Lost in thought

A rainbow for Bill

Ok guys... fair warning... it's a deep, sad post coming up. If you're not in the mood, don't read it.

We learned that over the weekend in Austin one of Peter's coworkers was murdered. Bill worked the overnight shift with Peter.

Someone was on the side of the road waving for help and Bill pulled over. Apparently the guy got into Bill's car and I don't know what happened next but Bill was shot and died. He leaves behind a 16 month old baby and another on the way.

This is so sad and hard to comprehend on so many levels. Peter and I are trying to wrap our heads around it. Because if someone were trying to flag someone down for help, we would be that person to stop. It's such a natural thing to do - to want to help someone. But how is it that in this world people exist that just want to hurt someone - anyone? I don't understand.

You grow up thinking that bad things happen to bad people. But what about the bad things that happen to good people. How can that be explained? How can God have a reason for taking someone like this? To show us all not to stop and help others? I really can't wrap my head around this. We've been talking about it throughout the day today. There is no part of me that could ever forgive a God that would allow this to happen. So it must have been a mistake. But still Peter's friend is gone. The world is one less a beautiful person, a kind person.

Thoughts and prayers to Bill's family.

The sun sets over West Maui from Haliimaile

More from last week

More pictures from last week. Lots more pics coming from this week. :) Busy, busy in our house!

My water girl with Uncle Nico

On their way back out again

Ry showing shaka

Gams at the beach

Kai Boy playing in the sand

Hot Dog Picnic

Like most trips to Costco, it was packed. So packed that there were no tables to eat hot dogs. So we got a box and headed to Kanaha to watch the kite surfers and have a picnic.

Hot dogs among the palms

Watching the kite surfers

Another beautiful Maui day

I told Peter this is what I was looking forward to about moving back home. In our old lives, we would have just waited for a table and sat in the sea of people at Costco and then headed home. And now we take little detours and find things to look at and enjoy. I hope that our new outlook on life let's these sweet children have many happy memories of their childhood and silly things that we do together.

I know that a lot of my time is spent on the computer editing photo shoots and working on my Pops website and I just hope that I am balancing this crazy life of mine so these Littles know just how important they are and that everything I do, I do it for them.

So many updates

It's a looong post ahead. Lots of pictures and videos so if you get this in your email, click the link at the bottom to open it in your browser to see all the videos.

The past two weeks have been wonderful.

Ryenne got a 6th birthday party in Lahaina. The video is pretty funny - watch Cruz.


Peter and I made 15 years together on June 11th and we thought we'd celebrate with a vow renewal. We just felt that our old marriage was dead and we wanted to reaffirm our relationship with meaningful vows that we wrote each other. It was beautiful. I only have a few pictures (more to come later).

Sugarcane in the background

Our family. They never hold still.

Hookipa Lookout

My dad, Pops, visited as well. It was awesome. We hit the beach and the strawberry farm. He taught Ry how to duck dive under waves.

Pops fell over!

At the strawberry farm in Kula

The day after Pops went back to Austin, Mom flew in from Reno with Dexter. She had found a loophole to get Dex here. US Airways allows an emotional support pet in the cabin. His quarantine paperwork was done and she trained Dexter and he had a special vest and everything. At the airport, we saw Gams and Dex from afar and I didn't know who to hug first! Dexter was so excited to see us. He was licking and wagging his nub of a tail like crazy!

Reunited with my doggy!!!

The week Gams was here I was actually really busy with photography. She helped me with the kids a lot. And the house too. It was wonderful to have her here and spend time with her.
Ryenne even lost her first tooth while Gams was here!! She was nervous about losing her first tooth and I gave her some fresh coconut to eat. She bit it and out came the tooth!

Tooth Fairy goodies for her first tooth

On her last day we hit up the beach with Uncle Nico and Auntie Shayna. Ry went paddle boarding and the boys played. I even tried it! It was so fun. I can't wait to do it again! (there are waaaay more pictures coming from the Gopro camera)

To the beach!!!

See Gams and Shayna in the middle? They were walking on a sandbar.

Lunch with Gams

Another one of Kai running

Ry and Pickle (Uncle Nico) on the paddle board

And just before Gams went home Ry had gymnastics. She gets her coordination from her mama (hahaha)
She is the one on the trampoline



It has been a really awesome couple of weeks.

This morning we took a family walk up into town and got the kiddos Komodas. We also got to see a cowboy playing the harmonica, which was pretty cool! 

Eating donuts in Makawao town

The big SIX!!!

Yesterday was such a fun day for everyone! Peter had the day off and got everyone Komoda's donuts for breakfast. It was also Kai's first day of gymnastics (kinda funny it started on Ry's bday). I took him down to Kahului and he was very shy at first but then got right into it like a little monkey. He loved the trampoline and the bars.

Right after class

We pulled over to get a shot of this field of wildflowers near our house. It's totally fenced and I wish we could get inside for a photo shoot!

Then Ry and Peter went to the store to pick up lunch and we had a family lunch followed by a trip out to Kula to ride ponies!

Ry LOVES horses!

Kai really liked the dirt the best.

Kai got brave and took a ride too!

Kai was quite enamored with the horse.

Cruz was cruzin around with Daddy

They all got to brush the horses too.

Cruz decided to play in the dirt with Kai

After our time with the ponies we headed home to hose everyone off and then we headed to Ruby's for dinner. Ryenne had no idea they were going to sing Happy Birthday to her! The video is hilarious (below!)

She had a wonderful 6th birthday and we had such a wonderful family day together. Truly wonderful!

Ryenne is 6!!!!

6 years ago I had my 40 week prenatal appointment. My belly was huge and I was hoping that my baby girl would make her appearance before the 6-6-06 date. This was my first pregnancy and I’ll never forget the feelings of anticipation and excitement that I had. We had tried for nearly 6 years to have a baby, and finally, after IVF, she was going to be here and we would finally be parents.
At my appointment, they asked me, “You know you’re having contractions, right?” “Did you know you’re dilated to 3cm?” and I honestly had no idea that labor had begun. With concerns over her size, they sent me up to the hospital for a C-Section and I called my husband from work in Kaanapali and it was a waiting game to be sent into the O.R.
I still can’t believe how big I was. Here I am just about to go into the O.R.

I’ll never forget the pain meds – I think it was an intrathecal. They stabbed my back 7 times. Yes I make it sound dramatic because it was. I think my nerves are permanently screwed up from it.
But there I was, going into the O.R. not knowing how this would work – what would she look like? Would she look like me? Peter? And minutes later I had my answer. I had a 9 pound, 10 ounce sumo wrestler fur ball. She was beautiful. And perfect. And she only wanted me.

This little girl made us parents – she made me a mom – a title that I had hoped would happen for years. Over the last 6 years she has brought us such joy, such happiness, an amount of learning and of love that I never thought possible. She is an amazing big sister and quite the photography assistant.

Happy 6th birthday to my beautiful, smart baby girl!

Ryenne Alicia Grace Waiwaipuhia Dagupion