My Birthing Tub

Eve & Esther exploring the birthing tub. My midwife dropped it off the other day, along with other birthing supplies. It's a 150 gallon Rubbermaid tub. Very spacious for our whole family to chill in.

Don't you worry, mom. Before the baby comes we will wash it. It will be covered with a brand new plastic birthing liner, so it will be completely sanitized.

Every time I walk by this tub I can't help but get sooooooo excited!

If we had at least a 5 foot Lava wall surrounding the backyard and no one lived in the basement I would totally want to birth outside underneath these trees. I just think it would be so relaxing staring up at the sky, watching clouds pass by, the brightness of sun, seeing the trees sway with the wind & listening to the birds chirp. Doesn't that sound dreamy?

Birthing With Dolphins

I never heard of people birthing with Dolphins before. That sounds pretty fascinating to me and a little extreme. Supposedly Dolphins are ultra sensitive to pregnant moms and by virtue of them being close in the water the baby is more likely to develop faster.
Read more here http://www.planetpuna.com/Birth&Dolphins/index.htm
Watch video here

Woman giving birth in the water with a dolphin
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

No worries her bottom area is very blurry not explicit

Tell me what you think?

Purple Flowers in the Desert

(Photo from google images)

Many people do CrAzY things for love. This past weekend was the case for me. Eve has been getting so excited as we drive in the car and she can spot out the big white Y on the mountain. So we thought well it's been a while since we did a recreational activity as a family why don't we hike the Y? Eve would just LOVE it! Those of you who are not familiar with the hike, it's ALL up hill, 2.4 miles round trip, uncovered very much exposed to the hot rays of the sun, & theres not much to look forward to but the letter Y that has been painted on this mountain. Oh yah I'm about 39 weeks pregnant hiking this strenuous hike. I knew it would take me longer than the average Joe this time around and I didn't expect my family to wait on me. So my stats looked something like this: hike, rested, hike rested, hike rested, hike, hike, rested, rested, rested, rested, hike, rested finally made it to the top! Overall it took me 2 hours & 15 min. and I really almost felt like fainting towards the last 100 feet when my knees started shaking & giving in (good thing Mark held my hand the rest of the way down). Things I appreciated on this hike that I didn't think I would; Purple flowers! As I rested and looked off to the side and noticed how dry this area was I noticed a bunch of purple flowers. It's as if I was carrying on a conversation with them (I probably needed more water at this point) I said to the flowers "why something as pretty as you want to grow in this dry ugly area?" "Of all the places you could grow, why here?" and it's as if they whispered back saying "For people like you, we want to make smile". This was so symbolic to me in many ways, but one I will share with you. Some of us are led or drawn to areas or situations that are not entirely ideal but you have a specific purpose for being there. Even though it may seem insignificant at the time, to the one who you were meant to be there for is an answered prayer. My whole way up I saw random purple flowers growing in places that were unusual but I know they were there for me to smile and give me the encouragement I needed to finish this hike. I spent most of my time looking down as I hiked because I didn't want to slip and fall. It was nice to see something pretty. I found myself appreciating rocks because it gave me a place to sit when I rested, appreciating the grasshoppers and lizards that ran across the path because I'm sure Eve was entertained. Finally when I reached the top I noticed something I never really noticed before. I saw beauty! I could see 2 temples, additional mountains, water and floating low clouds. I believe there is beauty everywhere if you look DEEP enough. Even at the Y!

P.s. And no, this did not induce labor;(

Highlights

This past Saturday was The General Relief Society Meeting. It was POWERFUL! I was so looking forward to it all week. I need this stuff! I need to be reminded to SEE with SPIRITUAL eyes and not carnal ones. Each speaker mentioned something that I sooooooooooooo needed to hear. For instance Sister Beck mention the scripture in 3 Nephi 13: 1-4, the essence of that scripture is to GIVE IN SECRET, not announcing it with a trumpet, not even your left hand knows what your right hand doeth, but if you do it in SECRET God will reward thee openly. I'll be honest this is really hard as a mother. I know Mark tries hard to notice the little things and tries to say thank you as much as he can but he is a man and physiologically designed differently then a woman, so naturally he doesn't notice everything that's done. Children as well. Most of the time it's fine I just deal with it, but on those hard days when it's just so hard to serve because of the degree of difficulty whether it's back pain, lack of sleep or just plain worn out a simple PASSIONATE appreciation would be nice with out me having to ask for it. Hearing her mention this scripture did a little zing on my heart. I really need to confide in the Lord on those days that it's hard and only please him and not seek the praise of my family. If I do that I would be a more joyful soul. That was just one thing that rang true to me. And that's just another reason why mother's are so special. If you're actually reading this, I just want to say to you "You are awesome for serving because you know that's the right thing to do. You know that's what brings pure joy and love into your heart. You are becoming more like the Savior each day as you serve. He loves you for it. Keep up the good work". The other sisters mentioned many things that I want to change my way of thinking but I rather not mention because there to personal. Our prophet, President Monson, Wow! I have no words to replicate the sincere, simple, loving, POWERFUL message that he shared. If you missed it you're in luck you can view the whole session online NOW! Just wait for a moment in your day when you really have time to soak it in. You can view & read the highlights here as well as the entire conference. Enjoy! http://new.lds.org/pages/general-rs-meeting-sept-2010?lang=eng

MoOn

I've always been fascinated with the moon and awestruck of it's beauty. Although I think the love turned into obsession when I lived on the beach in Hawaii. I remember going to a party in college with my friend Ashley. Determined to have so much fun because the weather was perfect, the moon was full, and this house had live music going on in their backyard that over looked the ocean. It was a sight to see. Not even 5 minutes of being there I stepped in dog CrAp! I was sooooooooo bummed! Here I was decked out in a cute outfit pumped to hear a live band play underneath the light of the moon and I stepped in dog CrAp! I wasn't sure at first so I asked Ashley to smell near my slippers to make sure it was me. Sure enough it was! What a good friend. We ended up leaving the party and walked down to the ocean to rinse the poo from my slippers. As we walked down the beach I looked out to the water and noticed a pathway full of light all the way to the horizon. It was so beautiful! The way the moon lit up the beach at night was so serene, tranquil, & made my sad heart instantly turn to JoY! The reflections of the moon made me just want to dance even though there was no music. In fact we did! We danced crazily under the moon light. That memory I wanted to capture forever because it just felt aWeSoMe! I had a friend at the time who I knew was a very talented painter. He was used to painting and capturing the oceans beauty but I don't think he's ever really painted a picture like the one I was describing to him. As I sat down with him and tried to describe in intrinsic detail of my experience and how I envision this painting that I wanted he got so excited! He wanted so bad to capture that memory for me for a life time with his art. And he did For $50 bucks and a steak dinner he painted me this:

Take a look at his portfolio Jeff Hemming http://www.andradehemming.com/index.html

As I studied further about the moon I discovered that the moon doesn't produce it's own light. In fact it's only reflecting the light of the Sun. With out the Sun it would just be a ball of ugly rock but instead when it turns towards the Sun it's fully lit with an luminous beauty. This is why I gave my daughter Eve her middle name of Mahealani. Mahealani in Hawaiian means night of the full moon. Mark and I decided that we wanted her to remember that if she wants to be FULL of light & beautiful she needs to turn to the Son of God! The neatest thing is that this painting I had Jeff do for me hangs up in her room as a reminder and she already has a passion of the moon. She points it out in all the books we read to her and meticulously searches for it in the sky. I love how it all works out.

Have a great weekend!

Great Site

My friend Chelsy introduced me to this website http://www.powerofmoms.com and I just love her for it. A group of women manage it and give so much knowledge, experience, & ideas away. They embrace motherhood and are very encouraging to other moms. Their site has so many things to offer & great ideas. Check it out! I'm all about supporting a righteous cause and strengthening the family:)

On a side note:
Eve made me laugh today twice. Mark was there for both experiences and just shook his head at me with disappointment. Seriously I couldn't help myself.

Experience #1

Eve: Rips a loud FART (flatulence for those I just offended) and doesn't say a thing

Me: "Eve what do you say?"

Eve: "What's that noise" with a smirk (probably got that response from her father, jk hunny)

Me: Run off and started to laugh while her father corrects her & me for running away & laughing.

Experience #2

Me: "Eve you need to come and clip yourself in your car seat"

Eve: "no no" shaking her head all SaSsY and misjudges the distance of the van and walks right into it face first. No worries. No damaged done just her pride.

Me: biting the sides of my cheek trying my darn est not to laugh and thinking next time you should have listened to your mom. I know I'm bad:)

Summer Pregnancy Tips

Okay I realized I probably should have posted this in the beginning of the summer. It probably would have been more helpful, but there are places that are STILL so hot. To be honest I discovered them along the way. This whole summer we did without air conditioning not by choice it's just the darn thing doesn't work. We were so grateful that the last couple of weeks one of our friends let us borrow an AC unit. We ended up putting it in our room so I could actually sleep at night, so that leaves the rest of the house VERY warm. How did I survive?

Frozen Grapes as a regular snack
You can freeze any of your favorite fruit trust me it taste so good frozen on a hot day. I've tried chopped up watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, apricots, strawberries, blueberries & bananas. All so yummy frozen! You can even put the frozen fruit in a smoothie, it makes the texture even more fabulous.

Smoothies galore (for breakfast, lunch & dinner)
my standard smoothie in the morning was ice, 2 bananas, 1/2 cup of blueberries, soy milk, 1 tsp. ground up flax seed, 3 tbsp of oatmeal & 1 tbsp of peanut butter. Super yummy! Kids love it! In fact that's how I get my selective eater Esther to get some quick nutrients in her petite body.

Another one that I love is a cup of frozen apricots, orange juice, a cup of vanilla yogurt and ice. Very yummy as well. I haven't been a fan of apricots until we had our very own tree in our backyard. Picking them yourself makes all the difference.

Mark likes to make fruit smoothies as well. We had a overload of cucumbers because of our friendly neighbors. So Mark cut and peeled them and stuck them in the freezers. So every once in a while we add frozen cucumbers and I must say it adds a refreshing taste to our smoothies.

What smoothie combination do you love?

Frequent trips to the pool during the day
Great for the kids and absolutely great for the mom. Mainly because they sleep better, which gives you a break to get a little shut eye.

Water aerobics at night
Easy on the joints, don't feel your weight, you can do pretty much any move you want that can't be done on land, great cardiovascular workout and the best of all it's refreshing.

Lots of Popsicles
You can make your own Popsicles with 100% fruit juice if you're worried about nutritional value. They are a great treat during the day.

What are some things you do to survive a summer pregnant? I'll be honest if I can help it next time around I would rather be pregnant during the winter then in the summer.

Motherhood:-An-Eternal-Partnership

I didn't know what I was thinking when I thought I could work full time and be a mother. Some people do it and it works well for them, but not the case for me. Everyone has different situations and you got to do what's best for your family. Last year about this time I started teaching full time to middle school students, and it was tough. As I was trying to build a relationship with my students I felt I was losing my precious relationship with my girls. I can tell Eve was very frustrated with the situation which explains her biting me when I came home. Anyhow to make along story short I DiScOvErEd that my role in this family is VITAL! I believe all parents roles are VITAL in their children's life and that should never be doubted. However I do feel that mothers play a very unique and special role in their children's life. At times it may seem mundane but just know you are going about a wonderful work, God's work.

P.s. This video I view quite frequently especially if Eve is throwing a tantrum. Somehow I get a renewed perspective. Motherhood:-An-Eternal-Partnership

P.s.s. This Saturday is the General Relief Society meeting (uplifting spiritual talks). It starts at 6pm and you can count on being spiritually filled. Visit this website for additional information about the broadcast http://lds.org/broadcast/grsm/0,6220,285,00.html Start preparing your mind & heart now to receive those answers you've been searching for whether it be in parenting, marriage or just life in general.

This is Eve at Hukilau throwing one of her tantrums and this is usually my face when it happens. I think I was trying to cool her off by splashing cold water on her. Yah I know cruel;)

Muumuu's

Shortly after arriving back to Utah my family and I sported the new Muumuu's my Papi bought us. I love Muumuu's especially right know! Being 38 weeks pregnant limits my wardrobe. Slipping a Muumuu on is so nice. I wear this dress a couple times through out the week because I don't feel so restricted! Maybe some day I will be a pro seamstress and make my own Muumuu's, dresses & skirts etc. It's funny because some people associate Muumuu's to older ladies, not me. Growing up in Hawaii we would have these festivals called May day. It was usually in the beginning or middle part of May. You would have the older students (a few selected people) act as a king or queen. As well as princes and princesses to represent each island in Hawaii ( it's a big deal). Each grade would perform some kind of dance for the royal court. Usually it was Hula. So each year I have fond memories of my parents buying me a new MuuMuu. I loved it! And frankly I think there quite beautiful. I would wear them anywhere even if I'm not in my comfort zone of Hawaii.





Their so grown up! Eve is officially potty trained and can change Esther's diapers. Not bad training if I must say so my self.

These girls have a LOVE & DISLIKE relationship. They are so funny to watch. Eve steals Esther's toys, Esther hits Eve for taking them away. Esther steals Eve's food, Eve tackles Esther to get her Gold fish.

At first I didn't think girls would be that fun to have, boy was I wrong. These girls keep me going all day with sheer entertainment.

Mark and I were talking last night about if our girls would ever serve a mission. We have different views which is okay. It's marriage you don't have to agree on everything, right? What we both agree on though is to teach them to LOVE to serve others. That there is great JOY in thinking and doing things for others instead of yourself.

And they have a wonderful father to teach them that important principle. I love my family! It's crazy at times but that's what makes my life so interesting.

Biohazard or is it?

Most people know it's common courtesy not to go in the water if you're menstruating otherwise the probability of a Shark swimming near shore is increased. Ever since I was young I was told Sharks sense a DrOp of blood a mile a way. It's just the unspoken expectation that women would refrain from entering the water. But what about a Fully pregnant woman who is about to pop? Should she be allowed to swim in a swimming pool if she is extremely close to her due date?First of all are you able to tell if your water broke in water? Would they shut down a pool to do some special cleaning or filtering because someone broke their sac of waters? Technically blood can be released as well as amniotic fluid, possibly Meconium and other fun fluids. Would you mind swimming through that. I'm SeRiOuSlY curious! I've never really grew up with having a swimming pool as my only option. I went to the beach more then I ever swam in a swimming pool. Maybe if I did I would know the unspoken rules of a swimming pool but honestly I don't know and I don't want to be embarrassed if this actually happens to me. I don't want some kid getting upset because the pool is closed due to ME. Can anyone shed some light please.

P.s. I love swimming right now it's the only time I don't feel the FULLNESS of my weight & pain. It's one of the best therapies a pregnant woman could ask for, next to massage of course;)

P.s.s. I'm going on a hot date with my husband tonight and we even got a sitter! What, What! Have a good weekend.

Long Over Due Part 1

Ko'olina

Mokuleia

Kawela Bay

Malekahana

I realize it's September and we went to Hawaii a month and a half ago. Better late then never in posting. I'm seriously trying to get so much done in a short period of time before SHE gets here.

Ali'i Beach (By the way there were 3 turtles swimming next to us in this picture. Crazy!)






Akilles birthday party in Ewa. Doesn't Mark look so adorable holding the birthday boy and Esther. Double click on it for its full effect.

My cousins that live on the west side. Crazy how time flies. These two used to babysit my sister and I.

My two aunties! Auntie Barbra and Auntie Joanne. Their crazy and I love them so much. To them Youth is a state of mind, personally I want to have that perspective when I hit their age.

Mark, the girls & my papi. It was so fun to see my Papi play with my children the same way he played with me when I was young. It's a feeling that's indescribable.

Eve with some of her cousins. Reina (pure Puerto Rican) Eve (German/Puerto Rican) Keana (African American/Puerto Rican) They are such a beautiful mix!

It's funny, Mark said he had a hard time relaxing for such a long period of time but to me it appeared as if he was in his ELEMENT!

Chanelle and I and Our little keiki's. It was so fun to see her.

The Girls playing with their auntie Nancy! Oh how they adore her.

The girls just love their uncle Joey and his beautiful wife Georgette. They still beg me to call them every once in awhile. It's so awesome for them to finally connect their voice with their face.

Eve with her cousins

Catching up with one of my college roommates, Ashley. Who also took our family pix. Which by the way turned out AWeSoMe!

The train ride at Pearl Ridge mall.

It's the simple things that make me SMILE.

The men in my life! Look how she gazes at her uncle, so cute!

When we were on the west side we found this whole in the wall Puerto Rican restaurant, ooooooooooh I was in Heaven.

Manoa falls was sooooooooooo beautiful!

Seriously! Are you kidding me! This whole drive way was filled with these violent ridiculous signs. It just made me chuckle.

The Laie temple was the main reason why we went to Hawaii in the first place. We were hoping to catch the open house and take my family through the temple before it got dedicated but to our astonishment the job wasn't complete after an 18 month allotment we were told. It was a wonderful vacation anyways! We ended up going to the distribution center and purchasing the girls their own copy of the Book Of Mormon, because they had been fighting for the same copy for quite some time now. They were super excited to have their own copy Eve didn't want to look at the camera she just wanted to read.

We went to the Dole cannery on our last day. I had many humbling experiences that knocked down my pride with a sledge hammer on this trip. Trust me I won't forget them. Everyone needs a family vacation to stretch yourself spiritually every once in a while. Lets just say we won't be visiting the islands for a while until Eve is a little bit older! All in All it was awesome to be there and the girls absolutely LOVED IT!