try try again

Kina in a Pull-up . . . and heels

A few months ago I wrote a post about potty-training Kina.  I knew it was a little early, but I felt she was ready so we started.  She had a great first few days wearing only panties, but soon started to have accidents every now and then.  I got tired of cleaning up her accidents around the house, so I bought a box of Pull-ups so she could wear them and be protected but still be able to use the potty when she needed to go.  Pull-ups are more expensive than diapers (and there's no generic brand), but I thought of it as a small tool to help with the short transition since she was having a little trouble.  Well, yesterday (pictured above) she wore her last Pull-up diaper from the THIRD box I've bought. 

I think we'll take a break and try potty-training again in a couple months.  

For now, we're back to good 'ol CHEAP regular diapers.

which do you want first?

CRIMZ photo of ME

Alright.  So I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that I got new glasses!! Woohoo!  It's been a couple years since Malia and Kina broke the frames of my most favorite pair that I've had forever.  Because the frame was broken they sat crooked on my face and the left lens fell out constantly.  I thought it was finally time to replace them.  I love the style and I LOVE the black frames. Horaay!

The bad news is that I went to the dentist and he told me . . . prepare yourselves. . . he told me I have FIVE CAVITIES!!!  In my whole 29 years of life I've had a grand total of ONE cavity and suddenly now I have FIVE!  I'm still reeling.  You can bet your bottom dollar I've been brushing and flossing EXTRA good these days. haha 

lomi lomi

Have I ever mentioned that I love massages?  I DO!  Yesterday, Leslie, a long-time family friend and professional masseuse, spent the day at our house doing full-body massages.  The deal is simple - if I can set up 4 or 5 people to get a massage, then Leslie will travel down from Salt Lake and do us all in the comfort of my own home.  I love it!  She charges about HALF the price of what most spas charge so I don't feel too guilty. :)  She set up her table in the girls bedroom, which was very private and quiet, and was very cool about everything.  Needless to say, everyone left feeling VERY relaxed.

Anyway, after Leslie finished one of the massages and was changing the sheets, Malia walked in the room and told her she was "ready for her massage".  I don't think she knew what a massage was, but she'd heard everyone talking about it the whole day and wanted to check it out.  Anyways, Leslie put her up on the table for a mini session and Malia was in heaven. 

Malia having a little ME time

Thanks so much Leslie!  Can't wait to see you again soon!

thinking out loud

I was watching Oprah one day and she said something that surprised me. She said she has NO regrets . . . not a SINGLE one. I remember thinking, "Wow. That would be amazing to not have made any mistakes or bad decisions to regret. I wish I could live like that." Upon further thought, however, I've had an AHA moment (there's some Oprah lingo for ya lol). Living a life with no regrets is less about the mistakes you make and more about the way you choose to learn from them.

In November 2007, one of my best friends, Titi, got married in Hawaii and I DIDN'T GO! Yes, I can say that Malia was a newborn . . . a VERY colicy newborn, she had a bad ear infection that week and I was STILL healing from a bad delivery - but honestly, those reasons did little to comfort me when thinking about what I was missing. In 2004, when I came home from my mission, I changed my major from English to Social Work (a great major, just not my passion). I had great reasons for that too at the time, but I soon realized it was the simply the wrong decision for me. Simply put, I've always thought of myself as a somewhat smart girl (hehe), but I've made my share of bad decisions that I regret. Thankfully, I don't think I've made any ginormous, life-changing or irreversable mistakes, but still - I've made some I'm sorry for. After years of thinking about certain past events in this manner however, I've decided to make a change.

Regretting ANYTHING is a complete waste of time. It's pointless, useless and can drive a person crazy. I've made a resolution to try and focus that energy on something much more pertinent - the present and future. Honestly, it's not something that is going to come super easy for me. I STILL wish Wayne and I had stayed to the VERY end of our wedding reception and I'm STILL kicking myself for losing my FAVORITE pair of black tahitian pearl leverback earrings a couple years ago (ahhhh!) . . . BUT I'm making peace with those regrets so I can moooove on. I think I get it. The ONLY way I can live a life with no regrets (as Oprah so happily does) is to make peace with ALL of the past and not waste even a moment of time dwelling on it. Making "peace" of course includes making restitution - be it apologizing, telling the truth, explaining etc.  Nothing can completely erase the mistake, but things can be done to fix it as best it can.  This has to be done and once it's done I don't want to think of it ever again.  Instead, I choose to direct that energy to something . . . anything . . . different - if I do it will be time better spent. Ah! However slight it is, I feel like I'm making progress! haha

Haha!

As I've tried to do this I've been able to realize the blessings I have because of GOOD decisions I've made - most importantly, Wayne and my children. I think sometimes my concentration was just a little skewed and I dwelled on stupid things instead of valid things. It's like not seeing the forest for the trees - sometimes focus is taken off the important stuff to the stuff that ISN'T (in my case, my regrets)! With effort, I know any thoughts of regret (however big or small they are) can be replaced with an attitude of gratitude and optimism AND blessings WILL be realized.



Sheesh. I apologize for the inspirational-speaker/life-analyzer-wannabe I've turned into. haha Just had to get that all off my chest.

happenings

I haven't felt like blogging lately. Probably cause lately the kids and I are staying in our pajamas till noon and living like hermits in our own home. I'm still trying to get the hang of this three kid thing. I remember it took me a while to get the two down and I have a feeling it's gonna take a little longer this time around. No worries, though. I know I'll get it sometime. Until then, please call before you visit us so I can brush my teeth and pull back my frizzy hair before you get here. haha

Things that happened this week. . .


Kina got new yellow boots from Gramma Ann.

Malia and Kina went to the Latin Festival with Daddy

Baby Tali slept

Malia and Kina went to Grandma Vai's house to play.

Tali and Inoke passed the 36 week mark and can give birth "any day now" (or so says her OB).

We cheered on the Cougars . . . who ended up losing :(

Malia and Kina had their first day of Joy School.

Kina and Malia went to the State Fair with Papa.

. . . and baby Tali slept some more.

phone videos

"Dance like nobody's watching . . . Sing like nobody's listening"
-Mark Twain

aloha oe mom!

So, my mom finally had to go home. Like I mentioned before, she came from Hawaii to help me with baby Tali and stayed for a whole MONTH. It was sooo nice to have her here. I LOVED it. I think my recovery this time around is going so well because in the month she was here I seriously did not lift a finger. She was so helpful with EVERYTHING.

There's just something about having your MOM around - there's no one else who nurtures the way your mom does or anyone else who can multitask and clean a house the way your mom can. I just felt so comfortable and cared for when she was here - she's such a Mom. haha My house was cleaned, my family was fed, my errands were run, my kids were spoiled and I was able to rest . . . a lot - it was wonderful. It was also so nice to be able to talk together again - we haven't lived in the same state for a while - and for the kids to really get to know their Gramma again - they still ask me where she is now that she's gone. I'm so grateful for everything she did and does for us. I'm sad she's not here but I'm glad she'll finally get some rest too.:)

Thanks Mom! Love you! Can't wait till you visit again!

Bedtime stories with Gramma

ps. I gotta do a small shout out to Wayne too - he's been awesome. In our years of marriage we've never had anyone live or stay with us - family or non-family - and I wondered a little bit how our little family would handle this whole new experience (I've heard the horror stories! haha). Honestly, it was WONDERFUL - for everyone. Wayne was wonderful. I'm soo happy my mom was able to stay with us and I'm so grateful for Wayne who made sure she was comfortable and happy too. Thanks hon!

three muskateers

Whenever we put baby Tali on this play mat, these two monkeys always feel the need to crawl under and join in.







Love my three girls.