We are now a Family of 6

As you can see our 2 new Family members are: Taimana & Tiana. They came to us 4 weeks early on May 27^th 2011.

Taimana was 1st out at 5 lbs 8 oz & Tiana was 7 lbs 1 oz.

Taimana is named after his 4^th Great Grandfather and it means Diamond in the Maori language. His middle name David we gave him in honor of his Grandfather who passed away last year, he was a great man and who we miss dearly.

Tiana’s name means princess in several languages (which we feel she is one) and we gave her middle name Jenice to her in honor of her 2 amazing Grandmothers Jenni & Vernice (We love them so much).

They were born at good weights and were healthy babies especially for twins. Taimana is older but Tiana is bigger. They are good babies, they eat well and sleep well and now they are 11 weeks old and smiling & cooing all the time. Taimana is starting to use his hands more and grab toys, while Tiana is not that interested in toys yet, but loves to smile and try to talk to you.

Tiana is still being tested for her hearing, so hopefully we will know soon if there are any hearing issues. We love them so much and it feels like they’ve been a part of our Family from the beginning.

Deion turns 4 in October, so he is our little man of the house. He is like a little sponge, just learning and soaking up everything. He absolutely loves his baby brother & sister; he wants to kiss them all the time. He is a good listener & a good helper for Momma. He loves to play with his older sister, but hates it when she teases him. Right now he is very into Thomas the Train. Everything is about Thomas or trains with Deion. We love our buddy Deion so much & and are so blessed to have him part of our Family.

Kaia is 5 ½ now going on 15. She is such a good example for her younger siblings. She shows Deion how to use his imagination & teaches him so much. They play well together (when they’re not on each other’s nerves) and she really watches out for him. She also is such a good help to Momma. Not only does she help by getting things for the babies, but she will feed one while Momma feeds the other. She loves her two new babies, and is so happy to have a sister. She’s a bright girl and loves to learn new things & do fun projects. Kaia starts Kindergarten this week & is so excited for it. We just can’t believe our 1^st baby is off to school. We love her so much and are so proud of her. We are also so blessed to have her in our lives.

Beelyn is back at work after like 4 months off. With the twins I was on bed rest for a couple months at the end andthen my time off for the babies. I still work for the Airlines so I get to work from home (which I love). I am so grateful for my Family. Because we have issues with fertility, I never imagined that one day I would have 4 beautiful children. The transition from 2 kids to 4 hasn’t been too bad. I think I’mdoing pretty well with taking care of everyone. I think it’s because of all the help and support from our extended Family & from Marvin that I am able to take care of the twins & the big kids & run the household & not loose my mind.. I am so grateful for the Grandma’s and all their help, there’s no way we could do this without them. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for Marvin and all he does for us.

Marvin is still working for Fidelity Investments. He goes to work all day then comes home to his second job. He is such a big help with the baby’s and entertaining Kaia & Deion. I think he’s done more housework this year than he has in his life. He still loves to play sports but still gets injured doing so, a splint just came off from dislocating his finger again. But he gets so excited this time of year because football season is starting and basketball is not too far behind, which means his fantasy sports. However I told him this year he can watch the games only if he also watches a baby too.

The Worst Week Ever, but also the Best

Ok, so it's been almost 5 months now so I guess it's time I get back to the blog. I haven't had the desire to, but I'll try. So I can honestly say that ... Friday the 5th of February 2010 was the worst day of my life..... I know I shouldn't, but I keep replaying that day, those first hours, that phone call from my sister, over and over again in my head. And when I do that, I feel everything all over again, not as bad but it still brings back all those feelings of that day.

I don't know, maybe if I get it all out then maybe I'll get more sleep. So here goes.
So it was around 8am when I got the call from my sister. My Mom woke up and found my Dad on the floor in front of the TV. When my sister called me, she had just finished CPR on him but he was gone. I called Marvin home from work because I couldn't do anything. But eventually we got to the Hospital and was given a priesthood blessing by my parents bishopric. Which totally helped me throughout the rest of the day.

Ok...so in the Maori Culture when someone dies, we believe their spirit stays close to the body for several days. So in New Zealand we have what's called a Tangi. It's when we bring our loved one home or to a Maere (big meeting house) and stay with them for 3 days.

So...My Dad is the only one that I know of to have a Tangi here in the US. So since he passed away on Friday, we had to wait till Monday to start his Tangi. It was so hard for us because they kept him over the weekend to find out what he died from. Which ended up to be complications with his heart from high blood pressure. It was a huge Shock. Anyway, we called a few people and the word spread fast. By the time we got home around lunchtime, we realized that we weren't the only ones hurting. Soooo many people loved him and were hurting along with us.

So Friday, Saturday and Sunday especially in the evenings were full of people bringing food and their love and support. Our Kapa Haka dance group 'Ko Ngati Hiona' were with us everyday. They helped us set up for the Tangi. See my Dad was basically the head of the New Zealand community here in Utah, and did soooo much for Hiona. So this left a huge whole in our group and they were so sad for loosing him in there lives. I am still blown away by how much they all did for us for that whole week.So Dad arrived Monday afternoon and the first Powhiti was performed to welcome him home. See the year before all this, my Dad remolded his garage into a big family room. Now we know it was meant to be for this purpose. We were able to fit around 150 people in there at a time. I felt bad that heaps of people couldn't fit in. But anyway that's when the Tangi began. Soon after that, Dad's Whanau (family) arrived from NZ. Sister's & spouses, cousins and several friends made it from NZ and Hawaii.
So Monday through Wednesday people stopped by and gave their respects and love to us and Dad. Each evening at 7pm was held a more formal meeting in there. So basically it was six days of Powhiti's & people sharing their stories and experiences about our Koro (that's what my kids call him) & beautiful music and food. It was amazing how many people loved him. Not only the big NZ community, but the Tongan's & the Samoan's came and gave their Koha (gifts) and showed their respect. But also the Native American's came and shared their beautiful music and spirit with us.

After people came in to see us then they were sent around to the backyard to the Whare Kai (food house). Since it was winter/spring temperatures there was a large tent with heaters and heaps of food. It was amazing. Hiona ran the whole week so smoothly. From the Powhiti's & songs they sang all day, to the food and cleaning. They would show up before dawn to get breakfast started and stay all day cooking way after dark. Seriously...words can NOT describe the gratitude I feel for them, for all they did...and still do.

The reason why it was also the best week , is because of all the spiritual experiences. I felt our Saviors love so much and have never been soo close to the spirit before.
My Dad was there with us along with other Ancestor's. I've always know the basics when it comes to Tangi's, I've been to a few in NZ. But it wasn't until I went through it myself that I realized why we send them off this way. It gave us time to say our 'good byes' or 'see ya later's. It gave us time to grieve and cry with each other. From all the story's, we got to remember and get to know other sides of my Dad. We cried and laughed, and I know He was there just loving the fact that so many people were gathered together. That is what he always did. He gathered the New Zealand community here in Utah , and helped out with other cultures.
He truly loved people.

It was so funny, because during that week we found out that alot of people here and in NZ and Auzzie thought that they were his Best Friend. That just shows that he treats his friends like they were the Best.

So anyway the 6 days at the house we got around 200-400 people a day. Then at the Funeral service on the 7th day there was around 1200 in attendance. My Dad made an impact on alot of people lives. He mainly did that thought friendship and service. In my talk, I wanted to ask everyone to raise their Hand if they received any kind of service from him. I knew I would see every hand go up, but I totally forgot to do it when I was up there. But if you want to listen to the Service, I set up a blog just for him. inmemoryofdave.blogspot.com
Good thing we know Families are Forever, and that we will see him again. I have so much more I need to get out, but I'll wait for another entry.

So You Think You Can Dance Party
2009


This was the second annual Party so far. Last year Marvin had just had knee surgery so this year we went to represent. Originally we were given 'The Russian Folk Dance' to do. But as you can guess, we were NOT to thrilled about that dance. We actually tried to put it together but were having no luck. Then I heard the couple who had HIP HOP couldn't dance. So we stepped in and put together this dance. It's not much but it got us 1st place from the judges.

A Princess Tea Party
For Kaia's 4th Birthday

The new Disney movie 'The Princess and the Frog' had just come out. So we took Kaia to see it. We like it. It was a cute movie, and we liked that she's the first black Disney Princess. Anyway for Kaia's party we did a Tea party and had her friends dress up in their favorite Princess dresses. Kaia was 'Princess Tiana' from the new movie.

The girls had a blast, decorating cookies, playing games, taking pictures and decorating their picture frames.

Then the next day on her actual birthday we partied with her Family

We had fun fun fun....I can't believe our Baby Girl is 4 years old.

Christmas 2009

AHHH..Christmastime. It's my favorite holiday and I love this time of year, BUT there is so much time, preparation and anticipation and we get all hyped up for that one day. Then it's over in a blink of an eye. So December sure is the most busiest month of the year. With ward parties, work parties, friend parties, school parties & FAMILY parties. I felt like I was baking goodies all month long.

This is the Oliphant Family Christmas Party

Our Nanny Wanny


We took our family party to Nanny's Nursing Home this year, it was a lot of fun.
It's a busy time. It seemed like I ran out of time in the month to get things done. Marvin will tell ya that I just put to much on my plate. One of my goals for next year is to SIMPLIFY.
Then there's the Christmas shopping. I think Christmas shopping is the reason I don't like to shop all year round.
BUT I tried to remember the REASON FOR THE SEASON. Tried to constantly talk to Kaia and Deion about the birth of Jesus Christ and it was because of that special day that we celebrate Christmas now.


This was Christmas eve..Kaia was so excited for Santa to come,
that she was worried he might mistake her for one of his Reindeer.



I was proud of myself for taking at least a few photo's Christmas morning.



They were excited to open presents. The first thing Kaia said was that Santa had come because the milk and cookies were gone.



This is the aftermath of Christmas morning.

The Moore Family Elves

Merry Christmas

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for. I personally am thankful for my Family. Not only am I blessed with an amazing husband and beautiful healthy kids, but my parents and grandparents. I'm thankful for my parents and all that they've taught me about my heritage and the gospel, that's made me who I am today. I'm thankful for my grandparents and the legacy they've made. It was them and my Dad who joined and brought the LDS church into our lives. With My Nan in a nursing home we brought the Thanksgiving meal to her this year being her fist year in there.

This is 4 generations.

Nas and his girlfriend Jen.

Kaia with her Auntie Melahn and
cousin Tyler.

Last by not least I'm thankful for this gospel and the knowledge that we have to be able to return to our Father in Heaven, and that our Familys can be together forever. I'm thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and his love and example and sacrafic he made for us. Also I'm thankful for Marvin and the amazing man he is. He's thoughtful, hard working, fun, spiritual, smart, and he made it possible to have the two most beautiful kids in the world...Sorry I got all mooshie on ya, but it's just a glimps of what I'm thankful for.