Want a Hard Copy of That?

(PS. this is obviously not my picture)

Since blogging is one of my ways of keeping a journal, I have always wondered if there was a way to turn it into a real book. Happily someone has created and program (and is probably making tons of money by now) for just that. So here is the website in case anyone else wants the info. Hooray for family history.
http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Sick, sick, sick and sick

For some reason I feel like I can't do a post unless I have a picture to go along with it. I need to just write -
So this week we worked through our little family sickness. Kyle was the only one spared. Everyone handled it a little differently. Kekoa didn't slow down at all even though he coughed like crazy. Ikaika was extra cranky and clingy - which makes it so hard for me when two babies need to be held. Ikaika is not willing to share me at all when he wants to be held. There was a couple times when I switched back and forth between Sepa and Kaika, with whomever was left out screaming as if I had abandoned them. Those were moments of craziness, but luckily I am WAY past the first-time-mother tendency to feel like my child is going to die if they cry a little. Sepa, sadly, was also sick. I felt so sorry for him and strongly feel it should be against the laws of nature for infants to get sick. I also get sick, which made being a mom difficult. Thankfully, Kyle rescued me the day I was the worst, by staying home for the day and giving me and Sepa a priesthood blessing. We are all well on the road to full recovery and I pray nothing will hit us again this season.
So - looking at the "what can I learn" side of this week, I've decided that the good thing about going through it all has to do with my future perspective on having three kids. It will all seem a little easier. If I can handle three sick kids as well as myself, then three healthy kids is all that much less stressful.
I look forward to a new week with happy, healthy days.
m

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Here are a couple things Kekoa has said that I want to remember -

In the middle of me disciplining him:
"But Mom! You're not the problem, I'm the problem!"

When Kyle announced to me he was going to do the dishes:
"Dishes! I love Dishes! I want to do dishes!"
( I said I wanted to hear him say that ten years from now).

I can't remember exactly (I need to write these things down right away), but I think Kyle had told Kekoa that mommy and daddy were married. Kekoa responded:
"But mom, you can marry me. I'm a boy!"

Kyle asked Kekoa to clean up his mess. When he actually did as he was asked, Kyle told him "You rock Kekoa." He responded, "I'm not a rock, I'm a human!"

We were doing FHE together. Kekoa said, " I love Sepa, Mommy, Daddy and Ikaika. I am a Super Hero and I will protect my family!"

I came downstairs one morning to have Kekoa greet me with, "Good morning, Super mom!"

I'll post more as they develop...

Photo Booth

Our new MAC has this fun little application called Photo Booth. Here's a quick shot we took as a family. Sepa is still in the newborn phase of sleeping most of the time so he was not in this picture.
We have all been sick - including poor little Sepa. It really is so sad to see such a tiny person so sick. Hopefully soon it will all be over.

That Precious Smile

Today Sepa smiled at me for the first time. I am not sure how real it was (smiling because he saw me rather than a result of funny feelings in his tummy because of gas), but I'll take it. Seeing those smiles make parenting a little easier and gives me energy to keep going. I thought of this poem that a friend of mine gave me after I had Kekoa. I do not know the author though.

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day,
with little time to stop and pray.
For life's been anything but calm,
since you called me to be a mom.
Running errands, matching socks,
building dreams with building blocks.
Cooking cleaning, and finding shoes,
and other stuff that children lose.
Getting lids on bottled bugs,
wiping tears and giving hugs.
A stack of last week's mail to read,
so where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord,
just at the sink or ironing board.
To ask the blessing of your grace,
I see then, in my small one's face.
That you have blessed me all the while,
and I stop to kiss that precious smile.

I am just grateful to be a mom, even though three children has proven to be quite the challenge. Life is a little crazy, but I can't bear the thought of not having one of those boys as mine. I love them so much.
Another poem I like says:

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

I need to remember how fleeting this time really is, and just enjoy my little ones.

A Happy Day

Yesterday was my birthday - my last year to be in my twenties. It was a good day with Kyle taking off half of the day to be with us. We took the boys to a little game place in the mall for some entertainment. They had this photo booth at the entrance so we took some pictures. Kekoa was not in a cooperating mood and Sepa was asleep, so I just took pictures with Ikaika.
In the evening Kyle took me to dinner at Mimi's (one of my favorites) and then we came home to a little surprise party. It was fun to see some friends I haven't seen since before Sepa was born (we have just been staying home to avoid the sick season). The biggest surprise was Kyle's sister from CA. Though she came into town for business, I'll just pretend it was for me : ) It was a good day - loving family, good friends, yummy food, I am blessed.

PS. My birthday gift from Kyle was a new MAC computer for my photography business. With a 24" screen and incredible processing speed, editing has become soooooo much easier.
Thank you Sweetheart!

wiped clean

So, today Kekoa colored on four of our walls in bright orange crayon. You can imagine the damage done by a energetic 3 1/2 - year old in the time it took me to change Iosepa's diaper and clothes upstairs (I decided against taking a picture of it to discourage future occurrences).
I was very, very unhappy with him and tried to figure out a way to discipline him and teach him to not do it again. After looking up online how to remove crayon from walls, we got to work. During the time we were scrubbing away, I actually learned a little lesson myself. Well, not a new lesson, but more of a reminder. I thought of how Kekoa, not matter how much time I'd give him was not capable of cleaning the walls on his own. And I thought of the repentance process and our need for the Savior. I felt grateful for that reminder and the understanding I have. I wonder how many more lessons I could learn in the everyday of life, if I'd look with the right eyes.

PS. Just in case anyone needs it for future reference - a clean white cloth, dampened, and a good amount of baking soda will take the crayon off walls (click here for link I found)

Dance Baby Dance

(click on picture to see larger images)

These pictures were actually taken back on Valentine's Day, but I am only now getting them together for a post. This is what happens when you have a husband that does Polynesian dancing on the side for recreation. I love it. Kekoa has been trying to dance like Daddy since he was 18 months old and now Ikaika is right behind him. I actually wish they would do it more often. Kekoa is now more into horses, fighting bad guys (by the way, the other day he said prayer for lunch and prayed he could meet some bad guys so he could fight them...hmmm), and super heroes than he is into dancing, so when he had this little dance session, I had to break out the camera. Kekoa is using his fire-knife stick that Kyle made for him when he first started dancing (that boy could spin that thing at 18 months!) and Ikaika is using a sword as his dance stick. Poor guy - Daddy needs to make him his own... The both have makeshift leis as part of their costumes. Kekoa has always loved that blue necklace (and no, it is not girl's dress-up jewelry, it is part of his costume: ) Since Ikaika has to be just like Kekoa and they started fighting over the necklace, I had to find something that would work for Ikaika. All I could find was that winner's medal necklace, so it had to suffice. Happily, Ikaika did not mind, he was dressed to dance. And dance they did. It was so cute. The last row of pictures is of the ending pose of the dance. It makes me laugh so hard to see cute little Ikaika trying to imitate his brother. So precious. I love remembering moments like this. I know they are going to grow up way to soon.
m

Spiritual Rejuvenation

Today we attended the funeral of a young man that was in the singles ward where Kyle served as a member of the bishopric last year - Cameron Williams.
He was one of the executive secretaries of the ward and so Kyle knew him quite well. He passed away a little over a week ago after a 6-month battle with cancer. He was only 25 years old. More of his story can be found on the website his family created for him called togetherwecam.com
It was such an incredible service for him, and I felt deeply edified afterward. I have been to a few funerals in my life, but none have taught me so much and changed my heart in a way that I can never forget.
I talked with Cameron a few times, but did not know him very well. What was so powerful to me was the evidence of the power of the gospel and plan of salvation in the life of this sweet family. Being a mother (and a recent new-mother for the third time), my heart is tender toward the doctrine of the family and family relationships. I love the term of the doctrine of the family. I have only recently really recognized the principle of family as truly qualifying to be doctrine through recent conferences. The testimonies and experiences shared by Cameron's family members gave me a vision of what I hope my family to be like years from now when our children are grown. There was such love, support and eternal perspective as they went through an extremely trying time.
The siblings shared loving and joyous memories. I thought of how much I want my children to love and serve each other. The mother sang a song - "Oh, That I Were an Angel." I thought of the reality of the plan of salvation and how I hope to teach that to my children in a way where when such difficult times come, they will not be shaken. The father gave one of the most powerful talks I have ever heard. He taught principles of the gospel that will forever be written upon my heart. He taught that with separation comes the great blessing of a joyous reunion. One day we will be reunited with our loved ones. He reminded us that we have been separated from our Heavenly Father and he longs for us to return to Him, to have that joyous reunion. He pointed out that with the miracle of the atonement, the Savior himself had to be separated from His Father.
The music, the words, the prayers were all so powerful. I have reflected on it all day. I have vowed to be more tender toward my children (Kekoa has especially been trying my patience lately), to treasure each day and to draw nearer to the Savior. I hope that the days coming will not fade the feelings and convictions of this day - that is partly why I write this all down.
In dealing with the overwhelming of everyday life I feel like I have not felt the power of the Spirit for a while. How grateful I am for this day of spiritual rejuvenation and sweet teachings of the Spirit.