The Fonotisatele's

My Son the Warrior

2011-06-29T02:19:00.000-06:00

What a long, stressful 7 weeks! Usually when you have a baby the time goes by so quickly as you see your baby grow. After a few weeks you are usually putting away the newborn clothes and trying to pick out which new 0-3 month outfit to put on first. I feel as if these have been some very long weeks. I am just trying to take it one day at a time. It has seemed as if I have taken 2 steps forward and then 4 steps back, over and over.

After 2 weeks of constant bleeding with nursing, I made the hard choice to stop nursing and do strictly formula. He ate plenty and seemed fine. He acted fussy and colicky but I wasn't sure if thats what it was since Halia was so easy. We took him in for a check up at 4 weeks and he hadn't gained more than a few ounces in 2 weeks. He spit up allot but you always hear that it may look like they spit up all they ate but it really isn't. Well, obviously he was spittin up more than he should. He was under the 25th percentile. So we started him on the expensive formula for fussiness and gas...

He seemed a generally happy baby. Just wanted to be held a lot. 5 days later he started pooping white. By the end of day 5 on the gentle formula he was having a lot of blood in his diapers when he had a bowl movement.

I took him to instacare immediately. They decided to know for sure we needed to have his blood drawn to rule out the worst. Since he seemed generally healthy, the doc on-call told me to switch him to Soy formula until we get the results back. By now we have spent $38.00 on formula in 5 days that we didn't end up finishing. The worst thing ever, was to have to watch him get a needle stuck in his arm to get his blood drawn. They strapped him down to a back board with only his head and arm showing. Kinda like a papoose. He was so brave and strong and luckily it was over quickly. It was so sad to see the blue tape to keep the pressure on his arm.

I was getting anxious because he was still having blood in his poop and started spitting up more. I didn't want him to lose more weight. It was the weekend but I had our pediatricians cell#. I kept bugging him until he got back to me. He would be able to help us since he knows the baby's history better than any other doc would. He said to stop the Soy and he would meet me at the office to give me some samples of some Hypoallergenic formula. He was able to check his blood tests online and everything turned out good. It seemed that his symptoms were consistent to Milk and Soy allergy. In the meantime I decided to try to get my breast milk back. I took supplements and pumped and was able to get a limited amount. It wasn't the same milk from before but it was worth a try. It was very watery looking. It was almost impossible to avoid all soy. Soy is in everything!

A few days into the new formula, Isaia started fussing more and spitting up allot as well as choking on clear mucous. So...we tried another, a prescription from enfamil, a few days later he started to slow down his eating and spitting up more. He got more fussy and upset. So...we tried Enfamil Nutramigen. It's over the counter but it cost more than $4 every time we fed him! All of these formulas are for babies with cow's milk allergy so basically the milk protein is broken into tiny pieces so he could digest it. We were hoping this would be it for him even though it was going to cost over $25 a week to feed him. We just wanted him to feel better and gain weight. A few days later... he started having blood in his spit up! Feeling so overwhelmed and worried I text my doc again. On his way home from work he stopped by to drop off one more formula for us to try. He said when you have a severe allergy it inflames everything from your throat all the way down and that was causing the blood. We are crossing our fingers that this is the "secret formula" otherwise the next step is the Gastronologist. I really don't want to put Isaia through anymore pain.

He has been so strong through all of this. The pic above is all the formula we have used in the last 5 weeks! I really hope the Enfamil Nutramigen AA is the last one. Its Amino Acid based and smells like a swimming pool. But he eats it and that's what matters. He has been on it since last Thursday and seems to be doing better. I actually think he looks bigger too. We hope we can get it as a prescription and have our insurance help pay for it. I hate that we have so many opened unfinished formulas. I have a huge can of soy that we maybe made 6 bottles with. If anyone wants it let me know. It's yours for free.

You always wish that your baby can stay new for a little longer. The one thing that has been nice is that he has stayed new looking for a little bit. But after a month of that I was getting too worried and just wanted him to get bigger. I feel like most people have their baby figured out by now and can get back into daily life and routines. I feel as if every week has been like the beginning over and over again. Especially when I was trying to get my milk back. I know as soon as we figure it out he will catch up real quick.

As week 7 begins we are hopeful that the beginning of our future Samoan Warrior and future line backer is in the making.

We sure appreciate all the love and service we have received from everyone. All your thoughts and prayers have been so needed and helpful. Some day I will be able to return the favors. Thank you again.

He is Here!

2011-05-14T23:11:00.000-06:00

Isaia Manuia Fonotisatele

May 11, 2011 8:26AM

7lbs 7oz 21in

Our son is finally here! We couldn't be happier! The day was perfect and couldn't have gone any better. Everything was so great it was almost too good to be true. I know you are dying to see some pics so I'll get to his birth story later. I'm posting from the hospital so I am limited on the pics I can download. I'll get some more of his very first minutes up when I get home and can edit a little more.

Waiting patiently to get started. Some lady decided to try and deliver her baby even though it was breech. So that made our delivery postponed until she delivered in case they had to do a C-section. Ugh...I was like, "hello, don't you know that I was planning on meeting my baby today? You're kinda messing up my plans." Luckily, she was apparently an experienced mother by 3 times and pushed it out safely with one push. So we were only one hour behind schedule.

The first time I got to touch and hold my baby boy. Sale had already spent the last 40 min with him while I was getting stitched up. It was so amazing. He was so quiet as he stared into my eyes for the first time like he knew exactly who I was. It was so special.

Proud Daddy!

Excited Big Sister holding "baby broder sia" for the first time.

She loves him so much that you really have to keep a close eye on her. She thinks she knows exactly what she is doing.

Thinking about the next time he gets to eat!

Baby Cooper

2011-05-04T03:23:00.004-06:00

Baby Cooper is here! No not my baby...my new nephew. Cooper was born March 31st weighing 7 lbs 6oz and 19.5in long. He is soooo cute! He is a very handsome little guy and I'm not just saying that because he is family. :) So far he couldn't be more perfect and Healthy! There hasn't been any signs of the drugs effecting him so everyone was so relieved when he finally arrived.

My little guy is due in exactly 7 days from today! Next wed. May 11th at 7:30 am the c section will begin! This has been the longest 2 weeks of my life and the next few days couldn't come any faster. It will be so fun to have these two guys so close together. They will be exactly 6 weeks apart. My Brother and Sale already have their football future planned out. Everyone is making bets that when our son arrives that Cooper will weigh the same as our newborn. LOL! around 8 or 9 lbs. So far his name will be Isaia pronounced like ee-sy-ah. Its the Samoan version of Isaiah. Not sure on the middle yet. We will keep ya posted!

Anyone who is pregnant or knows anyone that is pregnant or is planning on becoming pregnant please watch

2011-02-19T20:16:00.001-07:00

Monday On 2News @ 10: Prescription For Heartache

http://connect2utah.com/news-story?nxd_id=132066&watch=1&shr=addthis

This story is about my brother and his wife. She is pregnant with their 3rd child, a baby boy, and is due in about 6 weeks. A horrible mistake that has caused so much unneccary stress, worry, and special appointments with the neonatalogist for most of her pregnancy. So far, everything is ok, but no one should ever have to deal with this. She decided to come out with her story because she doesn't want anyone else to have to deal with this. You have to check your medications...unfourtunately you can't always trust the pharmicst. So scary. This is the clip for the trailer but please tune in to watch the story on Monday night.

New Beginings

2011-02-14T05:41:00.009-07:00

This is for you Tricia Graves. I know what I promised, and its only the 2nd month of 2011 so I'm finally doing it. You can thank Sale later for keeping me up with his snoring so I could do an update. :) Here it is.... the last 10 months of the Fonotisatele family. I'll start where I left off... last spring.

Our last summer BBQ with our married student ward and Bishopric. This is just a few of the many friends we will always remember. So many fun times and memories. I sure miss the life of the student ward sometimes.

"Our Summer"

We got new family pictures last July. So much fun with a 2yr old. Yikes! Thanks to my friend Cathy Wall, she was able to catch a few good ones. She was so patient with the monkey.

Halia's cousins making faces at her to make her smile.

What was I trying to do with that hair? I imagined it looking better in my head. She is still so cute.
We spent a lot of time at parks letting Halia get her energy out. As you can see she is quite a monkey.

The splash pad was one of our favorite places to go. Just don't drink the water please!

She was so facinated with the dinosaurs at the dinosaur park. She would try to make a scary roar everytime she saw one.

You can never go wrong with family time at the Zoo. The train ride is mom and dad's favortie part.

The pool was a frequent this summer. Halia has no fear. When she got bored of taking her turn at the toddler slide, she would run over to the big kid slides and show those babies how its done.

Charlee and Addy are her 2 favorite people to hang out with. (Besides mom and dad of course) The slip n slide was one of the best investments. (Until Halia hits her head and gets a bloody lip. Happens everytime.)

The 4th of July princess. Besides the fireworks, the parade was her favorite.

This summer Sale's family had a huge reunion from his mom's side. His Gram was turning 93 or 94 (I lose count sometimes) and wanted to do one last hooray for her. All the fam from Hawaii and California came for a few days. We met some family we never met before. Sale's cousin's daughter, (understand?) had a little girl and named her Hali'a. Our Halia was born first so, no one can say we copied. She was the cutest, tiniest little thing. We have never heard of anyone with the same name before, let alone in our own family. Our Halia was so sweet and nice to her. Hali'a has a heart condition and has a pacemaker so she is so tiny. It was such a relief to see her be nice to another kid for once. Our Halia would just try to hug and kiss her. I could not ever get a good pic of the other Hali'a but you can imagine her cute little Hawaiian face. We hope to see them again someday.

The 2 Halia's

The family doing what they do best. Jammin.

Sale had an unfortunate mishap this summer. No big deal but he eventually had to get sugery. He had an umbilical hernia. No fun! He is doing much much better now. He makes every outfit look good. :)

On Labor Day we found out some exciting news! Halia is going to be a big sister! We couldn't be happier. We are expecting our son around May 18th. As of right now his name is baby brother, so don't ask. Lol!

The Monkey turned 2 this September! She is way too spoiled. She woke up from her nap on her birthday to a front yard full of family and 2 bounce houses. Can you imagine waking up to that as a kid? We had pizza and banana splits and cupcakes. I made her a cute monkey cake. She loves her Uncle Elmo(Jim). We have no clue why she calls him Elmo?

We announced the news to family with a shirt she got for her birthday at the party. I guess this is the best pic I had of her in the shirt. It says "I'm gonna be a big sister," on the back says, "coming soon May 2011." It was great. But Halia was obvioulsy more excited for her bikes and scooters her aunts and uncles got her.

Trick or Treating was a whole new exciting experience this year. After the ward trunk or treat, she quickly figured out what needed to happen to get candy. Despite the cold and rain, this cute little witch ran from neighbor to neighbor to fill her bag of treats. It was so much fun!

Halia is quite artistic. She will color and paint anything. Including herself. She was so proud she painted her own "pretties"

When Halia turned 2 she started to go to daycare on Fridays. We call it "school." They did such a cute little program for the parents.

We were so excited for Christmas this year. Surprisingly, Halia loved Santa and ran and sat right on his knee and said, "presents." Everything about Christmas she loved. Lights, singing, treats, decorations, trees, were so fun to her. So of course we couldn't wait to live through her excitement when she woke up Christmas morning to her new kitchen. Unfortunately, Halia had strep throat and a 104 fever all of Christmas. So we didn't quite get the reaction we imagined in our heads. She would unwrap a present and set it aside. It was like she was just unwrapping it just because we told her too. Poor baby. But she eventually loved playing with her new toys.

This was a big year for Sale! Can't believe how old my husband is? He insisted he wanted nothing to do with a party. All he wanted was a day at the spa. So we went together and got pedicures and massages at my work and had a great dinner at our favorite place Kobe. It was more of a combined celebration for both of us since my B-day is 2 days later.

Well, there ya have it! It feels good to be caught up. I told my friend my new years resolution was to try to keep up on my blog and she won't let me forget it. J/K Tricia. I'm glad you are holding me to it.

Today is Valentines Day! Hope your day is full of love and happiness! (Mine will, as long as I get some yummy cakebites from the sweet tooth fairy bakery. Hint.. hint.. Sale.)

"Secrets of Motherhood"

2010-04-21T03:41:00.001-06:00

Oh man have I had a rough past week. It seems that every time Sale goes out of town Halia gets severely sick. A few days before Sale leaves I start making a list of "things" and "projects" I'm going to do during the 5 days he will be gone. Well, I guess Halia got worried we wouldn't spend enough time together so she made sure of it by coming down with a horrible stomach virus. She was so miserable, poor thing. I had to miss work all last week. A few days later I got sick. (Halia was still very sick by now) What more could go wrong after cleaning up her vomit and diarrhea off the kitchen floor for 6 days? Sale finally gets home and he gets sick! Not to mention various other family members, cousins, grandmas, and grandpa also got it. Soooo fun!

It is weeks like these where I really contemplate motherhood. Days have gone by where I have not seen the outdoors, my hair needs to be brushed, dishes are piling up, towels, blankets, and vomit buckets are spread everywhere, (just in case Halia explodes) and I feel like I just want to climb in bed and forget about my responsibilities as a mother and a wife and go the sleep for a day.

Well, hallelujah for a new week! My mother gave me this great book called, "A Mother's Book of Secrets" by Linda and Shawni Eyre. I have started reading it during these past sleepless nights. I have been motivated and rejuvenated by these amazing women/ mothers, and their stories and adventures of raising a family. It has reminded me about what it is I love about being a mother. I freaking love being Halia's mom and I'm so lucky she chose me! I highly recommend this book to any mother. Every section is only two to three pages and is so full of insight and ideas. I love to get advice and hear what works for other families and try to incorporate new ideas into my own family.

Some of the "Secrets" I have learned so far:

Look for the light in the trenches (they will be gone before you know it)
Some days "Motherhood is like being pecked to death by a duck" ( I felt this last week, not fun.)
Let some imagination in once in a while
When we visit "Wit's End," it makes the precious moments that much better (tested this out already last week. It's true!)
Serendipity (I wonder what will happen to me today? Instead of, "what do I have to do today") Example: oh, its ok that Halia had diahrrea all over the tile floor in the kitchen, I needed to mop anyways so I guess I will just have to do it sooner than later. :) Ha ha!
Enough is Enough ( just spend time)
Prayer works (sometimes its all that gets me through the day.)
Take time for yourself (Seriously!)
Nurture your marriage, its the best gift you can give your children. Its number one. After all, when they are all gone and grown, its just you two again.
"Whatever" (who cares what anyone else thinks, no one is really that perfect library mom. Say, "whatever!" a lot, and pick your battles.)
Look for magnificent opportunities for creativity instead of being irritated
Be your own kind of "Best Mom"
Push to make memories instead of life being the same every day.

These are just a few ideas for me to remember and work on. I love being a mom more and more everyday. Thanks mom for the book. Its just what I needed to remind me of why I'm doing what I'm doing. Thanks to all my friends who are also amazing mothers and inspire me to be better. It sure makes this adventure fun when you have others to relate and brag to. Below are some pictures of the madness and memories of late. Halia has too much energy for her own good.

Poor sick babies! Still so cute.

Her head sliced open from the side table in the hotel room in Vegas. She was running as usual

All fixed up!

Just being Halia! Goofy girl!

1st Easter Bunny experiance at the Baby Animal days. Thanks for taking me grandma!

Crib and bedding for sale!

2010-04-05T01:26:00.000-06:00

I have a client who is trying to sell this beautiful crib and bedding. The crib is a sleigh bed style and converts into a toddler bed and also into a full bed. The crib and bedding was used a total of maybe 4 times and is basically brand new. She would like to get rid of it, so... for everything, including the top of the line crib mattress, she is asking 300. What a deal! If you are interested contact me and I will put you in contact with her.
My client is also an amazing seamstress and has sewn a few adorable things for Halia. Below is the cute Hello Kitty skirt she made for her. Halia is so funny because when I got her dressed on this particular morning, she was insisting on putting on these boots! I thought is was so cute, she kept sayin, "shoos, shoos" so I gave in and let her wear them even though they totally didn't match her outfit. (I changed her shoes before we left to be seen in public anywhere) :)

Quick update with new pictures :)

2010-02-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

Christmas was so much fun this year. Halia was too easy to spoil, as you will see with the pictures below.

Halia loves her cousins Charlee and Addy. One of their favorite things is to have "pajama parties."

Halia with all the goods from mom and dad. (I know we went a little over board, but its mostly all educational stuff?!) :)

Takin a ride on her very own pony from Grandma and Grandpa

Waiting patiently for everyone to arrive so they can open presents.

All the cousins with Sale's Gram and Mom

Halia has discovered a few of her favorite things to do lately.....

She loves to play in the snow on our little hill

Eat with her feet on the table. Or.... eat her feet?

Curl up on her sponge bob chair, (from Grandma Booty) and read a good book. (Don't worry, my mom is really talented and made a really cute pink cover for the sponge bob chair. yikes!)Halia's hair is getting thicker and longer, so we have been trying out a few new styles. Below we have the "whale spout pony." Sale was not a fan of this one. :(

Below here we have Velcro curlers.... very cute in a stick your finger in a light socket kind of way... more pics to come on this issue. We have yet to try the side "whale spout" and the "piggies." Maybe tomorrow?

Remember about 7 months ago when I did a post about Halia biting, and I wanted any advice I could get? Well.... I told you.... my kid is a baby vampire! If you don't believe me just drop your kid off with Halia in nursery and you'll see! Yes, that is blood drippin from her mouth!

I know these pictures are sad, and you must be thinking how horrible I am to make her pose for them, but she actually wasn't crying and was pretty lively. :) The other baby she bit was pretty hurt though, I won't post any pictures of that. JUST KIDDIN! Actually, she tore that thing inside your upper lip that attaches to your gums, right off. She fell on her face with her sippy cup in her mouth. She bled, and bled, and bled, for over 2 hours. She couldn't get stitches, so the doc said just let it be and it will heal. You should've seen her sheets the next morning. Yikes! But I have to say, I'm a little concerned, she just kept sucking her binky the whole time she was bleeding. Blood was dripping from behind her binky down her chest. Gross!... I know! I guess she likes that iron salty taste? RENESME?! J/K :) I'm sure there will be more accidents like this to come, since she runs everywhere she goes. Oh the joys!

WTF! What the FREAK!

2009-11-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

So I am giving you a warning disclaimer right now.... this is definitely a therapy post. I just can not get this off my mind tonight and I have some intense venting to get out so I can sleep. My intentions are not to offend anyone. I'm not trying to personally attack anyone with what I am about to say, but I need to say this in defense for myself, my friends, and other mothers who don't have the "LUXURY" of being a stay at home mother, or who "CHOOSE" to work for their own sanity and health. Some of you may already know why I am venting about this topic. If this makes you uncomfortable then please do not read on... but please still be my friend. :) Anyone is welcome to post a dispute if you choose too but I am confident that I may say what everyone else is feeling already but too afraid of saying anything. I do want to make sure I clarify and say that those mothers who do stay home are great people and good mothers too. Please note that these are my thoughts and feelings.

As most of you know I am very strong in my religious beliefs. Those of you who are not too familiar with LDS religion, there is some guidelines that mothers should stay home with their children. I agree with this guideline. But, this is not always the case that this is possible for every mother to do. For my family, and many others, that is ultimately the goal one day. There are many reasons that a mother may not stay home with their kids. And sometimes when the mother does stay home, she still feels the need to contribute to the finances and relieve some burdens off the husband. So, there is moms that work from home. I do not need to go into all of the reasons why a mother may not stay home. I personally, am working only part time. This situation is working for my family the best it can right now. And I enjoy what I do. Of course I miss my little girl when I am gone, but when I am home with her, I appreciate her and the time we spend together more. It was said that we are "COMMANDED" to stay home with our children. There is no where in the Ten Commandments that says, Thou shalt stay home with your children. I could go on and on and on. All I can say is that I am going to continue to be the best mom I can be right now. Fortunately, neither my husband or I were, or are, fed with a silver spoon. For that we are grateful. We are hard working parents that have learned to work for everything our family needs and wants. We both had to pay for our own education as do many. We strive everyday to teach our child how to become a person that can function in this world today and make a difference. We want to give her everything, but we will try to teach her how to work and struggle to get the things she desires. She will be a better person for this. Some who have never had the opportunity to know how it feels to struggle or to wonder how ends will meet the next week, most definitely do not have the right to make such ignorant statements. Right now I do not have the "LUXURY" of staying home everyday of the week. I could stay home, we would struggle even more, and we would still be fine, but for our family that is not going to work for us right now. My husband is such a hard worker and is doing his very best to take care of his girls. He is trying to set us up for a great future with no worries. But who isn't?

Isn't it also taught to live within your means? Yes we are taught to multiply and replenish the earth. It is also taught to make smart choices. It is not smart to have 8 children and counting if you will be living off the system and bishop's storehouse the rest of your life. Please make note that I understand that small or big families will sometimes need welfare assistance to get back on their feet, and I do not judge that. It's not free to raise a human. Everyones situation is different. I do my best to teach my daughter everything she needs to know, and I keep her healthy. I choose to spend my free time with her and my husband. To me, it is OK if the dust on the baseboard sits for another week, or if I let the jelly dry on the floor before I get to cleaning it. I would not want to miss precious moments with my baby and husband so that my house can be immaculate and my closet can be color coordinated consistently. Even though my clothes in my closet may have a few holes in it or may get out of their color coordination, it is OK. Because, I got to have precious time with my little one and teach her a new word today. To some you would see or feel as if that is not such a condition where the spirit can reside. Well, you are mistaken. You can come into my home and see my family and feel the love and joy that we have. You will see the legacy we are trying to build. I will do my best to keep our home a healthy home, but I know that if the jelly dries on the table for 1 more minute that it should, we will still be OK and alive, we will still be happy, and I will not have missed my baby saying to me a new word. I know the lord knows me personally and know every ones situation. He never asked me to Clorox Halia's toys every other day, or wipe the counters every hour. He has asked to love and guide my little girl. He chose me to be her mom. I am going to do just that and only that. I am not going to make such judgments of others who choose to stay home or who choose to work. Aren't all mothers just trying to do the same thing here? Aren't we all just trying to love and raise good kids? Lets keep that in mind and support each other and help those who may not have such luxuries to stay home at this moment in time. To those who do stay home...please be mindful of how you express your reasons for staying home. It can sound very hurtful and judgmental if you are not taking care in the words and tone you choose to use. Remember, a mother is a mother whether they get to change every single diaper in a day or not, we still love our kids just the same. :)

Thank goodness for blogger therapy!

Halia's 1st Birthday Party Pictures!

2009-11-26T01:11:00.000-07:00

I posted her party pictures. But, since I'm a slacker, I started the post over 2 months ago, and just finished it. For some reason blogger won't let me rearrange the order of the posts. So it is below the last 2 posts if you want to peek!

I couldn't choose just a few to show off.... forgive me!

2009-10-07T21:04:00.001-06:00

9/25/08-4:30am-8lbs 10oz-20.5in.

2009-09-24T15:44:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st birthday to our little AlohiLani! (the brightness of heaven) I know everyone always says..."I can't believe its been a year?" but, it's so true how quickly time has gone this year. Our baby girl is now a little girl. :( She has brought so much joy to everyone in our family. I just can't imagine life without seeing her cute little brown eyes everyday.

I don't think Halia will ever know how much I love her until she becomes a mother herself one day. Until then, I will try to tell her how much she is loved by everyone who meets her. Maybe one day she will see this and can understand a little about a mothers love.

Halia, it has only been one year and.....I have smiled, cried, laughed, screamed, and cried some more. You have taught me a lot this past year. I learned that there is not such a thing as a "perfect mother." I always make mistakes, but I will always learn from them. You taught me that not "everything" matters. YOU matter. I want you to know that I will never be the "perfect mother" but, I will do my very best for you. I can only dream about what our future will bring with the peace and serenity you carry with you everywhere. I love every minute we have together. You bring the brightness of heaven to our life. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for making the sacrifice to send us such a beautiful and loving little piece of sunshine. I love you baby girl. :) Happy 1st Birthday!

Halia's 1st Birthday Party!

2009-09-22T22:48:00.001-06:00

Since Halia has turned one my extra time has become shorter and shorter. So here I am 2 months later finally posting pics of her birthday party that I seriously planned for 3 months! I made everything myself except for the paper lanterns and the hibiscus flowers. I was so proud of myself and how frugal I was with her party. It was such a great turnout and so much fun! We had a barbecue at the park, with cupcakes and strawberries and cream Zeppes for dessert. Yum! Thank you to everyone who helped and contributed food. She got spoiled with so many gifts, including some air jordans, a Chargers uniform (#21 of course for her daddy's fav. player), clothes, toys, money, and the cutest pink and white dollhouse/bookshelf from her grandparents. Halia is so loved and thanks everyone for the best 1st year a girl could have! :)

P.S. If anyone would like to borrow the cupcake pans or decorations I would love to lend them to you!

Brand New Uggs for Sale!

2009-09-17T17:08:00.000-06:00

****Size 5 tall black suede and shearling Uggs.**** These are still in the box and I am trying to sell them. They have never been worn! I got the wrong size and I need to sell them before I can get some new ones. If you wear a size 6 or 6.5 regularly, then you would fit into a size 5 in Uggs. They run big. If you have never tried the "true Uggs" in the winter time, then you have no idea what your feet are missing. Uggs are worn without socks and they keep your feet sooooo warm during the cold snowy months. Because of the the natural shearling liner, they keep the temperature of your feet regulated no matter what time of year it is! The outside is black suede, with a cream shearling liner, and black lacing up the sides. You can tuck your pants in them so they don't get wet! So cute! The sole is a hard sole so they are more waterproof than traditional uggs. The style is called "Upside" if you want to look them up. I'm selling them for $150.00 If you try to get them on Amazon they are about $170.00 + shipping and handling. They are normally $230.00 in the retail stores, so its about a $80.00 savings. If you are interested you may contact me. I will try to take a better, bigger picture with my camera and post it soon. :)

What?!... Already?!

2009-09-10T21:48:00.000-06:00

So where in the world did this last year go?! Halia will be 1 in 2 weeks on September 25th. Due to Sale having such a humongous family...trying to work around everyones schedules, we finally agreed on having her 1st birthday party this Saturday. The 1st birthday is a big deal in the Polynesian culture so we had to do it big of course. (would you expect any less from the Fonotisatele's?) With Sale's siblings and their children there is 42 people! That's just the ones that actually live in Utah! So....it will be quite the party. Unfortunately my sis and one of his sisters won't be able to make it. :( I will be sure to update you on her party pictures after this weekend. Here is her cute invite that Jessi at announcementstoponder made for me. (for all you party goers, the info was changed for safety)

Just one less thing...

2009-08-24T00:13:00.000-06:00

Some of you may have already checked out this site since I've always had it under my list of fav. sites. http://www.announcementstoponder.blogspot.com/ My friend Jessi Pond makes the most adorable invitations, announcements, cards, etc. She is so very talented and she has done our Christmas/Birth announcement, and Valentine cards for us. It's so nice to send a quick email to her and let her take care of just one less thing that I have to do. Its so easy, I send her the pics, she makes it, she emails me the draft, I take the CD to Costco, and there you have it! If you are in the market for any kind of personalized cards, definitely check her stuff out. Also, if you put her button on the side bar of your blog, she will take 5$ off your order! Be ready Jessi, I will be contacting you this week for Halia's birthday invitations!

P.S. For all you pregos out there, if your interested in taking childbirth classes, Jessi also teaches the Bradley Method Husband Coached Childbirth. http://www.bradleybirth.com/ndweb.asp?ID=P341 It was the best thing me and my husband did to prepare us for the arrival of our little girl. We highly recommend it even if you don't want a natural birth. Jessi is so accommodating to your schedule too!

10 months of MORE and MORE energy

2009-08-09T21:57:00.000-06:00

So Halia turned 10 months on July 25th. She is so full of life. She never never never stops moving. Not even in her sleep! She always manages to scratch herself somehow and it always seems to be on her eyes. This is how I found her in her crib when she woke up from a nap. So sad! It looks worse than it really was. She just had picked a scab from a previous scratch. So it bled into her eye. She seemed as if she had no idea she was bleeding so I guess she was ok.
Halia is learning so fast. She learns new things everyday. Some of the things she does are...

Waving Hi and bye, Says... momma, Dada, ball, hi, owa, (Samoan for no)and she talks to herself in her own language or possibly Samoan since I can't speak it. She loves to clap after performances on So You Think You Can Dance. She will start clapping when you sing, patty cake, or If your Happy and You Know It. She loves to jump when you hold her hands and say Jump, Jump, Jump, or dance, dance, dance. She now has 4 teeth which hurt even more when she bites. (Any suggestions on the biting thing would be appreciated. I think she is quickly losing her friends.)

Blog Slacker!

2009-08-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I finally updated the blog. There is a few posts of the last few months but obviously I still have more updating to do since my Mom's Birthday was like over a month ago, and Halia is now 10 months. I'm tryin, I'm tryin! She just never stops!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-07-14T11:26:00.000-06:00

For my mom's birthday I made her this GIANT cupcake. It was so fun to make and so yummy! We decided we would take pictures of all her grand kids together for her present. It was quite a task to get Charlee Jo, Max, Halia and Addy to sit for a good pic. A friend from high school took these and they turned out so cute. Her name is Cathy Wall and her website is http://www.cwallphotography.blogspot.com/

Isn't she pretty!

Definitely her daddy's girl with those angry eyebrows.

Addy and Halia love each other. Halia wants to be a big girl like her one day.

Aren't these the cutest sisters you have ever seen!

People say Addy looks like me...what do you think?

Charlee Jo is such a good little princess.

Addy Lee needs a little more bribery.

Mischievous Max! Look at those big brown eyes.

What are you lookin at? Do you have any fish crackers for me?

I love my Grandma!

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

4th of July

2009-07-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

1st parade! Halia got to be in the North Ogden 4th of July children's parade. My friend Aspen made her and Cienna matching tutus and flowers, with cute little leggings. My cute niece Jessi and nephew Tafa pulled them in the wagon. All the family saved their seats on the lawn in front of our neighborhood the day before, so they could see them in the parade. It was so fun!
Then we went to my brothers house for a BBQ with my family and cousins that were here from Ohio. Halia couldn't get enough of the swing.

After that we went to Sale's brothers house for a BBQ and to swim. Halia's other bff Ava and her parents came too. They loved the pool until Halia pulled Ava's hair. She is such a bully!

SuMmEr FuN!

2009-07-14T11:16:00.000-06:00

So many new adventures! Halia took swimming lessons this summer. She is a natural fish! She loved it! She loved it so much that we did a second session with her friends from church. I think she is really gettin the hang of it. As soon as she is in the water she never stops kicking. Its so funny to see. It kinda makes me nervous how she is so comfortable in the water. She will keep crawling right into the deep end and it doesn't even phase her!
Halia and her Dad showin off their skills at her uncles pool on Founders Day.

We've been to the splash pad in South Ogden a few times. She's Obsessed with the water spouts.

Halia found her cousins Charlee and Addy at the splash pad one day. Soooo fun!

We've had a few BBQ's with Halia's bff Laney and her parents. They were tryin to encourage each other to climb the stairs in this picture. Those girls are always up to somethin.

Halia's friend Ellie invited her and Laney over for a BBQ and pajama party. Her parents really know how to cook! :)

This is Aisa and Halia at another summer BBQ. (he is 4 months younger than her! Fatty!) Halia is upset because she thinks he wants her bottle. I always tell her that just because he is fat doesn't mean he always wants her bottle. J/K Natatlie! :)

So far we have had a pretty good summer. Halia makes us actually get out and do stuff together which has been so great.

Monkey Business

2009-07-14T11:09:00.000-06:00

The Zoo! We have been to the zoo 3 times this summer! I wasn't sure how much Halia would be able to enjoy, but as you can see by the picture below she can always manage to find some dirt to eat. The first time we went to the zoo we went with all of her friends from church. It was so cute to see the babies faces when they saw the animals.
I know Halia is a Monkey in our eyes, but she has some catchin up to do!

I think her and mommy's favorite part was the train ride at the end of the day. The breeze was so nice.

This never happens! She was so exhausted and overwhelmed from all the fun she just couldn't take it anymore!

Ready...Set...Go!

The next time we went to the Zoo was with her Daddy. We couldn't resist the Carousel this time. Halia picked the Gorilla to ride on since its personality is most like hers.

As you can tell she loved it! ;0

These little monkeys were her favorite. She would pound on the glass (sorry zoo) and go "ohh, ohh, ohh." Aren't they so cute!

Halia and her Dad are so silly!

The 3rd time we went to the Zoo her Grandma and Grandpa spoiled her and took us with them. She even got to pick a toy. She picked the creepy lookin Lemur that squeaks. I don't have any pictures of that because my camera broke:( Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, we had fun!

Happy Fathers Day

2009-07-14T11:07:00.000-06:00

This year was Sale's official 1st fathers day. Halia made him the cutest card with her footprints on it and bought him his shoes he has been wanting for awhile. Sale is such a great father to Halia. He is so sweet and gentle with her. I think every Dad needs a daughter to soften them up. I definitely don't give in to her like Sale does, and she knows it too. Sale's mom had a special dinner for all the dads. The wives were all supposed to bring a dessert. The dads would then vote on whose dessert was the best. I thought I could at least win the best presentation. What guy doesn't like a cheeseburger and fries right? So I made mini burgers out of cupcakes, brownies, coconut, and frosting. The fries are made out of sugar cookies sprinkled with sugar. I was pretty impressed with myself. Well, after all that hard work we didn't end up voting because some of the wives didn't "know" it was a competition. Sale said I won in his eyes. ;) It was a lot of fun. I just want to tell Sale how great of a Dad he is to our little monkey. She absolutely adores you and loves to hear your voice. I have a wonderful Dad myself and I know how important the bond between a Dad and daughter is. My Dad is a great Dad and Grandpa. I know Halia is going to make some fun memories with her Grandpa. Lucky you Dad, you are the only one she has!

Sooo BIG!.....So Many Changes!

2009-07-14T10:56:00.000-06:00

Halia turned 9 months on June 25th. She is so crazy! Her spirit is just too big for her little body. She never ever stops! She doesn't exactly crawl, she does more of a run crawl. She sometimes tries to go so fast he legs do a little crawl hop. She definitely would win a crawling contest. Anyone want to challenge her? She will pretty much eat anything now. And always wants whatever she can't have.

As you can see she is huge. Her stats for her 9 month checkup are

Head- 75%

Length- 97% 29.25in

Weight- 90% 20.14lbs

She is always into somethin these days. Just look at that face. She looks so sneaky!

She got her first few teeth and already knows how to use them! (sorry to everyone and their children she has bitten!) I love the two bottom teeth. I think its so cute with just those two.

Halia is quite a Mozart these days. She is so entertained by any kind of music. Her Grandma and Gram are determined she will be a talented hula dancer and singer.

You all didn't pray hard enough

2009-06-12T16:18:00.000-06:00

Halia turned 8 months on May 25th. It seemed like as soon as she turned 8 months her learning curve is so fast. The morning of the 25th it was like she all of the sudden decided she knew how to scoot around and somehow find her way to the other side of the room. We were gettin nervous last month about her starting to crawl, but now we knew she was almost there.
2 cute little front teeth popped up a few weeks before she turned 8 months. She looks so cute with her toothy smile. I'm afraid she's looking more like a little girl! Well, not even 3 weeks later she is CRAWLING! I told you all on my last post you needed to pray for us since she has never stopped moving her legs since before she was born! You all probably think I'm horrible for saying this but, I was hopping she would be a late crawler. Everyone always says to us, "oh my, look at her moving and so busy all the time, just wait until she starts crawling...." Well the time is here! She is everywhere! We are in the midst of baby proofing our house now and its kinda fun to see the changes. So this was more of an update post. Since my life has drastically changed even more now that she is crawling, I haven't had a lot of time to keep up on my blogging. I will post some more pictures soon.

A quick update......

2009-05-19T10:44:00.000-06:00

Life has been so busy and crazy so I wanted to post a few pics. of the last month. Halia is napping so I have to be quick!

7 Months Old!

Thanks Jennifer for letting Halia borrow this cute tutu!
Halia loves to eat and play with her toes. She is attempting to crawl now!.....but she is still not sure what to do yet thankfully!

She loves music! While I'm at work she learns to sing, and play the ukulele and piano with her dad and Grandma. She gets so excited when she sees the ukulele come out! Sale used to sing and play while she was in my belly. I think she recognizes it?

Her new trick is that she discovered her tongue. She loves to make faces and make clicking sounds with her new discovery.

We finally got Halia her own seat at the table. She eats so much better now that she feels like she is sitting with us. (As you can see from the picture above) :)
The picture on the above left is Halia at her friend Leilani's prince and princess birthday party. All the kids got to make a crown. Didn't Halia do such a good job on hers? ;) The picture on the left is all the wonderful books we got for $5.oo at the Salt Lake Library book sale! As you know, books are expensive but every kid loves them. So...Halia and I had so much fun gathering all these books up to take home. Thanks Rachel Cagle for the tip on the sale!

Halia and her cousins Charlee and Addy having a pajama party while their parents went to visit a friend for a few hours. They had so much fun going to see the cows and horses in our backyard. Then they made blueberry muffins and watched Horton Hears a Who. Halia loves to play with her cousins. (In case you couldn't notice. Ha ha!)

This picture is of Halia taking a nap. She was sitting on my bed watching me get ready for church when she got soooo tired she just literally fell over to rest her sweet little head. I couldn't resist taking a picture. (of course I laid her down after so she could be more comfy)

I love this picture of us. I guess I'm always the one with the camera so I don't really have many pics of us together. We were across the street looking at the herd of buffalo when her daddy snapped this pic. of us. Its took dark to see but, the buffalo are just on the other side of the fence.

One morning I woke up and looked out my kitchen window to see this not even 15 feet away from my window! The barn has been abandoned for the last 8 months so it was quite a shock to see and smell, the herd of cows there. Halia likes to watch them so I guess its ok.
May 16th, 2009 5k on the birthday! Last Saturday was the Ogden Marathon. I got to run the 5k with the cute girls from my work. They sponsored us to run so that made it even better. I really haven't ran too far since I had my baby but I surprisingly finished! My sis in-law Jen ran the 5k for her first time and it was her B-day. I'm pretty sure she surprised herself how fun it was. (I also must mention it was my cute lil, sis. Lindsay's birthday and my cousin Ryan as well) My bro. Andy ran the full Marathon! After Jen and I ran the 5k we went home to get the kiddies and waited at the finish line to cheer him on. It was so inspiring and motivating to see all those people of all different ages and sizes cross that line. Maybe someday I will be able to do it at least once? Later that night my boss invited over the ones who ran that day for an amazing steak dinner. It was so much fun! Now I can barely walk..... next time I better train first and at least run a couple miles a few months before right?! Good job Andy and Jen!

Whats New...

2009-04-25T11:06:00.000-06:00

6 Month Pictures

Our little ballerina princess

She looks just like her aunt Tara in the picture above.

This is her "I'm so mad" face!

6 months old

Halia turned 6 months old on March 25. I can hardly believe how time has seriously flown. She is already half a year old! This months mark was the hardest for me I think. From now on she is becoming more and more a little girl instead of a baby. Its such bitter sweet feelings. She got really sick so we ended postponing her well child check up until she was 6 1/2 months old. Her stats for this month are:

Weight: 18.5lbs 90th%

Height: 28in 97th%

Head: 75th%

As you can see she is growing up way to fast!

I took this picture on the day she turned 6months. She always makes this silly face. I think she looks especially Chinese with her hat on. She gets that from her Gram.

It seems as if as soon as she turned 6 months she discovered so many new things. She started to sit on her own when she was around 5 months. She loves to sing, as some of you might have noticed if you go to the same church as us. She loves to eat anything, and I mean anything! Her favorite thing to do with mom is to go for stroller rides around North Ogden. Halia has started to become more and more of a demanding diva. She needs attention all day. This may be because when her Grandparents watch her she gets nothing but attention. She is either being read to, sang to, entertained by the ukulele, or receiving hula lessons by Gram. If any of you have attempted to pick her up to hold her, you might have noticed how fast she kicks her legs as if she could run out of your arms. This girl has way too much energy for such a little body. I fear the days of her crawling are coming way too early. Pray for me!

Happy Easter!

Easter was so fun with Halia. She of course has no idea what is going on but its fun for us. My mom and I started sewing dresses for Halia when she was still in my belly. Well, I finally finished mine and decided it was perfect for an Easter dress! I made her a matching bow and she looked adorable. I was so proud of my self!

We gave Halia an Easter basket of course. We just got a bunch of random dollar things at the store. It was fun. She loved her bunny ears and baby chick pj's. To dress up her $1 Easter basket, I put her tutu that she wore when she was a newborn around it. It turned out pretty cute!
We had so much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house for Easter dinner. Halia loves playing with her cousins. Charlee and Addy had a lot of fun finding all of Halia's share of Easter eggs.

Las Vegas March 2009- Sale's Dad's 1 year memorial

We went on our first road trip with Halia to be with Sale's family for his 1yr. memorial service. Sale's Mom, little bro., Sale, Me and Halia, left forVegas in the middle of the night so Halia would sleep the whole way. She did great! It was pretty rough on Sale and I trying to stay awake so, we took turns reading Stephanie Myers Eclipse out loud to each other. Sale has already read the whole series but, I'm a little behind. It definitely helped me stay awake! Thanks honey! The grave stone turned out nice. This was the first time we got to see it.One of Sale's sisters made all of us red lava lavas to wear. They had the picture of Mike Fonoti on them. It was neat to see everyone all dressed the same. Halia even had one! :)Sale and his bro. Jr. A.K.A. StakAll the boysAfter the service we all went to eat at the China buffet. My sister in laws Stella and Olive were fighting over who got to hold Halia while we ate
Afterwards the party of course continued at Jr. house with a lot of music, dancing, and eating of course.
Halia and her uncle Jr. This was the first time she got to meet him.

It was so great to see all the fam together. We had a great time. Unfortunately Halia was not acting like herself, and us being new parents were worried. She wasn't eating very well and she was acting very fussy. We ended up leaving that same night. We basically were there for only a day. We thought it would be best to get her home and let her sleep through the drive again. We were bummed because we had made plans to meet up with a few different friends that had moved to Vegas and we ended up not seeing any of them. We soon realized how being a parent will change any plans you have in an instant when it comes to taking care of your baby. We still had a good time even though it seemed as if we drove for 2 days straight. Halia started to feel better the next day and everyone was back to normal again.

Our Good Luck Charm....

2009-03-17T14:46:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patricks Day! Hope you all find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Can babies get Spring Fever?!

2009-03-09T23:26:00.000-06:00

These are just a few cute pics of Halia rockin her new shades for when the sun comes back after this horrible storm. She's dressed for the weather but she couldn't resist...she's just really excited for spring to come, can you blame her?!

Surprisingly she liked wearing them. She wore them all the way to Grandma's house. I truly think she likes pink! Who wouldn't want to see the world in pink?! What can I say...she's a girly girl.

I love her double chins in this one....I think she kinda looks like an old grandma. She is hilarious.

This is her favorite thing to do when my mom tries to get her out of her car seat. She is such a monkey!

I kou hanau 'ia {When you were born}

2009-03-09T00:13:00.000-06:00

There is so many new babies being born in our ward lately and I have just been trying to remember when Halia was a little new baby.

I'm sad because she is growing too fast, and it's so hard to remember when she was so small. She is in such a fun stage right now but I miss her when she liked to be held like a baby and when she would cuddle with me. If any of you have seen her lately, she never stops moving...she is so spastic!

I found this neat Native American saying translated in Hawaiian. I wanted to write it down so I would remember it. It makes me think of what someone once said to me, "live your life with no regrets, you can be as happy as you want to be, it's up to you."

I love inspirational quotes. I hope to share this with Halia one day and inspire her to have the happiest life she can, and leave a legacy behind.

I kou hanau 'ia,

Ua uwe 'oe a e ho'onani o ka ao nei;

E ola kou ola i a kou hala ana,

Ke uwe nei ke ao nei, a e ho'onani ia 'oe.

{ Sale can say it with much better than I can:) }

When you were born,

You cried and the world rejoiced;

Live your life so that when you die,
The world cries and you rejoice.

WELL SAID CAROLYN!

2009-03-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessi had this on her blog and I just had to copy it. It is exactly what I have been feeling guilty about lately, but it made me realize that I'm just doing the best that "I" know how.
I love being a Mom...it's especially hard being a working mom. I need to remember to not make myself feel guilty for not being able to find time. There isn't always time for everyone else because I'm just tryin to soak in as much of this stage that my daughter is in right now. I'm not judging anyone else who I haven't been able to spend time with because they are just enjoyin their kids too! But, I do have a goal this year to be a better friend, and at least try to see my friends and family more and make a phone call at the minimum.

(click on article to view it in larger form)

Luaus...Birthdays....and Silly Faces!

2009-02-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy and fun weekend. Sale got back in town from Denver and a few days later his family preformed at a Luau that our old Bishop was in charge of. It was a young single adult activity or something. We just love and adore Bishop Fowers and his wife. Here is some of the "Tahitian" dancers teaching him and his wife how to "grind the wheat" :) It looks more like they are bumpin pineapples and papayas off their hips to me...but what do I know.

Halia in her Luau appropriate attire. (Thanks Grandma Booty) She can hula like no other baby I've seen! Ha ha

Since Sale is the youngest of 10...we seriously have at least 2 or more birthdays a month except for November. We finally decided from now on we would just do one get together for all the birthdays for the month. Here we are celebrating my niece Mylee and Karlie's birthdays'. I think that I have the prettiest nieces. I can't wait for Halia to grow up and be as cute as them.Yay!....Halia is 5 months old now! I can't believe how much she has changed. She is doing new and cute things everyday. We decided to give cereal another try and as you can see...she loves it much more this time! She also loves carrots and bananas so far. She loves to chew on her toes and loves when books are read to her. She is so intrigued by little people (small kids and babies) and loves to be sang to. She still refuses to roll over. She was rolling over at 3 1/2 months but hasn't since. She got her first earache while her dad was out of town (of course) but just loves her medicine and suction machine. Ha ha! (mommy is always the bad guy) She is over 15lbs now and is catchin up fast to her chubby friend Laney ; ) Who is so stinkin cute!

Halia is always a calm and happy baby. She brings so much brightness to everyone that meets her. (Just like her name says) If times are ever hard or I'm feelin down, I see her smile and all the sudden my worries are forgotten. She was sent from heaven to fill our lives with brightness, and so far that is exactly what she has done. She loves unconditionally and is so quick to forgive and forget. I need to learn from her childlike example. I'm not sure what we have done to have received such a gift, but we are forever grateful.

I miss you daddy!...

2009-02-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hi daddy! Mommy told me that you sometimes look at the blog when you are at work, and especially when you are out of town. I thought I'd leave you a little message since this is the only way I know how to tell you I love you right now. Soon I will be able to talk, but for now, this will do. As soon as we dropped you off at the airport I couldn't stop crying. I know you told me to be good for mommy but, I just hate it when you leave. Mommy is fun and all, but I just love hangin with my dad. I wanted to tell you ahead of time since I'm sure mommy will tell you soon enough...I wasn't being a good girl last night for mommy. I'm sorry daddy, I just really missed you and it was hard to sleep. Am I in trouble? I'm being so good right now? I'm taking a really good nap so mommy can rest! You should know that the snow storm waited until this morning so you could have a safe flight to Denver. Mommy told me about your fear :)......
It is snowing really really really really really really bad outside. I think it took brother Parks about 2 hrs to shovel our driveway. Make sure you tell him thank you for takin care of us so well while you are gone. He always makes sure we are the first done since we have the steepest driveway of them all. Thank you for working so hard so me and mommy can have a happy life and home. I promise that I'll be a better girl for mommy the rest of the time you are gone. Come home soon so we can take long naps together...that's my favorite! I miss you and love you soooooo much. Thanks for being the worlds #1 dad!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

2009-02-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is the Valentine that Halia sent to a few of her friends and family. My friend Jessi Pond made it for me from Announcementstoponder.blogspot.com. I just love her in this outfit. My favorite things...ballet shoes, baby leggins, tutus, and girly bows. I love to dress her as girly as I can. She is so much fun. Sale always tells everyone that she is like my real life Cabbage Patch. :)
We took her Valentine pics at my sis-in law Jen's house in her daughter Addy's room. This is Charlee and Addys' cute pink chair and they were so funny trying to get Halia to smile. They were jumpin and laughin and makin any silly face they could to get her to smile. Addy was so confused on why she couldn't sit in her chair with Halia. So cute!

Halia so exhausted before church. This is the position she does when she is sooo ready for a nap. I think it's so funny. I love the pea coat she is wearing. Sale gave it to me when he came home from one of his work trips to Denver. I was still prego and we didn't know if it was a boy or girl yet. He did a way good job picking out a cute jacket! I was excited to see that she finally fit it.This picture is of Halia in her Valentine outfit that her Grandma Booty (Sale's Mom) gave her for Valentines day. She is reading the Valentine card that her Great Grandma Cash (my Grandma) gave her. (She is really smart that she can already read ;) ) Notice how she went straight for the dollar bill my Grandma gave her! (Don't worry, I washed her hands after she touched the money)

Cafe Rio Chicken Recipe (At least thats what I call it)

2009-02-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know this is kinda a funny post but, I was so proud of myself for makin this yummy chicken. It was so easy too! I almost feel guilty, because I really didn't do anything...the crock pot did it all. :) I thought I'd share this with you since I know a lot of you are busy working moms like me, and it's not easy to make quick and healthy meals for your family with a little one. And... as some of you know, Sale is allergic to dairy and eggs. So...this makes it difficult to make a easy yummy dinner that is "safe" for him. So again...my amazing sis in-law Jen Ortgiesen, (she is the best) gave me this recipe when I was at her house last week doin Halia's Valentine pics. I wish she would've gave it to me sooner, it would've saved my starving husband with a too fast metabolism. J/K. Anyways, I have to admit that I was a little suspect that it would really taste like the sweet Cafe Rio chicken. There is only 2 ingredients besides the chicken so it was hard to believe. Here is the recipe.

Cafe Rio Chicken

4 chicken breasts (I put them in frozen because I forgot to thaw)
1 jar salsa (I prefer mild in the next size up from the small jar)
1C. brown sugar

Cook on low setting in crock pot for about 6 hrs or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Shred chicken in pot and add sugar if needed till your liking of sweetness is reached. (I didn't need to)

We used the wheat tortillas, but you can get the yummy raw ones that you fry up in a pan. It makes it real authentic. Add all your fixins of beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, etc. whatever you like to make your dinner feel like your at Cafe Rio. :)

That is seriously all you do. I came home from work yesterday and dinner was basically ready! Sale loved it! Next time we are going to try it with the beef roast.

I would love to hear your reviews when you try it. If you have any easy non-dairy recipe's for me, that would so appreciated. I'm running out of ideas. (my poor husband)

{The Crib}

2009-02-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

She is 4 months old and we finally put the crib together! Yay! We moved the week she was born into our new home, and since I had a C- section I was pretty limited on what I could do. She has been sleeping next to our bed in a cute little white wicker bassinet my sis in-law lent us. Well, she was getting to long for it so we finally had to make the step and put her in her "big girl bed." I was so excited to see how cute the dark wood was gonna look with her bedding, and I really love it.

It makes us feel like she is such a "big girl" sleeping in her own room. I have to admit I'm kinda sad. She has been sleeping in it the last 4 nights all by herself in her bedroom. I must say, I didn't sleep the first two nights. I really missed having her so close so I could hear her breathing.

Superbowl fun "Go Steelers!"

2009-02-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

Superbowl Sunday is usually a pretty fun Sunday. This year, I guess "we," (ha ha) weren't really "emotionally invested" into either team that was playing this year. This was good for everyone, so it didn't matter too much who won. Right? Well, I guess ya gotta choose a team anyways, so we were rootin for the steelers. Halia decided to show her pride and dedication to the superbowl by napping with one of the steelers fan club members before church.

For the superbowl we always go to Sale's brothers house to watch it on his fancy screens and eat junk food and get a sugar high. All the cousins play and destroy the house and I usually end up napping from a near sugar induced coma. We always have some kind of game where we buy "squares" that are numbered. If your square has one of the numbers that match any of the numbers in the score at the end of each quarter, You win money. Well, Sale and I won 20bucks this time! It was a good game. (At least that's what I was told. Ha ha)

New Tricks

2009-02-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

So I know that all our posts are about Halia, but until somethin more happens, its whats new and exciting for now. She started roll over from her belly to her back a few weeks ago, and she did it pretty consistently every time she was on her belly. For the last week she seems so frustrated at herself. It seems that she can't do it anymore unless I help her. Is that normal? Any ideas?

This is her face of frustration. (I know... she has a unibrow, when is it appropriate to tweeze your childs eyebrows? J/K )

So close! Just a little more!

Just look at the concentration on her face. She really wants that binky.

"Got Milk?"

2009-02-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

So last week the doc said we should start trying to give her ceral a few times to get her tounge reflex to go away. (to prepare her for the "good stuff") We tried to give her a few spoonfulls and I'm not sure she likes it so much. The faces she makes are so funny. I can tell she thinks this eating from a spoon stuff is too complicated. I think she starting to get the hang of it though. She'd rather just have milk. Its alot easier. :)

"4 Months Already?!"

2009-02-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

Wow how times flies! I swear I just gave birth to this little monkey! (Maybe its because I still have baby weight to lose...Ha ha) Anyways, it is so much fun to see Sale with his baby girl every day. He loves how much she smiles at him, and she seems to really know him now. He gets to wake her up every morning before he leaves for work so he can see her smiling face to start his day. I just love to see how they both get so excited to see each other when he comes home at night. She has brought so much joy to us...I can't imagine life without her and her cuteness!

We were so excited to see how much she has grown since her 2month appt. with the doc. She was 14.13lbs and 25 3/4 in. She is now in the 97th percentile which is a huge jump for her! She was so good, but as soon as the everyone gathered around to strap her down for her shots, she immediately knew what was coming next. I cry every time! I know it hurts me more than her. I never understood what people meant when they said they cry when their kids get the shots... until now.

Yay for the Blog!...Send me your Blog addresses

2009-01-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I finally decided to start a blog. My freinds have been trying to get me to do it for awhile now and so I finally did it. I can see how it can become a little bit of an addiction though. So... I worry for my daughter that I can become an irresponsible mother. Ha ha J/K! Anyways, I have tried to get caught up from the past 2 years and so far I have made it to Christmas. Now I just need to search for everyone's blog addresses. So If you could send them to me that would be awesome! I love lookin at everyone elses too. Its a good way to see whats goin on in everyones lives because, lets face it, we are all busy and don't get to see eachother as often as we would like.

Oh What a Wonderful Christmas....

2009-01-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

This Christmas was the most fun and meaningful Christmas we have ever had. It is probably the 1st time that we really focused on eachother and our family. We didn't have much to spend this Christmas season since we just bought our new home and have a 3 month old. So we just really tried to remeber how truly blessed we are and start some new traditions instead of all the shopping and gifts. We really enjoyed spending time with our new daughter and hangin out with friends and family.

I just know she will be so embarrased one day that I made her wear this outfit on Christmas Eve. But, Cmon, what are mothers for right?

Halia turned 3 months old on Christmas!
Silent Night!
The Sunday before Christmas we went to my brothers house and had yummy Hawaiian chicken that Sale made, and then we had so much fun playin games. I took this pic of Halia in front of their tree. She just hung out there so contently while we all ate.

This was her cute Chrismas outfit that she wore to church. She looked like a little elf.

Halia and Dad opening her new PJ's on Christmas Eve.

Her PJ's were so cute. Sale and I picked them out for her. They were pink and said.."I love mommy... I love daddy"

Halia about to open her present from Mom and Dad on Christmas morning.

We gave her a glow worm. She loves it.

After we went to our families on Christmas morning, this is what we came back with. She got spoiled! We knew that would happen so thats why we only bought her 1 toy. (She really could care less and has no clue. All she wants for Christmas is milk. ha ha!)

Halia's Baby Blessing

2009-01-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just loves Halia's blessing dress! I looked forever to find one that I liked and my sis. in-law Jen came to the rescue again! She told me about the website where she got her girls dresses. I absolutely loved their dresses so I was so happy to find out that they were a good price compared to everything else I had seen. The site is www.babybeauandbelle.com

She looked so pretty that day. Just look at that face!
She is so flirty already! She loves to strike a pose when I get the camera out.

Before I was done takin pictures she passed out! All that posing for the camera can be exhausting.

Her dad did such an amazing job with her blessing. It was short and beautiful. So many of our friends and family came to show their love and support on such a special day. We all went to his mom's after for some yummy Hawaiian chicken and Kalua pork. Sale has a huge family, so with everyone including our friends we probably had close to 100 people there to celebrate Halia. Thanks to both of our families for all of their help and support to make this such a perfect and memorable day. His Mom and Sis were up late, and up early making the food. It sure tasted good! By the time it was all over the 3 of us came home and just crashed!

Halia's First Halloween!

2009-01-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

These are some fun pics of our first Halloween with Halia. She was makin some pretty funny faces. We dressed her up like a kitty thanks to my cute sister in-law Jen for lending me her kitty outfit. My niece Addy wore it 2 years ago when she was a new baby! (Thank goodness they were born about the same season so I can get all her nice hand-me downs!)

My friend Aspen gave her these darling Halloween Baby Leg Warmers. Her legs were still too skinny for them so they kinda kept falling down. She looked cute anyways!We went over to Grandma Janets house to take pictures with the cousins the night before Halloween. No one except Charlee Jo was cooperating. Addy is the Witch and Charlee and Halia are the Kitty's. How cute are they!Since it was still a little warm outside, we went trick-or-treatin with her cousins for a little bit. We just kept her bundled really good and had fun walking with the adults and watchin the little kids collect their candy. We went to this really cool street we heard about in Hooper. Everone just parks their cars along the street and hands out candy from the their trunks or stands at the end of the driveway with candy. It made it really fun and fast for everyone. At the end of the street this one house makes the biggest pot of chilli and hot chocolate I have ever seen and feeds everyone that comes! It was so much fun!

Halia talkin and makin faces at her dad. Jen also lent me these darling glow-in-the-dark Halloween PJ's. She looked so cute in them. It was funny to see her cute little body form glow in the dark.

First Baby Glamour Shots!

2009-01-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

These are a few pics that Sharstin Miller took of Halia for her newborn pictures. She was 5 weeks old here. Sharstin is such an amazing and talented photographer. It was quite an experiance...Halia went pee on me twice! Thanks Sharstin for being so patient.

The 1st Precious Weeks

2009-01-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

The 2nd Best Day of Our Lives...Our Baby Is Here! Sept. 25 2008 4:30 am 8lbs 10oz 20.5 in

2009-01-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sale's Dads Funeral

2009-01-22T17:23:00.001-07:00

His dad passed while we were on vacation in Hawaii. Sale handled it very well. We left our friends in Hawaii early so we could be with his family in Las Vegas. Sale is the peacmaker in the family and they especially needed him during this stressful time. The service was beautiful and short. Sale conducted. I was proud of him. Sale and his siblings sang such beautiful songs to honor his dad.

Our last vacation before our new additon to the family - Hawaii 2008

2009-01-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Honeymoon in Mexico

2009-01-22T17:07:00.001-07:00

The best vacation yet!

Our Wedding and Luau

2009-01-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

The 1st best day of our lives

click on pic. to view slideshow