Where has the time gone?!

Good grief! I haven't blogged in the longest! I wish I kept up with this as much as I meant to when I first started blogging.  I NEED to get better at it because before long, I'm going to be looking back at what I have recorded and I'm sure I'll be wishing I did more.  So with that said, here are a few updates. 

MOST importantly, Siua and my boys got baptized!!! I can't tell you how much of a blessing this was for my little family.  Because we have been married so long, I started to lose hope in Siua as far as the gospel was concerned.  He had been through countless discussions and met with so many sets of missionaries but he would never commit.  I should've known that this was in the cards all along and Heavenly Father knew better than I did when the time was right for him.  Those who know him also know that he's a SUPER devoted dad.  He'd do anything for our kids and I'm glad they got to experience it together. In the end, if it was good for them then it was good for him also.  Gotta love the guy and his willingness to dive in and make such a huge step.  In retrospect, I'm glad he didn't do it years ago.  It's helped me to grow as a wife, mother and daughter of God. While I continue to fall short, I now have my very own priesthood holder to help keep things in place. 

We moved back to OAKLAND! There's no place like home.  We all know the saying and we all know the feeling we get when we're back in our old stompin' grounds.  After countless weekend trips and extended stays, we made the move for good.  Gma is still around and I want my kids to know her.  Not just know that she's gma but to build their own relationship with her.  There's nothing like OLD SCHOOL love.  They need to know it, feel it and soak it all in! My aunty is ill too and while I have faith that she's going to be around for years to come, I want to be as close to the both of them as I can, while I can.  All of my family is in Oakland and it's been nice to be surrounded by them day to day.  Church on Sunday is like a reunion and there seems to always be something fun to do on the weekends for no reason.  I'm lovin' it and I know Siua is too.  Being close to our family has always been important to us.  While we miss our many loved ones in Mateo, we're glad that we're just right over the bridge. 

June, Mark and Osi are home! I can't believe how quickly that two years flew past! Eric will be here before we know it.  I'm so proud of my little brothers for all of their hard work, endurance and faith.  I know it wasn't easy.  I know that they were tested.  I also know that they grew into men while they were gone.  It's nice having them home again. 

We went through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and so many other holidays since I last did an update.  I'm going to try and be better about keeping things up to date.  Even if it's a few pictures or a quick video.  I know I'll be happy I did one day. 

"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. 

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Wow! It's been several weeks even a full month since the last time I blogged. Soooooooo much has changed but we'll get to that later. More importantly, today is Valentines Day!!! Oh how I LOVE an entire day dedicated to LOVE! I've said it before and if you know me it's pretty obvious that I'm not a PDA kinda gal. I keep my love and affection behind closed doors. ;-) My poor hubby is super sensitive and affectionate so sometimes he says I'm "cold" for my lack of mushy-ness. But today is valentines day and I have been lucky enough to be married to my hubby for 10 years this year. So I think it's about time he gets a special shot out.

One of my little sisters asked me recently how it's possible to be with someone for so long and still continue to be interested in one another. I felt like it was a question that I couldn't answer because I have no clue! 10 years seems long, but in the grand scheme of things it's just the tip of the iceberg. What I do know is that I couldn't have been blessed with a more perfect match.

This past weekend Siua had the opportunity to go to Vegas for the Rugby 7's with his brother and cousins. I had no interest in going and since he's never really gotten the chance to have a "Guys Getaway" I thought it was a good idea for him to go. My poor babies cried real tears the night their dad left. He was only going to be gone for 3 full days but since he had never really gone anywhere for an extended period of time they took it extra hard. It was bittersweet to watch them get teary eyed when they said their goodbyes. It took forever to convince them that we had a fun weekend planned and dad would be home in no time.

I tried to entertain my babies over the weekend with fun things to keep their mind off of the fact that their dad was out of town. I had the hardest time! No matter what fun activity we did, they continued to ask "how many more days?" and "can we call daddy?". Man that guy has some hard shoes to fill! From the day each of our kids were born, Siua has managed to build a strong bond with them individually. Thanks to his sweet surprises and the time that he dedicates to making them happy, all three of our kids are majorly attached to their dad. Needless to say, they made it through the weekend and Siua was home by Sunday night.

After reflecting on the days we spent apart, I realized exactly how lucky I am. Not only is he an amazing and inspiring Dad, Siua is endlessly supportive of all of the things that I take on. While he isn't Mormon himself and has his own reasons for why he hasn't converted, he still continues to allow me to take our children to church and even joins because he believes that as a family, we should be at church together on Sundays. I'm constantly volunteering to help with different tasks at home, work and church without thinking twice about how I'm going to juggle it all because I know I have his help. Whether I'm on the move with a random project or trying out something new he's never once complained about having to deal with my random things. In the entire time that we've been married he's called me the same thing, no matter how much weight I gained or lost, whether I was all dressed and ready to go out or just waking up in the morning, while the hospital bed for whatever reason or just hanging out at home, Siua has always called me "Beautiful". He's never used any other mushy name or loving phrase and over time I've grown used to it. So much so, that I forget how simply sweet it is.

I'm not an easy person to live with, I admit it. At times my mom asks Siua how he could possibly deal with my strong personality, neat freakyness, loud mouth and strong will for so long. LOL I'm lucky. I realize that and I couldn't be more grateful for the loving husband, best friend and patient father that is the head of our family.

Happy Valentines Day cool guy. Enjoy your shot out for now, it's back to private business tomorrow. <3

Pillow Talk...

Gone are the days when EVERYTHING was lovey dovey and super sweet. While Siua and I still do small things to show love and affection, it's definitely a different spin on what we started out with when we got married almost 10 years ago.

Last night, after a long (and sometimes frustrating) day I finally laid down and told Siua "you were annoying today". We're often brutally honest that way. He didn't do anything particularly irritating but I was so caught up in my own frustration that any little random thing could translate into something big. Imagine my surprise when his response was "really? For the WHOLE day? You're never THAT annoying to me". I felt bad. In his own little sweet ways, Siua continues to make me feel so special. YES I realize that all he said was that I'm "not THAT annoying" but after 3 kids and so many years, that's a big deal! Especially because I know how truly annoying I can be. LOL

I've been lucky enough to be blessed with the most amazing husband. He allows me to be my (annoying) self and embraces me anyway. I couldn't do half of what I enjoy doing without his support. Often times it calls for me to be away from him and the kids during week long trips to girls camp or youth conference and he still continues to remain positive. I'm completely against PDA because I think it can be super cheeeeeezzzyyy but I have to give credit where it's due and he deserves ALL of the credit. <3

Lucky Girl

It's been CRAZY for me lately! You can tell by my lack of blogging. ;-) We were lucky enough to have a whole lotta family join us for Mark's farewell program last Sunday. It turned out really nice! I'll post pictures soon. I also have a back-up of recipes that I need to post. Geez it's sucky trying to play catch up!

I've been busy at work especially. It gets hard to be away from everyone for most of the day. I'm not cut out to be a stay-at-home mom, but oh how I miss everyone while I'm at work.

Siua has made it a routine to send me camera phone snapshots every once in a while when I'm at work. They help me maintain my sanity when things are tough and it's a subtle reminder of why I'm here in the first place. More likely than not, they are pictures of Luvie doing whatever task he has planned for the day. I must say, I am one lucky mama. He's AMAZING with the kids! They have been blessed with an incredibly patient hands on Dad. Most times I don't even know what he has planned for the day with his baby girl. But sure enough, I get a picture of Luvie at the park, the store, the two of them out to lunch or going for a walk. He does the same when he is on field trips with the boys. He went on one with Joshua recently and my Joshy couldn't have been more excited for his Dad to go.

It's the little things that help my babies feel special and loved. He does such a good job with those special little things. I once read "The best thing you can give children, next to good habits, are good memories." I'm so glad that so many of my children's good memories are shared with their Daddy.

Here are a few of the cell phone snapshots along with Siua's subject heading in his emails -

"This guy is lovin' it. All hecka juiced to brush a goat.lol"
"She's ready to shop."
"Lunch on the go. She's feelin' her Lunchables. lol"
"Someone wants her own bowl of cereal. Straight throwin' a fit."
"Lunch at Round Table with Rich and Marky Bo"