Updates. . . .

Wow. . . .it's been a while. I'm sitting here with Jordan in one arm while typing with the other. And he's seriously just staring at my free hand moving around in an uneven manner so as to accommodate this post. Definitely multi-tasking at it's best. Anyways, so much has happened since my last post. Jordan is now two and a half months and is quite literally kicking me in the butt and gut. Maybe this was more so up until two weeks ago. That was when fall semester came to a close. And can I just say how relieved I am?? I gave birth to Jordan on October 5th. Right smack in the middle of the semester. I have no idea what I was thinking when I registered for this past semester being in the last stretch of my pregnancy. But I did. And I'm so happy that I made it through with some kind of sanity still left in me. I think?? I did, however, get my first 'B.' Ugh. . . .but considering my circumstances, I have to say that I was pretty grateful for it. I missed an exam and two quizes in this class due to my giving birth so pulling a 'B' in it was quite a humbling experience & one that I do not fail to recognize had the Lord's hand in it all the way. My accumulative GPA right now is at a 3.53. Definitely room for improvement. I hope to get it up this next semester. My girls got straight A's in their first term. All of them!! Woohoo!! They seriously make me so proud. They care so much about their schooling and their future. We're always talking about the different possibilities that lies in wake for them. It's so exciting to think about, let alone discuss it with them. They're eagerness to prepare themselves for what lies ahead is what keeps me pushing forward in my schooling. They are my main inspiration!! That & definitely the way my husband works. His hard work always leaves me speechless because he doesn't complain about it. He just goes out there everyday and does it. I love him so much.

The girls' 4.0 recognition

Well, the girls' straight A's came with a couple of perks this time around. Their ATOP dance group has been doing a 'School Is Cool' promotion where students receive a couple of months free tuition if they get a 4.0. I definitely used this to my advantage because my girls absolutely LOVE learning about their polynesian culture through the art of dance. And with four girls?? Tuition can be pretty pricey. So I used this as an extra motivational tool for them to keep their eyes on the prize and stay focused on their education. I told them that they would have to pay for their own tuition in ATOP by getting straight A's. Lote gave us a little bit of a scare because when I logged into their account online to check their progress with grades, she had all A's and one 'D.' I went and saw her teacher and found out that Lote hadn't been doing her writing assignments. Aaliyah had this same 4th grade teacher last year so I was accustomed to the kind of work both in school and out of school that these kids were expected to accomplish. We were still three weeks from report card time so he gave Lote two weeks to turn in 25 pages of writing. Lesson learned for my nine year old in that plague that continues to haunt the best of us: procrastination. She was able to complete all her writing logs in a week and a half and turned that 'D' into a rightful 'A.' :D As proud as I was of her for being accountable for this, I had to be tough on her and told her that she wouldn't have encountered this dilemma if she would've been doing what she was supposed to be doing. I told her that she absolutely deserved that 'D' for her carelessness in not doing her writing logs daily. She was miserable for that week and a half that she had to constantly come up with something new to write about. As much as I felt for her, I also explained to her that in the real world, like perhaps when she reaches college, she won't have teachers that'll be so forgiving as Mr. Guymon (her 4th grade teacher). She tiredly nodded her head and went to bed. She was so weary.

I, as well, had been super weary during finals time. Being a mom doesn't give me much time to study so when I'm in class, I soak everything up like a sponge. I make sure I never miss class because I know that don't have much time out of class to catch up especially since I always feel like I'm barely keeping up. This has been my advantage since going back to school. Attendance has become my #1 priority in keeping my grades up. I was able to pull a 95% on my finals and I was also overjoyed that I got A's in all my essays/papers I had to write up this semester. My financial aide suspension has been lifted so I'm all set for spring. Woohoo!! This last semester we had to pay $2500 towards my tuition. Trust that it has been a struggle these past couple of months. I don't know how my husband pulled it off having only worked three and a half months this year, but he did. That's how important my education is to him. It's all the support I need to go out there and give it my all. I love him so much.

This past week, the girls had their first dance recital. I've been so excited for it for the past week or so. They did such a great job all thanks to the best dance instructors in the valley. We were some proud parents. They danced their little hearts out. We love them so much for giving it their all. They were so nervous. My little Sila especially. Lol. But they all did a great job and we're so looking forward to their next quarter that starts next month with the island of TONGA!! Cheehoo!! :D It's a definite bonus that they also get to dance with so many of their cousins. It just makes it so much more funner for them and us cause we get to see our families that we don't get to see that often and that's always a good thing. :D

Aaliyah's intermediate group

My sister, baby Jordan & I front & center

The girls w/Taeao & grandma Polu

Tasha was picked to do the solo right before they performed!! We were so PROUD!!

Inseparable

Proud moment w/my Aaliyah

Our beautiful girls :D

Beautiful first cousins

We love our families for all their support

Proud dad & uncles

School's out 'til the end of the year and I've been doing nothing, but enjoying every min/sec that I don't have to think about assignments being due, papers to write up, exams to study for, etc. . . . .Instead, I get to indulge in my LOVE for reading and have already read four books total from cover to cover thanks to my sis inlaw, Taeao, whose mother in-law has a HUGE collection of books and has let me borrow a few. Taeao recommended all four books that I got to take home and I love every single one of them. I couldn't put any of them down. One of the books she recommended was one called Eragon. It's the first book of a series of four. I tried to get book two from the library, but they're all out and there's a super long waiting list for it. I asked Taeao if they had book two and she said she would check and get back to me, but my impatience has gotten the best of me and I ended up at Walmart yesterday with Hoko to get book two, The Eldest, of this series.




I also picked up The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo so I can read it before I watch the movie. The books are always better, I think. There's always so much more details in them. I haven't gotten too far into this book because life here at home has been busy. I feel like all I do is clean, clean, clean. And I'm not complaining. I'm actually grateful to have the time to do it cause this last semester left us with a disgustingly DIRTY and UNHEALTHY home. It didn't help that I was staying with my parents on and off so my mom could watch my boys. But we survived it and it's given me a whole new perspective on time. How much of it we have and don't have. The one thing you can never get back. Once it's past, it's in the past. So I pretty much have a whole new outlook and almost a quiet reverence for it. It's that much more precious to me. With that being said, it's a little after 5 a.m. and I have no idea why I'm still up. I should be sleeping since Jordan's asleep. But I figure, I'll have all the time in the world for sleep in twenty years or so when the kids are all out of the house and married with their own families. I'll try to remember this on days when I feel like a duck running around with its head cut off cause it's in those moments that I tell myself that this too, shall pass. :D With that said, I'm signing off.