happy 5th birthday and happy graduation

May 2011 was a hard month for me, my baby turned 5 years old and also graduated from preschool.


Since his 4th birthday he has reached the following milestones;


1. Tai has not had one single potty accident so far (one accomplishment mommy is very proud of)


2. Tai can count from 1-20 and recognizes the numbers.


3. He can write letters A-M both big and small and know their sounds.


4. Tai is now the proud parent of a new Beta fish and a guniea pig - and they are still happy and alive.


5. Tai has grown 2 and a quarter inches tall.


6. He has not scored a soccer goal yet but has come along way and is finally playing and practicing with his teammates without being attatched to mommies leg.


7. He has overcomed his fear of dark basements and is now willing to run downtairs without calling out for someone to go with him.


8. He can ride his bike still with training wheels but he is going faster then ever.


9. He has also learned to pump his legs on the swings and doesn't need anyone to push him.


10. Tai can write his name.


Tai is growing so fast and learning so many things, and slowly becoming more independent. He amazes me everyday, and pretty soon I'll me adding getting baptized, and going on a mission to the list. My heart is so full when I think of how lucky I am to have this kid for a son.


Mommy loves you Tai and happy 5th birthday again to my greatest blessing.

Aggies in the house

I have been holding my breath for the past couple months because I have been wanting this for so long, and finally got the opportunity.
This past summer I decided that I wanted to continue my education and apply to get my graduate degree in SW, as my son will finally start kindergarden soon. This past fall I learned really quick that the brain is a muscle, and my brain was very out of shape. I did my best to prepare to take the GRE and took it and scored really bad, I took it again couple months later and did even worse. Also at the time I realized why my parents kept telling me to do good in college , because looking at my grades it was no where near what was required for my program. Well to make a long story short , I submitted my application in anyways, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Miracles do happen and I got accepted in the Utah state University MSW program, I'll officially become an Aggie, and start school august 2011.Also my son got into his charter school for kinder garden , and we will be starting school together in august2011.

I feel very blessed and excited to be starting this new chapter in my life, adding school to my current job and my other job as a mother to my two boys (Vete and Tai) like it is not already busy as it is- I'm still excited-lol!

Mars needs moms

Tai has been asking to watch rango and because it was mommies date with Tai, I convinced him to watch "Mars needs moms", and he can go watch Rango on daddy and Tai's day out. He agreed and we had an awesome time, the perfect movie to watch on a mommy and son date. A cute story, and I cried towards the end (whats new). Great bonding moment with my lil man!

My next project

Lately I have been on a craft roll, this is what i have done so far- more to come.

I wanted to show off my first attempt to modge podging my dresser, I have some air bubbles I couldn't get rid of but other then that I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. In the future I may change out the hardware but painting what I had black is good enough for now.

Currently I'm working on Tai's room, he wants a "Mickey Mouse" room. Tai loves those classic Mickey mouse and donald duck cartoon shorts, the kid cracks up non stop watching them. My goal with this room is to decorate it with the classic mickey mouse look. It's gonna be hard cause my budget is very, very, very minimal so I really have to be creative. This is the first thing that I made - the chair I got from DI - cost 5.00 (only me can try and negotiate the price lower at a DI). I painted it with black acrylic paint and red glossy acrylic paint, then cut out the mickey and the buttons with white cardstock- and modge podge them on. If I could do it again I would have used vinyl for the mickey, but again I'm on a budet. Tai loves it and I cannot wait to finish the room- and yes I do watch too much hgtv.

Happy late-Halloween.

I'm really blogging out of order- here are some pictures of our trunk or treat.

Tai was a GI Joe, and yes his costume was on clearance last year, and yes I convinced him that GI Joes are the coolest ever even though he had no idea what a GI Joe is. Sad to say I did it again, and bought another costume on clearance for next year- I'll be spending all year trying to convince Tai Ninja's are cool. Not sure if I can keep doing this any longer , he maybe catching on......

Taituliatu and uncle Taisamoa
Cutest dog I ever met

Bishop Te'o

Tai and friends

Grandparents

Because Grandparents are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.
~Jimmy Carter

Grandma and Grandpa Betham with Drew and Tai

Grandma and Grandpa Ho Ching with Tai

My Baby is 4

This post is a couple months old, but oh well thats what I get. My little big boy turned 4 years old on May 30, 2010, and we had a little birthday party for him to celebrate. Looking back on this day made me realize how little time I have left to spend with him. I can feel those teenage years coimng around the corner, I know those days of rebellion and fia poto-ness (my new word) are gonna be here sooner then I think. For now I cherish every moment I get to spend with my son, my greatest blessing. This kid is so special to me because in his eyes I am the funniest person, I can say anything and he cracks up. He thinks I am so cool, and he just loves having tickle parties. I am so thankful to be his Mommy, and Tai I love you to the moon and back million, billions times over.

What a year!

Wow I have been so MIA lately in the blogging world and it feels good to be back! I have been reading past posts and I realized how important it is to blog. Reading these past posts brought back so many old memories some good some bad, but I loved it. I have a huge gap on my blog, and I'll do my best to fill it with this post.

So lets start with the sad stuff, so year ago I had a miscarriage and it's a small event but had a huge impact on me. I struggled with feelings of being inadequate, and broken both physically and emotionally. Feelings of regret really brought negativity in my life, and I found myself putting blame on others, and also wondering about the what if's? I was a really negative person, I was miserable, I gained a ton of weight and I just didn't want to be happy. During this struggle I realized a lot of things, I realized that I had a wonderful supportive husband and the reasons why I married him magnified. I have developed a relationship with my savior Jesus Christ and realized my worth as a daughter of God. I still struggle with infertility and still as baby hungry as ever but this struggle has helped me grow in many ways and I'm just so grateful for my testimony, my family and everything that I have- especially the light of my life my son.

After this happened we started house shopping and bought a house and it's been a year since we have been here. Still so many unfinished projects, and lots of work but getting there. Home ownership has many pros and cons- the feeling we get when we pull into our driveway and know that all our hard work is going towards something other then down the drain is priceless. However the feeling I get when I open my bills sucks- bigger place bigger bills. This is the only time I miss the draper condo! Also we are learning so much from my bro and sis in-law on how to change fuses, how to winterize and ect., grateful they live close. We are just very happy with what we have, never mind about the decline in house values we won't go there- lol!

After moving to the Lehi area we decided that we wanted to start attending the Samoan ward-Lehi 42nd. Other then my home ward Laie 1st- I have never felt more at home then I feel in this ward. I have been inactive for a huge part of my life and coming to this ward has been a blessing to both me and my family. Vete started to go to church and he has struggled with things in his life and this ward has fellowshipped him back to church and I will forever be in debt to this ward for that alone. It's been a long time coming and I never thought that I would be going to church with my husband, I cherish the moments that we have just sitting together as a family in church. Since moving to this ward I have been called to the relief society, and Vete has been called to the Elders Quorum, these callings have been challenging but they have helped both of us grow spiritually. This past June 2010 our family was sealed in the Draper temple. I look back on that day and it was pretty hectic before and after the sealing but the sealing itself was beautiful. I have never been this happy before, it's amazing how everything falls into place when you put the Lord first in your life. So whats going on with us now? Tai is in preschool, and he is four years old and growing up too quick. He is so smart, and just like me very clumsey. I think Vete and I will push academics on this kid, but who knows he may surprise Vete and I and be more of an athlete when he gets older. He is the tallest in his preschool class and we just hope he starts to put on weight so that he can grow horizontally aswell. He is in to Super why right now, and his favorite color is purple and what can I say about this kid, other then he is the bomb- the center of me and Vetes world! Vete is busy with work and we rarely see him because of his calling but would nothave it any other way. I'm still working, will be working till the day I die- but I cannot complain, I am grateful for my job and it's security. I'm working out again trying to lose all the weight , but this time around I'm in it for the long haul and not the quick fix. I'm also preparing to go back to school, and hoping and praying I get in. This year has allowed us to grow in so many ways, and I hope I can stay consistent with blogging this time around so that I can capture all the memories.

FHE pumpkin activity

We spray painted pumpkins and painted them for FHE. They are not the cutiest things but at least we have some kind of decor reflecting the holidays, because I'm so lazy oops I mean busy to put up decor and then turn around and take them down. This is as festive as I can get, and Tai didn't get paint everywhere- so all in all great FHE.

Farm Country Field trip

Field trip to Farm Country, this place stinks so bad- but my nose started to tolerate the smell the longer I was there.

Tai loved it there, too bad it's too cold to go back. Had a blast!

First dentist appointment

Took Tai to his first dentist appointment, he goes to the "out of this world" dental office in Draper. This office is pretty cool, the lobby is very kid friendly and the staff is super nice and accommodating to kids. It was a great experience Tai wants to go back, and we will be going back not only because its cool but he's got 4 cavities. Yes shame on mommy, good thing we have good insurance.

Ice cream truck

The ice cream truck comes by our house everyday and as soon as Tai hears the tune he starts to cry for an ice cream. At the beginning of the summer the ice cream truck came by and I had a dollar, so I took Tai out to get something from the truck. To my amazement did not have enough cash to buy an ice cream- talk about rip off ice cream prices. So from that time on when the ice cream truck passes bye with its annoying tune, and my son starts begging for an ice cream- the answer has always been a no, and it's followed by a sad lil boy. Since it was the end of the summer and I had more then a dollar on me, I decided to give in. The ice cream truck drove bye with its annoying tune, and I told my son lets go get one- he was so excited and happy. For that day I was a cool Mom, I just had to blog about this because when my son grows up and tells me I never get anything from the ice cream truck I have proof-lol. Now if it was the manapua truck this would be a different story.....

Lately.......

So much has gone on lately I don't know where to begin. Summer has been over for a while now and I had no vacation, no tan, of course fell off the work out routine, but I still had a blast! Spent most of the summer days working, but still filled in a lot of time to spend with the family- and build memories. Our summer was very simple, spent many cool afternoons under a shaded tree watching Tai play at a neighborhood park. Went to various fairs and festivals, walks to great harvest for our favorite treats, and bikes rides to our favorite destination jamba juice. I think this summer I realized how much I take for granted, how much I love my family both near and far, and how much my Heavenly Father loves me and looks out for me in every way. We started the summer excitedly awaiting the birth of our baby, unfortunately we lost the baby. The only experience I have ever had with a tough loss was when my grandma died, but I was really young when that happened. We have great family and friends that have shown their support, and things like this happen all the time. But I think the sudden shock and change just hit us really hard. Vete and I are at a place now that we are ok with what happened, we can talk about it and not want to break down and cry. Knowing that we can rely on our Heavenly Father and the he is always there for us, brings us so much comfort. All we can do now is move on and try again.

A lot has happened with Tai, he is officially potty trained. This kid amazes me, regardless of the fact that it took him a while- once he was ready to be potty trained he got it. I was hesitant to let him sleep without a diaper, or go out and run errands with him without putting a diaper on him- but I had nothing to worry about. Once I started to trust him that he would ask me to go potty, or go on his own, then he was fine. I love it, makes life so much easier. Tai also sleeps in his own bed which is a huge leap forward for Vete and for Tai. Vete loves to cuddle with his son, and Tai loves it as well- but with two moefiki's(sorry for the spelling) I need my space and my sleep. So I got a killer deal at Ikea on a bed for Tai, and once we set it up he has stayed in his bed all night and doesn't want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy anymore.

We also have lost our property virginity, and finally bought our first home. We were hesitant to buy because Vete is in school, and that alone is a huge financial and time burden. But the cost of homes, and the tax credits really got us off the fence. When we found the home that was perfect for us, we knew we had to get it. We are now in Lehi and love it, but we miss the convenience of Draper, everything was walking distance away (not that we walked). We also miss the Draper condo, so much of my growing up happened while we were living there. I became a Mother, I slowly matured into an adult, we had our first Christmas together there, I learned how a keep a home and to take care of my family. We had so many memories in the four years that we lived at the condo, and I will miss it. I'm not going to post pictures of the house, only because we are so wanting to host and have people over- so if you are in the area come by and visit(just give me a couple of minutes to stuff all my mess into a closet). J/K once I find my USB cable I'll post pictures, but seriously. Since we moved to Lehi, we decided to attend the Samoan ward out here. All I can say is that I feel like I belong, people are so warm, and so nice and Vete likes it too so that is a huge plus. I liked my Palagi ward, and ward members were friendly but I really felt out of place. We are really happy with our decision to attend the Samoan ward.

Gosh novel yeah, happy holidays everyone!

Remeber the time....

I have been trying for the longest time to upload my high school photos before I post this but I give up it's not working. So it's been ten years since I've walked the halls of old Kahuku High, and I have nothing but fond memories of my Alma mater the greatest high school ever. Kahuku was known for academics, athletics, and the best song fest ever (sorry Harm you know I luv Kam)- forget the all the bad stuff anyone has heard of Kahuku they were all just rumors- j/k. So in my eyes Kahuku was the bomb! I miss the days when we would pass the old Kahuku church riding on the school bus after a game and someone would pound on the bus seats and everyone in bus would start singing the Alma mater "In old Kahuku stands our Alma Mater
Where the salt winds blow day after day.......", every single time we hit the last lines of the Alma mater "All hail, Kahuku, hail!" right when the bus stops in front of the gym. I also remember the infamous "you get one quata?" askers at the front of the lunch line. The CP's roaming the school looking for a cutter, I'm proud to say that I never cut class- I actually never had the guts to cut class always so afraid of what my parents might do. I remember our lunch table my friends and I always ate at, right by the stage- or even the side of the cafe we use to hang out at during recess. I also remember every Friday at the last block of the day we had an assembly, and they were always the best. High school was great for me not because I dated the cutest guy, or I partied a lot- which are the things I wish I did or could do. But partly because I had a great group of friends who were all about having clean fun, and for the most part were drama free. It's rare that you have friends that you went to elem. school, intermediate, and high school together and to this day they are still my best friends. Everyone who grew up with me knows that I was always on lock down- couldn't go anywhere or do anything unless it was school related. That is why I got involved in every single club or activity, I was able to go to dances that way and actually have a tiny bit of a social life, never mind that my Mom was there as a chaperon, at least I was out of my house. I miss those days playing sports: volleyball, basketball, tennis, and even paddling for one year - practices and games were a huge bulk of high school for me. Although I didn't have the skills to play at a collegiate level, I learned a lot from my team mates and coaches- and I learned a lot about myself. I could go on about my high school years at Kahuku, but I think their is a cap on how many words allotted on a post. To sum it up I would not do those years over again, but I will definitely never forget all the fond memories I had at Kahuku- pride of the North shore!

Our president Marina Toelupe aka Fonoimoana, organized a mainland reunion which was suppose to be at a park but changed to be held at her home due to the wheat her. Although just a handful of us showed up it was fun to get together and visit with everyone. Everyone has grown up, we all have families- I am the one with the least amount of children but I'm working on it. Uila one of my best friends flew in from Hawaii just for the reunion. Later that week we had a surprise baby shower for Uila and Teizi, Juaul, Edna, and Tupu all came to celebrate. Before Uila went back to Hawaii Juaul, Uila, Tupu and I went out to eat- and it seemed like a class reunion lasted a week. Good to see everyone, wish I could make it to the Hawaii one in oct09, but I don't want to show up looking like an elephant I'll be about 7 months by then. I'll wait to see pics., and hear stories!

Big boy hair cut

We cut Tai's beautiful light blondish brown curly hair! He has been asking us to cut it, I'm also so tired of hearing people call him a girl and since it's so hot out we thought it's time. Vete didn't want to come with me because it was too hard on him, (I know what a big baby). I took him to cookie cutters again and the lady saw his hair and was like- "are you sure you want to cut this beautiful hair"? I told her, "not to ask me again because it was a hard decision and I might change my mind"- but of course I said it nicely. She started to buzz the sides and as the long curls fell to the ground I wanted to tell her to "stop!", "that's enough", but this is want he wanted it's not what we want anymore. When she was done it was like seeing a different Tai, he still looks like my lil boy just different. When we got home, Vete couldn't stop laughing- Tai just stood there wondering what his Dad was laughing at. Vete doesn't like it, and now is determined to grow his hair out again- I'll get to that battle when it comes. For now I'm enjoying my new sons look, he does look more palagi but I think it's growing on me!