can you WILL yourself to get better?

Thought 1:

"Think of how great it will feel to be able swallow all that nice refreshing water without any pain in your throat!"

Thought 2:

"Couldn't they have made chloraseptic - a little more tasty??"

Thought 3:

"I hate going to parks - period!"
"The last time I got strep throat I was down for almost TWO WEEKS... The last outing I took part in - was to a nearby park full of people etc etc etc....."
"Eeks!"
***shudders***

Thought 4:

"I can't wait for New Moon to come out now that the Wolf Pack is on one of their posters!"
"Too bad they only wanted native americans or First Nations to audition for the parts... Imagine the damage a polynesian wolf would've done........"

"on second thought - i can't think of any damage.... because they'd be the chubbiest wolf there!"


Stay healthy people!
Until I learn to do likewise....

ttyl

SUCCESS???....AT LAST????

I think I posted twice about my efforts to potty train my 2year old!

and now - with a little more effort - most of which coming from my Knight in shining armor - minus the armor - plus some flip flops and an ie lavalava..... *haha*...............

We have finally stuck to some consistency with the program!

And by "consistency" - I mean - We are no longer confusing the poor little trooper. She no longer thinks that sitting on the "potty" is some form of punishment; nor does she think that diapers are "prettier" when compared to panties. ..... ***sigh***

But alas now that Sa's work schedule allows for him to be home with them for the first part of the week each month, he has definitely stepped this entire process up!...

Today I finally witnessed what I've only been hearing about from him....

*****a desperate cry to "go potty" - **********
*****quick and easy climb onto the bowl where her potty-training seat has been strapped******
*****and *POOF!* - just like that!************
*****'mommy, I "fi-ish" potty'. Get wipes!'*****


I know that this is just the beginning... but HO-DANG... we are FINALLY getting off on the RIGHT foot!!!...

KUDOS to my amazingly patient and super awesome daddy of the year! - i take absolutely NO credit - except - I ...AM ... responsible for buying the hideous panties that put us all into a frenzy!... LESSON LEARNED!!!

step back and take a minute to....

...breathe.

and just let things around you ...simply "happen".

just ONE

I've never felt more grateful to have the weekend here!!! - Although I didn't get to sleep in like I planned (because I was still up before 8am tending to my little ones) - I feel so relaxed to be at "home" FINALLY!...

Did I mention I don't really like Daylight Savings Time?...

This the best description of what it means to me (quoting my sunday school teacher): "It's like cutting off two inches from one end of your blanket and sewing it on the other end - and pretending that it's longer!"

Seriously - I think I lost so much sleep thanks to this ridiculous time change! What a difference an hour makes!

I've been pulling a crazy multiple duty schedule this week!
We now have a family friend who was kind enough to offer to babysit our girls while Sa and I both work! (Did I mention that Sa and I work for the same company now?? - that's another post in itself) ... but yeah...
So now we wake up extra early to get the girls ready.....then we jet off to drop off Sa first because his shift starts earlier - then I dash to Bountiful to drop off the girls (roughly 20mins to and from) at Segia's house then dash back to start my day at 8am!!!

Oh and did I mention I'm deathly scared of driving on busy highways? - hahahaha... no "seriously" (-*stern face*-)...

But you can't blame me - I come from an island with two-way traffic and a maximum speed limit of about 40km/hr...which is roughly about 15-25miles/hour here!!!
But alas I have to suck in my island perspectives in order to avoid being cussed at and flipped off by fellow road-raged/speed-hungry/daredevil-utahns that I share the roads with here!

***GOSH PEOPLE!!! - Lighten up!***

Show me ONE nice utah driver, I say! ....................ONE.............................(myself not included) :).

Have a happy weekend everyone!!!
and DRIVE HAPPY AND SAFELY!!!

men..and tv

Just a little random thought...

I am surprised at what some men really like to watch on TV these days.

And by "some men" - I mean Sa and some of his friends....

Don't get me wrong - they love their sports channels ... this would usually cause a "channel hogging war" in my house when my 2yr old gets annoyed - but the compromise they make inorder to keep the peace is just as ridiculous!... (We really need another TV in the house... KEYWORD: "need"! - Because I can't be stuck watching either the Disney Channel or Sports Center EVERY NIGHT!!!)

Last night I heard some engrossed conversation about the following shows:

*American Idol - who was a good singer; who should go home; why Simon is always right; who picked the "right or wrong" song; how the contestants look; every detail about the contestants; how they relate to the contestants; possible auditions scenarios; possible Samoan childrens' songs they'd sing at a "potential" audition; going to the audition on a flight with prisoners??? - Trust me this idea tickled them so much last night - I totally missed the joke!!!.............and so on and so forth....

*The Bachelor - which girls were left for the final show; description of each girl and their background; where the show was being filmed and why; who they think should be chosen; who got the last rose; who shouldn't have gone home; how they can relate to the show;

*24 (thats sorta guy-ish though) - the 'gotta see' show next week; what's going to happen; how Keifer Sutherland plays his part really good; how some things in the show could possibly go all wrong in real life; .....oh ....and how they can relate to the show!.....hahaha....

*Late Night with Jay Leno - how they love the "JayWalking" section of his show; what they would say if 'they' were being interviewed on the street by Jay Leno; how "limited" peoples' knowledge are of basic general things; how THEY relate to the situation!....

*Local News: concerns for the economy failure; wonder at why criminals do the things they do; hoping not to see a polynesian criminal being featured; disgusted when they are featured!; if the criminals or 'suspects' are possibly samoan - wonder who's family they belong to; possibly know who's family they're from and sits there amazed that they know them personally; - so technically thats the same as "relating" to the headlines....


Notice any patterns here??... Anyhow - there are possibly lots more to list on here but in the interest of time I must take my leave and rush to get ready for work!!! EEKS!!!...

Until my next entry - which I'm completely unsure of (as far as time is concerned) - Keep the weekend safe and happy!!!!!!!

winding down...

Reason for post: to show I'm still alive.

Reason for being online: to see if there are any updates with everyone else's blogs!

Reason for lazy post format: I'm super tired! It's 11pm...which means my brain went to sleep 6hours ago as soon as I got off work!

Final remarks: Good night everyone! Enjoy the remainder of your February!!!

*snap* those happy moments:

mircale maybe?

This is somewhat "blog worthy" news....

Last night...(at my other job)...I heard a VACUUM being used!!!!!!!!..... HOORAY!!!!!! In the type of world we live in today...................... there is sometimes a much needed confirmation (such as this one) that even the smallest, and seemingly "simplest" of all miracles DO indeed - exist!

....

Enjoy the remainder of the week people!!!!...

Time Off

So I haven't blogged in exactly a MONTH!!! SHEESH! What a slacker huh?

Well here are some of the events that have happened since my last entry:

***** Sa's cousins who came in from Australia, ended up getting stuck in Grand Junction overnight and then the airline (DELTA...lol) took them to a hotel then told them that the next available flight to salt lake would not be until the end of the week. (Remember they were supposed to arrive on Thursday (25th Dec). So somewhere between the constant calls to the airlines and screaming at some clueless guy on the phone with some THICK accent who was seriously just reading off some script, we were able to talk to them. They were okay for the moment but someone (I don't know if it was the airline or hotel or both) got them (as in all the passengers from that diverted flight) to take a 4hour shuttle to Salt Lake. They got here just as I was getting off work so I went to pick them up. And that was our crazy introduction to Miss Luafa and her little sister Tuloto. What a way to start a holiday vacation, your first time in a different country!!*******

******So we had a BLAST with our new visitors and guests here. They loved the snow and I was always tickled by how they LOVED our pricing for anything and everything! The first thing they told me when I picked them up was "Did you know that I bought this Mt Dew drink for a dollar something?!? This costs more than DOUBLE that amount back home!!!!!"
They were hilarious. And for a few days there was alot of yelling back and forth in just about every store about the prices of things and well - they just made me feel a little more appreciative of where we live... so to speak. (Not like Australia is a bad place!!!) But yeah - I'm sure Sa was feeling a little outnumbered but at least it wasn't at all awkward considering this is the first time they've ever met us*********

******So remember how we had to put our christmas presents on hold until the girls got here? YUP, we did just that! Come Friday evening, we all opened our presents and I just want to say thank you to everyone (Santa's helpers...=)) for the presents. Oh and I may have forgotten to mention that I didn't put up my tree until about 2 or 3 days before Christmas. (I seriously have to look at my birth certificate to see if my middle name is seriously not "procrastinator" or "slacker"). We even got to go see the lights at temple square. That was OUR first time as a family too! We had lots of fun and I ran in to a missionary couple who served their mission in Samoa back in the day and the Sister (Petersen), was my Home Economics teacher back in highschool there!!!! What a darn SMALL world!*******

*******We went to Athony and Sifo's ward dance for New Years' Eve. Oh and before I forget - we also got to spend time with Sifo's mom and her sister and brother-in-law who just came in from Pago in early Dec. So we've had some packed gatherings here and there. I think the girls (both aussie and our little drama queens) enjoyed the dance. I definitely enjoyed the Koko Alaisa they had there. Then for New Years' Day we went over to the Taatiti's to feast and celebrate the new year. It was fun just sitting around (barely able to suck in that tummy after eating) and just listening to the penerosas'/taatitis' serenading. Oh and that was the first time I met Sifo's other brother Mani and his wife Becky and their kids Nora and Sitiveni! Too bad Nephi and his family missed them by a week!! "Sorry 'bout it"********

******Took the girls to see Twilight......hahahahahahaha....need I say more??? they loved it!******

*****I got Tuloto into reading the Twilight series! She finished in pretty much less than FOUR DAYS!!!...ANNNNNNNND... I let her have my books, which are now in beautiful, and warm, sunny Australia!! LOVE IT!!! (Twilight missionary?? maybe)*******

*****I love my jobs! Especially my accounting one! It's got everything I've wanted in a job. The clean and positive atmosphere; the "get-it-done-now and get-it-done-right" type of attitude; always having things to do; real good benefits in a struggling economy; and the perks of getting low-priced detergents when I want to buy some from our company plant down the street!!! SCORE!!! My other job... well... it helps with the bills...LOL... but they could definitely do with investing in a VACUUM maybe!!! eeks******

******On the saturday preceding Luafa and Tuloto's return home, we had a last minute type of bbq for close friends and family! Or atleast the ones who we could get a hold of and didn't have anything to do that day!... Thanks for helping out and showing up guys!!! Much appreciated! Oh and just so you know.... the marinade that was used was a "secret"recipe that Anthony came up with. Annnnnd, that it will forever remain a secret because he threw everything and anything into that mix and in no particular order or measurement. So although it tasted great, you'll just have to file that one into your "good times" memory cabinet. ******

******Then comes the departure date for our "brisbane queens". Mind you, if you find everything here pretty cheap, and you came pretty well prepared for a more expensive shopping trip - what do you have?? =too much money to spend!!! Hahaha... That's what happened to these guys, I think. Basically, they came with ONE bag each. Each weighed in at about 20lbs per person annnnnnnnnnnd THEY LEFT WITH THREE BAGS MORE- FILLED TO CAPACITY-weighing in at about 30-50lbs a piece!!! Lots of shopping huh??? I loved what they compared the situation to.... "Wow - this is like the opposite of going to Samoa!!! When we went there, we took 5bags full and took back a paperbag and the clothes on our backs with us!" Hahahahaha.... oh and FYI - "only Samoans can make fun of being Samoan" - lol*******

*******OH - I ALMOST FORGOT... OUR BELOVED CAR. Well I'll have you know that we have our dear PT Cruiser back... which our ward refers to "oooohhh it was the 'nice one' that he crashed??".... yup yup... And our little bug just doesn't function as well as it used to. It makes this cranking sound when youre shifting gears now... usually a sign you haven't warmed it up enough - but that never happened before the accident. And the motor just sounds like its straining... and you can seriously hear each beat of its "rotation"?? I don't know what Im talking about but I definitely know what Im hearing now in our car. Oh well - so long as it's better overall, I'm pretty much fine with it... blah blah blah....**********

********So now... we miss "aunty and aunty" from Australia. But I'm sure this is one of MANY visits that are sure to come now that they've decided they like it here! Maybe we should plan to go out there... when and IF financials permit!! Oh and in the very near future we are planning to have some MORE family over... so we are definitely preparing for that as well....but that's a whole different story (not more as in NUMBERS...but more as in someone from MY side for a change...lol******

And that's my "short chee-tail message" of current and previous events in our little household...

And now we await our W2s ever so impatiently!!!... enjoy the weekend people!!!!

TTYL... oh and BARACK is president!!!...

holiday scatterbrain

My holiday season isn't quite "midway" yet. I say that because Christmas day is coming to an end and our presents are still unopened!!! But there's sort of a good explanation for that - I think.

So I don't know if this is really news to anyone anymore but I am now a working mommy. Sa and I have switched roles (somewhat) in order to accomodate some "unforeseen" factors that may affect us in the near future.... but that's another story altogether!
So anyway - I worked last week Friday and was told by my supervisor that we could go home early due to the minimal workload we'd been given that day. I didn't drive myself to work unfortunately because Sa was planning to go to a party that a few people he worked with had put together as a makeshift "farewell" celebration for him.

I quickly gave him a call and asked to be picked up in about an hour (which would've been about 10pm) ... then went about my business at work.

ONE HOUR LATER... I walk outside expecting to see Sa in the parking lot (maybe a little irritated even for cutting into his night of fun - i suspected) but NOPE. Anthony was out there waiting to pick me up! Somewhat confused I hurriedly climbed aboard without question and half expected him to explain that Sa was at the party and couldn't come to get me in time. WRONG AGAIN.
"Sa's been in a accident and he's on his way to the police station to file a report."

***************************************************************

So now about a week later, I can step back (briefly) and give a slight overview of what happened.

Sa indeed got into a freak accident on I-215 that night while on his way to pick me up. I guess, just before he came out to get me, he decided to ask Rachael (Seuao's wife) if she would be okay to keep an eye on our girls while he picked me up. Even now I don't know how extremely grateful I am that he decided to do that because we RARELY leave our girls in other peoples' care. It's not so much a trust issue but moreso a "they're my kids/my responsibility and there's no reason why we should put that responsibility on someone else" kind of an issue. Lol. And this is (I think) one of two times that we'd ever left them with Rach (THANKS A BUNCH!) - what with all that she's probably already busy with and the fact that she has two little girls of her own! - OH GOSH! - Believe me when I say - the prompting to take our girls there is one that I will never think lightly of!

So anyway (if I haven't stressed how glad I am that my girls went that night-enough)... He gets on the highway and just as he nears his exit... he hits some black ice which made him slide toward a ditch, then he tried to correct himself (Try doing that while slipping on black ice in circles)... and that caused him to spin towards the median railing. The passenger side slammed into the metal and cement railing then spun him back around to face the right direction of traffic flow. Both tires wiggle like jello and he's directed by some IDIOT dispatcher to go to a Utah Highway Patrol office MILES AWAY. And he actually MAKES IT THERE!!! (One set of tire tracks in the snow are straight and the other is wavy!!!) We get there together only to find out that NO ONE is in the office 'til MONDAY!!!

So we drive BACK HOME!!! (Yes! in the busted up car) Get home. I call our insurance agent. Make our claim then wait out the weekend. I think Sa was a little shaken up but he is fortunately OK! Not a scratch on him! Then the Taatitis came over and brought a nice pork roast dinner! Thank you!

Then Monday I start my second job ... that says alot. =)

Then yesterday I was supposed to pick up one of my paychecks only to find out that "the checks are stuck in Memphis until Friday"... ***pouts***....

We're also getting ready to host two of Sa's cousins from Australia. They would've been here by now and we'd be opening presents .... BUT.....
They're flight couldn't land at our airport because of a mean snowstorm that is STILL howlin' outside as I type. I was the unfortunate one that decided to go pick them up and ended up being at the airport for nearly two hours only to have to drive back in this crazy storm and getting into so many close-calls while on the road. I mean SERIOUSLY???.. =)


Anyhow... I am now online trying to check our bills and ish...
and getting updates for Sa's cousin's flight. I forgot to mention that the snowstorm was so bad that alot of flights had to be diverted and so they ended up in Grand Junction and we just heard from them.

And so the presents under our tree wait..........

Hope everyone is having a "better" christmas than we are...haha...

I'm just darn glad that everyone is alive and well in my family. I'm glad for what this season brings into focus i.e. our savior and the celebration of his life. (And all other forms of holiday celebrations) - they all unite us in some way.

so until this chaos is over.... .... .... tbc

sometimes I just wanna....

and sometimes... the feeling is more widespread and not just limited to computers......

i'd probably get the message through much easier if this were the best solution.

My SEVEN unknowns

I think I was tagged by Maila! I think these are seven things that most people (even close family and friends) don't know about me!

1. I love to make sweets (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc.) but I can hardly stand to eat more than a small portion! EEKS!!! Sweet tooth?? What's that?

2. I find it hard to recall my age sometimes. So when people ask me my age I usually "default" to my last answer which could be from TWO years ago. Seriously though! How often DO people ask how old you are? Can you blame me?

3. My actual fingerprints are considered "faded". There are two reasons for this: 1)You wash your hands too much...and 2) you do alot of typing!!... Who knew???

4. I LOVE watching the news! I could watch every airing of the daily news like Sifo watches Twilight!...no jokes!

5. I'm scared of Sa's cooking! But he can rule in the kitchen if he's making any Samoan food! You can never go wrong with simple island food.

6. I can or used to play the Alto Saxophone in my highschool band.

7. I can write backwards in cursive handwriting too! (Who does that???)

I tag... sifo!...and six other people who wanna do this!

TWILIGHT the movie - my review!

I should've already posted a personal review of TWILIGHT considering I got a chance to see it with Sifo on Thursday night for it's midnight screening at Jordan Landing. All I have to say about the experience is one word: "crazy". We arrived at the theater a few minutes after 9pm and I seriously thought we were the FIRST ONES THERE! (Come on!!! We were THREE hours early!) Come to find out we couldn't find where our designated line was supposed to start - as other post-midnight screenings had formed snaking lines throughout the theater's lobby. Confused and concerned that being the first in line really WAS the case, we finally asked one of the ushers there and LO AND BEHOLD - "they had started seating everyone TWO HOURS ago!!" ***thud!!*** Who in their right mind (Twilight Freak-fan or not) would be sold on the idea that waiting for a movie FIVE hours BEFORE it comes on is a GOOD one?? (Our three hours before showtime is just as bad but COME ON!!!)... Oh and did I mention the SEA of Twilight attire that was there? Prom dresses, full-fledged vampire costumes with the trimmings (cape *CHECK*, popped collar *CHECK*, shades??? *CHECK*, hot vampire?? ***PASS***) haha...

So in we go.... and after chattin' up a storm about random things, people, places, experiences, church; texting back and forth to other midnight screening goers like Lesina who took pictures of their waiting experience OUTSIDE for TWO hours of the Hurricane theaters (bless your heart - I hope it was worth it for you!) - - - it was finally time!

*** flickering lights **** AUDIENCE SCREAMS AND CLAPS *** flickering on the big screen **** MORE SCREAMS AND CLAPS **** ....then two hours later...and a few days to mull it over I'm back on my blog with the following:

Overall review
I think it is sligtly unfair to make a review of a movie that essentially has a fan-base of two separate origins. There are those fans (like me and many others) who derive their anticipation for this movie from having read the Twilight Saga in it's entirety.... (though it could be up for debate if that group alone can be divided further to form the "twilight readers" and "twilight believers" - ha!) - And then there are those who are just caught up with the hype!; Who have never laid hands or eyes on the books but were given recommendations to watch it! In that sense I'd like to keep my review completely unbiased -but- don't quote me on that too much because I have lots to say. Please note that whatever you think of the movie (because I know that the LOT of you HAVE seen it) - please be sure that "it" and the book are two SEPARATE things. If you've read the book - keep in mind that the movie could never have fully housed the complexity and depth of Twilight within the alloted time and budget it was given to work with. They did their best with what they had and highlighted key points of the book with the current CGI technology they were given to play with and were able to deliver the basic storyline and passion "to the best of their ability". It definitely played it's role well as a "compliment" to the book.

Twilight HIGH Notes
What I loved most about the movie is the portrayal of most if not all the CHARACTERS! I was impressed with how each actor (atleast those who've impacted twilight's reading fan base) was able to deliver and translate them into reality on the big screen. There are some lines they gave that were in a sense "cheesy" but I strongly feel that they did not disappoint! Kristen was an awesome 'Bella' and the relationship with her father was to a tee when compared to the books. The Cullens were just as mysterious and "beautiful" as I had pictured and each member suited their part perfectly. Though 'Jasper' was more in discomfort than I thought him to be. **ha ha**. I can't wait to see his character develop more in the upcoming sequels! It can be safe to assume that the "big three" namely: 'Edward' ***SCREAMS***, 'Carlisle' ***hyperventilating***, and 'Emmett' ***thud!*** - were indeed HOTTIES!.. ha ha! Rob Pattinson, Peter Facinelli and Kellan Lutz did these characters justice! And so the anticipation lingers!

Moving along - Jacob and his Dad were ..... well........ exactly who they were! I don't think we saw enough of them to pass harsh judgment but I think they did do a great job as well. Though I wish they could've atleast found a more 'REAL'-looking wig for the poor kid! Team Jacob - don't lose hope! He is EXACTLY like the Jacob in the book so don't go in expecting to see this freakishly HUGE and hairy hottie of a werewolf that is not supposed to grace us with it's presence until the upcoming shows! Because you know there will be!

Everyone else in the movie, from 'Bella's' friends to the creepy alley stalkers and not forgetting 'James' and his coven ('Victoria' and 'Laurent' - pronounced "Loo-raunt") - well they were just fine! Her friends seemed funnier than expected. That wasn't a bad thing. And 'James' was a great bad guy and his partner 'Victoria' left us hanging for more when they made her intentions evident that there SHOULD BE and would be more to expect in the very nearby future.

Aside from the "to a tee" character-portrayal, I also wanted to note that the CGI effects were pretty cool too. Oh and before I forget - they were able to work in alot of humor and sarcasm so don't be afraid to laugh alongside those obsessed teens sitting next to you! And don't forget to pick up your jaw as you admire the set of wheels that the 'Cullens' are rolling around in. And then pick it up again when THE kiss happens. :)

Twilight "so-so" notes
So you might've heard of all the negative hype around what movie critics have said about our beloved "Twilight". But don't be too let down by these.

To be completely honest, there were some things in the movie that didn't really leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling either. But without getting into too much of it - I think it's because my expectations were based on seeing the ENTIRE book on screen. How unrealistic is that?

Some things to note and possibly debate...are: some usage of the exact lines from the book which came across a little cheesy. Ha-ha. Not bad - not entirely what I expected but it could make a little smirk crawl across your face. Also, don't be too alarmed by the questionable quality of the movie. There is alot of darkness, trees and what I've termed "GQ shots" and brief talking scenes. Just remember when you walk in to see it - they probably only had enough of a budget to pay for the electricity bills of their shoot. So if you want to see a sequel and one with better quality - GO see it (again)!

Another thing I wish they did some justice to was more of EVERYONE. I wanted to see MORE Cullens, Quileutes, high school friends. The way they are developed in the book has more depth that I wished they DID have time enough to do it. But oh well - Too bad, So sad! *tear*. Just wait for them in the upcoming movies. I also hoped there was more emphasis on the 'meadow' scene and Bella's Lullaby; and maybe some more depth to the development of 'Edward' and 'Bella's' relationship - but overall it satisfies to some degree. Sa said he loved it! And he jokingly asked if I was half-expecting Edward to look like Jesus during his Second coming in the meadow! How rude! (But I think I was!.. who knows - I'm just glad it didn't look completely FAKE!)

All in all - I hope there is less negative you take away from the experience and that you leave with more anticipation and somewhat of a satisfaction that the long awaited has met most if not ALL your expectations - now that it has FINALLY materialized it's way onto the big screen!

********************************

I hope that you liked the movie! and If you haven't watched it, "Do enjoy!". I wanted to also note that TwilightMOMS.com posted that Summit Entertainment has given the GREEN Light on moving on with New Moon! So hopefully this next wait won't be as bad as the first! (Who am I kidding!?!?) - Sifo probably already has tickets to see it!!! Ha-Ha! =)

And so ends my review...

Team Edward, Emmett and Carlisle all the way!!!!!

Until my next entry - keep blogging!

QUICK shout out!!...

I usually like to acknowledge baby news and all other sorts of "good news" happening in our family or extended families and friends... but I usually do it LATE!... And this here entry is NO exception!!!

I wanted to quickly say Happy Birthday to Anthony and Seuao!!! They share the same birthday!!! How small of a world is that!?!! You guys still look 18yrs! (in your dreams! =))

Maila recently celebrated her birthday this past Saturday and Lesina did likewise yesterday!!! I think Cordelia hits a big milestone on her upcoming birthday this Thursday.... (Didn't you hear??? _ _ is the new 20???.. =)) I don't know what she's got planned during the day but I'll be missing in action that night because.....................

Sifo and I are going to see the Midnight Screening of TWILIGHT!!!!.... (<<< does that count as a shout out??) -who cares?-

I also wanted to mention the baby news!...(NOT MINE - - - - ha ha)
But last time I listed everyone expecting a baby - - - and now there are brand new bundles of joy EVERYWHERE!!!...(Is there something in the water??? - there's definitely something in HOLLYWOOD water what with everyone having Twins but that's really no interest of mine now)!

Firstly CONGRATULATIONS to our friends Asi and Julie Farani who are expecting to have a baby BOY early next year! (I should probably go down there and get me some Anaheim water so I could have a better chance of _______ a ___ ) Sorry I don't want to jinx it! Oh and I didn't want to forget my cousin Tala and her hubby Bo who are also expecting baby number 2 soon! I'm sure Lole is ready to be a big sister!!! I'm so happy she's also finished reading the entire Twilight saga! You guys rock!

And Secondly....... Here is a list of all the proud parents and their new additions to their families!

Maila and Diarra ---- baby Marley
Anton and Tavi ----- baby Ryce
Seuao and Rachael -- baby Tessa
Charles and Linda --- baby CJ

Hope I didn't miss anybody!!!...

love you all...

p.s... also wanted to note ...(even though this is EXTREMELY silly) - two hunks that used to be on the Soap Opera "Passions" are now on Days!!! haha... "Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald" - who makes anyone melt in those hot latino eyes! and the former "Ethan Krane" - still a stud but doesn't pass for a 20-something year old son of Jon Black!...haha...
oh and they are the ONLY reason why Cordelia texts me from work... gotta get the "Hot Menz" update!... :)

I hope someone I know and loves me will win the Lottery soon and buy me some better hobbies!... (I was gonna say "life"...but I love my life though I can do with more uplifting, wholesome entertainment during my 3-5pm daily slots when my girls are taking their early evening nap :P)

Have a great week people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BANGS!!

Last Sunday Sa's cousin Charles and his wife Linda and their kids (Keili, Patrick and CJ) came up to visit and hang out with us. I had asked Linda if she could trim my hair since she's an expert when it comes to hair styling and she kindly obliged! What I thought would only take 15minutes tops - turned out to be about an hour or so long and I felt so bad for Linda because we were in the garage and it was really cold that night! Can someone tell me WHY I opened the garage door even though I knew this?????

So anyway - she trimmed my hair a couple of inches. I'd estimate about FOUR inches...*tear drop*....and then she cut me some bangs!!!... Now frankly I DON'T do bangs! I've had VERY BAD experiences with them ALL MY LIFE!!! So to even agree to this was almost like re-living my mom's experimental days with my hair back in the day. TRUST ME! - oh the trauma!

But fastforward to 1hour later... I absolutely loved it!... I loved it so much, I asked her to frame my face just a tad bit more to make it blend in and although my hair disobeyed the direction they were being combed in - I've been adamant in making it behave with a trust ol' bobby pin! Now although I love my new 'do'...I actually want my bangs a little shorter... *hopefully I won't get scissor-happy BEFORE Linda can come up to give me a shorter fringe. Hopefully that will be a picture that is BLOG-worthy!....but until then... here's a shot of me with my new bangs!...

tala fou...

So it's been a while since my last entry - I know I'm completely slacking! But we've been a little busy lately....

1) First of all there's still the potty training I'm working on with Coretta. Two words: "Stubborn Baby". She knows what's going on but she's not a happy camper when it comes to patience. So on goes the training!!! - Success shall be mine! :)

2) Secondly, Sa is now taking up a new "adventure" of sorts. And until we find out for sure where this goes... it's gonna be his own little project. I should add though, for the sake of those who have SOME idea of what I'm talking about - - - Sa shocked me with his potential. I think it's because of how well he keeps it all under wraps with all the funny stories and crazy comments. But the boy has talent. "and I'm not just saying that" (said the director at the audition)... Now if he can just get past being so darn SHY infront of family!!!

3) We've had some random family visits these past weeks. First it was fun to see Glen and Charles again. They only spent a few hours with us but it was enough to get in all those Bernie Mac jokes and Laughing Samoans fob quotes! I'm still sorry we didn't give in to Glen's subtle hints to buy or subscribe to his Security system he was selling but that's only because Sa already gave in to Cordelia and the Hyla Air Purifier/Vacuum that she sold us a few weeks back! Besides - we already have a Security system... with all it's primitive settings! =)

4) I would've listed this with the previous event but it covers more than just a visit from family. We recently attended CJ's baby blessing and his proud parents Charles and Linda were glowing on his special day! His uncle Jared and aunt Vee and cousin Cailyn all drove up from Arizona to support him as well. It was fun to be there even if it was brief. Baby CJ is so darn adorable! We hope the Arizona Palepois' enjoyed the ride back!

5) MAJOR REWIND! - I totally forgot this and I was NOT going back to rearrange my list. HALLOWEEN!!! So Sifo and I took our girls trick-or-treating around our neighborhood that night and it was pretty interesting! It was a little tiring though because we had TWO 2year olds and a 1yr old and they weren't all hyped about having to WALK everywhere but as soon as our older girls saw what it took to get candy - they were pretty happy about it! I didn't have time to buy my girls costumes because I waited too long, so I just smeared their faces with facepaint and lugged them out the door. Their cousin Sina was dressed up as Tinkerbell though! I put some pictures of them on my bebo page for all to have a look. Click HERE

6) I also didn't want to forget to mention that Cordelia, Jane and I made it to their friend Logo's baby shower the night before Halloween. We met up with Lesina and Carsen there and got to have a little fun playing Lesina's games for the shower. We were SUPPOSED to dress up for it but I didn't get to buy anything or be creative enough with my own wardrobe to look like I tried. Jane did go to the party as a Missionary (that got alot of cracks lol - she's such a trooper) - - - so Cordelia and I decided we would be her investigators for the night. Oh the irony!!!...haha =)

7) Our baby Heiress is beginning to mouth off just a TAD bit too much these days. "NO" and "DOP" are part of our daily conversations now. My, my, my - how these babies develop!

8) We just received our first REAL (like on-the-ground) snowfall. It was really pretty but also freezing! But still pretty!

9) SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. So if you haven't heard already - Sifo is the biggest Twilight fan I know. To be certain of that (nevermind the endless browsing and viewing of twilight fansites; or the fact that she's read and re-read and re-read Twilight some more over and over again; or that she's got the latest preview on her bebo page (she used to have a bebo skin and all that was Twilight-themed as well)...etc) - - - this chick bought two tickets to see the midnight pre-screening of Twilight for the 20th of this month!!! Can you guess who the lucky person is that gets to go with her???..... ME!!!... lol...Anthony can't go because he didnt finish reading Twilight (ha-ha) and I'd probably fight him if he wanted to try and go... though I might give in considering his birthday is the same week! We'll see! But I don't doubt that I'm sorta excited just because I hope the movie is just as good as the book! Can't wait!

ANYHOW - Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner and I'm pretty excited. I don't think there's an apparent reason for it but I think it's because our girls are more aware of the traditions here. I would've put up pictures but they're either already on bebo or on someone else's camera! (hint hint Cordelia and Sifo!)

Meanwhiles enjoy the rest of your year people!... Hopefully I'll check in again before then!

Sina's Day of Fun

Last week Tuesday our niece Sina (Anthony and Sifo's daughter) turned 2years old!

Happy Belated Birthday baby!

We were able to go this past Saturday and do something fun for and with her! We all went first to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving point and tried to do most of all the fun activities they had to offer ------ but after about an hour of lugging the girls and diaper bags around, we were pooped! Heiress probably got a better experience there because she seemed fearless when we tried out all the inflatable fun houses, not to mention she's the only one that went through the Haunted house and she hardly flinched when she got a kitty cat face paint job done! She even held pretty still for all the pictures we took!

Anyhow, after Coretta and Sina got a chance on the go-carts with Sa we finally headed off towards Provo/Orem area. The girls knocked out so we decided to drive around while they napped. Sifo took us down memory lane - showing us all the places she'd lived and been while she was in Provo during her BYU college days. We even drove out to look at Bridal Veil Falls (sorry no pics) and then we headed up Squaw Peak.

It looked like something out of a movie; particularly the one we were watching just the night before: "Wrong Turn". =) Thank goodness we were sight-seeing during the day because I probably would've opted to wait on the highway... or not! Anyway - so everything was all fine and dandy. We saw alot of people parked to the side of the road with recreational gear; lots of shrubs and bushes and narrow turns ........... when all of a sudden - while taking a sharp turn - OUT OF NOWHERE - all we saw was a figure that appeared infront of our car coming downhill at full speed and then he disappeared as Sifo hit the brakes! Another skateboarder was quick on his heels but he had seen our car before the other kid and was able to veer out of our way in time.

I screamed. It sounded pathetic at the time but I seriously thought we ran over that darned kid! That's when Sa opened his door and we saw that the "kid" we were worried about was actually a teenager who somehow luckily jumped off his board as he tried to skid out of our path. Sa checked if he was okay. He assured us he was and then...... I was ready to kill him myself!...

Luckily for him and the little scare he gave us, we opted to ditch the place and go eat since the girls were finally coming to.

After all that excitement, Tucano's brazilian grill was just what we needed. The food was great! I enjoyed my choice of tomato salad with olives and mozarella balls - - - and if Heiress hadn't spilt her milk cup, I'd think it was a perfect dinner! Sina even got all the brazilian drums played for her while the servers there sang Happy Birthday to her in Portuguese.

Finally we stopped by briefly to visit with Charles and Linda and to see their newby Charles Joseph Palepoi. He is such a cutie!!! (What baby have I never said that about??). It was fun to hang out with them and we'll probably see them soon at CJ's blessing in a few weeks!

Soon as we got home - the boys jetted off to see a movie by themselves which left me with alot of free time since the girls were just winding down from the day's activities. I was able to finally use the frames set that our friends Rachael and Seuao bought for us LAST CHRISTMAS -(thanks guys! love them!)- because I FINALLY decided to print some of our favorite pictures off of our fully loaded memory card and I'm almost satisfied at how everything looks now. I just need to balance it all out now.

So just before I finish off here and let you enjoy the pics I took from our outting (which will be printed soon - I promise!).... I hope all you twilight fans are going to head on over to any HOT TOPIC store to check out the release (i think) of the Twilight soundtrack. They should be unveiling the much anticipated "Bella's Lullaby" and a song that Rob Pattinson wrote also - (who plays Edward in the movie). That's apparently happening this Friday at 7pm. Enjoy!!!

in line at the Scarecrow Festival

only Anthony and the Scarecrows were ready for this shot

before Sina got her Jack-o-lantern and Coretta got Elmo on their cheeks

Heiress and her daddy before her kitty cat do

coretta's tenth time down the slide "ALL BY HERSELF!!"..=)

our ferocious tiger...roar!!!!

Our little clan - everyone acting their true part...*wink*

the Ta'atitis'

Anthony posing with Heiress at the Fish Ponds (She caught a toy called "the annoying THING")

Sa and Sina cooling down in the shade

Sa and the 2yr olds

Sina and Coretta knocked out after having so much fun

Anthony with baby CJ

visiting with Charles and Linda and baby CJ

My Eights

I think I got tagged twice to do this and I doubt I have enough friends on here to tag ...so don't be surprised if I don't tag anyone....:P
Here goes:

8 Favorite TV SHOWS: Prison Break, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, American Idol, America's Best Dance Crew, Chuck, The Office, MINDFREAK, Forensic Files

8 Favorite RESTAURANTS: Joe's Crabshack, McDonalds, Cafe Rio, Bobby Chin's, Cheesecake Factory, IHOP, Denny's

8 Things that HAPPENED YESTERDAY: Slept in, Babysat my niece Sina, Ironed and hung up my daughters' clean laundry, Cooked Salmon and Chicken soup, Met a new potential friend 'Marky'-through Sa's cousin Cordelia, Sa's aunt flew into town from Vegas - spent time with her here for a while, ate Sa's Dibs icecream, fought my girls to sleep - they won because they didn't sleep 'til 1am!!!...

8 Things to LOOK FORWARD to: Christmas, Successful Potty Training and School for the kids, Having more kids, Watching my babies grow up, Future Career, Educational, Spiritual Acheivements/Successes, Seeing our families back home in Samoa, Returning to Samoa, oh and Twilight the movie!

8 Things on my WISH LIST: Having a total mommy makeover!, Become an overnight millionaire, Be less afraid of conforming to fashion trends, That Sa would be more open-minded about fun American holidays and past times, To go back to Samoa soon, Write a book WORTH reading, Have perfect Skin, I wish there was no such thing as RACISM!!!

8 Things I LOVE about FALL: the leaves, the Weather, the clothes, cute kids outfits, 5, 6, 7, 8 ... lol

8 People I tag: Tala, Sifo, Jen, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. ... sorry...

twilight Mania

This is a little overdue considering how long the Twilight Saga has been completely published and available.

I finished reading the series in less than a week thanks to the strong recommendation given by Sifo! :) I liked the books alot and got Sa to start reading them! He finished the first book and attempted the 2nd one (there are FOUR in the series) and decided he'll just wait for the movies to come out! =) He has however managed to annoy a couple of his other relatives and myself by updating his Bebo profile to say that "HE" is the main guy character/love interest in the book! It's pretty hilarious what an uproar that caused what with comments such as "You are a werewolf" to "I'm still vomitting" that he received just hours after the change! =)

Sa (although he's serious about not reading anymore of the series), has been online day in day out searching all trailers and images related to the book and upcoming movie release! Twilight Die Hard Fan? I thought so! - until...

I recommended the book to one of my best friends in New Zealand. All I needed her to do was to read the FIRST book and now (about 2 and a half days later) - I think she's done with the SECOND book!!! I almost regret recommending it to her because I've been getting text messages at all hours of the day about how emotionally stressful the story is for her! =) And I truly hope she can recover from it! =)

Anyhow I can't wait 'til the movie comes out next month! Sifo says she and I will be camping outside of the theaters to be the first ones to see it. Haha! Nevermind how crazy we sound but I think the thought of us camping outside of a theater is something that even "I'd" pay to see!

If there is "ANYONE" out there who hasn't read the books, you should try it. I think that the most inspiring thing I've taken away from this series is not the story itself but more the story of how it's Author came to be so great at her profession.

She got the idea of this story from a "dream"; put it on paper and never looked back. She used to be a simple stay at home mom just FOUR years ago and now she's making millions from literally a dream! If that's not reason enough then you can do like Sa and wait for the movies of her books to come out.

Well - now that that's off my chest..... I think I've given sufficient effort to make like I'm not slacking on this blog! =)

Enjoy the weekend!

BABY ALERT

I don't have any pictures right now... but CONGRATULATIONS to Charles and Linda who welcomed their cute babyboy CJ this week!

I also wanted to mention that Seuao and Rachael also welcomed babygirl number 2 this week also!!! Can't wait to get the updates and see the cute bundles of joy!!!

Rest easy ladies! And get to snapping them cameras so we can ALL see the new additions to the family!