An Interesting Morning. . . . .

This morning started out as every other morning has since we set our goals for the New Year & have been successful with this 'ONE' in accomplishing it. And that is. . . .to read five chapters in the BofM everyday. It's been such a blessing in my life. And more than that. . . .being able to do it with my two oldest children. Aaliyah & Lote.

We started the book of Jacob & a couple of verses really popped out to me. I quickly highlighted them & put today's date on it. The 'date' thing was a suggestion from our Bishop in sacrament two Sundays ago. So that in future, when we come across these verses, it will remind us that at that time in our lives, those verses meant something more to us than just reading it. It popped out to us in our lives on that specific day. I loved that suggestion & have since been putting it into practice.

When we came to the end of chapter two, I told the girls to look back at verses 28 & 31. They read: 28)For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. 31)For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.

I explained to them that verse 28 is very important. That the chastity of women is the way we, as daughters of God, keep ourselves clean. Not just physically, but mainly spiritually. Clean & pure thoughts. Because if our thoughts are clean on the inside, then our outside appearance & everything we do in our actions are naturally clean. I explained to them how verse 31 talks about the Lord being so unhappy with the Nephite husbands that are not being faithful to their wives. The things they are doing are hurting their wives & the Lord is very much aware of it for there wives cry to him in prayer.

Because of the fact that I have four daughters, I am very concerned for their well-being. I know that it was the prompting of the spirit that led me to point out those two specific verses & make sure that they understood the meaning thereof. After we finished up, they put their scriptures away & started getting ready for school. While I was fixing Lote's hair, she started to tell me how Aaliyah said that Bryant is always staring at her boobs. A kid from school. Mind you, my little Aaliyah (as I'd like to think of her), is only 9 yrs old. But she is developing very early. And yes, does wear a bra. Goodness. . . .she's only in 4th grade. And as exciting as I am to be watching her grow before our eyes, it's a very scary thing for me to know what new challenges are brought forth with her growing up so fast. She's always been really mature for her age & now that it's making itself known thru her outward appearance, it's really starting to set in. My babies are growing up at a rapidly increasing speed & I better be able to keep up or even be a couple of steps ahead if I hope for them to succeed in this lone & dreary world. Well, Lote goes on to say that Aaliyah said she likes having big boobs around boys. :( And she's saying all this while Aaliyah is sitting right across from us denying the whole thing. Lote keeps talking as if Aaliyah isn't in the room. When she's done, I calmly explain to Aaliyah that that isn't good. That it isn't something to take lightly either. I refer back to that very scripture. Jacob 2:28. How that is part of the chastity of every young woman. And that through the actions/thoughts that she portrayed, the Lord wasn't happy at all with what she was thinking about or doing. And neither was I. Lote si'i went on to say that it's because guys might do something to hurt us. I agreed with her & continued to explain to Aaliyah that we are not to use our bodies to gain an advantage or for attentions sake. I reminded her of the covenants she made at baptism & also reminded her that she's at an age where she is accountable for her own choices she makes & that she'd do well to choose the right. Aaliyah looked down, shame plastered all over her face. Quietly said okay & got up to get the rest of her things ready for school. My hope is that with the teachings Aaliyah is taught here at home as well as in church, she will pull through this way of thinking & realize the truth in all things & where true & everlasting happiness lies. My humble prayer as her mother is that she won't fall for the temptations of the devil anymore.

This is just ONE of the many examples I have of just how much the BofM has blessed my life in being able to rear my children in the right direction. I'm not naive to the fact that my kids act differently when Hoko & I aren't around. But my hope is to instill in them integrity that they may be able to learn from their mistakes & not 'fall' into Satan's grasp. That they may be the kind of people that act as if they're parents were present all the time. Because in truth, our father in heaven is ever so present in all that we do.

This is what made for 'AN INTERESTING MORNING' in our home. I love my family & am grateful for the Lord's hand in my life. :D

Sila Turns FIVE. . . .

We celebrated Sila's 5th birthday today. It was great!! :D She received an early birthday present from her grandma last night. Two beautiful new church dresses. :D They're GORGEOUS. :D We're so grateful to loving grandparents who make sure to let their grandkids know just how much they love them. And no. . . . .it has nothing to do with the material things they buy for them. But EVERYTHING to do with the way they make them feel. The time they spend with them. And willingly.



I will be forever thankful for parents who lead by example by raising us up in the gospel & teaching us that FAMILIES will always be PRIORITY over anything else. Being able to celebrate the birth of each our children is always such a special occasion. For they are an ENORMOUS part of the kind of people we choose to be & become.



Sila has always been my MOST strong willed child out of our half a dozen. And literally. . . .since birth. Since the day I brought her home from the hospital, she clearly let me know what kind of personality she had. When she was unhappy with anything, she screamed her lungs out!! And her voice was so piercing!! Like pierce your ear drums type of cry. It used to drive me nuts cause it used to scare me & I would check everything to see if something was wrong or hurting her. We quickly found out that she was just a 'DIVA' & when she was pissed, it wasn't pretty. Lol. But with that came a very caring young child. She has the BIGGEST heart & when she sees others hurt, she's quick to offer comfort. Especially with her baby brother, Savou. She loves him dearly. When he was still an infant, she used to smother him too much, but now that he's growing into a toddler, SHE'S his favorite. He follows her around the house all day long. :D It's the cutest thing.

We love our beautiful Sila. She's growing up too fast. As they all do. But I'm happy to have memories to reflect back on & hope to continue to make more.

From This Day On. . . . .

"Fear not; only believe. This is a time to make resolutions that will be binding upon you. This is a season to set standards that will hold you to the right course and make you happy now and in the years to follow." -Gordon B. Hinkley

2011 has arrived & I'm plenty EXCITED for all it has in store for my family & I. This is the first year we're starting off without my parents & it's definitely different. Our New Years Eve was spent amongst our family & we were so happy to ring in the new year with the ones we love. We didn't get home until after 3 am. I stayed up & wrote my goals down in my journal for the new year. It's something that I've always done because I truly believe that setting goals is the first step to achieving them. It's the following through part that requires quite a bit more work.

This year I took a different approach to my goals. I wanted to be more REALISTIC in being able to achieve them so I thought really hard about these resolutions of mine. Life experiences over this past year really taught me what I should really be focusing on. The Lord, my family, myself & my schooling. And in that very order.

I am so grateful for so many different blessings that have recently occurred in our growing family. Nothing major in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of parents who are striving to set examples to young children. . . . .it's MAJOR to us. Especially because they're OUR children.

So with 2011 being in full swing, those of you that know me, know that health & fitness is a really BIG part of my life. It is really important to me. I try my best to set examples for my kids by living it myself. So I was sitting at my sister inlaw's house & the kids were playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii. I was so impressed with how amazing the game is. The dance routines on there are AWESOME & seriously are what I'd wanna learn to do. Seeing how much fun the kids were having, yet not noticing how much of a workout they were getting at the same time got me thinking that maybe this was the resolution for my kids to start getting active. :D New Years Eve came & we headed to Best Buy to purchase our new WII w/the Just Dance 2 game. We absolutely LOVE IT!! :D It's such a GREAT workout!! Our eyes are no longer fixated on the clock in hopes that our hour is up. Lol. Next game on the list?? Biggest Loser w/Jillian!! I love her!! :D

I've made up some guidelines so the kids know they can't just get up & play it anytime they want. Beds must be made, rooms must be clean, homework must be complete & so forth. :D We've created such wonderful memories with it already. :D

Continuing on this note. . . . .I was able to catch Teresa's zumba class this morning & she never disappoints. It was so invigorating!! :D I needed that. :D After the class, I had a chance to talk with her & she informed me of a 'Lifestyle Change' that she's heading herself. It's called 'Five Stars'. . . .I'll post details on it soon cause I'm still waiting to get it. :D But we got to talking about nutrition & making the change a lifestyle one so that it's not just another diet type thing. Something that will last a lifetime. She said that, "What you eat, makes you thin & what you do, makes you fit." It makes total sense!!

I always figured that I'll just workout & eat whatever I want. I've never really been a BIG junk food eater or soda pop drinker in the first place. But I love getting together with families & friends & eating whatever & however much I want. It's my TOTAL weakness. Ugh. . .But 2011 has brought me to newer heights & bigger goals. And I ain't gonna lie. . . . .I want a flippin SIX-PACK!! Hahahahaha. . . . . .I love seeing celebrity moms on tv that have had kids & look FABULOUS!! I want to do away with the stereotype that it's okay to be fat because you've had kids. I totally think that because of the very reason WE have kids, WE have more reason to be as healthy & as fit as we can be. :D

If I sound a little passionate about this, it's because I am. Being someone that has been in those shoes of feeling so insecure because I can't fit into anything I like. Adjusting my closet for my new SIZE clothing. Huffing & puffing when all I'm doing is playing with my kids. Not caring to see families & friends because I'm ashamed of the person I let myself become. These are the kinds of things that I struggled constantly with when my weight had hit an all time high & I found myself over 200 lbs. I fell into a bit of a depression. I stayed this way for about 10 months. I finally got sick of feeling this way & when January of 2008 hit, I got myself a gym membership at my local rec. I started running 3 or more miles a day, zumba, water aerobics, step class & anything else that sounded interesting. I cut down on carbs & ate more greens. I felt GREAT!! I lost about 50 lbs during that year.

December came & I found out I was pregnant. I was a little scared, but more excited & thrilled. There's two and a half years between my two youngest. For a while, we thought that we weren't able to have any more kids. I'd been miscarrying a lot, but the one right before I got pregnant landed me in the ER up at the University Hospital. It gave us quite a scare. I had miscarried in April & my bleeding continued on thru July. July 24th came & we were celebrating Pioneer Day at Liberty Park with the rest of our family. When we got up to leave, blood came gushing out of me & I felt so light headed. My sister rushed me to the hospital immediately & I got so sick. The doctors told me that I was EXTREMELY low on iron & that my body was having a hard time resetting itself back to normal after the miscarriage. They said I was anemic. I was bedridden & couldn't do anything for myself. On top of that, Hoko was out of state working in Montana & I felt like my WHOLE world was crumbling down. For the first time in my life, I lost total control of my body. I felt like a 90 yr old woman cause I was so weak. I couldn't, for the life of me, hold anything down. The only thing I could do was sleep & use the bathroom. I was MISERABLE, to say the least. I finally recovered & a couple of months later became pregnant with Savou.

I continued my workouts through my pregnancy. I ate healthy & had no complications when giving birth to him. He was our biggest baby, but my labor was the shortest with him. :D I left the hospital 20 lbs lighter & started working out two weeks later. I was able to drop the weight off & I'm back to my weight that I was before I got pregnant with him, but I'm still not satisfied. I'm definitely grateful, but I know I can do better than this.

I talked to my family today & everybody's on board & ready to start Monday off healthier. From this day on, we've made the decision as a family, to live a healthy lifestyle. For good. :D

The Simplicity of Walking. . . . .

I love taking walks with the kids & even by myself. It makes me feel so fortunate to be alive & healthy. It is something so rejuvenating to be outside with nature & to just breathe fresh air. Who would've ever thought that such a simple act could feel so good. :D

I take my 3 younger ones on walks daily along w/our dog, Titan. They love it & look forward to it as a means for them to leave the house & get their wiggles out. :D I also look forward to it because it gives me an opportunity to burn some extra calories. Lol. Another reason is because I want my kids to be exposed to living a healthy lifestyle. Being outgoing. I want them to experience the simple things in life & know that they don't have to go to Disneyland to be happy. Happiness is found in the most simplest of things. Something else I've found that comes from our daily walks is the conversations we have. The quality time & attention they get from me & I from them. It's priceless. :D The sense of humor & unique personality of children always leaves me in AWE. They uplift me with their innocence without even trying. I love them so much.



I've always known that if you do something that makes you feel good about yourself, about life, about others. . . . .then it's definitely something worth continuing to do. And this is something I will never give up doing. When we lived in Riverton/South Jordan area, Hoko & I would drive to the Daybreak Lake & just walk it. It's a little under 3.5 miles around it & it's beautiful. Now we're here in Ogden & the funny thing is. . . . .it's just as beautiful walking our neighborhood as it was when we walked the lake. :D




Hoko's been home for a little over a week now & we've been able to take our walks together with all half a dozen kids. :D We had a little snowball fight in the middle of it. We have a 'AGE IS NOTHING, BUT A NUMBER' rule in this. In other words?? No mercy!! Hahahahaha!! Way too much fun for some more than others. Lol.



It was great fun admiring the different homes/architecture of the neighborhood as well as the different decorations people had up. Even the Christmas trees shown through the windows of different homes. I love being able to see the personalities/styles that reflect through the decor of the individual homes. We walked 4 blocks down & 4 blocks back. It started to rain towards the end of our walk, so we were kinda soaked. But we enjoyed the small talks we have during these walks which I know for sure probably wouldn't take place otherwise. I'm grateful for the simple things in life. The complicated things take up too much time & sometimes. . . .too much money. Lol. And aren't even worth it cause it's so easy to get lost in it & before you know it, it's over & you're left asking yourself if it was worth it.

Well, on this particular walk last Saturday, we had the wonderful opportunity of meeting one of our neighbors who came out to meet us when she saw Titan. She also has an English Bulldog. A girl. Same age as Titan. Her name is Ema & she wants to breed her with our lil fella. :D We've been looking into getting a girl dog like Titan to breed them so we can sell the puppies. Just a little something to make an extra income. We quickly exchanged information & we'll be hearing from our neighbor down the street as soon as her Ema is in heat. :D We're excited. The highlight of our walk wasn't just about meeting Ema, but also her owner. Who goes by the name of Tina. She just moved here as well. But from California. She seems awesome & we look forward to getting to know her & her children over time. I feel nothing, but gratitude for so many continuous blessings. I love this time of year. :D

One of my therapeutic releases?? Walking!! I highly recommend it to EVERYONE. :D

1st Annual Tu'akoi Gingerbread House Making Activity :D

Yesterday we got a phone call from Fine saying that Polu wanted all of us to get together & have the kids make gingerbread houses. What was supposed to be a competition between our individual families was now turned into an activity for only the kids. Polu cancelled that competition stating that this activity should be FUN for the kids. Not the adults, I guess. Hahahaha!! So we packed the kids in the van & headed to Winco for graham crackers, all sorts of candies & different colored marshmallows. The kids had a blast picking everything out. :D Hoko & I on the other hand?? Not so much chasing them all over the store. Lol.

We grabbed a bite to eat before heading down to Salt Lake for the night. It was GREAT!! All the kids got to make their own gingerbread homes. Sila was the LUCKY DUCK that partnered up w/her dad & ended up with the BIGGEST gingerbread house of the night. :D We put all the houses together after we were all done & this was the end result!! :D They turned out great & the kids were MOST excited about getting to eat it afterwards. I'm positive that next year we, as in all the adults, will be ready & equipped with what we need to go ALLLLL OUT on our gingerbread houses. Especially Sheena & Taeao!! Hahahahaha!! Their competitive spirit kept going further & further down the drain with Hoko working right over their shoulders. LMBO!! All in all, we had great family time spent together & another memorable night to go down in the books. :D

Grateful :D

Sunday always seems like the day of the week that I get to wind down & be spiritually uplifted. And when that happens, it leaves me feeling 'GRATEFUL' for God's hand in my life. And the role it plays in every aspect of it.

Hoko's been home since Wednesday night. :D And I've been all SMILES since then. I've missed him so much & I can't believe how much this guy does for me. I've had all of our home decor from our old house just sitting around waiting to hang themselves up on the walls & he comes home & gets that all done. :D It's been great. It makes our home feel so much more homier!! If that's even a word. Lol. Especially with the holidays here. We've been getting so many things done around the house, thank goodness, & I really am such a happy camper right now.

Hoko was able to attend church with us at our new ward & it's so crazy how 'small' of a world it really is. Case in point. . . .we were running a little late to church today & we start with classes first. There was only 10 min left of relief society and I didn't wanna interrupt the spirit that's always present by walking in, looking around to find a seat, & then finally getting seated so we waited it out in the foyer. Hoko, Savou & I. Sacrament was coming to an end for another ward that we share the building with. As the members of this ward were leaving, they stopped to see if we were new members of their ward & we politely shook hands with a couple of them & nodded our heads 'no.' Then one brethren came up, did the same thing, but when we said 'no' he started talking in Tongan to us. We were quite surprised, not just because the color of his skin clearly revealed to us that he was caucasian, but also cause we didn't see any polynesians come out behind him. He explained to us that he served a mission in New Zealand & that one of his companions was Tongan. Ed Hansen. What a small world!! Let me explain. When my parents decided to move our family here to Utah, we stayed with Bishop Ed Hansen & his family. Bishop being the father of Ed Hansen who served a mission with this lovely fella. :D We continued talking & before you know it?? We had an invitation to spend FHE with his family tomorrow night. We humbly accepted & now I am just so EXCITED to be getting to know more people here.

There isn't any other way to explain it, but the fact that there is a God. That He's mindful of my family & I. That He loves me. That He knows me better than I know myself. That He knows the desires of my heart. That He knows my needs even before I do. That He understands every bit my need to be able to raise my children up righteously. That He sends people into my life to remind me just how much He loves me even though He knows I can't quite comprehend His fullness. That He continues to bless my life through even the most simplest of things that go easily unnoticed. That He can forgive me so willingly & help me to do better. That He came & gave his life for me, a sinner, as the ULTIMATE example for me to follow in His footsteps & as if that wasn't enough?? That He even lightens my load by carrying the weight of the world from off of my shoulders if I so, but ask in humble & sincere prayer. He is the very reason why I am so very grateful for everything in my life. The good, the bad & the ugly. The good because it helps me to become more like Him. The bad because it helps me learn life lessons I know I need in order to progress & proceed in my life. And the ugly because it teaches me that with patience & endurance, through the UGLINESS this world has to offer, those simple principles that were taught to me because I was 'born of goodly parents,' I am now able to know that in the most UGLIEST of situations comes blessings in disguise that we aren't able to receive unless we go through these UGLIEST of experiences. And for that I am grateful. :D

It seems that there is so much to be excited for in life. So I am very optimistic for the future & feel very fortunate to have been born knowing the 'truth of all things.' May we continue to have the holiday spirits within our hearts & carry the attitude of gratitude all year long. Christmas is about much more than just presents. Christ lived his life serving others. And yet on this, His birthday, we celebrate it by giving gifts to everyone else that we sometimes forget whose birthday we're celebrating. May we all continue to remember the reason for the season. Happy Holidays. :D

Turning A New Chapter In Life. . . . .

Taken outside of our new place before dropping Hoko off @ the airport to head back to Michigan :(

Today was our first Sunday attending our new ward here in Ogden. And I am feeling tremendous blessings from a loving father in heaven who I know, knows me by name. :D

When we arrived at church, I walked the older kids to primary n while I knew they were nervous, they walked in with a such a reverence that would make any parent proud & I held my breath as I turned & walked the opposite direction towards the nursery to drop baby Hoko off there. My brave little man of the house, as his dad refers to him & reminds him of his title/responsibility here at home while he's away. He was a little quiet & shy as he met his new teacher & then was shown to the toys where his eyes lit up & he happily forgot that he was in a new ward. :D This only left Savou & I. We wandered the halls in hopes of finding the relief society room, but I was distracted at the ward bulletin board in the hallway. It was filled with upcoming events, including the ward Christmas celebration this Saturday, the ward temple night this Wed, employment classes being taught to the unemployed as well as the under-employed, marriage classes being offered on a weekly basis to young married couples, young adults, & then also married couples in general. I was amazed!! While I was reading up on all these things, the Bishop approached me & introduced himself. I did the same & we talked a little bit. Then he showed me to the RS room & I was shocked. There were so many sisters in there. I quickly took my seat & was immediately overcome with such a strong spirit whose presence was in the room. The lesson was on being more Christlike & forgiving. Being more mindful of others. It was great. Then the RS President got up to close & she bore testimony of visiting teaching. She said how there are 269 sisters in the ward & only 170 heard the message last month. She pled with the sisters to please share the message with their assigned sisters this month so that everyone could feel the love of Christ this holiday season. Her testimony was so touching. Was so sincere. She had such a Christlike spirit & it has motivated me to really focus on what this Christmas season is really about. Service to others. Compassion to others. Forgiveness of others. I am truly thankful for this gospel & the examples of those around me.

There was a sister sitting next to me that introduced herself to me afterwards. Come to find out, we live on the same street & her husband works overseas so she's home with her kids as well. She gave me her number & addy in case I need anything. And then another sister stopped & introduced herself as well. She also lives on the same street & wrote her number & addy down as well. With Hoko working out of town most of the time, I sat there & was overcome with such gratitude to such a loving father in heaven who understands wholeheartedly what I go through day in & day out as a mother of six, struggling to teach my kids 'righteous principles' in hopes that we will ALL return home & continue to be an eternal family.

I was passed the attendance folder to sign my name & was in awe of the different tabs in there. When first opening it up, there was a sign up sheet for this Tues night between 7-8:15 pm for free babysitting services at the church so that parents can go do Christmas shopping. And the page after that had an email address written down asking for favorite recipes that will be put in a book that one of the sisters is putting together for the RS sisters. How awesome is that?? :D I am so EXCITED to be a part of this ward & feel so blessed to be amongst such wonderful members.

While it's always so nerve wrecking, exciting, tiring, frustrating & much needed when turning a new chapter in life. . . . .there's always the reassurance of continuing in faith believing that no matter what, if you focus an unwavering life with Christ at the center, you will always succeed. I love my husband & am so grateful for his sacrifice in providing for our family so that I can be a stay at home mom to our kids as well as a full time college student. I love him for loving me despite my weaknesses & for his continuous support in all my endeavors. He says that he doesn't know what it is about Ogden, but that he LOVES living out here. WOW!! Lol. That's definitely something to be excited about. Life is looking a little more like Christmas around here & may we all remember the reason for the season. :D Happy Holidays. :D