The 2 "DEAN'S" Meet . . .

This Christmas was extra special for me and my family.  We were blessed with our baby boy, Asa, but were also blessed to have had the opportunity to spend ONE more moment with cousin Dean.  Click {HERE} to see why this moment was so special for us.

Dean and his family flew to Hawai`i and it was definitely a surprise to us.  My hubby and I thought it would be the last time we would see Dean when he visited back in August.  You don't know how elated we were to see him last week!  More so because Asa and Dean finally got to meet in person.

Here are the 2 together for the first time . . .

Seeing Dean hold Asa brought tears to my eyes and to the eyes of all the family members who came over for dinner.  Dean physically looks great, but the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is rapidly taking away the Dean we all know.  At this moment, Dean smiles, laughs, but doesn't say much which is unlike him.  He doesn't address us by name which causes us to believe Dean has loss memory of who we are.  Dean lacks energy and has trouble doing/remembering how to do simple tasks that we all take for granted like brushing our teeth and using the restroom.   However, as you can see in this picture, one thing remains the same . . . Dean's vibrant smile!  This is DEAN!  He can always light up a room with his infectious smile.

Whenever we have gatherings for a meal, our family will hold hands in a large circle to pray over the food.  This time, we held hands and formed a circle around Dean and Asa who were seated on the couch.  I captured this photo while my MIL prayed.  Throughout the prayer, Dean held Asa ever so tightly in his arms and kissed him gently, over and over again.  OMWord, it just melted my heart!  That night, Dean hardly muttered a word to anyone, but each time he held or tried to interact with Asa, lullabies came out of his mouth and he would say, "Hey big guy!  It's okay big boy!"

This photo is of me saying my good-bye at our Christmas dinner.  It was very hard to say farewell as Dean and his family would travel back to Oregon the next day.  One thing is for certain, the Lord allowed us all one more moment with Dean.  The reason for his trip back to the islands was to be recognized at NIKE's Annual Executive Ceremony over on Lana`i (about 135 executives attended) and to receive NIKE's 2010 Just Do It Award.  The award was given to Dean for his excellence in serving NIKE for 15 years, his utmost integrity, his humbleness, his willingness to work hard, his dedication to the company, . . . in other words, Dean was a man of honor and was greatly respected by all who came into contact with him.  We are all reminded of Dean as a whole and how he lead his 46 years of life, not now living with CJD.   There is no denying, Dean is a perfect middle name for Asa.  Let this be a testimony of faith, hope, love,  & family. 

Thanks for letting me ramble and process all that's been going on.  Once again, from my family to yours . . . Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year!  

2011 2 Drawer Calendar Set . . .

I hope everyone has recovered somewhat from all the Christmas festivities.  I'm still not there yet . . . it was such a long day for me and my family on Christmas day, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world when you can spend time with family!  We usually do breakfast here at the house with my in-laws and with my FIL's side of the family.  Then it's off to my parents/brother's house for lunch.  And finally, we head out to my MIL's side of the family for dinner.  I know it sounds crazy . . . family is very important to me!

How did you spend your Christmas?  I'd luv to hear some of your traditions on how you spent the day!

Anyways, I'd like to share this 2011 2 Drawer Calendar set that I made for Christmas.  I made around 36 of these to give away . . . every year my list gets longer with the amount I need to make.  I usually give them away to family and close friends as gifts. 

The idea of a 2 Drawer Calendar set came to be when I found a bunch of coasters laying around collecting dust!  Totally forgot that I had these . . . then the idea of using my Hello Kitty Peel and Stick Stamps would be perfect to incorporate into the calendar.  I like the interchanging images for each month.  I attached Velcro to the back of each image.  This calendar can be using all year long, every year!  

You're probably wondering where I had the time to make these since I just gave birth to my newborn son.  Well, I started these back in September!  I knew I wouldn't have time once baby got here so planning ahead was the only way.  Just glad I got them done!  I do hope that those that I sent them to enjoyed the calendar set as much as I enjoyed putting them together.  :) 

I still have to post my "special moment" here on the blog.  Also, want to share some CRAKS (Christmas RAKS) I received from special friends!  See ya laters!

Merry Christmas All!

Hey there!  Thought I'd share this with you . . . I created this gingerbread house for a very special friend.  Snowflake Fairies Nixie, Eira, and Neva are spreading their holiday cheer! 

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Yes, it's been quite a year and I so look forward to 2011.  Hoping my Baby Asa will give me some free time to visit y'all more often and to be able to create a card or 3D project here and there.  

{{I will be back to share a very special moment that happened for me, my hubby, and my precious Asa.  It's already bringing tears to my eyes so I'll end here and post later.}}   

3 Weeks today & some special gifts!

Wow, sorry . . . been aways for a while.  You know how it is, gotta take care of business!  The BOSS needs me FULL-TIME!  :)  My pay is LUV!

This is way long over due and I wanted to share some special gifts given from some very, very special friends. 

This first one is from Amy Young of A Thousand Sheets of Paper.  She sent Asa a box and we just luv all the goodness and the delicious fruit snacks!  Here is HOLDEN, the Pacific Northwest Bigfoot, laying along side Asa.  Looks like they're buddies . . . see the onesie he's wearing?  Amy made that too.  So clever!

Here's Holden and the card that Amy sent.  I luv all the details in the card and it matches Asa's onesie!  ;)  Click {HERE} to see a better photo on Amy's blog. 

'1LuvnBaby' was ironed on the bottom by Asa's bottom.  So cute!  Mahalo nui loa Amy!  Luv the personalized name!

This card was sent by my dear friend Kris, of K-Lusive Kreations.  Kris, too, welcomed a baby boy in August and I was fortunate to visit her and Keenan at the hospital.  I don't know how she manages everything and still be able to find time to craft.  Any tips Kris? 

I just luv the burp cloths and tanks Kris sent.  Thanks so much girl!  :)

And finally, my dear blogging "mother", Shirley, of Stampin For The Fun Of It, sent this precious gift.  All I have to say is . . . Wowza!  The details are phenomenal!  Click {HERE}.  Shirley took some close up pics of her Tissue Box cover!  Check it out!  ;)  Thank you so much Shirl . . . this gift is definitely a keepsake for Asa!

Ok, I know this is a long post . . . Thanks for sticking it out with me.  Who knows when I'll pop back in to post again.  Today Asa makes 3 weeks.  He is so luv'd by all, mostly us . . . his 1LuvnMama, 1LuvnDad, and his Big Brother and Big Sister!  Our Aunty had given the 3 kids these outfits and thought we should take some pics of the kids wearing them.  Can you tell how the older siblings are getting along with their new baby brother?  They adore him!  :)   We are definitely looking forward to celebrating this Christmas season with a new addition to our family.  We are also looking forward to seeing cousin Dean and his family.  They will be arriving in the islands in the next couple of weeks to spend time with family and friends.  If you didn't read my post about how we chose Asa's middle name, Dean, then click {HERE}.  I'll be sure to post some pics of the 2 "Dean's" together!  Ta-ta peeps!