The best Christmas gifts ever...

I absolutely love the Holiday Season... Christmas is my favorite Holiday and next comes Valentine's Day. ;) I consider myself very fortunate to have parents that instilled great values in me... values that remind me that Christmas is a time for giving... not for what you are receiving. Growing up - though I was not a privileged child... my parents always made sure that they provided us with something special, even if it was just a box of chocolates... or a last minute bowling ball set. lol Those memories are reminders that these times are for family and for love.

I do my best to teach my children these ways so that they cherish each moment everyday and during the Holidays and am so thankful that I have such awesome children.  My little ones are too small to understand yet, but I know my eldest will keep our thoughts and traditions alive and teach his younger brothers the true meaning of Christmas.

Here is what Christmas means to me...

My Husband... who even after 14 years, still looks at me like I am the person he fell in love with at first sight.  Who knows me inside and out... who knows what drives me, what saddens me... my strengths, my weaknesses, my happy thoughts. The man who is my Everything and my one and only BEST FRIEND!  Though I know and others may too - that I am not a perfect woman, whether physical or emotional... but My Husband treats me like I am the most perfect person in the World.  I LOVE YOU KEVIN!

My Children... When I say that I truly struggled through each pregnancy of my children - those are not burdens, but triumphs to me... because - I have 3 very beautiful and handsome boys.  My eldest loves unconditionally and has manners and respects others in such displays of affection that many adults haven't even done once in their lifetime.  He gives from his heart, always taking the time to make sure that everyone around him has for them, even if he has to go without.  Who is my biggest helper and best buddy.  I LOVE YOU KA'EO!  My Twins, who though are so young and do not quite understand... they offer me comfort when times are so tough.  Their smiles melt our hearts and provide me with a brighter outlook on life.  A child's innocence is priceless... and I'm lucky to have 3. <3

So - Christmas to me... is more than just presents or gifts... candy or food, it's a time where I get to thank our Heavenly Father for bringing me the best Family in the Whole World. I must admit - that's the best Christmas Present Ever... absolutely PRICELESS!


xoxo,

The White 'Ohana Family Portraits and a few updates

I am tremendously behind on posting this week - it seems as if things have been so darn crazy lately and my schedule is beyond booked... but I do miss getting my thoughts down on paper - so here it goes. I am going to recap my week for all of you ;)

I had a photoshoot with a great family the other day.  I have been photographing their baby Kahokupomaika'i seen she was 3 months old and she will be a year old in a matter of days.  So to commemorate the event - I took their family portraits during the same time as babies 12 month photos.  I'm not done editing them yet - but have a sneak preview for all of you ;)

The Cabanting/White 'Ohana

Kahokupomaika'i

I have also been diligently rolling out new candies for the I-Candy Couture Halloween Scavenger Hunt.  

It has been a fun week and I really hope that our customers have been enjoying the opportunity to win free things.  If you are interested in what the prizes are or how to join - simply watch this video:  http://youtu.be/yVHFCMFmBPk?hd=1  It's Free to enter and there are several ways to win. ;)

I have also been busy filming tutorials on the Wet n Wild Color Icon Series, ELF Quad Series and will be incorporating some others as well.  So stay tuned for those.  I have been working pretty hard on them so I hope that they all turn out well. ;)

that is the updates for last week - I will be posting a few reviews and tutorials to catch up today and tomorrow so stay tuned.  Thanks again everyone for stopping in ;)  I apologize ahead of time for not posting as often as I would like, but I have a huge wedding coming up - a few little weddings and portrait shoots the next month or so.  No to mention, I started freelancing again - so I have some makeup gigs as well.  I'll be sure to post them here. ;) 

Have an awesome week to all of you.

xoxo

Honey

Because a smile is worth a thousand words... ;)

No matter how difficult the day, how trying the moment... a smile goes a long way in making someone happy or forget about all the bad things - even if just for one moment.  My children are always making me smile.  Don't get me wrong - they drive me absolutely insane and sometimes I consider checking myself into the ward... but, just a simple smile and my heart melts again and again. 

Luke is not usually easy to capture on camera without he making goofy faces. lol

Ka'eo loves his little brothers and is such a great big brother. 

The twins love their big brother very very much. ;) Awesome smiles.

Priceless.

Isaiah is our biggest goofball and a complete ham when it comes to the camera... he will stop to smile any day of the week - if a camera is involved. lol

And the goofball making faces. ;)

Brotherly love.

Hopefully their beautiful smiles and happy faces make your day an awesome one. ;)

xoxo

Honey

Fun time in the Halloween Aisle... lol

The last few years that we celebrated Halloween - the boys really weren't that interested in any of the costumes, masks, etc... and when I say boys - I mean my twins.  Now, they laugh and get excited at all the really cool things. ;)

Today - while doing some shopping and waiting for my eldest to finish with school - we walked through the Halloween aisle in our local CVS.  The twins were so excited to try on masks and look at all the fun things.  There was nothing but smiles.  Dad and I even got in on the fun. ;) Here are a few pictures from our 5 minutes of exploring the Halloween section. ;)

above - Isaiah, wearing the Jason mask.  You can't see through the mask, but Isaiah kept giggling and laughing... constantly smiling. lol

above - here's Luke - he thought it was so interesting that his nose was no longer soft... but really hard.  He kept pinching it. lol

above - this mask looked so cute on Luke.  His big brown eyes shown through and it really did match him.  His brother Isaiah was laughing the whole time.

above:  lol - Isaiah's chinese kind of pulls strong in this photo. lol

  

of course,  my hunny and I had to get in on the action too. lol ;) The boys were cracking up.

Such an awesome and fun time and the twins had a blast.  Too bad big brother wasn't with us - he would have loved the fun too. 

Have a great Thursday.

xoxo 

Honey

Where does the time go? Our twins are 2 years old today...

I'm a little late in posting this - I had originally intended to do so this morning, but was caught up with so many other things - I didn't have the chance.

Today is the birthday of my twins - Luke & Isaiah.  They are 2 years old today. ;)

Happy Birthday 

Luke & Isaiah

I got up this morning and was pretty emotional as I looked in on my twins while they were still sleeping.  

Being a parent can be such an emotional experience all in its own - but my journey to having these lovelies was definitely a challenge.  While pregnant with them, being active was just impossible.  I spent most of my 7 and a half months of pregnancy in bed and unable to really move or even eat anything without feeling nauseated.  I lost over 45lbs through my entire pregnancy and my weight on the day I gave birth was less than what I was when I found out I was pregnant.  As if that wasn't a challenge... my blood pressure was so high the day I went in for my Pre-op for Cesarean scheduled for Sept. 10th that my doctor just couldn't allow me to keep the babies in me for the extra 2 days, it was life threatening for me and she rushed me to an emergency C-Section on the 8th of September instead.   So, I went straight from the regular doctor's office to the hospital and on to surgery to see my little munchkins.  Being told that you could possibly lose your life and also be told that you will get to see meet two little angels a day early was a very emotional experience.  

Now - two years later, these little boogies keep me busy.  I still don't know what a full nights rest is and I'm consistently running after them and around them, but 

I WOULD NEVER TRADE IT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.  

Here are a few pictures of our angels and the last 2 years, they are in no particular order, but I'm sure you can see the timeline by looking at how much they have grown ;)  

Mommy, Daddy & Ka'eo love you guys very much... Happy Birthday to our little loves. ;)

Tonight's Birthday Cake Celebration ;)

My twins... just a few months old.

I was in trouble the moment I found out I was pregnant... They absolutely stole my heart from the beginning. ;)

Family Time...

This past weekend has definitely kept us quite busy - hence the reason why I have not blogged in a few days.  My husband's family had a "family reunion" with lots of festivities over the course of the last four days.  Needless to say... I totally did not follow my diet plan and gained a bunch of pounds - but all in all - it was good family fun. :)

We had a few opportunities to take family pictures so we capitalized on it the best we could.  It is hard to be a photographer and not able to take your own photos...

Here is a picture of my family.  The twins are making goofy faces... those little goof balls. :)

Happy birthday to my son Ka'eo

Seven years ago, on this very day... My husband and I was blessed with our eldest son, Kevin Ka'eo'okamalei'okahonuakamakaniamekekai Kaho'ohanohano. Thus was a very joyous occasion for my husband and I had tried for many years to get pregnant... And when we decided to stop trying... We found out we were expecting.  While I was in labor (2 weeks overdue and had to be induced.  12 hours of labor and pain killers that NEVER worked), we decided we would call him Ka'eo for short.

Ka'eo - 3 days old, 2004

Ka'eo - 1 month old, 2004

Ka'eo - 6 months old, 2004

Ka'eo - 1 year old, 2005

Ka'eo - 1 1/2 years old, 2005

Ka'eo - 2 years old, 2006

Ka'eo - 3 years old, 2007

Photo by: Randy Jay Braun

The last few years have been such a joy. As most parents know... Whether it is your first time or your fifth... It is always a learning experience. Each year on this day I remember leaving him with my parents when he was a month old so I could go back to work. Needless to say, it was a very traumatic experience for me and I cried continuously for the remainder of the day.  Then, having to rush him to the emergency room because he fell down in the kitchen and split his chin open...  I had to be brave mommy & not show any emotion as we waiting for hours in the ER for his chin to get 12 stitches.

Ka'eo - 4 years old, 2008
Photo: Ho'onani Photography

Each minute, each day, each year... there are memories that are cherished... Watching Ka'eo get excited in 2009 as my tummy grew bigger & bigger with his twin brothers... and how he continued to talk to my belly every day. And how he held each one in his arms when he visited me and his brothers in the hospital.  Now, more than a year later... he is the best big brother any little brother could ask for. :)

Ka'eo - 5 years old, 2009

Photo: Ho'onani Photography

As I mentioned earlier...  my husband and I are definitely blessed.  Though boys will be boys and all 3 of my sons can drive me crazy once in a great while... I would never trade being their mommy for anything in the world.

So - in closing... I want to wish my darling son Ka'eo a Happy Happy Birthday.  Daddy & I wish you a lifetime of blessings and happiness and our love for you is FOREVER.  Hau'oli La Hanau e' Ka'eo.

Ka'eo - 1st Grade, 2010-2011 (6 years old, going on 7)

Photo:  Action Photo of Hawaii