Makaafi Family

Cleaning Fish

2011-07-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is the trip where Ilai learns how to clean his own fish. He (and his daddy, who taught him, and his Grampa, who guided him) couldn't be more proud.

That's him cutting off the head. Mom's proud of that part. The trout was delicious, and provided lunch and dinner when they got home.

Convict Lake 2011

2011-07-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

So there seems to be a new tradition being born. Dave has always taken Austen (love the hair, by the way!) to Convict Lake each Father's Day since Austen was little. I think he was 3 the first time he went. (Mom, correct me if I'm wrong.)

So my sweet husband, who thinks the world of Dave, generously imposed on this weekend trip by inviting himself and all the dads and their boys to accompany him (last summer when we were all at BBD.) And Dave, who has a huge heart of gold, and who is an honorary Tongan himself, (let me tell you a couple of stories about that one day) obliged happily (I'm pretty sure that's how the story goes - all I know is Fo'ou couldn't stop talking about it all year).

So it happened! And the womenfolk stayed home and got pedicures or something of the sort - and this woman was MORE than happy about the whole situation. My son was ecstatic, husband in heaven, and I got to rearrange the furniture in the house to my liking, with no questioning. (I can't speak for all women on the happiness of being excluded, as Aunt Janet has some serious camping genes.)

When the van came home and we all unloaded the dusty paraphanalia, I wondered why Ilai's suitcase of clothes was still full, with the clothes still folded neatly. When I inquired about the bag I so painstakingly packed with him (one outfit for each day, with extra socks and underwear, two jackets and swim trunks) his reply was "We only wore two shirts and two shorts the whole trip." and then he added, "And nobody wore deoderant and I think I brushed my teeth only once the whole trip." (They left on Wednesday and returned Monday.)

Now I'm not sure if Mario was included in the deoderant/teethbrushing group (and please don't tell me if you were, although I would not lose any respect for you, and I have tons of it) because you never know who will read this, and he is a very respectable person. All I know is that my two boys had a blast, and can't wait till the next one. So Dave and Austen, thank you for including everyone in your special trip.

Camping Buddies

2011-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

As the two youngest boys of the First biannual (Fo'ou hopes) Father/Son/Dude Camping trip at Convict, Ilai and Beck hit it off great.

As Jody said, "Beck can make the bananas in the shopping cart have wars with eachother. He will be fine camping."

Beck: "Let's play Power Rangers. You be the boss, Ilai."
Ilai: (Trying hard to be "The Boss.)
Beck: "You suck at being the boss. Let me be the boss."
Ilai: (Thank you!)

Ilai would wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, and then hear, "Ilai, wanna play Power Rangers?" to which Ilai would reply, "I don't know . . . " and then Beck says, "Let's stick with 'Yes'." (And Ilai can immitate his sweet voice so well!)

My Niece

2011-07-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Please don't judge. She just got out of the tub/pool and her diaper swelled!

Do you know how much food this girl can put away? It was so entertaining for us to watch such a little one eat, and eat, and eat. If you ever have bananas in your house and need to make Eleni happy, show her them. But then don't try to cut it in half and offer her just half of it, because she will think you are crazy and start yelling at you in 2-year-old, pointing at the other half of the banana, and she won't stop until it is in her hands. Even if everyone is cracking up at the situation.

So this is when she was timid. Later that night, she was "ooohhhing and awwwing" at the loud fireworks. I'm so glad her mommy got to enjoy it because usually Aunt Kelley was the one consoling my two-year-olds at the loudness and scarieness of the night.

Yay Eleni! (Tyler, this is for you since you had to go home and take care of your fence-destroying dogs, bless their hearts.)

Red White and Blue

2011-07-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness we've been on some red sports teams lately cause we'd be struggling to find appropriate attire for the 4th of July.

Anela insisted I take her totally cute hair-do down so she could appropriately dance to Justin Bieber songs on YouTube while we were awaiting company. She wouldn't even let the said company see her cute hair. I tried to tell her she could swing her ponytail around, but she didn't want to risk hurting her neck.

And speaking of ponytails, Uncle Mitchell told Ilai that he always had long hair at Ilai's age too. So I guess this battle is over. He wins. (But since I have a lot of respect for Mitchell - the long hair is growing on me. Ha ha. I get it.)

Do You Know What my Husband is in?

2011-07-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Heaven!!!!!

and I'd like to say it's because of his cute coordinating wife, but with a plate like that, I just can't claim to be the source of his current happiness. And I'm good with that. Cause if his plate looks like that, then we're ALLLL happy!

Shark Teeth!

2011-07-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

Fo'ou urged me to take our 5-year-old (who hasn't started Kindergarten yet!) to the dentist to be rid of her "shark teeth" problem. I lovingly and obligingly agreed (as a former Kindergarten teacher, I've seen many Jaws mouths come in to my classroom with no affair a month later). But what do I know. I'm not a dentist. So our wonderful Dr. Wells looked at Anela and put my husband's - err - our minds to rest, but encouraged much wiggling of those baby teeth.

After days and days of wiggling and jiggling (and daddy's slippery hands accidently jerking at it) it finally came out! I've never seen a 5-year-old so excited to lose a tooth! (And may I remind you of my former K-teacher status?)

Daddy's mind was put at ease when they finally came out. The Toothfairy will have to wait though, because she's keeping it!

New Generation

2011-07-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Look who now loves the new "Gramma the Seal" vest! It is now in our posession . . . I have a feeling Eleni will be the next one.

Guess who?

2011-01-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

Basketball. Fell. Splint. Cast. Dare. $2. Pink.

3 Kids

2011-01-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

I vow to never call them the "Fam Bam".

"Mom, can you take some pictures of me?"

2011-01-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sure.

A Little Excited

2011-01-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

Best. Christmas. Ever. Especially when all he asked for was "chicken and gravy".

Fun with Silly Putty

2011-01-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

This one had us cracking up over her silly putty for hours.

A New Record

2010-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went on a family Thrift Shopping expedition. While standing next to my son, he picked up a round black plastic-looking thing and asked, "What's this?" I told him it was a record. He said "For what - like longest jump or something?"

BBD 2010

2010-07-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Fallen Leaf Lake

2010-07-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Lake Tahoe - actually, Fallen Leaf Lake

I said, "Anela," and she said, "Please call me PrincessArielMermaid."

World's Longest Post - for the World's Best 8-year-old Daughter!

2010-04-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic weekend about a month ago. Eden has been looking forward to this day for years. She was finally able to get baptized since she turned 8. You would think she'd feel a bit slighted since her brother was baptized in the ocean. In Hawaii. With all of his Hawaiian family there and with his gramma and grampa and uncle there too. But then you wouldn't know my Eden . . . The only thing she cared about was that her gramma (and grampa - but he couldn't come) was there to see her. When we kept putting the date off further and further for one reason or another, we decided to just do it. She heard us making plans with our Bishop over the phone. When I hung up, I looked at the top of the stairs and saw her bawling. "Does this mean they won't be here?" Heart. Breaking.

I made the call to my mom then. Now she was just up here not too long before that and was recovering from cancer, and took a ton of time off of work as it was. I knew it was a long shot. So in the meantime, I asked my sister who lives here in Boise, and who has a son Eden's age, who had also been putting off his baptism date for various reasons. If Mom could come up, we could have them both baptized together so she could see both of them. That's when my other sister talked about having her daughter, both Eden and Jack's age (and Eden's very close cousin) come up with Gramma. (If this were to happen, it would be a dream come true for all of us - especially Eden!) Hawaii was looking more and more anticlimatic) Well, about 8 years ago, Eden and Jack shared a similar experience. They were both blessed on the same day, in the same meeting as well. How perfect could it be?!

The cousins sang "I Know my Savior Loves Me" so beautifully.

Her Auntie was the hair dresser. She needed two French braids. Mommy doesn't do French Braids (under pressure).

I am so glad that Jack and Eden will always have this connection with each other. We're trying to plan for a double wedding as well.

Reminis. . . Umm, Remembering

2010-04-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ummm . . . did we actually live here?

Don't worry Holly, nobody reads my blog. : )

It's Him Again

2010-04-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Same Guy

2010-04-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

Guess Who . . .

2010-04-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Lucky Sunday

2010-03-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

Look what came walking by our house today . . .

The kids have always wanted to "ride" a horse.

Today they got to take a couple of steps with one. (Does that count as being able to cross that off the list?)

A Few More of Tubing

2010-01-29T15:37:00.001-08:00

Tubing at Bogus

2010-01-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

How convenient that Eden's birthday fell on a Saturday this year -and in January!

We went tubing with the Schultz's at Bogus Basin and it was so much fun!

Now I know what all the "Bogus" fuss is about.

She's Here!

2010-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

We were so fortunate to have my mom and brother come to visit after Christmas.
To see why purple is our color of choice, visit my mom's blog.

This is my mom, meeting her youngest grandbaby for the first time.

Not the youngest Idahoan anymore . . .

Gramma and Lil' Bro's Visit

2010-01-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Gramma graciously played "The Sorting Game", which she made up, and entertained the youngest for hours and hours.

Austen loved the snow (even if he won't admit it) . . . he was the first one awake, dressed, and out the door the morning after it fell.
Feel free to leave a comment Austen to tell me otherwise.

Ignorance

2009-12-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

Looking in the mirror while hair is being curled: "I don't see my eyes are beautiful."

The Photo Shoot

2009-12-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Artificial. Fake. Not Real. Plastic. Pretend.

Dyed in the wool. True blue through and through.

Thank you little one.

Thank you big one.

Daughter Number One

2009-12-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

"I only curl your hair once a year. Just let me take a picture please!"

Notice the background.

Finally a smile. I was practicing Holly's natural light tips.

Why does it look like the older girl was crying? Because she was. Because she hated that I put her hair in front of her shoulder. Because she hates that feeling. But then her little sister cheered her up. Either that, or she felt guilty because her mom got mad because after all, she only curls her hair once a year.

Our Deep Freeze - Mid December

2009-12-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Yay!!! It got to be ZERO degrees here one day, and I actually survived it! I never thought people actually lived in that weather. The kids were inside all week for recess because it was so so cold. On Friday, at the last recess, our principal came on the PA system and announced there would be outside recess. You could hear all of the classrooms cheer! My face actually hurt walking to school, and little crystals formed in my nose as I breathed in. But it was only for a week, and nothing I couldn't handle. Boy have I come a long way!

Oh, and don't forget about the soda cans in the back of the car in this weather.

Early December

2009-12-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

The most anticipated night of the Christmas season . . .

These are all of the ornaments my Aunt Janet has made and sent over the years. It bugs me that I am missing two. I have one that I just realized is not in the picture, but the other one broke. I look forward to seeing them each year as we decorate the tree.

These remind me of my sister Brandi, who used to make them with her grandmother. Brandi taught me how to make them one year and I love love love them!

The Robot

2009-11-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Ilai: "Mom! Take a picture of me doing different 'robot' poses."

The little sister couldn't stand to not have all the attention, which she is getting so good at lately.

We're in Love

2009-10-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

See What I Mean?

2009-10-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

To Die For!!

Has there ever been a cuter belly?

2009-10-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

She's to die for!!!

Some of the cousins

2009-09-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Two studs. Ilai scored a touchdown this game, and Jack intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown. Two studs.

Our Girl

2009-07-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Eden loves loves loves to swim and play sports. She also loves to sit and watch TV too - who are we kidding?

She also loves to test her mother's patience by asking her to curl her hair even when her Aunt Jody isn't visiting!! By the way, these fell pretty straight a few hours later. She loved looking in the mirror plenty while it lasted though.

Our Boy

2009-07-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

This year in baseball it was so exciting to go to the games.

I never realized how nervous or anxious I could get just because my son was pitching!

Then the first swim of the season happens, and it's free livin' from here on out . . .

Ahhhhh . . . summutime

2009-07-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

I think is is becoming a habit.

2009-06-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Look who tagged along this time:Guess who got the first catch of the day:

Great team-work.

There was one die-hard who stayed out during the rain while his sister and dad stayed dry in the car. He could not step away from the pole. What if one bit?
Waiting for Grampa and Austen's post about their fishing trip before bragging to much . . . (21 caught)

A priceless feeling - bragging to all the neighborhood kids about their catch.

"Ewww. It has a slimey eye."

Fo'ou managed to catch this in action - nice shot! (Fish caught)

Fishin' Trip

2009-06-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Now that Fo'ou got his fishing license
(note: it took him 2 years to get his driver's license, but when he found out he needed it for a fishing license, he was right on it!)

Ilai has been "dreaming of going fishing" he says.

What could make the trip any better than to find roadkill up close on the way home!!!

Pinewood Derby . . . Champ!

2009-05-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ok. So a couple of months ago, we got an invitation from our new ward for their pinewood derby, which was perfect timing, because we would have missed the derby from our other ward because of moving.

Fo'ou: Call Dave and have him send Austen's car!

Me: No

Him: (Nothing)

A few weeks later, it is getting closer and closer to the event, and Fo'ou says again:

Him: "Ahh man! We forgot to have Mom bring the car with her for her visit!"

Me: "Ahh man."

Him: "Call them today and have them ship it tomorrow!"

Me: (In a nutshell) "Don't you know the purpose of being a scout, and making things to fulfill a sense of purpose . . . blah blah blah"

Me again: "I'll make it with him myself if I have to - who cares if he's the slowest car on the track!"

Him: "Where's my keys?"

So all weekend they shaped, cut, sanded, shaped, sanded, cut, alligned, tested, painted, weighted, tested . . .

If you know my husband, then you know that he needed to get it right, and right it would be! Oh - and we bought "The Book" which was very helpful.

Win #1

Win #2

Win #3

Ok after a while, it just got to be a bit embarrassing! "Fastest Car In Pack" and "Fastest Car In Event" are the awards he got after finishing in first place for every race he was in! The very first race he came in second place, which we were happy with! Then, it all went "down hill" from there. Ha ha ha. Down hill.

I think we learned a little lesson on this one . . . and Dad got to make his own car too.

Ummmm . . .

2009-03-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Not sure how I feel about this . . . I mean, I know we're in Idaho, and it's the thing to do . . . Fo'ou loves every minute of it.

When my kindergartners are brainstorming "Thing That are Small", "Bullet!" is usually one of the first answers. Shells (from the bullets, not the ocean) are what they bring for show-and-tell. But I guess there's too much California in me still.

My Favorite Guy

2009-03-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

My Favorite 8-Year-Old

2009-03-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

My Favorite 3-Year-Old

2009-03-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Seven-year-old

2009-03-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

Thank You Gamma Gampa!

2009-03-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

I suppose one fun thing about living away from family is getting packages in the mail.

The M&M's were a HUGE hit with this new 3-year-old. "My color fayvrit!"

I won't tell you that one eight-year-old boy had the most fun with this puzzle . . .

What We've Been Up To

2009-02-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

Eden is enjoying playing basketball for the YMCA. She's pretty good too. I know I'm biased though.

Ilai is now a wolf . . .

because he went out in the hallway and wrestled with one, bringing back the leg! So brave!

This is him earning his Bobcat award, where I got to pin it upside down on him. Just makes me want to cry! It's the simple things in life . . .

The Accident

2009-02-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

DISCLAIMER: LONG, DETAILED POST. FOR JOURNALING PURPOSES ONLY. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Ok. So here's how it happened:

We were moving into our new house on Saturday. (Oh - did I mention we got a new house? We did! More on that later.) The moving truck is there, boxes are everywhere, Cable guy is there, etc. All of a sudden, there is screaming. And blood. We run outside and see that Ilai found the Pogo stick he hasn't seen since California, and was eagerly trying to break his Uncle Austen's record, which is highly impossible. Poor Eden comes running in . . . "Ilai's bleeding!" Sure enough. Blood. All over our new gargae floor. Not that that was important. Just a fact. And worse (in my opinion) half of his left permanent tooth was gone. Oh. And there was a hole in his bottom lip where his tooth must have gone through.

Left the cable guys there to finish the job. (Priorities, right?) We went to the same place he went to last year for his eyebrow stitches. Ilai is crying the whole way there. He keeps asking, "Do I have to get stitches?" He remembers the numbing shot from last year, and is so afraid.

We pull in and the doctor takes one look at it and says, "We'll be sewing that up!" Tears again. Once the nurse came in and told him Dr. Hooft didn't like hysterics, he calmed down pretty well. He used Fo'ou's hand and fingers to squeeze during the whole thing. Poor Eden had to cover her ears and hum a tune to block out the crying, so she waited in the waiting room.

Ilai laid perfectly still and quiet the whole time. The doctor said early on, "Let me know if it hurts." Ilai was very obedient in this matter. Finally when it was all done, I heard Fo'ou and the doctors talking, and thought they had said "13 stitches". I never asked for some reason.

The whole way to the ER and the whole way home, Ilai insisted in tears that he would not go to school on Monday with his tooth looking like that. Nevermind the huge bandage on his chin and hole in his bottom lip. He was concerned about his tooth. I tried to tell him the story of Gramma opening the cheese packet and breaking her tooth. And that my tooth was also fake. He just couldn't understand how it could possibly look the same as before.

I called my friend Katie, whose husband is a dentist, and told her of my dilemma. Apparently word travels fast, because when she answered her phone, she asked, "How's your son?!"

Her wonderful husband told us he could fix it that night, and to try and find the part of the tooth that broke off so he could examine it (and to put it in a cup of milk - interesting, huh?) No luck. We looked all over the garage, and no tooth piece.

On our way to the dentist, Ilai was exhausted. Crying over every thing that there could be to cry about. He was so tired. Dr. Wells was so patient with him, giving him every amenity available, including nitris oxide, which was so funny to hear Ilai talk about afterward - "That just felt so good!" The new tooth looks beautiful. Dr. Wells did an outstanding job. His assistant Lindy was not bad herself - even for a first-grader!

So the week passed with no major problems. He was running around the very next day. Today I took off to take him to get his stitches out. Again, he did a wonderful job sitting very still. He was quick to let the doctor know that there was a slight bit of pain, just incase the doctor didn't realize it.

I soon found out that there were not 13 stitches after all. THERE WERE 23!! The poor boy didn't even get the credit he deserved all week long!! 23!! I didn't know they do "inside layers" and "outside layers" which indicates it was a pretty bad split!

As the doctor's assistant was cleaning him up, wiping off the old crusty gunk from his chin and lip, he stopped with the tweezers close to his bottom lip. Looked at me to see if I saw what he saw, and said he'd be right back to get the doctor.

HE FOUND HIS MISSING TOOTH CHUNK! IT WAS IN HIS BOTTOM LIP THE WHOLE WEEK!!

We got to keep it as a souvenir.

Noosoowee

2009-01-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Dozens of Christmas presents have come and been put away, but the one thing she wanted to show Gramma was what her new "Noosoowee" teacher brought by (M&M's and a card). "Mom, look what my husband gave me!" She has now been to nursery 4 weeks in a row for the whole 2 hours!!! Never underestimate the power of a simple visit (and good chocolate).

What are you doin' New Years Eve?

2009-01-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

It was New Year's Eve and we really had no plans . . . "Let's take a drive up to Bogus Basin!" We just wanted to see what it looked like. Everyone talks about it. "Why don't you throw a couple of bibs and coats in the car just incase we find a patch of snow we can slide down."

Seven hours, lessons, gallons of hot chocolate and $175.00 later, we were too tired to even watch the brand new crystal ball in New York drop . . . but we won't soon forget it.

Welcome to the Snow . . .

2008-12-22T20:24:00.001-08:00

After being here for over a year, I'm really beginning to believe the "acclamation" thing people told me would happen. (and I checked spell-check for that word)

Today it was 25 degrees and we were outside. No problem.

But they forgot to tell us about this part . . .

So we went inside and made "trifle" to fulfill Fo'ou's craving for food from home . . . to bring some warmth to our holidays.

And Jody, if I used your trifle bowl, it would have looked even prettier.

Rebar Latest

2008-12-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest in rebar fabrication. Feel free to order a set for next year. It'll only cost you $873.00 in shipping! My husband. Gotta love it.

There goes the "good mom" thing

2008-12-21T22:38:00.000-08:00

"Mom, take a picture of me drinking my hot chocolate. I'll wave like this."

"Yeah, Mom, and I'll pretend I don't know you're taking a picture."

"mom, i'll just cut up Eden's picture she was so proud of while you take pictures."
Are my kids destined for Hollywood, or what???

Seeing is Believing

2008-12-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

My Uncle Dale used to tell this joke - something like . . ."What is green and goes in kids mouths?" (Mom, help me out here) anyway, the punchline is "Kids don't eat brocolli" I know, I just killed it. Anyway, I felt like a good mom this week. Uncle Mario, this is for you. (He hated the fact that I made brocolli for a Sunday dinner long ago.)

And along with seeing things not believed in, here is "Prancer". She came to visit my Kindergarten class this week. Rudolph sent his love.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

This was the best turkey EVER and I'm not just saying that because it was the first one I ever made. Incase I forget for next year, it is the Oprah recipe from her nice chef lady on TV and it's on my DVR so incase I forget for next year, that's how I made it. But that means I have to have DISH network for another year, which is no good. Direct TV is the way to go. Oh, and I won't bother with the stuffing. NObody ate it. Not even me. I just made it out of obligation. Oh, and Katrina's pumpkin dessert was a hit. Oh, and make the jello pretzel salad, and don't forget the corn in the freezer. The olives only got put on fingers - not in mouths, so I guess that counts. One more thing - the chocolate satin pie from Marie Calendars has to be from the restaurant, not the box. Ok. Now If I can just remember to read this next year, I'll be good.

Grandma's Visit

2008-11-22T21:24:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen my kids act that way in months. The way they act when Grandma is around. Suddenly they share what they are up to, what they like, randomly start talking about school, and I learn so much about my own kids after they've been talking to Grandma. There's something about her that they feel comfortable enough to act this way . . . and I do too. I think it's because when you tell her something new, or new to her, she acts like it's the most important thing she's heard in about 4 months. She asks for details, and relates it to something else, and shows clear understanding of what you mean. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it is about her . . . you just feel important.

Here is the hat Eden "loomed" with Gramma. Ilai made one too. He was really into it, actually. He gave it to one of Hannah's dolls though, as it was too small for him to wear. Now he sports a Green Bay hat with a "G" on it - G for Grandma, the one who bought it for him, and autographed it before she left (by request).

Dedicated to Ellen

2008-11-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Can you guess who these eyes belong to? I'll give you a hint . . . they're not mine, but Anela thinks they are.

The rest of these were taken for a project Aunt Janet is doing for Papa for Christmas. (I hope he isn't reading this blog!!)
Ellen asked for updates, as she was tired of seeing Halloween pictures 5 days shy of Thanksgiving. Some people are so impatient. Love you Bellendy!

Uncle Tyler and Aunt Kelley

2008-11-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

The title of "coolest uncle and aunt" currently go to: TYLER AND KELLEY!!

And the title of "Best Dog" currently belongs to Daisy. (Don't take it personally Shadow or Lady.)

The Halloween Post

2008-11-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

She's GREEN!!!!!!!

It turns out Ilai and the third-grade boys devised a plan to all dress as football players at school. Then, I caught them playing tackle football at recess . . . their one chance!!

The best part of the night - sorting the loot!

What's black and white and "read" all over? Aunt Kelley! Eden was thoroughly embarrassed that her aunt would wear the homemade wig in Costco! But after all of the wonderful compliments, she quickly became her hero.

The lady just GAVE me some "cannee"!?

Fo'ou must have had a spare moment or two at work, constructing his new rebar creation for us . . . It's Rebar Man . . . look for him every year.

Everyone else was way too slow.

Last week it was 85 Degrees

2008-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Ellen, this post is dedicated to you. For the "getting sick of California" comment . . . (we have a spare bedroom).

We can't believe it either!!!

2008-09-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is a new experience for us - football.

We're glad the big kid is on our team. Yes, he is the same age as Ilai.

Dad taught him a few moves.

I love this side of him. He is really having fun, replaying each moment for us when he gets home, telling us what he was thinking during each play, telling us what he "really said" during his plays ("I've got ya now!") He celebrated an interception today. I think I'll learn the rules and position names more. I may end up knowing as much as my mother does about football one day.

First Day

2008-09-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

First day of First Grade for Eden. Excited to use their backpacks from the Hawaiian swapmeet . . .

Ilai chose one new outfit. Boise State. Dad wasn't shopping with us.

Here we are. Off to our new school. Together. We'll all be at the same school this year. Anela will be at "Doo's" house which I couldn't be happier about. Please notice my right ankle. It looks skinny. The dress only comes around once a year. On the first day. (It SCREAMS Kindergarten teacher, doesn't it?)

Our Couch Smells Good

2008-09-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

Look at this face.

We walked out of the bedroom thinking, "Something smells good!"

"Anela! What did you do?!" " zshozshion." Our couch is very moisturized.

Synes (or something close to that)

2008-08-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

My sister Brandi and her wonderful family are moving at the end of the summer. To Sweden. I am going to miss their family. She always comes over with the best-tasting dish I've ever had, and she always says "Oh, it's the first time I've tried it. Is it good?" They are both very environmentally and health concious (can't you tell by looking at the beauties?) and they have inspired me to be as well. Jesper talks in Swedish to their daughter (don't know if they want her name published or not) and Brandi speaks in English to her. She understands both just as easily. They are brave and adventurous and want to do what's best for their family, and I so admire them for that. We will certainly miss them. I don't expect we'll be able to see eachother every month or so as we have in the past, but I do hope they "keep us posted" (hint to blog, Brandi!) on their new home, because I cannot imagine what they have in store for them! We love you Pietsch's! (The best part about them in their last name - it's pronounced like the summer fuzzy fruit!)

Good People

2008-08-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

I once heard my cousin Mitsi describe a person as being"good people". And she is highly educated and intelligent. These are some of my favorite "good people". They are always bringing new traditions to the family and keeping us educated about new ideas, such as Li Hing Mui powder on all sorts of fruit. And great Hawaiian music. They practice what they preach. Only they don't preach. My aunt and cousin anonymously do service for others, even if it means driving all night to get there. Because it's the right thing to do. I love what they teach my children, and that they have patience for all of the little ones at Grandma's house, giving each child individual attention. They are easy and quick to accept new family members. I have learned so much from them. And I know they do not want this attention, but I love them and am grateful for them. They truly know the meaning of "Ohana".

Welcome to Boise Messinas!!

2008-06-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

They're heeeeeeerrrrrree! (and they brought a few friends along.)

Kelley and Tyler Got HItched!

2008-06-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

We had the greatest little trip down to Southern California for my sister Kelley's wedding. This is my neice Julia (Brandi's daughter) and Kendall (Jody's daughter).

My nephew Jack and my neice Kendall were the ring bearer and the flowergirl. (Respectively.)

The only casualty of the day - in my opinion - was Ilai's bee sting. After his screaming subsided, my dyed-in-the-wool-of-pioneer-heritage Auntie Janet asked a wedding guest for a cigarette so that she could take out the tobacco and put it on his "wound". I must admit, it worked. If you look closely, you can see her creation between Ilai's toes.

They were married at a beautiful park in Brea, CA, and they got great weather.

Re-buttoning the shirt starting from the bottom this time. (Don't you hate when that happens?)

One of my favorite pictures of my sister Ellen. She must have been cracking one of her jokes she is famous for. She will be visiting here often, as her sister (of whom she was the Maid of Honor for) will be moving to Boise also!!

Did I mention my husband was not able to join us this time? This is what I got to see the whole trip.

"The Best Day of My Life"

2008-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

If you look closely at Ilai's eyebrow, you may be able to count 8 stitches. He collided with a first grade girl on the playground. And bled. Forever. And then ran himself to the nurse with the help of a buddy. And then Aubrey, his 5th-grade cousin, and her 3 friends, checked in on him from the window, cooing and loving him nurturingly as 5th-grade girls do to 2nd-grade boys. And then I got the call at school . . . "Ilai has had an accident here at school and his left eyebrow needs some attention." Me: "What kind of attention??!!" Nurse: "Stitches . . ." Me: "Ok. Stitches." Since we were with only one car that day, Fo'ou went to pick up Ilai from school, then came to get me, then we went to the doctor. Ilai was in great spirits the whole time, until they had to numb him up with a huge needle. He yelled and cried, but laid very still while squeezing Mom and Dad's hands. Then we watched him be laced up! And finally, we took him to Fudruckers for the best buffalo burger ever. The next day after school, he told his aunt Tracy, "Today was the best day of my life." He said that every single person asked him about his eye, which makes for the best day ever.

Then, we stuck to our Memorial Day Weekend tradition of camping in the backyard. Sleeping in tents each night, playing volleyball all day, and using real showers and toilets is Mom's idea of the best camping trip ever.

Anela found the best part of a S'more.

I think Eden perfected the art of toasting a marshmallow. And I think she ate 17.

2008-05-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

Since we've been here in Idaho, we've yet to visit McCall, or Cascade, or the other little towns we've been told about. So we decided to just go one Sunday! We stopped and ate lunch at Cascade Lake.

Anela loved the water, and luckily she had old enough cousins to watch after her so her mommy didn't have to.

Ilai found a dead fish that washed ashore. And scared his mom with it.

This was a "drinking hole" that just came out of the side of the mountain. It was the absolute best tasting water ever.

Spring Evening

2008-05-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Anela has cousins who like to dress her up . . .

And a sister who likes to follow . . .

And a brother and his cousin who are buds.

The Boys Lately . . .

2008-05-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Fo'ou is helping with the coaching of Ilai's team . . . what a pitcher!

Anela Lately . . .

2008-05-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I guess these all speak for themselves.

Eden Lately

2008-05-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

She doesn't mind being the only girl on her team . . .

A party favor from a recent birthday party she attended . . .

Trying on Mommy's glasses . . .

This is typical of Eden - taking on 3 boys in basketball (Ilai's friend was over).

2008-05-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

What the . . .?!!!

Eden's coach is her uncle. A very very good coach. We've been lucky.

Jody and Scott, this one is for you.

This is what we've been up to . . .

2008-05-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is Fo'ou's new toy. We've all enjoyed a few swinging pointers from him.

And Chip enjoyed a few swinging pointers from Tracy.

Baseball season has begun . . . yay!!!

Yep. We got the hats.

2008-03-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Eden was so excited to have matching dresses, just as "Morgan and Kendall always do!"

The Photo Session

2008-03-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Imitation

2008-03-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

Anela has had a rash lately, so we've had to put cream on her . . . we found her putting the same cream on Eden's baby the other day. She just got it by herself.

Then, I found her "flat-ironing" her hair . . . with a stapler. You can tell what our favorite morning procedure is.

Here's the latest!

2008-03-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the glasses Aunt Jody!

President's Birthday Monday brought us to the park - great to be outside and feel the sun.

Sidewalk Chalk! It's been awhile . . .

The best out of 27 shots.

The newest Two-Year-Old

2008-03-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Nenna!

Anela turned two on February 3rd. She is the only February birthday other than Grandpa (Bapa), and he was so kind to share. We were hoping for the birthdate of 2/4/6, but ended up with 2/3/6 and rationalize that it is just as clever, because 2 times 3 is 6.

Now that it has stopped snowing, and we can see the sidewalks again, our favorite thing to do is ride bikes! She feels very much a part of the big kids now that she has her own bike.

I tried and tried to get her to stay still for a moment to take a picture of her before church but this is the best I could come up with. I had forgotten how much fun a two-year-old is. I think that listening to the vocabulary expand exponentially is the best part of it all. Living with the Schultz's has had a huge impact on that for sure. "Bathis!" (Watch this!) "Wok!" (Let's go for a walk - regardless of the temperature outside.) She has names for everyone also. Let's see if I can get them to translate in type. Starting from oldest to youngest: Uncle Chip: "Boop!" Aunt Tracy: "Doo" (the only one who has stayed "Doo" as everyone not in her immediate family was once "Doo", Taylor: "Caacaa!" Aubrey: "Aubeee!" Hannah: "Annah!" Jackson: "Caacaa!" (Same as Taylor) Ilai: "Eegahdeegah" (You are probably pronouncing it right - it is pretty unbelievable to hear, I don't know how she does it herself!) and Eden is "Eeyah". Mom and Dad are pretty clear "Mommy and Dad". As soon as Fo'ou comes home from work, she is waiting outside and starts dancing to the loud Reggae blasting from his truck. Then they go for a short ride together around the neighborhood. Life is good with a two-year-old. She is so happy to see everyone when they come home. We all feel very loved. Even Uncle Chip changed her diaper the other day (wet only of course) but still! She has reminded the Schultz's what it is like to have a 2-year-old and it has been so much fun watching all of them interact with her. As I am getting choked up right now thinking about her and how she has effected our lives, I am so grateful for the patience she has taught her older brother, who is very coddling with her now, and the love Eden has for her is not something that can be described. I love you Nella. Oh! That's right! Anela: "Nenna" - which we sometimes call her too.

2008-02-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

This was Eden's party we had at "Pump it Up" the day Tracy and I got back from California (see post below). I can hardly remember any of it as it was a "rush rush rush" kind of day.

About 7 seconds after this picture was taken of us going down the slide together, Eden threw up (see below).

I highly recommend Pump it Up if you have no desire to do anything at your child's birthday except watch what is going on. I sure needed a party like that on that particular day. We love you Eden! She ate cake and pizza right after her "incident" so I guess it wasn't too bad.

A Truly Wicked Ending

2008-01-23T19:50:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This is for journaling purposes only. Not meant for entertainment. Kind of Boring.

If you go to my sister's blog, you will see how much fun I had last weekend. I cannot even begin to describe the show to you, so I won't. Here's what else we did. Keep in mind I have only been gone for 5 months from Southern California. Straight to In-N-Out for lunch. We got to my mom's house and watched Anela go straight to the swimming pool and try to get in. Then she played fetch with Shadow. Grandpa got home and Anela ran up to him "Papa!" and gave him a big hug. After 5 months for an almost-two-year-old, that impressed us all. Friday night we went to my dad's house and played "Imaginiff" with Eric, Leanna, Tyler, Kelley, Ellen, Tracy, Vicky, and my dad. That was a lot of fun. We stayed at Jody's and the next morning we got some important things done. We went for a walk in my old 'hood and said hello to a few neighbors. It was kind of sad for me. I lived in a great place with some great neighbors. Then since Scott had a stomach bug, Jody couldn't go with Tracy and me, so we went to get our eyebrows "threaded" which Tracy said she had to use Labor breathing for. But dang do our eyebrows look good. We went to Sprinkles for a couple of "Black and Whites". (Ok, more than a couple.) I was given an assignment to go to an Asian store (what shep you lie?) to get (sque, rou, obal?) fish sauce and rice flour for a recipe we can not make in Boise. So anyhoo, we came home, dolled up for the show, then read Jody's Blog for the details. The next day, Sunday, I went to my former ward and had the very best time talking with some of my good friends. It was so so great to see them again. Three of them are expecting (they're pregnant, incase Jay is reading this) which is fantastic news for all of them. So we end up back at Jody's with everyone and I stayed outside in the sunshine as much as possible because it felt so so so so nice. Anela ran barefoot outside- something she has not done in months. She was outside the whole time riding Kendall's bike. Finally we said our goodbyes and we were off to the airport. A tearful goodbye to the Kossubs took us to the other side of the security gate. We are about to enter Hell for one night. Boarding our plane to Boise (a rare non-stop mind you) we got settled and couldn't wait to see our kiddos and hubbys at home. An announcement: "There is heavy fog in Boise, we may have to divert to Salt Lake." Sure enough, we head off to Salt Lake and I start thinking of my former housemate and blogging friend Brooke, whom I know lives in Salt Lake and who's home I'd love to see since she has fantastic style and taste, but didn't think she'd want to take us back to the airport at 4:45 AM, which was what time they told us to be there. (We arrived at 11:30 PM.) Tracy and I slept - well, sat in the airport all night long with Anela who slept some of the time in Tracy's arms. Tracy walked all over the airport with her while I slept for about an hour on the floor. Tracy was so selfless with her sleep. We boarded around 5:45 and did not take off until 10:30 am! That is 5 freaking hours on the airplane not moving! Short story: de-ice, clogged nozzle, ran out of fuel, de-ice runway, de-ice plane, wait in line to take off. We landed at 11:15 and ran off to Eden's birthday party at Pump-it-up. Best weekend of my life. So far.

10 Cousins Together

2008-01-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

This was the week 10 cousins got together in Boise. We sure missed Ethan and Julia. We really had fun though - all 16 of us in the Schultz home.

Anela tried so hard to put "Baby Beck shoe" on. "I'll make it fit!"

The three brothers (of other mothers) holding up their not-so-healthy habits. Not judging.

The three sisters (same mother) who made it all possible. We'll miss you Roberts!!!

Wooooo Hoooooooo!!!!

2007-12-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

Are your kiddos as excited as ours are????!!!!

2007-12-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

Eden's "bangs" debut. (They've been cut for a while but we had to wait till they grew out long enough to look presentable.)

Grandma was right. He looks like a deacon!

Learning how to do real smiles for the camera . . .

And now for something a little more exciting . . .

2007-12-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

We're beginning to get used to this . . .

2007-12-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

Look what we saw near our home tonight . . . it looks like the one they had at South Jr. High to keep the Seagulls away, but it is real!

Way too much fun on a Friday Night

2007-12-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

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New Look

2007-11-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

I thought this would be an appropriate picture to put on my first post with the change of my blog. My hubby is the one in the middle, (on the top of course). I was also going to put a picture of Holly and me selling pineapple delights in our pink and blue mumu's, but fortunately for her I do not have my scanner hooked up.

Kindergartners to the Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

The parents were laughing at me because I was shocked that there were no seatbelts on the hayride! (City girl learning here)

"You can only take home what you can carry!"

So pumpkins actually do grow on vines! (Something I've taught for years, but actually experienced here!)

The hay/straw maze was the best part. I learned way more than the kids!

For Mom and Ellen

2007-11-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Aunt Ellen came to take the Schultz's down to California . . .it was great to see her.

While they were gone, I couldn't find my kids one day. Finally I found them outside. We love this time of year!

Anela is learning how to smile for the camera. We had to improvise with the pumpkin hat. It was Hanna's as a baby.

A whole box full of new Halloween costume choices from the Schultz's, and they chose to be the same things as last year. Ilai was a football player the next night for trick-or-treating. This was for a little carnival we went to.

Beware the Dragon Lady

2007-10-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun one Saturday innocently rollerblading on our street.

Until the neighbor lady came out and yelled at the kids for going on the grass.

We huffed and puffed about it all day long, even approaching her to "kill her with kindness" as Tracy said. She was mean. But I dare not judge her.

Then we prayed for her. Great lesson for all.

2007-10-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Halloween Box Came Out

2007-10-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

We had fun when Tracy brought the Halloween box out. A good 3 or 4 hours of fun. Do not show Grandpa Kossub the pictures of Ilai dressed in a skirt.

Boys in Spare Time

2007-10-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

Jackson and Ilai used their resources wisely to create a missle launcher that they colored with markers, used an old tire tube for the steering wheel, and paper plates for the wheels (which were difficult to attach as you can see). We found out what they were doing when Ilai asked for a "knife or something" so he could cut a door in the back.

No Caption Needed

2007-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's one anyway. They're "Build-a-Bear" glasses.

Picking Purple Flowers

2007-09-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Sweet Aubrey and Eden

Anela too

2007-09-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Me too! Me too!!