Downsize

Just like everyone else our lives have gotten extremely busy. I don't want to be one of those mothers who is always rushing around, feeding kids in the car as they drive from one thing to the next. I don't want to be too exhausted when I come home that I am annoyed with my kids and won't play with them. I want to be the relaxed fun mother who has it together.

I thought I was on my way with having 99% of my Christmas shopping done before the beginning of December. In fact I was completely done Christmas shopping by December 15th. Pretty good, over a whole week before Christmas. But then we went on vacation at didn't come home until late on the 23rd. So what did I do all Christmas Eve? Wrap presents. My kids were so bored, I kept telling myself they needed a day to just relax and veggie in front of the TV, we ran them everywhere on vacation. But it really was me who needed them to be distracted so I could get my things done. It seems even my greatest plans of being organized, and having it together have a way of sabotaging themselves. Maybe I plan too much... maybe I am not as organized as I have convinced myself.

I am the type of person who likes to set goals for the New Year. I even write them down, because I heard somewhere that "a goal is only a wish until it's written down." So as I ponder what my goals could be for next year, I realize that the biggest thing I need to do my life is downsize! Downsize my daily to-do lists, downsize my anxiety of my sweet husband not having a job ( along with the rest of the country), and downsize my expectations of myself and my kids. I feel like I expect way too much from everyone especially myself. Downsize is my buzz word. So to all my peeps who actually read this... any suggestions for some simple downsize living?

Here he goes again...

I'd like to share yet another conversation with my 3 1/2 year old. After quite a frustrating day, where I had a "to do" list a mile long and only accomplishing a few items I was very agitated. The kids didn't help me much choosing this day as the day to quarrel over every little thing. I mean everything, dirty looks, sitting in the wrong chair, sticking out tongues. This list could go on and on.

Finally I lost it, after hearing for the what seemed like the ten thousandth time from the boy that his older siblings had done something to annoy him this conversation took place.

LG: " Mom... Vai stuck his tongue out at me. " Looking towards Vai he said,"Now you're gonna get it!"
Me: "JUST SHUT UP!!!!"

LG: " Oooohhhhhh, Mom, you said a bad word. Your gonna get in trouble. Heavenly Father doesn't love you anymore!"

At this point this was the thing I needed to just break out in laughter. Leave it to a 3 1/2 year old!

Kids Say The Dandiest Things

Last evening I decided to take my mom and my and two younger boys for a drive. We stopped at a couple stores and visited with some friends and family before returning home. On the drive home, our 3 year old was singing along with Michael Jackson since we were driving in mommy's car who is way excited about her MJ collection CD she got from going to see his movie. At any-rate, while stopped at a red light, I all of a sudden heard my boy chanting, "Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama". I thought to myself," What song of MJ's does he start chanting Obama?" With curiosity filling my head quickly, I asked him, "Son, who is Obama?" He replied right away with ; "He is a god". I got even more curious with his answer and wondered where he was headed with it. "A god of what?", I asked again. "A god of the lords" he replied. Before the light turned green I was already rolling through the intersection because I could not contain my laughter and amazement at this child's answer.

Still filled with laughter, I quietly thought to myself; "O.K. son, I know we made history in the U.S. this past year with President Obama being the first President who is a man of color, but easy on calling him a god before we get zapped by the real God". Hahahahahaha. I love kids and their innocent ways of thinking and expressions.

Potential

I have been pondering over something the last week or so. A few weeks ago I asked Vai to read me a book. I picked out a book that I thought he might have a little trouble with but wanted him to work on his reading and figured I could help him with what ever words he couldn't read. He is only in the first grate and is just learning how to read. As he read this book to me he knew every word. I was shocked that my first grader could read words like museum. I didn't have to help him at all. I was very impressed with the reading program the school uses thinking that I could never read that well when I was in first grade. Then we went to Vai's parent/teacher conference, we were told that he is doing well in everything and is at the top of his class. Then the teacher explained that Vai's reading lever has exceeded that of the other students. The scale they use wants first graders scoring a 14 by the end of the school year. Vai had already scored a 17 and it was only the 2 month of school. He is reading way beyond his grade level.

I tell this story not to brag about my brilliant child (well maybe a little bit)! But mostly because as we walked out of that conference I was so excited and had this great desire to further his reading skills. I am not an avid reader, I wish I was. I struggled to get through my reading assignments in college. If I do read for pleasure it is because I have been sucked into a book that I can't put down and my entire life is put on hold until I finish my book. So needless to say I don't read for pleasure too often. However, I want things to be different for my son. I want to take this advanced reading skill and nourish it so that he will love to read. To me having a great reading ability is very key to success in life.

Then it got me thinking.. Did my parents ever have conferences like this when I was a child? Were they told that my skills were past the benchmark and I was considered advanced? Did I have a great potential as a child and now I am not living up to it? I know I have many talents and skills but am I being the best self I can? Am I living up to my potential?

This conference with Vai's teacher has really made me reflect on my life and how I am nourishing my abilities and growing myself. Just as much as I want Vai to succeed I should want the same thing for myself. Then Tata showed me a news report that said "Mommy's need time outs too" It was about a new book that talks about the mother' s guilt for taking any time for herself. So again this begs the question; "What can I be doing to live up my potential?"

As I try to balance all the demands of my life I do hope that I will be working on my self to develop the best self I can.

Kids know everything

I'd like to share a conversatin I had this morning with my three year old son.

Son: "Mom, you need to change."

Mom: "Change? What do I need to change?"

Son: "Your hairstyle!"

So true son,... so true.

Celebrations continued....

Yep, we are still celebrating...

Celebrations

August is a crazy busy month for us! One in which we have many celebrations and since we are too exhausted from all the partying to go into details we figured you could just have a look see.

Vai turned 7!

Pooters turned 2 months!

10 years of wedded bliss!

Great Jr. Giants season with friends!

First day of First Grade!

First day of Kindergarten!

Our next celebration will occur on Thursday the 27th when Nau comes from Fiji for her first visit to America! We can't wait!

"FREINDS FOR LIFE IS NOT JUST FOR A SUMMER OR A SPRING"

Tonight we got to host some freinds and their kids for dinner while enjoying the warm San Joaquin Valley weather outside in our newly done back yard. Good food, good company, the kids had fun, can't complain.

Everwhere that we've lived, we have had one or two couples that we just love being in their company. We had had them in Hawaii, we had them in Utah, and now we have them here in California. Freindship should not just be something that we do seasonally, but for a life time. We always try to be the best friends we can be to those we meet, and it is such as blessing and a joy to see the favor returned. Things can be so enjoyable if we all try to be someone's best friend in life. To the families that visited us tonight, thank you for being our freinds.

I HOPE I'M NOT

Yesterday I took some time off from work to take care of some appointments and spend time with the family. After a visit with the Doctor, I was happy that the end result was not anything scary. Swim lessons was fun to watch, especially with the Clown Boy who is so full of excitment. Got to spend some one-on-one time with girly; even a trip to Baskin Robbins. Later, I took Vai to his baseball practice and got to listen to him tell me a story the whole drive time to the field about some alliens. Then the icing on the cake was when I was able to take the love of my life out to dinner.

It felt so good to be seating across the table from her and to look into those pretty eyes and be reminded that those were the eyes that I fell in love with 11 years ago. The food was awesome, our third wheel tag along buddy layed asleep in his car seat. I felt that he; sleeping the whole dinner time was no accident because the Lord approved of our activity and wanted us to enjoy ourselves.

With a great day such as that, this morning after going for a jog, I caught myself wondering if I am just going through the motions of being married. Why that even came to mind; I have no idea. But after asking the wife that very same question, I was comforted in her response and it made me feel better about our experiences in "This Crazy Thing Called Life" the past 7 weeks. It is such a blessing to have someone who can assure you in times of need and help solidify things. I am thankful everyday for such a blessing and I hope and pray that if I ever come across as just going through the motions, that she will remind me and can even give me a good ole polynesian beat down if she has to. But I don't think it will ever go that far, for I plan to be the best I can be for my family.

I am not ashamed!

I am not ashamed to admit I am a fan. I had your posters hanging on the walls of my room. I tried to in vain to imitate and master your dance moves. I loved your music and listening to it brings back special memories for me. I am not ashamed to admit I cried yesterday as I watched your memorial service. I am not ashamed to admit that I am trying to educate my children about your music. I love the way you make me feel. I am not ashamed to admit I am a fan!

I'm One Month Old!

So "The Bug" turned 1 month yesterday. I can't believe how fast it has gone by already!

Joys of Paternity Leave

Like Father...Like Son

BROTHER "BABY BOY" BASALUSALU

Sunday May 31st at about 9:30 p.m. I accompanied the wife to the hospital for a scheduled induction. Lots of anticipation and excitment surounded our 5 minutes drive to the hospital because we are one of the many old-fashioned couples around that still enjoyed the thrill of waiting till our babies arrive to find out what gender they would be. The night started off great, with an awesome and outstanding nursing crew. Nurse Jo even gave us some aloha loves after we found out that we all spent years in Hawaii. Hoooo, the Aloha hugs and kisses, I miss those type of greetings. At any rate, back to the hospital, after getting pricked and hooked up to monitors, we settled in for the night. Wifey on her nice hospital bed and me on my "Foreverstrong" hospital pull out chair/bed.

Sleep was good for the both of us. At 7:30 a.m. June 1st, the Doc. shows up with his big mug of coffee. The induction process started and he left to go do a C-section. Contractions increased and the nurses got everything preped. Our history at this hospital (having had the previous 2 here) is that the babys come fast. In 20 minutes, she dialated from a 2cm to 4cm. Nurse Mary phoned the Doc to let him know that he better hurry with the C-section. Well, long story short, after a few adjustments here and there and with a couple of big pushes, baby showed up at 9:15 a.m. on June 1st.

This is where the fun, suprise, shock, or whatever happened. After baby came out, I looked to see what the gender was. It was clearly a boy, and I did not even have to take a double take. With her desire to know what it was, wifey asked, "What is it? What is it?" I said, "It's a boy". She said,"No it can't be". Nurse Mary said, "Well, if it's a girl it sure has some clear boy parts". To understand this moment, you should know that we have had dreams, plans, and hopes for another girl. So when he arrived, it was as if we were given a wrong address to a very important meeting. However, deep down we know that there is a reason why he is here.

With all the "shock", we struggled to find a name for this baby boy. We've been to the lab a couple times where the nurses asked if his real name was Baby Boy. After much thought and prayer, baby boy is now officialy known as LONNIE FAITALA YAVACA BASALUSALU. So, back to June 1st, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. the Basalusalu Clan welcomed to "This Crazy Thing Called Life" a little boy named Lonnie Faitala Yavaca Basalusalu who weighed 6 lbs. 12 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. The name Lonnie is after the wife's second maternal grandfather and Faitala, though a Samoan name is the middle name of my older brother. Translation wise, it is said that Lonnie means noble or ready and Faitala in Samoan indicates nosy or a busy body. So in our hands we have a READY NOSY NOBLE. Now try top that. If all these translations are true, be forewarned, whether you like it or not, this boy will be forever ready to be in your business :) All kidding aside, we are happy to have him as a part of our family.

It has been told that children before reaching the age of accountability (which is 8) are the closest people to Heaven and do at times speak with angeles. This was confirmed to me as I drove with Vai on Tuesday to the grocery store. He asked if we had decided on a name because he really liked Lucas. I told him that Mommy and Tata had not because we had thought that it was going to be a girl. He paused for a couple minutes and then told me this: "I knew that Heavenly Father would not lie because He had told me that our next baby was going to be a boy". We have been teaching our kids to say their personal prayers and bless baby to be healthy when it comes and I guess at one point, Vai had this exchange with the Lord. There is a reason that Lonnie is here, and with this experience I had with Vai, I have a stronger testimony of the scriptures that say,"Blessed are the little ones for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven".

2020 Olympics here we come!

Girly had her first gymnastics show this weekend. She did amazing. We are so proud of her and all the girls in her class!

GOOD, BETTER, THE BEST

Several months ago I was taught a lesson by a church leader on doing or being the best in everything that I do. He spoke about not just doing good, or doing better, but doing the best. Well, this past Saturday I got to experience first hand what he was talking about.

As a sports junky, I had looked foward with anticipation to the weekend to go and cheer for my beloved BYU Cougar rugby team play in the finals on both Friday and Saturday. Since I played for the Cougars and that rugby is in my blood, I assumed that everything was going to be cool with the lovely wife. Well, the week came and she asked if I can choose either day to go, instead of both. She had her reasons and with five weeks to go before baby arrives, I understood her reasoning. Saturday morning arrived and the wife asked if I could take Vai with me. I tried to get out of it by blaming the weather condition and the fact that the game was up at the Stanford Campus in the cold Bay area and that it was going to be at 7 p.m. She did not buy it and I thought to myself, "Well, at least I am helping her by taking one of the kids. GOOD." 4:30 p.m. rolls around, Vai and I were getting ready to go when the Clown Boy wakes up from his nap. "Where are you going", he asked. "To the rugby game", I said. "I wanna go too", he cried. I told him he that had to stay home and he flipped out. Not wanting to live him behind and giving the wife additional head-ache, I dressed him up and we the boys were going to go watch the game.

As we packed the van with blankies, snacks, and a change of clothes, Girly kept pacing right next to me with her head down. I paused with the loading and turned to look at her, only to be greeted with a teary looking face (kinda like that of PUSS-IN-BOOTS from Shrek)which broke my heart. I asked her what was the matter, and fighting back her tears, she utterted, "I wanna go too". I gave in and decided to take her also. All three kids with me, down to watch a rugby game and mommy is home alone having a relaxing time and a much needed break from the kids. BETTER, I thought to myself.

We went to the bank to pull some money out and then to the gas station to fill up gas for the trip. I looked at the clock and it was about 6 p.m. I told myself that I'm going to have to speed all the way to Stanford cause I am not missing the game, even though it takes more than an hour to get there from Stockton. As soon as I was ready to get on the freeway, in one accord, my lovely kids yelled out, "We have to use the bathroom". At this point, my excitement and hopes about making it to see the game has started to drown slowly. I turned around and drove back home so the kids could go use the bathroom. By this time, it was 6:30 p.m. and the game starts at 7. After looking for an alternate activity for us to do, I told the kids that we were not going to go to the game. They all did not understand why and started to cry. Finally I decided that we were going to go to Lodi Lake and feed the ducks. As I told them of the new plan, Vai paused from his crying and said, "That's even better Tata". Taking the kids to feed the ducks and play around at the lake for me was THE BEST choice I made that Saturday.

Taking one child was GOOD, taking all 3 was BETTER, but spending time with all 3 doing something they liked rather than what I liked, and allowing the wife to have a much needed break away from the kids for a short while was THE BEST. Ironically, I told the wife before we left for the lake that I was a jinx anyway and that the Cougars were going to win their first champinionship because I was not there. And sure enough they did beat the mighty CAL Bears and got their first national title. It would have been nice to have been at the game with that momentous victory, however, I would not have traded anything for that time I spent with the kids at the lake feeding ducks. It was not just GOOD. It was not just BETTER. But indeed, it was THE BEST.

The Backyard

We decided that it was time to landscape our backyard. This has been a big project with lots of problems. I won't go into all of the stressful details but hopefully in a couple of months we will have sprinklers, grass (not weeds) and a beautiful play structure that will keep the kids busy this summer as I deal with the new baby. I had hoped that everything would be done by the time the baby came but I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! I don't know if I can say we are halfway there yet. The weeds have been killed and cleared out, a tree has been cut down and the Redwood tree has been cut back, the ground has been rototilled and yesterday the kids (along with help from Tata and Grandpa) put the topsoil down. We still have to level the ground, put in the sprinkler system, the pavers, and the sod. Here is the progress so far.

The Beginning:

Rainy Day removal of the stump and adding the topsoil

Is it done yet?

Wish us luck on finishing!

Proud Mommy Moment

The last couple of weeks have been very stressful for me. I am feeling the "weight" of this pregnancy and a very unprepared to have a 4th child come into this home both physically and mentally. I am trying to gear myself up for a summer of no kids in school with a brand new baby, thinking of ways I can keep all 4 happy and still maintain my sanity. Maybe I am worrying about it too much, or maybe somewhere deep in my internal self I am realizing just what a challenge this will be. I can't tell for sure.

To add to the stress our van died. I loved this van. We bought it 2 years ago from some friends for a great price and it has been a big blessing to us. I never thought I would say it but I loved driving my mini van. Over the past year we have put quite a bit of money into it, new radiator, new water pump, breaks, and in February a new electrical system. So two weeks ago when we blew an external gasket I was totally bummed. This van was 10 years old but still felt like new to us. I couldn't justify spending three thousand dollars to fix a van that was only worth about $3500, especially after we had spent so much money on it during the last year. I felt like we were buying it all over again. Thankfully the van broke down right before spring break so we had some time before we would need a car again. After much thought and prayer we decided that it was better for us in the long run to go and find a newer more reliable car.

We got an amazing deal on our new van, a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country! We saved over $4000 and I felt like things just fell into place for us. Yesterday we had to take the new van into the dealership so they could install the keyless entry system. The dealership is in the next town over and I was told that this appointment would take at least an hour. I couldn't schedule a time to do it when the older two kids were in school, the guy only does the installs in the morning. Bummer! I didn't want to take all 3 kids and sit for a hour in their department but if we dropped the car off, by the time we got home we would have to turn around and go back. So I packed plenty of coloring books, toys and things to keep the kids occupied and explained to them that we would be sitting in a room for a long time and I expected them to behave. I hoped that no one else was there waiting and we could have the waiting room all to ourselves. I will admit while driving there I even threatened the kids that there would be big time punishment if they misbehaved! I was a little worried about how this would play out.

When we got there and walked into the waiting room there was only one other person there. He was a much older gentleman with white hair. Great I thought, why couldn't it be someone younger or a woman. They might be more sympathetic to my kids running around and acting up because they are tired of sitting in a room for so long. But this is where my kids amazed me. We sat down and every one of them took out something to color or play with. They whispered to each other, and played so quietly I was even able to read an entire magazine myself while we waited. When they needed to use the restroom they politely asked. They shared their toys with each other without fighting, no one tattled. Not one fight, no one spilled their snack on the floor. I didn't even have to ask them to put their trash away. They did it all on their own. Eventually more and more people filled the waiting room. Vai and Girly would give up their seats to the adults who came in without being asked. At one point I wondered whose kids were these anyway!

Finally as people came and went we were back to the original man and myself with the kids. When his car was finished he came over to me as he was walking out and said. Your kids are some of the most well behaved kids I have ever seen. They are beautiful and you should be very proud of them. I have never seen such young kids behave so well. Wow! He was right. I at that moment I was so proud of them. I was almost brought to tears, it was so nice of this man to recognize how hard my kids were trying to be on their best behavior. When we got into the car to leave I told them how happy I was about how good they behaved. They earned a big reward.

Sometimes I feel like all my parenting efforts are for nothing. Even though I am trying to raise well behaved responsible kids there is no visible sign of that. Yesterday my beautiful children showed me differently.

Sad to see an old friend go

Last night was the series finale of one of my favorite TV shows. I have been a faithful fan of ER since I can remember. I think I have watched every episode of all 15 seasons. In college I remember having ER parties to watch the cliff hanging shows and the intense medical situations. In recent years the show hasn't been as good as when the likes of George Clooney, Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle were on but I still have been a devoted fan and would faithfully watch every week. You just never knew what was going to happen. So I have to admit I am a little down this morning. I will miss my old friend.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We found our Little Leprechaun! He was born 3 years ago on this very day and has been bringing our family lots of luck and riches ever since!

Emilee

Yesterday the evil cancer took another person whom I loved. I grew up with this sweet woman and her family. After she graduated high school and moved away I didn't see much of her, yet I still had fond memories of her from our childhood. To say that she is an angel is an understatement. I am relieved that she is no longer in pain, after all, 6 years is a long time to battle stage 4 breast cancer. I am sad that this awful disease has struck again. I am sad for her loving husband of 17 years and her 3 school aged boys who now have to find a way to move on without her.


The thing that brings me peace is the knowledge that she will be reunited with her family one day. Death is not a final state but a graduation, so to speak; from this life to the next. Sweet Emilee is having a joyous reunion with family and friends who had gone before her. Although we will miss her for now, we will be reunited again. I know this to be true.

Bad Mommy

I follow a blog called "Good Mommy/Bad Mommy" and this past Thursday I realized I was a "Bad Mommy". Here's what happened...

As I was helping the scouts get ready for their Blue & Gold dinner, I was asked to bring the ice. So I found a round, plastic toy bin to hold the ice and water. I went to the store and bought six 7lb. bags of ice. When I pulled up to the church I didn't see anyone who could help me bring the ice in. I thought to myself, "it isn't that far from the car to the door and I am only 6 months pregnant, I can carry this, no big deal". Well that was my mistake. Trying to balance 42 lbs of ice in a large plastic toy bin on my belly was probably not the smartest thing I have ever done. After carrying the ice in I was short on breath and had cramps for most of the night. The baby is fine as I feel her (or him) moving a lot; and other than the discomfort, I feel O.K.

As I sat there kicking myself for doing such a stupid thing, I realized two things. First I am a "Bad Mommy" for not listening to all those pregnancy books, doctors and especially my husband when they tell you not to lift heavy objects while you are pregnant. Second, I am not as young as I think I am. I used to be this young 20 something who could do anything while pregnant... now I am a 35 years old whose body is saying "you are too old for this". It's hard to face the reality of getting old. Some people say age is just a number, after Thursday night I might have to disagree.

Hopefully I can do better and be a "Good Mommy"

Snow

A few weeks ago we had a family trip to the snow. We had so much fun. Girly was the only one who complained about her hands being cold. We didn't have the right gloves for her hands but once we got that resolved, the kids had a blast. As you can see from the pictures my islander husband is out in the snow in tights, basketball shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt!

Appreciating the role of motherhood more

Over the past few months, my lovely wife has mentioned and shown me her frustrations with having to deal with our children on a daily basis while I'm out at work. Being a typical man, most of my response back to her cry for help was "you're not patient enough" or "it's not that hard". Well, tonight I got to taste only 3 HOURS of what my superwoman goes through everyday.
After she left for her meeting at 7 p.m. I fed our kids dinner. After asking them about 20 times to get in the shower, I finally had to kick it into gear and grab them all by the hands and literally throw them into the shower. Now that was only the begining. Meanwhile,they were all excited because I told them that we were going to go on an ice-cream date. The boys got dressed first, and while brading Girly's hair (and I'm pretty good at it incase you're wondering:))I hear the Clown Boy screaming bloody murder. "What's wrong?" was my question. Quietly, I hear Vai saying, "Are you O.K.?" I knew right away that he had done something that he shouldn't have. The Clown comes in the room crying and said that Vai had placed a pillow over his face. As soon as I heard the words "pillow over my face", I flipped. Cucthing....ding....ding...ding..."Just be patient". Yeah right. I swarted Vai and he cried and while crying I continued to yell at him about how he could have choked and suffocated his brother. I threatened Vai that I was going to have him stay home while I took the other two for our date. Like I was really going to do that. Still fuming, I stopped and thought,"WOW. Reality check. I've only been with them for about an hour and I'm flipping over what could have been horseplay between two boys".
So we went to Baskin Robins and each got our cones of ice-cream. Before we got out of the car, as always, I set the rules about how we need to behave when we're in public or somebody's place. They all acknowledged me and my counsel with their sweet innocence. I got the Clown out and told him to go stand on the side walk away from traffic. I mentioned the same instructions to the older two, but as soon as Vai got out, he took off running the opposite direction of where were supposed to go. "What the heck are you doing, and where in the freak are you going", I yelled at him. I was about ready to put them all back in the van and go put them to sleep. "Be patient, it's not that hard". What the HELL was I saying to my wife? On the drive home, I was 156% more than ready to have my kids go to sleep. In my mind I was thingking, "forget about brushing teeth, before I kill one of them". As soon as we pulled into the drive way, I took a deep breath and gave my kids one more counsel. "Let's go inside, brush teeth, read a story, say prayers and go to bed. O.K.?" Right after I said that, I turned around only to see Girly raising her clanched fist up high and socking Vai on the chest. He screamed for about two seconds and returned the favor. She screamed, and returned it once more. Once again, I flipped and this is only my second hour with them. Needless to say, there was no brushing of teeth, or stories or prayers. If anyone needs to say a prayer, it is I.
I need to pray for forgiveness and for appreciation and sincere understanding of what my wife and millions of other women go through on a daily basis, with realtions to family life with children. I feel very bad because I only had them for two hours and I was ready to be a headliner in Law and Order. "Husband snaps and kills children" or something. But more importantly, I feel very humbled for not recognizing more the efforts of my wife with our kids. It is not an easy calling. I know that we men have to go and earn money for our families bread, but what is happening in the households everyday with the women and raising of children is more important than that money being earned. With this lesson tonight, I pray that I will be more appreciative of my wife and her dealings with my our kids on a daily basis and maybe even start using some of my lame advices on myself. "You're not being patient Tata. You're not trying hard enough".

I LOVE MY FAMILY

For this year I told myself that I was going to at least write one blog entry a month, so here goes one for January. I LOVE MY FAMILY. As my honey mentioned in her 08 recap, we had a pretty exciting year. We plan to have more excitment in 09. So far it has been a great year (knock on wood). But for me, the most exciting thing has been the fact that we are going to have another addition to our family come June. We do not know what we're having but I am silently praying for another girl. As always, my wife has been a trooper during this pregnancy. Everytime things get a little crazy, she reminds me that this is the last one :) It has been fun for us to look back to when we first discussed about having a family. We, or should I say "I" spoke about about having 6 kids and she said "no way". And rightfully so, since it's a tough calling. So I said, "well, since you have 6 in your family and I have 4, lets settle for 5". She said, "we'll see". Vai came and she said,"that's it. No more". I said, "I will respect that". But the experts never said that sometimes those thingy they supply us to control birth don't work all the time. As a result, Girly came along. We were happy and she for reals said, "I am done". I said, "Yes Dear". You know the oopsy stories we've all heard now and again? Yah, it happened to us and LG the Clownboy was the result. Now she was realy done. I was a happy camper cause I got my boys and a princess. But hey, as Vai would remind us a few times, "we need another girl to balance things out". So, there was a decision to be made. "Should we do it or should we not?" Well, here we are in 09 and my queen is beautiful as a red rose being pregnant with what I know for sure is going to be our last one. Whether it's going to be a boy or girl is to be determined come birth day, but we have a girls name already picked out and yes, it is another "L" name. I LOVE MY FAMILY, and especially my queen. She is a trooper and champion. I have received comments like "dude, you're crazy", or "what are doing to her", or "how can you guys do it". I don't let the comments bother me and especially try not to let it bother or hurt my queen. To me, it is such a great blessing to able to have a family. And to have a companion that is willing to take part in our family planning goals makes it even more special. I know that as the kids get older, we will not regret having 4 children. I have friends who have wished that they had more kids after their children started leaving home. THIS CRAZY THING CALLED LIFE has been such a blessing for me. Healthy children, food on the table, great country to be in with its freedoms, an awesome companion to share life with. It does not get any better than that. Life is good. I love it and most of all, I LOVE MY FAMILY.