Ward Easter Egg Hunt

Taft and Sela with the coolest Easter Bunny ever!

The Ultimate Pouty Face

Alissa contemplating life.

Our Ward

Taft at Breakfast!

So, I am a bit behind. We went to our ward Easter Egg Hunt and had a blast! I truly love our ward! It is so close and like a family and hadn't felt that until we moved to Hawaii and I love having it again! They really went all out and the kids had such a great time.

Randomness

So, we have been very busy lately and had lots going on. Mostly, I have been sick and down. I had a kidney infection and through that they found out I had e coli so Ry has been handling most things lately. He is a trooper and I am thankful he has been home and taking care of me so well! We are still loving Arizona and all the family around and all we get to do here and feel blessed for all the small and simple miracles in our lives. I have six weeks left of this pregnancy and feel the best I have in a pregnancy. I hope Emily is as good out as she is in! Here are some random pictures of lately.

Ryan made it to the top of this thing and the man in charge said he had never seen anyone do it because it is so slippery. Ry is awesome at rock climbing!

Mema was a trooper and did the bumper cars with Ryan and Alissa and it was great to see her laugh!

You can not tell very well, but Ryan and Ryan Taft have the same shwoop in the front of their hair. I had to take this before I cut both of their hair this weekend. Taft's is even more prominant.

This is Kenzie's rendition of cow jumped over the moon. He is very artistic and creative and loves to draw!

Taft was not big enough to ride but did it anyways. This is everyone together at a local place here called Amazing Jakes! The kids loved it!

Alissa and I went on a Mother Daughter Date this weekend! We went to see The Princess and the Frog at the dollar movie. Alissa rode the Carousel at the mall. We shopped and she tried on clothes for fun. Then we went to Claire's and I ended up getting my ears re pierced by accident, after that she decided clip ons would do and she would be the only "old person" without real earrings. Fine by me we had a great time and I am really glad we went and plan to do it more often!

Chocolate Festival

We had the privilege of driving to Glendale last weekend for the Glendale Chocolate Affair Festival with Uncle Tim and Aunt Sonia! We looked at all the booths and listened to music and sampled treats. Then we got to take a shuttle to tour the Cerretta Candy Company. Taft fell asleep in the stroller while touring and the it was quite interesting to see how the chocolate was made. We had such a great time and were glad to spend time with family!

A Good Job

Well, it finally is happening. We have been waiting to find the perfect job and it came. Ryan will begin working at University of Phoenix in Phoenix as an Enrollment Counselor in March. We are so excited for this wonderful opportunity and all the benefits that come with it! This will also give him the opportunity to get his Masters and PHD while working there. We feel very blessed and relieved to have found a great job in this economy.

Not Much For Pictures Lately

Well, I haven't been taking lots of pictures lately but we have been very busy and up to lots. Lets see where to start.

Ryan has been applying for jobs left and right and working hard to get himself out there. I am so proud of him. He is hopeful for one job particularly so prayers please! Ryan was also called to be a ward missionary and is keeping very busy magnifying this calling. He is so good with people and I love how much he is enjoying it! I have to say my favorite thing for Ryan here in Arizona is his brother Tim. Ryan has so much fun with Tim and I am so glad they can hang out together. This last weekend Tim and Sonia came over Saturday morning for breakfast and the boys went to play racquetball at the clubhouse where we live. They were gone for along time and I am glad because they had so much fun! I wouldn't mind making this a Saturday morning tradition because we love having Sonia over too! Ryan is also focusing on all over health right now so although he stills runs, he is spending just as much time working out other ways to get an all over wellness approach. I am glad he is healthy and takes such good care of himself.

I am starting to feel pregnant. I feel so blessed to have felt so well for so long. I have not thrown up in a few weeks now and it feels great. I love my midwife and am so excited to be having another home birth. I am really trying to also set small personal goals and work at them which is nice. I love walking and going to play "racquetball" with Ryan. I don't really know how to play and can't play rough but Ryan is nice enough to go hit balls with me. I am really happy to be here in such a wonderful area and love the weather here. I am thankful to have a temple close by too! I received a ward calling to work in the Primary as a fill in but spend most of my time in nursery which is fine by me. I think I have spent about five years in that calling but I truly love it!

Alissa is growing up so fast. She is loving school and I am amazed at how well she has transitioned here. Whenever I miss Hawaii I think of her and what a great change has happened for her and immediately know it was worth it. She has made a best little friend a few doors down and loves to play with her as much as possible. She loves to come home and teach us new things she is learning and I love how happy she is most of the time! Alissa is also taking a little dance class from a lady in our ward and will be earning the classes by helping clean at her house. She wants to start taking piano too from my grandma, which will be great if it works out. I have to say my favorite things about Alissa right now is her silliness(which sometimes drives me crazy) and her ability to be a leader. She truly is a leader and I am thankful for that in her.

MacKenzie is growing quickly. In fact he is considered tall and skinny for his age group which is fine by me. He is still the most tender little boy and I love his sensitivity! He too has made a best friend here in our neighborhood and wants to play all the time. Although, Kenzie also loves playing with Taft which is nice. They usually spend the first several hours of the day playing pretend and our great at taking care of each other. Kenzie has also started preschool again. We started up a co-op preschool here like the one we did in Hawaii. There are seven kids and it is working fantastic! This week was my week to teach and I love it! Kenzie loves to draw! He is great creating things with tape, paper and crayons. He is very inventive too! My favorite thing about Kenzie right now is his prayers, he says the most amazing prayers and they are long and sincere. He is truly such an example to me! I also love how obedient he is. He always tries to do the right thing and is so good at looking out for his siblings.

Taft is just hilarious. He is so feisty and bossy and it cracks me up most of the time! He likes to be in charge and the boss. The best thing is he always still loves his Mamma. I am thankful that we nurtured him so much because it is paying off now. He is very smart and talks a lot. He is finally starting to get back to wanting to go potty too which is nice! Last night he was talking about going on a airplane to the beach, he hasn't done this in awhile but I am constantly impressed with his memory. He really is a sponge. Taft loves to be doing everything Alissa and Kenzie are but also has such a unique outlook on things. He says and does the funniest things at church. He is very active in participating in everything and feels a need to experience everything for himself. I love his great hugs he gives to everyone and the way he runs is just down right adorable.

Well, that is kind of where we are at right now. We are having lots of fun with all the family around and staying very busy with lots of free things. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful mother in my life too. She truly enriches our family and makes our life so much better. We would not be a complete family ever again without her. We always say we have six in our family and one on the way because she is a part of us! We are loving Arizona and living in Val Vista Lakes and hope to stay here for good! We have been very blessed in our life and even though we do not have a lot of money right now we have our family and the gospel. We learn more everyday how much that truly is all that matters. I am thankful for these opportunities to grow!

We hope you are all well and that life is treating you well!

Wacky Day

Wacky Day at School!

Alissa Roller Skating

Alissa was soo excited! After only her first week of school she got invited to a birthday party at Skateland! One of the little girls in her class invited the whole class and she was very excited! She comes home with her invitation and says," Mom, Mom, not in Utah, not in Hawaii but here in Arizona I got invited to go to a skating party!!" I also had to explain that it was not ice skating like in Texas, but roller skating. Ryan decided to go with her to help teach her how to skate! They had such a good time together and even stayed an hour after the party had left. I am very glad that they got to go on a Daddy Daughter Date sort of too. Alissa sure loves her Daddy and they had a great time. Here are the pictures Ryan took. He also made a video that is on Facebook if you want to check it out! Alissa is adjusting amazingly here too! She loves going to school and we never get a battle like we did in Hawaii. She has mellowed out again and is truly loving all the friends around. Although there are many days we sit and think about all our wonderful friends and experiences in Hawaii, I feel truly blessed she has adjusted soo well!

Brio Italian Restaurant

Yay!! Ryan got a job at Brio Italian Restaurant! With this economy we have been very nervous trying to find a job. We have been applying for weeks now to just about everything that could suit Ryan. This last Saturday Ryan went and applied at a local restaurant that had just posted on Craigslist they were hiring servers. It was the first job who wanted to meet you in person at the same time you applied. This was a good sign considering most jobs now days will not even see you until you have filled out a resume online. He went in and they called him back with in a few minutes of getting home. So Saturday interview, Monday he started. They were only going to hire two servers but the manager felt impressed by his resume and wanted to make him part of their team. He had his first day of orientation yesterday and will be training all week. It seems to be a great place to work and we feel blessed that we will have an income again!

Back in the Swing of Things

Well, we made it here safe and sound. We have a wonderful greeting at the airport by Tim and Sonia! We were so surprised to see them there. Also, my Aunt Hope and Uncle Jim came and helped us get all our stuff to our house. It was absolutely amazing to see how much we had grown. When we got to our new house we felt like we were in a huge mansion. We went from 650 square feet to 1800 and it feels so spacious. We are very blessed to have so much room now. We already have the house mostly put together and livable, now to just finish unpacking.

Christmas was so wonderful! We had a fantastic time being around so much family too! We spent Christmas Eve with my Dad and his side of the family and the kids had a blast! Christmas morning we had the pleasure of going over to Tim and Sonia's for breakfast. They were so sweet to cook for us and we had a blast playing with them. Christmas Dinner was spent and My Uncle Jim and Aunt Hope's house, with lots of food and fun! By the end of the day we were completely exhausted. The kid came home and went to bed and we enjoyed many hours of fun with Tim and Sonia.

The next day we woke up to a sick Kenzie and a long road trip to Utah ahead of us. I have to say this trip didn't start out so hot, but we needed to get it done before Ryan gets a job. We managed to go up to Utah for a few days and get stuff out of storage. It was great to see Ryan's' sisters, their families, his parents and his Uncle and kids. I have to admit I think it would have been better if everyone had not been sick the whole time, including them. We all were sort of enduring a long weekend of sick and tiredness but I am glad we got to go. Ryan even got in a run with his dad and we were so blessed to have him there to help us load up the truck! I was relieved to get back home though and rest. We have now been battling this for about a week, but our family is finally getting better.

It feels so great to be back in Arizona, we all feel home. The kids are loving it here too! We spent five hours at Freestone Park last week and have really been enjoying the scenery here. We are still in the process of looking for a job but hopefully something will come up soon. The good thing is we are in a better situation here and things are looking up. I am now 25 weeks pregnant and feel good most of the time. This is my best pregnancy so far and I am thankful to Heavenly Father for helping me get through it.

Alissa started her first day at Val Vista Lakes Elementary School today and her teacher is Miss Walker. She was so excited to get her own individual desk and although a bit shy, I am sure she will warm up quickly to the class. I had the opportunity to go with Alissa yesterday and get a few things for school supplies just the two of us. I am amazed at how quickly she is growing up and how delightful she is. I enjoyed getting her all to myself. She is such a good helper and I am thankful to have her sweet spirit in our family.

Relocating....Again

Well Everyone, take a look at our new home. We are going from tropical paradise to a desert. Many of you I am sure think we are crazy, but luckily we only do what we feel and know is right for our family. So, we are leaving on Tuesday to head back to Gilbert, Arizona in hopes to find stability and get on a great financial path.
Hawaii has truly been amazing for us. I hope I never forget the wonderful lessons we have learned here. We have learned about true generosity from some of the most amazing people, who truly love the Lord and do their best to be his examples. We have grown to love many of the local children and gain great relationships with them that we hope to keep. We have enjoyed the many beaches of Hawaii and hope to be able to come back someday to enjoy more! We have served in many different capacities and truly felt a part of this wonderful local community. We have learned about the truly importance things in life and how to be frugal. We have learned to not take so much for granted. The mere fact of livings without so many of the "modern day" necessities had been a great lesson!
I can not even begin to list all the fun things we have done here. We have spent the last nine months truly enjoying paradise and I will forever be thankful to have come to such a wonderful place.
In case anyone is wondering why leave? Ryan has been working for the Public School System here. He has been substitute teaching and coaching cross country here. He had such a great season and a blast running with those kids. They got to jump of waterfalls and run through forest and I am sure they are memories he will keep forever. The school system here just recently in the last two months cut most Fridays of school. They are hurting financially and there are less jobs available. So, our great plan of working for the school system might not be here at the best time. We feel there will be more opportunity with some of the jobs to come. Ryan also applied for the Mesa Police Department and it is going wonderfully although it will take about three more months of testing.
As for housing, it will be nice to live in a more spacious living environment. We have had six people and a dog snuggled up in a 650 square feet bungalow. Oh, what an adventure!
The kids have truly enjoyed all the adventures of Hawaii and although I am saddened by the thought that they probably will not remember this special place, I hope we can share that with them!
So, Tuesday we head off on our plane trip to Gilbert, Arizona to begin the new chapter of our lives!

It's a Girl!!

I am so exited to announce that we will bee welcoming Emily Garner to our home in April. We are so truly excited for this event and can not wait! I wanted to tell a bit about yesterday though.

We picked up the kids from their "school" houses at 10:45 and off we went. We decided to take everyone with us for this appointment. I was nervous if they would let everyone come back with us because the last time we had this kind of ultrasound was almost seven years ago with Alissa and they were picky in Mesa. We arrived at the hospital in perfect time and finally figured out which entrance to check in at. When we got to check in I noticed a sign that said I needed my ID and insurance card to be able to check in. I had my suitcase of a purse and started going through it. NO WALLET! I had left it in the church bag. I was so nervous they were going to make me reschedule or go home and get it. Luckily, we are in Hawaii. They took my social security card which I happened to have due to my unorganized bag and just looked up my insurance. I felt so blessed!

So, after check in we all went back to the Radiology Department. We didn't have to wait very long until they called my name. I asked if all six of us could go back and without hesitation we got a yes! So, back to the ultrasound room. Before the ultrasound they made me drink 32 ounces of water and hold it an hour and a half so I was dying to go to the bathroom. Well, first peek at the baby and all we could see was my bladder! It was funny, so I got to use the restroom!. Back in and ready for try number two. It was so much fun to see how much the resolution levels have changed in the past few years we could almost see her squishiness forming. We started with the head and worked our way down measuring and checking each part. She was so curled up in a ball! Mema left the room for a minute with Taft because the lady mentioned she would do the gender at the end. Then very casually she said "Oh, it's a girl" I was like wait what? Alissa though was the best part, this whole time she was sitting on this little chair praying it would be a girl. You could just see how bad she wanted it. When the lady said this she asked me first, "Mom, did she say a girl?" Because they lady said it so quickly and softly I said, "Yes, yes she said it was a girl." She jumped up out of her seat opened the door (and in Mema's words) came running out the hall, " Mema, Mema it's a girl!!!" My mom said the look on her little face was better then even being in the room. How exciting!! Even my heart was going crazy!! I had secretly been hoping for a girl but not trying to get my hopes up said I thought it was a boy to prepare myself.

Well, I had her check again two more times through out the ultrasound because I needed to make sure and because she did it so quickly. I even asked how she knew for sure and what percentage rate she thought she was right. She said," 99.999% sure." Then managed to tell me why, " There is no turtle there dear." I was laughing pretty hard.

So, we will now have two girls and two boys! To me that is absolute perfection!! Can't wait to greet her in April!

Alissa Turned 6

Well, my baby girl turned six! Alissa woke up Thursday morning to a Tinker Bell Balloon and presents from everyone! Well, more like Mema. Anyways, she was so excited to start her special day. Alissa opened her presents first thing and wanted breakfast in bed! She was served eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice. We had a busy morning because Thursdays are the day that we drive into Waipahu to take Alissa and her friends to school. They go one day a week! We even planned ahead and Alissa picked out Fairy cupcakes to take with her. She was excited to spend the day with her friends at school and we even brought her her favorite lunch! While she was at school we rushed around town getting the pinata, cake and water balloons! We got the kids from school and headed home on our hour drive. We made it home just in time to set up for the party which started in 30 minutes. We decided that Alissa could either have a party with no presents or just have a family party. She chose a friend party and did great not getting presents! We had lots of fun outside with the water activities and even more fun with the pinata! I am thankful that Alissa's day went great!

Mema was the hose expert!

Waiting for cake.

Alissa and Daddy with the pinata!

Some of the kids

Morning Presents (not quite awake)

Alissa received money from her Aunt Cindy and her Grandma Debbie and Grandpa John. She picked this out with her money from Aunt Cindy and is saving her other money for a scooter!!

HTA Halloween Carnival

HTA or Hawaii Technology Academy is the school Alissa attends. It is mostly homeschooling with the kids attending the actual campus one day a week. Alissa goes on Thursday from 9-2. It is a great balance for her and I believe it will continue to be a benefit to her as we adjust. Last night, they had a carnival at the school. We had so much fun! The kids got to dress up and get their pictures taken. They had a cake walk, face painting, crafts, cookie decorating and carnival games. I am so glad we took the time to make it out there. The kids are truly having so much fun with all the holiday parties and Alissa can not wait until her birthday next week!

Recently

For the last week or so it has been extremely hot getting up to 85 degrees and no breeze. Yes, I know this doesn't seem hot, but imagine adding humidity and not having AC. Well, I am to happy to say that my mom purchased a small window AC unit which has saved us recently. Now, we all tend to spend our time in the family room only. I even slept on the couch once. Before this heat spell hit, we had a nice rainstorm. The kids had a blast playing in it! I truly love our yard!

While in the midst of our "sickness" Taft decided he needed "bandages." Most of the time when the kids get and injury I will use a wipey and make a bandage. So, here you have Taft

with all his Ouchies.

And here is Ryan, I have never in our married life seen him as sick as he has been. He was so cold and totally bundled up most days just like this. I am happy to say that he is almost completely over it and even ran with his team again yesterday at Championships. I love seeing how happy coaching makes him! He is very proud of his team and how much they have improved. Tomorrow will be his first long run back again so I hope it goes well. He is still working on focusing on the Honolulu Marathon in December and spending the next few years trying to qualify for the Olympics. The new qualifying time is 2:19. I write this because it is one dream I will not letting him give up, so it will happen. Ryan is also still working on securing more stability for us and is loving his Masters Degree.

Homeschooling is moving right along. It has taken awhile to get adjusted but I believe it will be fantastic for our family. Alissa is still in dance, soccer and choir and enjoying all of them! Kenzie loves his Mommy preschool which is up to five kids too! Taft is growing up everyday and always making us laugh! I am now officially out of my first trimester of pregnancy and I can not believe how easy it was. Had I not gotten sick I would not have known I was pregnant. I like that I am busy enough to forget! Although, Alissa is a doll! She loves to learn about the baby and brings me the Week by Week Pregnancy book to show her. She already likes to touch my tummy and "thinks" she feels it kick and suck it's thumb. It makes me happy to see her so happy about it! We should know in about 3 weeks whether we are welcoming a baby boy or girl so that will be exciting! The new goal I have for our family is to make sure and get family pictures this year! I hope I can achieve it!

Although sometimes things get pretty crazy, it is so wonderful to always know we are keeping the Lord first and striving to always do what he wants for our family. I am so thankful for all I learn each day and for the opportunity to have a patient family who helps me to learn and grow. Sometimes, I look around and still feel like a child and then I realize that I am. I am still constantly learning and growing and changing just like them. And just like them I am learning right from wrong and how to become more Christlike. I am constantly amazed and what I learn on a daily basis and how much growing up there still is to do! I am truly thankful for the good times and the hard times and for all the many blessings we have been given!

RIding the Hippo's

So, once we found out we were not contagious and had been home for five days, I figured it was safe to venture to the zoo for Alissa's school Field trip. It was a family event where everyone was invited. The kids went on a scavenger hunt because they had just finished learning animal classifications at school. After they got to go to the petting zoo and then play at the park. I am so glad we went because it meant a lot to Alissa. Two of her favorite friends are also in the school and so she got to be with them. I have to admit it did us in but it was worth it!

We Are Sick

In case you are wondering, this is how we all feel. As of last Friday, it all began. Kenzie broke out in a bit of a rash on his face. We were thinking it was possibly eczema, because Alissa had had it. Then the following day came a rash on his body. Luckily a family friend, Donna, suggested it could be Fifth's Disease after much research it is definitely that. Fifth's Disease in case you care to know got its name back when measles, mumps, chicken pox and rubella were serious, it was the fifth disease. You can only get it once, and it is only severely dangerous to unborn children. Much to my surprise Ryan immediately followed with a rash and became very ill. Ryan has never been this sick in all the years I have known him or any time he can remember to his knowledge. Now, everyone has become very ill, except Mema miraculously. We have never ALL been sick before so this is a first for our family. It slowly spread through the rest of the bunch and has hit us pretty hard. We have pretty much been quarantined to our house for over a week now. We have tried to go out a few times, but we are so weak and tired that it is not worth it. Finally, I went to the doctor yesterday, because I had to get a referral for my midwife appointment on Tuesday. They ran a bunch of tests and we should know in the next few days is it is more than just the Fifth Disease. All I know is that it hit us hard and I hope we are now immune. Taft just got his rash today. So, how long will this last, I have no idea, the research said up to 21 days. I sure hope not. In the mean time, lots of movies and naps. We are so thankful Mema has been here, I truthfully don't know what we would have done without her. (I think she might need a vacation after this) Five sick people can be pretty exhausting. Thanks Mema!

Taate's Baptism

I want to take the opportunity to share an amazing experience we were able to take part in last week. This sweet little girl is Taate. She is one of the many munchkins at our house any opportunity they can get. She has been waiting for a year to be baptized. Her opportunity finally came this last Saturday. Her mother wanted her home teachers to do it and Taate chose Ryan to baptize her. This was the first baptism our children had been to and how wonderful that it was someone close to them and their family. I am so thankful to have my husband be a worthy priesthood holder who could perform this ordinance. We are also thankful for the opportunity to share this special day with Taate and her family. I am also thankful for this teaching moment and all this experience brought to our family.

Just Found

I just found these pictures of our trip to California when we left for Hawaii. The first is on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland.

This one is when we all paddled in the canoes!

I absolutely love how much Taft loves his big sister. I can not believe how much they have grown since April.

Random

I decided since my camera charger is still missing that I would go ahead and post a few random phone pictures.

One thing we used to do all the time in Utah was go to Downtown Live in St. George and play on the bounce houses. Obviously, living in Hawaii we do things a bit differently now but we had the opportunity to play in the bounce houses at the mall for the first time the other day and the kids had a blast! It really is fun to see how much more we appreciate things since living here.

This picture is from Kenzie's preschool. I have joined in with a Mommy Preschool group where the kids go Monday, Wednesday and Fridays for 2 hours. They are learning letter, numbers, colors and shapes and get to be in a small intimate environment. There are now five children and Kenzie loves alternating every one's houses.

This is Taft being Taft on our front porch. He is such a goof ball and and we love his silliness. He is growing up so fast!