A Cop, A Nurse, and 5 little Piggies!

???

2011-09-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's time??

2011-05-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

I think that when your baby asks for a bottle and you say, "go get it," and she decides to get the stool, push it up to the bottle cabinet, climb on it, open the cabinet, get out the bottle, and turn the water on......Maybe it's time to wean her?? This has been the hardest thing to decide, only because she is my baby and who knows when I will finally talk Kevin into just one more, hahaha! I really want 3 more, but shhh, we will just work on the one for right now! Anyways, this was dangerous and just so you know Kevin was watching her without her knowing, and just thought that it was the cutest.

I still cannot bear the thought of getting rid of the Baby things because who knows when I may have the need for them once more. She is so attached to it also, I mean every night she goes right to bed with it, and every nap. I have never had a baby regularly nap every single day like she does without fail, because of the bottle. I am kinda scared of losing that. However, I do feel somewhat lacking in the toddler training department because of my inability to take away her precious, security, comforting friend for all her sleeping life. Maybe at this time I shall ask for ideas on how to help?? I do have to say that I love her sassy happy attitude and am so glad that I won when I talked Kevin into having baby #5, Lol!

Kya 05/02/2011, by Stacie Fuller

2011-05-02T10:41:00.001-07:00

I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Vacation Post #3!

2011-03-22T19:35:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary Babe!

2011-03-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

On March 20th, 2011, it will be mine and Stacie's 13th year together. Stacie and I have been extremely busy with not only our careers, but also our family, and the sickness' that we have had to battle.

As many already know, my Stacie received the H1N1 vaccination in October of last year. The vaccination caused Stacie to obtain a disease called Guillian Barre Syndrome. I am just writting a little about how this disease has affected our family and especially Stacie. I would like to compare the uprooting of our family to a puzzle. Our family was a perfect placed puzzle with all the pieces in line and attached together. This disease caused this puzzle to be picked up and dropped on the floor, causing not only havoc, confusion, stress and heartbreak but also causing a huge mess.

Our dream as a couple is to help people and to teach our children how to do the same. How can we go from helping others to now being the ones that need the help? Many family members and friends stepped in and helped more than I ever imagined they would, especially under all of their own circumstances, illnesses and problems, and many are still helping.

Our dreams are scattered and now just coping day by day can be difficult.

Now here is the good part of the story, which of course is completely based about Stacie. Those who know Stacie know how extremely intelligent, loving, caring, kind, crazy, gorgeous and hard working she is. Stacie, in high school, was always trying to better herself and help others as well. Stacie had a course to teach the mentally handicap class. Basic skills were taught and Stacie enjoyed every minute of it. This was not enough for Stacie to just teach basics so she came up with her own class idea to teach the students not only basics but also advanced personable skills for everyday life. Stacie taught the students how to use their imagination and explore these imaginary basics that most of them have never had the capacity to even think of trying. Stacie taught them the art of acting and theater. This course was patterned by Stacie and is still in effect at the high school. During this time Stacie also understood the power of humility. What high school student can say that? Not many! Stacie takes no credit for this act of charity.

Now teaching the said course is hard enough on its own, but Stacie also had extremely hard courses on her own, including college courses and advanced classes throughout all of high school. She knew what she wanted and went after it. Stacie was given the Sterling Scholar award, which is the most prestigous award given in high school. She also made time to be in the student body presidency every year as well. She played softball in leagues as well and, some how she even had time to date me.

After high school I was out of the picture on a mission and Stacie went to college at the Uof U. She continued to take her elevated courses, and also became part of the school class presidency for the students recruitment center. During this time Stacie also had three jobs and still somehow had time to date. Stacie met a guy that was struggling with himself and with his self esteem. This man had no life goals. Over a period of just a year or so, Stacie helped change this man into a very confident and caring individual who set high goals and kept those goals. This guy also went on a mission, (which was one of his goals, made after he met Stacie).

I came back into the picture and just two months later, I married my Stacie. At this time I never felt so much love in my life (literally). Anyways, even though the love was there this first year of marriage was hard. Stacie is a very confident, independant woman and I am a very stubborn, cuddly guy. I understand how smothered she must have felt. These times were tough but definetely worth the struggles. During these times, I had a job building furniture and Stacie (of course) continued her education. Money sucked and Stacie got us another job running the Ellerbeck mansion bed and breakfast in Salt Lake avenues. I loved the mansion, we lived in the haunted basement and our guests stayed up on the second and third levels. Stacie ran the place while I worked elsewhere. Not only did Stacie have time to do all of this but she also had time to date me and sspend time with me, and of course she became pregnant.

Morning sickness did not mix well with making breakfast in bed for people. It also did not mix well with the cleaning of pubic hairs out of the tubs and showers. We moved into an apartment complex, and that is right, Stacie became the apartment manager over the approximate 300 units while she still attended school and was pregnant.

I am trying to show everyone a pattern of Stacie's life. No matter what gets in her way she is a go-getter and even goes above and beyond.

I am going to skip a few years and just say that during the skipped years a few babies came and Stacie pushed me to go to college, which I am thankful for.

I became a corrections officer in the jail and then a police officer on the road. Four children later, and expecting a fifth, Stacie decides to go back to college. Now Stacie already has enough credits for a doctorate degree but decides to change her path and go into nursing.

Nursing school was hard. Not only for me but for Stacie as well. Stacie of course could not just be in school. She became the nursing school president and remember she is also pregnant at this time. As the president Stacie and her team raised more money and helped more charities, including the troops, than any other presidency before them, and I bet, even after them. Somehow Stacie still had time for her family.

As a nurse Stacie became the best nurse she always wanted to be. She helped people physically and emotionally and became friends with nearly all of her patients and patients families. Her boss loves her and is always talking about her in a high fashion. Stacie was chosen to be charge nurse over many that had more time working than her. Stacie was also chosen to be the HR nurse in her area which included projects for her to make the hospital a better working environment and a better patient environment. Stacie is incredible at her job.

Boom!!!!!! Guillian Barre!!!!! This disease knocked Stacie straight off of her feet and almost stopped her breathing. This disease knocked me straight off of my feet and kicked me while I was down with more stress than I have ever dealt with. It felt as though the earth shook and a tsunami wiped my entire family out. A year and a half has passed and Stacie still cannot walk at times. She has improved a little but can only do about 50% of what she once was able to do.

I now want to tell everyone that the puzzle on the floor is slowly coming together again, piece by piece, but this time we are using glue to hopefully keep the pieces in place.

Stacie and I have become even stronger as a couple. I give this credit to Stacie. She is the one that continues day by day to battle this disease and yet somehow keep me as happy as she can and help keep the family in order. She continues to fight and kick to stand where she stood before she fell. More and more crap gets in her way but she continues to fight and somehow stay positive. Yes, sometimes, she has bad emotional days, but for the most part she is positive.

Stacie is my superwoman. Through good, bad, horrible, exhausting and straight out stressful times she will always be my Stacie. She deserves this credit! She deserves to shine! She is just plain light. I love you Stacie so much. Happy Anniversary!

Family Thanksgiving pics!

2011-02-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

2010-12-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

My baby Kya last year

All of my sweet kids last year:-)

Kev explaining to Kya don't touch hahaha!!!

Keo climbing, what's new!!

Kee putting decorations on the tree.

Sweet Aja (gotta love the hair)

Ipo finishing up the tree:-) So thankful for my family!!!!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

I decided to update my blog for my mom, because every 6 months isn't good enough...LOL. What a cute family I have.

Yep that's Keo

Wow what a beautiful mom I have!!! I was going to give her botox for her 50th birthday but I don't think she needs it at all.

Sweet Aja

Beautiful Ipo:-) Look forward to another post on Easter.

Ki'Aja turns the big 5!

2010-08-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

This was after a day of swimming at Riverton pool. We all decided we do not like that pool, but sure liked the company. She had Julia and Tyler Kinkade and then all of us. Kev and I both got heat stroke and were so sick when everyone came over for some cake and ice cream.

This is her FAMOUS pose. She always does this and then says "peace y'all" She is so drama, :)

5 years old!

She got a DS lite and was so happy. She also got cute clothes and this dress-up set from Mary and Tyler, and a doll from Nana.

This is her new friend Olivia who lives next door. She really had a great day and is so easy to please. I cannot believe she starts Kindergarten. Time has flown and yet I still can remember when she came home at 4lbs, just tiny and so sweet. She has a caring, sincere, and humorous personality. The other day she had gotten those cute little kid press on nails and she spread them out on my bed and when I came out of the bathroom she bowed all curtsy like with her arm in the air flying round in a circle and her other hand model like showing her nails, and said "mon-Swah" I laughed and said what? when she repeated it again "Mon-Swah". Kevin and I laughed and asked her what does that mean and she said, "your my swan" Wow where does she get these things from? When asked she will say, "Heavenly Father, Duh!" Love her so much and cannot wait to see what the next five, ten, twenty, heck even forty years bring. Hopefully memories and Love!

Fishing with the FULLER Boys!!!

2010-07-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

Happy to be doing what he loves with his kids :)

Colton getting ready to catch the biggest fish of the day!

A complete natural.

Kev teaching the kids his awesome skillzzz.

Worms Yuck!!

The pondering, fishing, and meditating pic is one of my favorites!

Slimey

First fish ever!

First baby fish keo got. He was ecstatic

The meditation paid off. He got a fish!

Kya warn out after all that fishing and boy stuff. I was happy Kev took the kids fishing, and so happy that they all loved it, but I was glad when they all got home that night.

Ku'uipo's talent show!!

2010-05-26T17:13:00.001-07:00

Look at my beautiful girls!

My Hawaiian beauties! She did so good and was not even afraid to perform. She was excited and even Aja followed her lead. There is something magical about watching your kids excel at something and love it!

Another Visit

2010-05-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well I am only blogging today because my Mom keeps bugging me about it. I hate to blog unless it is about something lovely or of good report :) However, this is my journal and public though it may be, I must document.

A while ago I was up at 3AM in pain, weak, yet having to go pee. Well on my way back to bed my legs gave out and I fell into my mattress. I hit my right jaw, tried to catch myself with my right and left arm, and then hit the ground. Well Kev woke up and ran over to help me, laughing a little to himself I am sure, after I got back in bed I even giggled. I did not know how bad that fall would come back to haunt me later. I had a sore right arm, ankle, and jaw for the first couple weeks. My left arm was achy but nothing compared to the rest of me. Well as my arm and ankle continued to hurt I realized it was not a small injury. I saw a doc and after MRI's diagnostic nerve tests, they found that I tore both my right and left rotator cuffs (shoulders), and sprained my right ankle. I also ruptured the bursa sacks above each cuff. PAIN! No other words describe the pain. I thought guillain barre was painful, but now know that this kind of pain is debilitating in its own right. The orthopedic surgeon I saw will not do surgery on me because he believes that I will not heal well due to the guillain barre and he referred me to a physical med doc who can do a facet block in each shoulder until my body is ready for surgery. I cannot wait for the blocks. Hopefully next week they will be able to do them, they may last 6-9 months. That will give me plenty of time to prepare for the surgery.

I also have been on different medications to treat my current condition and I am on coumadin, a blood thinning medication I take for my clotting disorder. I did not know that my coumadin would react with my other medication. I have to take a finger stick monthly and test my INR. It is supposed to be about 3.0-3.5, that is my "goal." That number is the amount of time that it takes my blood to clot. My Mom knows that I am not very good at testing my INR, but once she saw all the bruises on me she started crying, made my Dad drive me home and I had to do the test. When I got the result I freaked. Without going to deep in the medical jargon, I tested my blood and found that it was 8.1, this is a very high INR. It puts me at risk for a hemmorhagic stroke (brain bleed), or internal bleeding. I went to my doc and they sent me to the ER. I am so sick of that place. I mean I get embarrassed when I have to go, and feel like I have now deemed myself, what many medical people refer to as a "frequent Flier" AHHHHHHHH. I hate that term. I am so sad that it has come to this. I am thankful for the medical people that help, but so upset that I am keeping them in business. Anyways, they adjusted my coumadin dose and luckily I was able to go home that night. Thanks to my Dad and Mom for being there when Kevin had to work. I was happy when Kev was able to finish his report and be there for me as well. What a wonderful family I have. I was also happy that nothing major happened and my Mom was listening to her motherly instinct or it could have been bad.

So I thought that things could not get worse, in fact I told my Heavenly Father that I am done and I cannot handle anymore. Kev told me that was a mistake and that Heavenly Father would show me just how strong I am and just exactly what I can handle. Well apparently I am stronger than I think. Last Wednesday I had a headache that got worse as the day wore on. I began vomiting and by Thursday I knew something was not right. I knew it was worse than a normal headache. I began to get scared because of the week prior when my INR was so high. I worried about all the bad things it could be and knew that I had to go to the ER. My Mom and Brittnie took me to the U. I was vomiting still and so sick, by this time I had a stiff neck as well as the headache, thanks so much to my Grandma for watching the kiddies. I also have to thank Stacie Hanson for helping clean my house, get my kids from school, and doing all those things that I could not, Love you!

Well when I got to the U they did the normal CT, blah blah blah. Then they told me they had to do a spinal tap. I hate those. I swear that one day it is going to paralyze me. Even better I have a fear that when I am supposed to hold especially still I will accidentally move and then the needle will go in to far and then I will be permanently paralyzed. This time when the doc was putting the needle in a sharp pain shot down my leg and I told the doc that, I was frightened. He said, "OK" then kept going at the very end he hit a nerve and my leg jumped off the table and did a kick into the air. I was even more frightened then, but the doc said he was done and I was relieved. The results came back and it was not good news, but then again when has it been?

Well Spinal Meningitis it was. They admitted me on the neuro floor and then told me that I had to stay until they identified if it is was viral or bacterial. Bacterial is deadly, viral has a lot of the same symptoms but it runs its course without usually being life threatening. I stayed 2 nights and then on Saturday they found that it was viral. While in the hospital I lost my hearing for a while, had double vision, headache, vomiting, and still had to deal with the shoulder pain. The nurses and staff there were not what I expected. I just wanted to go home. I was not treated like I hope

I treat my patients. Kev had to come in early one morning because I was in so much pain and no one would listen. He was so good. Within in minutes there was the nursing manager, director, charge nurse, and my nurse in the room trying to help me get some relief. I was saddened that it took Kevin being there to do that and I, as the patient, could not. Either way Kevin was the knight on the white horse, hahaha. I begged for them to let me home and luckily they did instead of making me stay until Monday.

Anyways, I am glad that I am home and hopefully can get the facet blocks, then surgery and heal soon. I have to say that at this time I believe that I can handle a lot more than I thought, and know that I can bounce back from this! I cannot wait for the day that I can pay all of you back who love, support, and help us.

Kya Luau!

2010-04-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

This was the best and biggest party we have ever thrown besides our wedding. I have always dreamed of having a luau party and my dream came true, equipped with decorations, party goers, food, and even the BEST entertainers. There are so many wonderful things that went right about this party. Ka'Lya is the best one~turning 1! Mommy and Daddy were proud as can be!

Kevin's Mom and Dad.

The best lookin' family this side of Texas, or wait I meant Hawaii!

My Mom and Dad, thanks Mom for making the cake and all that you did!

Kev and I gave the best speech, hahaha!

My Dad's twin brother Douggy!

Granny and Bobby.

I think this is one of the best pics of the entire day, look how happy they all are, Heidi, Ari'Elle and Mary!

Rielly.

Abbie

Sydney

Myron and Toa Cute :)

Toa and Baby Toa, AKA Soda Pop!

The sweet Hula girls, thanks to Ku'uipo for teaching them she was awesome, and thanks to my Mom for making the cute costumes!

Hula Bum

I just love her, Kaili Sue

Karmen

Happy Larissa

Ipo

I got the best surprise of the night when my best friends since I was 5 came out and danced for all. It was a dream for her to dance and her Dad Toa, also in this pic to perform. I got to check a 2 things off my bucket list. Love you ku'uipo and Toa.

Another highlight, making Tyler dance!

Look at those bums, my lovers is on the right, :)

I love this "arrest" pose!

Look at how beautiful all the girls are!

I had to blow out the candle for her, I loved how Toa lead everyone in song.

PreseNts, she loved this bear.

Brittnie gave her these glasses and look at what a cute pic we got!

Here is the best cake! It came from the creative mind of my Mom! She is the best at coming up with her own ideas. It was so perfect and Kya downed it like no other.

Look at those flip flops.

MmmMMMmmm, she downed this cake like no other, that is cause she had never had cake or ugar until this day....Can you say sugar high???

Memory table

Kya with all the girls!

The cake table.

I love this cake, it was so good too.

Ku'uipo and Myron, Kami, and all Ipo's kids came to help set up. It was a lovely day, and they made it all possible, not to mention all the good that they made. I hear they made over 12 pork roasts!!!! They went to so much work for my party and I am not sure that I can ever repay them for their kindness, Love them!

The parrrtayyyyy!

Below is the cute present table!

New Normal?

2010-04-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

I am up, I have been up since 4AM. I am not up by choice, but rather because of pain. I think this may seem as though I am complaining. I see it as journaling my progress and life change. I have a new normal, and one that I am not happy about, but yet I know I am blessed. Do not take this as though I pity myself or my circumstances. I know and believe that everything happens for a reason, and I know that these things that happen are for our good. They are to make us better, stronger, smarter, honorable, loyal, and so many more things. I am so very blessed and I believe I must start with that rather than the trial. I have the best husband. He has been patient with my disease, he has been such a wonderful and honorable man. He woke up with me tonight when he knew how much pain I was in and laid across my legs. Rubbing them does not help it makes my legs feel like they are bruised, I cannot even describe it. So he lays on them, his warmth and the weight either distracts me or relieves the pain, I cannot tell which. I absolutely HATE to take my medication to relieve the pain, I am so afraid of addiction and dependence. I despise the fact that I require a medication to function. Kevin always tells me that my quality of life is better when I am not in pain, and I am sure that I am nicer, but he never mentions that :) I make sure I only take a certain amount in a day, and I make sure that I never take it at night because I cannot sleep when I am on it. I take a sleep aid so that I can sleep without feeling the pain, until nights like these when even that does not help. I had to take my medication this morning, and I hate that I did. It does not even take all the pain away, but I am thankful for it. I am blessed to have it, I think of the "old days" and wonder what others did for pain relief? Kevin is so loving and he listens, how wonderful is that?
Other blessings include my kids. Who would have guessed that my 4 year old can take care of me? My 4 year old can lay by me and comfort me, shouldn't it be the other way around? She has such patience and a true spirit of compassion. She too woke up when I was in pain at 4AM, I did not even know she was asleep on my floor in my room, but there she was when I stumbled out of the room to get the medicine, I tripped because I am so weak when the pain is substantial, she asked, "Mommy, are you OK?" I was taken back, first of all because she was in my room and second of all because she should be asleep and yet she is awake and wants to help. When I came back from getting the medicine Kevin woke up and laid on my legs. There was Aja in the bed with me and Kev. I said, "honey you need to go to sleep, it is still bedtime." She said, "No Mommy, me and Daddy are taking care of you." How can that not bring tears to your eyes? I wish we were all like little children. She is the most amazing child. All of my kids have learned so much about responsibility from this illness. Kee'Onu yesterday said, "Mommy, you need to stop, I will do this." I love the compassion from him as well, but I also dislike that it has to be used on me. They all have learned how to care for a baby, which is not too hard I guess when it is the cutest baby ever! It has been hard to be weak, in pain, and sometimes bedridden with a baby, but she has been such a happy blessing to us. She is the one who makes it easier when a burden befalls us.
The next blessing is Kevin's job. He is good at it, he loves it, I love it, and he serves others. It is a more secure job in an economy like this, the city froze ALL raises, but he has a job when so many others do not.
I also am so thankful for the roof over our heads. It is warm, safe, and beautiful. We may have it for sale, but it is still ours. In this home we have a basement apartment which will be rented out on May 1, this is a HUGE blessing when I am not working. I also love our yard and that our children can be entertained in it for hours and hours.
I have the best family. My mom is my other ear. She is loving and wants to serve others regardless of her illness. She has had teeth pain for years, and is now having to get it all fixed. This has been a stress financially for her and my dad, but yesterday after a 5.5 hour dental visit, the endodontist was finally able to detect which tooth it was. The other dentists thought it was a molar, but he determined it was a pre-molar. It took him over an hour and about 10 shots to just numb the area. He said to her he had no clue how she was living with this tooth and pain for so long. She too has had to have pain medication to help, and she feels embarrassed about it, she is also embarrassed that she has had to ask for the medication when other dentists could not see the root that was so bad. Our prayers were answered when the endodontist had special x-ray technology that splits the tooth in half and was able to see that it was actually a tooth that no one was looking at. He could not believe how bad it actually was. I think this validated my mom's pain. She called me and cried yesterday because he was able to tell her that this is extremely painful and that he knows the pain medication sometimes only takes the edge off. So our prayers were answered, her tooth that has caused her so much pain is fixed, and she only has maybe 2 more that need pulled and some bridges, I think she can handle that if she could handle a 5.5 hour dental appointment that caused some excruciating pain. Yeah! So mom I love you and am so blessed to have you, and am thankful that God hears us.
I have the most wonderful friends. It is times like these that I feel like my friends are and have become a part of my family. Kev and I have said we do not know what we would do without them. I am privileged to have them in my life.
There are so many other things I am thankful for, but one of the last ones I will list is that of Worker's Compensation. It has helped to keep us a float until now. Nearly 6 months of income that allowed me to heal and not to worry so much about income. It is only 66% of what I usually make, but it is something and that is better than nothing. I say it has kept us a float until now because it has, but when I went back to work for 2 hours a WEEK, yep you saw that right 2 hours a week, they had miscommunication with my employer and stopped sending checks. That was March 9. This has created some stress that has caused me to digress somewhat. I guess when you go back to work and it is not your usual hours and you are on modified duty they require that you send your check stub in and then they subtract what your gross is from what they pay you and then send a check. When they cut the check it takes me 7-10 days to receive it, DUMB! Funny thing my checks from work have been $0 because they are taking out my insurance and taxes, but workers comp still subtracts the gross from their amount. AAHHHHH! Plus they are 2 checks behind. So in the end I am thankful for it, but stressed because of it.
Now here are my worries and trials. I went to school for so many years to become a nurse. I had 4 babies in between 10 years of school, and yet knew it was a calling to me in life. I am so worried that I may never be able to do what I love. I know this is premature to think, but I can't help it when that thought crosses my mind. I cringe and then I stop and I think, my Heavenly Father would not allow that. He would not have guided me through school for years and all that incredible stress for my nursing career to be over in 2 years. I have faith that I will work again, I will be a nurse, but I am not sure that it will be anytime soon. Ironic that because I was a nurse I got ill in the first place!?!
I have 5 beautiful children, I am young, and yet my new normal is nothing like it was. I have to plan out the activities in the week days apart. If something is on consecutive days I worry that I will not be able to do both. I have been blessed in that I am not in a wheelchair, unless I go somewhere that requires a lot of walking, but I am also at home and not in a rehab facility, which many patients are still with Guillain Barre. I have middle of the day "do absolutely nothing" times. It usually is around 1-5. When I have to get my kids I just come right back home and continue to rest. I feel so lazy or even like I am a bad Mom. I know my kids understand, and sometimes I can do more and yet when I cannot they still love me. I also have a limp. I hate it. It is more prevalent when I am in pain, or weaker due to doing too much, but I am walking on my own so another blessing amidst all the yuck!
So my new normal is actually better than I thought when I look at the other things to be thankful for. It may not be the life I saw for myself at this age, but I have to say I have so many beautiful distractions, that most of the time I am not able to dwell on the bad. My prayers are at this point that my children are healthy, happy, and fed. Kevin continues to excel at his job. My mom continues to feel better with every tooth repair. Our financial situation improves. That recent extended family issues change for the better, and relationships repair because I love them. Lastly, that I gain strength back, my limp disappears, and my excruciating pain is gone! I pray for this and yet I thank Him for everything, even my current illness, which I am sure is for a reason!

7-11

2010-04-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

7-11

This year on April 12, Ke'Lao will turn 7 and Kee'Onu will turn 11!

We are having a Luau for Ka'Lya and will celebrate their birthdays with a cake for them.

I think on their actual birthday we will take them and a few of their friends to 7-11 for slurpees, nachos and a lot of junk food.:)

Ka'Lya's 1st Birthday Invitations pics!

2010-04-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

2010-04-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is what we did for one of our family nights. I could not help but post the sweet dance Sasha did, I also love how Kaili was about to stop everything to help her! Love nights like these!

Ke'Lao whom we now call "King Keo"

Easter 2010!

2010-04-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ka'Lya's first Easter!

My babe and I.

This is Kya's first easter hunt basket.

She grabbed the egg all by herself.

Her very first egg!

After the hunt

Love this pic.

Ku'uipo, Kaili, Abbie, and Lexy

Sasha and Ipo

My lover and I

Ki'Aja's best friend Julia

Ke'Lao's bestest bud Tyler.

All the kids we took with us to the egg hunts.

Here we all are

Lexy in awe about what the jelly beans grew.

Planting the jelly beans

New tradition, plant jelly beans and see what they grow in the morning.

They grew these awesome suckers. Each kid had a ton of questions how this happened. :)

Ku'uipo and Ki'Aja's loot

The boys and Kya's stuff

Lexy's

The Kinkades

Happy

She loved the stuffed Dora.

EaSTeR dinner at Nana and Papa's

The colorful table

Granny and Kya

New York~ my "other" love!

2010-03-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

So I cannot get this dumb blogger to let me move my trip info in the right order. So you get it a skewwhompus, that is a funny word. Anyways, here is our trip to New York. This is the last day while we were at the airport trying to get on the plane by stand by. So Kevin was for sure getting on because he had to work, and someone had to be here in Utah to pick up their guns from the baggage claim. So we thought with only 6 seats available and 8 other people ahead of us on standby that no one would get on. Plus, that was the only flight that day to Salt Lake non-stop. The other options were go to Long Beach and then hope that the stand-by there was not a mess as well. They could also fly to Las Vegas then rent a car and drive the 5.5 hours home. So we knew that getting on this flight would be amazing.

I have never seen such disorganization at the airport terminal. They told us about 10 minutes before that 1 of our party of 8 would get on the flight. So everyone was gracious enough to agree that Kevin first, because he could not get out of work, and second to pick up the guns. Then they decided that Cami would be next since she also had to work. Well they told us Cami was also going to get on. 10 minutes later after Kev and Cami were on they told Brittnie that ALL of us were getting on so we all hurried and grabbed our bags and rushed to the ticket guy. Um, no they were wrong. They said only 1 more, so we again agreed that Macey should get on since she too has a family. The next one was to be Brittnie. There was an order to the madness. This way Brittnie would be able to be with her girls, so each family could have one person from the family. When it was Brittnie's turn to go they said that 2 more could get on. So me and Branson went down the tube thing to the plane with Brittnie. By this time, Kevin, Cami, and Macey were for sure getting on. Then we were ON the plane and they scooted us out and said never mind! They sent us back out to the terminal. When we got through the middle of the tube they called us down and said OK now 1 more. Are you kidding? How unbelievable. They were so unorganized. Anyways, in that moment Branson and I knew that Brittnie was the one to go since her girls would have no one home. I even went as far as to push her down towards the plane, but she would not go. She did not want to leave Jason behind. There was chaos and stress and the decision had to be made quick. She did not want to be the one to take the remaining seat, so I told Branson to go and he would not because he thought one of us girls should. Well they began yelling at us from the plane to HURRY! I asked Brittnie to go one more time, and she would not so I went. Believe me I was hoping on my short walk that they would call for one more. I was so devastated. I was physically sick, I looked back and felt like I was leaving one of my kids behind. It felt wrong. Little did I know how big of a decision that would become. I finally got to the plane and saw Kev, he smiled and was visibly happy to see me on the plane, I could tell her was looking for more to come from our party but I shook my head and went to my seat. That whole flight I was sick. I am not sure why it was so awful, but that feeling of leaving them behind made my stomache turn, and they are even adults. Well the flight seemed long and we got home. LONG LONG story short, the other 4, Branson, Brittnie, Jason A. and Jason B. were stuck there until Monday and all this happened on Friday March 12. That was devastation. But they are all home now safe and sound!
So this is how I traveled through the streets of New York. There were some moments that I walked, but I soon realized that doing too much would only ruin my trip with the pain and weakness. I listened to my body and surprisingly enough the wheelchair became a wonderful thing!

This is one of my favorite pics. JFK has the strictest laws in the United States regarding firearms. Kev and Jason both brought their guns, and when checking them in at JFK they had to call the TSA and Airport Police to see if they were criminals or whatnot, they said that if they would not have had their police ID they would have been taken to jail because concealed permits are not valid in their state. So we were lucky on that one. I so love Kevin and his stance and his attire, and his sexy cuteness, hahaha.

Cami and Kevin trying to find which subway train to take, the F, B, 1, 2, 3, the L train, etc....Ah the beauty and complication of New York.

These sweet hands were sent by children to the Trinity church during the relief efforts of 9-11.
This one has brought me to tears on 2 different trips to New York because it is so true!

Most relief workers took a patch off their uniform and left it at the church, another humbling sight!

Cami and I at the church.

Kev and I at the Trinity church. The front of the church is a graveyard.

Kevin and Branson, they looked like twinners, white jackets, jeans, and a camera bag.

The firefighters memorial, with Kevin, Jason Bernards, and Jason, my brother in law all police officers.

Look at how sexy he would hold a firehose, lol.

Cute Kevin.

This is the group of all of us. from left to right, Cami, me, Kevin, Branson, Jason, Brittnie, Macey, and Jason. We are eating at only the best place ever to eat in New York, Postiano. I love it!

This is all my mom wanted, a picture of all her kids.

Kev and I at the John Lennon memorial in Central Park.

We went to a deli and got the best desserts, while waiting for the rain to go away.

We are just chillin'

The girls being funny!

So those of you who do not already know I am in love with New York! I know that I would never live there, but I sure do love to visit. It has a unique energy and it is just amazing. Well last Monday was Jet Blue's 10 year birthday and they had flights to and from New York for only $10, they ended up being $20.70 total with fees and taxes. I called my sis-in-law who works at Jet Blue and she told me that the deal overloaded the system but if I kept trying then I could most likely get in and get some. I tried for about 30 minutes and Walaaaa I got it, I knew I only had a few minutes, but I realized that we had to leave the next day and come back within one day. Kev and I decided it was worth the risk of buying them and worry about getting someone for the kids later hahaha.....I am so spontaneous, lol. Kev said I just want to go so we can say, "oh yes, we went to New York for lunch today" he is funny! While I was trying to get in I called my bestie and asked her to come, then Brittnie, and she wanted to come. She asked Jason and all in all there was a group of 8 of us. We were to leave the next night at 11:30PM. So I got the tickets to fly there and realized I most likely was not going to get the tickets back, boooo! The tickets to fly home were $304. I did not want to spend that much to come home, so we were almost not going to go, but after calling my sis-in-law again and Cami's wonderful sis we got buddy passes to come home on! Yahoo!!!! I was in shock! We were going to New York and only had 1 day to find a place to stay, babysitter, carpool, ladadada! Well I was on the computer for nearly 10 hours that day and found a place to stay called hoteltoshi.com, the owner is the actor in the movie "The Departed" never even saw it, but it was such a good deal! For a 2 bedroom apartment it was only $150 per night, and that was with tax, cleaning fees, everything! That is an awesome amazing deal in New York! Now I just hoped it was in a safe place, I did a lot of research and found from the reviews that it was a legit business and safe. Another Yahoo!

We were so blessed to find loving family for our kids. My Grandma stayed that night we left. The kids were in bed and I had their lunches packed outfits out, all the kids bathed and ready for the morning so she hopefully did not have to do too much. Then the next day Lovely Shauna and Casey came to stay the next 2 nights with the kids, I bought the kids school lunch and wrote a note to Shauna. I hoped everything went smoothly and from what it sounds like it did.

So we left and went straight to check into our apartment, but first we had to go to Brooklyn and Toshi's penthouse. He invited us in himself, offered us an array of drinks ALL kinds and we politely declined. I was in awe at his place, it was 3 levels and had a cute spiral staircase up to the second and third floor. He had me come up there and pick the area. I chose Lexington and 3rd avenue, the building number 833. I actually was very happy with the location and the apartment was clean and near the subway. Kev, me and Cami and Branson all stayed in one of the 2 bedrooms, and then the other 2 couples stayed in theirs, but when they got there it turned out to only be a 1 bedroom. I called Toshi and they were awesome, they gave us another studio apartment in the same building. Brittnie and Jason had their own apartment and then Jason and and Macey had their own at no extra charge. It was awesome.

Once all checked in we went to 9/11 the Financial District, and then the Police Museum. I got my favorite pizza from Ray's and ate it for all my meals, mMmmMMM! I already miss it. There is so much more to say, but this has already taken much too long, so at least you get the jist of it, I LOVE NEW YORK!!!!!

Priceless~So very Priceless!

2010-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

So Kev and I were going on a date last night, yet he decided to bring out our "collectibles bin." This bin houses me and Kev's many trinkets from our childhood. I used to collect erasers, yes, the kind that Erase pencil. I have many many. I used to get them from every birthday, Easter, and Christmas. Anyways, I think Ipo is going to carry on the tradition of collecting them. I cannot wait to spend money on the cute little things again! Well when he brought out the bin he found boxes of some little things here and there and on the top of one of the boxes was our patriarchal blessings and a letter. This beautiful letter was written in red pen and was titled, "Dear Aspen Alexis and kids" As you can see I was going to name my oldest daughter Aspen, never did happen, but I was. Well I thought how special this letter is and how precious and Priceless that these 5 pages are. I want it to be archived forever and ever, and the fact that it was written to my children before they were even here on earth, and before I was even married to Kevin is magical.

So I share this piece of work with you. Please know that is it special and somewhat sacred. I am young and do not have a lot of life experiences, but my love for my kids shows. Kev did come home and the next day we went out and talked about our life together and eternal marriage and March 20, 1998 we were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. So again, keep in mind that I am 19 years old, young, and in love!

December 17, 1997

Tomorrow December 18, at 11:29AM your Dad will come home off his Chile Santiago East and South mission. He left December 27, 1995. I can honestly say that was the hardest time of my life. I loved your Dad more than anything. Let me tell you about our past.

Your Dad and I went to elementary school together. He was friends with my friends. All I remember was he was really good at four square. Then in middle school we both think that we had the same math class with Mr. Jensen. We can't remember though.

Then there was high school. Dad was friends with my friends. I can honestly say I always thought he was so cute. The very first time I talked to him was a stake dance. He asked me to dance and he said the funniest things to me. He said, "ya, I lost my legs in the war." I laughed. He used to always say, "Back in Nam..." He was always so funny. Then around January of 1995 I started to hang out with Casey. I was Casey's first date on April 4, 1995 we went to Girls Choice Dance together. We were really good friends. Your Dad and I were friends but we didn't know each other very well.

On March 23, 1995 your Dad came up on stage in the Bingham auditorium while I was doing the junior Prom assembly. He asked me to marry him on one knee. Then he stood up and in his hand he had about 5 .25 cent rings. I laughed again. What a cutie! Of course I said, "Yes." I chose the ring with a pearl on top. Over the next couple of months I never really talked to your Dad, but I did talk to Casey a lot.

On May 17, 1995 I called Dad's house and he answered I asked for Casey and he said, "hey why don't you ever call to talk to me?" So I said we can talk. We talked from 8PM to 6AM the next morning with no breaks. I can honestly say I felt something neat about Dad. We were so comfortable with each other.

The reason I am writing all of this to is so you know how much we love you. That night your Dad and I talked about you, our children. We said what we wanted for our children. We never mentioned the children as "ours" we said, "Well I want MY kids to...." But now that I think about it we were talking about Our kids.It was amazing. We both wanted the same things. I fell in love with your Dad that night. Later on in the week I prayed to Heavenly Father about your Dad. I asked if my feelings were right. They were. I knew that your Dad and I would marry one day.

I found out later on that Kev felt the same way. He went camping Thursday May 18, 1995 with friends and that is where he told them that he was going to marry me.

From then on we were inseparable. Your Dad always treated me very well. He never got angry and was always patient.

The best thing about your Dad is his love for the gospel. He is so perfect in my eyes. I love him very much. It took a lot for him to leave to serve the Lord. He has served his mission and he says he did it for our family. He has always believed that the way to raise a righteous family is to serve a worthy mission. Tomorrow he comes home from this mission. We will start our life together and prepare for you. You are not here yet but I can tell you that you are loved so very much. I cannot wait to be a mother and have a family.

I do want to say that while Dad was gone I truly realized how much I love him. I waited and dated. This was good for me to see how perfect your dad is. He is so righteous. I always said I would only marry a return missionary who is worthy to take me to the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Your Dad is. He is perfect I love him.

People say that the best that a Father can do for his kids is to love their mother. I can say he does. Throughout his mission he stood by me. He never gave up. I hope in your lifetime you will always respect your Dad because he has already done so much for you.

There is so many things I want to say. I know this is somewhat jumbled but there is a message. I want you to know that your parents loved you and prepared for you before you have even come to the earth. I also want you to know the importance of the gospel. I know with all my heart the way to true happiness is through righteousness. Please stay strong and choose the right. Never fall away from the true and everlasting gospel. I promise your life will be full if you stay pure. I love with all my heart. I pray that you understand how much I love your Dad, and am thankful for his sacrifices.

Love,

Your Mom :)

So there are some embarrassing things I write, but who cares 12 years ago is a long time. I love it and will cherish these words forever! Love you Kevin and Kids!

Disclaimer: Casey (Kevin's brother) and I were merely friends. Never in love, only friends. I write "I can honestly say" way too many times! Also, Kevin asked like 7 girls that month in high school to be his wife. He was always goofy like that. I am sure some of you reading this were also lucky enough to be his fiance (wink, wink)

Did you know the Car wash brushes your teeth?

2010-03-04T20:51:00.001-08:00

Apparently my kids have always thought that when I go through the automatic car wash that the brushes, brush Their teeth, LOL! So they all sit as close to the window as they can and open their mouth as such. It is so funny and I guess I never really realized it until I sat in the moment and listened and watched.

See, they know how silly they are.

Funny Kya 10.5 months.

2010-03-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

She is so stinkin' cute!~ Love her!

Happy happy she is!

Aunt Diane

2010-03-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

Kevin's aunt Diane passed away last week and this Tuesday was her viewing in Layton. Kev had to work so I took the kids by myself! I think it was the first time I got them ready, (all cute) by myself, went and drove like 50 minutes there, and then came home by myself. It was exhausting! I did however remember to take pics of the kids and those that were there.

Now I usually hate, absolutely hate to dwell on my little issues, but I think it is wearing on me. While I was at the viewing the pain was immense! I am so tired of being tired. I am so upset that pain has begun to dictate my life. I know it will pass, I know it will get better and if it does not than I will manage. However, today and this week life is hard. I do not have it THAT hard. I actually am so very blessed. I know it, I even believe it, but I have shed way to many tears this week to not vent about it and find some inner peace with my situation. I want to be normal, I want to wake up and not feel like I am 80 years old (sorry to you 80 year olds). Oh, how I miss the days I sprung out of bed, stretched, and smiled. These days the only one who does that is the kids. Kevin even is old! He is worn, tired, and somewhat broken. I hope that spring is the answer, the weather and sun shining may bring a new beginning. I hope that as my favorite saying of all time goes, "This too shall pass!" Well hurry up already! Guillain Barre stops you in your tracks and then as you start to move forward, it is like a brick wall reminding you and your body that you are no longer in control, the disease is! So I say to it I am not going to stop trying, I am not going to give up, I may complain every now and then, but I will prevail, however that may be!

Let me say yet again, I know my life is not that bad and I know my trials are minimal compared to others, so here I go once again truckin' along and moving forward however slow that may be! I love you all and thank you for your love and support. I am done and the complaining is over!

Ka'Lya, she now has a sympathy smile. It is not her real smile it is more like an I do not know you but I will be polite!

Casey, Kee, Colton, and Keo.

Grandpa and Keo

Grandma and Grandpa. They are serving a mission here in Salt Lake in the senior mission office.

Kev's sister Audrey and his brother Tyler. Kya loves Tyler. I hate when he wears this hat because it always reflects off my flash, but he told me it is because he is an angel, lol.

This is Victoria. She is Kevin's nephew Stetson's daughter.

This is Casey Kevin's younger brother. He is so cute with Ka'Lya, really who cannot help but love her.

Kee'Onu was happy to see everyone.

Ka'Lya again.

Ki'Aja was so happy and had so much fun playing with Victoria. It was sad that his aunt is gone, but yet she was very ill before she passed and she is no longer in pain. She was always so sweet. She sent us a Christmas card every year. I remember when I was dating Kevin and we went to her house for Thanksgiving, and she was giving and loving and fun. I am so glad to know her and happy that she is now reunited with her love.

Ke'Lao's Valentines party!

2010-02-19T21:32:00.000-08:00

When we went to the school we saw our cute Kee in the hall, and then we turned the corner and there was Ipo out and going to the bathroom, so we had a family reunion in the hall.

This is the reunion with Kya and Ipo in the hall. Fun!

kYA came to the festivities too.

The craft. FUN!

Daddy came to help also. It was funny, all these moms and only one Dad. I am so happy that Kevin is so not afraid to be in the mom position. Love you kev!

Sweet Ki'Aja, you are a joy~We heart you!

Ka'Lya's first Owie:(

2010-02-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

Kya got her first owie today.

Oh how I feel sad when I look at her eye!

She was on the couch with Keo and she fell off and the phone was right there where she landed, on her EYE! Oh how so very sad to see.

Another angle.

I hope this is her first and her last BLACK EYE. Love you baby! Sorry Mommy was not watching you every second today. I feel bad.

2010-02-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

I have recently become a blog stalker for people I do not even know. I have to say though that I have felt a bond and because of that I feel that I do know them, maybe in a heavenly way.

One of those blogs is the Staker Family.

Sara Staker had a tragic accident happen to her 14 month old son a few weeks ago. She painstakingly describes that day step by step without hesitation and with very raw detail.

If you want to have a good read, that will change you and the way you parent then begin here.

This past week I truly have been changed as a parent.

I recognize the simple moments that I may never have again. I gulp them up and breathe them in and hope to never forget!

I hope that I may always be reminded of the fragility of life and those moments that fleetingly pass with the blink of an eye. I have also learned the power of prayer. The heavens were beckoned by families across the globe. It was a moment I was able to teach my children how the power of prayer, and the power of prayer in numbers is priceless. I love this social media. I find it amazing and do not know how I survived without it!

And so the REAL parenting begins!

2010-02-11T10:49:00.001-08:00

Look at those big eyes.

Well She is half crawling and half rolling.

This makes for a hopefully very CLEAN floor.

She has her pincer grasp down and can pick up the tiniest of pieces on the ground. The other day she picked up a metal piece of confetti and choked on it. She started choking up the thick mucous and it really scared me. What made it hard was that I could not see anything and she was still passing air. She got distressed and had that worried look that no parent EVER wants to see. I did the side finger swipe and barely felt the hard metal piece. I let her cough a little more and tried again.

I got it!

Finally!

Then I scolded ALL the kids.

Our famous saying regarding these instances is "Choke and Die" Ki'Aja will pick up a piece of anything small and say. "Oh, Choke and Die!"

So during my lecture I said Kya could Choke and die several times. Now I have a paranoid Kee'Onu who is like an ant eater, which I love.

I also have kids who vacuum without hesitation when I ask. BONUS:)

Here is the First cabinet that she rolled and crawled over to and opened and began her mess making skillz!

Look at her mischievous grin!

Here is the MESS! She had so much fun exploring and searching through all the boys video games!

I know I will be in trouble for "not watching her" when Kee sees this, but it was so exciting to see her learning through her mess making! And so the REAL parenting begins!

Bath Time SoOOoooOo much Fun!!!

2010-02-10T23:25:00.000-08:00

She looks like a boy here but she is such our sweet little Girl!

I love this face.

undeniably happy:)

Not sure what this face is all about, but pretty sure its cute!

So Happy times are in the Bath! I still bath my sweet baby in the sink, she loves to Splash!

She is true joy and makes our life bliss! Love her, love to hold her, smell her, nibble her cheeks and most of all I love that she is ours!

My artist Ku'uipo!

2010-02-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ku'uipo Dawn is awesome. She had a report on Sea lions and when she came home she said, "my report is all done, but I want to make a Sea Lion out of fondant." I thought this sounded hard and almost impossible for a 9 year old. My mom came to the rescue and told me that she would help her do it. So Nana made the marshmallow filling and then dyed the fondant and sent it home with Ipo. The next day Ipo wanted help with the shape. I helped her slightly and she did not like it and did it her own way. I was cleaning out a closet at the time, and when I came out I saw this (above) with Kevin and her putting clear fingernail polish on it. I got mad at Kevin and said, "She is supposed to do it herself Kevin!" He told me he did nothing but helped her put toothpicks in the head to help it stay up. I was surprised and so very proud! She took it to her teacher and did her report, and then she decided to enter it into her inspirations contest with a theme "The Power of One!" She put something like, "If each person wanted to save one animal the world would be a better place!"

What happiness she brings! She had this vision and she created it. I love her so much and know she is going to be something great!

Ka'Lya 9 months old!

2010-01-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

What a sweet baby girl. She is nine months old and has 4 teeth. Her eyes are still as bright as the sun and she still lights up a room with her smile.

She is the joy of our little family! So happy to have her.

She has the cutest chubby cheeks and wild hair! Do not put your finger in her mouth or she will bite it off. She is not crawling yet but she is rolling all over the place. The other day I was talking to Kevin's brother and she had rolled right to my foot and I did not see her her coming. She put her little mouth over my big toe and bit it. I yelled so loud! Ow! Her teeth are razor sharp, lol! She sure does love Kevin. When he comes into a room she follows him with her sweet little eyes until he acknowleges her and if he does not she cries! When he does talk to her and smile she kicks and waves her arms wildly. She weighs about 15 and 1/2 pounds. I am not sure exactly how much, but we will see soon. She wakes up once to twice a night and we just give her a bottle and she goes back to sleep, I hope that will end soon! She loved her baby food until about 1 week ago and now it is so hard to feed her. We almost have to force it down her mouth and even then she thrusts it out with her tongue. I am hoping it is only because she is trying to get a 5th tooth and that soon she will eat her baby food again. It also could be because she is fed people food, mainly by Kevin, and now she wants that instead! Oh well she is still healthy and so cute.

Christmas Day 2009!

2010-01-03T10:55:00.001-08:00

Here is the cute Christmas morning barely awake look from Ki'Aja.

Ka'Lya was happy and sweet, and there is Granny in the background.

Ki'Aja showing her new camera.

Ke'Lao got a bakugon bowl arena and he sure liked that!

Here is Kee opening his electric guitar.

He was so surprised that he could not believe that he would get that. We told him Santa could not afford to give him the guitar, and given the year that was correct until Christmas eve when my Dad took me to Kohl's in a wheelchair, and let me tell you I have never been bashed into so many racks and cabinets in my life, lol. Well Papa saw the guitar and it was 75% off not to mention the 30% off coupon I had and $10 off of $20. It was in the end 85% off of a $200 guitar. I made sure I put in a phone call to Santa and he approved of he purchase, I was so happy for him. Now we just have to find someone to give him cheap lessons!

Getting ready to see her loot from Santa!

This year it was our turn to have the Christmas breakfast so Kevin had an all out feast! He was happy and actually liked doing it!

Ke'Lao making a mess and Nana, Granny, and Kya enjoying the mess!

We had to call and wake up Nana and Papa when the kids got up at 6AM and wait 10 minutes for them to come. They used to sleep over but now they get to sleep in their own beds and we call them to come when we are ready. During this time we talk about Jesus and why we have Christmas and then we say a prayer. It is nice to be reminded why we have Christmas before all the chaos begins.

Nana opening the jacket from Papa.

Ku'uipo got her blow dryer and was so happy to have her own. She is starting to do her own hair and it is so nice for me.

The beautiful Ka'Lya and her blue eyes on Christmas day!

Look at those teeth, she has 4 now!

All the kiddies at Nana's on Christmas Day.

This year after we opened presents Brittnie and Jason came over for breakfast and so did Mary, Tyler and Colton. Then Bobby came to get Granny and she ate also. Then all the kids got ready and we went to Nana and Papa's for snacks and more presents. We played games there and Donnie and Linda and Alisha and Jason came to visit as well. It was the best Christmas ever since it was Kevin's first year off in nearly 7 years. It was relaxing and peaceful and I loved that the kids were happy and we were all together. This is so far, the best Christmas ever!

Christmas Eve 2009!

2010-01-01T01:07:00.000-08:00

So I still have not figured out the right way to upload and move the pics around in the order I want so whatever! Here they are in no particular order, although I wish they were!!! It is a tradition in my family ever since I was a babe to open jamma's on Christmas eve to start the festivities and my mom still gives me a pair. I love it and it brings back the memories of my childhood. Here is Kya and her first pair.
Ipo opening hers.

Kya almost getting them open.

Still working on it!

Ki'Aja and Mom opening their jamma's

This is the best smile I could get out of such a sick kid!

Once the jamma's were open Papa read the Elf on the Shelf book one last time until he flew back to the North Pole with Santa, all the kids said goodbye and went right off to bed!

But not before they all said a prayer with Kee'Onu!

We also feed the reindeer some special food so the can for sure fly home with Santa. Kya even participated on her First Christmas!

Kya helping to feed the reindeer.

Feeding the reindeer...

The gingerbread house tradition on the eve of Christmas!

Keo's side

Aja and all her sides.

Ipo is so creative, it was sad Kee had strep and was too sick to be able to even get out of bed! We missed him. This year Cami and Breanne came to help me wrap the presents and luckily Kev got off at 9ish to help. We were done wrapping by 11 and I am so thankful that they took out time from their holiday to come and help me. I love them so. Kev and I even got to bed at a decent time and it was a lovely day. Did I mention that we left out sugar cookies that Nana helped make the day before? She made the dough and Aja and I rolled it out cut it into shapes and baked them. It was something I could manage to do by sitting on a chair in the kitchen. Then on Christmas eve the kids frosted them and put them on the plate with milk for Santa also. I loved this night, my mom also came over and helped me make a prime rib since I have no clue. It turned out great. We loved the day and night and could not wait for the festivities of the morning.

Ka'Lya ShirRae's AKA.

2010-01-01T00:52:00.000-08:00

Arriving with the loot!

Happy Santa

I want those cookies! She was reaching in the cup to get her biter biscuit, too cute!

So somber!

Mom, what are you doing??

Christmas eve night Cami brought the cutest costume ever! Kya was Santa, or as Kevin says she was an elf! I thought these pics turned out to be so cute! Ka'Lya Clause!

I love this one, she looks like she just jumped out of the chimney with her little present bag and is all ready to get to work. Serious face and all. lol.

Look who came to see us!

2009-12-27T10:11:00.000-08:00

Jolly old St. Nick!

Look who I caught on camera! What a wonderful Christmas this has been.

Hettrick Family Christmas Party 2009.

2009-12-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

This year my mom and her cousin Kathy hosted the party at my mom's church. I was so happy that I was able to go. When I woke up in the morning I was very weak and in a lot of pain in my ribs. I had a migraine the night before and could feel the weakness moving up my body. I took it easy all day, one hour before we were to leave I was in tears because I still was not sure I was going to make it. I did however, make it as you can tell from the picture below! Yeah! Kev pushed me in the wheelchair which has been a lifesaver. I love this pic of the kids. Keo never knows how to smile for real! He is always goofy, lol. I got these cute sweater's from Children's Place.com for like $4.50 each and free shipping, so $22.50 total! So I was happy. Kev was supposed to wear a black polo but he is stubborn and would not change for the party. Now that I see the pic it really bugs me, but what can you do?

This is the best pic of the entire family including Ke'Lao! Love my family.

This is Santa and Mrs. Claus, that Kevin fishes with in Alaska every year. We love Art and Margaret and our kids think it is so neat that their Dad fishes with Santa. They come to the party every year. We ate, had a fun white elephant exchange and then a homemade gift auction! It was good to see everyone, but I sure was glad to come home when it was over, as it was very tiresome for me. I love this time of year, I have to say that it has been a very different year, but not in a bad way. It has been harder but also the spirit of Christmas is much more evident and it is almost as though I can smell it! Love you all, and hope you have the best Christmas ever!

Ka'Lya 7.5 months old!

2009-12-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

Sweet smile!

Look at the adoration she has for her Dad!

OK so I think this pic looks like those babies on that commercial where they make their eyes huge !?! Well I think that is what it reminds me of, Branson said it reminds him of something too but cannot place what it is. Hmmm, Maybe you can figure it out.

This pose lasts about 10 seconds before she falls flat on her face, lol.

Full body pose!

Another great shot to show her beautiful eyes!

Wow does time fly when you have a sweet babe! She is truly the best natured baby I have ever had, not to say she is not spoiled. I mean how could she not be with 6 people in our home constantly fighting over her (still). I have not even mentioned Nana, Papa, Brittnie and even Branson love her to death! All the kids friends want to hold her and play with her when they are here. As my mom says....I have never seen a more loved baby, and baby number 5 at that! She is beautiful and sweet and as I have said she has brought a peace to our home like never before. Anyone that knows her or even sees her, strangers at that, comment on her eyes, eyelashes, a smile that lights up a room, and her sweet nature! I love that one sweet soul can bring happiness to so many. I do not know if it is because she is baby number 5, or the sacrifice it was to get her here, or if it is her, but I have never felt frustration with her when she wakes up twice a night, and I have never had any anger or irritation when she cries, (baby number 1, 2, and 3 were oh so hard). I just have to post my love for her! I love you Kya you are the sweetest soul!

Gratitude!

2009-12-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

On December 31, 2008 I fell on the ice while I was nearly 18 weeks pregnant and tore my placenta, I spent new years eve in the ER at Jordan Valley. It seems that this night was the beginning of a very long 2009 with many days spent in hospitals and at home in bed for me and the family. In January Keo was dancing around and fell and broke his collar bone. It was not too serious but it required an ER visit and weeks of a sling. The next week Ku'uipo was having extreme abdominal pain and was diagnosed by a CT scan with acute appendicitis. She was admitted to Primary Children's and was later found to have a bilateral kidney infection while they also monitored her appendix. She was later released and the next few weeks there were many doctor visits, priesthood blessings and lots of prayer to aid her complete recovery. In the meantime, I was put on bed rest due to pre-term labor and was no longer able to work. Over the next few months I was hospitalized three different times and monitored to help protect the baby from coming to early and me for my clotting disorder. The stress was immense on Kevin, myself, and the kids. Our income was decreased significantly due to me no longer working. On April 22, 2009 Ka'Lya was born nearly 8 weeks early. She was in the NICU and step-down unit for 8 days. She was tiny but doing well when she came home. Kee'Onu had his bout of illness this summer but recovered quickly. On October 15, 2009 Kev had surgery on his hip due to severe pain over the past several years. Dr. Zeluff agreed to do a surgery that is rare and he had never done before, hoping to fix and help Kev with is pain. So far Kev has felt an improvement and we hope that when he is fully healed his pain will be completely gone. On November 15, is when I was hospitalized for the guillain barre and am still recovering today. Just last Friday Keo woke up in excruciating pain in his tummy. Kev took him to Primary Children's and they found a small bowel obstruction, they gave him an enema and it helped. They took another x-ray and found that his large bowel was mostly cleared but his small bowel was still blocked. They gave him medication and sent him home. He was in extreme pain for several days, and he sees the doctor tomorrow to make sure that it is all cleared up. He was able to go back to school on Tuesday and seems fine right now. Kevin went off light duty on Thanksgiving and I am doing much better than I was when I came home from the hospital.
I write the above for journaling and because there is so much that this year has brought. I must lay the story for all of you above, so as to allow the rest of this post to explain the immense love and gratitude that this year of trial and triumph have brought.
When the kids were sick, that was hard, and my heart ached for them. I wished that I could take away the pain and all the fear that they were feeling. I knew that I could not. I am sad to admit that I, at times, rushed them to the doctor before I went to my Heavenly Father. It was when Kevin and my Dad gave them a blessing that not only did we get answers and help, but I too was comforted in knowing that they would get better.
On Thanksgiving, the night before he went to the ER, for 3 hours Ke'Lao cried in pain, Kev was at work and I had only been home a few days from the hospital unable to take him to the Doctor. I gave him the normal children's pain reliever all to no avail. It was then when I knew there was nothing more that I could physically do to ease his pain. I realized that a priesthood blessing was the one thing that I knew and I had faith would help him. I said a short silent prayer before the blessing, asking that Ke'Lao be taken from his anguish at least until we could get him to a doctor. I knew that this was all that was needed. My Dad placed his hands on his head and gave him a blessing of comfort. Within minutes Ke'Lao layed down and fell asleep for the next 3 hours. He awoke at dinner time and was out of pain, which lasted for the next day and a half. I think back and realize what else in this life can you rely on when you have exhausted all other options? Where else can you turn when no tangible person or thing can comfort you? Our Heavenly Father. There is a peace that envelopes your soul when you turn it over to Him. When you ask for help and it is given freely what gratitude it stirs.
This same gratitude and love I have felt from Angels who have served my family. By Angels I mean all of you that took the time from your own busy life and families to serve mine. Meals, babysitting, messages of love and encouragement, phone calls, and cleaning. I have had a lot of time to ponder all that has been done for us and tears are evident. I sit here and realize that you who have served us were thinking of us while preparing a meal, or watching my kids, or writing that card. It is overwhelming to think how many hours of your time was given to lighten our burdens. What a sacrifice you and your family gave. Although many of you say it is no big deal, I beg to differ, the impact and the lessons that have been taught through this year are priceless and cannot be learned without these trials. I say this is a year of trials and triumph because the trials for obvious reasons, but the triumph from all that we have gained. I have a most wonderful spirit that was added to our family. She was a sacrifice for so many to get her here and yet worth every hospital stay, illness, and worry. She is a triumph, proving that we can make it through adversity as a family, luckily the reward is tangible and forever giving.
I have wondered why the illness, why the pain? One of many answers that I have received is the ability to show one another that we can overcome, but not alone. Each bump in the road has taught us that we cannot do this alone, whether it be the need for a parent to care, a doctor to treat, a blessing to heal, or a loved one to serve, we cannot do it alone. That is where the testimony is gained. It is a group effort to live to tell. I cannot teach my kids all that they have learned this past year. By others serving our family they have learned the importance of giving back. They have seen the tremendous blessings that have come from all of you. I hope that this will pave the way for them to live a life of service. If that is the only lesson learned than it is worth it. Fortunately that is not all that they have learned. They know that the power of prayer is real. They pray for help, health, and strength. They know they are not alone and that there is a higher power. They have seen it through the miracles of the year.
I also have to say that there are those that are answering a prayer and yet do not know. Kevin was on light duty due to his hip surgery a few weeks before the day I was admitted to the hospital. His job allows him to dress casually and answer what they call telephonics when they are on light duty. He is not allowed to drive his police car or carry his gun. The day after I was admitted Kevin got permission from his Captain to work from my hospital room due to the fact that he was on light duty. He later told me that it took such a huge burden off of his shoulders. He was able to be there everyday with me and did not have to use sick time, much was already gone due to his surgery. If he was not on light duty this would not have been the case. A prayer was answered. Ku'uipo was having a hard time at school and this was evident to her teacher. She asked Ipo to have lunch with her and even gave her a brownie. A comfort she needed and that I prayed for. A prayer was answered. The night before I went into the ICU due to complications, my Mom felt she needed to be with me. She wrote a note on facebook and asked for help with the kids. My visiting teacher offered to have them. My Mom was able to be there when my illness took a bad turn.
Another prayer was answered. Many fasted and prayed daily for me. I recovered and was able to go home more quickly than others. Many prayers were answered.
In the end, I love you all and the gratitude that fills my soul is overflowing. What love I have for you. What compassion you have taught me and my family. Please know that when you serve others it becomes a chain reaction. You instill in others the need and desire to pay it back. I only hope that the rest of my life I can teach others through service what we have been taught. I love you!!!

Happy Birthday to my Mom and Best Friend!!!!

2009-11-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

Mom at Keo's graduation.

Sweet mom at Temple square.

So my Mom turned __ this past week. I just had to post a Happy B-day to her!

This is Mom and Brittnie on Thanksgiving.

I love them both so much! My Dad is so amazing to my Mom. He treats her so good. What a cute couple they are!

My mom is the best Nana! She is one of those grandparents that does not just see the kids occasionally. She sees them often and when she sees them she does the greatest things with them. She teaches them skills that even I do not possess. She also teaches them to serve others. She is always thinking of others and is so thoughtful and creative.

We love her and all the great talents she has. I cannot wait to see how she will be with my teenagers, lol. I am sure she will be the one person that I can turn to for a support and that my kids will go to because she can be sensitive and understanding when I cannot. She keeps saying she is going on a mission when I have teenagers. That is fine, because we will just follow her wherever she goes!!

Dearest Mom, I know that this past few weeks have taken a toll, but I also know that the strength you possess have allowed us to move on. You are strong and faithful. You listened to your promptings this past month and because of that I was blessed. We are two alike and yet two opposites. We compliment each other and nourish each other. Thank you for building me up and guiding me when I feel there is nowhere else to go. I love you and hope you know that I chose you to be my Mother. I know it. I was granted this privilege and for that I am grateful. I thank my Heavenly Father for giving you to me. I love you and cannot wait to see what else you will teach me and my Family. Happy Happy Birthday!

Glad to be here!

2009-11-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I went to Jordan Valley ER due to weakness and pain in my legs. I was admitted to med/surg while the docs tried to diagnose me. They already believed it to be guillain barre syndrome but wanted a test to confirm the diagnosis. One symptom of this is short term memory, which I experienced. I know from Kevin and my mom that I had several MRI's, CT scans and X-rays. I also know that when I returned from having a procedure my O2 sats dropped in the 70's and would not return even with 15 liters of O2. I was then transferred to ICU. Dr. Wallace came to see me in the morning and I remember him saying that he did not expect to see me awake or even without intubation. He let me know that he was afraid that I was not going to make it after the phone calls he got the night before. That scared me. I am truly so blessed to be here. I do not remember so many things and that really upsets me. I do not remember most of my visitors and all the kind people that took care of my family. I cannot recall so many things, but at this time I want everyone to know that I am so thankful for all your service to me and my family. I know that it made it a lot easier on Kevin. So many of you made meals, watched my kids, and came to see me. I love you all and know that because of your help and prayers I am home today!

I want so badly to tell my mom that I am so blessed to have her. She took care of all the kids and made it so Kevin and I had no worries. I am also thankful for facebook a wonderful site that made it easy for my mom to get in touch with so many of our friends. She is the most wonderful woman. Many of you know how thoughtful she is. She always is thinking of others and she is a true example to me. My mom is struggling with her own health and she still came everyday to help me and stay with me. I love you so much Mom.

Brittnie was also there everyday. She stayed by my side. Something that even I would have not enjoyed in the hospital. It is strange how such an awful thing can bring you closer to your family. It made me so thankful to have her, even when she yelled at a Doctor for me, lol. I know she loves me and I am hoping she knows that I know how blessed I am to have her.

I have the best family. Branson came to see me and stayed late even though I know that he had school and homework. Then when I got home he brought me my favorite, La Luna. All my kids were jealous, hahaha. They all wanted it for themselves, luckily I shared with them today. I also have to thank Cami for being my nurse even though she thought it was one of the hardest and best things she has done. She also came to see me, I am not sure when, yet I know she came and then she got the flu and is still sick. I love you Cam! Alisha came to see me twice and she brought some turkeys from a bakery her mom works at for the kids. Here is how bad my memory is....I thought they were rats or mice, lol. At least I can remember they were good! Thanks for coming up Alisha! There are so many others who came and I love all of you!

Since I have been home I have noticed something that I am sad that I did not realize in the hospital. The toll that all this has taken on Kevin. His eyes are tired and bloodshot, every moment he gets he takes a short nap anywhere he can. Anytime I make a noise he comes to me asking what he can do. He is a rock. He was there everyday and even got permission from his work to do his light duty and take calls from my hospital room just so he could be with me everyday. I love him, I am so in love with him, and I know he loves me. He did all the research on Guillain Barre syndrome and knew inside and out the symptoms and the treatment. When I would feel a certain way he would say, "that is part of the syndrome stace." He also was in close contact with the doctors hoping that instead of them trying to diagnose me they would treat me. He is still upset that they did not do anything for me except for give me one of the best pain killers in the world, Dilaudid. I am so glad that it was able to help me with my pain, now that I am home nothing compares, so I just have to buck up! I love you Kevin Troy Fuller! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am so thankful for you and the fun and laughter you bring into my life even when the happiness in life is hard to find!

Last but not least this week was the hardest week due to the fact that the hospital recently changes their policy in allowing children to come in. They have to be 12 and older due to the H1N1. I was admitted on Sunday and on Monday my mom and Kevin snuck around the policy and had my kids come to the lobby and I got to see them, unfortunately I do not remember this at all! I was reminded of it several times, but have no recollection. There were so many times I cried because I missed the kids and wanted so bad to have the chaos of my life and kids back. I cried when I was alone and knew that they were going to bed. I cried because I was sure that Ka'Lya would forget me. I cried because I was sad that my kids were not able to be comforted by the normal routine of their life. I cried because it felt good to cry and I cried because I was weak.

I am home now and the normal chaos of life is exhausting. I love that my Kya still knows me and reaches for me and lays her head on my shoulder. I love that she is sweet and her smile lights up our home. I love that the day I came home Ipo and I fell asleep holding hands. I love that same night Aja and Ipo slept at the foot of our bed because they missed me. I love that I have the best kids and that everyone that watched them made sure to tell my mom and Kev that. I love that Keo gave me a note today that said "I mist you and I wil luve you For ever and I wil never forgit that I luve you I wil olwes be with you." It made me cry. I love that Kee put my socks on my cold feet because I was too weak to myself. I love my family and know that they all will get me through the darkness of this illness and that my Heavenly Father loves me and heard the prayers of many to help me recover faster.

Happy 9th Birthday My Sweetheart!

2009-11-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

This is Ku'uipo, my sweetheart. She is the most lovely sweetest child ever. She is fun and caring and crazy. I am so blessed to have her in my life. I love her and cannot believe that she is 9 years old today!

She is named after someone that I admire. My childhood friend, and still my friend today, Ku'uipo Vea has always been so sincere and caring. She is a wonderful person and mom and I hope my dear Ipo can follow her example in life knowing that her namesake is a wonderful person who loves the gospel and our Heavenly Father and strives to serve others with love! My mom named me after someone that she looked up to in school, someone that was kind to others and it made me want to exceed her hopes for me! I am happy that Ipo has a name given to her and someone that she can look up to and follow throughout her life, Thanks Ku'uipo!

This is Ipo on her 7th birthday.

Ipo on her 6th birthday!

5 years old!

3 years old. Look at that puffy hair!

I cannot find the other birthdays on my computer but at least we all know she had them, lol!

I caught her asleep with Kya when we went up to the cabin. I love it.

Beautiful!

Her best friend and cousin Kaili. I am so glad that they have each other. It is so special to have a best friend be there for you at all the family parties and throughout life being only 3 days apart! I love them both.

I put this up here because my mom thinks we look so alike in it. She shines!

I love this picture it shows how much she truly loves Ka'Lya and the light they both bring to the family is contagious.

Ipo I love you so much and am so thankful for the patience and peace that you emulate. You are such a joy and I do not say that lightly, sweet and sassy and everything in between. We love you!

Halloween 2009!

2009-11-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

This is the project that Nana had for the kids on Halloween, Cake decorating!
Here is our big family. Me and Kev cannot believe that we have such a big family until we see it in pictures, kinda crazy! So this Halloween was full of business. We had a lot of things that we had to do. the kids had their parade at the school at 9. now call me crazy but I was all planned and ready to have video of them in the parade and then snapshots of them also. So I give Kev the snap camera and I take the video. Perfect idea right? ummmm NO! Kevin used the snap camera to take video of them, grrrrrr. I already had that, now I have all video and no pics. It made me bugged and I guess pretty mad. Not much I could do it is over, but hey one of us needs to think and one of us needs to follow.....And I am the one that THINKS! Ok so enough of that.

I so love this pic of my mom and Ipo. They are so cute and carefree here.

Crazy face Fuller's. We have fun.

Gorgeous Ipo as Hannah Montanna

All four Hannah Montanna's. I had a hard time getting all the girls ready and pretty for their big entrance on the streets of Halloween. I also had to get 2 boys and a baby ready! They all looked great.

Ke'Lao as a dead pirate. He loved his costume, he kept saying he was only missing a gun. Dang I forgot.

Barbie Doll Hannah. Aja loved all the Halloween make-up and dress-up. She loved it.

Kevin with his girl!

I love this picture of the kids. They are so cute together and sweet. They even look a lot alike, weird as a mother when you see your offspring made of your loins look alike and look like you.

Just a little of these two sweet personalities. Ipo is kinda crazy and Lexy is sweet and just basking in the light!

Me and Kya at the kids parade. We had fun and Kya loved all the kids walking around.

Kya Monkey.

Cannot wait until next year to see what all my kids will be. Hey you never know I just may dress up too.

Baby Hannah Montanna!

2009-10-26T20:58:00.001-07:00

Little doll. Because Ipo and Aja are going to be Hannah we decided to help her be that too. We threw together several sized costumes to make this one. Kinda funny but it worked out. She is just cute no matter what. I love the wig.
This is so cute and yet the hat is way too big.

She looks to me like a witch more than like Hannah. I love the wig and at least she is smiling. I love her so much and we had so much fun doing them.

Sweet Baby Ka'Lya 6 months old!

2009-10-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

We went to Sears and did the fun portrait sitting. It actually went well. She is such a happy giggly thing that it was a breeze.
You can kind of see her first tooth that she got on October 16. Her second is coming up right behind. She has been fussy and in pain, but she is still so sweet!

My little 20's bunting baby!

Full shot with me and Kev holding each of her hands.

Naked and chubby. She weighs a little less that 13lbs and yet she looks like she is so chubby. I love her chubby cheeks they are fun to squish and kiss! I cannot believe that she is 6 months, but I am so happy we have her and only hope the next 6 months go by slower!

Poor Kev!

2009-10-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who do not know, Kev has been dealing with the most intense pain in his right hip for nearly 4 years. We have been through 3 different types of docs, physical therapy, MRI, x-rays, and cortisone shots to try and help alleviate the pain, well all to no avail. Finally he went to Dr. Zeluff and he looked at his MRI and said within 5 minutes that he had Trochlear Bursitis. We were so impressed. 3 years and finally a diagnosis. We were hoping that with a diagnosis they would be able to treat and cure. But no. The meds they have given Kev are all hard to deal with the side effects, plus his duty belt that he wears 40 hours a week +, did not help. His gun is right there on his right hip and it just aggravates it terribly. They also told him that gardening and snow shoveling and any squatting could set off and exacerbate his hip again. Finally he did some research and found that there is a surgery to help some patients with a severe case of trochlear bursitis and he decided it was time. We went to doctor Zeluff on October 09, and they decided to do surgery on Thursday October 15. There was not a lot of time to prepare. Kev got work off and I had my lovely mom to help with the kids.
They did it same day because the doc had never done a surgery like this in nearly 30 years. He has done over 500 hip replacement surgeries but never just this. They did about a 7-8 inch incision on his right hip and then they cut his muscle into a V shape, they re-attached the lower muscle, but left the upper muscle to try and help alleviate the stress and pull.
They also were going to shave his hip bone, but I am not sure if they did, I never asked. Anyways he woke up just fine and did really good, it was not until we got home that he FELT the PAIN! When we got home the anesthesia was still in his system so his pain was not as intense, but when I went to get the kids from school he decided he needed to go pee, got up got dizzy, nearly tripped over the laptop plug and barely made it in the garbage can to throw up. All the while using crutches. He was sick, so I called the doc and got a prescription for Percocet 10 mg and that worked great. He sure is weird on the narcotics. He said that Kya has beautiful eyelashes like cows eyelashes, then he said..."cows are attractive!" What the heck, we all laughed and realized he is weird on narcotics.

We took Kya with us and I just held her and played with her while Kev was in surgery. All the nurses loved her sweet smile and bright eyes. Oakley was Kev's nurse and I love her. She just moved from med/surg to surgery. It was so nice for Kev to get extra special treatment from my friends, he deserved it! I hope it works, I hope is pain goes away, and I hope he gains an understanding for others who have had surgery...LOL! Hint hint:)

Fun day at the State Fair!

2009-10-02T22:57:00.001-07:00

We took the kids to the State Fair on September 14th, family day. It was so fun, thanks to my mom who had the babe, she would have froze. It rained the entire night, so we missed out on quite a bit, but not the Peter Breinholt concert, whom we love!
Crazy Keo.

It was so cold this is how Kev kept Aja warm. She snuggled right up.

Always cute Ipo.

Happy Kee.

Cool Keo, lol.

Hungry Aja.

The clan. We entered a family contest where you have objects in a bag and you have to make a short play using them and all the members of your family. We did a love scene, lol and it was cute and fun. I was proud that we all worked together to do something that might have otherwise been quite embarrassing, but to us it was fun and we were a team. The Fuller's are the best!

Daddy's girl!

2009-10-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Daddy and daughter, what a perfect mix. Kevin has such a sweet relationship with Ka'Lya. She hears his voice and stops whatever she is doing to find him in the room. On the phone she squeals when he talks to her and she even tries to eat the phone to get closer to him. He is the best dad to all the kids. I am so happy that they have a dad who knows how to have fun just like they do.

"Let me pose Daddy, for my picture!"

Flyin' high

Sweet.

Daddy and Kya forever!

2009-10-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

What a joy!
This is who she most looks like, Kee'Onu. I have baby pics of him and her taking a bath and you cannot tell the difference between the two. Kee loves her so much, he is so paranoid though still. You would think I have no clue how to raise kids!

Papa's little flower. He loves to come home and hold her and be with her. We all love when he is home!

My grandma or "granny" as the kids call her, is the most amazing woman. She is 73 and you would never know it. She is such a blessing to us. We love her in every way.

Drum roll.....My mama. I love her so much. I am so glad that she has been so supportive and happy that Ka'Lya is here. I love you so much mom!

Ka'Lya's first teething cookie.

2009-10-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

What is this? Nana bought her a teething cookie, she is not teething yet, but she really loved this. We went crazy taking pictures. All of her "firsts" are definitely documented well.

Tasty

Slobber butt!

She is so stinkin' cute even when she is a mess!

All clean and ready for more.

Baby bunting!

2009-10-02T21:48:00.001-07:00

This is my mom playing house with Kya, just like she did with her dolls, lol. She had to dress her up in a bonnet and take her on a walk in a stroller---I am sure she wishes it would have been a buggy. She is so cute and I love that she loves to take pics. She is so wonderful. I love her so much.
Look how sweet she is, it almost looks like she is one of those 1800's babies, if there is even such a "look"

Gorgeous eyes and perfect face!

Thanks mom for taking the cute pics!

Tippie toes and eyelashes!

2009-10-02T21:27:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love sweet Kya's eyelashes, they are so heart melting!
I love her eyes. They are beautiful. She has been so fun to take pics of. This is me trying to mess with the color and contrast. It is so hard but fun to do. I love her blue eyes, I hope they are as electric as Aja's.

I love this pic of her on her tippie toes, maybe she will be a ballerina, or maybe not, either way she will be amazing!

What a special peace she has brought into our home. You would think chaos adding another child to the mix, but no, she has brought a love that I never knew I could feel. I have been able to see the compassion and caring in all the other kids. This is such a beautiful sight, to see your children want the best for someone besides themselves. They love her, they truly love her. They hurt when she hurts, they laugh when she laughs, they cry when she cries, and they melt at her every new experience. I am so blessed to have this sweet baby teach me true joy, "men are that they might have joy!" I do.

Aston Weston Carlsen is here!

2009-09-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

Kevin's niece Ari'Elle had her babe yesterday. He weighed 7lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long. We got to go and see him and hold him today. What a cutie. He has a lot of light brown hair and was VERY sleepy.

Kya was excited to see him. She is 5 months older than him and yet they are not too different in size. She is growing and this picture proved to to me. She smiled at the sight of him. They are going to be best buds. Ari'Elle is doing well and Weston is already the paranoid Dad, lol. Cute Cute.

Here is another pic of Ka'Lya and her beautiful eyes and perfect lips. Love her so much.

Congratulations Kee'Onu!

2009-09-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

This is the poster I made for Kee to run for 5th grade senator. He came home on Thursday and told me he wanted to run and that the voting was the NEXT DAY! Ahhhh. I freaked out. My mom was on the phone and heard my panic. She did not feel good that day, but put that aside and came over to help. It was so nice because she held our little spoiled Kya the whole time! I went in the scrapbook room and me, my mom and Kee brainstormed into this as his slogan....."Your Key to Open Doors" I was pretty proud, given the time frame. The poster turned out great and I love my Cricut! When he got to school they had an assembly and it was there that Kee was told he had to give a speech. He totally winged it and did a little dance at the end. The students loved it and he WON!

The new student government officers are:

Mohan Sudabattula -8th Grade Student Body President
Taylor McNees- 7th Grade Vice President
Jay Shah- 8th Grade Senator
Kendra Muller- 7th Grade Senator
Brigham Jewkes- 6th Grade Senator
Kee'Onu Fuller -5th Grade Senator

So he is in a Presidency for the whole school totalling 6 people. He came home saying he gets to plan dances and help to demolish bullying. I am so proud of him. Words cannot express. I love him so much and he says he wants to be just like his Mama! I loved student government my entire life. Being involved was the greatest feeling. Making a difference and feeling pride in my school. I took that with me to the U of U and was in their orientation team for ALL new students. Once in nursing school I decided to become Student Nursing Alliance President. That was a full time job in itself, not to mention school and 4 little kids. I think this is where the importance of education and being involved was taught to my kids. I hope they know these things are so important to me. I feel like some of the parenting we are doing is paying off. Love Kee so much!

Kya 4.5 months.

2009-09-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Her eyes are so amazing they POP in very picture.
Her hair is coming in so thick.

She always needs her binky nearby.

NeeCie's first day of preschool!

2009-09-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know... I call our little Aja, NeeCie. She is a smart, sweet, and bossy, little girl. I was so excited for her. She needed this because she loves to be busy. I am so happy that she has Julia in her class it is good for both of them.

BFF's. They were so cute.

These are all the girls in our area that are in her class.

This was right before school. What a cutie.

Her cute sunglasses.

As soon as she got there her and Julia met up and hugged. Cute.

This is her cute teacher Miss Emily.

Mommy's big girl.

Daddy's girl.

Just chillin'

Granny's "SWORDS" dinner!

2009-09-03T21:43:00.001-07:00

So my grandma has a club of sorts that she belongs to. SWORDS stands for single, widowed, OR divorced. It is a group of ladies that range from 72 to 92. My mom decided to have a dinner for them all. It was so fun to see my grandma's friends. I loved helping cook the meal. It reminded me of my waitressing days.
My dad made homemade pasta noodles and they were delish! My mom made her famous monkey bread, mmmmmm!

These are all the ladies.

Me and my mom work well together!

I had to show off the fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken breast and shrimp scampi. My mom made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. She also had the groups pictures put in frames for them all to take home. It was awesome. Her theme was roses so everything was red and beautiful. Including the chair covers and the napkins. We love you grandma! Thanks for always being there for us. It was nice to be there for you.

Kya gets to eat yummy cereal!

2009-08-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

She did not love it. But we tried.
This is her scared to death right before I give it to her. Noooooo!

Cheerful when she knows we are all done! No it really was not that bad, but she did not love it so maybe we shall mix it with baby juice next time.

Look at those eyelashes!

First Day of School 2009!

2009-08-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

They were so excited! They had their new lunch boxes and backpacks. I was so happy that they were so happy. It made it so much more exciting for all of us. When we picked them up they were all chatter boxes about what they did at school. They each have at least 1 or 2 friends that they already know at the new school. It made their day even better!
Kee'Onu always gets mad when we have to take pictures, so here is his "are you happy now?" pose. It was the best of 5. Kee'Onu is so happy to be in 5th grade. He found out that he even gets his own locker! I told him that I never got a locker until I was in 7th grade. What a great thing for him... I did miss his big help around the house. He is always the one we pick on to help with everything we do. I guess he can have a break while he is in school but just this once!

Keo and his cool attitude. He is so sly and rolls with the punches. First grade had better be ready for this punk!

Beautiful Ipo. She picked out her own outfit all the way down to her shoes. She loves her own style and I even let her run with it. She is so cheerful and positive and spirited. We all love her, I have to say that I did miss all her big help throughout the day with Ka'Lya. I did not realize how much I rely on her to help with the babe. She got in the car after school and had to see Kya because she missed her so much.

I love the kids and am so happy that they had a successful day at school. Hope it is a map for the next year!

Kya 4 Months 10lbs 8 oz.

2009-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

I love this cute pic. Her dress is so sweet, I got it from a hispanic woman at the fair. She handmade it. It fits Kya perfect
I love her Jowls in this!

Our Little Flapper.

This is Kya in her baby scrubs. She is a little Mini Me! I would love her to be a nurse when she grows up.

Chubbers!

Happy fun at the Cabin in July!

2009-08-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

Cute kids, got to ride the 4-wheelers. It was Keo and Aja's first time. They were so cute and you could tell they felt free. I remember that about riding wheelers when I was a kid. I felt free and grown-up. That is how they felt and it was fun to see.

I am so thankful to Bruce and Shelly for letting us use the cabin. It was a great time to bond and be with the kids in nature. I hope we get the chance to do this again.

Kya almost 3 months.

2009-08-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

I love this big bow, she is so cute even when she cries.

Isn't that the cutest face? I just want to squish it!

Sweet dream!

Ka'Lya's 2.5 month Doctor's appointment!

2009-07-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

She loves her Daddy!

This was sad. She had to get her rota virus immunization. Kevin had to pinch her cheeks together so she would not spit it out.

Right before the horrible shots!

Kya weighed 8lbs 14 oz and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. The appointment was on July 10, 2009. She has grown so fast and is such a sweet baby. She only cried for a minute when she got her shots, but it sure did make me feel so sad for her.

Ku'uipo and her photo shoot with Ka'Lya.

2009-07-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ku'uipo loves to play with Kya and take care of her. She took my camera the other day and took all these cute pics.
This is Kya in her doll car seat. So cute.

Kya says, "Get me outta here!"

Kee getting his Bear!

2009-07-22T14:17:00.001-07:00

Kee got his bear from scouts on June 24, 2009. He was so happy. He was supposed to get it on April 22, but I went into labor and Ka'Lya could not wait to come!
My Dad came. He is always so good to support the kids.

Proud Papa.

Good Job Kee!

July Family Pics.

2009-07-17T13:21:00.001-07:00

Nana tried so hard to get that perfect picture, but this is the best we could get with 5 squirmy kids...and one adult, lol. I am so glad Kevin did not complain too much though! Love you babe.

The boys!

We all love her.

This is the best we could get!

So cute!

The Girls!

Date night with Keo!

2009-07-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ke'Lao got straight A's the entire year. We have decided that the kids get to have a fun date night with Mom and Dad alone if they get good grades. Keo got to decide what and where we were going. He wanted to go bowling. I was amazed at how good he was. I also cannot believe how expensive it is! I am glad we all had so much fun. Good job Keo!

Goofy.

Keo took this pic, he did a good job.

Love you so much Ke'Lao.