Saki is TWO!!!!, Christmas Parties, & Christmas

Saki's birthday was a success. I can't believe he is two. We were in Utah for the weekend because we had a Christmas party on my dad's side. It ended up being fun and we are glad we were able to go and see my Grandma Walters.

Grandma Walters, my Dad, Me, Saki and Kaveni. We could only take one picture before our camera's batteries died.

After the Christmas party we headed to Ife's sisters house. We celebrated Saki's birthday and he had so much fun. We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's and they loved it.

Saki loved his cake and kept sneaking tastes of the icing before we cut into it. It did have a car on it before he started eating it.

We were able to see Inoke and Amy too.

On Christmas Eve/Ife's birthday, we went to Idaho Falls and spent time with my family. I can't believe Ife is 30. Anyway, dinner was excellent. We had prime rib...thanks Patrick and Cindy. The kids also acted out the nativity. Saki was a shepherd and Kaveni was baby Jesus. Ife was....just having fun.

Everyone decorated gingerbread cookies to leave for Santa.Saki got a little exited and ate most of the cookies. By the time we got home we had only 1/2 of a cookie to leave out for Santa.We drove home that night before the snow storm hit. Christmas was a hit with Saki. He got some cars and a road mat to drive the cars on. He spent the entire day playing with them and his huge tonka truck. He is such a boy. Ife and I enjoyed watching him have so much fun.

Anyway, we had a great holiday and hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas as well.

HOLY CRAP

I was checking some blogs out and saw a few different people who had countdowns to Christmas. WHAT!...eight days until Christmas. That means 5 days until Saki's second birthday, 7 days until Ife's birthday and then Christmas... I couldn't sleep last night realizing that I haven't done one single bit of shopping...not for birthdays or Christmas. I've been so caught up in trying to be a mom to 2 adorable boys that I haven't realized Christmas is next week. Plus, I don't even know how to shop with two kids. Where do I put the groceries/presents when I already have a car seat and Saki in the cart? This is bad...very bad.

Coming Home

I was a little nervous to see how Saki would react once we actually brought Kaveni home. He did very well though. He is very "soft" and gentle most of the time and is always making sure Kaveni has his pacifier.

The only thing he doesn't like is when Kaveni starts to cry. He continues to say "Stop it". We've been working on saying something a little nicer like "it's okay". Anyway, Saki has done really well and been a very good boy. He makes sure he gets to sit in all of Kaveni's things even if he is too big.

Every once in a while Saki only wants me... and it is usually when I am feeding Kaveni. It has ended up being okay since our only reclining chair is broken which makes it big enough to fit all of us in it.

Can you say CURLY

After giving Kaveni his first bath at home, I noticed how curly his hair is. Saki's was like this too. When it is wet, it is so curly and if I put something in it, it will stay this way. Otherwise, it straightens out...which is cute too.

Kaveni Raseru Tabakece

Kaveni Raseru Tabakece

November 28, 2008

11:56 p.m.

7 lbs. 10 oz.

20 inches long

Kaveni decided he finally wanted to join our family and we are so excited to have him here. I guess I'll write the birthing story at another time, but right now we are adjusting to two kids who are both a ton of fun. Some people think Kaveni looks just like Saki did, and others think he looks like a little Native American boy. Either way, he definitely has a set of lungs...all the nurses said they have never heard such a loud cry. I absolutely love the tons of black hair and hope it stays. We will post more pictures and details later when either Ife or I feel more up to it.

What I Come Home To

Well, Ife has not had classes due to Thanksgiving Break. It has been even extra nice because he hasn't had to do his internship either. This week he was able to watch Saki and I picked up an extra day at work before the baby comes. Anyway, when I came home from work, this is what I found...

Ife was knocked out on our bed. (No picture...oops)

There was a 24 pack of crayons, all broken in half, across the floor. The sharp points or tips of the crayons were all bitten off and spit out everywhere. This wasn't the bad part. There were tons of markers with all their lids off. There was marker all over the sheets, carpet and wall. (Again, no picture...I know, I'm an idiot)

And then there was Saki, who must have finally fallen to sleep after a fun time doing his artwork...all over himself.

How can I be mad? At least they had fun together...or maybe Saki had fun alone while his dad was SLEEPING!

For You...Katie

I have had quite a few people ask me to post pictures of my belly. I hate doing this, but this is for you Katie. I love you too much to let you down. Anyway, this is me on Thanksgiving night...after all the eating...ha ha. Anyway, this is six days before I am due. I still feel like I am carrying really high still, but everything seems to be going well.

Blurry Halloween Pics

So Saki was supposed to be an old time sheriff with a leather vest and cowboy boots. When I tried to get him dressed to go trick-or-treating, he would only put on the boots and didn't want to wear the hat and vest. So I had to take another route.

I decided to dress him up as a little black belt ninja. Thanks Tawny for the idea... Anyway, he loved this costume and whenever anyone would comment on how cute it was, he would just say hi-yaw and do a little kick or punch or something. It was pretty funny.

Halloween weather was perfect and Regan took Saki to old town during the day so that he could get some candy. He absolutely loved it and even saw Winnie the pooh (who he loves). He got a ton of candy and kept stopping along the way to make sure he could eat whatever he could before I took it away. I was sad I didn't take my camera with me.

Later that night when his daddy had a little break from work, they worked on their kicks and punches some more. Saki ate a ton of candy and fell asleep on the floor.

Here is a cute picture of Saki with one cowboy boot on. I got these at DI for $1. He loves these boots and walks around in them all day long. I'm pretty sure that he is watching Toy Story because this is the only movie that he will actually sit still and watch for more than a couple of seconds.

So after Halloween I thought about throwing Saki's candy out because he got so much. Of course, I've been using it as a bribe here and there. A couple nights ago Saki woke up at 2:30 in the morning and kept saying "canny, canny". Usually if he wakes up I give him a drink of water and he goes right back to sleep, but not this night. He cried for almost an hour. I finally decided to let him get a piece of candy. Of course he picks out the worst thing. A red Now and Later. All I can think about is how he is going to get cavities and all of that dumb stuff. Anyway, I open it for him. Then he freaks out even more. He wanted to open it himself. So I wrap it back up and let him do it himself. It takes forever to eat the candy. Meanwhile I'm thinking about how long the sugar is sitting on his teeth causing them to decay. This is so dumb, but of course as a dental hygienist I am a little lame when it comes to this stuff. So after he eats it I brush his teeth. By then he is wide awake so I resort to another bad thing. I let him watch Toy Story on the couch until he fell asleep (which was about until it was over). Anyway, being this pregnant, and alone at night, I realize how I will pretty much do anything to calm my little one down. He is definitely getting into his independent stage, and I am getting more and more tired as the days go by. I want do die when these little tantrum things happen, but when I look back at them, I just laugh and think about how cute my little boy is and how much he is growing up. I love this little boy, even when he does have a messy face!

Sickness

I have been so horribly sick today. Luckily I have an amazing husband that taught my Primary class for me and even took Saki to church with him. That is huge since our church is at 1 pm and this is right during Saki's nap time. Anyway, my body won't really let me sleep, so I have been sitting around trying to figure out how I am going to make myself well before I go to work tomorrow. I have felt worse before, but I have no voice so I don't know how or when it's going to come back.

Anyway, last week I worked 4 days. This is totally unusual for me since I'm only used to working 2 days. I had a patient cancel a two hour appointment in the morning, so I decided to come home. This is what I walked in to.

Ife was in the shower and Saki had pushed his high-chair over to the counter where he pulled over a GIGANTIC bag of malt-o-meal marshmallow mateys. Did I mention it was not the small bag, but the GIGANTIC sized pack. I was so annoyed because I had just mopped the day before. Messes always happen right after a good house cleaning. Oh yeah, and Saki was sitting right in the middle eating all the marshmallows out on by one. It was actually kind of cute, but not fun to clean up with a huge stomach. (I hate when I drop things and have to bend over to get them because I always feel like I am going to pop my stomach).

-our camera is still not fixed, so these pictures are kind of grainy. That is on my to do list and promise it will be done within the next month. That's why my posts have had no pictures lately.

We are finally moved into our new three bedroom apartment. In the housing that we have, we get a chance to upgrade when we have more kids. We weren't planning on doing this because we plan to buy a house when Ife graduates, but I could not stand being cramped in a two bedroom apartment. Plus it is only $10 more a month. Oh yeah, I would not advise moving when you are 32 weeks pregnant. I thought I would have the baby then...but happy to say I feel much better now.

One other change that some may be interested in. All you dental hygieners that live around me... I now work for a different dentist. Yeah, can you believe it Dr. Bybee sold his practice and joined the Air Force as a dentist. When he called us together for a staff meeting I figured he was going to retire, but maybe in a year or something. NO! He said he was leaving 10 days later. This was probably the biggest stressful thing I have been through in the past couple of years because 1) I loved working for Dr. Bybee, 2) I didn't know if I would still have a job 3) I didn't know if the practice would get sold anytime soon, or if the new dentist would be anything that I would be willing to work for...(you Pocatellans know it is a little difficult finding something convenient and nice to work for around here). Anyway, it ended up working out and now I work at the same place, the same days, and for a new dentist. He isn't really new, he has been practicing for 14 years, but he is a younger version of Dr. Bybee and has some really good values. Anyway, sorry that was boring for the majority of you, but I thought some might be interested.

I'll try to update more, but who likes a post with no cute pictures RIGHT!

Craziness

The Eensy Weensy Spider was the first song Saki really loved. Even though this video is really old I thought I would post it. He has since gotten much better at the actions and loves to sing lots of other songs...and he's upgraded from a crib to a twin bed.

Quick Update on our family...

Ife is still doing his practicum. He works from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a one hour lunch break. He comes home and sleeps from about 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. He is then off to his regular work from 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. So he basically gets 2-3 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Of course he still goes to class all day on Thursday instead of working in the day. We look forward to Saturday and Sunday where he can catch up on: sleep, talking to his mom on the phone, playing with Saki, church calling, homework, presentations, cooking Fijian food, and how could I forget the rugby games. I just keep thinking...only 2 1/2 more months of this...if only he can make it without dying first.

I am feeling okay. I really feel this pregnancy has been completely different from my first. I am waking up almost every single night with very painful contractions. It doesn't help that Ife isn't here. I almost went into the ER a couple nights ago...I was so scared I was going into labor. Since I didn't really go into labor with Saki, I'm not quite sure what to expect. Saki was born at 35 weeks and I really am scared of going so early again. Mine and my doctor's goal is to make it to 38 weeks. Right now I'm just over 3o weeks. I got a free massage from the students at the ISU massage therapy program. They were learning about how to care for women in their third trimester of pregnancy. I must say, it was quite an adventure. I got paired with the only boy in the class and it was a full body massage...I was definitely not expecting that. I think he was more uncomfortable about knowing where to move the towel and sheets to make sure I was not exposed. I have never had a real massage before...wait, does that qualify as a real massage? Did I mention, I thought it was just going to be a back massage, with maybe a little arms...nope it wasn't.

Saki is starting to talk much more. We have been working on saying people's names clearly. He loves to draw on himself...not paper. I also can not manage to keep his hair trimmed short enough. It grows so fast, plus I suck at cutting hair. He has also developed a sweet tooth. I don't know where he got this from. I really think his daddy slips him candy on the side. The other day, he brought his toy fire engine into the kitchen because he can't reach the counter. Anyway, he climbed up onto the sink and into the treat jar. I use this for random candy that is never eaten...like from parades and stuff like that...and usually use it for game night, or giving it to my class or something. Anyway, he couldn't undo the wrappers from the tootsie rolls so he was just eating through the paper. I do not even know that he knew there was a candy jar. That will now be strategically hidden.

Anyway, sorry I don't have any current pictures to post. My camera should be getting fixed soon. Someone left it in the car during their weekend trip to Utah. I don't think that was very good for it. Good thing it is still under warranty.

A Loving Heart

I was able to go to the general Relief Society Broadcast last night and it was really good. Elder Uchtdorf's talk really spoke to me and reminded me of someone who truly had a loving heart. He was talking about how being genuine and giving honest and sincere compliments could change someones life. I had an experience with this that I wanted to share.

When I was in my second year of college at BYU-Idaho, most of you know that my mother was diagnosed with cancer and I was having a difficult time. I was taking a chemistry class and had a study group from my class. We met a couple times a week to study and do homework. These girls in my study group were friends, but not any that I went out with or hung out with on a regular basis...they were mostly just study partners. Anyway, one in particular really touched my life when I went through the most difficult time in my life and lost my mom.

This person was in most of my classes since we were in the same major, and she had just recently gotten engaged. I was happy for her, but still set back and reserved because of the difficult time I was going through. After my mothers passing, I received a plate of cookies from her and her fiance...who I didn't really even know. He had written the most touching note and they had both signed it. Now, I had a lot of nice things done for me, but this note in particular changed my life. I realized how truly loving and kind this couple was. They had said some things that nobody else dared to say or share. They were so sincere and were really understanding and thoughtful. Two people that I hardly knew had comforted me and given me encouragement to keep going. I find it interesting that it isn't always the people you expect to uplift you. These people probably never even knew the impact that they had on my life, but I really do believe that all it takes to change someones life is to have a sincere heart. I am grateful for the people that do small and simple things to cheer other people up.

What Else

We have tried to go visit people before Ife's last semester started at ISU. We went to Mary and Isei's wedding in Utah. It was fun seeing everyone.

Ife's sister, Makelesi moved to Utah, so we went down to see them as well. It was fun and of course, Saki loved seeing his cousins. Meko had a birthday. I have never seen someone so excited for a birthday cake. His girl cousins also did his make-up. I'm not sure who took this picture, but Saki obviously was not too happy. Saki is still growing and having so much fun. He seems so much older to me. I don't know if it's because we're going to be having another baby or what, but he is just growing. (Don't mind the fuzziness of the picture. I'm not sure what was going on).

Anyway, as for Ife, he is the busiest he has ever been. He is working nights at his regular job (which I don't prefer...I hate being alone at night), so that he can keep his health insurance. He is also doing his practicum for his senior field experience. He is trying to get his 400 hours of practicum done before December so he doesn't have to worry about working 80 hours a week doing both jobs once the baby is here. He is also taking 18 credits. He also keeps up in his church calling. I'm pretty sure I don't know how he does it, but he is amazing. The only bad thing is that Saki has definitely been a daddy's boy lately. Saki is getting bored with me.

Oh yeah, funny side note here. I'm starting to see the mischievous side to Saki. Whenever I need to change his diaper or clothes or basically get him with me for any reason, he looks at me and laughs and runs away. I think he realizes that I am getting slower due to my enlarging stomach. Everyone has been asking what he thinks about having a little brother. I don't know that he has any clue what is going on except that I am getting fatter. When I ask him where the baby is, he points to my stomach...that is about it. Anyway, he just thinks it is so funny to run away...especially if we are out in public at the store where everyone watches me run after him. It drives me insane, but in the end, all I can do is laugh at how cute he is. I do look up to those moms with several kids. Sometimes I wonder what I will be like with two, but I guess we aren't too far from from actually seeing that. CRAZY!

Vampire books...(How Lame)

I didn't want to do this, but I guess I have fallen into the trap. I haven't updated in a while because I have been stricken by the vampire...well, the books. I read all four in just under two weeks. When I heard about these I definitely thought that this was not my type of reading at all. I always thought everyone who read them were just...funny. I changed my mind though, and I must say, they were pretty good books.

Have You Heard

I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but we are expecting another baby. Everything seems to be going fine and hopefully we will have a healthy baby around December 15th. I know, another December birthday YAY! Anyway, can you tell the gender? I definitely hope so!

Walters Family Reunion

We went to McCall for a week for the Walters Family Reunion. It was a lot of fun. We spent most of the time swimming. Some of the activities that people did were: fishing, boating, white water rafting, horseback riding, but most of all eating and playing. We even had a couple of bears come right up to our frond porch. We're glad we went and were able to see most of my immediate family at one time, which for how big we are is very unusual. Here is a picture of just my family. I can't believe we were all there. We have cute matching shirts that correspond with our families. Hopie made them all for us. Cute huh.Here is Jaycie. She is a couple weeks younger than Saki, but so much more brave. Saki would barely get in the water and here is Jaycie in her floating just swimming all around.Here's Ife trying to get Saki into the water. It didn't last too long.This huge rock was the death of me because at night when we were back at the condo, all of the kids loved playing on it. Saki wasn't that stable and I was always worried he would fall. Luckily here are a few of his cousins keeping an eye on him.Here is Kyler and Kellan lounging at the lake.

Here is Addy and Lilli playing in the sand. We were at the lake all day long. It was fun.And of course, Saki in the sand...NOT the water. He only liked throwing the toys in the water and making the older kids go get them so they wouldn't float out and get lost.

A bunch of the older kids found a huge log that they played on for hours. They would see how long they could stay on before the log rolled them all off.

And how could I forget fishing. This may have been Saki's favorite part. Ife and Saki and a few others went fishing with my dad. They didn't get skunked, but they didn't have much luck. Maybe it could have been because Saki was playing in the water and throwing rocks...possibly scaring the fish away. Who knows?

Oh yeah, if any of you are interested in seeing all of my brothers and sisters with their families, check out my little sisters blog @ dustinandhope.blogspot.com