Happy Birthday Keikikalani!

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my sweet niece, Keiki. Happy Birthday! I can't believe you are 12 years old. She is always a big help when she is around and I always look forward to the summertime when Keiki and her sister (La) come and stay with us for a week (or maybe two this year).

Taliana writes, "We love you Keiki. Thank you for being such an awesome cousin. I can't wait until you come and visit us again."

Ammon writes, "Happy Birthday Keiki. Thanks for showing us the 'gummybear' song on youtube."

Here are a few pictures I have collected over the years. (however, there are a few GREAT ones I am unable to find without tearing my closet apart.) Also... I know there are a few gaps in the ages of the pictures, but oh wells.

Keiki and I were the best of friends when she was younger. Those were great times!

(ps... remember when those necklaces were cool?? wow... have times changed. hahahah)

Taliana is dancing

Taliana was accepted into Tanner Dance. We are SO excited for her. She has been beggin to dance for a while now but it just hasn't been in our budget. Thankfully Tanner Dance offers scholarships so we applied and we were SO happy to hear it all worked out.

Taliana was so worried about what to wear she made me call the school to see what she was supposed to wear. After getting all the info (and after calling Jennifer so see exactly what a leotard was) we headed off to Target to get the dance clothes. Taliana was so excited that she barely slept the night before. (it was like Christmas morning all over again.)

She did great for her first day and can't wait until next Saturday.

**The only thing that bumms me out is that her class is every Saturday @11:30am. So... that cuts into our weekend travels. Oh well... she only has to do this until May and then she moves up a class and attends during the week. Yeah!

update

okay... I've finally updated my blog. It has been a hectic few weeks with the holidays and last minute sewing. I'll post some pictures soon of the quilts I made for the kids for Christmas. They all turned out great!

Sorry for all the slide shows, but I had a lot of great pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Christmas

Well... we did it! We survived Christmas! We had a very low key day. We woke up and opened presents then had our Christmas breakfast (omlets and potato casserole - my dad's tradition). Then Jason went to work and the kids & I hung out and watched a movie. When Jason got home we hung out some more. I made chicken noodle soup for dinner (my grandma's tradition) and took some over to Jason's mom's house and then came back and ate and hung out some more. It was a PERFECT day!

The kids all dressed in their Christmas pajamas

Christmas morning - all ready to come down the stairs

It looked like a tornado has ripped through our house with all the wrapping paper everywhere. I tried to be more organized like my mom always was. (she always had a garbage bag ready and a bag for the bows and a place for the boxes to be saved for the next year). But... it didn't happen. I was able to get a garbage bag, but it wasn't really used until everything was opened.

Malia got a new baby from Ammon for Christmas. She screamed until it was finally free from the box. She loves her new baby and gives it loves constantly. Thanks Ammon!

Santa brought Taliana & Ammon ipod shuffles. They were SO excited to finally have their OWN music to listen to. Unfortunately.... Ammon's ipod was washed in the washer with his jeans a few days later. However... he didn't seem to mind. Maybe Santa should have thought of something different for him. hmmmm.

The kids always love spending time with Grandma Kaufusi. They begged all day long to go to her house so they could tell her all about Christmas. But they were able to talk to her throughout the day on the phone, so that was good.

New Years Day

Temple lights

We were able to see the lights at Temple Square this year. (Although... we caught them on their last day). We missed the last few years, so we were excited to be able to do it this year. We went with Todd, Alesi and kiddos. Fun was had by all and can't wait for next year!

Here are a few of the highlight pictures....

New Years Eve

They are FINALLY out!

Taliana FINALLY lost her front teeth! We have been waiting for one of them to fall out for quite a while. (the permant tooth was already coming in behind it) So... with a little bribing and a LOT of pulling... it came out, ROOT & ALL! We felt so bad. Taliana kept saying it was hurting her, but we just figured she was being dramatic. But, after it ALL came out we felt really bad. Don't worry... the tooth fairy pays REALLY well for teeth like that. Then... the day after Christmas she was outside trying to put her gloves on and she bit her glove and the second front tooth popped out and into the snow. This is the only time I was happy her tooth had been capped. It was easier to find a silver tooth in the snow. Or else we would have had to wait until spring to find it (when all the snow melts). Big thanks to Jason for going out in the cold to find it.

Hawaii Trip

Malia and I just got back from Laie, Hawaii. I went with my sister in-law Alesi to surprise her sister (Kristina) who is going to school at BYU-Hawaii. We had a GREAT time! It was a quick trip, but it was nice to get away.

Things I miss about the island....

• The long scenic drive from "town" to Laie. The one hour drive didn't seem that bad when you are spoiled with the beautiful landscape of O'ahu.
  
• The beach. Hukilau Beach was just across the street. It was SO great to be able to go to the beach in December.
  
• PCC (aka... Polynesican Cultural Center). We hung out at the Fijian village with Kristina and her friends. Malia loved the attention from the girls and I loved watching Alesi visit with friends she new while going to school there.
  
• Relaxing and hanging out with Kristina and the girls. Malia was in heaven with all the attention she got from all the girls. It was SO nice to be able to relax while Malia was being entertained.
  
• Listening to Alesi speak Fijian. (by the way Alesi... I don't care what that Tahitian boy said... it doesn't sound like you are throwing up when you speak Fijian. hahahah)
  
• The Aloha stadium swap meet. We woke up at 6am to be at the swap meet by 7am. I think we were the first ones there. We had TONS of fun walking around and trying to narrow down our purchases.
  
• Fabric Mart. For those of you who know me... I LOVE FABRIC! We found this store that sells nothing BUT hawaiian print fabric for such a GREAT price. I wanted to spend ALL my money there, but unfortunately it was only our second day on the island and I had to budget. So... I acted with self-control and only got two different fabrics. Next time though... watch out!
  
• L&L's. For those of you who've eaten at L&Ls either in Salt Lake City or in Hawaii. You know what I'm talking about. YUMMY! My favorite L&Ls is on Waikiki Beach, but I found my second favorite... Pearl City. And the great thing about the Pearl City one is... it is in the same parking lot at Wal-Mart. How great is that??
  
• The Caf (aka... BYUH cafeteria). They had YUMMY food and it almost tasted like it was a home-cooked meal.
  
• The humidity. I know... I'm one of "those" people that LOVE humidity.

Thank you Alesi for allowing Malia and I to tag along with you. We had SO much fun and can't wait until next year!

Hawaii 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Playing tag

Okay... so I saw this tag post on a friend's blog (thanks Emily) and wanted to do it. So... here it is...

Here’s a list of 100 things. All the things I’ve done are highlighted in red. Copy this list on your own blog and come clean on everything you’ve done. Do it. You know you want to.

1. Started your own blog
   
2. Slept under the stars
   
3. Played in a band (6th grade band class counts, right?)
   
4. Visited Hawaii
   
5. Watched a meteor shower
   
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
   
7. Been to Disneyland
   
8. Climbed a mountain
   
9. Held a praying mantis
   
10. Sang a solo
    
11. Bungee jumped
    
12. Visited Paris
    
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
    
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
    
15. Adopted a child
    
16. Had food poisoning
    
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
    
18. Grown your own vegetables
    
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
    
20. Slept on an overnight train
    
21. Had a pillow fight
    
22. Hitch hiked
    
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (who hasn't?)
    
24. Built a snow fort
    
25. Held a lamb
    
26. Gone skinny dipping (shhh, don't tell)
    
27. Run a Marathon (does a 1/2 marathon count?)
    
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
    
29. Seen a total eclipse
    
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
    
31. Hit a home run (wahoo for YW softball)
    
32. Been on a cruise
    
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
    
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (does Hurricane, UT count?)
    
35. Seen an Amish community
    
36. Taught yourself a new language
    
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
    
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
    
39. Gone rock climbing
    
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
    
41. Sung karaoke
    
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
    
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
    
44. Visited Africa
    
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
    
46. Been transported in an ambulance
    
47. Had your portrait painted
    
48. Gone deep sea fishing
    
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
    
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
    
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
    
52. Kissed in the rain
    
53. Played in the mud
    
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
    
55. Been in a movie
    
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
    
57. Started a business
    
58. Taken a martial arts class
    
59. Visited Russia
    
60. Served at a soup kitchen
    
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
    
62. Gone whale watching
    
63. Got flowers for no reason
    
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
    
65. Gone sky diving
    
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
    
67. Bounced a check
    
68. Flown in a helicopter
    
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
    
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
    
71. Eaten Caviar
    
72. Pieced a quilt
    
73. Stood in Times Square
    
74. Toured the Everglades
    
75. Been fired from a job
    
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
    
77. Broken a bone (Thank you Jennifer)
    
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
    
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
    
80. Published a book
    
81. Visited the Vatican
    
82. Bought a brand new car
    
83. Walked in Jerusalem
    
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
    
85. Read the entire Bible
    
86. Visited the White House
    
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
    
88. Had chickenpox
    
89. Saved someone’s life
    
90. Sat on a jury
    
91. Met someone famous
    
92. Joined a book club
    
93. Lost a loved one
    
94. Had a baby
    
95. Seen the Alamo in person
    
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
    
97. Been involved in a law suit
    
98. Owned a cell phone
    
99. Been stung by a bee
    
100. Visited Italy

Isn't it crazy that I have lived in Salt Lake City now for 9 years and I have NEVER swam in the Great Salt Lake?? hmmmm.

So I’ve done 56 out of 100 things. I guess that means I'm sort of adventurous, right? However... I did most of those things while in high school and during college. Thank you mom and dad for giving me those GREAT opportunites of traveling.

Happy Birthday Malia!

I can't believe my baby is already a year old. It has gone by TOO fast. She has grown up so much these past few months. I haven't gone to the Dr. yet, so I don't know her "stats". However, I did put her on the scale at the Vet a few weeks ago and she was 27.6 pounds. So... she is still REALLY healthy.

Here are a few of her favorite things...

* Dance - she loves to dance whenever she hears music

* Shoes - she brings them to me so I can put them on her.

* Meesha - When we get home the first thing she does to run to Meesha's kennel to let her out.

* Bite - I know this is a negative thing, but... I am finding it hard for her to understand that the person receiving the bite is NOT as happy as she is actually giving the bite.

* Blankies - She has 4 favorite blankies (the soft kinds) that she cannot live without. She has them all in her crib and has to have ALL of them in her arms to fall asleep. The other day I could hear her screaming from upstairs, so I ran up and she was trying to pull out her blankets through the slats in the crib and they were stuck. So, as soon as she had them all in her arms she was happy as could be.

* Dora couch - Grandma Kaufusi gave her a Dora couch for her birthday. The kinds that folds out to a bed. She loves to sit and lay on it. She changes it from bed to couch constantly. It keeps her entertained for a good hour. Before she actually lays still enough to fall asleep.

* Follow - She loves to follow Taliana and Ammon around. It is SO funny... if Ammon is playing with his light-saber, then Malia has to have a light-saber to play with too. And if Taliana is playing with her babies, Malia has to have a baby in her arms as well.

* Pretties - Malia loves to have "pretties" (aka bows) in her hair. She also loves to rip them out and have you put them back in.

* Piggie-back rides - Malia loves when I give her piggie-back rides down the stairs. She knows how to come down the stairs on her own, but sometimes she will yell "mom, mom, mom, mom" from the top of the stairs so I can come get her to give her a ride down.

We feel very blessed to have Malia a part of our family. It was worth the LONG wait. Now I am left with one thought... do I keep her as the youngest or do I give her another play-mate? Hmmmm...... decisions, decisions!

Here is Malia in her favorite spot. Malia loves to get her morning bottle and sit on the stairs and drink it. She thinks she is such a big girl because she can sit and kick her feel while she drinks her bottle. And of course.... her blankie in the other hand.

The night of her birthday I was in the kitchen helping Taliana with Malia's birthday cake. We noticed things were quiet and we couldn't hear Malia. We went into the Family room and here was Malia. She had found a sucker and opened it and nestled into Ammon chair and was watching TV and eating her sucker. It was too cute that I couldn't get mad at her (after all... it was her birthday). So... I just grabbed the camera and snapped a picture.










Taliana made this birthday cake for Malia. Jason had to work late that night, so we decided to do a little party of our own. Which consisted of Malia'a favorite dinner... Top Ramen. Malia loved her cake. Thanks Taliana, you are such a great big sister!








Here is Malia getting ready to blow out her candle. Sorry... I was also video taping, so I only got a picture of her just before we set down the cake.

Disney on Ice

Yes... we have kept the tradition going. We took the kids to Disney on Ice last night. We have gone the past 4 times. However, we did have to miss last year because I had just had Malia a few days before. The kids love to go. Malia was SO good. She sat SO still on Jason's lap and watched the whole thing. She was so sad when the intermission came and the lights came on. I have to say... this was the BEST show I've seen so far. They had ALL the princesses there. They spot-lighted each one. Mulan was mine and Taliana's favorite. I love the music in Mulan. It was a fun filled night for ALL!

Here we are waiting for the show to start.

We let the kids pick out one souveniour from the show. This was their pick this time.

We always get a photo taken when we go. We have built up a pretty good collection....

Malia's Birthday Party

Here are a few pictures from Malia's party. It was PERFECT. Everything went as planned. The only thing I would have done differently was have someone (beside myself) take the pictures. I was too busy visiting with everyone and helping Malia that I didn't get as many good shots as I would have liked. But all in all.... it was a GREAT party.

Here are the flowers my mom and I made out of tissue paper. I loved how they turned out. Definitely something fun and easy for a cute decoartion.

Taliana is hanging out with her cousins.

I have to give a BIG shout out to my sister in-law Alesi. She ran a half-marathon, then jumped in the car (with her family) and drove 4+ hours to be here for Malia's first birthday. Thank you SO much for coming up. It meant so much for ALL of us that you came. I'm sad it was only a short visit, but hopefully we can get together again soon.

Here is Malia with her cake. He didn't have any candles... so... we had to resort to the next best thing... a LOLIPOP. It was perfect!

It was a tight squeeze to put to bounce houses in the gym... but it all worked out.

What's up with all the sickness?

Okay... I don't mean to complain... but... what is going on in the state of Utah that almost everyone I know is sick?? Don't the germs know that I am TRYING to host a fabulous birthday party for my cute Malia?? I think half of my guests have called or emailed to tell me that they are sick and will not be coming to the festivities. I thought I picked a good weekend... but as my luck goes... "I'm just not lucky".

Happy Halloween!

I know it is after Halloween, but I was debating whether or not to post these pictures. I feel like I have been bombarding you (speaking to the few readers I have) with pictures lately. But then... I thought the kids looked pretty cute and wanted you to see them as well.

Taliana was "Gabriella" from High School Musical.























Ammon was "Anikan Skywalker" from Star Wars the Clone Wars.



























Malia was a little monkey. Each of my kids have worn this costume for their first Halloween so I was SO excited when Jason found this costume the night before. I thought had given it back to my sister Jennifer (the rightful owner - my mom made this costume for her daughter Tana on her first Halloween).

I also forgot to post a picture of Malia's pumpkin. She loved it so much she didn't want to let go.

Malia's birthday invitation

I have to write a post about this. My sweet sister Jennifer spent all day working on this SUPER CUTE invitation for Malia's party. I love it! And it fits her perfectly. Although Jennifer will NOT be able to come up to the party, Malia is SO grateful to have an amazing auntie like her. Thank you so much!