OUR LIFE 2010

catching up!! back to August of 2011

2012-01-29T18:46:00.000-08:00

Sammy 10 months

Samantha has been learning so much about life and her boundaries, its hard to remember exactly what she learned at 10 month.. I know I have it written down some where but for sake of getting this blog updated quickly I will just post a few pictures.

August

During August the Primary kids had the opportunity to attend the Newport temple. I was able to take Kira and Cole (Kira's cousin). At first they were hesitant but very much enjoyed it as soon as they got comfortable.

Audrey Harris and Kira coloring a temple picture.
My beautiful little princess.

Kira and her friends, Audrey, Brynnley and Faith
Kira touching the Newport Beach Temple
Cole Steinert and Kira listening to Bishop Gunner talk about the temple.

Samantha L Tupou is 1 years old

2011-10-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

Today is Samantha's birthday. I can't believe she is one years old. She is such a fun little girl. She just started waving, and started a signing a few words. Sammy loves to dance and listen to music.

Blogger app

2011-09-22T21:03:00.001-07:00

So I recently found out about the new blogger app. I'm very excited. It might be a lot easier to post now.

more beach

2011-08-23T16:41:00.001-07:00

This was the huge crowd that showed up just before we left! and this wasn't even half of them.. crazy huh?

Sammy's 5 O'Clock shadow!

We got hammered by a wave!

Beach day with Robert and Gina and Family

2011-08-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the 22nd of August, we joined Robert and Gina and their family at the Corona Del Mar beach. It was the perfect day for the beach.. It got a little windy but other than that it was great. The water was cold but I some how got in it...twice! I don’t remember the last time I got in the ocean. I was a little freaked out but it was fun. Kira swam in the ocean, and went out far with Sione. I did attempt to let Samantha touch the water but she started to freak out. Samantha did love the sand though. She ate a lot of sand and she was covered in it.

Sione made holes for Julianna and Kira to play in, and all the kids loved it. When we were about to leave about 10-12 bus loads of teenagers were dropped off at the beach.. not sure what they were there for but we were glad it was time for us to leave.. The beach got way too crowded.

After we went to the beach we headed over to Steve and Cyndie’s to have dinner.

Im able to float, thats cool! :)

Gina and I enjoying the water.

Julianna and Kira

Greg and Ruthie's going away party

2011-08-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

my Uncle Greg and Aunt Ruthie are moving to Texas so this past weekend we attended the going away party. We all BBQ’d and swam in the nice 80 degree water. It didn't feel that warm but I guess it was. It was great to see my cousins, especially Nicole and her little family. We will miss Greg and Ruthie and send our best wishes! Love you guys

Nicole and Kregg's boy Loggan

Nicole and Kregg's oldest boy Will
Kregg, Nicole and Shelba

Palm Desert July 28-31 2011

2011-08-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Every year Steve and Cyndie(my brother in law and sister) go to Palm Desert and every once in while they invite us to go and hang out for a day or two. We were fortunate to be able to make it out there this year and enjoy some good old sunshine.. It was hot but it has been hotter. We pretty much swam and played games the whole time we were there. The girls did really well. Kira was a rockstar swimmer and Sammy loved just floating around. Bryan and Heather were out there a few days, Kira had fun playing with Emmalee. A big thanks to Steve and Cyndie for the opportunity for a little vacation with my little family.

Pioneer Day Celebration July 23rd 2011

2011-08-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our stake celebrated Pioneer Day on the 23rd of July, with games, food and music. It was tons of fun. Sione’s family was in town for that weekend so they were able to come with us. The morning of the Pioneer day celebration the Stake also put on a 5k. Sione had to work that morning, so Im grateful that Lori was able to watch the girls for me while I ran. There were quite a few ladies from our ward that came out to run. I ran with Leah Harris.. We had both decided that Amy Jorgensen and Erin Allan ran at a faster pace than us so we decided to stick together.

I dont have any pictures of the race but here are a few of the Stake Celebration:

more catching up

2011-08-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Sammy started taking steps July 25th.. and now(august 23rd) she walks every where. She still crawls when she wants to go faster but loves to walk. On the 16th of July Sammy started to dance while music is being played. Just this last week Sammy got 2 more bottom teeth.. She waves bye and Hi but doesn't do it very often. and loves baby einstein movies. Kira is getting smarter and smarter every day. She is doing better with recognizing her numbers. She learned how to draw a happy face with a lot more detail than I thought she could do.. it was fun to see it. Kira loves to color and draw. She is a great big sister and a big help to mommy. Kira also had her first hair cutting incident.. not sure what day she did it but it was in the middle of August.. Cant believe it, but luckily it wasnt too bad.

Mason Bradley was born on August 13th. he was almost 10 pound baby. Jennet had a water birth in her own home.. pretty amazing.

Catching up again!

2011-08-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am always catching up on posts...

Sione had a birthday July 22nd.. Sione's family were here to enjoy his special day.. It was great to have all his brothers here and his parents.. Crowded but fun. Unfortunately Sione had to work on his birthday but we celebrated after work with cake, and family fun at the park.

Sione's family has been able to come and visit a few times because his dad works for Alaska Airlines and they fly for free. Its been great to see Kira and Sammy with their nana and papa and uncles.. Kira loves having a swimming buddies. Thats pretty much the only thing the boys want to do while they are down is swim, which is fine with me.

Lily Snow's blessing June 6th 2011

2011-07-13T13:20:00.001-07:00

On June 6th my brother blessed his first born daughter Lily in their ward. It's always fun to be with family.

The 4th of July

2011-07-12T12:27:00.001-07:00

We had a great 4th of July... Kira and I started out the day with swimming in our pool.. it was pretty warm by 9:30 that morning and the water was wonderful. After we swam for an hour or so, we went over to Karl and Stephanie's house. We had lunch and went to the Anaheim Hills parade and then came back to their house to swim and BBQ. Kira and Samantha loved swimming and loved being with their Aunt and Uncle and cousin Lily.

Uncle Karl and Samantha

Kira and Sammy laughing

Kira waving to the princess at the 4th of July parade in Anaheim Hills
Kira and Sammy again, smiling for their mom
Sammy trying to get me, she loves to attack the camera
Samantha wouldn't stay on the ledge, she wanted to be in the pool with her dad.

Kari's Birthday

2011-06-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday! Im the big 26.. Time sure does fly.. never thought it did until I had kids..
I had a great time celebrating. We went out to breakfast to Ruby's diner with my sister's family and then played for a few more hours at their house.. Sione had to work in the afternoon so After naps, Kira, Samantha and I went to the park and flew a kite.. Im glad I was able to spend my day with family and especially with my little girls.

Caspers wilderness Park June 3-4, 2011

2011-06-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Sione and I were able to go camping this weekend with some friends..It was our first time camping as a family, it was going great until it was time to sleep.. Kira had a hard time falling a sleep. She kept wanting to sleep on the opposite side of the tent, I was getting a little frustrated especially when she got up around 2 to let me know she wanted to move spots. Samantha did well, she slept till 4 am, and then stayed awake for a bit, happy though. Sione took her and they went and slept in the car. It was soo cold, we decided to just have blankets thinking it would be warm enough, but we were wrong. Next time, we will be bringing sleeping bags and mats or cots..

5 YEARS OF MARRIAGE

2011-06-04T21:48:00.001-07:00

Im excited to see what the next 5 years and eternity has in store for us!

Sione is such a great husband and is a great father to his little princess'

Ward Beach Party May 30th

2011-06-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Our ward does a beach party twice a year, one during memorial weekend and one during labor day weekend.

Sammy had tons of fun eating the sand and getting very dirty! Kira isn't a big fan of the water, yet! Sione took her in though!

Behind a few posts!!!

2011-06-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

I feel like its soo easy to blog but some how I end up getting behind quite frequently!!

SO as of late.... we had dinner at my moms house for Mothers Day.. Im so thankful for my mother and how incredibly awesome she is. Im also thankful for my mother in law, who raised such an amazing son.

Sammy turned 7 months: she has two bottom teeth, she is crawling and pretty much sleeps through the night! but wakes up early! She still loves to laugh. She likes to be held and to loves to have mine or sione's attention at all times. I think she is going through separation anxiety... oh no one of those children!! :)

On May 22nd 2011 Kira had her first primary talk! she was so excited.. She talked about The priesthood being restored! We walk into sharing time and she goes straight up to the front seats and sits until its her turn.. I go up there to help her.. She holds the picture of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery receiving the priesthood.. And then she repeats everything I said.. I was glad she didn't whisper the words because I was whispering. (we had a little chat about that) She did so great, Sione and I are so proud of her.

May 21st my mom's 20th grandchild was born..Lily Snow. She was 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 in. long.. Mommy and baby did great. They are one happy family!

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T15:24:00.001-07:00

My beautiful girls on Easter. It was kind of hard to get good pictures of the 2 girls together. My mom made these dresses so they could match.. Kira was excited to have the same dress as Samantha.

Samantha and Sione were quite comfy after Easter dinner

Kira coloring eggs with chalk

The cousins who were at Easter dinner

Benny's Baptism April 10, 2011

2011-04-27T15:16:00.001-07:00

Our friend Benny was baptized on April 10th. He is a great guy and we know that he will continue to be faithful and true to the Gospel.

Benny with Elder Nelson and Elder Free

Beach Day with Aunt Cyndie and Vaughn April 2011

2011-04-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Vaughn enjoying the sun

Samantha was happy to be out of the car seat!

Kira playing in the sand

Getting ready to go to the BEACH!

Samantha and Kira March and April 2011

2011-04-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

This turned out to be a cute picture.. love the smiles

Kira being a cute photographer

Samantha's first time in a swing, she loved it

Samantha sitting up all by herself.

Im really disappointed that videos take forever to upload, I gave up.. I have a cute video of Samantha scooting backwards and one of Kira riding her big girl bike for the 1st time. Sione fixed the training wheels so now she feels more comfortable on the bike.

I guess Ill put them on facebook.

Samantha Rocking and Scooting backwards

Another one sitting up

Samantha 5 months

2011-04-06T15:31:00.001-07:00

Wow how the time has flown, I can't believe Samantha is 5 months already.. She is a real character. She loves to blow raspberries and she loves when her daddy comes home.. She is truly a daddy's girl. Sammy is starting to learn how to jump in her saucer and is working on rolling over. She really only likes to do it in her crib. Just recently she started to sleep consistently 7-9 hours at night.. its been heaven.. I hope I didn't just jinx it. Samantha had her first ear infections, yep thats plural, she had one in each ear. They weren't bad ones yet, luckily we caught it in time. She has been much happier since she's had antibiotics. We love her to pieces..She is such a happy child. OH and at her doctors appt. she weight 17.5 lbs.. she is our little chunk.

The Great Orange Balloon Park in Irvine March 31st 2011

2011-04-06T14:58:00.002-07:00

Kira, Samantha, Vaughn and I met up with Bryan, Heather and the kids, and my mom, Tara and Shelly during their spring break. We finally were able to go see The Giant Orange Balloon in Irvine. Im not going to lie I was a little nervous going up in the air, but its not too bad. Kira got scared at first but she was fine once we were up in the air and not moving. Kira preferred going on the carousel, I had to convince her to go do something else and that we will come back with Daddy so she can go on the carousel again. She thought that was a great idea.

On the carousel, Kira loved this thing!

Bryan and Heather and Tara high in the air on the orange balloon

The kids and Bryan were hot and tired, looks comfy huh?

The bunch in front of the orange balloon.

The Girls March 2011

2011-04-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my girls in the last month or so... They are getting so big.. I cant believe it. Kira is such a good big sister and Samantha adores her, if Sammy could she would just watch her and talk and laugh at Kira all day long..I hope Samantha will always have the same interest in Kira as she does now, visa versa!
Kira is for sure one of a kind.. she has attitude but is sweet. I am very scared for the teenage years. lol!

Karl's police graduation Feb. 8,2011

2011-03-13T10:01:00.001-07:00

For some reason when I upload pictures they show up as the coding of the picture and not the actual picture. This is annoying becauseI don't know where to comment if I want to comment after the picture.. This is why a lot of my post are a bunch of pictures and an explanation at the beginning of the blog.
So these pictures are from Karl's Police academy graduation.. He worked really hard and we are so proud of him.

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Valentines 2011

2011-03-03T15:39:00.001-08:00

Here are some Valentines pictures of my girls!

The girls December 2010 and January 2011

2011-01-28T11:51:00.001-08:00

The story about this first picture is, Kira got chap-stick from Santa and she had it in the car on the way over to Steve and Cyndie's house. I go to get her out of the car and there is chap-stick all over her face. I wasn't the happiest camper and that is why she has this look on her face, she had just got in trouble.. But I couldn't help but take a picture..
The rest of the pictures are of the girls. we occasionally do little photo shoots..I love my girls!

Kira's 3rd Birthday

2011-01-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

Kira had a great birthday! That morning Sione had to work but I let Kira open one present, I knew it was clothes, and I wanted her to wear them that day. :) Then later my parents, grandma and Shelly and Tara came out for the day to visit..When Sione got home from work Kira opened the presents from us. Later that evening Steve and Cyndie had a New Years eve party for the family so I bought a cake and we celebrated once more. It was a great day and Kira felt very loved! Thanks everyone for helping her celebrate!

Robert and Gina's sealing December 2010

2011-01-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

This was such a wonderful day!! It was extra awesome because it was the first time Sione and I have been back to the Redlands temple since we were married 4 1/2 years ago. It was so cute to see Julianna in her white dress. she knew that something special was happening and was a very happy girl.. Jaxon was so handsome in his white outfit.. What a wonderful family.. Love you guys so much.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

I dont know what happened but we didn't get a picture of Samantha and Kira together in front of the tree and we didn't get a family picture taken on Christmas.. what happened? Here are some pictures of christmas..

All my siblings were there for Christmas! we had so much fun. Kira had so much fun opening presents and playing with her cousins

Samantha's Baby Blessing

2010-12-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

We blessed Samantha on Sunday the 5th of December. We had a great day hanging out with family. (Bryan was there but he was taking the pictures, thanks Bryan) We were sad Sione's parents weren't there but we know they were there in heart. Thanks to those that were there to support us. My mom made the beautiful blessing dress and a matching purple one for Kira.

Ward Christmas party

2010-12-04T14:49:00.001-08:00

Kira wasn't sure about Santa but she got on his lap after I he was holding Samantha. She was way excited about the candy cane. She is a candy freak like her mom.

Disneyland November 2010

2010-12-04T14:34:00.001-08:00

Our passes were ending on the 2nd of December so we decided to make one last trip before they expired. Sione even said he would go with us. A friend of ours watched Samantha and we took their 2 1/2 year old, Cheyenne. They loved the princess'. Cinderella was great at making the girls feel special.

Samantha's newborn pics

2010-11-29T16:52:00.001-08:00

These were done by Melissa Brown.. brownie photography

My loves!

2010-11-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

Halloween and Pumpkin patch 2010

2010-11-29T15:36:00.001-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma

2010-11-29T15:17:00.001-08:00

Samantha L Tupou Born October 24, 2010

2010-11-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Utah Trip August 2010

2010-11-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

We had a great time visiting friends and family while we were in Utah.

Brenna and Xander were baptized

2010-11-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

Kira was very excited to have witnessed both baptisms.. We took a trip to Northern California to watch Brenna be baptized and one to Utah to watch Xander be baptized. Whenever Kira hears anything that has to do with Baptism she tells me, "my daddy is going to baptize me when I'm older."

BEACH DAYS

2010-11-29T13:58:00.001-08:00

POOL FUN!

2010-11-29T13:33:00.001-08:00

More Cousins and Family

2010-11-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

COUSINS-FAMILY

2010-11-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

here are a few more pregnancy pictures

2010-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Sione's dad came to visit

2010-11-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

Recent

2010-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Im not going to go back to far just wanted to put a few pictures up to show how big I am with Samantha and a few pics of Kira. I know I am way behind in blogging but I haven't been feeling up to doing it lately... Its probably because I am so far behind its hard to catch up. sorry for the blurry picture of Kira. Kira is very excited to be a big sister, it seems she has been acting out a bit as of late, hopefully that doesn't last too long.

Snow Family Reunion 2010

2010-07-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

On June 24th late in the evening we took off, packed into a 4runner with Stephanie and Karl, to our Snow family reunion in Toquerville, Utah. It took us almost 7 hours after having to stop a few times for potty breaks and to fill up gas in the car. We arrived around 2:30 in the morning. Most everyone slept in tents or tent trailers outside but me being pregnant, Sione, Kira and I had a room inside the nice cool house. When we first got there Kira was asleep and we put her down on the floor where I figured she would sleep the whole week.. That didn't happen, I guess when I left her there all by herself the cat or something came down to greet her and she freaked out. So that night till Sunday night she slept in the bed with me while Sione had to sleep on the floor. Poor guy! Lets just say he was happy to be back in his own bed Monday night. Kira was a great girl the whole Reunion, she might of had 2 fits and 1 time out.. I was very proud of her. She had a hard time wanting to go asleep, I think she was still scared of that animal. 2 of the nights she was up past midnight. Most people stayed up well into the night playing games and having a great time. There were games being played constantly all day long throughout the week. I cant remember if it was Friday or Saturday that we all went to Quail Lake and then Saturday night we had a nice mexican meal catered. The Lake was great, besides all the huge rocks every where. Kira loved the boat, she had a hard time with the wind when we were going really fast but other than that she had a great time. It was so fun to see a lot of cousins and spend time with family. A special thanks to the Hendricksons who sacrificed their house and yard for all of us to come together as a family. ( my pictures are downloading weird and I can't post under them, so sorry for no explanation)

Quarter of a Century Old and Fathers Day

2010-06-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

On June 18th I turned 25. I had a great birthday, the celebration lasted a few days actually. Thursday evening my sister and her sister in law made dinner for me and Kira and their kids.. Had great brownies, I love brownies, and watched the Lakers game. Friday morning, my wonderful husband came over to my sisters and watched the kids for me while I was treated to a wonderful breakfast at Cinnamon Productions by some ladies in my ward. After day care I visited with Sione on his lunch break and then headed to the Irvine Spectrum and my sister in law Stephanie took me out to dinner. Wow what a day.. Saturday I spent the day with Sione and enjoyed his company before he went to work then I went to work organizing the closet in our room. Sunday after church we went out to my parents for Fathers Day. Its always fun to get together with most of the family.

Potty Training

2010-06-23T19:48:00.001-07:00

I think we might be taking a break from potty training. We started spring break, April, and its almost july, and she still doesnt know when to go before she goes in her undies. She'll run to the potty as she is going. NOT FUN! some days she is so great, nap and bedtime she is always dry. We'll try again after the reunion or maybe after the N. California trip. Day care is pretty much over now so I'll be able to concentrate more on it that might help, and Sione will be able to help. Ive already taken away movies if she does #1 or #2 in her underwear but that isn't working. She might ask for a movie but she wont complain too long. Its kind of nice not to have a movie on every evening. I just need her potty trained before Baby Samantha comes in November.

Marriage, the thing that brings us together today

2010-06-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

On June 2nd Sione and I had our anniversary, 4 years of marriage. Its been a great 4 years and we have learned a lot from each other and still learning every day! We went out to my parents on Sunday for my nephew's, Caleb, blessing, it was great to spend time with family, I love being so close. Kira and I spent the night and Sione came back after work on Monday to come get us.. Before we left though, we went and celebrated our anniversary. We went out to dinner and after we ate we saw Prince of Persia, which I thought was a great show. Then we went home.

Im so thankful for Sione and the wonderful man he is. Im thankful for his dedication to the gospel and what he does for his family. I love you always and forever!

GIRLS just want to have fun

2010-05-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

So I was just reminded that I need to let everyone know on our blog that we are having another girl...I will post a ultrasound picture in June when we get a better picture. We are excited and can't wait to meet her. Kira gets excited when we talk about her but still not quite sure. I keep asking her what she wants to name her and she either says Ashley , Abby or I dont know. She has a book that we read and those are the names of the two girls. So we'll see what we name her, we are leaning towards Samantha.

Highland Country Fair

2010-05-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Kira and I went to the Highland Country Fair at Tara's elementary school with some of the family. Kira was able to go on the big blow up slide with Tara, she was kind of nervous at first but had tons of fun. Kira loves spending time with her family.

Show'in some love!
I love her smile
Grandpa and Kira
Grandma and Grandpa with Kira

Mothers day

2010-05-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had a great mothers day. I was able to sleep in, Sione made lunch for me, Kira made me a flower and we spent dinner with my mom, dad and some of the gang. I am so thankful to be a mother especially to my little princess. I cherish the good moments and learn from the bad. I love getting those unexpected I love you's and sweet kisses.

Norco Horse Parade 2010

2010-04-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the 17th we went to the Norco Horse Parade with Heather and Bryan's family, Cyndie and the boys and my mom came. Kira had fun watching the horses and all the different kinds of floats.. She was scared to run out and get the candy, she thought the horses would get her but there was a fair share of candy that came her way. She saw Miss Norco and all of the royalty and she loved that because she loves princess' she got really excited about it.

Afterwards we went to the park to tire them out some more and then they took naps, what a great Saturday.

Easter 2010

2010-04-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

Easter was fun, we went out to my parents house and had an easter egg hunt and some great home cooking.

The morning of Easter Kira was up before Sione and I, she found her easter basket and starting eating all the jelly bellys. We didn't catch her on camera but she let us know what she was doing by waking us up, telling us the bunny came and showed us the candy.

BIG NEWS

2010-04-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sione and I are expecting our 2nd child on November 2nd. We are very excited and curious to know what the gender will be. I am 11 weeks along and we'll be able to find out the sex in May. The 1st trimester is almost over luckily, its been pretty tough. I mainly feel nauseous all the time, all day long. So the good thing is I havnt gained too much weight yet. Im sure that will change as I move into the 2nd trimester and I can eat a little easier. I've already had 2 ultrasounds and its amazing how much the little person has grown. With Kira we didn't have an ultrasound till I was pretty far a long so I didn't get to witness the tiny peanut grow into a grapefruit and then a basketball. Im extremely exhausted all the time which I hate because I have no desire to clean, play or go exercise. I cant run because it makes me feel sick so I'm stuck on the bike and I feel like it doesn't do anything. Maybe I should be riding a real bike. Other than that things are great. Kira is excited to be a big sister and is constantly talking about the new baby. She'll lift my shirt up and kiss my belly and then say oh no the baby is cold, so she puts my shirt back down. Its pretty darn cute.

things

2010-03-21T17:27:00.001-07:00

So we are doing great right now. Kira is increasing her vocabulary every day and its amazing how much she actually picks up from us and others. Kira is still having issues with biting, so I guess we still have to keep a close eye out while she is playing. She didn't bite for 2 weeks and I thought she was done but I guess not. Kira loves to jump right now and to follow me around every where asking me what Im doing! Kira says why mommy, what mommy and wake up mommy! She still loves dinos and playing. She's great at pretending and being a little mommy to her baby dolls.

We are hoping to teach her to swim or at least be more comfortable in the water this summer.

Sione is still working at the hospital as a security officer, but he is trying to find a new job that will give us a little more security. So hopefully his job will change soon, for the better. Im still watching the kids every day and have 3 months left. Kira loves being with other kids and its a wake up call again to how much she catches and absorbs.

We are loving the nice warm weather right now.

Thats about it for us. OUr pictures are still not up loading so sorry about the picture-less post. Hopefully we can get that working.

Problems

2010-02-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

So we are having problems with posting pictures to the blog for some reason. So thats why I haven't followed up with my last post! Sorry! Hopefully we can figure out the reasoning. For now, Everthing is great.

Holiday and Kira's birthday

2010-01-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

So the only time in the beginning of the week to post pictures and update is during nap time at day care, but I dont have my pictures at Cyndie's house so I have to wait till wednesday or later in the week to do it when Sione goes back to work. So pictures will be coming probably Wednesday but maybe not till Friday, Im going to disneyland Thursday.

Other pics

2009-11-28T17:14:00.001-08:00

This is Kira's big bruise she got on her head from falling off the little tykes car onto cement.
Pretending to sleep, with a smile on her face.
Kira putting on my basketball shorts.

Kira with my medal from the Norco 5k

Pretend City

2009-11-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Kira and I went to Pretend City in Irvine. Its a warehouse that has been transformed into a little city where the kids can pretend to be librarians or shoppers, a police man, Farmer etc. Its lots of fun. Kira enjoyed the grocery store and picking the apples from the tree.

25th November 2009

Today the 28th, Sione, Kira and I went to the Gun Show in Costa Mesa. It was cool to see the big tanks but I don't think I will be going next time. The good thing is the OC swap meet is right next door so I could just go in there while Sione was at the Gun Show. It was really hard to maneuver the stroller in the crowds. We should of took the umbrella stroller instead of the bigger stroller. Oh well lesson learned. It was fun to spend the day together.

Norco 5K

2009-11-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday the 14th I ran a 5k with my mom and my sister in law Stephanie. The turn out was great. I got 1st in my age group at a time of 26 min and some odd seconds. I thought I was doing worse than that but turned out I did ok. I wanted to get better than 30 minutes and I did. I think I might limit myself to just 5ks but I might do a 10k in the future. It was definitely tiring but It was good to be able to experience it. I really like sprinting and hurdling over distance.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T07:21:00.001-08:00

A couple of days before Halloween we let Kira decorate her pumpkin with markers. Next year we will actually make a Jack 0 Lantern. Friday the 30th we went to the trunk or treat at our church building. Kira got so much candy and she wanted to eat all of it right then and there. I forgot my camera that night so my friend Jessica took some pictures of Kira for me.

On actual Halloween we went trick or treating with Cyndie and Steve and their kids. Kira had a great time playing with her cousins. Before we went trick or treating we went to a neighborhood party up the street from Cyndie's house. Kira had a rough night walking the sidewalks from house to house so eventually I ended up holding her. She kept tripping and stepping in holes luckily I had her wear her old tights. Sione couldn't come with us either night because of work but we went and visited him friday night and showed him Kira's costume. She always loves going to see daddy!

Bath time mohawk

2009-10-15T00:01:00.001-07:00

Daddy made a mohawk and then gave Kira a mirror to see for herself.

Kira and her new pig slippers

Kira and the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-14T22:41:00.001-07:00

Riding the tractor

Conductor on the train
The bumpy boat ride, Kira held on tight!
"2nd" pony ride, 1st real pony ride
The swings was her favorite. she was laughing and loving it!

Kira chose a nice little pumpkin, she loves it.

First horse ride
Boo...

Gina's Baptism

2009-10-14T22:31:00.001-07:00

Gina Snow was baptized into the LDS church on October 10th, 2009. We love you so much.

Having fun with Kira

2009-10-14T21:59:00.001-07:00

Wonder if she will be good at basketball?

Look how long my tongue is
This is Kira wearing protective goggles from Cole's tool kit.
working on the farm
Ready for church
Kira loves to eat graham crackers and milk with her daddy!
Love the concentration on their faces
Had to throw in some naked pics, her smile was just so cute!

Park Fun

2009-10-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Day Care Fun

2009-10-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

I love the last picture! Kira and Vaughn look so cute.

Cole having birthday cupcakes, everyone helped make them!

Cole's Birthday Party October 3rd

2009-10-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

The first two pictures are of Kira before the party! Sione was on his way to work, so that's why he's in his uniform.

Church callings

2009-09-26T22:13:00.001-07:00

Sione and I just received church callings in our new ward. Sione is the Valiant 11 Boys class team teaching with Brother Allen and I am Valiant 12 combo class. These kids are all a handful. I have only taught one week so far. All my kids are already in Deacons or Beehives so I get to attend Relief Society third hour. But once January hits I will get a new group and will have to go to sharing time. I will be getting the boys that Sione has right now. We taught primary in our last ward and really enjoyed it. Its amazing to see how much these kids really know, if you can get them to settled down and concentrate.

Im grateful for the chance I have to learn from these great kids.

The Weekends

2009-09-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Now that I have been watching my nephews for almost 3 weeks, I definently look forward to the weekends. When I was just a stay at home mom every day was a weekend. I was able to do whatever I wanted. Now that I cant do or go any where when I want to, the weekends have a whole new meaning.
The hard part is when Sione has the night off or the day off I want to go go go, but he just wants to rest and stay home because he gets limited amount of rest. I want to go hiking, the beach, museums and do fun things as a family. Kira and I are stuck in a house all day, I want to get out and enjoy nature and life before the weather gets bad and before she is all grown up.

Working

2009-09-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I started watching my nephews and two other boys for the school year. So blogging will be few and far between. :)

Sione is working for Pet Butler and then starting this week he will be working at the hospital for Security. We have become really busy as of late.

Kira is doing great and loving all of her cousins. She loves to be with other kids during the day. Its been great for her. Kira and I do miss park day and the day activities with the other moms. Weekends have a whole new meaning now.

Our little swimsuit model

2009-08-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

Sione took this picture so he could compare sizes between Kira and our T.V., she loved it!

Kira's First Ponytail

2009-08-19T15:29:00.001-07:00

July at Robert and Gina's House

2009-08-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

The family and I went up to Robert and Gina's house in July for a few days.

We had lots of fun. We even got Robert to go swimming with the girls.

Orange County Zoo

2009-08-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday the 15th Sione, Kira and I along with a bunch of other snow siblings went to the Orange County Zoo that is located in Irvine Park..

It was fun to spend time with family and to relax. The zoo is small so it was great for the little kids. Kira was able to pet some goats and brush them. She saw a black bear, birds, coyote's, an Ocelot which is a really cool looking "big cat". its not too big but neat looking. I love the different types of wild cats. Especially the white tiger. After we went in the zoo we had lunch under the beautiful trees. We fed the ducks, climbed trees and went to the nature center.

Sione 26 years

2009-07-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to Sione.. He turned 26 on the 22nd of July.

We spent the day on the beach together as a family to celebrate.

Karl and Stephanie wedding

2009-07-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Karl and Stephanie! They got married on the 16th of July in the San Diego Temple. It was a wonderful ceremony. I haven't been in the San Diego Temple since the open house.

Welcome my new sister in law to the family, Stephanie.

WOW

2009-06-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

WOW!! that post was way to long. sorry I got carried away, Pics coming soon!

Tupou Reunion!

2009-06-22T16:11:00.001-07:00

We had a blast at Sione's family reunion up in San Francisco. Sione's sisters and their husbands drove down from Oakland to Orange County Tuesday night then, we drove up wednesday. We stopped at the LA swap meet before heading up North. Its insane out there, a little scary. There was like two blocks of fabric and so many clothing stores. Kira rode up in her aunts and uncles car while Sione and I followed in our car. Kira did really well. We finally arrived up in San Fran and went straight to Sione's parents hotel room so they can see Kira. The last time his family saw Kira was in October. She was shy at first but by the end of the reunion she was pretty cordial with everyone. She especially loved her Aunt Vione and Uncle Vaki, she was in the car quite a bit with those two. We really need to get some pictures of Sione's family up so she can see those every day a long with cousin pictures. The reunion was great. There were so many things planned. Kira did really well for the not so much sleep she was able to get during the week. 2 out of the 4 nights she didn't get to bed till after midnight.. and naps were scarce and not very long. She is a trooper. There were activities planned everyday all day, things weren't necessarily on schedule all the time but it was fun. We had dances every night, two of the nights were themed dances, it was fun to dress up. Me and a few of the sister-in-laws for sione's uncles did a Hawaiian dance in front of everyone, Lori and I thought we knew it and once we got in front of everyone we were nervous and forgot, typical.

The day the reunion started was my birthday. I had birthday breakfast, no cake but everyone at the reunion sang to me and Masi, we share a birthday. Masi is Loreen's husband, and Loreen is Sione's sister.

We left Sunday morning and only stopped once to get gas and that is it. Kira was a great traveler. Fathers day was wonderful. We stopped by my parents house for dinner before heading home and getting some nice sleep on our soft not springy bed. The hotel beds were horrible. Also the first night we slept downtown, it was scary. After that we were able to find a room at the same hotel as the whole family.

Anyways.. Long story short. We had a great week, and great break! Im glad we went. I guess the plan is to go to Tonga with all his family, next year! wish us luck!

New apartment

2009-06-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

On the 6th of June Sione, Kira and I moved into our new apartment. With the help of family we were able to do it pretty much in one trip.

It's been nice so far to have our own place. Kira sleeps till at least 7 every morning now. I can usually sleep longer than that and she doesn't whine and complain about it like she used to. That is very nice. We are getting our couches this week, actually tomorrow, so when we have the place set up a little bit more I will post some pictures!

The apartment is a one bedroom plus a den, so Kira sleeps there. The den doesn't have a door so we pretty much retreat to our bedroom around 7 or lately 8pm, after she goes to bed. We are working on a way to put some kind of sound barrier in the hole so we can be in the kitchen after and be able to hang out in the family room. We are thinking accordion doors or bi fold doors, we'll see what we can do. The accordion doors will have to be specially made because the dimensions are odd so that can be pricey, any suggestions?

3rd Year Anniversary

2009-06-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sione and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary yesterday on June 2.

We were able to go out and get some ice cream and just enjoy each others company.

Sione is the best husband in the world. He is the patient one and I'm grateful for that. It has been a crazy 3 years and we are still trying to figure out life but we love being with each other and experiencing everything together. and being parents to the most beautiful little girl in the world.

We are going to be moving into our apartment in Mission Viejo on Saturday. Sione is in the hiring process for CHP, and we are in the process of deciding on Sione joining the military reserve. I don't necessarily like that idea but, there are a lot of pluses about it.

I am grateful for Sione and the wonderful man that he is and all he does for our family.

Kira and the Sun Dress

2009-05-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

Kira actually smiling for pictures.

Water Fun @ Irvine Spectrum

2009-05-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

Moving June 6th

2009-05-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

Well we finally got an apartment here in Mission Viejo.. We cant wait. we move in on June 6th. It's not exactly a two bedroom but it has a den so that will be Kira's room. I'm sure she will like her own space just as much as Sione and I will like ours.

Dress up and photoshoot

2009-05-01T11:26:00.001-07:00

PARK FUN WITH THE SMOLINSKIS AND STEINERTS

2009-05-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Kira loves playing with Bailey
Going to tackle the big kid playset.
There was this really neat Teeter Toter.

Easter 2009

2009-05-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is a little late but I forgot I had some of these pictures...

Kira found her easter basket!
Am I really allowed to touch this stuff?
Kira in her easter dress that grandma made, and her Easter hat that Kira didn't want to keep on very long.

2009-04-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know of anybody out in Riverside county or San Bernardino county that has a back house or someone needing to rent a house out?

Also Sione is trying to find a security guard job out in the same area while we wait to hear from CHP, so if anyone knows of a place let us know that would be great!

Sione and CHP

2009-04-22T22:10:00.001-07:00

Sione passed the Physical Agility Test (PAT) and had the Panel Interview on Tuesday, so we will wait to see what the results are.. They said we should know in 10 to 15 days.

I hope he passes that means its one step closer to getting into the academy. Sione is hoping to be in the August academy, but we will see how fast they can get him through the process. If not August, there is another academy in December.

Snuggling with Daddy

2009-04-05T09:28:00.001-07:00

Dana Point Harbor March 2009

2009-04-05T09:17:00.001-07:00

Park Fun

2009-04-05T09:05:00.001-07:00

Having Fun with Cousins

2009-04-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

Kira's first Swim

2009-04-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

I dont remember exactly when we went swimming, but it was either in February or March. We had the big heat wave. We still had to heat the pool a bit, it felt pretty good.

Disneyland Feb. 2009

2009-04-05T08:17:00.001-07:00

I failed to mention that Kira and I went to Disneyland with my mom, Shelly and Tara. Kira really enjoyed it. We got her a huge Minnie balloon that was more annoying than I thought it would be. It actually blew away and we got a voucher for a new one, we got a new balloon right away, that was a mistake.

SUNDAY NAP

2009-04-05T08:11:00.001-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago we found Kira sleeping like this:

Kira lifted up the mat on the bottom of the pack and play and fell asleep pretty much underneath the mat. It was pretty cute!

February-March 2009

2009-03-05T12:29:00.001-08:00

I cant believe I haven't written on the blog for this long. I apologize!

Life with the Tupou's is going. Sione is working on getting in to CHP and in the meantime working on getting into a different job more inland.

Kira is growing like a weed. She says Hi now, its cute because she emphasizes the H sound. She is getting teeth again so the last few days have been tough.

One of her favorite things to do is dance, she will twirl in circles and twist. And lately she will shake her shoulders with the music. Its the best. Kira loves to play outside, any chance she gets she will be outside. I usually take Kira to the park every day, Sione comes when he isn't working, its fun, she loves going up and down the stairs. The slides still scare her a bit.

Every morning when she wakes up at 6 am, we turn on the light and read books in bed. She loves to read her baby and her kitty and doggy book!

This last weekend we were able to go to Vaughn's birthday party, he just turned 1 years old. Its crazy how they grow. My sister in law Jennet was able to come down with her sister and she came to the party, It was fun to have the cousins all together again. Jacob turns one this week. The weekend before that we went to the beach with some of my siblings and their kids. It wasnt the warmest day but no one was ont he beach and the sunset was gorgeous. Kira loved playing in the sand. Kira kept trying to climb up the slides and she was successful on one of them, it was pretty cool! Its interesting how much kids just want to copy all the other kids. They just want to be big so fast!

We are excited to be going to Tylers party this weekend. Sione, Kira and I will be spending the night at my parents Saturday and go to the Redlands temple with them that night. Sione and I havent been back to the Redlands temple since we have been married.