Blessings?? In Disguise. . . .

Hoko was in Montana last week. What we thought was going to be long term turned out to be a quick emergency response on a farm where some animals were dying from a chemical that the farmer was using. They cleared everything out and were done by Friday & he was home by Saturday. :D We have been GREATLY blessed in our family life to see the Lord's hand in it. While Hoko was gone, I had to start making daycare arrangements for the three younger kids for one day a week while I'm in classes. And while I know everything would've turned out just fine, I would much rather have them home with Hoko than anyone else. So I've looked at his being home as such a blessing in order for me to breathe a little easier with my schooling. :D

We also got word that his job has a couple of projects here in Salt Lake this year & we're holding on to the notion that MAYBE, just MAYBE, he'll be able to work here at home this year. But we're not naive to the fact that with ER, anything is possible. Especially with these awful weather conditions around the nation.

With that said, Monday came & I was in charge of dinner. I made a low calorie meal for dinner. Tilapia Salad with Strawberry Pineapple Salsa. The kids LOVED it!! And so did I. I planned this 210 calories per serving meal because of the fact that Hoko & I had already arranged s'mores around the camp fire with the kids that night. And in my continuing effort to promote a healthy lifestyle with my family, I thought this would be the smart way to go to allow us some extra room to indulge. :D

Strawberry-Pineapple Salsa

Seasoned & Broiled Tilapia

Tilapia Salad with Strawberry-Pineapple Salsa

As some of you may know, I'm currently prego & have been struggling with my weight this time around. My first trimester brought with it all the morning sickness and junk food that my body couldn't control. Or didn't wanna control, when it comes to the junk food part. It was TERRIBLE!! I'm not that big of a junk food fan to begin with. I mean, I eat chips & cookies & stuff, but I won't die without them. And it's not even really things I crave or care for. But this time was different. They were the only things that made me feel good. And as soon as I was done eating them, my nausea returned. I was grateful, at least, for the fact that when I was at school, I felt otherwise normal. No morning sickness, no cravings for junk. None of that. I actually ate healthier when I was at school. Weird, right?? Well, I gained a total of 15 lbs in two months time. I couldn't believe it!! I mean, I could cause I had no kinda self discipline on what I stuffed down my throat, but I was really upset about the fact that I couldn't control my cravings or even curb them altogether. I started counting down the days for my second trimester to start, while silently praying that I would finally get back to feeling more like myself & hoping that I would gain more self control over getting back to exercising & eating more healthy.

Well, I'm so happy to say that I'm 17 weeks now & have been feeling more like myself since last week. I started out slow by eating more fruits & veggies. As well as running on my elliptical for 45 min to an hour. This week I'll be incorporating my Biggest Loser workouts & I'm so EXCITED!! Another BIG motivation to all this is the fact that my two sis in laws, Sheena & Ame joined Sinai's biggest loser competition. They have made such a HUGE decision in stepping out of their comfort zone in order to get healthy & lose weight & I am so PROUD of the both of them!! Their examples have helped to get my focus back on track & I love them all the more for it. :D

Anyways, back to our backyard camp fire. . . . .we got this camp fire thingy from Walmart for like, forty bucks. My sister has one at her house & that's where we got the idea to get one. We sat around the fire with the kids making s'mores & we had a blast!! The kids had so much fun & kept saying how it was the BEST NIGHT EVERRR!! Sound familiar?? Lol. I love having Hoko home cause TRUST that we wouldn't be doing anything much if he weren't here. Especially since I'm in school this summer semester & have been swamped with school work. Last Sunday night, Hoko & I were laying out on our trampoline with our pillows & blankets just talking about our lives, our goals, our kids. . . .I became so overwhelmed with such feelings of gratitude for all that I've been blessed with. Most importantly, my husband & kids. They have been my #1 fans cheering me on in my ongoing efforts to get good grades & I don't want to let them down. Especially since Hoko takes care of our financial needs so willingly. His willingness to work hard & provide for our family has been consistent since the day we got married. And I say that very humbly because some of the jobs that he's had & held for years at a time, was very labor intensive. He would always complain about how he hated it there & I would tell him to leave, but he couldn't see a way out of supporting us comfortably anywhere else. So when the opportunity came along for him to join his brothers at ER, we were so thankful. And he has never faltered since. When it comes to the kids?? They're efforts in school are so transparent in all the awards they continue to be recognized for, but most important of all. . . . .their report cards. With the transferring to a new school this time around & them being so far behind, I know they're too young to realize how AMAZING they are in their laser eye focus on their academic progress. And I am so PROUD of them. I've set myself to the standards that have been set for them. Nothing less than straight A's. :D And I'm proud to say that so far so good. :D I'm praying that I can continue to be an example for them. The challenge in finding the blessings in disguise when everything seems to be so somber in life is always a breath of fresh air once the puzzle pieces start coming together. It's been a great summer thus far, or spring, or whatever the season is right now, LOL, even though the weather here is still pretty weird. Lol. Til next time. . . .

This is what happens when Savou's around doing s'mores & waving his stick around like a mad man!! Lol. The marshmallow flew & landed right SMACK on his brother's shoe!! Hahahaha!!

Our baby Savou roasting his marshmallow!! :D He's such a CHEESER!! Lol. :D

I savored every bit of that s'more!! :D And the two more I had afterwards. LOL!! :D

Last Night Together. . . . .At Least For A While :(

Tonight is Hoko's last night with us before heading back to work for the rest of the year. And while we're EXTREMELY grateful that he has a wonderful job, it's always such a LOVE/HATE relationship cause he has to travel out of state. If we get lucky. . . .maybe he'll be close enough for us to drive out & see him. Last year wasn't one of those times. :( He was in Louisiana & it definitely took a toll on the kids. They couldn't understand why I was able to go visit him & why they weren't able to go. It broke my heart. I explained to them that it was very expensive to buy plane tickets for our whole family so I was just flying out with Savou cause he was free. They quietly nodded their heads in agreement, but I could still see the hurt in their eyes & it absolutely killed me.

Having Hoko home these past months, we've been able to talk with them more about his job & the extensive travel it requires. We informed them of our plans & how daddy won't be working like this forever. That these are part of the sacrifices we're making in order to improve our future as a family. We filled them in on the details, of course, and felt immensely blessed when their reaction was so filled with gratitude & amazement. :D I know every mother feels this way about their kids, but I honestly can't imagine myself getting through these intractable times without the pure love & innocence of my children. It's probably why I've been endowed with so many of these innocent spirits. . . . . .cause I need so much strength & comfort. Lol. Whatever the reason may be, I am eternally thankful.

It was such a busy day today. I had to head to school & write up two papers for my english class that was due at midnight. Procrastinate much?? I'm still working on ridding myself of this nasty habit. And then I spent hours at the Hub getting all my math caught up. This consisted of six chapters & a quiz, but I'm proud to say that I was able to accomplish it all & head home. It was almost seven by the time I was done so we caught an eight o'clock show with the kids at the Junction. Hoko & I watched 'THOR' with the two boys & the girls watched 'RIO' :D Both movies started & ended at the same time so it worked out perfect. The kids had a blast & I LOVED 'THOR' :D It was a GREAT movie. We came home & had pizza & by that time. . . . .the kids were pooped. They headed straight for bed & were fast asleep.

I would be in the same boat as them if Hoko weren't leaving tomorrow. So here I am. . . . .blogging away while he's packing. What?? I totally folded all his laundry & had it ready for him to pack it up. That should count for something. Hahaha. . . . .

I'm totally gonna go off on a tandem here, but when do I not?? Lol. I am sixteen weeks now & have finally gotten past the morning sickness stage. Yay!! :D This pregnancy's been really difficult for me because I'm not used to feeling sick. I'm usually up & about, eating whatever I want & doing everything I normally do. The biggest thing being exercising. I'm trying to get back to running this week so that I can have an easier time throughout the rest of the twenty four weeks I have left to go. Wish me luck. I'm hoping that with Hoko leaving out of town, my motivation to stay healthy will kick into overdrive. :D *fingers & toes crossed* With that said. . . .summer semester is in full swing & I love all my classes so far. Here's to another set of straight A's this time around. :D Definitely knocking on wood with my fingers & toes crossed AND a prayer in my heart for this one. :D Til next time. . . . .

Finding Comfort In The 'Ensign'

The Ensign has been such a continuous blessing in my life. The messages shared in this wonderful publication never ceases to amaze me. Last month's issue didn't disappoint. :D There's a story in it called 'Rebecca Swain Williams: STEADFAST & IMMOVABLE. As much as I thoroughly loved the whole story, I really connected with one instance in particular. I'm going to quote it directly from the story cause I wouldn't do it justice trying to explain it in my own words. :D

"As the Church quickly became central to Frederick and Rebecca's lives, the impact on their family was immediate. Frederick was ordained an elder right after his baptism and confirmation. The very next day, he enthusiastically accepted an assignment to leave within a few weeks to serve a mission with Oliver Cowdery. They anticipated the mission would last three weeks; in reality it became a 10-month trip to Missouri. His long absence from home was the first of many such periods for Rebecca. Because of Frederick's missionary efforts and his calling into the First Presidency, he was frequently away. Rebecca, like many early Mormon women, spent long months tending their home and raising their children without the help of her husband.

Despite the work, Rebecca continued faithful and served willingly. The Prophet Joseph Smith and his family lodged in the Williams' home for a time when the Smiths first moved to Kirtland. Rebecca proved loyal to the Prophet and his family as she cared for them through trying times. Once a mob came and surrounded the home looking for Joseph. Rebecca disguised Joseph in her bonnet and cloak. Joseph was able to leave the house and pass through the crowd to safety."

These past couple of months have come with some really trying times for our family. The winter time always brings its ups & downs with having Hoko home. And while most of it is UP. . . . .I can truly attest to the parts that were down, as being as LOW as it can go. :( While I'm continually grateful for all that we've been blessed with, I have been dreading the thought of knowing that at any time now, Hoko will be leaving us to return back to work for an extended period of time. And it has caused me so much sorrow & heartache, but I have found such comfort in the story of Rebecca Swain Williams. I relate to her story all too well. The raising of the kids on my own, tending to the house, and pretty much everything else at home that needs looking after. And my heart goes out to those early pioneer women in those days. They really did do a lot of things on their own that had to do with the family. What AMAZING examples they are & I feel very humbled when thinking of my own affliction compared to theirs. With the technological advances over time, I now have privileges that they never enjoyed. Cell phones, to talk to my husband whenever I want; Minivan, to get me to & fro safely in a short period of time; Skype, so we can video chat online & see each other; Airplanes, in case I have the opportunity to go visit him; Internet, as another form of communication through various channels; and so on.

My heart was full as I read this story & I honestly felt the Lord was letting me know that He is mindful of me. Of the desires of my heart. I felt a reassuring peace that all is well. Though with this time around, I am in school full time while entering the second trimester of this pregnancy & juggling the six children that we already have, all is well. The saying that comes to mind is that of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin when he said: "Come what may & love it." So as for now, I'm going to look at the BRIGHT side & enjoy the journey as much as I can. I'm a firm believer of not just enduring the journey. But enduring it well. :D

Moving Back??

So I've been playing around with the idea of perhaps it being a smart decision to move back to Salt Lake. . . .now hear me out. Lol. I love living in Ogden primarily for the fact that I'm within 120 seconds of drive time to my school. Which makes a HUGE difference. Also, I like being a little bit away from families & friends because of the fact that it isolates me from that part of my life that can be somewhat distracting at times. Lol. Because all of our families live out there, we're constantly commuting every weekend back & forth & with these gas prices?? It's a bit ridiculous. But when I weigh out the pros & cons. . . . .it's much more economical for us to commute to Salt Lake on the weekends then it will be if I were to have to commute from there to here everyday. So I guess problem solved. Lol.

I had to get this off my chest cause it's been bouncing around in my head for the past month or so. And as much as I push it to the back of my mind, it keeps finding its way back to the forefront.

With that outta the way. . . . .this past weekend was another time inducing, extra busy, family filled weekend shared with the ones we love most. Friday started out crazy with my butt sitting in immigration for the second time this week, mind you, this building is all the way in Salt Lake (once again refer to the two previous paragraphs). I had to clear up some stuff with my residency status in order to be able to take the holds off my admissions at Weber in order to continue my education. A few other bumps in the road that I've been dealing with while trying to broaden my horizon & enlighten my brain. Lol. I am so relieved & so grateful that everything has finally panned out & I have registered for summer semester with no resistance. I'm currently enrolled in twelve credits, but am scheduled to see my advisor Friday morning to see if I can add one more. And as crazy hectic as twelve credits already is, I need one more three or four credit course since I was only able to take three classes last semester because of the fact that I registered late so I'm trying to get back on track with taking one extra class this summer semester. I'm clearly aware of the fact that it's gonna be really difficult to stay afloat, but I'm hoping that I will get through it alive.

After I got everything squared away with immigration, I headed back to Weber to clear everything up in admissions. It took all of two minutes & I was outta there heading to the girls' school to pick them up. We headed home & cleaned up a bit, grabbed their change & headed BACK to Salt Lake for the kids to spend the weekend with grandma before she heads to Fiji. A special request from grandma Selu since she'll be gone for four weeks. :( Savou & Liyah didn't wanna stay so they had the opportunity of heading to my sister's house with us to do s'mores & play with my other nieces & nephews. Which wasn't part of the plan, but my sister text me on our way back home so we stopped by. We finally got home around 3 am & ended our night with a quick stop at Betos for a TEXANO burrito that was to die for!! My fave!! :D I was scheduled for a breakfast date with my sister & Ati (which is my sister's sister in law) which I totally missed cause I was too busy sleeping. Lol. I jumped up at 9:20 & called my sister that I wasn't gonna get there in time for breakfast. Ugh. . .we finally got back to Salt Lake a little after 11 am & my sister & I started our day together. She took me to get a pedi, then we headed to the Gateway for lunch at Applebees & then upstairs to the megaplex for a movie. Hanna, to be specific. It was a great day & we had a lot to catch up on. :D We headed back to her place & ended up spending the night there watching movies & just chillin. FUN & better yet. . . .so RELAXING!! :D





Sunday came & we headed to my parents place for our easter lunch/dinner cause our eating lasted all day. We got to talk with my parents more about our family land that my parents just recently purchased in Fiji, which is the reason my mom's leaving there on Thursday. That got us all excited as well. We ended our weekend at the Mostyn's for an egg hunt & dinner that they put on for our families. Nothing comes close to the time spent amongst the ones you love & cherish. Makes you grateful for all the things you have been blessed with that can easily be taken for granted. This was our crazy weekend that's pretty much every weekend. Especially with summer approaching & the weather warming up. Birthday parties, weddings, reunions, etc., are just the beginning of these unforeseen weekends that are approaching. :D

Been Awhile??

It's been awhile, right?? I know. I feel like I'm always saying this so I'm just going to accept the fact that this is the way it's gonna be. I can't get to my blog as often as I'd like, but who's keeping track anyway?? Lol.

I took the last of my finals today. Phewww. . . . .what a relief. I am so happy to say that this semester hasn't been a total disappointment. It started out pretty rough. I took all generals classes and won't get into any CORE classes til next spring. I went and saw all my professors yesterday n today to see how my grades will turn out. If everything goes well with my finals I did today, I am hopefully on track for straight A's!! Woo hoo!! I am so happy cause I was so SHOCKED when they all said that. I was crossing my fingers & toes that I would at least get a 'C' so that I wouldn't owe any financial aid money back to the school for failing. :D

I had an interesting conversation with my psych professor. We got to talking & I mentioned how I thought all my classes would be pretty easy since they were all intro classes. Boy was I wrong. I thought that maybe the difficulty of them all was the fact that they were all packed into seven week courses and not the full fourteen weeks they usually are. My professor went on to shed some light on me & explained how intro courses are a lot more difficult then CORE classes. She said that they introduce you to the subject as a WHOLE and not specifics of it. Like this psych 1010 course. We went over everything in a nutshell about psych. But if I was to take a child psychology class, it would primarily focus on that field of psychology. Makes sense, right?? I hope so cause it made total sense to me & I didn't feel like such a dummy.

I have been so blessed to have my husband home while I've been in school this past semester. I don't know how I would've been able to cope with all the stresses of school, motherhood, kids, home, and just LIFE. Even though I understand that he'll be leaving out of town soon, I'm cherishing every moment that he's here with me. I love him so much!! :D

Something that I've learned about finishing out the semester is how GREAT I feel. A feeling of accomplishment, even if it is just for the completion of ONE semester. One of the intro classes I took was in computers and I was able to learn Windows 7, MS Word, Excel, and Power Point 2010. It's given me more confidence in myself in having that picture in my mind of getting back into the workforce. Especially in this economy.

I'm grateful for my wonderful kids!! I have been so blessed with such helpful, loving kids. Aaliyah & Lote have taken on more responsibility around the house with cooking, dishes, Savou & just little things here n there that add up. Helping to dress their younger siblings or making them cereal. I feel humbled and eternally blessed for their love & support in my going back to school. There are a lot of nights where I can literally feel the walls closing in on me. Like I'm falling short of so many responsibilities & I cringe inside. When those nights come, my kids can do the MOST simplest of things to put a smile on my face & remind me of how grateful I need to be for everything that I have been blessed with. I don't think my kids will ever understand how much they carry me through the TOUGHEST of times & I thank my father in heaven for blessing me with these wonderful spirits. I absolutely feel that they have benefited me more than I can ever benefit them. They are just so precious. With that said, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be bringing in another spirit into this world. I am thirteen weeks along & already showing. Ugh. . . .not that I'm trying to hide it or anything. But most of what's showing is just fat from my lack of exercise. At least what I'm used to when it comes to exercising. It's been really hard this time around. Back in January, I knew I was cause I woke up one day & my body totally shut down. I had no self-discipline, no motivation to workout, nausea joined me every night, & I was so tired all the time!! What else could it be, right?? Well, I was in denial up until a couple of weeks ago. Like three or four. I've gained a good fifteen pounds already. Pathetic much??

It must be why I was so EXCITED when I logged onto my FB acct & saw that Beyonce's new single is available on ITUNES tomorrow & that her music video is scheduled to release in June. Oh please come sooner!! Nobody motivates me like BEYONCE can!! I love her!! She is so comfortable in her own skin that nobody can come close. :D I'm looking forward to getting myself back on the healthy bandwagon sooner than later. I workout two to three times a week, but it's so not enough. Trust. . . .the scale testifies of this. I hope with the one week break between now & summer semester, I can get myself back into the routine of working out & eating healthy. Til next time. . . . .adios!! :D

Another Bday Celebration. . . .

Lote in her morning looks 'n all. Hahaha

This past weekend we had the wonderful opportunity of celebrating our lil Lote's 9th birthday. WOW!! I can't believe my two oldest are 9 & 10. Lol. When Hoko & I talked about me going back to school, I prayed all of last year to know what I should go in to. It had everything to do with our older children growing up so fast. Once I received my answer, I pondered about it because it would take me a total of SIX YEARS total to finish up. Which means that Aaliyah would be hitting her SWEET SIXTEEN with Lote si'i trailing right behind her. But we continued to pray about it & we also attended the temple weekly in our effort to be sure. And we're pretty positive that this is the path that we're supposed to be on. It's definitely an exciting journey & while we're still in the forefront of it, I am still in AWE of the unwavering love my father in heaven has for me & my growing family.

Lote in her bday church 'fit :D

Right before heading out the door to church

We tried to do a family pix with the self-timer on my camera, but it didn't work. Hence the fact that Hoko's not in this pix. Lol

We had a blast this past weekend in ringing in another birthday year for our Lote si'i. Her treat pick for her class on Friday was doughnuts. Lol. When she got home from school, we headed to the Junction to watch 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules. They LOVED it!! :D We picked up some KFC on the way home & ate & chilled & talked the night away. Saturday came & Hoko & I were busy running around all day. We had a bunch of things that we planned to do around the house, but was put off until after Taeao's wedding was done. And so we started to get those things in order. We did a little face lift to our living room which we're pretty happy about. Now we're tackling one room at a time. Organization is KEY. Especially with half a dozen kids in tow. . . . .it's more of a LIFELINE that if not used, will create nothing, but CHAOS in our household. Lol.

Sunday came & we did what we always do for our kids on their birthdays. Dinner with a homemade cake. :D We kept it simple for this dinner & stuck to ribs with fries. :D But we went all out on her cake. I mixed up her fudge marble cake & stuck it in the oven to bake. When it was done, Hoko stuck it in the fridge to cool down. Then we pulled it out & put the chocolate filling in the middle, frosted the outside & decorated it. :D Hoko did the designs & I put the strawberry milkshake whoppers around the edges. :D It turned out great, but tasted even BETTER!! :D I can't wait to make this cake again cause it will definitely turn out a lot better looking. Hahahahaha. . . . .here's some pics from our weekend. :D

Homemade bday cake made by her dad

This cake was DEE-LISH!!

February Was Filled With Birthdays!! :D

Last month was FILLED with birthdays. From some being on the same day, while others were only days apart. And yet they were ALL just days from each other. Lol. It was a HECTIC family filled month, nonetheless.

My father inlaw's bday was up first. And all the boys headed to the monster truck show at the Energy Solutions center for a testosterone FILLED night!! Lol. They had a blast!! And since none of us, women, were there. . . .there are no pictures, of course. But they had a blast. Three generations of the Tu'akoi men!! :D It was definitely a SIGHT to see. :D

Next up was our baby Hoko!! His bday landed on a Sunday so we baked him a cake, made some food & invited our family over to help us celebrate!! He had such a GREAT time with all his cousins. He's now five years old & learning new things everyday, it's crazy. By the end of the night, we were pooped!! Lol.









Three days later was our Polu Marie's bday. She turned 7 yrs old and shares a bday with her auntie Fine. :D Her bday landed on a school day/night so I bought treats for her class & took it up there so they can celebrate with her. :D We also made a special dinner & cake for her as well. :D







And finally, since Fine's bday was on a weeknight, we waited to celebrate hers that Friday. We cooked up a special dinner & baked her a double layered chocolate cake with a peanut butter filling, topped with a chocolate ganache & sprinkled with heath toffee bits. Similar to the ones we made for our kids, but with a different filling. :D Fine's a BIG reese's fan, hence the reason why we went with a peanut butter filling. :D Busy busy week, but filled with what we treasure MOST: FAMILY TIME!! :D