a good Christmas???

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For New Years we planned a Balloon drop and let them stay up until midnight (Eastern time) 😀

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That’s all for this post. I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy and sane during these wild and crazy times.

God is everything or he is nothing!

Mahalo ke Akua

December 16th, 2020 – Aloha Kalikimaka…

Aloha Kalikimaka (Love Christmas!)

Greetings everybody & Merry Christmas (Mele Kalikimaka)!

Hopefully everybody is safe and doing well. Another Shelter In Place order has been issued for our county. This one expires January 6th. There are so many Mom & Pop businesses that probably won’t make it through another economic shutdown like this. Restaurants are allowed to sell meals + alcohol for take out or delivery. Outdoor dining has been banned once again. Ugh… 2020 has not ranked up there as a favorite year for me.

The boys are still doing virtual learning and I am working from home. Everybody has been a little stir crazy being cooped up for so long. After Thanksgiving I decided to surprise the boys and take them to Fort Bragg to ride the Skunk Train. I purchased tickets 1 year ago and the time was never right to go up there. We took a chance and decided on a last minute spur of the moment trip! (literally the night before we went!)

Early morning departure…

They love the Skunk Train!

The boys were so excited when we finally arrived. We walked around for a while and found a cool motel that was right on the beach. We weren’t planning on spending the night, but it was a 3 hour drive and it seemed worth it to stay another day. Plus the motel had firepits with an ocean view!

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I have a hard time believing it is almost 2021! This has been the longest, shortest year I can remember! 😀

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Happy New Year and be safe!!!

Mahalo ke Akua!

November 16th, 2020 – Winter is coming…

Happy Fall everybody, Winter is coming…

There’s a chill in the air, our wildfires have subsided, the smoke from the fires has finally cleared, our night-time temperatures are cold and sporadic rain showers have returned. We are doing our best to strive for some sense of normalcy amid this global pandemic. I can not imagine how this must feel to a 5 year old! I have to admit that our boys are handling it better than I could have expected!

Masks have been a part of our everyday life for the past 8 months. Fortunately the boys don’t mind wearing their masks when we are out in public or attending Taekwondo classes. Speaking of masks, Halloween was effectively cancelled in our area. We gathered our neighbors and hosted a block party for the kids in our neighborhood. Social distancing guidelines were followed – Treats were individually bagged and set on a table at the end of each driveway. The neighborhood kids came by to show off their spooky costumes! A good time was had by all!!!

We visited our local pumpkin patch and the boys had a great time running around and climbing on the hay bales. They wandered around the kids maze, but we are not brave enough to tackle the Big Maze yet! I read a news article that it took a team of local law enforcement officers 5 hours to escape the big maze! lol 🙂

The boys got to ride horses for the first time – they were so surprised when I gave them ride tokens!!!

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I pray that all of my friends, family and loyal readers are safe during these unprecedented times. The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful. Fear and anxiety about the disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. However, these actions are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Coping with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.

Stress during an infectious disease outbreak can sometimes cause the following:

• Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones, your financial situation or job, or loss of support services you rely on.
• Changes in sleep or eating patterns.
• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
• Worsening of chronic health problems.
• Worsening of mental health conditions.
• Increased use of tobacco, and/or alcohol and other substances.

Get immediate help in a crisis:

• Call 911
• Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish), or text TalkWithUs for English or Hablanos for Spanish to 66746.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522.
• National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4AChild (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-4453.
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
• The Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116.
• Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Crisis text: 8388255.

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Next up Thanksgiving – Mahalo ke Akua

October 16th, 2020 – More Fires, here we go again…

Greetings everybody.

September & October have brought us another Wildland fire once again. This one totals over 1 million acres. I pray for all of those that are directly affected by the latest tragedy. I have been trying to avoid the phrase “The New Normal”. I hope and pray that this is not the new normal that my boys will be forced to navigate throughout their lives!

A beautiful day by the bay…

Once again wildfire smoke has engulfed our state making it difficult to breathe and get outdoors. The boys have adjusted to wearing masks and do so willingly without issue.

Masked up with their Taekwondo teacher Miss Baum

As many of you know, my brother passed away unexpectedly in July. We had an impromptu memorial in Reno with our ‘local family’ in his honor. I’m still looking forward to the day that we can all get together and grieve our losses together.

I hope you and yours are navigating through the pandemic, wildfires and upcoming presidential election with minimal issues. I hope that you have registered to vote! Please vote because your life and your kid’s lives depend on it!

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Until next time. Mahalo ke Akua…

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September 16th, 2020 – A Note to my Sons VI

Happy 5th Birthday to my sons!

Happy 5th Birthday boys. You little dudes have been through so much this year. 2020 has been a year to remember! How could we ever forget: the Corona Virus Pandemic, Record breaking wildfires across California, Oregon and Washington, plus you started Transitional Kindergarten virtually through Zoom. We have been under shelter in place orders since early March. After all of those obstacles had been put in your path, you just kept rolling with it. I know it hasn’t been easy – but the three of you have handled it better than anyone could have expected.

The Golden Gate Bridge, enveloped in SMOKE!

Kaleo Samuel

My little man. You are so opinionated and very independent! You are also very artistic and you have adjusted the best to virtual TK. You are a little bit of a ham and I think your ‘Too Much Sauce” t shirt fits your personalitly perfectly! Happy 5th Birthday – Baby Kaleo!

Makani James

My little Daddy’s boy! You are such a sweet, sweet boy. I look forward to our daily talks each and every morning. You have such an “Old Soul”, it’s like you’ve done this before. You are wise beyond your years! It means so much to me that the Aloha spirit is alive and well within you! Happy Birthday – Makani Boy!!!

Keoni, my little/Big Man! You are so athletic. Your physical prowess amazes me. I have a hard time believing we took your training wheels off after 10 minutes! Haha, you haven’t looked back either. You are such a ‘Momma’s Boy”! You Love your Mommy so much! You are so very sweet and you have a super infectious laugh. Thank you for always helping me unload the Costco Groceries and helping me cook in the kitchen! Happy Birthday Big Boy, Keoni!

I love my family so much.

I was never this COOL!

2020 has opened my eyes ALL that really matters in life! Health, Happiness, Family & Friends!

God Bless all of you and your families as we embark on this next journey around the sun.

Thank you for following along!

Mahalo ke Akua!

Time for Cake!

Uncle Rob taking the boys for a ride!

August 16th, 2020 – Virtual TK starts next week!

Hey everybody,

Hopefully everyone is safe and healthy. This pandemic, plus the Shelter in Place rules are pretty crazy. I never thought I would experience this type of worldwide calamity in my lifetime. So far we have been able to maintain some semblance of sanity throughout the lockdown. The boys continue to grow on a daily basis. We try to do as much outdoor activity as possible without putting ourselves or our family at risk.

The boys start Transitional Kindergarten August 18th. I stayed up almost all night last Tuesday, because my brain was spinning out of control about how we could do virtual classes at home with 3 – 5 year olds! Besides the dining room table there was no ‘real’ place for them to study without distractions getting the best of them. We have an arts & craft table from Pottery Barn that we were using for toy storage and art projects. We decided that it would be best if we cleaned up that area for them to use. I put down yellow & black tape on table top to designate their work spaces. I think (hope) it will work out, if not – it’s the best we can do for right now! I valiantly searched high and low for kids desks, but I had NO luck whatsoever! Apparently the entire planet is sheltering in place and attending school remotely.

We have done a lot to try to keep the boys occupied and entertained these last 4 months. Physical release is paramount to their growth and demeanor. We spent a lot of time walking and playing in parks around our neighborhood. I have to admit, I am running out of ideas to keep them busy.

First trip to the skate park!

Big boy!

Morning Walk

Morning Walk

Morning Walk

Kaleo

Makani

Keoni

Morning Walk Donuts

Open, open, open…

Success!!!

We went to the coast a couple of times and got to spend a little time at the pool too!

Kaleo front flip!

Keoni front flip!

Cautious Makani!

@kahalewaiboys

Beach life!

Beach life!

Keoni skipping rocks

We did a movie night and camped in our backyard last weekend! We had hoped that we could see some meteors from the Perseid meteor shower, but the moon was too bright. The boys did get to check out the moon through the telescope and got a kick out of that! Backyard camping! Group hugs in the morning!

Our Taekwondo Studio started in person training last month, so the boys have been able to enjoy some social interaction with their classmates. Albeit at 6 feet of separation with a mask on!Kaleo – knife-hand, hayahhhhh!

This week’s flashback is to the boys first stay away from home at a hotel – Monterey Bay!Please pray for those that are suffering, inside and outside of your circle. Most people will put on a good face and tell you everything is ok. I pray and hope that you and your Ohana are safe and healthy.Next month – the boys are turning 5!!!Malama each other – Mahalo ke Akua!

July 16th, 2020 – In memory of…

Greetings everybody!

On July 2nd, our family was devastated to learn of the passing of my older brother. He was only 63!

The boys loved their Uncle and I know that they will miss his presence in their life. Their birthdays are just 2 days apart. When we took the boys to Hawaii to celebrate their 3rd & 4th birthdays, he was there too. We got together to swim, eat plate lunches, go to UH Football games and enjoy Matsumoto’s shave ice. My brother and niece loved taking the boys out on their paddle boards. We liked to meet up at the Anahalu River on the North Shore of Oahu. (I am sure that this was his ‘Happy Place!’) Out on the water they enjoyed searching for turtles and the scenic beauty that is Hawaii.

He was an amazing brother, father, grandfather, husband and friend! He loved his Ohana – from his wife, to both of his daughters, all of his grand-kids, nieces & nephews! He was the perfect example of living the Aloha spirit.

Growing up in Hawaii, my brother loved the water. He was an avid surfer. He started paddle boarding when he got older. On his days off you could always find him out on some river or lake paddle boarding. He was lucky enough to enjoy one last paddle with his friend before passing.

You were my older brother, my best friend, my gambling buddy and my road trip partner. I have so many memories growing up with you. You taught me how to drive a car, ride a skateboard and ride a motorcycle. You lived to travel and visit far away places.

You were like my ‘Hawaii Dad’ -I will miss your kind, funny, adventurous spirit. I looked up to you and I always wanted to be just like you! There is a big hole in my heart – Rest in Aloha brother, until we meet again. ❤️❤️❤️

The picture below was taken in June of 2020. We didn’t know it at the time, but it would be our last dinner together as a family. I feel grateful to have shared these moments with you…

Tomorrow is not promised. Show your family and friends how much you love them. Tell them you Love them. Hug them a little bit tighter. Don’t take the time that you have together for granted. Live for each moment and make as many memories as you possibly can.

Malama Pono – Live Aloha…

Mahalo ke Akua…

June 16, 2020 – 4 years 9 months

Hey everyone!

There has been so much happening in the world – I almost forgot this month’s blog post! (Thank you for the reminder Rachel)…

I am having a hard time putting into words how I feel about the most recent events that have happened around the country. I truly believe that 99% of the people in this world are GOOD people – I refuse to let the other 1% alter my thoughts…

We have been sheltering in place since March 15th, a little over 3 months. Here are some pictures from the last 30 days…

Hang Loose!

ICE CREAM!!!

Movie night!

Movie night in the garage!

That’s a BIG chair!

Dinner with family

Rub a dub, dub…

Makani James

The boys have been really working hard to earn their stripes so that they can test for the next belt in Taekwondo. They all got it on Monday and are Ready to Test!

READY TO TEST!!!

Mahalo ke Akua – God Bless!

Until next month – Peace be with you…

May 16th, 2020 – Shelter in Place (SIP)

Greetings everybody!

We have been sheltering place for 2 months. For the boys this means No – preschool, parks, visiting with friends/family, Sunday school, Taekwondo classes, eating out at restaurants and more! The boys have been through so much in their short lives. We experienced a Nuclear Missile threat on our first trip to Oahu with them, 2 of the largest wildfires in our state’s history and now the Covid 19 Pandemic. I would be lying if I told you that I wasn’t worried about what the future holds for them.

Our new normal during the shelter in place restrictions consists of working from home, trying to find activities and new ways to release the pent up energy that almost every 4 1/2 year old exudes.

We have spent a lot of time on family walks, virtual Taekwondo classes and even building a home made slide on our stairs.

Family walk

Brotherly Love

Stair slide

The boys have been taking Taekwondo classes remotely using the Zoom App. Last week they tested for their Orange belts and passed!

To be a Black Belt Leader!!!

They have been learning so much – I can’t say enough good things about Martial Arts, the development of self confidence and respect that they gain is amazing! Last week was Spirit Week. Check out some of their costumes!

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We miss our friends and family, but we know that it is in everybody’s best interests to stay at home – to ensure that we have a safe future – TOGETHER!

Silly boys – Wacky Wednesday/Spirit Week

Their booties still fit in their Tonka trucks

Star Wars Day – Spirit Week!

Until next time, Mahalo ke Akua – God Bless!

April 16th, 2020 – Covid 19

Aloha everybody,

How is your family surviving the quarantine? As you may expect, life with 3 – 4 1/2 year old boys can be a little rough (especially 24×7)!!! I have been working from home, so I have setup a work area in the garage to try to get a little separation from the boys. I asked a friend if he had any carpet scraps and he was able to come through with a perfect piece for us! We have been using the garage as an extension of their play area & Taekwondo classes have been moved online.

Playing while I work

Exercising

Magnatiles (Kaleo & Keoni)

Dance Party (Kaleo & Makani)

We have had some decent weather so we’ve gone on a couple of walks/scooter rides around the neighborhood. It’s hard because all of the parks and playgrounds are closed. Fortunately – exercise is considered an essential activity!

The other day I made an obstacle course on the sidewalk for the boys & the neighborhood kids to enjoy. It’s been a welcome relief to the stay at home blues! 🙂

Oh yeah – Happy Easter! We spent Easter Sunday unlike any other that I have experienced. We went to church via Live Stream. The boys hunted for Easter eggs inside of the house and out in the garage because it was raining outside. We also did a drive by and visited Grandma & Grandpa from a distance

Eskimo kisses – Honi honi!!!

As you can see in the picture below – the boys needed a haircut!

Luckily – I am the only stylist they have ever been to! They clean up well!

Kaleo, Makani & Keoni sporting their new haircuts!

As challenging as it is has been, we have been extremely fortunate to not have been directly impacted by the Corona virus pandemic. Our prayers go out to all of those who have been affected and their families.

Remember to tell your loved ones that you love them, hug your kids a little tighter, be kind to your neighbors and community – we can & will get through this together!

Brotherly Love…

Mahalo ke Akua / God Bless!!!