summer haps

Some things we did this summer

(aka random unclaimed photos I just found on my camera/phone)

Maddox, Joseph, Tali, Kina and Malia
Thanks to season passes from Aunty Kina, we went to the pool a LOT this summer.  It was the perfect way cool off and so fun to spend time with cousins and friends.  Thank you Kina!

After a fun double date with Siona and Johnny Tejada, we had a little photo-op at the Provo Beach Resort.  How's my form?

Wayne started a 7's rugby league and the girls and I went to watch and support.  While there, this guy came up to us and asked if we wanted these free shirts.  

Wayne tore it up on the wake board at Glen Lake.

Since they played outside all day/every day, we took a lot of baths this summer!

One day I came downstairs (our new toy room!) and found Malia and this little set-up.

Our favorite summer discovery - the little water park at the Riverwoods.  We found it by accident.  The girls liked it because they could run around and cool off and I liked it because I could comfortably sit in the shade and watch them:)

One day while driving, Malia pointed out this "rainbow cloud" to me and Wayne.  After we commended her for her "good eyes" she proceeded to point out eeeeeverything we passed with the comment, "Yup! I'm a good looker!"

The girls first time in first class. Oh kay kay kay!

It's been a busy but great summer! I can't believe it's almost over!

the big 3 - 0

Yup, yesterday was the big day! Highlights from my THIRTIETH birthday:

• Sleeping in till 11. That's right folks. ELEVEN! Seriously, I was so happy Wayne coulda just stopped right there and I would've been completely content with my birthday. Ah! It was great.
• Lunch with Wayne at Olive Garden, my favorite restaurant.  Did you know you can have unlimited soup/salad/bread sticks for $6.75? Totally yummy and totally filling.
• Girl time with my sister, Tali. This is actually really cute - while we were at Olive Garden Wayne gave me a birthday card.  In it was gift certificates for pedi's and movie tickets for Crazy Stupid Love (cute movie!) and he said Tali was gonna be over soon to accompany me on these activities.  Oh my goodness! We had so much fun.  After talking a little, we realized we haven't hung out like that (just us and no kids) since before I was married.  That's five years! It was long overdue and I'm so grateful to Wayne for setting it up for us.  He is so thoughtful and we had a blast. 
• The birthday party at our house with ALL our family present.  That was the best.  I love my families so much. Plus, we all got to enjoy the bomb chocolate cake made by . . . yup, you guessed it - WAYNE! Haha. It was so good (he said the secret ingredient was mayonnaise - who woulda thought?).  Before cake and ice cream, Wayne had us all sit in a circle and made everyone say something nice about me.  Aww, I felt so special.  It was a beautiful evening.  Here's some pics. . .

The girls - Shan, Gioey, Kina, Leo, me, Keni, Kalo, Nia, Tali, Mata, Sili and Melba

The guys - Blair, Michael, David, Joseph, Limhi, Wayne and Noke

Tali really liked the ice cream and cake! Haha Thanks Kalo!

The Latu siblings

The Alisa siblings

Seriously, it was one of my most favorite birthday's I've ever had.  It was so fun to spend time with my family - with Wayne and the girls, with my sister, and with my Alisa and Latu families.  I felt so special and so spoiled.  Wayne gets a huge star for going above and beyond.

I really can't believe I'm thirty.  It just sounds so old to me. I don't know how to write this, but I don't feel as old as I thought "thirty" would feel.  Does that make sense?  It seems women are always depressed about getting older.  I'm not sure why - it's kinda a necessity, right? Anyways, I feel great and I'm very optimistic about this next phase and decade in my life.  So far, thirty feels GREAT!

i heart glen lake

Ever since I was a little girl, my family has been visiting Glen Lake in the summertime.  It's one of my most favorite family traditions.  My great great grandfather, Wade Fetzer, started the tradition and actually built one of the three houses that we stay in on the lake.  Glen Lake is near Lake Michigan - it's much smaller in size and very clean and beautiful.

Part of the reason I love Glen Lake so much is all the memories I have there.  Fortunately, since nothing really changes there and since we always do the same things while we're there . . . EVERYTHING brings back memories! I love it.  My favorite things to do at Glen Lake are swimming, boating, water skiing, tubing, hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes, eating at Joe's Friendly Tavern, visiting with family, competing in the annual Clam Derby and eating lots and lots of cherry pie (it's cherry country up there) . . . and this trip we got to do ALL of that and more!  I had so much fun watching the girls experience all these things that are so close to my heart.  Even with all the activities I enjoy so much at Glen Lake, the biggest reason it is so special to me is because of the relationships with my family that are formed there.  It's really all about FAMILY!

Anyways, I could go on and on about how much I love this place. . . but I'll just share some pics instead.  Unfortunately, because I was taking pictures with Tali's camera for the majority of the time most of my pictures are with her, so I'll have to add them later.  Here are the few I have.

Kina jumping on the new-this-year water trampoline.  I know this is gonna be a favorite for many years to come.

Cousin Suzie, Tali and Amalani, Malia and Kina sitting on the dock after a morning of swimming.  The weather was gorgeous while we were there.

The winners of the clam derby!  My great grandfather started this tradition - every year we hold a 24-hour long clam race (cause clams don't more very fast).  Each clam has a number painted on it and each person has a clam.  It gets pretty competitive! Haha This year the winners were Amalani (first), Malia (second) and Uncle Chris (third). 

Malia LOVED the lake.  She'd put on her arm floaties and be totally and happily independent for hours in the water.

Kina was much more cautious.  She liked to either be held or pulled around on her "princess raft" (pictured here) of course, with her life jacket securely fastened at all times.'

Tali loved the water too . . . as long as it wasn't too cold.  I think she was happier in the water than on land - poor thing - she fell down a LOT this week. Still trying to get the whole walking thing down pat. :)

Gramma Peggy, Aunt Judy, Uncle Chris, mom and cousin Suzie.  I LOVE these people.

The girls with my cousins Sam and Jack.  They are much younger than me so I think the girls related well with them.  They thought they were very cool . .  and the boys were so sweet with them.  Again, it was so fun to hang out with our family.

Our family!  I'm soo happy Wayne could be there with us.  We had more fun because he was there.

Another great year at Glen Lake!  Big thanks to Gramma Peggy (who makes it all possible), my mom (who helped me a TON with EVERYTHING while we were there), Uncle Chris and Aunt Judy (who spoiled me and the kids and made everything fun) and Wayne (who had to work, but came back and forth to be with us there).  

wayne's piano recital

Wayne loves teaching piano - especially to kids.  He told me the other day he hopes he can keep doing it forever even if it's only a few students.  I really hope he can too.  He's so good at it.

This week he had a recital with some of his students.  They did great!

soo wacky

Several months ago, my mom sent the book Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Suess for the girls.  I remember reading it when I was a kid.  It is about a boy who wakes up and realizes that his whole town has gone "wacky".  Birds are chasing cats and shoes are on ceilings and walls etc.  Each picture in the book has several wacky things for the reader to find.  My girls LOVE it.  They ask to read it every night and know all the wacky things by heart.

I kind of expected this reaction from them since I loved it so much as a kid too, but what I didn't expect is for them to use the word "wacky" so often in their vocabulary.  Anything I do that isn't exactly right (like call them the wrong name (I'm my mother's daughter), or put their panties on backwards etc.) they'll laugh and say "Mommy, you're so wacky!" I've kinda grown accustomed to it since it's been a few weeks, but it still makes me giggle to see other's do a little double-take when they hear them use it.  And what's even better, it is now an adjective that Wayne and I use in everyday speech - which causes most people to give us funny looks. Oh well. It's all for the kids, right? Haha

alisa toelupe family reunion

Last week was our family reunion.  This year it was held in Olympia, Washington at Camp Nisqually.  Seventeen years ago we had our very first Alisa Toelupe family reunion (which I attended) and have had it every other year since.  I think it's an awesome tradition and I hope it keeps happening forever.  My dad is one of fifteen children - so there are a lot of aunts, uncles, first cousins and second cousins in our family.  I love it.  In attendance this year from the first generation siblings were Ta'aloga Stone, Pupi Toelupe, Fa'asei Tago, Lafi Alisa and my dad.  We all felt so grateful to have the OG's with us! haha Seriously though, I think it's so important to know who you are and where you come from - to make connections and keep them.  I've never been one to be able to rattle off my entire genealogy (like most Polynesians), but I'm trying hard to learn as much as I can. 

So back to the reunion.  It was AWESOME seeing everyone and talking and laughing and everything. . . the only thing that wasn't awesome? The CAMPING!! haha I think I've mentioned before how little I enjoy camping - I'm just not a camper.  I don't know. I like being clean and I like sleeping in a comfortable bed! Is that too much to ask? Haha. So, we camped for THREE whole days - seriously, I haven't camped that long since like, Young Women's Camp days - and though, it was slightly more difficult with two toddlers and an infant, I'd still say it was a totally positive experience.  I loved catching up with my family and spending time with them.  Plus, Malia, Kina and Tali LOVED it. . . like, LOOVED it.  The camp was totally loaded - there were A frames and tents to sleep in, sand volleyball, archery, a ropes course, a kickball diamond and a slip and slide.  Plus, hot showers, bathrooms and a kitchen trailer for cooking.  It was an perfect location. We had a wonderful reunion! I love my family!

                               

Wayne and Kina left early the last morning, so they weren't in the Mataumu Alisa family pic

Alisa Toelupe Aiga

Special thanks to the Washington Committee who made it all possible and for my mom and dad who helped us soooo much while we were there.  We can't wait till 2013!

hola claudia!

Recinos family with my family (that's Claudia in the red) in their house in El Salvador

I first met Claudia Recinos in El Salvador while serving as a missionary.  She was in a little ward in Santa Tecla and was one of the strongest young women I'd ever met.  She would tract with the missionaries whenever she could and always helped welcome investigators to church - seriously, ma missionary's dream.  She was only 14 years old when I met her.  We've kept in touch since I left El Salvador and a few years ago she facebooked me asking about UVU and BYU.  Remembering the poor little town she came from I never imagined she'd be able to leave and come to Provo, Utah, but to make a long story short - she DID! She stayed with us a few days before she found an apartment and then started attending UVU.  This year she graduated with an Associates degree from LDS Business College.  She is working for Wells Fargo Bank and just got a job doing Accounting for the LDS Church.  She plans to work for a year then get a Bachelor's degree from BYU.

This girl is so inspiring to me.  Her little house in El Salvador could fit in my kitchen, yet here she is in the United States speaking English and succeeding in everything she tries.  Knowing where she's come from, makes where she's at and where she's going that much more impressive.

Claudia lives in Salt Lake City now, but was down in Provo yesterday and stopped by to catch up. Seriously, I feel blessed to know her.

Sigue adelante Claudia!

where in the world is Falakika Latu?

(I had to write her full name in there to have as many syllables as "Carmen Sandiego" haha)

Wayne's youngest sister, Kika, has become quite the adventurer.  She is a Broadcast Journalism major at BYU and has had a busy and exciting summer. First she went to Austin for an internship at a local news station and she's now in Vienna, Austria on a study abroad program.  I'm so happy for all the awesome experiences she's having and I'm so excited to see what is NEXT on her plate.  Mark my words - she's going to do big things! haha You go girl!

Kika in Austin, TX

Kika in Vienna, Austria

out with the old, in with the new

For the past year, I've dreaded doing my laundry.  One load typically took me about two hours to complete. The washer took a little longer and the dryer usually had to be run twice since the clothes were still damp after one time through. Many times it would take so long that I'd get distracted and forget about the laundry till the next day (or the day after) when I'd finally find the moldy smelling clothes and have to start all over again.  It was quite frustrating, to say the least. I felt like I always had a pile of dirty laundry to clean.  So, last week my mom was in town to help my sister-in-law with her new baby and she stayed at our house a few days and she did some laundry and she felt sorry for me sooo. . . . . we now have a new washer and dryer!! Woohoo!! Haha! Well, new to us at least. We found a killer deal on KSL Classifieds.  I LOVE my new washer and dryer.  It has made my life so much easier already.  Thank you Mom!!

OLD

NEW

Aren't they beautiful!?

*Special thanks to Wayne and Travis Uale who did all the moving!  Thank YOU!

happy independence day

I love the Fourth of July! I love celebrating our country and the freedom we have - I really do.  After being in other countries, you can't help but marvel at the opportunity, organization and resources that America has.  As soon as I start taking it for granted again, I'm going back to El Salvador or Taiwan for a visit haha. I really feel so blessed to be an American!  I ALSO love this holiday because of all the festivities that have become part of it.  We celebrated the day with BBQ's, a parade, a carnival and fireworks - so fun!  Here's some pics of the parade. . .

Some of Wayne's sisters and cousins camped out the night before the parade (an absolute necessity in Provo if you want a space) so we had an awesome set-up.  It was perfect weather (slightly overcast), PLUS there was a table packed with food.  I'm not much of a parade person, but even I  had fun at this one. Thanks you guys!!

Elise, Unga, Rachel, Vai and Malia

Baby Tali and Aunty Sili

The next-to-be-wed couple Kina and Konner.  Our spot was right in front of Konner's house so he went back and forth getting us things - fans, food, etc. - to make our parade experience more comfortable. PLUS, the potty in his house was extremely convenient.  Thanks so much Konner!

When the BYU float went by a random guy gave Mata a players card from the stack he was handing out.  It turned out to be her husband, Travis. So cool, huh.

Tali, Kina, Jack, Mata, Melba, Nia, Sili, Tia, me and Lene

Happy Independence Day! God Bless America!!

"wow. you really have your hands full!"

Yesterday, I took the girls to a dentist appointment and a sweet woman in the waiting room said this to me.  Actually, whenever I'm out alone with the three girls, I hear this line a lot.  The people saying it usually either have a very surprised/shocked tone or one of compassion and encouragement.  I usually just laugh and nod.  It's true, though - my hands ARE very full.  Three children under four is a lot of work.  There's a lot of potty breaks, snack times, diaper changes, needs for nursing and nap times to be figured out every day.  I think raising children is just like everything else in life, though.  It's difficult when you start (and when I say difficult, I mean pulling-my-hair-out-stressed-out haha), but slowly, slowly things are learned and routines are made and it gradually gets easier.

I still remember the first time I was completely alone for a few hours with Malia and Kina.  Kina, of course, was still a newborn, and I just remember being so stressed that they were both crying at the same time.  With only one, I could always drop what I was doing to soothe her.  With two, I was unsure of who to help or what to do.  Come to think of it, I think that was my hardest transition - one to two.  For me, it was harder than two to three. Anyways, slowly I got used to the crying so I didn't get stressed out and learned to stay calm so I could handle both kids as best as I could.  By the time Tali came, we all had a little routine down and she just kinda blended into the mix.  Of course, I still have very stressful times - when the kids are grumpy/tantrumy or when we're rushing to something important - but I feel like for the most part things are semi-under control.  It feels good to be semi-under control. Especially when I know what it feels like to live in complete chaos Haha. Nap times and snack times are so much easier now.  I still remember LAYING down with Malia waiting for her to fall asleep every night.  She wouldn't sleep without one of us there.  It was terrible.  We'd have to wait there for hours - and sometimes after she'd FINALLY fall asleep we'd slowly crawl out of the room and make a little noise and she'd wake up and we'd have to start all over again.

We just didn't know how to DO everything.  And we still don't - but we're learning every day.  Even now, though, as the girls walk to their rooms and lay down for nap time I still say a little prayer of gratitude because I totally remember the daily battle it used to be.  And that's how everything is.  It has slowly gotten easier . . . and we've grown accustomed to the tasks at hand. I'm not saying grocery shopping alone with three is completely EASY . . . maybe I've just gotten used to it so I know how to handle the crazy moments better hehe. Now, I know it won't always be just like this.  Something new will be thrown in the mix (like school or lessons or whatever) and we'll have to learn that new skill and get good at it before it gets easier.  I totally get that.  And I love it.  I love learning more about motherhood.  I want to be a better mother.  Being a better mother makes me a better person.  Seriously.  I have so much love in my heart for my children.  And that love overflows to other things.  I'm SO grateful I have the opportunity to be a mom to my three fun/beautiful/crazy/curious/growing/energetic and sometimes cranky girls!  Haha I love it! I really do.

So. . . Yes! I definitely have my hands full. My hands AND my heart. COMPLETELY FULL!


And since no post is really complete without a picture - this pic of Tali was taken earlier today. LOL!

Oh, PS - Dentist said still no cavities! Woohoo!!