Nothing Can Compare To A Mother's Love

This is a true story of Mother’s Sacrifice during the Japan Earthquake.
After the Earthquake had subsided, when the rescuers reached the ruins of a young woman’s house, they saw her dead body through the cracks. But her pose was somehow strange that she knelt on her knees like a person was worshiping; her body was leaning forward, and her two hands were supporting by an object. The collapsed house had crashed her back and her head.

With so many difficulties, the leader of the rescuer team put his hand through a narrow gap on the wall to reach the woman’s body. He was hoping that this woman could be still alive. However, the cold and stiff body told him that she had passed away for sure.
He and the rest of the team left this house and were going to search the next collapsed building. For some reasons, the team leader was driven by a compelling force to go back to the ruin house of the dead woman. Again, he knelt down and used his had through the narrow cracks to search the little space under the dead body. Suddenly, he screamed with excitement,” A child! There is a child! “
The whole team worked together; carefully they removed the piles of ruined objects around the dead woman. There was a 3 months old little boy wrapped in a flowery blanket under his mother’s dead body. Obviously, the woman had made an ultimate sacrifice for saving her son. When her house was falling, she used her body to make a cover to protect her son. The little boy was still sleeping peacefully when the team leader picked him up.
The medical doctor came quickly to exam the little boy. After he opened the blanket, he saw a cell phone inside the blanket. There was a text message on the screen. It said,” If you can survive, you must remember that I love you.” This cell phone was passing around from one hand to another. Every body that read the message wept. ” If you can survive, you must remember that I love you.” Such is the mother’s love for her child!!

This story is amazing and touches my heart in so many ways. It truly is a depiction of how much we, as mothers, love our children. Nothing compares to our love for our kids. I know without a doubt that I would've been in the same position if it were me in this earthquake with my 3 month old baby. I know no mother that wouldn't sacrifice their all in the protection of their child. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one. . . . .left me speechless & filled with a thousand different emotions.

Been To Hell Lately??

That's exactly where I felt like I've been residing for the past week. :( I started feeling the first signs of the flu bug on Monday & it hit me with a TON of bricks. It was terrible, to say the least. I kept hoping & praying that with every passing day I would start to feel better, but to no avail. I was already scheduled to see my doctor Wed morning & felt relief in the thought alone, but not in actually having to drag myself out of bed & get there. But I did. He checked me over, listened to baby's heart, measured me, did my vitals & listened to my lungs. After asking me about my symptoms, he concluded that I had the flu bug & because I was pregnant I would have it for five more days. He gave me a prescription for a z-pack, told me to take some tylenol, go home & rest. I did exactly that. I kept feeling so much better whenever I'd take my tylenol & hopelessly held on to the notion that maybe I'm getting better so I'd get up & do a load of laundry or go to my morning class @ school. But every time after doing so, I'd find myself barely making it to my bed as my head would hit the pillow & I would TRY to go to sleep even though my body was aching, burning, then shaking from the chills on & off the whole time. I was miserable. And on top of all that?? I keep getting what they call 'false alarms' (fake contractions) which I usually don't care about cause they're not that bad, but to have them all night was an absolute nightmare. :(

I barely felt good enough to pick the girls up from school Thu so we could head straight to their ATOP dance practice so we spent the night at my parents & the next morning I had to call & excuse the girls from school cause there was no way I was in any shape to make that drive back to Ogden. I had the WORST of the chills, burning fever, sweating, body aches on Friday afternoon & had to wait til 4 pm to take my tylenol, but as soon as I did, it started to even out my body temperature & even got my body aches under control. I had to run an errand with my dad & I knew that would've been the only time I would be able to do it so I hurried & got up & left with him. When we got back, I still felt a little better, but I was already anticipating the routine of misery to start up again. So I just waited. I got a call from my sis in-law, Fine. She called to check up on me cause she's so AWESOME & SWEET!! I talked to her for a while & felt fine the whole time. :D Then Hoko called & I ended my convo with Fine. But I wasn't able to stay on the phone long with Hoko before my eyelids started feeling heavy & I knew I needed to get to bed. So we said our "I love you's" & "Goodbye's" & I was off to bed. Thank goodness for GREAT parents whom I love & adore so much. I don't know how I would've survived this whole ordeal without them. They cooked, cleaned & looked after me & my children. My dad said he was going to take me to the ER if I didn't start to get better by Friday night, but since things seemed to be turning up in our favor, I received a priesthood blessing from my dad & my brother instead. And quickly dozed off. I was so grateful when Saturday morning came & I still felt better. Extremely tired, but definitely better. My parents got up early & left to my nephew, Gemini's, football game with my four girls. The two boys stayed with me cause they're still a little sick & I didn't want them to get worse. This change in the weather is so heavenly, but I didn't have any warm clothes for them & I'm not taking any chances on them with what I just went through.

Because I was feeling so much better, I took the boys out for a drive. It felt so good. :D I even met up with Fine & Sheena to go support Hoko's nephew, Ti Tonga's, bake sale. We bought cookies & cupcakes & were grateful for the sweet treats on the drive back to Fine's. I headed back to my parents, packed up our stuff in the van & headed to Sheena's to watch the Utah/BYU game. It was a full house cause Manase & Polu were there & Fine & her family came over as well. But it was so much fun. We laughed all night at Manase 'funny' jokes!! Lol. He's such a fob!! LMBO!! But they're the best!! They bought us chinese which just made my night since I hadn't really eaten anything since Thu night. Polu got my two older girls these really cute shirts from Park City that she brought for them. It was an all around great night with great people. We came home famished & everyone walked straight to their beds & knocked out. It's the simplicity in those kinds of family gatherings that always gets me. Only thing missing was Hoko. He was watching the game at the same time & could hear all the laughter in the background & I felt so bad for him. :( He said how he wished he was with us, but we both have an unspoken understanding of knowing that he's exactly where he's supposed to be even though it may not be where we want him to be. And with that. . . .I'm signing off. Gotta start on some homework. I'm back my trip to hell was very temporary. I don't wanna visit that place ever again. :D

Sacrifices. . . .

We've been making a lot of sacrifices lately in order to continue on this journey that we're on in getting ourselves to where we need to be. One of them being that our two youngest boys spend three to four nights a week with my parents because I have school. We originally planned that I would enroll them in the daycare here at Weber, but when I went to do so, they were FULL. :( Some weeks are better than others & on the ones that aren't so good, we spend the week commuting back & forth from Salt Lake to Ogden just so we can be together with our boys as much as we can. It's bad enough that Hoko works out of state, but to have to be away from ME, too. That just kills me. We spent the weekend at my parents place & headed back home Sunday night. I brought the boys home with me & then took them back Monday & spent a couple of hours with them there before heading back to Ogden to pick up the girls from school. So they've been there since Monday & have been asking my mom when they'll be coming back home to me since yesterday. :( I talk to them everyday & can't wait to pick them up tomorrow. I love them so much & am so EXCITED for them to welcome a new member to their club of boys/brothers. :D

Our two handsome boys!! Soon to be THREE!! :D

This past week, I've been feeling under the weather. I knew immediately that I was coming down with the flu. I just kept hoping & praying that it wouldn't get as bad as it has been the past couple of times that I've gotten it. And I honestly thought that it was, but am so grateful that I've actually been starting to feel better today. I had my doctor's appt this morning to see how everything's coming along. I've now reached 36 weeks & am anxious for our son's arrival. :D I'm still dilated to a two, but my doctor said that he's moved down a lot so that's a good sign. I can't wait for him to make his debut. And even though I really wanted another girl, I know we're getting what we're supposed to be getting & I'm so thankful. Hoko's even more excited!! He's been saying it was another boy from the get go. And I guess it's a good thing. Evens out the playing field in our home. A little. Lol.

I have my first exam next week in one of my classes & am relieved that this bug isn't sticking around long. My professor's holding study sessions during the weekend & I plan to attend. It's been kinda crazy since the semester started cause it's so packed on campus. I'm not used to that cause it wasn't like that when I started in the spring & then summer was even more empty. But I know that as soon as I have baby, everything will work out. Not being limited physically makes a big difference. And oh how I'm looking forward to putting my Vibram's to use once I give birth. They're my new running/fitness shoes. My sister inlaw, Taeao, has had a pair for over a year now & I've always wanted one cause they are so lightweight. Well, I finally got my pair & have already started to break 'em in. :D

My new Vibram's that I'm in love with :D

But I am constantly amazed at how much strength I draw from my kids. I can only imagine if I wasn't a parent yet. I wouldn't have a BIGGER reason for pushing myself more. I don't think 'I' would be enough of a motivation to do more. But kids are so innocent. They bring out the best in us in just their pure innocence & love for the simple things in life. It never ceases to amaze me how much they can just enjoy playing made up games with each other & find the most joy in those things. :D

Our six blessings @ stake conference two Sundays ago :D

We've made the decision for baby #7 to be our last one. My health hasn't been doing so well with the more pregnancies it endures. And I honestly feel that we've been abundantly blessed. It's time now to focus on our future with all seven children that we've brought into this world & especially ZONE in on how we're gonna be supporting them. Lol. I love my life & can't imagine it any other way. Even with the trials & tribulations that we've gone through. . . . .they've seriously only made us stronger & able to progress further in our lives.

Savou Turns TWO!! :D

Savou turned TWO last month on the 12th of August, but we waited for Hoko to come on his home visit this past Labor Day weekend to celebrate it. Hoko & I had already planned to get a boat rental for our family before we decided to hold Savou's lil bday party so it all worked out perfect. I've talked about how much we've enjoyed going to Pineview Reservoir this past summer so it comes to no surprise that that's where we ended up for this occassion. :D This lake is such a beautiful lake. There have been a couple of tragic deaths there over the past month or so that would probably give some a scare regarding it, but this lake is seriously so breathtakingly beautiful & safe. You just have to make sure you abide by all the safety rules that are set in order to keep us all out of harms way.

Anyways, we bbq'ed chicken, ribs, steaks, mango berry salad (courtesy of Zupas), 4 dozen chocolate covered strawberries (courtesy of Tina Reid of cHeat dAy), tiramisu bday cake, fruit bday tart, drinks galore, FAT BOI'S (courtesy of Jim & Dode), oysters, corn & more, but I can't remember. Lol. There was a TON of food & we had such a GREAT time with our families.

Besides the minor setback with the rope getting stuck in the propellor, everything went smoothly. Sorry to those that didn't get a ride on the boat. :( But we'll definitely be planning another boating trip with the family. And soon. :D

We rented one of those tubes that we had tied to the back of the boat & you'd think Hoko would be considerate of the kids & the fact that they're just KIDS. But NO. . . . .this guy totally FLOORED it & they went flying all over the place. Hahahahaha!! They had such a BLAST & we can't wait to do it again. It was so much fun & the weather was PERFECT for such an occasion. We all left feeling so much joy & love towards one another & really cherishing the fact that families are forever & they're what REALLY matter. I love all of our families for all their continuous support in our different endeavors that we're all pursuing. I don't take for granted the love we share with each other no matter what our weaknesses/differences may be. :D I had to create a slideshow for the BAZILLION pictures I took. Lol. :D Enjoy!! :D

I MISS YOU

I dropped Hoko to the airport Tuesday morning & he's all I've been thinking about since. I had to forcefully push him outta my mind for a couple of hours that day so I could get my homework done. We had such a great holiday weekend that he was able to fly in for & I did NOT want it to end. While I was laying in his arms the night before he left, I couldn't hold my tears back & Hoko could feel them running down his arm & he pulled me in closer. With all the tragedies that have been going on lately, the thought that kept creeping into my mind were what if something happened to me when I'm in labor with the baby? What if I don't recover & for some reason complications surface & my life is cut short? I'm not afraid to die. But to die so young? I understand that we're all gonna go through this process in our lives sooner or later, but I kept thinking of Hoko & the kids. All these things were running through my mind & I found myself wondering if this 'being apart' thing was really worth it or if we needed to seriously re-assess our goals for our future. I prayed for guidance & comfort. I didn't want to be making decisions based on fear. It wasn't too long before Savou came trotting into our room with his only care in the world being that he needed help climbing up onto our bed & for Hoko to get his arm off of me & go sleep in his (Savou's) room. Lol. That put a smile on my face & I quickly fell asleep.

When we got up the next morning to head out the door & take Hoko to the airport, I felt reassured that for the time being, we were doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing. Nevertheless, it was the shortest drive of my life, mind you, we do live a good 30-40 min from the airport. But I dreaded every exit & city we passed by that brought us closer & closer to our destination. :( When he got out, we took a quick pix, he gave the boys a kiss cause the girls weren't able to come cause they had school, & then he was off. But while we embraced before he left, it hit me that he was returning to South Carolina by himself. He no longer had Norman with him & I felt even more sad. I told him so & he immediately agreed & was a little down, but we kissed & he was off. I was busy running around all day, but I really needed to spend some time with someone that knew how I felt so I can just share my sorrows with. I text my sis in-law, Sheena, to see if she was available to meet up for breakfast before I headed back to Ogden. Thank goodness she was. :D I felt comforted by being able to just talk about it, amongst other things that we go through as wives with husbands that work out of state for months at a time.

Savou giving his dad kisses in his sleep
Not too happy about his dad leaving. . .

Awww. . . .I miss him :(

By the time I headed back to Ogden, it was time for me to pick up Sila from school & take her to her audiology appointment. I quietly prayed that everything would work out & that Sila's hearing had improved. Last year around this time, she saw the audiologist & was diagnosed with being borderline moderate to severe hearing loss. Well, I'm happy to report that she's grown out of it & her hearing is back to normal. :D YAY!! :D She's well into her kindergarten year & loves it!! I called the office yesterday morning to excuse her from school because she has a really bad cough, along with her older sister, Lote, & the office secretary was saying, awww. . .my granddaughter's gonna be so sad cause she's in Sila's class & loves her. :D Sila is friends with EVERYONE!! She is such a social butterfly & it worried me a little before, but her teacher says it hasn't been a problem. She doesn't talk when she's not supposed to & is very polite. PHEW. . . . .




We're back to our regular routine of school, doctor's appointments, church, dance practices, potty training & so on. . . . .I miss Hoko more & more everyday, but I honestly believe that distance truly does make the heart grow fonder. I cherish EVERY min/sec when Hoko's home with us on his brief visits & am more patient & able to see his good traits over the annoying ones. Most of the time, at least. Lol. I love him for all that he is!! I don't take for granted anymore the silly little annoyances that used to be looked at underneath a microscope. Instead, I choose to revel in his love for me & ongoing strife to be better. Cause I'm far from perfect myself. I love him so much & hope & pray that my sons gain the hard work & humble nobility of this man. :D

Happy Birthday MOM!! :D

We celebrated my mom's 58th birthday this past Friday.  I made reservations two weeks ago for us to have dinner with my parents at the Roof restaurant which is located at the top floor of the Joseph Smith building.  And WOW!!  Not only is the view breath taking, but the food??  Let me just take you on a little journey, if you will.  Imagine a place where it's buffet style, but you are absolutely FLOORED about what to get cause you wanna eat everything in sight, but there's not enough room on your plate for it, let alone enough room in your stomach to keep it all down.  It has everything you could imagine & more.  Cheeses, crackers, soups, fruits, meats, seafood, breads, rolls, cakes of all kinds, crepes, fruits salads and so much more.  Well, if you can imagine that than you can imagine what the Roof is like.  Everything was delicious!!  And so PRETTY!!  :D  The dessert table was HEAVENLY.  We were all so stuffed by the end of our dinner, it was so hard for us to move.  Lol.  So we just sat there for a while & talked about different things going on in our lives.  It was really nice & I soaked up every moment of being able to spend with my parents.

My mom has been such a strength to me in who I've become & what I continue to strive for daily.  She is such a giving person.  Especially when it comes to her kids & grandkids.  She LOVES having us over for no reason at all, but to just spend quality time together.  And more than that, she loves to play with the grandkids & to see them happy.  Just hearing them laugh makes her day.  I call my mom up almost daily just to talk to her about anything & everything & nothing at all, but to just see what she's doing.  I've learned so much from her & am so proud to be her daughter.  My kids absolutely adore her & continue to tell me that when they turn 18, they're moving in with her.  And I'm totally fine with that.  Hahahaha!!  We're always spending the weekend with my parents sleeping over in Salt Lake at their place when Hoko's gone.  It makes things not so depressing at home when I'm so involved in my school work that the kids are constantly asking when Hoko will be back.  Plus, I love being able to have someone I trust & know that I can share anything with wholeheartedly & it remains confidential.  That's what my mom's been for me.  Over the past month or two, I've been able to go to breakfast, just the two of us & even dinner on occasion.  It's been so relaxing & rejuvenating.  I assume every woman needs that ONE person in their lives that can fill the void of friendship outside of her marriage.  Maybe not all the time, but on occasion is always nice.  And it may not always work out that it's your own mom, but I'm happy to say that I have that & I'm so grateful.  I do not take that for granted.  :D  Happy Birthday Mom!!  May you live for many many more years & continue to be the person you are today.  I love you so much.  :D