Merry Christmas

Triplets? Jasper, Soakai, Embry

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! It's hard to believe that it's already come & gone. I swear it just flies by faster & faster every year. We had a GREAT Christmas (I especially enjoyed getting my gift.....SIONE!!!) It was so nice having him home again- it would not have been a very fun Christmas with him gone. We had such a busy week it felt like he was here for a day. February's just around the corner, right?!? :) That's what I keep telling myself.

Anyway, we spent Tuesday night over at the Fa's for a white elephant party. We had a lot of fun & got some nice little gifts. We spent Christmas Eve with Cory & Jerilyn--had some yummy yummy food & headed home to get ready for Santa. Christmas morning we headed back over to the the Fa's to open gifts. Our kids totally got spoiled! Then, we came back to go to my mom & dad's for lunch/dinner. So good...we had chili & potato soup. The kids had so much fun playing all day with their cousins- they were wiped out by time we got home. Thank you all for making this Christmas so nice.

We hung out on Friday trying to get as much time together as we could before Sione left this morning. :( We dropped him off at the airport this morning so he could go to the gym (that's what Maizi always says when anyone asks where her dad is). Cute, huh? I hope she doesn't have "issues" with the gym when she's older because of this. :)

Newest Pictures

Be sure to check out Sione & Filipe's newest pictures on the Biggest Loser website. Aren't they the best looking guys you've ever seen on the show?! :)

http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/photos/gallery#item=56273

My Biggest Loser

So, I figured since this was shown on TV last night that I'm FINALLY "allowed" to blog about it now. I'm SO excited! For those of you who didn't get to see it or missed the split second of Sione here it is.... GO BLUE TEAM!! This should answer any questions any of you may have as to where Sione has been. :) And, No- I'm not a single mother!

I'm so proud of Sione & Filipe for doing this & so happy for them. I know how much they both wanted this.

http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/photos/#cat=1315&sec=2504&mea=55748

Birthdays

Maizi & Capri having some cake- isn't that beautiful of Maizi w/her nice hair & black teeth? :)

Soakai enjoying an ice cream cone

Zachary getting some help from Reign blowing out his candles

I just wanted to wish my brother Zachary & my mom a

VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

We all got together yesterday to celebrate their birthdays- Zachary's was on Sunday & my mom's is today. We had a really good time eating and visiting with eachother. The kids had so much fun playing & eating cake & ice cream.

Anyway I hope you both have great days.

I especially want to thank my mom for ALL she does for me

so I hope she enjoys her day today- she definitely deserves it!

Happy Thanksgiving

Good thing we have Bronson to herd the kids around. They love him! Don't mind Maizi's eye- we didn't get her glasses on for the picture. :)

Here are just a few of the family for Thanksgiving breakfast. Have to check out the ads!

After about a month I figured it was time for a new post. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving & got LOTS of yummy food. I know I did. We started the day off with our traditional Thanksgiving breakfast at my parents & of course it was delicious. We had lots of fun hanging out with family & visiting with everyone. We weren't sure how many people would show up because of the rain, but we had a very good turnout (there is usually about 100 people). Then we were off to the Fa's for lunch/dinner which was also great. It was good to see everyone & catch up with all of them. Maizi & Soakai had so much fun playing all day with all there cousins. The kids were exhausted(so was I) so we headed home & went to bed.
Thanks everyone for such a nice day!!

I have been debating on posting this entry for a few days but I really feel like I need to. I am so grateful for my family and for my friends- especially at this time. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such a wonderful family that I know will always be there for me. This has been a difficult time for us, but knowing that we will all see Shane again is comforting. I know that he will have a hand in all of our lives and I know that as hard as it is to accept, he is where he needs to be right now and there was a greater need for him with our Heavenly Father. Our prayers are with Melisha, Kezlie, Cory, Jeri, Austin, Bronson & Kassidi.

Random Pictures

I just thought that I'd share some random pictures taken recently (mostly to show that I do still have another child). I was feeling a little guilty that Soakai wasn't getting much attention on our blog so here's the latest.....

Bath time is no fun- for me anyway- this kid will not sit still or sit at all in the tub. I'm so scared that one of these days he's going to end up needing stitches.

Update on the Eye

So here's the scoop on the whole eye thing---Maizi fell off a chair at Grandma's house and pretty much fell right on her face. Her glasses kinda gave her a cut on the corner of her eye & she got a black eye. It's just now healed so you can't see it anymore. I tried to get a close up of it, but she wouldn't let me. Needless to say she had to have a band-aid on it for a couple of days (she didn't really need one) and when I tried to take it off I had to peel it off & I think that made the little cut worse.

Third Times a Charm

Ok, so I guess it's true that the third times a charm. I am referring to Maizi's THIRD pair of glasses. These new ones have absolutely no screws so I guess it's pretty safe to say that these ones won't break, but then again, we're talking about Maizi. :) I don't think that she's had one pair last long enough for her to even see a difference. She had an eye appointment last week before her new glasses came in & the doctor told us to just come back in a couple weeks because there was no sense in checking her since she hadn't worn a pair long enough to have really made a difference. So far though she's done really good with them & she's worn them everyday since we got them for most of the day. Woohoo!! I thought she'd never learn to wear them or like them.

Oh My Gosh!

So, as many of you know Maizi doesn't really say a whole lot, or I should say a whole lot that anyone understands. Well, this week she has learned to plainy say "Oh my gosh!" She says this all day long- about EVERYTHING. I'm pretty sure that she got it from my mom. I know that I say it a lot, but my mom says it even more. So now this is Maizi's favorite phrase. Last night I was cleaning my carpet & vacuuming and I had noticed that she was running around from room to room. Then I hear her saying "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh" (like a hundred times)....I go into the kitchen & she had gotten all her tea cups from her tea set & filled them all up with water. Needless to say they were spilled all over- all over the couch, the floor, the kitchen table & chairs. She even filled her sink from her little kitchen in her room with water. She was just standing there staring at everything like she had absolutely no idea how it all happened.

Good thing she's cute!!

Britniology 101

** FOODOLOGY * *
What is your salad dressing of choice? Italian mostly, but also Ranch
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Someburro's (kind of sit-down), Macaroni Grill
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? I could eat Mexican- mostly bean burritos mmmmm
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Usually just get cheese- sometimes I like combo
What do you like to put on your toast? Butter, cinammon sugar (haven't had that in a long time tho)

* * TECHNOLOGY * *
What is your wallpaper on your computer? Picture of our family
How many televisions are in your house ? 1
What color cell phone do you have? Red

* * BIOLOGY * *
Are you right - handed or left- handed? Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? just kids!! :)
What is the last heavy item you lifted? Have to be Maizi & Soakai at the same time...heaven forbid you only hold one! :)
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No

* * BULLCRAPOLOGY * *
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Probably not
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $ 1000? Maybe - depends on how bad I need the $ at the time!! :)

* * DUMBOLOGY * *
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? I think I have about 20....I don't know why. I need to go shoe shopping!
Last time you had a run- in with the cops? On our way home from Utah a few years ago- he gave me a warning.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Teacher
Last person you hugged? Maizi

* * FAVORITOLOGY * *
Season? Fall/Winter
Holiday? Christmas/Thanksgiving
Day of the week? Lately they've all just been running together

* * CURRENTOLOGY * *
Missing someone? YES!!
Mood? Good
Listening to? Maizi eating & the tv in the other room
Watching? computer screen :)
Worrying about? a few things

**I tag all my family & friends!! **

That's What She Said

I am so excited!! Finally, my favorite show is back on. I have something to look forward to on Thursday nights again. (Pathetic- I know) I sure have missed the gang at Dunder Mifflin! :)

This Week's Events

I guess this is just mostly for journaling today so it might be pretty boring. We started the past week off with a Labor Day picnic with Sione's family. We got together at Desert Breeze park in Chandler. It's a nice park with a little water park, a train, and a carousel. (I'm pretty sure that Roxxi has some memories of this park- right Roxxi?!) :) While we were there I went to get my camera to take some pictures of the kids. When I turned it on I noticed the entire screen was BUSTED! I was so mad. I don't know what happened to it, but the lens wouldn't open & the screen is totally ruined. So, I'm in the market for a new camera. Anyway, we had a good time & Maizi had a blast. Soakai loved the water too. Just wish I had some pictures to prove it.

On Tuesday, Maizi started preschool at Busy Bee Academy. A friend in our ward teaches it & it's just around the corner from me so it's great. It was so cute. She had her little backpack & everything - once again it would have been great to get a picture of this special day, but whatever. She will go on Tuesdays & Thursdays for a couple hours in the morning. Yeah!!! She seems to really like it & I think it will be good for her to be around other kids.
I am so excited- maybe now I can get a few things done around the house or get some grocery shopping done. So far it hasn't worked out exaclty like I had planned though. I was hoping that for the two hours that she's gone, Soakai would take a nap, but no such luck. Oh well.

On Saturday I spent the day with 2 of my sisters. I woke up kinda early & drove into Chandler where my sisters were having a garage sale so I stayed there til they were done. After that we went to my aunt's house where my cousin was having boutique with tons of cute stuff. I got a few new hair bows for Maizi. They are so cute & naturally she's already broken one. She only had it in her hair for like 2 minutes. That kid is something else! So, after that Roxxi & I went to a couple stores & then to go see about getting pedicures. I've been wanting to get one for so long. I don't think I've had one since I did it for my wedding. LONG time! It's kind of a long story, but bottom line- we didn't get them. We just couldn't really justify spending that much money on getting our toes painted when we could just do them ourselves. One day though, I will break down & go get one. Anyway, I had a lot of fun to have a break & just hang out with them yesterday, especially by ourselves & no crying, whining kids. We should do it more often!

So that 's pretty much all that happened this week. Hopefully I will have a new camera soon so I can post some pictures.

I Can See Clearly Now!!!

Maizi finally got her new glasses on Friday. We went to pick them up & get them all fitted...I don't know how this is going to work out, but so far she's been better than I thought she would about keeping them on. She even asks for them sometimes. I have to admit, she looks darn cute in them (for being the thickest lenses I've ever seen.!) :) Poor little girl. I don't know how she sees anything through them, but I guess the eye doctor knows more than I do. So we got them Friday & SURPRISE, SURPRISE....they're already BROKEN!!! They broke on Sunday so that lasted a whole 2 days. They're supposed to be the most flexible, bendable, virtually unbreakable pair of glasses they make, but leave it to Maizi to find a way to do it. Gotta love her!! So here are some pictures of her before they broke. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get the glare of the lenses when I take pictures of her now. By the way...notice the flower headband she likes to wear around her waist & her bootie slippers from last winter that are too small that are now her favorite shoes.

Happy 2nd Birthday Maizi

Maizi turned TWO years old on the 23rd. I can't believe how big she's getting. It seems like we just had her 1st brithday. She actually had two parties this year....our families are just getting too dang big to have them together. So on Friday we had the Fa's over. Sione's sister, Mary, made an adorable cake for Maizi. It was Cinderella & she loved it. Thanks Mary! We had my family over on Sunday. We had a lot of fun this weekend & she loved all the attention. She got so many great presents and she had so much fun playing with all her cousins.

Thank you everyone for coming & sharing her day(s) with us- we really appreciate it.

It's A Miracle!!!

Well, I guess miracles do happen. After living in our house for a year and a half we finally got grass in our backyard! Hallelujah!! I guess it's true- a landscaper's yard is always the last to get done. Thanks Sione- you did a good job! I can't believe what a difference it makes to see green grass out our windows instead of dirt, rocks, and weeds when we open the curtains. Maizi was so excited...she would live outside if I let her & I'm thinking I might just let her as soon as the weather gets cooler. :) Here are a few pictures of her playing outside & then the sprinklers went off which made her even more happy. Grass & water...what more could a little girl want?!

Tagged!! What you always wanted to know about me & Sione!

HOW DID WE MEET?: We actually met through some mutual friends. I had been hanging out with some friends that Sione was friends with from high school. I always heard them talking about some guy named Sione....then I finally met him at a wedding reception. I thought he was so cute!

WHERE DID YOU GO ON YOUR FIRST DATE?: Umm...I guess our first date was when he called me to go shoe shopping with him. We went to DSW!! Woohoo!! :)

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER?: We dated for about a year then engaged for 4 months. Married for 5 years on April 24th.

WHO SAID 'I LOVE YOU' FIRST?: Sione did- It's kind of a funny story, but I won't embarass him by telling it.

WHO IS TALLER?: Sione

WHO SINGS BETTER?: Definitely Sione...I don't sing.

WHO DOES THE LAUNDRY?: That would be me 90% of the time, but he has been known to do his share. :)

WHO DOES THE DISHES?: Me & this little invention called the dishwasher.

WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED?: I do...Sione snores LOUD so he gets the pull out couch in the other room.

WHO PAYS THE BILLS?: Me--at least I try to.

WHO MOWS THE LAWN?: Sione. As a professional landscaper I figure thats his duty around here.

WHO COOKS DINNER?: Cooking? What's that? I guess technically I do, but I'm no good at it.

WHO DRIVES WHEN YOU ARE TOGETHER?: Depends who is more awake to pay attention to the road.

WHO IS MORE STUBBORN?: I say him, he would say me.

WHO KISSED WHO FIRST?t: Sione kissed me first...finally when we were alone. :)

WHO IS MORE SENSITIVE?: SIONE!! Just kidding- I'm sure it's me.

WHO PROPOSED?: Sione. We looked at rings & I showed him the one I liked. He had arranged for the lady at the store tell me that it wouldn't be in for a couple weeks, but he had already planned on getting it earlier so I wouldn't know when he was going to propose. He took me to dinner & then to Gainey Ranch for a gondola ride. While the guy was singing he pulled out a rose with my ring in it.

WHO HAS MORE SIBLINGS?: Me- I'm the 8th of 9 and Sione is the 4th of 5.

WHO WEARS THE PANTS?: Uhhh I guess that's up for debate (me!) :)

Now I tag everyone on my sidebar....it's fun!!

7 Months Old!

I can't believe that yesterday our little baby was 7 months old. Soakai, or as Maizi likes to call him "Y", is getting so BIG so FAST. He is scooting all over the house, sitting up by himself, he got his 2nd tooth a couple days ago, he puts everything in his mouth, and is following in his sister's footsteps of not sitting still. I was so hoping that I'd get a calmer baby, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Oh well, we love him anyway. : )

Our Day at the Eye Doctor

So, today was not so fun....we had to take Maizi to an opthamologist to get her little eye checked out. For those of you who haven't seen her lately her right eye has been going in so she looks cross-eyed. It's so sad. Anyway, the nearest doctor's office couldn't see her until the end of September so we had to go the other office clear out in Paradise Valley (great since gas costs a fortune now). So we finally get there, then they take us back & have her look at this flashing light, then the Dr. comes in and asks us like 2 question then calls her assitant back in to put some drops in her eyes. I thought we were going to have to get a straight jacket to keep her still for that...she was kind of ok with the first eye, but when she went for the second eye, forget it!! She wouldn't open her eye at all & she was burying her face in her hands. So, I had to hold down her arms & legs while the nurse tried to pry her eye open just a sliver to get the drop in. Uggghhh!!! Then she says "She sure is strong. Now we just need to wait about 20 minutes or so." WHAT!!! Obviously she's never had to sit with Maizi in a doctor's office before. That 20 minutes turned into like 40 & during that time she managed to run all through the office, behind the receptionist desk, pull their blinds up like 5 times, and she kept opening the door. Even the lady out at the front desk said "I think I'll go see if they're ready for you yet." Good thing Sione was with me or I seriously would've gone crazy. Finally they call us back & then check her eyes again..."We need to put one more drop in her eye" says the nurse. OH MY GOSH!!! This is the never ending appointment! The doctor comes in & has her look through these lens-like things while she's shining a light in her eye. She keeps saying "stronger, stronger, stronger" So, in the end we find out that our little Maizi is extremely far-sighted & will need to wear glasses all the time except for when she' sleeping. When she told us, Sione asked "Do you make any glasses that are super-glued to their heads?" :) No kidding...I have no idea how I'm going to get her to keep those things on. It'll be interesting!! So, now we have to go shopping for glasses....another fun day. :)

Crazy Cousins

Maizi & Eternity hugging it out

Maizi, Payson & Carley

Capri- Maizi- Eternity

Maizi LOVES to be with her cousins.....sometimes I think that she just likes to fight with them. :) (kinda reminds me of all their moms) Just kidding!! Lately her favorite thing to do is put on "concerts" with Eternity at Grandma's. It is pretty funny to watch them, of course Maizi mostly just copies them, but that's ok. I love that she'll always have them in her life & be able to grow up with them.

We finally started a blog!!

I guess the peer pressure finally got to us...I swore I would never do a blog. I kinda feel like a hypocrite now. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to figure this stuff out, so don't expect anything too fancy for awhile. : )