7 random things about me

Crystal gave me this tag which means I need to write 7 random things about me and then pass it on to someone else. I'm glad she did. Lately I've been feeling SOO pregnant and uncomfortable, and this is a good way to get my mind off my pains. lol

1. I've NEVER dyed my hair, gotten a tattoo, broken a limb, liked seafood, hiked Laie Falls or had a pedicure. ha ha JUST KIDDING about that last one. I LOVE pedicures!!

2. I played my violin in Carnegie Hall in NYC (I'm junk, but happened to be a part of an orchestra that went) and climbed the Great Wall of China barefoot (not by choice - I had been forced to wear a dress and heeled slippers that killed my feet). Wow. This list of 7 is turning to a list of 25. ha ha

3. I have one regret about my wedding day. Just one. I loved EVERYTHING and it was seriously, a PERFECT day. . . I just wish we hadn't left the party so soon. We left around 8ish, I think, and I WISH we had stayed till the very, very. . . like putting-away-the-chairs-and-tables. . . END. I try to make sure none of my friends make this same mistake. You'll NEVER have a party like that again!

4. My dad is my hero and no, I'm not an artist like he is (a lot of people ask me that), but I wish I was.

5. I've visited 12 states (Hawaii, Utah, Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Washington D.C. and Michigan) and 10 countries (United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Samoa, El Salvador and Guatemala). Sooo, looks like I have a lot more traveling to do! lol I used to hope to visit Europe one day, but traveling is SO different for me with kids - like, so NOT a vacation and soo NOT fun ha ha - so we'll see if that ever happens.

6. We always had dogs growing up. My favorites were - Lehua (a red Irish Setter), Kanani (a Golden Retriever), Star (a Golden Retriever), and Heidi (our Great Dane). I cried each time each of them left us.

7. I have really bad eyes, teeth and hair. I can't go ANYWHERE without my glasses or contacts. I hope someday to be brave enough and rich enough for Lasik. Braces corrected my teeth once upon a time, but since I haven't been diligent in my retainer they aren't as perfect as they once were. And my hair. . . . hmm. . . It's bushy, frizzy and curly and I've tried everything with it - chopped it off, had bangs, chemically straightened it, french braided it every day and worn it brushed out everyday (NOT a good idea). Now, I'm just trying to let it grow out. We'll see how that goes. Oh, and in other hair issues - I need to pluck my eyebrows once a week or I look like Bert.


K, now reading over my list I'm thinking I maybe should have used my censor button a little more. ha ha Oh well. I tag IPO and CANDICE. . .and anyone else who needs to update their blogs! :)

sigue adelante elder alisa

My little brother, Michael, has been in Puerto Rico on his LDS mission for about a year and a half now and is seriously LOVING it. His letter this week was full of inspiration and stories of triumph. I'm so proud of him and the hard work he is doing. He is such an example to me! Here is some random pics he sent. . .

And in closing, my favorite part of his letter -

"I made some cocoa rice for a recent convert family on sunday. They liked it but I think I could have let it cook a little longer lol. It is really so easy though! I thought it was harder... maybe thats just because dad makes it LOOK really difficult."

AMEN Mikey!! ha ha My dad was the only one who cooked cocoa rice in our house and he made it look like SUCH a huge and difficult process. Maybe that's why in my mind I still think of it as such a big treat. ha ha LOVE you brother!!

tantrums and potty training

TANTRUMS
For a while there I though we had altogether skipped the Terrible Two's. I remember reading about this stage and hearing about it from others and I'd get this smug feeling and think, "Phew! Glad I didn't have to go through all that!" Up to this point, Malia has been generally very mild mannered. She's been able to communicate pretty well and is overall a very happy child. Yet, here we are, two months away from her third birthday and I feel like we're just starting the TERRIBLE TWO'S. There is tantrums over everything. . . like, EVERYTHING! She's whiny and needy and working out her crying pipes much more than usual. It's not a constant thing - but it's frequent enough to start me thinking and wishing for the end to be in sight. Out of the two of us, Wayne is far more patient and in control. I usually have to leave the area to compose myself - I just get so frustrated! I try to get her what she needs, but I don't want to teach her tantrums are the way to get anything she wants. Any methods or advice from mother's who've been through this stage? Please help! I hope it passes soon!

POTTY TRAINING
For the past month or so Kina has been showing signs of being ready to potty train. When she is wet or dirty she'll run and get the diaper and wipes and lay down in front of me so I can change her. She tells me she has to make poop before she actually makes it, LOVES to sit on the potty, loves to wear panties and is constantly telling me she's a "big girl". I know, I know - she's READY - I just haven't been ready to fully commit to potty training. HOWEVER, I am now raring to go. We practiced a little over the weekend and today is her second day completely in panties. I made her a potty chart (and Malia one too after she saw Kina's) and am doing the every-hour-on-the-hour routine. Wish us luck!!

all in a weekend

We had a busy weekend!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, Wayne went down to Las Vegas for the one day rugby 7's tournament, Midnight 7's. A couple months ago, Wayne put together some friends to play 7's and was able to secure a few sponsorships for a team. This was their very first tournament together as a team. . . and they WON!! So exciting!

The team has some AWESOME players, an incredible coach and great supporters. Gooo team!!

Wayne and his Dad posing with the teams winnings. Wayne was a little disappointed they didn't get to keep the giant check too.

While Wayne was busy in Vegas, we went to the circus!! Well, it was actually a birthday party for Ray and Kass Feinga's little boy, Toa, but seriously - it was a CIRCUS!! They went all out. There were booths, games, prizes, cotton candy, popcorn, fry bread, a picture booth, and lots and lots of candy. I've never seen anything like it - it was AWESOME. We met Ray and Kass during Wayne's time on the BYU football team and have been friends since. They are such awesome people and their son is SO cute. . . so cute and so huge! ha ha They played host the whole time, just made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves and having fun. It was very sweet to watch. THANK YOU RAY AND KASS! The girls had so much fun. And thanks to my AMAZING sister-in-law, Melba (who I tricked into coming with me) I was able to enjoy it too! ha ha THANK YOU MELBA!

Malia and Kina with the goldfish they won. Malia insisted in carrying it around for the rest of the party. She named it Annie - after the orphan.

Ray and Kass with Toa singing "Happy Birthday" with all the kids. He was such a cutie!

And to finish our fun weekend off, we celebrated Father's Day today as a family. After church we took long naps and Malia and Kina gave their Daddy some collar shirts I found on sale at Target. It was a very relaxing day!

One of Wayne's new shirts. I told him to pose for a picture and this is what I got. He kept on posing, but I stopped taking pictures.

PS. I want to do a post about my dad, but it'll have to wait till tomorrow - it's late and I'm too tired to find the pics and write something meaningful. :) Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!!

i haaate sourdough jacks

Yesterday, Wayne left for Las Vegas for a short one day trip - his 7's rugby team is playing in a tourney down there. Before he left I told him to take pictures with his phone and send them to me so I could follow along in what he was doing. He sent the first batch yesterday evening. . .







Not exactly what I had in mind. Sheesh. Thanks for rubbing it in.

a playset for the girls

We finally found one!!

Wayne and I have been camping on KSL classifieds for weeks trying to find a playset/swingset for the girls and we FINALLY found one that fits in our budget and wantlist. It's very simple - without all the bells and whistles - but it's awesome quality and the girls already love it. Wayne and his dad picked it up yesterday and we finished putting it up today. . . and when I say "we" I mean Wayne put it up and I handed him a screw or a bolt every now and then. Hey, somebody has to handle the hardware, right? lol Seriously, though, I was afraid Wayne was gonna break his back - that stuff was heavy! But the thought of waiting for someone to come help was just way too inconcievable, I guess. It took a little longer than it would've because Malia and Kina were insistent in helping - that's code word for GETTING IN THE WAY.
We love our new swingset and hope to use it a LOT this summer!



If you have kids - come over and play with us! :)

why toddlers need constant supervision

Yesterday, I was busy doing something downstairs when this continuous sound came to my attention. I realized I had ignored it for a while, but the consistency of it made it stick out to my ears. After listening for a moment I recognized it as a toilet paper role being spun over and over again.
I raced upstairs and saw this. . .

She proudly says, "Look Mommy! I got lots!!"

Yes, she just went potty. Yes, the whole toilet is full of paper and YES that is an EMPTY roll behind her.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

this old house

Okay, I PROMISE this is the last post about moving OR the house. ha ha Please bear with me this one last time.

Soo we've been in our new house for about three weeks and have been LOVING it. For my own entertainment, I wanted to document our past "homes"on the road to being in a real HOUSE. It's been a long road. To save this post from total boringness (warning - I may not have succeeded) I went through my computer to find pics taken in each of our past houses.

HOUSESITTING STINT- When Wayne and I first were married we housesat a home for four months. During that time our "home" was a small bedroom in the basement of the house. It was a NIGHTMARE! I hated not being able to unpack all my things or set up and decorate anything. Plus, there were CATS living with us. Ugh! (TOTALLY a dog person) We were soo happy to get out of there and into a place of our own.

This is the ONLY picture I have of this house - apparently, I really didn't want to remember living there.

STUDIO LIVING - Next, we moved into a one room studio near BYU. It was so nice having our own space, be it very small. The whole apartment was one big room, but we divided the sleeping area and living area with a bookshelf. The place was newer and clean and I loved it. I remember when my visiting teachers would come, Wayne would just wait patiently on the bed until they were gone because there was no where else for him to go. ha ha. We stayed there for a year.

This pic was taken on my birthday - right behind that bookshelf was our bed. Ah. Good times.

GHETTO GETAWAY - Right before Malia was born we moved into a two bedroom basement apartment. It was a nice place (and it was nice having doors to shut), but it was in the ghetto. . . like, GHETTT-O. We didn't realize it when we picked it, but it came obvious soon after. Honestly, it was kinda scary sometimes. We stayed there a year too.

Don't have any good pics of the apartment - just of cute Malia with her Daddy in the living room.

CONDO HIGH-RISE (are you liking these names I'm coming up with? ha ha) - Before Kina was born we moved into a three bedroom third floor condo. I was so happy to get out of the ghetto and basement and I loved the extra room. There was fresh paint on the walls, new carpet on the floors and high rise ceilings - all of which we enjoyed. The three flights of stairs were taxing, but I tried to think of it as my exercise for the day. ha ha When the girls became toddlers and wanted to go out and play everyday, I started dreaming of a yard. We were there for two years.

This pic was taken at an FHE. . . it wasn't ALWAYS that messy. ha ha

And now. . .

HOUSE HAPPY - We moved into the house owned by my parents! They bought it when my family lived in Utah and we lived in it for five years before moving back to Hawaii in '98. I have very fond memories of our time here. Since then there has been many renters and other family members enjoying it - we're actually the only members of my family that have never lived in it - and we are very happy for the opportunity. It has lots of space, a big yard, a beautiful kitchen, a garage and an awesome neighborhood. Anyone who has ever done apartment/condo living knows how special those things are.

Here are some pics of the new house. . . feel free to scroll to the end, these are mostly for my mom's sake. ha ha

Living room - we hope to have a piano in here soon so Wayne can teach lessons from home.

Family room - we don't have cable (woohoo!) so the TV is only on for movies. I love it.

Kitchen - I don't like cooking or baking, but this kitchen makes it bearable . . . SOMETIMES even fun!

I wasn't going to have any bedroom pics, but I've often talked about my giNORMous bed and thought I'd post a pic to better illustrate it. We got it as a gift . . . to which I am VERY grateful. . .it's just really, really REALLY big. Someday it's gonna look really nice in our log cabin.

Whew! It's been a long road, but we are happy to be where we are. I guess the next step would be to actually OWN our own home. . . something I'm looking forward to! Until then, we are so grateful for the opportunity to live here - THANK YOU MOM AND DAD! - and are excited for all the memories we will make as a family in our first HOUSE.

the girls had a busy week

I am still working myself up to post about our new house - there is so much to say - but until then, I'll take baby steps and post about this week. The girls have been busy!


On Monday and Wednesday, we went to school! Elsie only lives a few houses down so we walked. . . well, Malia and I walked and Kina got pushed in the stroller by her big sister. They learned about bugs and butterflies.

We went to the playground at the mall on a rainy day. For this pic, Kina handed me the camera and then stepped back and said, "CHEEEESE".

I had the good idea to put some flower pots by the front door to add some color to the house. The bad idea was to put them out full of dirt BEFORE I had flowers to fill them with. The girls seized the opportunity to plant a lot of plastic food and decorate the front walk with the dirt.

We went to Daddy's 7's rugby game. It was so hot I almost passed out. Seriously. We left early, but it was still fun to watch Wayne play.

Since the weather was hot we cooled off with a little water works in the yard. Wayne and I sat on chairs and sprayed the girls with the hose for an hour. Ah. I love cheap fun!

Malia helped Daddy mow the lawn. SUCH a big helper - I don't think Wayne could have done it without her.

Malia and Kina had a dentist appointment! It was our first time to this office and we LOVED it. Awesome waiting room and great nurses and dentist. The girls got to pick a prize from the treasure box after their check-up, took a picture for the "No Cavity's" wall (Woohoo!!), got a goody bag with new toothbrush, flouride and coupon for a free ice cream AND received T-shirts cause their birthday's are coming up. If you're looking for a dentist in Provo visit Dr. Gifford. He's the bomb!

A BUSY, but FUN week!

happy memorial day!

I love Memorial Day! Mostly because Wayne doesn't have to work or go to school and the Latu family ALWAYS has BBQ's!! ha ha We got to spend the whole day together as a family. After cleaning the house, we headed up to the canyon for lunch with Wayne's mom - the weather was gorgeous and the girls had a blast playing on the shore of the river and the nearby playground. When we couldn't stand it anymore we headed home for naps - we were all exhausted! And when we woke up, we went to Wayne's dad's house for ANOTHER BBQ! I know, I know - it was a tough day. We ate all we could, played a little, then went home for baths and bedtime. I love holidays!


Wayne, of course, was in charge of the BBQ. Thanks for all the food Ti!

While Wayne cooked, me, Kika and Kina worked on our awesome volleyball skills (demonstrated here by Kina)

. . . and it was all fun and games until I shanked the ball into the river. Sorry Kina! Thanks for getting it for me!! (I would have but I'm PREGNANT! he he)

Malia and Kina with their Grandma by the river. They started out just looking at it and ended the day fully drenched from it.

Thanks Gramma Peggy for the cute cute outfits!! he he Love them!

Kina and Daddy

After playing and eating for a couple hours, Kina was so tired she VOLUNTARILY crawled in our little tent and laid herself down to rest. Another reason I love holidays!

Our HAPPY family - Kina is screaming cause we took away her soda and Malia didn't want to be there. . . BUT at LEAST I got a picture of the four of us BEFORE they got soaked. SUCCESS!! ha ha

Happy Memorial Day!!!