The last 2 weeks Kj's has had the worst eczema ever! Seriously my little guy had been miserable... On June 13th he woke up with a little rash on his cheeks and it quickly spread from there to cover his entire face and ears by that night it was on his lips, neck front and back, arms, and legs. I took him to the doctor and was told he was having a allergic reaction and they gave him medication... I was told after 5 days he should be good as new... that wasn't KJ's case it got worse and worse and by Saturday night June 16th we were desperate for anything. Our good friends Jake Black and Scott Larsen came over and helped Kepu give KJ a priesthood blessing :) 

Prior to Jake and Scott showing up I explained to KJ what a priesthood blessing is and who can perform the blessing. I was amazed.. I shouldn't have been KJ has always been a curious person... by the questions KJ asked, he truly wanted to know everything he could about the special blessing he was about to receive. 

During the blessing some sweet words were shared and I couldn't help but shed some tears and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the power of the priesthood. 

I am so grateful to have a husband that is worthy to have the priesthood so we can have it in our home!!

A few days later and with the help of a friend lending me some Rx cream his rash started looking better. We are now going on 2 weeks of having the eczema break out but he's feeling much better. During family prayer Kj was saying it a part of his prayer strengthen my testimony he said;

"Heavenly Father thank you so much for making me feel better! Thank you for my special blessing and for my mommy's friend who came and gave me the new cream to help with my rash." 

I know that KJ's knew that Heavenly Father played a role in helping his skin get better. It was such a blessing to see his knowledge of the gospel grow! 

On Sunday June 24th as we were driving home from the Tauaalo's house Kepu, KJ, and I had a conversation hers how it went;

KJ: I'm scare of the dark!

Kepu: If you are ever scared you can always say a prayer and talk to your Heavenly Father.

Me: Yes KJ remember what we talked about this morning if you scared, mad, happy, or sad you can always pray and talk to your Heavenly Father. You are never alone. 

KJ: "Dear Heavenly Father please help me not be scared of the dark. Thank you for watching over me and helping me not be scared of the dark. You're AWESOME! Amen" 

He says the most pure, genuine kind of prayer and I love it! 

Nafe is 16 months and he is a character! This little guy knows how to get what he wants... with the exception of his dad.... he has pretty much everyone wrapped around his fingers.. lol

 Earlier this month I was making a candy lei for my cousin Emma's graduation I had a bag of hugs and almond kisses laying out for easier access and Nafe would come up give me a big smile and very secretly grab a candy and walk away... lol this kid cracks me up. I found a trail of candy wrappers all over the house of him trying to be sneaky! lol Nafe loves lecturing us... he has his pointer finger always pointing at us moving up and down as he talks baby gibberish and makes the cuties facial expressions. Seriously this little guy walks around every place he's at like he owns the place... he has no problem with confidence! (Just like his granpa Ben.. lol)

We went boating for the first time this season on June 16th it was fun to just get out into the open water.. hahah Nafe and his cousin Mita wouldn't stay in the boat even as it was going. Both boys were having so much they didn't want to get out of the water. KJ did really well on the boat as well, he typically get's scared of how fast the boat is going and the wind blowing in his face but this time he kept tell himself "I can do this I can do this!" and he did it!! On top of him actually enjoying the water he wanted to get into the water, I wouldn't let him completely get in since his skin was still very irritated and I didn't want it to get worse or infected. Seeing that it felt like 100 degrees outside we let him get into the tub and get his feet wet, he looked like he was having a blast!

June 17th was Fathers Day!!! I couldn't do this post without dedicating some of it to the two men in my life that mean the world to me!!!

My dad, the man who helped raise me, is one of the most giving person I know. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone who asks. He has helped my family with anything we need help with. After he had hand surgery and couldn't work he'd come over every morning and watch my boys while Kepu and I went to work. He would take KJ to and from school, play with Nafe, and everything else that is necessary to take care of 2 little boys. A lot of my friends were surprise as to how my dad went from being just a grandpa to a full time "dad" to my boys with such ease... I told him it's just the kind of man he is. Many of them said their dads could never watch their kids like that and do all there is to take care of them... I couldn't help but feel super proud that he is my father!! Latest is he's helping us build out shed in our back yard, which Kepu and I have been talking about but haven't actually fallen through. He helped get our backyard ready for sod earlier this year... there are many countless things my dad has done for my family and I and I couldn't be more appreciative for him!!! Love you dad!!!

Kepu is seriously the greatest dad for my little boys. I love this man with all my heart and am grateful that he is apart of my life. He is an amazing teacher to KJ and is showing him the true meaning of hard work. We clean the office building that I work in and he will bring KJ to show him how to clean and that when you work there is always a good reward at the end. KJ actually looks forward to going with his dad anywhere even if it's to clean the office. I love watching Kepu interact with his two boys, nothing puts a smile on my face than watching all 3 of my boys play :)  Both my boys love their dad so much and think he's the coolest dad ever! 

Thank you Kepu for being such an amazing husband to me and the best father to our two beautiful boys!

Wow I can't believe that it's been almost 2 months since I last posted on here... I swore that I'd post more and I think I've done a lot better but I know there's still room for improvement. :) Here is an update on my family;

Nafe

*almost 16 months old

*has attitude as if he is a grown man (acts like his grandpa Ben... lol)

*loves causing a tornado of mess everywhere he goes

*loves taking baths and playing with water

*has eaten more dirt in the last month then anyone I've ever known

*would rather be outside regardless of the weather

*STILL wont sleep in his own bed... ugh

*is in his terrible 2's stage already

*LOVES his older brother

KJ

*today was his last day of kindergarten... teacher Mrs. Lyde

*has improved on his speech significantly 

*can read some books by himself

*tries to talk his way out of everything... hopefully that becomes handy in the future

*is a picky eater like is momma :) 

*has the sweetest biggest heart of gold

*is playing t-ball and loving every minute of it

*LOVES his little brother

Kepu

*finished his spring semester at UVU and is taking the summer off

*working for the summer

*hangs out with our boys when he's not working :) 

Me

*still working at the same place (grateful for my job most days)

*is in nursery with the 2-3 year olds.. fun yet very exhausting 

When Kepu is working for my parents my dad watches the boys! It was nice to have someone who loves our boys as much as we do watching them. KJ loved having papa walking him and his friend MC to school and picking them up. Nafe loved hanging out with his papa and spend every minute outside doing whatever he wanted to do. 

Thank you dad for watching my boys! They loved every minute they spent with you!!!

We also bought and installed new windows in our home which I'm absolutely loving! The windows that were replaced were the original windows, they added great character to the house but did nothing for keeping warm or cold air out or in depending on the season. Also after 5 years of putting in a sprinkler system we finally finished our backyard and got a killer deal on a swing set for the boys which they are enjoying every minute they can be outside. We have had one busy month and a half and to top that off we bought a car... not just any car a car that I've been wanting and dreaming about for awhile.  

 We bought this on my birthday... May 26th.... after our Durango died on us several times that day we decided we'd go look at cars without the intention of finding one nor buying one... well when we drove to the Nissan dealership I saw this white Armada and knew I wanted to test drive it so I did. After being at the dealership for 3 hours we decided that we better go home and think about it with the possibility of coming back on Monday. Well after crunching numbers and getting them to come down on the price and a package deal we went back that night at 9:30 and signed papers. Surreal to what happened I'm still happy that both Kepu and I love this car and know that the purchase was needed, well worth it, and deserved! Our boys (especially KJ) love this car because now he can watch movies in there when we drive to SLC :) which he thinks is so far away and the longest drive ever! lol

So grateful for the many blessings that we've been blessed with!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to watch some of our goods friends kids while they ran a 5K... 

Kepu had to leave for school so it ended up being me with two 5 year olds, one 3 year old, and two 1 year old.... It was a packed house with crazy kids running around and I LOVED every moment of it! Kj, Ryder, and Emma did their thing while the two one year old Tessa and Nafe just walked around the house finding things to get into/ put in their mouth. After feeding all the kids we got out some games and somehow all five kids sat down and played them with me! I was seriously amazed that despite the age difference such a simple game could bring them all together. After play Eggspert for a little bit I turned on the Xbox and had the kids play Just Dance 3 (best way to get energy out of kids that have too much energy :)! ). Oh boy was it entertaining watching all the kids (including the two babies) do the dance moves, which was a mixture of what the game was wanting them to do and their own personal moves. I think I learned some new moves that day... not like I'd tried them for fear I'd pull a muscle or something.. heheh

The moment Kepu got home Tessa became a magnet to him. She didn't want him to put her down or leave his side... it was cute. I got a quick glimpse of what it may be like if we were to ever have another girl in the home. Once Megan came to pick-up the kids they were still dancing their little hearts out. After a couple more songs the Black family left.

All of a sudden KJ goes running to the door acting like they forgot something. Closing the door behind him he had the most disappointing look on his face. I asked him what was wrong and this was his replay as tears were streaming down his face...

Honestly both Kepu and I were annoyed that he was crying about something so little, but as I look back on it I feel bad for feeling this way. Kj has the most tender heart and for me to feel annoyed or get angry about it is unacceptable! I need to embrace Kj for being the way he is; special, unique, a blessing from heaven, and a child of God.

The best part about being a parent... well what I've learned so far.... is that my kids are here to teach me many things and one of those things is patience.  Both KJ and Nafe have show unconditional patience for Kepu and I as we figure out the parenting thing the least we can do is reciprocate the action. Another thing I've learned from my kids is that they will ALWAYS love me for me... the happy me, the sad me, the mean me, the anything me... and I need to do the same for them. 

I read this scripture from another blog and it brought me to tears! Love it and will now use it as Kepu and I try and figure out the parenting thing.

I love my two beautiful boys and would do anything for them! I need to make it a point in my life that when I'm frustrated and upset with them to stop and take a step back and remember... remember all the fun memories that we've shared, remember that having them in my life is a blessing, remember that they love me for me!

Some stories about KJ that I'd never want to forget. Since he started speech therapy his vocabulary and confidence in speaking has grown tremendously! Lately he's been telling me stories that I never want to forget... Here one of them:

The other day we had dinner at Brick Oven where he received a balloon. As we were running errands we walked out of Ross where his balloon got loose and flew away. With much effort of trying to grab onto it before it was unreachable but with the combination of the wind and the helium in the balloon it flew away. KJ's clearly upset of the lost of his balloon started to have a melt down in the parking lot. I tried to explain to him that now his balloon was on it's way to heaven to his cousin Naimah to play with. It took him a minute to realize what I was saying but finally calmed down. Not even 5 minutes later as we were driving home we had a conversation that went something like this...

Kj- "Mom I want Heavenly Father to come pick me up!"

Me- "Why do you want him to come get you?"

 "Because I'm done with this place! Can I have your phone so I can call him to come get me?"

 "Kj Heavenly Father doesn't have a phone but you can talk to him anytime you want through prayer."

 "Okay mom." Dear Heavenly Father please come pick me up, I am done with this place! Amen "Mom if I leave will you miss me?"

 "Yes Kj I will miss you lots and lots if you leave."

 "Okay mom I guess I'll stay here because you'll miss me and I know dad and Nafe will miss me too!"

Hahah I love this kid! He seriously cracks me up! I want to try and write these cute funny stories in a journal, it just seems to take too much time to sit down and hand write when I know I can type a lot faster. 

More funny/cute stories to come! :)  

Nafe is now 14 months old and is walking EVERYWHERE! I can't believe how fast he has grown. The fun things he's doing:

~Walking everywhere.. he tries to run but is still trying to figure that part out
~Eating everything... I mean everything! At this rate I'm pretty sure he will not be a picky eater like his older brother
~Wearing 18mo-2T clothing... he has a long torso and somewhat short legs... yup he gets this from the Lavaki side :)
~ Is bossy bossy... just like his mom ;)
~ Is wanting to be independent in everything
~LOVES the water... bath time he get's all excited and would practically jump into the water fully clothed if I'd let him
~Would rather be outside regardless of the weather... the minute the front door opens he drops everything and darts straight for the door
~Goes to senior nursery with me (since it's my calling I get to take him with me)... he holds his ground pretty well there with the older kids
~Top and bottom 4 teeth are in... I believe his molars are coming soon
~Eats lotion... I don't know why but if he sees lotion he wants to eat it... Should I be worried?
~  Loves watching Curious George with his brother
~LOVES HIS BROTHER KJ- he follows him everywhere... Kj's little shadow

On February 4, 2011 at 7:14am our family was blessed with a beautiful baby boy Nafetalai 8.1 lbs 19 inches long! 

We waiting 4 1/2 longs years for him to join our family. I remember the excitement both Kepu and I had to bring this baby into our family and also to introduce KJ to his little brother! 

This was the first time KJ met his little brother Nafe and they have been best friends since than! 

I can't believe that my baby Nafe is already one! Seriously how fast does time fly... 

A questions I've often asked myself is how is it that 9 months of pregnancy seem to last FOREVER but than once they are here that first 9 months of life seems to fly by my eyes?!?! IF only there was something to slow time down! 

NAFETALAI'S MEMORIES

1st month- He always seemed to know when we were changing his diaper because the second we changing he'd end up peeing everywhere!

2nd month- at 7 weeks old Nafe was having breathing problems and ended up at Timpanogos Hospital... after 7 hours there he was life flighted to Primary Children Hospital incubated and in the ICU. After spending a week in the hospital we were able to go home. Since than he has been a very healthy little guy. At the hospital I was pumping 12 oz at a time... I was the mamma cow in the PICU. Yup gotta make sure my baby is getting enough milk!

3rd month- I went back to work after 9 weeks and Nafe was able to come with me. He slept in his car seat underneath my desk and we'd nurse in the office filing room. It was so fun to have him here with me.

4th month- He started discovering some of the things the world had to offer him. KJ loved having his baby brother and couldn't wait for him to be mobile so that he could play with him. Nafe also started eating baby cereal.

5th month- Nafe stopped coming to work with me because he had discovered that he can make noise... and lots of it too. Daddy finally got to stay home with Nafe while KJ went to school.

6th month- started feeding Nafe baby food... yup this little guy never got full. He loved his food and mama wasn't producing enough to satisfy him. Seating up by himself and enjoying that new independent moment.

7th month- Eating everything he could possibly eat. Still nursing when I got home from work and at night but pretty much lived off a bottle and baby food. 

8th month- Started scooting... close to crawling. He loved watching his brother do everything. KJ could make him laugh by doing the littlest thing. I loved watching my two interact with each other. Kepu could never get Nafe to laugh the way Kj and I were able to. I think Nafe knew exactly what he was doing... don't under estimate a baby's mind!

9th month- CRAWLING! This little guy could crawl (right knee down while the left leg/foot pushes to go) interesting kind of crawl I might say. He crawled before he could even rollover. It was interesting to us that he didn't know how to rollover but at the same time a nice thing because we were able to still change his diapers without him getting away. 

10th month- Finally learned how to roll over! Eating table foods... he got sick of the baby food so we mushed up everything we could and start feeding it to him. He loved it!

11th month- Started drinking whole milk... for some reason formula kept giving him the runs and diaper rashes so we decided to make the switch and it cleared all that up quick. He can walk while holding onto furniture. OH BOY this new found freedom he has and he loves it!

12th month- Eating EVERYTHING and ANYTHING he possibly get his hands on... even if its eatable or not! He is close to walking still working on trusting his balance but he can stand up on his own and while holding someones finger he walks perfectly fine. 

We had a birthday party for Nafe, we had family and friends come to help us celebrate Nafe's first year of life. It was so fun to be able to share that time with loved ones.

On January 1, 2012 KJ was playing with is oh so wiggly tooth just as church was getting out for the day when all of a sudden he pulls it right out! I can't believe how big my guy is getting... I mean it's a big milestone when the first tooth is lost... at least it is to me. Right after church my friend Megan text me letting me know that KJ told her son Ryder (one of Kj's Best Friends) that the Tooth Fairy was going to bring him a cowboy hat in exchanged for his tooth. I couldn't help but laugh... who knows where this kid comes up with these things. Sunday night he reminded us several times to make sure the tooth was under his pillow so the Tooth Fair would come... 

Since he didn't go to be early enough Monday morning Kepu comes into the room giving me his tooth (that's in a ziplock back) and asks what are we going to put under his pillow to replace it. I looked high and low and couldn't a single dollar anywhere but came stumbling across a five dollar bill. I ran into his room (knowing he'd be waking up soon) and put that money under his pillow. Not 10 minutes later he came running into my room with the biggest smile yelling "mom the Tooth Fairy came, the Tooth Fairy came!"He didn't care that it wasn't a cowboy hat... he actually didn't even mention it so I guess the five dollars met his expectations.

It's so fun to be Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and all the imaginative characters that goes along with holidays. I will be sad when the day comes when my kids don't believe in them anymore but I know that's all apart of them growing up. 

 Last night we went to see the lights at the River Bottoms in Provo. We went with some good friends of ours! :) KJ was so amazed by the amazing lights, water fountains, and fire. Here are some pictures from last night. I'm sad because I didn't get a family picture nor pictures of Nafe. He was a little grumpy because he had to stay in his stroller the entire time. Next year I know he'll be running around like crazy! It was a great night out with the family! :)

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post... there's no particular reason as to why it's been that long, maybe life got the better of me and time just flew by. Not much has happened since my last post that's worth writing about... or that I can remember.... lol Here's an update of what I can remember:

KJ is doing much better in school, there were times where I felt like a bad mother because I started him way to early.... seeing that his birthday is the end of July and school started a month after that.... but now that he's received his back to school priesthood blessing from his dad I've seen huge improvement with him. It's like all of a sudden a light turned on and he is slowly but surely getting the information his teacher is striving to teach him. It's so fun having him come home from school to tell me all the new things he's learned. His vocabulary has expanded so much. He says things that I have to stop and think but there are times that I just bust out laughing. Even though there are days were I have no patience for this little boy he is still able to find a way to put a smile on my face.

Funny story: Just the other day Kepu went and picked KJ up from school. As they were walking to the car this little girl came running up to them "Bye KJ" and started blowing him kisses. Kepu texted me when they got home to tell me what had happened... I walked through the door and immediately started questioning KJ. Here's how our conversation went:

Me: KJ so what is this I hear girls blowing you kisses!?!?!

KJ: Yeah mom she tries to kiss me all the time... gross (as he is wiping his lips)

Me: KJ, you are not allowed to kiss girls. The only girls you can kiss is your mom, grandmas, and aunties... anyone else is off limits!

KJ: Okay mom, I'll just hug them (as he is laughing silently.. and his dad laughing rooting him on thinking he has one stud of a son)

Me: WHAT?!?!?!

KJ: haha just kidding mom. I know I know girls are gross!

WHAT.... I never thought I'd have to have this conversation with my 5 year old, but times have changed. I remember I didn't even know what "going out" was until I was in 5th grade. Seriously these girls and boys start young. Someone has told me that you need to have the "talk" by the time your child is 8 years old.... ummm I don't think I'm ready for that in three years. Oh well I guess it's better to talk about it in the comfort of the home then having him learn about it from some outside source. So whether I'm ready or not in three years we will have to have the "talk".....

Nafe my sweet baby is now 10 1/2 months! I can't believe how fast time has flown. He is crawling all over the place and is walking along the furniture. Before I know it he'll be running a muck with his older brother. I love watching Nafe learn new things and figuring out how to do things. This is one of my favorite stages of life. He is such a happy baby who brings so much light and joy into our family. He ABSOLUTELY loves his big brother KJ... to watch those two interact brings so much love and light to my life. They were truly best friends before they came here to earth. I know that things may change as time goes on but deep in my heart I know these two will always be close brothers! :)

Kepu just finished his fall semester in school. He did okay this time around... I think going to school in the summer burnt him out a little but I know when next semester starts he'll do a lot better. I'm so proud of him and the things he's accomplishing. I know he setting a great example for my boys! It doesn't matter how old you are when you return to school as long as you go back and finish! Kepu and I both know that the only way to better our family life and financial situation is to go back to school. I hope that once Kepu gets through school he'll be able to find a job to support our family so I can go back. Like I've said before it doesn't matter how old you are when you go back to school just as long as you go back and finish.

As for me I'm just working full time and helping my Kj and Kepu with school. I feel like I've started kindergarten and college all in the same year... lol Oh well I love my life and wouldn't have it any other way!