Twenty-Five

As I was getting out of bed this morning I saw something different on top of the entertainment center. I got up to get a closer look and noticed a card with my name on it next to a beautiful sign.

The words in the card were beautiful. If card picking were a talent, then Ti would be one gifted husband ;) It's weird cause everytime there's a birthday to go to he HATES pulling over to a store so that I can pick out a card. Yet on every special occasion of ours I can be sure to expect a heartfelt card signed by a Mr. Tevita Tonga. I've pictured sometimes what it must look like- a big, bald, dark skinned guy wearing basketball shorts and a white tee, going through each floral printed card until he finds the perfect one lol. I'll have to catch him in the act one of these days :D
I was really impressed with the gift he got me this time. It wasn't the most expensive present, but it was something that he had to have been paying attention to in order to know that I would love it. I really think this is one of the best gifts that I have ever received. We went out and ate at the other usual spot tonight- Olive Garden. Aah, Life is grand. Especially when you have a wonderful husband and kids to share it with. Are birthdays still supposed to be this sweet? I guess being a quarter of a century old isn't that bad after all =)

First Day of School

Wow, I have a lot to catch up on! Today was Mote's first day of Kindergarten- finally! I don't think I've ever seen this kid more excited. When we got to the school I asked him if he wanted to go play on the playground... "No, I just need to go to my classroom." So we waited until the whistle was blown and off he went to stand in line with his other classmates.

The parents were allowed to follow into the classroom and observe for a little bit. So I watched Mote find a desk and was grateful that he showed no signs of anxiety.

We listened as his teacher read a story all bout the first day of school, then we received goodbye waves from the kids cuing us to head on out.

Some kids cried when their parents were leaving. Thank goodness that wasn't the case with Mote- he was waving his little heart out.
"Goodbye Mom! See ya!"

A successful first day of school. Hallelujah.

Happy Birthday Siope!

Siope turned 3 on Saturday. We didn't have anything special planned for him because Ti Tonga is still convinced that we will be heading up to Salt Lake this weekend where we can celebrate with family. So we went out and ate at the usual spot- Chili's. When we got home I made Siope a cake and right before I lit the candles he asked,

"Mom is that an Elmo cake?!"
"Uhhhh... yeah it's an Elmo cake."
"OH WOW! I GOT AN ELMO CAKE!"

Thank goodness the kids are still young enough not to notice when Mommy falls short. He was more than happy to have us sing Happy Birthday to him. We absolutely love you Siope!

Siope and his "Elmo" cake

Make a wish!

Good Read

Okay so who hasn't already read Twilight right? Last week at our Dessert of the Month activity I was discussing the books with a friend from my ward and she asked me if I had ever read any books by Anita Stansfield. Nope. Never heard of her.
She's an LDS author who writes romance novels... sounds kinda familiar... do these novels by chance include vampires? lol On our drive home Katie convinces me to give the books a try, offering to loan me her copies she has. Sure. why not?
So she brings 3 books to church and I put them away in my bag not taking another glance at them until later that evening. After actually looking at the cover I thought, wow BO_RING! lol and I put them on top of the fridge... not knowing when I would actually feel motivated to start reading them.
This morning I woke up when Ti was getting ready for work- 3am UGH! I tried so hard to go back to sleep but couldn't. I picked up the remote ready to turn on the T.V. when all of the sudden I remembered the books downstairs. I guess one chapter wouldn't hurt. I'd probably be bored enough to fall asleep after a couple paragraphs. As I opened the book I read the first two words that described the setting- "Orem, UT"... omg this seriously is going to be so lame!
I started to read and didn't look up from the pages until I noticed that my room was getting brighter. The sun was coming up. I couldn't believe it- but quickly got back to my story. I ended up finishing the book in one sitting... LOVED IT! It was my first LDS novel, and what I thought would be dull and corny actually turned out to be exciting and refreshing. Besides the amazing love story there were also uplifting LDS morals throughout. There are a total of 3 books in this particular series and I am on the 2nd. I would recommend this book to any daughter of God!

Kiki's book montage

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Open House

Mote: "Mom what did you say I was?"

Me: "A Wrangler."

Mote: "Oooooh, I'm a Wrangler!"...

"Mom, what's a Wrangler?"

Today me and Mote went to an open house at his new elementary. He starts school on Monday- I can't believe it! He'll be in the p.m. class with Ms. Ruthridge. We had the chance to meet with Mote's new teacher and to tour the classroom as well as the rest of the school. To my surprise Mote actually liked the classroom more than the playground. The elementary is fairly new, but after spending some time there and learning more about their education program, I'm extremely excited for Mote to attend Wright Elementary this school year. I'm a little nervous about the whole year round schedule, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

The newest Wrangler at Wright Elementary!Hey, I've read this book!

Part of the Kindergarten playground. Every
play area is shaded by huge canopies.

Dessert of the Month

Our Relief Society has decided to organize several workshops/groups in an effort to allow the women within our ward to become more familiar with each other. This month I decided to attend the "Dessert of the Month" group which was being hosted by Sarah Wixom. Call me biased, but I think I might be meeting with this group every month- they seem to know how to have a good time ;) Tonight we made homemade ice cream mmmmm! I think the closest thing to homemade ice cream that I've had are those Vanilla cones our parents would get us at Winder Dairy. I love you Winder Dairy, but oooooh your vanilla does not compare to Mrs. Wixom's servings! I am so glad I went. I was a little hesitant at first to get out of my shell, but I pushed myself and couldn't be happier with how the evening went. I carpooled with two other women in the ward, both of whom serve in the primary. The turnout was great- which was not a surprise being that Sarah was hosting. Everyone was super polite and wonderful company. It was a nice break to get out of the house- even if it was only for 2 hours. Next month they are planning on making homemade donuts and cider. Yum! Count me in!

Mataele Visit

Neo and her kids flew in to visit. Kauasi had to work so Princess came down with Neo to help with Mafileo and Ruby Mei. When Neo called to give me her flight details I knew something was up because she checked a bag (and we usually try to avoid checking luggage by all possible means!) So she arrived Monday night and in her checked piece of luggage was toys for each of my boys. I don't know why she still does this. I stopped buying gifts for our nieces and nephews as soon as I started popping out kids of my own! But Neo still manages to spoil the kids with whatever she and Kauasi have. Mote got a new pair of Nike sandals. Nici got super hero blocks (she must've heard about the kids fighting over Mote's legos). And Siope got a playdough set.
It was so good to see my niece and nephew. Mafileo is finally starting to get comfortable around us and Ruby Mei is growing like there's no tomorrow! She is so sweet. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins. Thank goodness for those flight benefits!