HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Just look at my handsome boys (I actually have four handsome boys : )
I always enjoy making a Valentine card featuring my little ones. I started the first year with Kekoa. I actually did one last year and when I sent it to print at Walmart, I got the envelope back with the word "copyright?" written across the paper, highlighted in yellow. I took it as a sign to seriously continue my consideration to do a photography business. Funny the thoughts and memories that come back with this holiday.
Another very fond memory Kyle and I celebrate with Valentine's Day is the anniversary of his proposal. It has been 5 years since that day. Kyle was very creative and continues to be just as romantic. I've already had breakfast, red roses, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and an envelope marked "TOP SECRET" that I get to open when Kyle leaves for work - and it is only 7:59am. I can't wait for the rest of the day and evening.
(oops...baby crying... gatta run...)
m

- Here is the V-day picture from last year. I actually do not think it is all that great (though I do think both boys are darn cute).

We Love You Daddy!!!

Kyle left last night for a family celebration in LA. He asked me on the phone if I would do a new post on the blog. I am not sure if he was fishing for something like this or what, but thought we'd say:
We love and miss you Daddy!!!
We hope you like the pictures. I thought they were classic of each of the boys - Kekoa's mischievous smile, Ikaika's cute, but often dirty face, and Baby Sepa right next to Mommy.
I was going to take a quick picture of all of us here, but you can imagine what we all look like right now in survival mode, on our own without Daddy. We are lucky to have clean diapers... oops, I think Sepa is due.... where's Daddy when you need him... just kidding Sweetheart.
Well, we miss you and can't wait to have you back. Hello to our California family - Grandma and Papa Buddy, Noble family and everyone else : ) . . . pray for us : )

8 lbs. 5 oz of Pure Sugar

I took Sepa in to the doctor yesterday for his two-week check up. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. A good deal of growth from a start of 6 lbs. 13 oz. I am so grateful for healthy babies.
So - I also have to comment on the cute little outfit Sepa is wearing in these pictures. I may have fallen victim to the current trends, but I absolutely LOVE the brown and blue color combination. I think Sepa looks great in these colors with his darker complexion. When I saw this little teddy bear outfit, I could not resist. Thankfully it was on sale as well. Anyway - biased as I am, I think he is one handsome little one.
-michele

Yummy Red and Yellow

So over Christmas Kyle and I finally decided after a year of white walls and painters tape as our bedroom decor, it was time to finish our room. So we got paint and some great helpers and knocked it out in a couple days. Here is the result (I only wish I would have taken some before pictures to show the great improvement).




We still have the crown molding and casing around the window to finish, as well a some new carpet. We also want to add some more decor on the walls, etc, but we are getting there.
We decided on a Asian-theme with the deep red and yellow colors. Funny thing about our choice was finding out from Kyle's sister (a marketing and advertising professional) that those two colors cause people to feel hungry (hence the red and yellow of McDonalds). We have not really felt a change in ourselves, but maybe that is why Iosepa wants to nurse all night long!
ha ha ha...
We are happy with the turn out and look forward to doing making more improvements on our home.

The Painting Superman

It has been so nice to have Kyle home these past two weeks. The boys and I are sad that Daddy has to now go back to work. Kyle really has been a Super Daddy in helping me take care of the boys. Three kids demands such help, but Kyle also willingly gives. He has done fun things with Kekoa including helping him put paint this toy airplane (Uncle Uwe was the one to glue it all together - yeah Uncle!). Kekoa had lots of fun, evidenced by the big mess. He enjoyed wearing his "Superman Kekoa Apron" to do the project. He loves to do big boy things. A 3 year old boy through and through.

-Michele

Baby Sepa - Week 1

One fun thing we like to do is track the growth of the boys in a picture with an object. Both Kekoa and Ikaika took a picture on a mini couch. I decided that I'd use this oversize teacup for Iosepa. So here he is, one week old. I'll do the rest every month. Cute stuff...
Michele

Ikaika's Warming Up

Ikaika has not given much attention to the new addition. I don't think he really gets it all. Celeste (my sister) asked him where Baby Sepa was yesterday and he still pointed to my belly. But I think he is warming up a little. He has asked to hold him a couple times. It is so cute how he cups his hands and puts them together as his way of asking to hold Sepa (Ikaika doesn't talk much - his vocabulary is limited to Mom, Dad, water and yeah). The funny thing is when he cups his hands together, it looks like he is wanting to hold something the size of an egg.
Here is a few pictures of him. The second one is so classic of Ikaika. Trying to be cool. He was teasing and then busted out laughing.

Let it Snow!

What is up with all this snow?! As a Southern California boy, I'm not used to shoveling snow...let alone every day. Luckily, I have a helper. Kekoa LOVES to play in the snow and asks to help Daddy shovel the snow even when there is none. The other day, I finally bought him his own Kekoa-sized shovel and he had a blast. So...the Californian in me says, "Bring on the spring." The father in me says, "Let it snow."

A Prophet's Passing

We watched President Hinckley's funeral today. It was a bittersweet experience. I am glad we were able to watch it.
We found out about President Hinckley's passing Sunday night at 10:00 from my mother.
When I heard he had passed at 7:00 I immediately thought of what we were doing at that time. There was a great sense of peace as I remembered that right at 7:00, we headed up stairs to do our nightly hymn, scripture and prayer as a family. I thought that there would be nothing better to have been doing as a family at that time, and in a way felt that President Hinckley would have been pleased.
My initial feeling was sadness, but as many others, I thought of his reunion with his wife - so I said to Kyle, " I am so happy for him, because he is with his wife again.
One of the things, I've reflected on has been how the Saints must have felt when the Prophet Joseph Smith had died. President Hinckley has been the prophet of Kyle and I's spiritual maturity. We love him so much, we will miss him greatly.
Yesterday I was watching KBYU and they replayed a conference talk he gave in a previous conference. As I was going about doing whatever I was doing to take care of my three boys, I heard his voice speaking from the pulpit. His voice was so reassuring and familiar. I realized that I would greatly miss hearing him speak when conference comes around.
I am still really sad when I think of not having him as the prophet - but I know this is the Lord's true church and the work will go on. I loved what President Eyring said at the funeral. As he, I am just so grateful to have lived in a time to have heard the teachings of President Gordon B. Hinckley.

-Michele

Here are a couple of Youtube links that have been forwarded to me. They are worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DONH655IR1E

http://photo.byu.edu/video.php?cat1=Slide%20Shows&cat2=General&cat3=2008&cat4=Hinckley%20Tribute

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/200/5127/