30 minutes turned into 20 hours – neither of us wanted the date to end, and Derek was just able to come up with the next great place to head over to. We met for coffee, then ice cream in the park, then a pool hall, then omakase, then a speakeasy, then just the streets of NYC walking and talking the night away.
This month was filled with many celebrations: our nephew Crew’s 2nd birthday, our niece Kira’s 3rd birthday, our parents (and our) 33rd and 5th anniversaries, Seea and ‘K’ turning 1 year old, and celebrating the birth of Immanuel as we anticipate His return! It was so great for everyone to see Seea for our 3rd trip to Ohio this past year, but also for our loved ones to meet special ‘K’ (pun intended). The end of a decade which means we have officially been together for a decade, wow does time fly!
November: our little baby is now a little girl! We caught more sunrises and this time with a rainbow which always comforts us as God remembers His promises. A month of cookies and a local Thanksgiving feast with our hanai fam, more time at the beach while Seea is WALKING and a time of healing for ‘K’ after surgery.
October, the month of Seea standing unaided for long periods of time and trying to take her first steps! We took a stroll through Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens and finished with a bubble bath in our trusty plastic bins.
A month of standing and scaling the brown couch that will forever be in the background of all our photos! More teeth, more crying…more crying…more…Playing in the rain with our kids will always be a favorite past-time of ours.
Two of the most genuine and smitten people I’ve ever met! I didn’t even give them any cues to laugh as much as they did, they were just so happy and excited and filled with joy. They were 100% comfortable in their own skin and that’s why these images are amazing, because they were ok being themselves 🙂
Mandy was so shocked (& a little shy) that she covered her face with her hat to hide the tears and once Raymond told her I was there to photograph the moment, they both started laughing out loud. We spent the next hour together, descending the trail and then driving over to Waimanalo Beach for the rest of our time together. This was such a fun and sweet moment to witness, thanks Raymond & Mandy for inviting me into your lives 🙂
She reached out asking if they could go to Jurassic Park and then find a place to cliff jump at – I said “yes, please” haha. We ended up at Kualoa Ranch in front of Chinaman’s Hat and then jumped off at Laie Point. Dom was shaking and thinking a little too long, but eventually Pat convinced her to just go for it 🙂 They’re gonna make a great team! Congrats you two, so excited for you to tie the knot next October on Long Island 🙂
August was the month we found out how much Seea Grace loves the ocean and crawling on the beach! One evening we set her down and she just squealed as she crawled along the golden-green sand; even when waves would come up to her, she’d just charge right through 🙂 It was amazing to see the transformation of their friendship grow as they’d look at each other and just start laughing; it melted our hearts.
They saw each other for the first time between two palms near the ocean and shared a tearful hug, just the beginning of the floodgates that would pour out. During their whole ceremony, their maid of honor, Milla, cried pretty much the whole time while Carrie & Max exchanged laughter & tears throughout their vows along with their parents and grandparents.
Literally 3 minutes and signed sheet of paper later, baby was in our home and playing with Seea 🙂 Poor girl was so confused, she didn’t know if it was alive or dead, if she was suppose to play or be concerned of a new threat to the milk supply. She excitedly and anxiously kept getting closer and after one night in the same room, they were pretty good friends!
June was a restful month after all the craziness that took place in May. We spent lots of time outside, going to the beaches, dipping Seea deeper into the ocean (which shocked her at first and was cold to her little skin), walks at Turtle Bay, more rainbows, and our first (and possibly last!) family photos as a group of 3.
