Christmas 2008

Mele Kalikimaka!!!

Here are some pictures of our fun Christmas this year. As you can see we had quite the crowd over at our place.

Da Boys....can't wait to open their presents!

Robbie....still shy

Esa with her gifts

Ali'i with his pile of gifts...FB nga!:)

Isi with his Nentendo DS....Santa was generous this year....had to redefine being good:)

Sleeping Students

Wake up surprise!!!

We celebrated Christmas Eve dinner over at Mom & Dads....our last dinner at their home on campus. They will be moving to the Temple View Condos next week.

We adopted 9 BYUH Students (Friends of our niece Naomi) who spent the night and Christmas day with us. Abi remembers Christmas as a BYUH student and how excited she was to get off campus and spend time with friends at the homes of families like ours. Out of the 9 students, 8 are spending their first Christmas away from home so we were happy to welcome them into our home for a Pinoy type Christmas meal of BBQ beef, Srimp kabobs, Shrimp pestosa (Joel's recipe), lumpia, fruit salad, and lots of sweets.

We spent the day with Mom and Day and our adopted BYUH daughters playing Wii, DS, singing Karaoke, and of course eating more good food.

2008 Recap

Kongaika Family 2008

Last minute Family Christamas Picture at the Hawaii Temple Visitor's Center


I am sure that most of you agree that like any other year, 2008 flew right before our eyes. And like any journal/diary, some of us have a hard time keeping up with our blogs. A quarter of the year passing without any entry is normal for Rob & I. One more thing, unlike many of you, we just had our Christmas family pictures taken yesterday, leaving us with no time to do a newsletter this year. That said, we are grateful for the Internet for those -- like you -- who would like to know what our family were up to this past year.

January: We welcomed 2008 with the company of family & friends here in our home eating, playing & singing. After a couple hours of sleep, we watched the UH big game & a few of you may remember, we weren't too happy with the results but being with good friends made up for the loss.

February: Rob was fortunate to be a part of a large military exercise Balikatan in the Philippines. For 3 weeks he got to rub shoulders with some of the members of the Philippine Forces as well as visit with families & friends.

March: On the way to the general conference in Utah, Papa came to visit for a few days. He got to play with the kids on the beach, in the pool & even have some of Hawaii's best shaved ice. We celebrated Ali'i's and Robbie's Birthdays together with family and friends and had a fun party at our house.

April: To gain my sanity back, after 5 years of being a homemaker, I went back to the workforce. I have been working with the US Marine base in Kaneohe, HI as a Budget Analyst. Except for the traffic, I am enjoying it. The job is great & the people I work with are very nice. Thanks to Meilani, our sister-in-law, Robbie & Ali'i didn't miss mommy very much :). Oh yeah, it was my birthday this month....only 23 years young....plus or minus a few:).

May: Rob left for Weapons School in Las Vegas Nevada for 14 weeks. It was a challenging course but he made it through. Isi celebrated his Birthday this month. Can't believe he is already 10 years old. Just a few more years till he is passing sacrament in Church.

June: Mama Tutu came to the rescue! We, especially me, feel so spoiled when she's around. We spent weeks visiting & partying with friends, shopping & eating a lot of filipino food. Isa celebrated her 9th Birthday. We missed Daddy but had fun with Mama and enjoyed more good home cooking.

July: Ali'i started kindergarten! He was so excited & was so ready for it! I can't believe how much work & money there is shopping for school supplies for 3 kids!! Isi & Esa also moved to a new school Hickam Elementary & they are loving it. Mama left to visit our family in Utah & my cousin, Naomi, came to study at BYUH.

August: Rob finished his training & I got to attend his graduation. Our families in UT came to celebrate with us. It was a brief visit but we were glad to have been reunited even before Mama went back home. Robbie started going to a Day Care Center and still has a hard time saying goodbye every morning.

September: Ali'i did so well during the first quarter of the school year that he was named "Student of the Quarter" for his class. We are so proud of him. He said that he will work hard so he can be the Student of the Year :) He really enjoys school although it tires him out at the end of the day. Esa joined Girl Scouts & is enjoying mingling with other girls from school. Can't wait for the cookies :) Isi was even awarded the "Rockin Reader Award" for his reading abilities at school.

October: Rob attended a conference in Cinncinati, OH for a few days. A good break from work he said, but not worth his time being away from home :) Rob also celebrated his Birthday. We took all the family, Mom & Dad, Joel & Meilani and family, to dinner at Anna Millers....they sure weren't ready for our large group but we had fun and ate more good food. We also celebrated Mom & Dad's Birthdays and Anniversary at Sizzlers with more good food (notice a theme here?).

November: We said goodbye to Joel, Meilani & kids. It was very hard for our kids to see their cousins go but we know that it will just make our reunions sweeter. We miss them dearly & can't wait to see their new angel, baby Lily. We had an early Thanksgiving Dinner with them before they left and even celebrated an early Birthday with Anna.

December: Parties & food everywhere! from school to work even home -- there's always food. We plan to spend Christmas eve in Laie & the day at home with Mom & Dad Kongaika & our friends from BYUH. A New Year's Eve party at our house is still in the works but if you're in the islands, you're most welcome to join us.

We'll post pictures of our Christmas and new years and let you all know how it goes. Love you all and hope to hear and see you all soon. Maligayong Pasko, Melekalikimaka, and Kilisimasi Fiefia!!!

Daddy's B-Day

Check Out this Birthday Card I Just Received!

Create your own!

Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

While Abi and I were celebrating in Vegas, Mom and Dad were watching the kids with the help of Naomi. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Naomi!!! Here's a few pictures of thier weekend:

The 3 Amigos

Naomi and Esa @ the BYU-H Bookstore

Fun at Hukilau Beach

Menehune Ali'i

Menehune Esa

Menehune Robbie

Catching some waves at Hukilau

Whats new with us.....

Aloha!!! Well, September sure did shoot by so fast and it's almost October already. So here's what we have all been up to lately:

Rob is back to work full force and already getting to utilize all the knowledge gained at AMMOS to good use....let's just hope it also helps get him that Major Promotion too....he is up for the promotion board this December.

Abi is enjoying her long therapeutic drives to and from work on the east side of the island and still manages to get the kids ready and to all their activities on most days while Rob is busy with work....what a supermom!!!

Isiboy is loving his new school and having fun hanging out with his friends. He did really well in a recent statewide evaluation and ranked at the top of his year group.

Esa is bubbly as ever and sharing the Aloha with her new classmates and teachers. She was recently inducted as a Girl Scout and is loving every minute of it....I can't wait for the cookie sell:)!

Ali'i is enjoying his Kindergarten class and loves doing his homework and bringing new books home from the Library for him and Dad to read.

Robbie is doing awesome at Daycare (pottie-trained and all!) and still has a difficult time when Mom and Dad drop him off in the morning but loves playing with all his new friends. He is talking a whole lot more and starting to get over his shyness.

That's all for now....we'll post more pictures and news later. Love you all!!!

ALOHA!!!

AMMOS Graduation 14 Aug 2008

Well, time sure does fly by when you are busy! Already a month gone by since I got back home, so I figured I better post some updates on this blog to keep you all up-to-date with what's going on with us. A little over a month ago I graduated for the Air Force's Advance Maintenance and Munitions Officer School (AMMOS). 14 weeks of "good times" at Nellis Air Force Base. A very challenging school that I was happy to successful get through and get home to the family. Here are some of the pictures of the graduation (courtesy of Jake....thanks Bro!!!). I was grateful to have the family drive all the way from Utah to spend some time with us.

Abi and I looking all serious:)....gotta love the background with the sabers and all!

Class 08B (Yeah that's me sporting the lei....representing Hawaii!)

My fan club:). From left to right: My Grandpa Bob Anderson, my brother in-law Alvin Amistad, my brother in-law Siope Kinikini, Me:), my beautiful bride Abi, my sister Liana, my niece Ileina, my sister in-law Angie (Jake was taking the picture).

The Official diploma (proof:)) with the shaka thrown in for good measure!

Just wanted to thank all my family for making the trip out to help celebrate with me! It was awesome having an extra cheering section:). Love you guys!

Back to School!!! Yipee!!!

2 more weeks!

Yes! the looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg 14 weeks is coming to an end -- though it's not coming soon enough... I'm very proud of my husband -he has done very well in this training and I am so excited to meet him at the finish line. The long, sleepless nights will soon pay off mahal.. hang in there.
It hasn't been easy but with the help of mama, mom, dad, joel and meilani, we were able to endure the past few months.. I can't imagine doing this by myself. We are really blessed to have very supportive families especially in times like this. We know that the rest of you guys are always praying for us and we express our sincere gratitude to you all for doing so.
Kids went back to school this week. Isi is in 5th grade, Esa 4th and Ali'i kindergarten. Because they're new in the school, i thought it will take sometime for them to adjust but just in the second day, I feel Isi's excitement already (Esa has only been half day cause she wasn't feeling well). Ali'i had his assessment this morning and the teacher says he's right on track. I am excited about this school - they seem to have more to offer than their old school. All three kids are happy they get to attend A+ (after school program) until I finish work (this has been their wish since they started school) Our Robbie can't wait to start preschool Aug 11.
Life is so busy these days and I am glad we have ways to update one another on our activities. I enjoy reading your blogs and I promise to write more whenever I can. We miss you all and hope to see some of you in two weeks at Rob's graduation in Vegas. Aloha!

Class 08B at the 1st Fighter Squadron

Aloha! Just got back from a week trip to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to tour the Air Combat Command Headquarters. While there we had an opportunity to visit the 1st Fighter Squadron, the first Operational F-22 Raptor Squadron. Pretty cool stuff. I was impressed by the advanced capabilities that the F-22 brings to the fight and excited to work on them when they come to Hickam Air Force Base in a few years.

Quality Air Force Training

Aloha! Well, after 11 weeks of quality Air Force training at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, I finally have some time to sit down and write a blog to update you on what is going on with us. I have been attending the Advance Maintenance Munitions Officer School. The best way I can explain it is like cramming in all the information required for a Masters Degree into 14 weeks. Then add Physical Training, way too much to do in the allotted time, causing multiple sleepless nights, very few weekends off or any free time. So it's pretty much like going through hell, which is a good comparison seeing as how the school is located in the hot Nevada desert near "Sin City". I don't think I have studied harder or been through a more challenging course (mentally and physically) in my military career. It will definitely be nice to be finally done.

Abi has been quite the trooper while I have been gone. Going through a Summer break with 4 kids and no help from Daddy has been quite the experience. Thankfully, she has the help of Mama, Mom, Dad, Joel and Meilani! In fact, the first week I was gone we had quite the experience. Abi and the kids were over visiting with some of our friends (Dulans) at their condo. Well somehow, Robbie managed to find his way pass a gate and into a pool chasing after a stick that he and his friend were playing with. Thankfully, his friend was quick enough to alert the adults and Abi dashed over to get him out of the pool. He was still holding on to the stick and when he finally came to said, "I fell in the pool!" Well, needless to say, he had us all worried and I was pretty much ready to head for home, but by the grace of our Heavenly Father who was watching over Robbie, he was alright and recovered very quickly. I was thankful for the blessing that I had received from Bishop Data prior to my leaving and the promise that my family would be watched over and kept from harm. Another great example of the power of prayer!

Missing out on Birthdays (both Isi's and Esa's), our 11th anniversary, and Holiday's (Presidents Day & the 4th of July) has been difficult, but I keep myself motivated knowing that some of my fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are in much worse places putting there lives on the line and missing special days with their families as well. It also helps to have a cell phone and Internet that allows me to reach out and hear from my loved ones on a daily basis.

Only 3 more weeks to go and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel....hopefully that isn't the light of an oncoming train rushing toward me:)! I can't wait to be finally done so I can get back home. Well, keep me in your prayers and I hope to see you all soon. 'Ofa lahi atu!

Rob (aka "KONG")

Sunday Evening....

After our two-hour, weekly conversation....(used to be daily before Abi went back to work) with Family in the Philippines, we are just chill'n on a Sunday evening thinking about the upcoming weeks activities.

Well, I have a great experience on the power of prayer to share with you. We are in the middle of a home improvement (Abi's Mother's Day/Birthday/Anniversary....you name it;)) project and when we came to the plumbing portion of installing bathroom water lines, even the plumber was wondering how he could make it work without damaging some of the main water lines. I remembered Grandpa Villi telling us about when he ran into problems like this he just got on his knees and prayed. Well, that's exactly what Dad did. After attending the temple Saturday morning the answer came to him and we were able to install the lines without even having to remove any of the old lines. Pretty cool huh? Well it doesn't end there, I also misplaced a tool that I was using to install the Sheetrock (small apex) and I looked for it for over 3 hours. I was getting no where so I did what I should have done before and got on my knees and prayed that the Lord would show me where it was. As soon as I was done praying, I got up and was prompted to look in our clothes hamper where the apex had fallen in and was covered by a few layers of clothes. Just goes to show that even after all you can do, you can always use a little Divine help!

The Starting Point

Well, it all started when I finally noticed the blog website attached on my brother's and sister's google talk profiles. I went to their sites and thought what a cool way to keep everyone informed about my family and I, so here goes....
I'll primarily use this blog to give you updates on our family and upload pictures so you can all enjoy. Feel free to shoot us an e-mail and let us know if you have a blog site too.
Mahalo, Malo, and Salamat!!!