Good Old Banana Bread

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell of fresh baked banana bread.  My cousin Ginger used to make it all the time when she first came home from her mission because it was one of the things that she made regularly when out on the field.  Can you blame her? It's an awesome way to make use of over-ripe bananas and it tastes AMAZING.  I make it pretty often because of the need to use those before mentioned bananas.  Often times, I buy a ton of bananas knowing full well it's impossible for them to be consumed in time.  That idea came back to bite me hard a couple weeks ago when I had TONS of bananas left over! So I ended up making six big loaves of bread! Too much of a good thing? Maybe...but it was still fun making it and giving it away! I figured since it's such a staple in our home, I'd post it for others to enjoy as well.  I hope y'all like it as much as we do!

Banana Bread (recipe yields 2 loaves)

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup melted butter (real butter, not margarine)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

5 cups mashed banana (usually about 8 bananas)

I always start out by mashing the bananas. 

This day they weren't as ripe as they usually are but they were ripe enough.

Then I mix the "wet" ingredients together including the banana. 

That's the butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and banana.

In a separate bowl, I mix the "dry" ingredients.  Flour, soda and salt.

I add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until it's blended. 

Don't over mix, it makes the bread less fluffy.  I usually just mix until I see no more "dry" flour.  Then pour mixture into greased loaf pans.  You can do this in a cake pan too.

Bake at 350 for about an hour.  If you're using a cake pan, you may want to

check it at about 30-35 mins because it won't be as thick.  Let cool and enjoy!!!

We LOVE this with honey butter! Find that recipe below. 

Quick Honey Butter

2 sticks of butter (not margarine) softened

1/2 cup of honey

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Just mix it all together and you're done!



Bet You Haven't Seen Moves Like This...

I'm going to miss these goofy car rides one day.  Especially the crazy leg lifts and Joshua all of the sudden "falling asleep".  Soon enough, they'll be too cool to dance in the car.  Oh how I love these babies of mine! Can time slow down just a little? Pretty please....

Chocolate Croissants and See's Victorian Toffee

I got a gift today.  It was from a temp agency looking for new referrals but still a sweet gesture.  It was an orchid plant and a box of pastries to share here at the office.  Lucky for me, since it was MY gift, I got first dibs.  I opened the box and saw a chocolate croissant.  I NEVER eat those anymore! So I grabbed the sweet treat (gonna have to skip lunch now! LOL) and put the rest of the goodies in the kitchen. 

Man it's been YEARS since I last had a good chocolate croissant.  It was a sweet treat that I used to get all the time when I was a kid.  I remember going shopping at the South Shore Center in Alameda with my mom and Auntie Tala.  Back when there was a Woolworth's (sp?) and Mervyns there.  They would go to score whatever deals they could while stopping in at the fabric store or whatever random department store they chose for that day while Ginger and I would tag along and try to sneak our own goods into the bag.  Once they were all done we would stop into a bakery to get a chocolate croissant and then See's candy for Auntie Tala to get her favorite Victorian toffee.  Such fond childhood memories I have.  To this day I give Auntie Tala her Victorian Toffee for Christmas every year.  A sweet throwback for us both.  How blessed am I to have such a sweet and loving FAHU who I share countless memories with.  Oh how I love and adore my family.  I love little blast from the past memories that creep up on random days.  It helps me to remember why we do it all to begin with. 

Mama's Boy

Is this not the sweetest? Papa drew this picture and put it in an envelope with my name on it.  He placed it on the nightstand right under my cell phone to make sure that I saw it when I got up in the morning.  What a thoughtful little surprise.  That's such a Papa thing to do.  I love that my boys are old enough to express their love and gratitude in their own little way but still so young that they aren't concerned with looking too cool for all the mushyness that I love! Don't grow any older boys! Just stay right where you are.  Geez I need to be better at just stopping and enjoying this sweet time in our lives.

Just for you...

I got a text this morning from my sister.  My ONE and ONLY sister born from the same mama and daddy.  Ironically, we couldn't be more opposite.  Our entire family knows it and it's become a running joke.  She's always been the rebellious and loud wild child.  I'm more reserved.  I love being in the kitchen cooking and baking while she would much rather be in ANY other room of the house BESIDES the kitchen.  Or better yet, she'd rather not be in the house at all! LOL The list goes on and on.  We both (just like everyone else on this earth) have our good things and bad things.  I can't think of ANYONE else that I've bumped heads with more.  BUT I also can't think of anyone else that I would want to replace her.  She's my only sister which means that she's ALL mine.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Sadly for me...she's has WAY more of the last two.  HAHA Ok just kidding Kris.  Bottom line, when it comes down to it, she knows I got her back and I know she has mine. 

Now back to that annoying text.  It was annoying because she's probably text'd me 6 times (no exageration) for the SAME thing.  You would think that the girl would have mastered this by now! She wanted my jam pie recipe.  I wasn't going to post this one, ever.  Not because I was hiding it or anything.  Y'all know I don't get down like that.  ;-) But mostly because we ALL have a gma, aunty or mother who makes them PERFECTLY using a recipe that she probably created and altered (with love!) to cater to her families taste buds. 

Yes, I know, it's really not that serious.  BUT being the picky, taste tester eater that I am, I wasn't gonna mess with it.  My recipe is probably not be the same as your family recipe.  I'm sure no matter how good these are, your aunty or mother makes them WAY better.  But just for my crazy, fun loving, over dramatic sister, I'm going to share it.  Here ya go pissy (my nickname given to her after our little bro hati man couldn't pronounce "Krissy" and called her "Pissy" instead lol).  I'm posting this JUST for you boo! Don't say I've never given you anything! ;-)

Jam Pies
7 cups of flour (preferable bread or cake flour, yes it makes a difference)
2 tablespoons of baking powder

Mix those two dry ingredients in a big bowl and set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix the following -

4 eggs
1/2-1 full cup of sugar (depending on how sweet you like them)
2 cups of butter
1-2 cups of milk (I sometimes use heavy cream, it makes them a lot more moist)

Now add the "wets" into the "dry" bowl and combine by hand.  I usually make dough balls about the size of tennis balls and pat them down (on a floured surface) into a circle (about as big as my hand) about 1 inch thick.  Add a heaping spoonfull of jam (our fam likes Strawberry the best) right in the center and spread it into a line from the top to the bottom of the circle.  No need to spread over the surface of the whole circle.  Just a nice thick line of jam right down the middle works.  Fold one side over and then the other and place onto a greased cookie sheet.  Make sure to leave an inch or two between each because they spread and rise.  Bake at 375 for about 15-20 mins depending on how brown you like them.  Let sit for about 10 mins and you're done!



"A Very Special Thank You"

I was sorting through some mail and random papers that were on top of our night stand and I came across an invitation that Joshua brought home from school.  Since their school is always having fun little events for the kids (movie nights, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts etc.) I didn't think much of it.  It was obviously already opened and even wrinkled by the time I saw it.  I almost tossed it out with all of the other stuff that I was putting in the trash can.  But then I noticed Siua's name written on it so I opened it. 

To many, it's probably not that big of a deal.  To Siua even, it's nothing major.  But I think it's pretty cool.  Not the actual invite or the fact that they're having a "Tea" to honor volunteers.  I think it's cool that Siua did enough volunteering to earn his very own special invitation.  Shoot, I didn't get one and I went on a few fieldtrips myself! LOL I need to be clear, I didn't even know that he volunteered to help most of the time.  I usually found out after he had already scheduled the time off for a field trip or actually completed whatever it was he volunteered to do.  He simply made the effort, on his own, to take part in these activities that help our boys and their peers.  It's not uncommon for people to volunteer.  I know that.  But seeing Siua transition from the man he was when we first got married to the awesome dad he's become is pretty cool. 

Siua's cousin Sio, who is a regular at our house, said it best.  During a long car ride he and Siua took to the city with Mackenzie one afternoon, Luvie started to fuss and cry.  After turning up the music didn't work, Siua turned off the radio and started to sing a Barney song with Luvie.  I couldn't help but to start cracking up while Sio told the story.  Picturing Siua singing a Barney song.  That, Sio said, is when he realized that Siua was "father of the year".  LOL He was with his boy, in a car with rims and beat, singing Barney songs with his toddler loud and proud.  It's the little things that Siua does to prove to our kids that there isn't anyone in the world more important to him than they are.  For THAT alone, he deserves "A Very Special Thank You".  I can't wait until my kids are old enough to realize how very lucky they are. 

"Real" Peach Cobbler

We get missionary visits at home pretty regularly.  It's been that way for years.  It's especially nice right now while Mark is out on his mission.  Just hoping that someone in PI is being nice and welcoming to our little brother the same way we are for the elders here. 

For the past seven months, we've been lucky enough to have Elder Brignone over several different times including Thanksgiving dinner.  He's cracked jokes with us and let us (mostly me) give him a hard time over a few things from time to time.  He always has his bag of tootsie rolls on hand for the kids to devour while he's there.  A pretty cool missionary.  Strict, by the book and very blunt, but still cool. 

One weekend I happened to be making a peach cobbler for a few people and called the missionaries over to pick one up.  It was the peach cobbler recipe that my mom had learned from her gma and we've been making it for as long as I can remember.  It's so simple and soooo good! I gave the elders a whole cobbler and sent them on their way. 

The next time they visited Brignone joked "hey the peach CAKE you gave us was delicious".  Oh he SO knows me! LOL Clowning is a regular thing in our home and I knew he was opening the floodgates.  ;-) "Did you say peach CAKE?" I asked.  He proceeded to tell me that the dough on the peach cobbler was so thick that there's no way we could say it was a cobbler.  The cobbler his mom makes (also with a biscuit dough) is an ACTUAL cobbler and not a cake. 

I know the rule.  We ALL know the rule.  NO ONE can make ANYTHING as good as your mom.  EVEN if it does taste REALLY good, you never say it's better than moms.  NEVER.  ;-) So I gave it to him, can't compete with a moms recipe.  But since then, it's been a running joke.  So much so, that I finally told him I wanted to try this "real" cobbler that he was raving about. 

So I sent his mom Kerstin an email along with a picture of her son in our home and asked her for the recipe.  She was SO nice and gave us what is also her gmas recipe. One that they have been making for years in their family.  Don't you just love that? Needless to say, the Brignones Peach Blueberry Cobbler was good.  Like REALLY good! It has more fruit than the one we make, but I think that's because the cobbler we make has changed over time to accommodate the taste buds of our Tongan side.  You know, more of the sweet bread and less of the fruit that traditional peach cobblers have.  Whatever the case, we have a keeper! Elder Brignone was able to taste test the cobbler I made from his mothers recipe and gave it the seal of approval.

I'm so glad that we were able to meet Elder Brignone and get to know him.  Not just for the great peach cobbler but also for the great example of what a good missionary is. 

The Brignone Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Sweet Biscuit Topping :
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tea salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4-1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
additional milk and sugar, optional

Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt together.  Cut in 1/2 cup butter until crumbly and (like cornmeal).  In a small bowl, mix eggs and 1/4 cup milk until well blended.  Stir milk/egg mixture into flour mixture until blended together.  Add additional milk a little at a time, only if needed to make a stiff dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/2 thick. Fold in half and roll again to 1/2 inch thick. Using 2 inch cookie/biscuit cutter cut out shapes (circles, ovals, hearts, or diamonds all work well).  Set aside to place on top of hot fruit mixture.

Fruit Mixture:
3- 15 oz (6 cups) cans sliced peaches (no sugar added, or canned in fruit juice)
2 cups blueberries (1 pint), fresh or frozen
4 Tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425F. Drain the peaches and reserve juice from 2 cans of fruit (approximately 1 cup).  Put peaches in a 3 qt saucepan with 1/2 cup reserved juice (about the same amount as in 1 can of the peaches) Mix cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup peach juice.  Stir into peaches in the pan. Bring to boiling over medium heat (stir occasionally so it doesn't stick). Cook 1-2 minutes or until juice is clear. Remove from heat and add blueberries (if using frozen blueberries leave on warm burner for a few minutes until mixture is hot again).  Pour into 13x9 (2 1/2 quart) pan. Top with sweet biscuits (directions below). Brush biscuits lightly with milk just to moisten (if desired) and sprinkle biscuits with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Bake at 425F for 10-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and fruit mixture is bubbling around edges.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

A few weeks back Lani was asked to take pictures of Alice and Seni on their anniversary.  Seni planned to take Alice out to dinner and ballgame and wanted to surprise her by taking a few really good pictures in the city.  Lani, being the photog that she is, was game (pun intended lol) and asked me to tag along to help drive.  She even offered to buy me dinner.  Who'd refuse dinner and an impromptu trip into the city? Needless to say, I agreed.  Knowing that Lani would be busy taking pictures and not wanting to look like a side buster, I asked Papa if he wanted to tag along to keep me company.  As soon as he heard we were going to the city and dinner was involved, he was stoked! Oh he MUST be MY son.  ;-) After grabbing some take out at Fish Market, we were on our way!

We dropped Lani off so that she could surprise Alice with their mini photo shoot while Papa and I went to park the car.  After devouring our yummy dinner (Thanks again Lani!), we decided to take a walk around AT&T park.  It was dusk and soooo nice out! We could hear the crowd roaring with excitement from blocks away.  The closer we got to the park, the louder the crowd was and Papa grew more and more anxious to see what the hype was about.  We don't attend very many sporting events because I'm not a huge fan of any sport.  Siua LOVES sports so he goes with friends but the times we went as a family the boys were too young to remember.

Once we got close enough to the ballpark, we could see the HUGE crowd.  Papa's face lit up with excitement as they cheered with music in the background and the various announcements were made.  I knew it was coming and I was ready for it.  "Can we go to the game Mom?!"  Darn it! I was no where near ready to attend the game RIGHT then and there but I promised him that we would go to one soon.  Being the sweet understanding boy that he is, Papa agreed to wait and offered to help me plan our day out to the park with his siblings.  I knew then that he wasn't going to let me forget. 

Coincidentally, at work the following week, I learned that a trip to a Giants game for the entire firm was coming up.  They sent out a company wide email invite with the details of the game.  I didn't think much of it because there was no invitation to bring a guest.  I don't care for baseball, so I was just going to pass it up.  People started to ask who was going and every time I said I wasn't, I got the same response "You HAVE to go with us. There's nothing like it." At first I thought it was the typical response from die hard baseball fans, but as it turns out, the firm goes ALL OUT for the company game.  So I gave in and decided to go. 

Shortly after, I got word that there were a few extra tickets and IF you had a "plus 1" you were encouraged to let them know.  I was ALL OVER IT.  Since that trip to the city with Lani, Papa hadn't stopped asking about the baseball game and I knew this was going to be a good one.  So I asked if I could bring him.  Since I'm still a temp, I was low on the totem poll as far as guests were concerned so I didn't find out until the DAY OF about wether or not Papa could go.  I was SOOOOO hoping I could bring him! Sure enough, just an hour before heading out, I got the ok. 

I made arrangements with my mom (THANK GOODNESS for Gma's!) the night before so that if Papa did get the ok, she could drop him off on her way to work.  I quickly called her, pulled him out of class and grabbed the sweater and hat I brought in hopes of his attendance.  Shortly after, we were on our way.  Papa thought he was getting pulled out of school for a doctors appointment so as soon as I saw him, he asked if he was getting a shot.  LOL I told him that there was no appointment and that he was coming with me and my co-workers to a Giants game.  He was SUPER excited.  I gave him his Giants hat and we headed to the train. 

The weather sucked that morning.  It was raining and cold! Thank goodness it cleared up and we were able to enjoy the game without getting rained on.  Papa was ECSTATIC.  My co-workers were right, if there was ANY time to go, THIS was it.  It was like we sat ON the field.  Literally shouting distance to the players.  Since Papa was the only kid for the first 1/2 hour, some of my co-workers yelled out for the catchers to "toss the kid a ball".  They were kind enough to throw a ball to Papa and he LOVED it.  The suite was stocked with hot dogs, burgers, candy, drinks, chips and the ballgame staples - peanuts and crackerjacks.  He SOAKED it all up! On the way home he kept talking about how much fun he had and mentioned that he got two of everything so he could share with his brother.  Sure enough he pulled out an extra backpack that they were giving away stocked with peanuts, crackerjacks and other fun game goodies.  He totally deserved the fun trip, he's such a good big brother. 

Siua and I try to do individual fun things with the kids so that they get one on one time with us.  It's hard to do when you have three but it's important to us to have individual relationships with each of them.  It was so sweet to be able to spend an entire day with my oldest child while he got the chance to do something he had been anxiously looking forward to.  Siua has something in the works for Joshy soon, let's hope it's just as good. :-) I LOVE the idea of making sweet memories with my babies.  I'm sure they won't forget them and neither will I.


                          My Papa Man and I on the train ride to the park.

                               Snapshot of my big boy on the train.

                      He wanted to make sure I got a picture of our tickets.  :-)

                                            View from Papa's seat. 

                                               "Toss the kid a ball!"

                                        Dozing off on the way home.

                                         "Put the camera away mom!"



I'm SERIOUS this time!!

Alright folks, I'm SO forreal and I need your help! I have GOT to lose this unwanted extra baggage.  I'm going to be honest with myself, I've never been a skinny girl.  BUT I know for sure that I can get it a little tighter than it is now.  It's time to stop playin' and really stick to it. 

I've been able to diet successfully in the past.  My issue is riding it out until I've reached my goal weight.  I lose a few pounds, clothes start to get loose and I start to get comfortable.  No bueno. 

About a month ago Siua thought it was a good idea to change his profile picture on FB.  Simple enough. No issue there.  UNTIL he decided this throwback pic from a family trip to Hawaii 8 YEARS ago was the way to go.

It's a decent flicc right? I actually don't mind it really.  BUT did it have to BLAST the obvious change in my face for all the world to see?? 

Can't be mad at the pic or Siua for that matter.  It's my very own fault and I need to own it.  If anything, I should be grateful because it was the wake up call that I needed. 

Soooooo, I've included this weight loss ticker here on my blog ----->>> so that I can track my weight and keep things updated.  I'm going to REALLY try to ride this one out for the long haul. 

Now here's what I need from you - do NOT let me forget! If I tweet, update FB or talk about anything that is obviously going to hinder my progress please FEEL FREE to send a subtle hint my way reminding me of the challenge I set for myself.  Easy right? Here goes nothing! I'm hoping to be all slim and slender this time next year.  Ya with me?

On that note - I'm posting a few more motivational pics for myself...just in case I try to forget.  ;-)

Wordless Wednesday - Weekends in Oakland

I just came across this blog that I think is super cool! http://polynesiankitchen.blogspot.com/ is a blog that has several different poly recipes including a few Tongan ones.  I haven't had a chance to really "dig in" yet but I'm just excited that something like this exists! Of course I'm another one of those biased Tongans that thinks my family makes the BEST food.  Everyone has their own way of doing things BUT the idea of someone sharing the basics is pretty dope.  Once you get the basics, you can make it your own! Pretty cool in my opinion.  Especially for those who don't have someone who is a quick phone call away from giving them their best recipe.  I like to experiment so I take things from my aunties and other fam members and tweak them to make them just right for me.  However you like your Tongan food cooked, it doesn't hurt to have someone sharing these Tongan staples for all the world to see!

Jambalaya

During the first month of being married I was trying to do what I think most new wives do.  Cook amazing dinners.  You know, show off your wifey skills in the kitchen.  So in my effort to throw down I ventured into making dishes that I had never had at home as a kid but always sounded really good.  Jambalaya was one of them.  I found a decent recipe online and then tweaked it so that it was perfect for us.  Siua doesn't like things too spicy and I prefer the sausage over the chicken.  It's one of the few recipes that really stuck and has become a regular in the cooking rotations ever since.  Mostly because it's easy to make a whole lot of all at once.  Some of the more time consuming meals (country fried steak, stuffed chicken, fried chicken) got thrown out of rotation years ago. ;-) Once you have to cook for more than 2 or 3 people, your options change significantly.  So here goes our family jambalaya.  When I made this last week, Safeway was having a really good deal on jumbo shrimp.  So we got lucky and added shrimp to the mix but usually I just use sausage and chicken.

A few tablespoons of olive oil (or vegetable oil if you don't have olive on hand)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into bite sized (I usually use about 5-6 pieces.)
Smoked Sausage about 7-8 cut in slices (Use whatever sausage you like. To cut the spiciness, I go for smoked.)
5 celery stalks chopped (not bunches, individual stalks)
3 bell peppers chopped (I usually use one of each color)
1 large onion chopped
4 large tomatoes chopped
4 cans of chicken stock (or one big can)
5 cups of rice
Cayenne Pepper - only about 1/2 teaspoon for us
Thyme - 2 tsp
Salt - add as much or as little as you like
Pepper - 2 tsp
Fresh Garlic - 3 tablespoons or 3 cloves
Paprika - 2 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Fresh Parsley - 1 bunch
OR you can buy a mixed creole seasoning in one bottle that's pretty cheap. But add as much or as little of the seasoning as you like.  Taste as you go along and change it to make it your own.

I start off by chopping EVERYTHING and putting it in individual bowls. 

In a large, deep pot, drizzle a few tablespoons of oil just to coat the bottom.  Turn it on to medium heat and toss in your sausage.  Cook the sausage until it starts to brown.  If you're using chicken, add the chicken with the sausage and let that cook down.  Since I'm using shrimp, I'll throw them in later.

Once the sausage is nice and brown around the edges, throw in your celery, onion and bell peppers.  Sprinkle with a little salt to help them "sweat" and cook until they are soft. 

After the veggies have started to cook down, I usually add the seasonings.  I just dash them and then taste the juice.  Remember at this point, everything is edible so don't worry about tasting.  Keep doing that little by little until it's right for you.

Then throw in your tomatoes.  See how much the veggies cook down!?! Let that cook for a few minutes stirring pretty frequently.  You'll notice the

tomato adds a nice juice.  I do another tasting to see if I should add anything.

This is when it can get tricky.  Add the chicken broth and the RAW rice.  Mix really well, turn the heat down to a medium low and cover the pot.  It's important to mix really well EVERY 5-7 minutes scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon.  You'll see why.  As the rice cooks, it'll start to stick to the bottom of the pot if it's not frequently mixed. It's going to look really watered down and soupy at first.  Just let it keep doing its thing.

As it cooks, you'll notice it start to thicken.  Every 20 mins or so, test the rice.  If it's still a little hard, keep cooking.  If your liquid has cooked down, you can add a cup of water or two to keep the rice cooking.  Remember, if you add water you'll have to taste again to make sure you don't need more seasoning.

Once the rice is completely cooked, throw those shrimp in and turn it off.  I took the shell and tails off of the shrimp but you can do it however you like.  The longer it sits, the thicker it'll get.  I usually let mine sit about 15 mins before serving it.  That gives the shrimp time to cook and the jambalaya time to thicken.

After that 15 mins, you're done! I usually make corn muffins or bread to go with the jambalaya.  A salad goes really well too.  Enjoy!

Lecturing the way ONLY a Gma can.

I was debating about posting this because you'll see she talks in detail about each one of the girls and their hubbys.  lol BUT I figured since I was recording in a way that you can't tell who she's pointing to (unintentionally of course) it would be okay to leave it up to you all to play the guessing game. ;-)  It is after all, a piece of our "childhood" in a way that ONLY Tongans can understand and appreciate.  I'm sure you all have gma's who do the exact same thing.  Even though I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it's only mine who decides that things just sound better when you're being vulgar.  LOL I'm sorry y'all couldn't catch the rest of the lecture but you'll see that she busted me recording and I had to turn it off before I got an adult whoopin.  LOL

LOVE YOU GMA!!!!

March Highlights

I know, how delayed! But I couldn't let April go by without talking about March! I need to get better at this highlight thing. It's so easy to forget the small things!.

     Here goes - Sissy Nani's 20th birthday! 20? Seriously? Geez Loueez can time slow down please?!?!

My Luvie Luvs turned 3!!! She enjoyed her party and all the fun at Pump it Up with her closest friends and loved ones.

**We had a BLAST at cousin VJ's Ice Skating Birthday Bash.**

**The beloved King of our great Island Nation passed away.**

**We had our Young Women New Beginning and welcomed three sweet girls into our group. Ane couldn't make it because of the funeral of the King of Tonga.**

**I was able to show support for sweet Tricia as she entered the Temple for the very first time.**

**The boys both got BRAND new bikes and were SOOOO excited about it!** So bummed I didn't get to take a picture!

**My Luvie is OFFICIALLY out of diapers! HUGE deal!**