Happy 1st, Lavea'i!

I can't believe that Lavea'i's birthday has come and gone. He isn't so little any more either, but he sure is handsome as ever. We really didn't do much for him like we have for the others in the past. But, he didn't care as long as he got his share of cupcakes. This time we celebrated over at Auntie Maria's and Uncle Jr's house because I needed to practice a song with the Cliff and the others for a special musical number they were singing in our ward that Sunday. So, it ended up being really late when we got to the blowing out of the candles and opening the gifts. I was even very tired along with all the other kids. But they loved the cupcakes that I decorated and made for them.


The reason for the M&M cake is he always freaks out when I give the other kids M&M's for a treat and don't give him any. By freaking out I mean he shouts loud noises until one is in his mouth.

I don't have the other pictures from his birthday because Cliff and I forgot both cameras so we had to use Jr and Maria's. Thanks for all the birthday gifts everyone!

I am so grateful to have him in our home. He can make me so mad one minute, but the next minute have me wrapped around his little finger. He loves to play with ping pong balls on the kitchen floor. I love to watch him throw things down the stairs and just smile about it. He definitely has a BIG, BAD temper if you are doing something he doesn't want you to do or when he is plain hungry. While I am in the kitchen cooking (or whenever it seems I am trying to get something important done), he will always come and hang onto my pants until I either give him something to eat or pick him up and carry him around. One thing that makes me laugh and others is when he wants to go somewhere super fast, he bear crawls. More often than not, that is how he gets around. I love his personality and everything about him, except the fact that he fights sleep ALL THE TIME! That is for sure from Cliff's side of the family.

"Why, to the North Pole!"

Just to preface: My children LOVE to sit and watch "The Polar Express." Kalena sings along with the music and they all enjoy the hot chocolate scene. They could watch that movie every day if I would let them, but it won't happen. I would say it is their favorite Christmas movie.

Heber Valley railroad had a Polar Express train ride every year around Christmas. They sell out quickly. Last Thrusday, we decided to take the kiddos just for an evening of fun. It was the perfect age to take them. They had little girls dressed as Santa's elves. They had some boys in chef hats and black pants to look like the guys who pass out the hot cocoa.



When the train started going, the elves passed out cookies and hot chocolate. They also got their tickets punched from the conductor. Kalena's question to me was "Mom, why did he do just one hole?"



Afterward, they read "The Polar Express" story. By the time it ended, we were arriving at the North Pole (lights set out at the top of a hill to make it look like the workshop). Santa was standing outside waving to all the kids through the windows so they could see him before he got onto the train. This was the end of the journey before we began to head back.

As we started to head back Kalena says to me, "Mom, where are we going?"
Me: We are going back home now.
Kalena: But we didn't go to the North Pole.
Me: Yes we did.
Kalena: But we didn't get to see Santa (as she is trying hard not to get mad)
Me: Didn't you see him outside waving to us?
Kalena: Yes
Me: Well, maybe he is on the train now. Do think he is?
Kalena: No. (With a pouty look)
Me: I am sorry, but I think he might be on the train.

She dropped the conversation and just looked outside as we headed back, but then she noticed Mrs. Clause. AND a few minutes later her face lit up as she saw Santa walk into our boxcar to give them the first gift of Christmas.



They each got bells with little red ribbons tied to them.



After Santa's appearance, she was satisfied and tired. ALL of them were satisfied they got to see Santa. They shook their bells the whole way back to the train depot. Lavea'i enjoyed it just as much as the other three. He loved his bell so much that when I tried to take it away, because he kept playing the game of throwing it down and letting Mom pick it up, he screamed and kept trying to hit me. What a temper!

What a night it was; filled with Santa and bells! OH, what fun it is to ride!!!!!

Oh Gingerbread, Oh Gingerbread, how yummy is that candy?

One night we were walking through Costco looking for a storage ottoman and ended coming out with a gingerbread house for the kids to decorate. At least, that was the way it was supposed to be. I was very hesitant on getting it because I didn't really feel like decorating it or dealing with the mess. I put it off as long as possible with the excuse that Kalena had to feel better so she could stay up to do it. That lasted almost a good week.

We ended up decorating it this past Saturday. I was the Grinch during the whole thing, at least that is how Cliff put it. Tula'i ate the package of jelly beans except for about 8 that are on the roof. Maika ate quite a few of the little, round candies that are used on the tree and for the "lights" around the roof. Kalena was good and did 99% of the decorating with the candy. She didn't eat much at all...GOOD GIRL! I guess in the end it is all worth it if the kids had fun, even if it was fun eating the candy instead of decorating.

Low Budget FHE!

Thanks to my husband and our bet in bowling the other night on our date. It was a bet I thought I would lose for sure, but when Roberts Crafts is on the line I guess I perform really well because I beat him. So, we went to Roberts and they had all their Christmas decorations for 50% off. I wandered the store for a while just looking around. I ended up getting some picture holders for $1.50 each. It ended up costing a whole whopping $6 bucks.

Kalena & Maika saw them that night and wanted to paint them right then, but that was a big NO because it was already late. Plus, a good FHE activity that was simple, a little messy, but worth the $6 bucks. Before we started to paint, I was wishing I had bought markers or some smaller paintbrushes. Kalena's was the most detailed.


Maika's the most gray from mixing all the paint colors.


And Tula'i's, the least painted.


Usually I would fix them all up after they were done, but this time I held back and let the picture frames be.

Kids are TOO funny!

Yesterday, I was talking on the phone with my sister, Cajsa. Cajsa has always teased me that she wanted to keep Maika. He has always had a special place in her heart...I don't know why, but he has. Anyway, while I was talking to her, Maika had taken Kalena's pencil and was coloring on her paper. She began to freak out and got mad at him. I told Cajsa what he was doing and she said "Tell him I am going to come down and get him if he isn't nice." I repeated what she had said and he completely ignored me. Absolutely NO ACKNOWLEDGMENT whatsoever! I told Cajsa he was ignoring me and she said to tell him that both her and Israel were going to come down and get him to go and live with her. I reiterated what she had said thinking that he would say "No, I don't want to" or at least something to that aspect. But, I was surprised when he answered, "Okay" and a few short seconds later asked "Tula'i, you want to come?" Cajsa and I just started to laugh. Needless to say, he gave the pencil back to Kalena.

Hungry or What?

Tula'i is a child that will eat only if he wants. Usually, it is junk food when he does eat. I never know if he will eat a lot of what I fix or not even take one single bite and expect to get M&M's right away. Yesterday, I made a box of mac and cheese. He never eats it whenever I make it, but this time he ate the most. I must have made it better this time for him to want as much as he did. He liked it so much. He had his first serving and a couple more spoonfuls. When he was done with that, he decided to finish the rest in the pan.

Give a hand to Dirt Devil

Man, I gotta hand it to Dirt Devil! I have been saying for the last couple of years that it would be so awesome to have a vaccuum little enough for the kids to use it. Then, my house would be clean ALL the time. Kalena likes to try and vaccuum, but it is just to big for her little body. But, this past Black Friday I went to Target and got a 3-in-1 Dirt Devil for $9.00. It is GREAT! I told Kalena it was her vaccuum. She thought that was cool. Who on earth would love to get a vaccuum? Well, this morning I decided to pull it out to clean the kitchen floors. It worked well and a third of the way through it Kalena decided she wanted to use it and finish vaccuuming. Thanks, Kalena for the help! It really cut my time in half to use it. Not only to use it, but to have her use it.

Cocoa Rice...YUMMY!

Cocoa rice is a treat around here that I LOVE to eat! I try and get Cliff to make it when my mouth is watering for it. One of my favorites of Samoa. And, apparently it is so good that Lavea'i loves to not only eat it, but wear it on his face so that he can keep tasting it throughout the day. Don't worry, I don't allow it to dry on his face and leave it there. I am not that bad of a mother.

Basement Cleaning?

Just to preface...I have given Cliff 2 chores to do since Lela has been back in Samoa. They are to clean the basement and dusting. I absolutely despise dusting! I would rather clean toilets than dust. So on with the story, Cliff decided on Wednesday night to go and do his chore of cleaning the basement because he can no longer stand the chalk being all over the concrete floors. Actually, he can't handle the kids coming up after they have been down their and putting chalk prints all over his clothes. I just figure I will wash their clothes and no big deal. It is quite funny because he didn't even like Lavea'i going down because "He is going to get all dirty." I just laugh and say "That is okay if he gets dirty."

Well, he gets all the toys cleaned up with the kids help and then decides that he is going to sweep up all the chalk off of the concrete. Needless to say, within an few minutes he came back upstairs saying that he wasn't going to be able to get it off. He tried to throw all the chalk away, but he missed a few pieces. The next time we went down there Kalena started drawing a hopscotch.

Beyond this cleaning up of chalk, we had a big cardboard box that was already broken down that I would set up as a tunnel for the kids, but once they knocked it down that was it because I wasn't about ready to keep going up and down the stairs to keep fixing it. Cliff decided to make a house out of it and th kids ate it up. He cut shapes in the top of it. A star for Tula'i, diamond for Kalena, and triangle for Maika. Later that night, Kalena made me cut windows in the side of the house. It is still in decent shape and hopefully it will stay that way for a little longer.

Finally!

Now, I don't have to sit while Lavea'i eats. He finally decided to do it on his own. Maybe he just got too frustrated with Cliff and myself not paying enough attention to when he was ready for the next bite. What a cute little guy he is! He is getting so big now. He is beginning to stand up for a few seconds on his own when we hold him there. Pretty soon, before we know it, he will be walking.

Thanksgiving!

This year we stayed home and did our own thing with our little family. It was relaxing!!! Now, how many can say that Thanksgiving is relaxing? We started our day out by watching Cliff play in our ward Turkey bowl. Well, I don't know if you can see we really watched it because I watched the kids more while they played with one of our neighbors dogs. Tula'i really loved throwing the ball for the dog, but it got to the point where he would hold onto the ball and one time the dog came and snatched it right out of his hands. He didn't like the idea that the dog could do this to him, but it didn't help him to throw the ball any sooner than he should.







Afterwards, we all came home and the kids played outside for a little bit. Then they had a snack and fell asleep for a couple of hours before we headed out to Chuck-A-Rama. Yeap, believe it or not, it was Cliff's idea. I LOVED the idea because I didn't have to cook or clean. My sister-in-law and her two little kids met us there as well. All I had to do was eat, serve the kids, and eat some more. The dinner was yummy!!!

Dinner was done! We came home and chilled out for the rest of the evening. Cliff's brothers and their families came over later on. We were going to play games, but ended up looking through the black Friday ads. They all left around midnight and I never ended up going to sleep.

I decided to head out to Toys R Us to do some shopping, but left because I wanted to get to Target in time for it to open to get a couple of things for the kids. No shopping for Cliff and myself this year. Anyway, I ended up getting to Target around 2:15 a.m. and decided what the heck. So, I went and sat in line. It wasn't too cold to begin with, but then it just started to freeze my little toes and fingers. So, I had made friends with the ladies that were in front of me and behind me and they saved my spot while I came home and got some blankets and hot cocoa for all of us. It was so nice after that...not too bad of a wait in line. But, next year, I am going to just wait and go to Walmart over here next to our house because my friend and I hit that after Target and realized that they still had quite a bit of stuff and it wasn't busy at all when we had gotten there by 7 a.m. What a relief! BUT, with my luck next year it will be busier and nothing will be left.

If ye are prepared....

Kalena gave her scripture this past Sunday in primary. When she was done, Cliff and I left the primary room and he turned to me and said, "She was so confident giving it. She didn't need any help at all." It reminded me of that scripture, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." If we are prepared in anything that may come up, we don't need to be afraid. If we have done our best then we can just say I did my best and I was prepared as much as possible. What an example she was to us! Even the primary president was impressed that she had it memorized because they usually have to help all the kids give the scripture. GREAT JOB, Kalena!

Terrible 2's!

After having 2 two year old's already, you think I would get used to the tantrums and everything else that comes along with it. Well, I AM NOT! Tula'i has always been a load of waterworks if he doesn't get what he wants, but we used to be able to tell him to go to his room and when he was done crying he would come right back out. It got to the point that he would stop crying on his way to the room and turn right back around to come and play.

BUT, lately all he wants to do is be held and begins the waterworks if Mommy doesn't hold him with nobody else on me or by me. He will cry if he wants M&M's before he eats his dinner or lunch. Today, the kids had hotdogs and rice for lunch with some ketchup. (A favorite of theirs!) Well, he didn't want to eat anything, but M&M's. So he decided to throw a tantrum when I took him to bed for a nap instead. After about 10 minutes in the room and Daddy coming in to calm him down, he decided he better eat his hotdogs (which still took a bit of coaxing) to get his treat. There are times when I should have pulled out the video camera on the other kids and I hope I will get some tantrum time on camera with this child so we can all go back and laugh.

Other than this and egging Maika and Kalena on by either hitting them, grabbing toys from them, or just grabbing and holding onto their shirts. He is a good kid. It is quite funny to watch him egg the other two on while they cry and freak out. Oh, but be careful not to laugh in front of him cause then it would egg him on even more. He is a treat!

New Moon Review

Just go to my sister's blog "The Wallwork Clan" and you will know how I felt about the movie! My thoughts exactly, Cajsa. I thought Edward was UGLY from the beginning and he has never grown on me at all. I am all about the Jacob clan. But, all I have to do is say DITTO!!!!!

GREAT Memorization!

Kalena was given the scripture of the month 3 weeks back to give in Primary. I worked with her on it for that week. She memorized the whole thing in a couple of days. She got sick and wasn't able to give it the week she was supposed to recite it, so I called the Primary president and explained to her that she had it memorized and really wanted to give it but that she was sick throwing up (the 2nd time this has happened to her). So, she is going to give it this Sunday.

When we say family prayer at night, we have her recite the scripture about every other night so she doesn't forget it. Well, before she recited it last night, Maika wanted to say it first. The scripture is Galations 5:13; "For, bretheren, ye have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." So, this is what Maika recites: "For, bretheren, use it liberty cause it's not liberty." We started clapping for him and laughing. As we were clapping he says "I am good." Oh, the confidence of a child.

Preschool...FREE!!

A couple of other ladies in our ward, along with myself, don't send our kids to preschool. So, we have finally gotten together and decided to do a type of preschool from our own homes. We rotate every week working on letters specifically and if we feel the want or need, we can add shapes or numbers to the letter being learned for that week.

Well, today was the first day of preschool for Kalena and she LOVED it! She was excited to tell me what she learned and did for the day. She said they danced and learned the letter Mm.


I must say, not to my being a great Mom and teaching her, she has already learned how to write her capital letters and knows some of the lower case. I may have helped her a tiny particle of it, but most of it she learned from watching PBS kids in the morning. She has also learned her shapes, colors and some counting from watching "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." I wish I could say it was all me, but I think the Lord gave my kids TV programs like that because he knew I didn't have the patience to teach it myself.


If you can't see on this worksheet of Mm's she has her name written inbetween all of them. Whenever she has a chance at home, she will draw, color and spell all the names of herself and the boys. I always have to get after her to clean up her stuff, but it never gets through her head. It doesn't matter how many times I tell her.

Her brain is like a sponge right now, soaking everything up. She is so good to want to learn and read. She loves to read books. She is just a little to smart for her britches, but I am glad.

Christmas ALREADY!?

Kalena kept asking me "Why is everybody putting Christmas stuff out?" Of course, I would answer saying that Christmas is almost here, but we have to have Thanksgiving first. Then she would ask, "Mom, when are we going to put Christmas up? When are we going to put lights up?" I finally asked her when she wanted to do it. She said when it is sunday (sunny). Meaning she wanted to do it the next day in the day time. I was trying to put it off until after Thanksgiving this year, but it didn't work out that way. For family home evening last night, that was our activity...putting up the Christmas tree, stockings and other decorations. I don't know if it is more work than a fun activity because I was always scolding the kids not to touch the glass bulbs and ruin all the other decorations. In the end, it was worth all of it. Kalena loves to help out every year and when we put the bows on she put most of them on...in one spot and most of them upside down. I kept having to move most of the ornaments this year they put on because I know Lavea'i would be headed for them right away.

Man, I am getting OLDER!

Yesterday was a wonderful 34th birthday! Cliff surprised me by taking the day off from work. After breakfast was had by all the little ones and I the kitchen had been cleaned up, he informed me that I had to be somewhere by 10:30 a.m. He had me guess where it was that I would be journeying off to by myself. After about the third guess, I got it right...A WONDERFUL FULL BODY MASSAGE! I enjoyed ever single second of the whole entire hour relaxing. OH HOW SWEET it was to get a massage from someone that knew what she was doing. Not only was it relaxing, and excellent to the touch, but there was the added bonus of a military discount!

Afterwards, we went to Chili's for lunch. Not my first choice, but cheaper than my first choice, Ruby River. It was yummy all the same because I didn't have to make it.

We came back home and all the kids went down for a nap...well, at least a little bit of a nap for Kalena. She was coughing so much in her sleep that she came into my room and told me that she was going to throw up. Oh, please...not again! I can handle the colds, coughing and high fevers, but don't let it be throw up.

Anyway, she went out to color because she couldn't go back to sleep and I lied in bed reading my book in peace and quiet. That in itself is AMAZING! While I was reading, Kalena coloring, and the boys sleeping, Cliff studied for a bit and then decided to play his Xbox360 game Modern Warfare that was just released. I had bought it for him on his birthday and it got here in time for him to celebrate my birthday with it. :)

With Cliff off at school by this time, after reading and getting some computer time, I decided to make dinner, Sweet & Sour Meatballs. YUMMY!!! At least that is what the kids thought of them before. But tonite, that opinioned changed. Dang it, I had made a lot of them thinking the kids would eat the majority of them. Boy was I wrong!!!! Cliff and I didn't even eat very much from still being full from lunch. Well, I guess that will be dinner tonight for myself and Cliff and the kids can eat sandwiches.

The greatest part of the day was after dinner and even after the chocolate pie that he bought. When he brought out my gift, I couldn't have been more excited and emotional. I couldn't believe it, my first year of blogging all in a hard covered book, published for me to see and remember everything that has happened in life. I was teary eyed and expressed that he definitely pulled it off and that this has by far been the best gift ever I could have received.

So, I know that Cliff will read this like he always does to know and see what he misses out on during the day. I just want to let him know that I enjoyed my day immensely. It couldn't have been better! Even if Tula'i was crying about everything the WHOLE freaking day, the kids were coughing and didn't really eat. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! You are a wonderful husband and not just because of pulling off my birthday, but because I know you love me for me. You know me all too well and yet you still get me gift cards and cash when you know I won't ever spend it on myself. I LOVE YOU a million red M&M's and then some. Thanks for the day and for every other day that I have to spend with you.

Relaxing or Not?

This weekend I flew to Denver. Cliff surprised me with a ticket and so off I went with Lavea'i. Just the two of us! It was a quick trip, but enjoyable. Friday morning before I flew out, Kalena started running a fever and so I dosed her with some tylenol (no motrin on hand...that is a first for me). But, she seemed to be okay after it kicked. On our way to the airport, I told Cliff to go by Walgreens and get some Motrin because you can go through the drive-thru and not get out. He forgot to do it and didn't realize we still had tylenol on hand so her fever spiked again. But, thanks to our sis-in-law, Traci, she sent some chewable motrin over with Jethro and then Jethro, Jr and Cliff gave her a blessing. She was able to sleep through the night. Being away from my little girl didn't help me any. I kept calling him and texting to make sure she was okay. He kept reassuring me she was fine and to just have a good time. Motherly instincts just don't allow you not to worry about your child when they are sick.

Meanwhile in Denver, Lavea't wouldn't go to anyone at all and had to have me hold him constantly. My nephew, Jakai, always wanted to hold his hand or hug him...bear hug him, and Lavea'i kept pushing him away. He didn't like it at all, but it sure was cute to watch Jakai want to love him and help out all of the time. Shara picked me up from the airport and we went to Nezhone's Relief Society meeting of "Fabulous Friday" where they did a bunch of projects. Nezhone did a Christmas countdown with blocks, a couple of fleece beanies, and some decorative vinegar bottles. I helped a little with her countdown when we got there. Shara ended up taking Lavea'i home, but I guessed he cried the whole way home and didn't stop until I got to the house and took him away from her.

Lavea'i wouldn't go to sleep without me. While Nezhone, Josh (her husband) and I were sitting on the couch talking he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep for the rest of the night. It got quite goofy because we were laughing about the dumbest things...especially since it was past 1 a.m. when we finally all ajourned to our beds for the night. Lavea'i woke up at 6 a.m. and so I was hanging for a while. I called Cliff around 9 a.m. and he told me that Kalena had thrown up and that Tula'i was now running a fever. GREAT, Just GREAT!! Here I am in Colorado, hoping that everything is okay at home only to find out not only is one child sick but now 2 out of 3. What is a Mom supposed to do? Cliff reassured me that everything was okay with the kids and to just have fun with my sisters. He wasn't sure if the house would be in order when I got home, but if the kids were okay then that is all I needed to worry about.


So, after going out to lunch and going to a second hand store for clothes (it is a must stop by store if I am ever in Denver to get the kids clothes), watching some movies on TV, and having sopapia's (Thanks to Josh....YUMMY, so YUMMY) we retired for the evening because church was early Sunday.




Spent $80 bucks and got about 10 pair of jeans, about 12 shirts, a pair of boots, a pair of shoes, and a coat. That was for the kids and I also got myself a couple of shirts, a button down sweater, and a skirt. Can't beat that...and they are nice clothes. Some of them not worn!


And, I did talk to Cliff one last time a while before going to bed to say goodnight to the kiddos.

Sunday morning came way too soon, especially when I am sleeping with my little guy who has to be right next to me even when I am already about to fall off the bed. But, in Nezhone's ward the primary did sacrament meeting. It was an excellent program. They kept it with in the time alloted and all the kids had their parts memorized. The children also sang all the songs well. Ours is this coming Sunday. It will be interesting to see how well the kids do. Anyway, I was able to get a nap in and dinner right before we left. I had a fun time and enjoyed my time. Wether or not it was truly relaxing, I will leave that up to you to decide? But, now I am at home with my sick kiddos...yeap ALL 4 ARE SICK!!! Good times!!

Halloween 2009!

I never get gung ho about costumes. And once again, I didn't this year either. I have been blessed with a few costumes from my sister and sis-in-law. I just keep recycling them through the kids until they have all grown out of them and will no longer be able to use them. I didn't take many pictures this year, but it was fun to take them out. Both, Maika and Kelena were ecstatic about putting the costumes on and going trick-or-treating. Cliff and I could barely get Tula'i to wear the pumpkin, so that is why he isn't as decked out. Once we got it on, he was okay with it.



Friday night we had a ward party with trunk-or-treating afterward. That was fun and quick. Then we went and took the kids to go and watch "Astro Boy." The kids really enjoyed it. The movie theatre was empty. There were 5 other people in there besides us. I was able to let Lavea'i down to play and not have to worry about him being too loud. what a relief! That was our movie night for this week. Not only was it nice to go out as a family, but it was also nice sleeping in our beds for the first time in a while on movie night.



Saturday, Cliff went and played airsoft with a group of guys. We just stayed home until trick-or-treating time came around. I took the kids out again while Cliff stayed home with Lavea'i and passed out the candy. Kalena has found out this year that the faster she moves the more candy she will get. So, she wanted to run from house to house, but the boys were lagging behind. I ended up taking the boys home and took Kalena out for some more, but it didn't last too long. After knocking on 2 more doors she was done. In fact, she told me..."You can do it for me (handing me her bucket) and I will go home." Then she started walking off and that was the end of the night for us outside. We got home and the boys were already eating their candy and Kalena started to tear into hers. So, me being the mean mom...took it away and gave them a bath. Then, off to bed they went!

Nastiness!

Every time I would step in my van to buckle up the boys, I would say, "This is so DISGUSTING!" Even my sister, Shara, could attest to this fact when we picked her up at the airport and even had to ride in it to church with us this past weekend. So, we have had some good weather lately and decided to get the job done. It took me a couple of hours to clean it all out. The last part I cleaned was where Kalena sits. She sits in the back and so if she is eating something and doesn't want to finish it she will put it in her cup holder or in the enclosed area. A while back, I had bought them all icecream cones. She didn't feel like eating all of it and put it in her cup holder. By the time I had gotten to it, it was melted and all over in the cup holder. Instead of cleaning it out at that point in time, I decided to wait until van cleaning day on Monday. I also found a banana peel in the enclosed area and who knows what else on the side of the van where she sits. As, I was cleaning it, I had the back opened and expressed to her to "Remind me to never let you eat in the van again. Your spot is NASTY!" Maika heard me and came back with "Nasty?! Is there poop in there?" I just laughed my head off and then he chuckled and began walking away while saying, "I was just kidding." Oh, the things children say!

The 1st Snowfall of 2009

Cliff had warned me last night that it was either supposed to rain really hard or snow. Well, it decided to snow....A LOT! I would say at least 4 inches. It was funny because I have told Kalena that Christmas will come when it snows. So, if you hadn't guessed it, she came upstairs from down in the basement and was SO ECSTATIC! She just ran up to me and said, "Mom, look it is snowing that means it is Christmas time." I wish I could have gone outside with them once again, but the little one had just woken up and needed to be fed.



So here are a few pictures. It is crazy...Kalena will go outside by herself when it is snowy, but not during the summer. It is like pulling teeth to get her to go outside during the summer. But, as soon as it snows she begs to go outside and tells me to hurry before it melts. Like is will melt, it is too cold out there right now.





Of course, the good little mommy that I am, I couldn't leave them cold. So, I made them some hot cocoa and popcorn and let them watch a movie. They didn't really touch the popcorn, but they sure did drink their cocoa.



Where are the other two in all of this. Well, I didn't get one of Tula'i because he was sleeping soundly in his bed. Lavea'i was playing around.

Halloween 2009!

Every Year for the FHE right before Halloween we carve/paint pumpkins. This year we did it on the Saturday before Halloween because Cliff is usually gone on Monday nights doing school work with a tutor. Plus, the kids were sooo excited to paint this year. They went with me to get the pumpkins and picked their own. Kalena wanted a BIG one this year, but ended up not painting the big one.


I carved the face on her pumpkin because she wanted me to do it. Then she painted.


Maika just wanted to paint. Simple and easy!


Tula'i wanted us to hollow it out, but then just painted. I wasn't going to let the hollowing out go to waste so I painted a spider's web and then carved the spider after the paint dried.


The End results! I think it was a success!!!

Family Home Prayer

It is amazing what little kids pick up! Maika wanted to conduct and this is the second night he did it. I wasn't home, but Cliff got all of it on video. It just reassures that they do learn from a parents example.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!

It is a little late on the post, but I needed to get it done. I was going to take pictures throughout the day, but forgot the camera for the 1st half. I had him take the day off of work to spend the day just relaxing and enjoying the time.

We started the day off with me waking up and going to the temple. It was a lovely morning at that.

By the time I got home, he had the kids fed. Then he went to his eye exam. While he was there, the kids and I went to get a couple of cards and his favorite candy bar, kitkat. After the store, we met Cliff at the bowling alley and let the kids bowl on one lane while we bowled on the other. It was fun to see the kids bowl and horrible to see myself bowl after being out of practice. Cliff scored 107 and I scored 100 even. Pretty sad day of bowling! Tula'i was the winner with a score of 117. Maika was the one that really enjoyed the bowling. Every night when we say family prayer, Cliff will ask him what he is thankful for...it never fails that his reply is "Umm, I'm thankful for bowling."

After bowling we went out for a late lunch at Wingers. I LOVE their sauce they put on the wings and Cliff loves their wings. He got a free dessert that he shared with all of us. Here is where I gave Cliff his gift from me that he had been hounding me about, but thought he wasn't going to be able to get it until Christmas. When he saw the email with the receipt showing I had bought the new "Call of Duty" game that comes out on Nov. 10, his face had a big smile acrossed it.

Afterwards, all the kids were ready for a nap and so were we. So, that was on our agenda next. Kalena had a fit though because she thought it was time for them to go to the babysitters and on the way home Cliff drove by without dropping them off. So, she freaked and told him that they were going to the babysitters. Cliff didn't know we were going to drop them off, but Kalena told him. This isn't the first secret I have told her to keep from him, but it ends up she tells him cause she is excited about it.

The nap was good and needed for all. When we woke up, we took the kids to the babysitters and then I gave him the option of what he wanted to do...lazer tag or a movie. He surprised me and chose the movie. We hadn't been out on a date for a long time, so I have to thank the lady who watched them so we could go. She is such a good lady who is in Nursery with Maika and just is great with the kids.

After the movie, we came home and sang Happy Birthday and had some real good chocolate cake and vanilla icecream.

Just a Little Bit of Baking

Happy Halloween!

Cake mixes were on sale at a grocery store here for $.79 a piece. I ended up buying 12 for our family or maybe even a little more. But, while I was getting some mixes a lady was waiting for an employee to come and get some spice cake mixes down for pumpkin cookies. Tonite, I finally tried them. They are delicious!

2 spice cake mixes
2/3 cup oil
6 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 big can of Libby's pumpkin
2 bags of milk chocolate chips

mix all ingredients together and bake at 375 F for 10 minutes.


DON'T EAT TOO MANY!!!

My sister, Cajsa, follows a blog titled Conversations with a Cupcake. In it there are lots of recipes posted. Well, Cajsa told me to try the soft pretzels because they were so yummy and easy. I finally did one night when I made stew for dinner. They WERE really YUMMY! and oooooh, so easy to make! I have made them twice in the last week because of it. So, here is the recipe and some pictures or just head to the blog and you will have access too for the many different recipes that you would like.

Soft Pretzels:
1 1/2 cups very warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 cups flour
10 cups water
4 Tbsp baking soda
1 egg white
1/4 cup Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 475 F. Mix water, yeast, and sugar and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Add three cups of flour and knead. A little at a time, add up to one more cup of flour until dough is soft, but NOT sticky. Then, take pieces of dough and roll into about 12" pieces or longer and shape into a pretzel. Set aside on lightly floured counter top until all the dough has been shaped. In a big pot, mix 10 cups water and baking soda and bring to a rolling boil. Boil each pretzel for 10 seconds on both sides. Remove and put on greased cookie sheet. Brush egg white on top of pretzels and sprinkle salt on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown on top.