Category Archives: family

education, family, photos

On the Stage

Gallery Leave a comment

There really are no words for the warm joy that bubbles through you when you see your child on stage. No matter how small the role, there’s always been this sort of indescribable pride we’ve felt when our kids really work for something and show it off to an audience.

Today we had the joy and pleasure of watching Maia perform in a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through the arts school they attend. Keana was supposed to be in it at as well, but is still recovering from a injury she got while running earlier this year. Maia was in two performances, one last night and today’s matinee, but as you can imagine, it’s been weeks and weeks of prep. Sarah volunteered to help out backstage too, so it’s been a busy couple of weeks for our family.

Continue reading On the Stage →

birthdays, development, family, trips, videos

Limping Into Summer

Leave a comment

The first week of summer is done and gone and we’re already halfway into the next. It feels like Team Hokama has barely survived so far. We started out tired, having returned from a three-day weekend trip to Sacramento celebrating Great Grandpa Vic’s 80th birthday. This seemed okay since hey, it’s summer(!), and there will be plenty of time to rest and play, right? Not so.

Last Tuesday afternoon (June 17), while Keana and Sarah were at Keana’s physical therapy appointment—yes, a couple more weeks before her sprained knee is back to normal—I was on a phone call and I heard Maia and Aliya busy playing. They can be quite the dynamic duo, busying themselves all over the house with this or that, and I didn’t think anything of their little chatter until I hear a BANG, CRASH, and Maia screams, “Papa! Papa! Help! It Hurts!” I quickly got off the phone and found Maia on the floor of the laundry room, on her back, one shoulder in the cat water dish. Aliya was standing by the dryer, door open. I tried to get her to tell me where it hurt amidst the sobs, but it was impossible. At that moment, she didn’t know what had happened, she was just in pain.

Continue reading Limping Into Summer →

family, holidays, trips

Where, O Death, is Thy Sting?

2 Comments

The last couple weekends have pushed our family to look at death (again). Two Fridays ago we were on the road to Santa Monica to bury my grandma (on my dad’s side), and of course this weekend was Easter weekend. The two experiences, though pretty different, have very common threads. Some questions that have been (re)raised for us that I think apply to both: How do we talk about death? What’s appropriate behavior around death for our family? Is there room for joy and celebration when people die? What do we believe happens to us after we die? What are the family traditions associated with each event?

The thing I love about having kids is that everything with them is an opportunity to explore, question, and have fun. And yes, funerals are fair game. I’m thankful that Sarah and I are able to see that for our own family, and we try to allow the kids to ask whatever they need to ask, give them honest, straight-forward answers, and when needed, gently instruct them on what most people consider appropriate behavior. So even though we headed to LA to grieve, we were also excited about seeing family and enjoying some time by the coast. This context is helpful, especially if you were to hear them shout out excitedly, “We’re going to Nana’s funeral in LA!”

Continue reading Where, O Death, is Thy Sting? →

birthdays, development, family, photos, videos

How to Capture a Birthday?

Leave a comment

Birthdays are some of those tough moments for me to capture in words. I can (and have in the past) just given an account of what happened, which is fine, but that approach doesn’t capture all the intricate, deep thoughts and feelings I have as I think about each kids’ birthday and what a big deal it is when any of us make it through another year.

Two different friends of mine had their first kids on Keana’s birthday this weekend, which was a great reminder at how far we’ve come. Keana is still the sweet, playful, beautiful, bright-blue-eyed girl she’s always been, year after year, but of course she’s maturing. Her thoughts, feelings, and understanding of the world continue to deepen every day and it’s really an honor to witness. She’s growing gracefully and takes all the new, exciting changes in her life in stride. She’s interested in everything growing up entails, and so far has embraced it all without fear. In fact, she’s happy to be growing up and seems to enjoy her increasing abilities and freedom.

Continue reading How to Capture a Birthday? →