A Couple Days with Grandma

Last week we spent two consecutive days with my mom. On Thursday the 15th, we went to the Hyatt Hotel in Waikiki. My mom is a Hawaiian culture resource there for the guests. She teaches classes like hula, ukulele, and lei making. The day/time we went, she was making lei.

[Quick Hawaiian language lesson: to pluralize a Hawaiian word, you COULD add an "s" like in English. People would understand. But in Hawaiian, there's different articles that you would put before the noun to indicate singular or plural. The chief = Ke Alii. The chiefs = Na Alii. The single lei = ka lei, multiple lei = na lei.]

Anyhow, here's a picture of Angela with her lei. It's the picture we texted to Maile as a joke. Because in Utah, we usually had to help people with Maile's name pronunciation. "It's like saying 'my lei.'" So Angela is saying to Maile, "Hey, look at my lei, Maile." 

Ahem.

BTW, Maile's not in the pictures from Thursday because she lives in Wahiawa with my cousin during the week. It's closer to Mililani High School. Then she comes home on the weekends to be with us.

Here's Lydia with her completed lei:

Here's a pic of Grandma Chock and the fam making lei.

After finishing up at the Hyatt, we went to grab some dinner together. We went to Rainbow Drive-In since it's close to Waikiki. After dinner, we said goodbye to grandma and the Rebecca decided to treat the kids to some shave ice. Actually, the shave ice place only takes cash, so now we owe Angela, a.k.a. Moneybags, some moola. 

As we were standing there looking at the shave ice, I turned and looked at the other menu right next to the shave ice place. They serve KC Drive In's famous ONO ONO SHAKES! So, I got myself one of those instead:

And there was much joy and rejoicing.

The next day, Friday the 16th, we went to Germaine's Luau, where my mom works one, maybe two days a week as a bus escort. 

Not the greatest picture, but it's fun to see all of us together with my mom. Not a lot of pictures exist with all 7 of us with my mom. This might even be the first?

Angela at the Germaine's Luau beach. Wearing same lei she made the day prior.  Actually everyone, except me (because I was a friendly local and gave my lei away to a pleasant tourist) wore the lei they made the day prior.

Isaac checking out the imu ceremony from the balcony. 

As you can see, Maile's with us at Germaine's, thank goodness.

At most luau shows, people are invited up on stage to dance something or other. Here's a picture of Lydia being (GASP) bashful on stage! Rebecca is there behind her. Honestly this was a kind of "humor grandma" moment. Maile and Angela are up there too.

Maile maintains that she "doesn't dance." Such a cop out.

James got to wear his new aloha shirt to the luau. Practicing his "shaka" sign. James and Lydia are also wearing the lei they made the day prior. Not sure if you can tell, but Lydia's lei is a little...loved. But that's ok, she did make it herself, with grandma's help of course.

Finally, perhaps the most important news of all:

Lydia lost some teeth! Grandma asked if she could have the teeth because she needs money, but Lydia was firm and decided she needed the money more...

It was a fun two days in a row, and I think (hope?) my mom even had fun being around her grandkids. It's been a little difficult to find ways for us to get together, not really any excuse for that but just like anyone, we feel like we're doing the best we can.  I do believe my mom is part of the reason we're supposed to be here in Hawaii, hopefully we can continue to build a strong relationship with her and give her and the kids opportunities for positive connection.