Videos to go with Napua's Pics

Haha! Napua got this doll from a friend and she just loved it...at first.
By the end, I think she was like "I'm so over this, guys" :)

This was so funny. As Napua got older, she progressed from her sweet smiles and cooing to outright laughing. I tried so many times to capture her laugh on camera, but she would always stop before I could get it recorded. This time, she was laughing at Codi's dog impressions and I caught it. The family may be surprised to see that Codi has moved from her cat impressions to dog impressions...oh, wait for it; there at the end, the cat makes a surprise reappearance. Haha, just kiddin' Codi! Codi wasn't sure if she liked the idea of my posting this video, but she agreed so that you could all see Napua laughing.

Videos to go with pics posted on 3-19-09

I thought I would add a few videos that I made to go along with some of my pictures that are already posted. Some of the views just needed a little animation! They don't all fit on one post, so more will follow later.
1. Wailua Falls in action as well as some of the surrounding area. It was so much fun to go out and see some of the sights. Waterfalls are just so pretty :)

2. Spouting Horn in action.
3. Blue Ocean scene.

Napuaokalani from 1-1-09 thru 4-29-09

Aww, precious :)

Napua got a little sun on this day. I hadn't seen her for almost a week, and she seemed so different, taller and skinnier or more grown up somehow. I don't know what, but I had to get some pictures!


Napua lounging in her new bath robe from Macy's.

Cool girl in her sunglasses from her Easter basket.
Napua checking out her Easter basket that is as big as she is, haha!
Napua showing off her Easter dress with a huge smile for the camera :)
Napua's first experience in the high chair. It was a little too big for her, but she looked so cute in it. It was funny, she liked chewing on the tray even more than she liked eating her carrots, haha!

Napua enjoys going outside and Codi is good to indulge her in this. Above, they were going on a walk. Below, they were going on a safari in the back yard!

This picture is especially for Grandma! Awww! How cute :)
I have had such a fun time getting to know my little niece, Napua, while I've been living here in Hawaii. She is such a great baby. She hardly cries except if she's hungry. She is always willing to give her smiles freely. She has even gotten to the point where she will laugh if we do something that amuses her. I love her so much :) I went a little picture crazy, but am just posting some of my favorites. Below is a new Sunday dress that she just looked adorable in!

Above: It was so funny. This jacket was a little too big for Napua, but we put it on her anyway to keep her warm. As she would swing and sleep in her swing, the hood would slowly work its way over her eyes. It would wake her up every time. I got this picture before she started fussing. It just cracked me up so much :)
Below: Sometimes Napua just got these funny looks on her face. This was probably more from the bright light than anything. She would just give me looks like "oh great, here she goes again with the camera!"

Above: I loved this shot. She looked so cute in her green onesie with her toes all stretched out. Her toes are so much fun to play with...and she loves for them to be played with!
Above: Napua's naked-jay-bird picture. We were nice enough to let her keep her diaper on ;)

I loved the little curls that she started getting. I had to get a few pictures of them. As Codi was trying to get good "curl" pictures, Napua started laughing and smiling at her. Napua's laugh is super contagious as you can see by my huge smile below!!

Kauai sights from 1-3-09 thru 4-29-09

The view out my bedroom window on Easter morning
Kilauea Lighthouse. This was the right place to go whale watching. I looked, but didn't see any whales--we were only there for a few minutes though :)
3-18-09 On our trek to the beach in Hanalei, Codi and I had to pause so that I could try to capture this scene. Wow!
3-18-09 I am continually impressed by the jagged look that the mountains here give to the horizon. It is such a different look from the mountains that I am used to on the western mainland. This picture was taken yesterday on the bus on my first trip to the North Shore--Hanalei. The bus window is the reason for the glare. Codi and I were discussing the sad shame that cameras don't show all of the detail that we can see with our eyes. I'm giving you my best, but you honestly need to come check it out for yourself if you ever get the opportunity. None of my pictures show the beautiful detail that I can see in person. Sorry :)

1-3-09 My pics are all out of order. I'm not sure how to move them without starting all over! This is Spouting Horn: the waves come in through a lava tube and then come spewing out kind of like Old Faithful. I guess it is even more impressive sometimes than it was on the day that I saw it, but I was pretty wowed by it :)

1-3-09 I was pretty amused when I first got here by all of the chickens wandering around the island. All of their cages were broken when hurricane Iniki hit the Hawaiian islands, so they now just wander around everywhere. One lady told me that they'll even wander down the aisles at Costco with you. I haven't seen that yet though!

1-3-09 One of my first days on Kauai, Codi and Kainoa took me to the Hyatt. We were going to look at their fishpond. We ended up not seeing the pond, but the sights were gorgeous anyway. I was so amazed by the luxuriousness of the hotel and its surroundings. Everything was so beautiful.
This was just one of the many beautiful sights I saw while riding around Lihue and Kapa'a on the city bus. (Sorry about the window glare!)
This was a beautiful Hawaiian sunset. It was actually ten times more brilliant; my camera didn't do it very much justice. I took this picture from a friend's lana'i--I would call it their deck or balcony.
1-25-09 This is Menehune Fish Pond. Legends "abound about the Menehune, an ancient race of "little folk" who made their home on Kauai. These mysterious people were thought to be very industrious and used their great strength to accomplish mighty feats overnight. The seaward end of the fish pond was left unfinished because dawn came before the Menehune had completed their work. Many generations later, the wall was completed. However, the stonework which closed the gap was far inferior to that of the mystical Menehune." Codi and Kainoa brought me here on our way home from looking for whales.
1-25-09 I loved this spot. This is where we were looking for whales, but we didn't see any. We found out later that we weren't in the right spot, haha! I loved how rugged and wild everything felt here. The waves were so full of energy, and the jagged mountains in the background were so impressive. I just loved it!
I was playing around with photography, trying to figure out how to take cool pictures. I'm not sure that I really have a talent for it, but I was pleased with this picture of one of the palms in our yard.
1-24-09 Wailua Falls. The day before whale-watching, we went to check out a few other sights. This waterfall and the surrounding view feels so majestic. This waterfall appears in The Testaments. I have also met several people here who played parts in this movie--most of them as extras. It's kind of cool to see spots where movies I know and love were filmed :)
1-24-09 On the same day as Wailua Falls we checked out Opaekaa Falls. These falls were very pretty, but too far away for a really good view.
1-24-09 This view was across the road from the Opaekaa Falls lookout. This is the Wailua River. Down on the right of the river, there is a little clearing with a bunch of palm trees. The clearing has a significance for the people here, but I'm not sure what it is, haha.

Kauai Stake YSA fun

This was my second fhe on Kauai. We gathered at Wendi's home in Waimea. After eating some great food--including the delicious Kalua Pig--and after playing a guessing game, we played spiritual jeopardy. We divided into 3 groups. By the end of final jeopardy, two teams were tied. Uncle Konane chose a final tie-breaking question for the teams. Luckily my team was correct and the other team was not. WE WON :) This group is so much fun to hang out with! Instead of recreating an existing blog, I'll point you toward our another blog goodpeoplegoodfun.blogspot.com to see more of the goings on of the Kauai YSAs.