ERGH!!!!!

Um, where to begin...Well, as you all know, Kawika had his surgery and is recovering well from it. At least he was until Saturday night, when his right thigh swelled up, turned bright red, got really hot and incredibly painful. To the Emergency room we go, and as I suspected...blood clots. Not one, but 2. One in his thigh, and one behind the knee where the surgery was. So, we spent the night in the E.R., until about 1 a.m. when the doctors decided that he should be admitted. I left and took the kids to my parents, then went home and got ready for school. Luckily, because I am able to take care of his medications (shots of blood thinner in his stomach) they allowed him to come home. Yippee!! The really crappy part of all of this, besides the fact that blood clots can be life threatening, is that Kawika was supposed to go back to work yesterday. Which, we were excited for because he has not had a paycheck since his surgery back in OCTOBER!!! But, who needs money right? :) We are so thankful to be surrounded by so many fantastic people. Thank you for your prayers and babysitting. Hopefully, he will be back to work in a couple of more weeks.

Nothing in particular..it's just been a while :)

Well, the luau went GREAT!!! The place was packed, we had great vendors and volunteers, raffle items, donations, good food, fabulous entertainment. Thanks to the Island Boys and Kilali for performing also. I think everyone had a great time. This being our first one, we definitely learned some things for next year....most importantly, to have it at a bigger place!!! Thank you to everyone who helped make this a success.

I just finished my 2nd semester of nursing school. YAY! So, I am half way done. Cannot wait for June. I hope it goes by fast.

The boys are getting bigger and smarter everyday. It kills me the things they pick up on.

Kawika is recovering from his knee surgery. He had a tear in his PCL so they replaced it with an achilles tendon from a cadaver.....GROSS!! But, hopefully it will do the job and he can get back to work, hula and judo soon.

Aloha 'til next time...
Steph

Our Fundraiser Luau...October 18th!!!!

Everything is confirmed! We will be holding our first annual Kinohi Loa fundraiser luau!! It will be held on October 18th at Islands Elementary School in Gilbert, AZ. There will be entertainment by Kilali Polynesian Revue, Island Boys and of course...US!! There will be island style vendors such as 808 bakery, Polynesian crafts, Aloha Limosine and others on hand to sell their wares and best of all, authentic Hawaiian luau food!! Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. All proceeds will go towards new costumes for our growing group. Please join us, it is guaranteed to be a fun night!!!

Has it really been 2 months?!?!

..since my last blog? I guess it has. I just finished Pharmacology homework and decided I would update our blog. Not much is different since my last post, which might be why I haven't added anything. In school, I am half way through the 2nd block of the nursing program and am getting ready to do my OB and pediatric rotations. I am pretty sure that I want to be a labor and delivery nurse, so I am very excited for this experience. We do our clinicals over at the Maricopa County Medical Center, so I'm sure I will see a lot of interesting things and hopefully learn a lot too. My friend Michelle is pregnant and is due any day, and I am hoping to be with her for the delivery.
The boys are amazing me everyday. Maddox has learned to spell his name, and Jayce is talking in complete sentences. This last few weeks watching the Olympics, Maddox has decided he wants to be a swimmer. He's obsessed with it. They are growing up so fast. It's weird to not have a baby in the house anymore. Guess it's time for another one...ha ha ha....not until I'm done with school.
Our Makana 'O Aloha/Kinohi Loa family is growing....and growing...and growing. We are excited and blessed to have these new, wonderful people with their talent in our home every week. It is fun to see so much passion for the culture and the desire to learn. Keeps Kawika and I on our toes! We are getting ready to hold our 1st annual fund raiser luau....more to come on that, as soon as we secure the location and the date. Guaranteed to be a fun night!
I think that's about it for now. Hope all is well with everyone who may read this!!!

It's my first time.....

....BLOGGING!!! ha ha. But since I have failed miserably at staying in touch with family and friends, I figured I would give this a shot. I have seen the blogs of several of my friends, and while I am not nearly as creative as them...(Michelle and Joyana) I will attempt to give a little glimpse into the insanity that is the Dutro family....

Kawika: Is still working out at the prison and has just recently started practicing and teaching judo again. Congrats honey on becoming a black belt!! Just when you think he's this tough guy, you see him dance hula and he is as graceful as they come. SHHH...don't tell the inmates:) I am so grateful for him being so supportive of me while I am in nursing school....hang in there honey, only 3 semesters left!!! Right now he is nursing a torn ligament in his right knee, but as soon as he gets the ok, he will be applying and testing to get on with a police department. YOU CAN DO IT SWEETHEART!!!

Maddox: Is 3, and is having a great time being a big brother. He is showing Jayce the ropes and is even teaching him how to go potty and play basketball. Maddox is such a happy little guy, who loves to make new friends wherever we go. We were visiting my parents ward and he walked in to nursery like he owned the place and said, "I'm here guys!! Let's play!" He loves to help mommy vacuum. Maddox is a fantastic singer can tell you the name of any superhero, but most of all he loves BUGS!!! He has picked up some hula steps and is starting to dance with the boys in our group. He's also becoming quite the lady's man. His favorite line is, "what's up baby? what's up?"

Jayce: Is 21 months, and is HILARIOUS!! We call him Kolohe, which in Hawaiian means mischief. Definitely heading into the era of the terrible 2's. He loves the "Wiggles", especially Dorothy the Dinosaur and will sing and dance with them all day long if we let him. Sometimes that's a blessing when I have to do homework. His best friend is Nathan...a 14 year old that dances in our group. He is so polite and always says please and thank you. Right now he is learning his colors and can count to 10.

Me: Ok, I don't really like to talk about myself, but here's what I've been up to lately. The bulk of my time is spent on school. I am in nursing school and just finished my first semester. I am in an accelerated program, that goes straight through for 16 months, with 2 week breaks between semesters. I am really enjoying it. It is very intense, but I will be done in July of '09. I am also still working part-time and along with Kawika running our hula group, trying to keep up with practices, shows, new students and choreographing a new show. I relish every minute that I get to spend with my kids. I am just glad that they are tiny right now and hopefully won't remember that mommy only gets to see them for a little while each day.

Lastly, I would like to tell all of my friends how much I absolutely love you. I think of you daily and pray that all is well with you and your families.

My best to all of you.