Happy Halloween

I know that it's 2 weeks past Halloween, but I have a lot of catching up to do. This Halloween was fun because Sariah was old enough to go trick or treating and understand what was going on. Elijah chose to be a skeleton this year and Sariah was a pumpkin fairy. We did our usual family tradition which was to fight the traffic to Mililani Mauka and hang out at Ant Lota's house till it was time to get some candy. The traffic was actually pretty good this year. I was surprised to see a lot of empty house though, Mauka must be catching on. Anyways, Eli and Sariah got more than enough candy, which means more candy for mom, yay! Sariah started getting pooped out at the end and wanted us to push her in the stroller to the doors. No way, if she wants candy, then she has to walk her little butt to the door and earn it. It was lots of fun!!!

GOOOO UNKNOWNS !!!!!!

Is that A-rod? No, it's Elijah. This is the first season that Elijah is playing baseball. Go Unknowns! Seriously, that's their team name. He is so lucky to be on the team he's on. These little boys are awesome. Most of this team started baseball together years ago and have grown up together. When I watch them play, I can see that they trust each other, they know exactly who to throw to, and they can read what their teammate is going to do. Our Elijah is so blessed to be able to practice and learn from this great team. He is also lucky to have such patient coaches who are willing to take the time to teach him and help him grow into a better baseball player. So far, this season, their record is 11-0. The Unknowns are the one to beat!

Potty Success

Sept. 7th is a historic day in little Sariah's life. She finally used the potty!! It was either the candy we used to bribe her or keeping her diaper off long enough that she had no other choice but to go in the potty. Whatever it was, YAY!! I heard that girls were faster than boys, but I'm in shock because Elijah didn't learn how until a few months before he turned three. I had to take a few pics of her sitting on the potty.

Ok, I know it has been forever and a day since I made a post, so yay, I finally made one. This is a trip we made to Chinaman's Hat last month. It was the first time Sariah actually camped over night. It was pretty fun, except for the unbearable heat we felt the next day. Uncle Charlie was nice enough to clean out the tent the next morning, but he found an unexpected visitor. Under one of the boys sleeping bags was about a 10 inch centipede. Of course being the scardy cat that I am, I screamed when I saw it. I hate anything creepy and crawly!! Well anyways, thank you Aunt Marge for inviting us and taking care of us. The kids and I had fun!

Chinaman's Hat

Happy 2nd Birthday Sariah

Sept 4 2006

If memory serves me correct, it all started in the late summer of 2008, September 3rd to be exact (yes part of Sept is still considered summer). At the start of the day our family was three but by the next day there would be four. The day started out like any other Sunday: wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, go to church, come home, eat lunch..... well you get the idea. By late afternoon a change would come that would make the day more memorable than any other Sunday, except for that one Sunday.... but anyway. A new life was ready to make it's entrance into the world. By now everyone should no were this story is going. I'll just summarize the next few hours. Ok I think it went something like this, "I think it's time." "Ok let's go." vrmmm vrmmm. "Ok we're here." "OWWWWWW I need some drugs!!!!!!" "Ok that's better." "Push, push, breathe, push." Ok she's out." "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Banks here is your new baby girl." "Yay!" And so on Sept. 4 2006 (labor day, how ironic) we welcomed Sariah Cristiana Banks into the world and our lives. And since that day she has blessed our lives with such happiness and joy. I am forever grateful for the blessing of such wonderful and special kids (with one on the way) as well as wife who takes such great care of them both. This is what makes life worth living. No matter what the day brings, they are what keep me going. Please enjoy the pictures celebrating the first 2 years of Sariah's life.

Family Fun Fest

Today was the Family Fun Fest at our church and what a turn out it was. It's supposed to be the final fun fest, but I don't know why, it's such a success and so much fun. The kids always have a blast eating popcorn, cotton candy, and not to mention the potluck. But what's more fun then all the extreme fun rides.

Whoa dad, what happened to the landing?

I survived the Shark!

Only a real man would drive the kiddy train.

We're just enjoying the ride while dad drives the train.

Sleep Over

A few weeks ago Elijah had his cousins sleep over for his b-day. What a night it was! They had so much fun, well at least I hope they did. I don't really know because they were too busy tearing up my house to let me know. They didn't tear it up the whole time though, our Wii kept them pretty occupied also. But they were no match for Jason, Kaleo, and Uncle Aaron who hogged the Wii for most of the night and morning. The younger cousins said that they were gonna stay up all night, yeah right! They did make it till 2 am, but once I put in a movie, they couldn't keep their little eyes open. What a relief! Elijah was the last one to stay awake, what a trooper!

From Left to Right: Sariah, Elijah, Brysen, Alex, Andrew, Lia, and Dylen.

Just modeling some hats, but can you tell that some of them are ready to hit the sack?

Yeah, it's finally our turn to play Wii!

Never mind!

This is what happens when little kids try to stay up all night.

Andrew and Lia sporting some sun screen before we go to the water park.

They couldn't even make it 5 min in the car after our fun day at the water park.

Gettin a Little Crazy

Elijah and Sariah were so cute as the were getting a little crazy, so we dicided to record it. They were listening to the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," but for some reason Sariah was doing the Chicken Dance. I always mention how bossy Sariah can be and you can see a little bit of it as she tries to shush her brother. She also plugs her ears, maybe because she doesn't like Elijah's singing. Sariah really is happy baby, although you could never tell by her serious face she puts on when we get around people. These are one of the fun moments you treasure.

Make sure to pause the music from the playlist before you play the video.

First Photo Shoot

This is baby Banks first photo shoot. It was such a wonderful experience as we watched the doctor measure every sinlge part of the baby, to see baby's face, fingers, toes, and etc. Baby was so active during the whole process, kicking and swimming around all over the place. Well, I know you are eager to find out if it's a boy or a girl, so...................it's supposed to be a BOY!

This a profile of baby. You can see his head, nose, mouth, and chest.

This is also another profile. You can again see his head, nose, mouth, and chest.

This is baby's hand. He is pointing his index finger left and you can see his thumb sticking out.

Our Water Babies

Elijah and Sariah had a blast at one of our recent trips to Chinaman's Hat. They had so much fun playing in the sun, sand, and water, but especially with their cousins. Elijah loves when the waves crash into him and Sariah has a blast splashing in the water when her daddy holds her.