Little Quarterback Turns 9

(Photo by our wonderful friend...Kryssie Booth Ü Invites by Aunty Shenna)

Happy Birthday to our big boy nephew and cousin...Hadyn! We love this guy so much and it's hard sometimes not being able to see him as often since we've moved to Utah. Lucky for us, they traveled to Utah for a few days this week and we were able to celebrate his birthday together with family and friends! Hadyn has incredible energy and enthusiasm. This year was his first year playing flag football and he did an amazing job! He was even elected to be the quarterback of his team and, of course, scored many touchdowns during their season. Ü Way to go Hadyn! We love you tons and hope you had an awesome birthday! Ü

That 4-Letter Word

"Love was made for you and me." ~Nat King Cole

Love is a term that resonates throughout much of the world during the month of February...specifically on Valentine's Day. That being so, I thought I would write about the loves of my life in a simple and (hopefully) not too drawn out way. ;0) I could go on and on about the long list of people that I love in my life because it's a pretty lengthy list. Ü I have varying degrees of love for everyone from my visiting teachers to my amazing mother and sisters. For now, I'll focus on my immediate family.

I love my husband. He's amazing, talented, funny and caring. In all honesty, I do consider myself lucky to have found someone who is willing to sacrifice so much for the well-being of his wife and children. He sets goals and he understands that it takes hard-work to keep these goals in motion. He surprises me daily with his incredible ability to effortlessly create pieces of art and beauty. He treats me like a queen...and I love it. He loves our girls and cares for them tremendously. Even though he's determined that he won't spoil his kids...he does. Ü But they're definitely not the bratty kind. Ü I love this guy and I'm grateful to have him as my eternal companion.

We love our girls. They are our princesses and they bring a tremendous amount of joy and love into our lives. They make us laugh at the silliest things they do...even when we're annoyed and trying not laugh. Ü They are smart, caring, creative, loving and outgoing.

We often refer to our oldest as a bookworm because she loves loves to read. She was recently accepted into ALPS (Accelerated Learning Program for Students) for her School District and we are so proud of her accomplishments. She has always excelled in school and we know that she will continue to do outstanding work. She loves being with her friends and especially with the girls in her Achievement/Activity Days group. She has such big heart and is always thinking of others. She's a big help around the house and we know we can always depend on her. It's hard to believe how fast our little girl is growing up. :)

Our youngest daughter, Madysen, is such a fun and outgoing little gal. She's been a "girly-girl" from the moment she knew what a tutu was. She has an eye for pretty things and dresses that twirl. Ü She's been saying words since she was 9 months old and complete sentences before she was one. She'll talk the ear off an elephant! Madysen loves to love. It's amazing just how much love is encompassed into such a tiny person. She loves everyone and everything. If she sees that I'm busy working on the computer...she'll quietly come by and kiss my elbow so as not to disturb me. If daddy is working on a project, she'll slip him a note by his feet or under the door. I'm almost envious of the 'heart of gold' that she has. Ü

There isn't a stronger emotion that exists other than love...to have and to feel it is something to be eternally grateful for....and we are.

50th Anniversary

It's been a busy...but awesome few weeks! On February 12th we celebrated my grandparents' 50th Anniversary! The efforts of putting together a celebration for them pretty much began with their 3 daughters (one of which is my mom) and their sons. The rest of us grandchildren were given assignments and before you know it...the party planning was in full swing!

(We tied gold ribbon above the photo on the final invites Ü)

When my grandparents decided they didn't want a public slide show of their lives shown at the party, I thought it would be a wonderful gift for them if I were to create a photo book! Each page would be personally dedicated to my grandparents from each of their children and older grandchildren who were also married. I had no idea of the challenge I was taking upon myself! Lol My grandparents have 12 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As you can imagine, it was pretty difficult at times for me to track everyone down. It took a lot of emailing, reminding, posting and phone calls to make sure everyone got their photos and messages in so that I could order it and receive it before the day of the party. I spent over 60 hours on Photoshop creating each page for the book from scrap. It was a 'labor of love' for me and when it was finally complete I finally had the chance to see it in it's entirety...it was as beautiful as I had imagined it to be. :) You can see it here!

The party was a huge success as well. Of course, there were many hours of preparation and cooking that went into making it a success and it was great having so many family members helping out. I must admit that my mom and aunts are pretty much the best cooks ever! They really are. Ü The food was amazing that day. My mom even drove...yes, drove from California to Utah with over 20 Dobash cakes from King's Hawaiian Bakery in her car. My mom placed a Dobash cake on top of a crystal vase that was filled with gold leaves as the centerpiece for each table. Rather than having a huge cake to cut and to serve everyone with, we had a beautiful, small wedding cake for my grandparents to cut and eat and the same for each table. By the way, Dobash cake from King's Hawaiian is my favorite! Ü

As entertainment for the anniversary party, each family was to come up with a talent number and our girls decided they wanted to dance! Both Madysen and Sariah did tahitian solo numbers and they did an awesome job! In the past our girls have danced for the Polynesian dance troupe, Hitia O Te Ra, in California. Even though it's been quite some time since they've performed...they weren't the least bit shy and still remembered how to shake it! Ü Their cousins did just as wonderful with talents that included hip-hop dancing, Samoan sivas, and primary songs. Our grandparents made their entrance into the party with a waltz and it was darling watching them dance together. Their steps were ever so careful and small so as not to risk the chance of slipping or falling but that worry wasn't evident on their faces...only the look of happiness and decades of love for one another, for their family and for their friends. I say it often when I'm writing but it's worth repeating...time spent with family and friends is time well spent. Everyone had a great time at the party and we always enjoy the company of our cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, parents and friends. Ü After the party had ended and cleaning up was complete, we gathered at our grandparents' home where I presented them with their photo book. Even after it's completion, I had kept the final product a surprise from everyone else in the family, so it was pretty much a battle over who got to see the book next after my grandparents. Ü They loved their book. I was so proud. I'm thankful to all of my family members who took the time out to participate in the book because being worth it in the end was an understatement with the reaction given from my grandparents. I can only speak for myself when I say how grateful I am to have been blessed with grandparents such as mine. The stories, the examples they've set and the lessons they've taught me will stay with me the rest of my life.