What kids say!

Well, a couple of weeks ago my friend was moving. I brought two of her boys with me to our house to try and give her a break. They had been playing for a little bit and the next thing I knew, Sipola was having Mehi and Grayson follow her to the front room so they could get "married". Mehi was wearing her white dress and Grayson put on a Tongan dress. As you read this, be sure that you don't say the r the right way, you have to say it as though a 3 year old is saying it, with the w sound. Anyways, Sipola said, "Mehi, do you want to marry Grayson?" Mehi said, "Yes". Then Pola said, "Grayson, do you want to marry Mehi?" Grayson said, "Yes". Then Pola said, "Ok, you are married. Now kiss her on the cheek." So, Grayson gave Mehi a kiss on the cheek and they have been married ever since! Whenever my girls get mad at each other they always say, "Pola has a boyfriend, or Lia has a boyfriend". Well, today Pola got mad and said, "Mehi has a boyfriend", and Mehi said, "No, I don't have a boyfriend, I am married to Grayson!" So, I guess Daddy's lecture about not getting married until we are older didn't really sink in!!:)
Tomorrow Tevita and I will have been married for ten years. It seems like just yesterday that we met, but here we are 10 years later. Happy Anniversary Honey!
We have had a former student here the last couple of days. He was one of our favorites about 5 1/2 years ago. He came and spoke to the kids at the school today and he did such a great job. He is a successful Navy man and doing really well. It's because of kids like him that we continue to do what we do! It was good to see him and hang out with him. He only knew Braxton and Lia when he was here. He is so good with the kids and he is all the kids have talked about since he left!
Braxton went to work with Grandpa tonight. I hope you guys have a great time bud! I hope all our family and friends are doing great and I'll post again soon!

Fathers Day

OK, so first let me explain about the wrong pictures on here. They were supposed to be of Tevita and Braxton, and Dad and Braxton. Well, when my CD downloaded to the computer, there are more than one of the picture numbers so I just have to guess which ones they are so you are looking at a few extra pictures. I'm sorry because this post is dedicated to Tevita,Dad, and Fine. Anyways, with tomorrow being Fathers Day I thought I would post a Happy Fathers Day post. So...
To My Dad:
I love you! We have definitely had an interesting time growing up and being father/daughter. You have taught me so much and I want you to know that I truly do appreciate you and all you do for me. I know we have had some rough times but I think they have only made us closer. One of my memories that stick out in my mind is our Father/Daughter date we had for church. I was so proud to take you there and so proud to call you my dad. I still look at the picture. We both looked so happy! Another memory is when you had me walk as close to a deer as I could get and you told me I would never forget that experience. Guess what, you were right, I haven't forgot and now we try to get my kids to do the same! You are a great dad! You are a great grandpa! You were a great husband! I know sometimes you don't believe that, but where would we be without you dad? I am so proud of you! Happy Fathers Day! We Love you so much!
To My Husband:
I love you! Can you believe you are the father of 4 beautiful children? It seems so crazy that time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that we were in Provo. Your kids love you dearly. I love you dearly!You are a great example for our kids. You do so much for us and work so hard and we truly do appreciate that. Thank you for always being there for us. The kids want me to tell you that they love you so much. They have poems and cards for you so you can have them on Father's Day. Thank you for being the person you are. Happy Fathers Day Hon! We love you!
To Fine:
Happy Father's Day! We wish you could be here with us. Fine, I want to thank you for raising such a great guy. You are such a great example for him and he misses you more than you will ever know. I wish you were closer so we could all be together more. We hope you have a great Father's Day! The kids say to tell you they love you and miss you!

Never say "Not much going on"!

OK, so I am never going to post "not much going on" ever again! After I posted that I went outside. Tevita and Toni had came home from the campout and Tevita came in, dropped his stuff off, and said, "I have to go get the horse ready and then go to Salt Lake", and off he went. Then he came home for a minute and told me to call dad to see if 2 of the kids could stay with him so we could all go to Salt Lake. Then he was off again getting the horse ready. While he was gone, I was sitting in the car for a minute and I was watching Sipola jump. She was teaching Lia how to do front flips and the next thing I knew she landed on her head. I got out and ran to her and she was holding her belly. I told her to breathe and then she was out! I yelled at her to keep breathing and by this time she was blue. I shook her (which they always tell us not to do) and blew in her face and she woke up and said, "Mommy, I'm ok". I called my friend who is an EMT thinking that she would get here sooner than the ambulance. At this point in time Sipola started coughing and acting like she was going to throw up. She was whiter than me so I knew she wasn't quite "ok" yet. I took her in to the sink in case she did throw up and Lisa (EMT) was here and checked her out. Everything turned out ok with her but what a scare! Sometimes this "MOM" thing is really tough! So Tevita came home and we told him the story and then off to Salt Lake we went. We left here at about 8:00pm. I kept trying to get Sipola to stay with us but she only wanted Grandpa. So, I told my dad the story and he became nervous about her and also us driving to Salt Lake so late. I kept calling him (I'm sure I was annoying him) and he reassured me that Sipola was ok. He took her to pet some horses which she loves to do and it woke her right up. So, Tevita, Toni, Halamehi,and I went to Salt Lake. Tevita got the wrong address so we drove around for what seemed like forever trying to find someplace that didn't even exist. We finally got the right address and dropped the horse off. We had to go to another aunties house and then back to the place we dropped the horse off and then back home we went. We got to Dad's house to pick up the kids at about 4:30am and got home at about 5:00am. Tevita had to get up and be to work by 7:00am and work called and woke me up at 9:00am. So, here we are, the kids playing and me blogging. Quite an interesting day it turned out to be!

Not much going on

Well, I just went on my sister's blog and told her she needed to post more so I decided maybe I need to take my own advice. I would post so much more if I could actually download my pictures when I take them but I don't have the proper equipment to do that so I have to get my pictures on a CD and by the time I do that the pictures are old news. Tevita and Toni took the boys from the ranch on a campout this week. They are in Pine Lake. It has been really windy here so I worried about them but Tevita said they have had really good weather so that is good. Braxton finished his baseball season. We were so happy for that! He did good but it's definitely time for it to be over. Lia and Sipola also finished T-Ball. They didn't play much but they had fun while they played. Halamehi and I are home alone right now. Brax, Lia, and Pola are at a birthday party so Mehi doesn't know what to do with her time. I am trying to get laundry done and Mehi just barely tipped over the laundry basket and said, "Mom, I made a mess. Can you clean it up?" Then she started laughing. So, needless to say, now she has something to do with her free time!:)I got to talk to my new sister-in-law last night. Her name is Mele and she is married to Tevita's brother, Pita. It was good to talk to her. With our family still in Tonga and New Zealand, we don't get to talk much so it is nice when we actually do! Well, there isn't really much to talk about so I will go finish my laundry now. Hope all is well with everybody!

Yuba Lake

Well, Tevita and Toni had to work on Memorial Day so we decided to leave right after they got off. We left our house at about 3:45pm on Monday and headed for Yuba Lake. I thought we would be camping right as you got there but nope, that wasn't the case. Tevita had to make 3 trips on the boat taking stuff and us to the campsite. We ended up on this little island where there was a nice campsite(outhouse included!) and a sandy beach. It was a really nice sight. We had enough time to set up camp and BBQ a hamburger and go to bed. Lia had me walk her to the bathroom and on my way there I was thinking, "how am I going to do this. I used to have my mom walk me to the bathrooms all the time because first of all I am a little scared of the dark and second I am afraid of those outhouses! I have to be brave and not show my daughter that I am scared". It turned out ok and we were just fine but wow, I realized that I am a mom and instead of me depending on my mom all the time, now my kids are depending on me. I don't know why this thought came now, after all, I have been a mom for 9 years but I guess I just needed to be reminded what a great responsibility I have. Well, last year I took an activity for work to Yuba. I ended up with heat stroke due to the fact of being in the water most of the day and getting so burnt that I couldn't even move for about a week. So, this trip I thought I would do better and I put even more sunscreen on than last year. Needless to say, I am red and swollen and having a hard time walking because my feet are so red! My kids and husband are nice and brown and look great and I look like a tomatoe! I really wish I could find some sunscreen that actually works. On Tuesday we took the boat out and Tevita and Toni couldn't resist the temptation of the water and jumped in. The water was really cold but that didn't stop them. Braxton just did a cannonball in without feeling the water first and I thought he was going to go into shock. We had to help him calm his breathing down and after that he was ok. Lia also just jumped in but after this trip I think she is part fish! She didn't want to get out of the water at all. We rode around for a little bit and then went back to camp and ate hot dogs. The kids decided to have a sand castle competition. This turned into Tevita, Lia, Sipola, and Mehi vs. Toni and Braxton. They told me that I had to judge. Both castles turned out to be great, and I called it a tie. After that, we went back out to play in the water. This time we took Toni on the tube and he had a blast! We were going back in and Braxton decided that he wanted to go on the tube but he didn't want his dad to pull him very fast. Well, Tevita ended up pulling Brax just as fast as he did Toni and I was so proud of Braxton for holding on! We were out a little past the buoy(I think that is what it is called) and Tevita told Braxton to get out and swim back to shore. Brax was very scared and he got half way there and started crying saying, "Dad, I need you. I can't do it alone." Tevita said, " Keep going, I'm right behind you and I won't let anything happen to you." Braxton made it to the shore and the tears started rolling down my face. Lia decided that she wanted to drive the boat and Tevita told her if she was going to drive she had to swim out to the boat. Again, we were a little past the buoy (I sure do hope that's what that thing is called) and here came Lia. It was like nothing for her to swim to us. She drove a little and then she wanted to swim back. She got three quarters of the way there and she said,"Dad, help. I can't go any further." Tevita said, "You're doing great. Keep going, I'm right behind you and I won't let anything happen to you." Lia swam the rest of the way and again the tears started rolling down my face. Tevita asked me why I was crying and I told him what a great lesson I had just learned. Especially after the last night's experience at the bathroom. I told him it was like we are with Christ. We are never alone and he is there, right behind us, not letting anything happen to us. Our kids are constantly watching us and depending on us and we have such a great responsibility to teach them what is right. Anyways, it was an overwhelming experience and I am so thankful it happened! The rest of the night we spent playing in the sand, having dutch oven chicken and potatoes, roasting smores, fishing, and having a great time. We went to bed and the weather was nice. I don't know what time it was but I was woken up by Sipola who was crying saying she was afraid of the wind. She was in the middle of Tevita and I and she just kept sliding further and further down under the covers. I really thought the wind was going to knock our tent over but it survived. Today we just cleaned up and headed back so Tevita could go to work. It was such a great camping trip and there were so many little experiences that I will always be grateful for. Our kids did great, no fighting, just playing all nicely together. Sorry this post is so long, but I had to get it all in:) Now I am off to find something to put on my burns. Oh by the way, there are no pictures because we forgot the camera:( We did get some on the phones, but I don't know how to put them on here.

Tevita's Birthday

Ok, yesterday May 24th was Tevita's birthday. I had this great plan to do something cute for him on the blog but I didn't get it done. He has been playing around with the blog and re-designing it and I didn't get a chance to get on the computer. The kids and I went to Richfield to get him his birthday present and then we came and got him. Too bad he had to work on his birthday but we still had fun afterwards. The carnival was in town so we went to that. After the carnival (which was really fun for the kids!) I took him to dinner. It was really good and then we went shopping. It was great to spend time with him and I hope he had a great birthday. Braxton asked what we were going to get him and Lia said, "Braxton, dad doesn't need anything for his birthday. He already has everything he needs." Braxton said, "What do you mean Lia? Of course he needs a present." Lia said, "Nope, he has us kids and mom for a wife, what more could he need??" I thought that was pretty cute of Lia and such a "Lia" thing to say! So, me and the kids were talking and we decided to post a few things we love about Tevita... 10. Sipola loves that daddy bought her a new fishing pole. 9. Lia loves that daddy takes her camping and takes her for rides in the jeep. 8. Braxton loves that Dad is willing to coach him in any sport that he plays. 7. Mehi loves that she can squeeze daddy's lips and give him a big kiss. 6. I love that Tevita is willing to give the shirt off his back to anyone who needs it. 5. I love that Tevita has such great wisdom and we can all learn something from him. 4. I love that no matter where we go he can find somebody to smile to or talk to. 3. I love his "Tongan-ness". He tries to act Americanized but he never gives up where he came from and who he truly is. 2. I love the way he loves my family. My great grandma (who is turning 100 in July) and Tevita are best friends. She always says that they were best friends in Heaven. He loved my mom just like she was his own mom and they truly had a great relationship. 1. I love that Tevita is a strong member of the Church and that he honors his Priesthood. It is so comforting to me that me and my kids can go to him at any time and he is worthy to give us the blessings we need. I am so thankful that we found each other and that I have such a great husband! I hope you had a great birthday hon. I love you!