Little By Little

Last year, we struggled with my 2nd oldest and his Math grade. All year, trying to get him to where he felt comfortable and was able to learn. It was one hurdle after another. Pushing him to remember to turn in his homework, and simple reminders didn't work. I had to try a new strategy, I made him sit out during football practice, until I saw an improvement. The grade improved..... a little bit. But after football season was done, back to not turning in homework. So, I pinned his homework to his shirt. Short of walking with him to class and handing it in for him, I had to do something. That did it. He turned in everything, problem was, finished or unfinished, he still turned it in lol! Anyhow, it got to the point where, I was just fed up. But I couldn't give up. I knew that he was smart enough to get it, he just wasn't applying himself. So this year, the scary Jr high years, needless to say, I was worried! But this kid of mine, totally proved to me that he CAN do what he puts his mind to. Walking into their school and seeing that Warriors Club list...... words can't explain. So proud of his diligence and his effort. I'm hoping that all of the extra work and tutoring has helped him to feel more comfortable.  And that he stays with it all the way through High School. Proud of my boys!

A Father's Blessing

Growing up, my dad would give each of us a Father's blessing at the beginning of the school year. It is one of my fondest memories of my childhood. Although I cannot remember the words spoken, I can still remember the feeling. Some of those feelings were that of peace, comfort and love.
We have struggled along the years, making mistakes, learning and most of all growing. But this year has been one of growth, and recognizing blessing.
So, this year was the first year my DH gave our children a Father's Blessing. I hope that it is something that will continue and that when they are older, they too will remember feeling peace, comfort and most importantly love.
Being able to chat one on one with each of them, and talk about their goals for the year, things that trouble them and things they would like to do. My two
Oldest are in Middle School and are total opposites. Marques just wants to take his high school equivalency test and be done with it. Silly kid. I try to reassure him that high school will be some of the funnest years of his life, he doesn't believe me lol
Jonah is SO social. He is just so ready for school to start so that he can hang out with his friends. He is reminds me of my teenage self :/ lol
Between reminding them to be good boys, do good in school and being a good example, there was talk of being a good friend, making good friends, peer pressure and church. Anyhow, that simple fathers blessing, reminded me of why and through whom I am abundantly blessed. Everything may not be perfect, but I am content with the blessings I do have, and the tender mercies the good Lord bestows on me & my family.

End of the school year 2013

This school year has finally come to an end. My Jonah promoted from 6th grade?! Another one leaves elementary and is off to Jr High! The night before his promotion, he kept bugging me to call his mama & papa and remind them about his promotion. I wasn't sure what all the commotion was about until my daughter told me Jonah was asked to speak at promotion. I immediately felt so nervous for him, and for myself lol if you know this child of mine, he is not scared to speak his mind, and sometimes, there is no filter between the brain and the mouth. But, I had to trust him. It was after all his speech and not mine.
I have to say though, he did a very good job writing & delivering his speech. I was so proud to see how much he has grown. He was also one of 4 who received the Washingtonian award. This year he struggled a bit but kept on pushing and trying and ended his 6th grade year on a great note. He also received the Bug award for bringing his Math scores up.
Later that evening we attended Honors night with Marques, where he received 2 academic awards, one of which is the Presidential Academic Award. I worried about him adjusting socially at school, but so far, the move to this Jr High has been a good one. I was so grateful to see my family attend both Jonah's promotion & Marques' award assembly. Being that they live in Lehi, but they still make an effort to come and support my kids. I know it meant even more to my kids to see their grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins at their special day.
The next day was elementary kids end of the year awards assembly where all 5 received awards for academics, and 2 received awards for citizenship. I hope that their love for learning continues as the years go on. I am so proud of them and how hard they work in school.

Nonu6: Although our home can be a bit hectic, and noisy. And you all have your naughty moments. I know we will go through ups & downs, BUT I am so grateful the Lord blessed my life with each and every one of you. You can never know the amount of joy and true happiness you bring into this old heart of mine. I would never trade being your mother for anything in this world. I love you always. Momma.

Family Home Evening Funnies

Dwayne taught our lesson "Do Unto Others" and asked the kids to draw a picture of their prized possession and then present your picture.

Dawson stands up.

"things that are my most prized possession is a tree, because if we didn't have trees, we'd die because we have no air. Also my clothes, and my shoes and my other prized possession is my face!"

A year of trials & a year of lessons.

If someone had told me 2 years ago that I would be where I am today, I'd call them a bold faced liar. It was inevitable the route my life, & my family was headed. But being the stubborn & prideful person that I "was", you couldn't tell me anything.
Growing up, my dad would often say to me, "there is no pain greater than the pain of regret."
And boy has this quote been the subtitle of my life for the past few years. because of choices I made, I suffered, and caused my family to suffer. Not doing the right thing in all aspects of life, and then wondered why things went so wrong. I feel that finally being able to take a step back and really look at myself, and really self evaluate, and facing trial after trial is what I needed. It was the swift kick in the butt that was a long time coming. Although we still face struggles & trials, I feel I am better equipped to be able to handle them, rather than run & hide. I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for continuing to bless me, and for his tender mercies. Although I have not been worthy, I feel like He was still holding out hope that I would change and change for the better. One of the ways I see his tender mercies, is in my children. I know, people probably think I brag on my kids a little too much, but that's because I know what they have been through, and yet, I see them flourish. They are too good to me & are my constant reminders to always remember the Lords hand in my life. They are that beautiful flower growing in the desert. If they become good people, it is not because of me.
Another way I have seen his blessings in my life is through my family. When I say "my" family, I am referring to my family & my husbands family.They have all been a blessing in our lives, whether big or small, they have helped and I don't think I could ever repay them. I'm sure that the self inflicted trials are over, but come what.may, I have what I need and am holding on tight to the One that will always guide me through anything.

Devon turns Eight!

Devon! How quickly did we get here? The day you were born, we anticipated your arrival with so much excitement. At that time, we thought that you, we're going to be our last, so I let your dad name you lol! That is why you share his middle name.
I am so proud of your decision to be baptized and become a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a very special day, your dad baptized you & your papa did the confirmation. You were surrounded by your family, mama, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
After your baptism & confirmation, we served a light refreshment for your guests and family.
Sunday, your bore your testimony. Out of all of your siblings, you are the only one I didn't have to write a testimony for. One of your strengths is communicating, so I knew you would do a great job of expressing yourself & your love of the Savior, without any help from me . And I guessed right, you did a beautiful job.

You are such a sweet boy, but at the same time, very protective, especially over your sisters & your little brother. You love drawing, teasing the other kids, football, and making friends.

I love you so very much, I hope that you continue to keep Heavenly Father in the center of your life. And that you will continue to grow in health & optimism. Although we say you have 8 lives, and you have 7 left :) I hope you make the best of your life, serving your family, friends, & Heavenly Father.

xoxo love you always

Jonah..

Happy 12th birthday son! Just a quick recap on life as you know it. Right now, you are playing football at right guard. You play the Cello, you like hanging out with you buddies Zack & Zane, and you are my peacemaker.

I wanted to share with you what your mama posted about you in a birthday message. 

"Jonah, remember that you are a special boy because grandpa Sagapolutele named you "Tuala ma Sala" I believe he lovez you so much, remember who you are and be a good person. Ia amio tausa'afia, tamali'i,  ma tauagafau." 

-Mama 

Grandpa gave you such a special middle name in hopes that one of his great grandsons would carry on his family name on the Sagapolutele & Tafua side. You remind me so much of grandpa. Your kind smile, you are a gentle giant, already taller than me lol. And in your ability to make friends with ease. I want you to always remember how much he loved Iyou, and that he is always watching over you.

I can't wait until you receive your Priesthood! I am looking forward to that day! Love you so much, Jonah who swallowed the whale l!

Your birthday treat, GO NINERS!

It's official!

I am now the mother of a TEENAGER! Marques, I am still in awe of the young man you are turning into! Words cannot express my love & admiration for you. I truly feel of my Saviors love for me as I watch you grow.
You are responsible, quiet, humble, and you never hold back from telling me how your day went. Or asking if I need anything before you head out the door. I feel extremely blessed to be your mom, because I haven't had to do much in raising you.
I pray that as you grow, your desire to serve the Lord increases. That you will always remember who you are and you will always be that fun loving kid that sings and dances out loud while we are driving in the car lol. I love you my first born,thank you for all that you do.

Favorite Time of Year

Who doesn't love FALL! One of our favorite things to do is go to the pumpkin patch, I'm hoping the six are not too grown for it just yet!

 

Sweet Rose

Yesterday you turned 11! I know you are so excited that you are getting older, but is it ok if mom wishes that you would stop growing, maybe even possibly go back to being a 3 yr old or younger? So I can relive the days when you were just a baby, learning new things and the cute way you talked when you didn't know how to pronounce words? *sigh*
Now, you are almost a teenager. You are so independent and you sometimes give me attitude. lol. Although I miss those days, I am looking forward to watching you grow into a young woman. I am excited for the milestones that lie ahead of you and can't wait to see how your story goes.. all I can hope for, is that you are happy, healthy and that you love the Lord.
Since the day you made your grand entrance into this world, with no help from the doctors & nurses, you have always been my strong willed child. The one that marches to her own beat. I admire that about you. I admire your exuberant spirit, strong mind, and adventurous ways. I love the sound of your voice. You may not know it, but, every time you are singing or humming to yourself, it warms my heart. I could sit all day and just listen to your sweet voice, because you are my daughter. Because you are a part of my heart, and listening to it, is the sweetest joy.

I love you Rosileni. My sweet Rose. Always & forever.

My Dawson

 

 

This weekend my Dawson turned 6! I can't believe how time has flown by!

Dawson, I still remember the day you were born. You were a premie, a whole month early and you were my smallest baby. You weighed in at a whopping 6lbs! Be before we left the hospital you weighed in at 6lbs 4oz! And you have been growing ever since.
I still remember being able to lay you on my chest, you were so tiny! And here we are, you graduated Kindergarten! You turned 6! You finally got your first puppy even though you know mom hates dogs, but I know how much you've wanted a dog.
I didn't get to document your graduation, but, do you remember that day? I know I will always remember that day. Mama, uncle Lyle, and the Selu's came to see you get your little diploma and awards. I remember staying up all night getting your basketball lei done because you did NOT want a lei with flowers lol. You are such a BOY! Anyhow, for your 6th birthday we kept it simple, we opted for swimming & the drive in! You were so busy worrying about your puppy, that we did not get to swim long. That's how much you love your little puppy. We even snuck him into the drive in because you refused to leave him at home.
You are such a kind hearted little boy. You can be naughty at times, but I guess that comes with being the youngest. But I hope that having your puppy will help to calm you down a bit :)

Love you to the moon my sweet boy.

Marques

Dear Marques, The past year has been a roller coaster hasn't it! You started 6th grade and moved to a new school. I can't tell you how much you have grown, you're as tall as me lol. You have also matured so much! You recently got your Priesthood and I can't tell you enough how proud I am of you! You are such a great help to me and not to mention a good example to your brothers & sisters. I pray the Lord will continue to bless your life, stay close to him & continue to be the goofy kid that you are.

One Foundation

If you missed it, you missed a great show. Listening to them perform their songs that reminded me of the 90's and singing the songs word for word w/ my girlfriends was priceless! Just a few pics courtesy of my cousin Lisa.

 Me, Lisa, Angie only pic of us girls together, blurry or not, I'm posting it :)

 Dancing and singing is what was on the agenda for the night.

And then committing Shoe-i-cide with these sweet cakes on my feet. A nice long foot soak was on order when I got home.

in the works....

Morning of...

Busy day today. I should be sleeping but can't. I've been up since yesterday morning, went to flag day with the Nonu 6. I got some otai and it had an umbrella attached. Devon studied it intently and then asked, 'Mom, is that Samoan?" pointing at Chinese writing. haha. I know I need to teach them more about their culture. I'm just.... LAZY. Well, I HAD pics of my fav Josh Wawa White from sound check today haha, but, it's not cooperating. Have to keep my mind clear and be ready for my day today. Happy Thursday?!