Living Latu: June 2011

see tali walk

She started out slowly, but in the last two weeks Tali has become a professional walker. She's only ten months and is my earliest walker yet. She was also an early crawler. My theory is she is just trying to keep up with her big sisters. She really wants to be doing the things they are able to do. That, and with three kids you have a lot less arms available for holding so she was kinda forced to find a way to get around. haha

Tali is my most well-natured baby. She loves to laugh, giggle and squeal. She is a very good eater and is always up for a meal. She now has four teeth and is 25 lbs. Love my baby Tali!

welcome home twins!

Yesterday we went up to the airport to welcome home Wayne's twin sisters who have been serving as missionaries for the past 18 months (Nia in San Diego and Sili in Indianapolis). I think it's so fun they got to come home together! Our family and some friends gathered at the bottom of the escalator as a welcoming party with signs and leis. Either we were there a little early or their flight came a little late, but everyone was getting a little antsy after waiting a while. Everyone was cracking jokes, teasing and laughing. . . UNTIL the twins actually came. . . and then everyone was crying! haha

After serving my mission, I always said I would wish a mission on anyone. It is truly one of my MOST treasured memories. I'm so grateful the twins had the opportunity to serve as missionaries - I know it is something that will change their lives forever. Welcome home!

My sister, Tali and I made all the signs for the little girls. Malia and Kina were sister missionaries and Vita and Vai were missionary tags.

The welcoming party

Hermana Latu and Sister Latu coming home.

Moeata, Kalo, Aunty Isa, Vai, Ti, Kina, Mata, Sili, Tali, Nia, Leonne, Fui, Noke, Wayne, Limhhi
Everybody!

Our family with the returned missionaries

UP- DATED!

Phew! That was a lot of updates. And I still missed some, but I'm thinking it's all about the baby steps right now. Feels good to be back in the blogging world!

coming home

After 18 months in the mission field, the twins are coming home. Here's their last pictures they sent in their last letters from the mission field.

"Time has gone by far too fast. I am so grateful for the trust the Lord has put in me to be his servant. What a blessing it's been to experience the atonement daily and feel the spirit constantly. I love my mission. I absolutely love it." (An excerpt from the last letter)

gramma peggy in california

We've been planning this trip forever and I'm so happy we got to finally do it. On June 22, we went to visit my Gramma Peggy in California. Inoke and Tali (who also have Delta benefits) came too. We all had a blast. My Gramma lives in Los Gatos. I remember going there every summer as a child - it was the highlight of the year. Her house is just so . . . special. It's at the top of a hill in the most serene setting you could imagine. There's a pool, a toy room, and lots of interesting things throughout her house that I loved to look at as a child. She has pictures everywhere (old and new) and I always loved studying each one. I have fond memories of swimming all day with my siblings then eating lunch outside while we warmed ourselves in the sun. Gramma always stocked her cupboards with yummy foods that kids love (which we never got at home) like Honey Nut Cheerios, chips and cookies. Ah! I LOVE Grammas house and was so excited to take my family there for their first visit.

The trip was so fun. Gramma had prepared so well - there was food in the fridge, toys in the playroom, tubes for the pool and even plastic sheets for the girls bed. She was the hostess to the mostess and we definitely felt loved. We spent each day swimming, hanging out and eating - three of my favorite things! haha It was especially nice to see the girls get to know their great-grandma. They love her already!

The girls LOVED the toys and playroom.

Gramma got some of those arm floaties for the girls. They've never worn them before but I don't think we'll swim without them again. Malia especially, LOVED the independence. She swam back and forth the length of the pool over and over again.

Gramma Peggy and Malia

Amalani

Malia and Kina ringing the dinner bells . . . even though it was like, 11 AM

After swimming laps, Malia took little snoozes on the pool beds.

Kina

The favorite toy of the week - Melissa and Dougs Sandwich set - it has dozens of different sandwich makings and seriously, it provided hours on end of enjoyment.

One night at dinner Amalani fell asleep in between bites. So cute.

Gramma Peggy and baby Tali - I love this pic!

Thank you so much for the wonderful trip Gramma! We had so much fun! We love you!

family bbq

Last Sunday was our monthly family potluck and it was our turn to host. We set up a little tent in the backyard and BBQ'd. Joseph did the teriyaki chicken marinade and David manned the grill. David also brought some fresh watermelon and corn from his work. It. was. delicious. We sat and ate and talked and then ate again. I love summer. I love BBQ's. I love my family.

Back yard set-up

Maddox, Malia and Kina climbing up the slide.

Tali finishing up everyone's leftovers.

welcome baby reagan!

I'm a new aunty! My oldest brother, Joseph and his wife, Gioey had their second child - a beautiful baby girl - on June 3. Her name is Reagan Margaret Alisa and she's so gorgeous. I took the girls to the hospital to meet their new cousin. She has lots of black hair and fair skin. We love her already!

summerfest

It's been a yearly tradition to go to Orem's Summerfest as a family. It's always a lot of fun - there are carnival rides, entertainment and yummy (though very overpriced) food. This year, we also got to hang out with the Hafokas which made the whole day even more fun. It was the first year the girls have really been able to enjoy a lot of the rides and they rode every single one and loved it. Later, we ate dinner and then, went home. It was another great year at summerfest.

PS. I'm posting pics, but it's a little late and I don't have any creativity or energy to write interesting captions - sorry - feel free to leave suggestions. haha

boats

merry-go-round

friends

confined to stroller

doubting back seat passenger

distracted daddy haha

oh oregon!

In the beginning of June we decided to take a little trip to visit my Uncle John and Aunt Anne in Oregon. They had asked us to come visit them when we chatted at Tali's wedding . . . a year and a half ago! But better late than never, right? Haha I'm so glad we went. It was so nice to see Portland and their home and to visit with them. The highlight of my trip was talking and laughing together and seeing Anne's beautiful garden. The highlight of Malia and Kina's trip was spending time with their dog, Max. The highlight of Wayne's trip was driving around in Anne's beamer. haha

Love you Uncle John and Aunt Anne! Thank you for the wonderful trip!

a wedding in california

In May, Wayne's cousin, Alisi, got married in California so we went down for the weekend to be at the wedding. It was a fun trip - short and sweet. The highlight for me was meeting so many of Wayne's first cousins that I'd never met before. The wedding was beautiful (of course, because Aunty Isa did it) and I was glad we were able to support.

The happy couple - Alisi and Hansen Sekona

Baby Tali at the reception

Wayne and Kina at the seafood buffet we went to after the wedding. So Yummy (and I don't even like seafood!)

Me and baby Tali

The Unga family - Wayne's uncle, aunty, first cousins and their kids.

PS. Thanks for the pics LIZETTE POPE PHOTOGRAPHY!! hehe

the best thing about 3D movies. . .

. . . are the glasses of course!

Melba took me and the girls out to watch Kung Fu Panda 2 and we loved it! Thanks Melba!

happy mother's day!

For Mother's day, Wayne and the girls made me breakfast in bed. The were actually a little late in making it and I was already up and about, but I dutifully went back to bed and "slept" so they could wake me up and surprise me. Malia and Kina got a huge kick out of the whole thing. They loved the surprise part and but once I started eating they began making comments like "I'm so hungry Mommy" and "Those eggs look yummy Mommy" . . . so they ended up eating my breakfast. Haha I loved my Mother's Day!

I also got to call my mom and talk a bit. She is one of the most amazing moms I'll ever know - I respect and love her so much for everything she does for me and my family and for all she continues to teach me. She is my hero and I want to be just like her when I grow up. haha Love you Mom!

*Something I want to remember - A few days after Mother's Day, Malia came to me in the morning and told me she wanted her "mother's day". So we told her to go lay down in my bed while we prepared a quick breakfast. Even though it only took us a few minutes, she kept yelling down to us to see if we were ready yet. When we finally came into the room, she was SOUND asleep and was very surprised to see us with a tray of food. She then ate her food while mumbling sounds of approval and enjoyment throughout her meal. Ah! My Malia.

the four amigos

I love these little girls!

every girl is a princess

My girls love dressing up! We started out with a few dresses here and there, but since my mom's new hobby is finding costumes at Saver's in Hawaii our collection has grown immensely. I love it! One of my mom's friends in our ward in Utah (who happens to be a photographer) saw some of the princess dresses my mom had found and asked if she could take some pictures of the girls in them. Of course I said of course! Here are some of my favorites . . .

I love my little princesses!

rugby season

As the weather has warmed, we've enjoyed watching some BYU rugby. We have two players we cheer for - Inoke, my brother-in-law, and Conner, my future brother-in-law. haha While I do like a little rugby, I mostly enjoy the games because I get to spend time with my Alisa and Latu families. Let's play ball!

Kina and Conner

Inoke with his number one fans. lol

The kid cheering section.

Goooo Cougars!!

alisa family pics 2011

Since mom and dad were in town for the graduations we decided to update our family picture. The last professional portrait of our family was taken in 1997 before Joseph left on his mission. Kinda a lot has changed since then. We hired Maka Aulava to take our pictures (he did Tali's wedding and our family pics last year) and decided on the Tahitian Noni gardens as the location. After a beautiful sunny week, the day of our pictures was stormy, wet and cold. Especially with all the kids involved now, we were all afraid it would be a disaster. Surprisingly and happily it was a success and I LOVE all the pics that were taken that day. Here are some of my favorites . . .