Where Does the Time Go?

How did my little baby go from this...



To this...


In just 5 short months she has grown right before my eyes. Time goes too fast. Everyday I tell her to stop growing, but somehow, she just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I want to freeze time.

She is our super star...

One Word Tag...

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your significant other? Kione
3. Your hair? Irritating
4. Your mother? Awesome
5. Your father? Quiet
6. Your favorite thing? Sunsets
7. Your dream last night? Childhood
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? Peace
10. The room you’re in? Kitchen
11. Your hobby? Cleaning????
12. Your fear? Predators
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Laughing
14. What you’re not? Organized
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? Greece
17. Where you grew up? Utah
18. The last thing you did? Cuddle
19. What are you wearing? Jammies
20. Favorite gadget? computer
21. Your pets? Dog
22. Your computer? broken
23. Your mood? Content
24. Missing someone? Greatly
25. Your car? Denali
26. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
27. Favorite store? Roberts
28. Like someone? Baby
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Today

All of You...if you want to!

And What Were YOU Doing at 8:00 last night???

Church volleyball, are you kidding??? Seriously, you are going to play church volleyball and leave me with all of these things to do by myself? These are the thoughts that ran through my head as Kione and Tai came home from football practice and Kione announced that he has to go to the church to play volleyball. One kid needs to be picked up from dance, a last minute trip to the store, for a school supply, needs to be made, one kid hasn't had dinner yet, two kids need to be bathed, stories need to be read, prayers need to be said, a book report, that hadn't been started, needs to be done, a baby is SCREAMING in the car and needs to be fed, changed, and put to bed...and bedtime is in a half an hour!!!!!!! Oh, yeah, and by the way...the kitchen is in complete disarray from dinner. I feel myself lose it as I pile 3 of the 4 kids in the car at 8:10. We get home and, as Kione is playing volleyball, this is what I am playing, it's a game called "balancing act." With one hand I warm up Tai's dinner, as it is in the microwave I make a bottle, as he is eating I read stories to Malia while feeding Kiana, oh, yes, before that I pick Tiare up from dance, drive her to the craft store, entrust my debit card to her (are you kidding me?) and send her in to buy her items she needs for school tomorrow. All the while, Tai and Malia are at it again (yahoo!), Kiana is screaming and I am breathing deeply. After Tai eats, Malia showers, Kiana is changed, the book report is done, and all is quiet, Kione comes in from volleyball. I don't really think he wanted to completely look at me because I am giving him the "I'm really irritated that you were gone" look. I "top" Kiana off with one last bottle and think of the messy kitchen that awaits me. When, alas, I hear glasses clanking, dishwasher starting, cupboards closing, and realize that Kione has cleaned the kitchen for me and suddenly I can't feel irritated anymore. I begin to realize how lucky I am to have a husband that cares about me and is willing to help out when he can see that I need it. So, thank you, Kione for doing the dishes and cleaning the counters, putting away food, reading scriptures and saying prayers with Tai, because I was in too much of a rush to get him to bed and didn't do it myself, and for being a great husband and for doing it all with a smile and kind word when you are done! I love you!

Just a Regular Sunday at Our House...

Sunday...aaahh, yes. It begins at 7a.m. so we can be out the door at 8:50 and on our way to church. Are we REALLY ever out the door on time? Well, some of us are. Malia and Tai decided to walk to church today while the rest of us frantically finished getting ready. As I walked into the chapel, looking for my two kids, Tai runs up to me and proudly notifies me that Malia has been yelling at him in the chapel and one guy even got up to move so he wouldn't have to sit next to "the Gonzales family." Nice, we're off to a great start! Things went fairly well the next three hours, especially after I threatened Malia that she better behave or, I don't know what would happen but it wouldn't be good. She was great and we were on our way to the remainder of our Sunday. One little side note...the primary was practicing for their program which is next week. Each child in Malia's class was asked to share their favorite scripture story. When they asked Malia, she proudly announced that her favorite story was when someone got their arms cut off. A little stunned, they asked her if there was maybe another story she could come up with where nobody gets hurt. Nope!! This was her favorite, there was no other. Finally, they talked her into "pretending" that her favorite story was when Jesus visited and blessed the children. When we were memorizing her part, she wanted to make SURE that I knew, without a doubt, that she did not like this story and she was still standing by the arms getting cut off story. Nice...ya gotta love it, right? Anyhow, this is how the rest of our Sunday was spent.
Showing off our exceptional, acrobatic skills...


playing x-box...

playing church...

playing with toys...

a little game of scrabble...

kissing cheeks...

playing some tunes on the ukulele...

having french toast with whipped cream and strawberries for dinner...
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And finally...going to bed!!!! (my favorite part of the night...that is, after I throw the clean laundry on the floor that STILL needs to be folded!)...GOOD NIGHT!!!

The Top Ten

I decided that I didn't want my family to forget the things that I love and want to remember about them RIGHT NOW, exactly the way they are, at this very moment. So here goes...

TIARE:

1. Her favorite color is lime green.

2. Her favorite food is steak, french fries, garlic bread, and apples.

3. She sings REALLY loud while she's taking a shower.

4. She's confident and happy with who she is.

5. Her silly nicknames for her siblings.

6. Her fuzzy hair after a good night's sleep.

7. She is a fantastic tumbler (won first place in nationals in her solo competition for cheer)

8. She takes her school work seriously and gets AWESOME grades!

9. She breaks out in song at any given moment.

10. She is the queen of giving funny family home evening lessons.

Malia:

1. Her favorite color is pink.

2. Her favorite food is steak, chicken nuggets, french fries, tuna fish sandwiches and blueberries.

3. When she plays "salon" and brushes my hair (in fact she's doing it right now).

4. How she loves to rub my ears.

5. Her little dance moves.

6. Her passion for fashion (she dresses up every chance she gets!)

7. She loves to help me cook...especially pancakes and cookies.

8. She likes to change Kiana's diaper and has actually done this while I'm in the shower (not a pretty sight!)

9. The way she says her R's.

10. How she skips out of Kindergarten looking for my car and then smiles happily as she waves hello.

Tai:
1. His favorite color is black.

2. His favorite food is teriyaki steak, cornbread, and peaches with sugar and cream.

3. He will still let me cuddle and hug him on rare occasions.

4. Watching him run out on the football field in his little uniform.

5. When he makes Kiana smile while talking in a cute "little" voice.

6. His passion for writing in his journal.

7. His loooong eyelashes.

8. He always lets his little sister "tag along" and play with the guys.

9. The small "poof" of hair that has a hard time staying down.

10. He plays the piano beautifully.

Kiana:

1.Her favorite color is anything bright.

2. Her favorite food is breast milk, formula and rice cereal (yum, yum).

3. She wakes up with a smile.

4. She rolls around my bedroom floor and almost ended up under the bed the other day!

5. She puts up with anything, anytime...this includes the yelling, the barking dog, the funny nicknames and Malia's hair in her face as Malia "loves" her!

6. How she looks up in my eyes as she's eating, stops, smiles, and continues eating.

7. Okay, okay, those CHEEKS!

8. Her huge eyes that can find me no matter where I am in the room.

9. She smiles when I sing, while the rest of the family runs out of the room.

10. The sweet and wonderful spirit she has brought into our home.

Kione:

1. His favorite color is black (I think)...he's sleeping so I can't ask him.

2. His favorite food is sushi (once again, I think).

3. He has a unique ability to fall asleep at 9:00 but is up at 5a.m.

4. He looooves our kids and is very active in every aspect of their lives.

5. He pretty much lets me have my way (well...c'mon....anyone would love that, right?)

6. Tiare's friends think he looks like "The Rock" and tell him he is "soo cool."

7. He takes care of our family and always puts us first.

8. He has an awesome singing voice.

9. He's not afraid to cry and show emotion.

10. If he hates dinner he politely offers to feed Kiana or do some other chore and excuses himself from the table.

Well...there you have it. I'm so lucky to have them all!

Losing It!!

It was a beautiful, crisp pre-fall day.  Everything was going so well and I was on top of things.  The laundry was almost done, the baby was sleeping, the bathrooms were scrubbed,  Malia had lunch on time (don't ask)...yes, for once I had things rolling and together!  I was feeling pretty good about myself.  Tai got home from school at about 1:15 and as he is walking home I am watching him, thinking that he needed to hustle to make it to piano lessons at Nikie Stookey's house in 15 minutes.  He comes in and we talk about the days events.  He has a snack, we chase our tiny dog as he is being stalked by a much larger dog.  So, in the midst of all this excitement, I forget piano (mind you, only a half an hour has passed).  Nikie calls, reminds me that Tai is 15 minutes late for piano and says she has some time at 3:00 and can he just come at then?  So I apologize and say yes...I will certainly have him there at 3.  I hang up the phone and the light turned off in my brain as I tell Tai, "Hey, why don't you call your buddy up the street and see if he wants to play since you don't have anything going on this afternoon?"  So, Tai calls his friend and they engage in some serious destruction of the play room along with another neighbor friend.  3:10 rolls around and the phone rings, I see Nikie's number flash across my caller ID... I panic, as I remember the 3:00 piano time.  Should I not answer the phone and pretend that my house is on fire, giving me good reason for not sending Tai over there or should I answer and pretend to be yelling at Tai to hurry up and get to piano now...thus blaming my poor kid.  No...I immediately answer the phone and say, "I am sending him."  Nikie forgives me (again), laughing a little more at the air floating around in my head.  I drag Tai away from his friends (the ones I TOLD HIM TO CALL) and send him out the door, leaving the friends to play alone in my playroom.  Does this sound like the beginning of someone with severe dementia?  Pretty soon I won't remember a thing and I'll be wandering around looking for my home.  So if you ever see me on the street with a dazed, confused look, just call Kione and tell him his wife is at it again and he needs to pick her up!  

Shot Day :(

This is my cute little Kiana hours before her 4 month shots...happy as can be, having not a clue in the world what will take place at 4 in the afternoon.

As we walked up the pavement to the doctor's office I could feel the pit in my stomach growing. I usually convince Kione to come with me on these little visits to our good old pediatrician so I can leave the room as my children are being poked with 2 inch needles. But, because of football practice (gotta love it), I am flying solo. As I open the door I can feel my sweaty palms. We make the co-pay, sit down and wait. Kiana is smiling brightly at me while I make a fool of myself with my baby talk and funny faces. THEN..."Kiana Gonzales" the nurse calls. I stand up and feel my knees give way but somehow I make it to the back room. It is fun to see how much she is growing and it's always fun to brag about all of the amazing "things" she has learned. Then, while looking into my eyes, smiling with no care in the world...bam! In goes the shot and out comes the scream. But, she made it. All is well in the world and we're done for the next two months...thank goodness!!!

To Tackle or Not To Tackle...

I am a paranoid mother. Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you that I can certainly be a little over the top sometimes. I am a firm believer of car seats, jackets on cool mornings, orange juice for breakfast,veggies and fruit for lunch and dinner, bedtimes, hand sanitizer, helmets, and the list goes on. I am very big (okay, and kinda crazy) on safety. I am constantly yelling out the door to not do any more back flips on the tramp, stop playing with big sticks, or slow down on bikes. How my kids make it through my mothering at times, is a wonder to me. SO....you can only imagine the sheer panic when Kione and Tai announce to me back in August that it is time to sign up for tackle football. For a year now they have been threatening that the time is drawing nigh when my small, cute little boy will be wearing pads, a helmet, and jersey while being tackled to death. I begged, I pleaded, I stomped and I stormed, telling them both that this was not happening, too bad, so sad...I put my foot down and that was the end! Yeah, right, so I thought!!! I learned very quickly that when it comes to boys and their sports, you just don't interfere because you won't win. So... last Saturday was Tai's first TACKLE football game (I lost the fight.) For the last month he has practiced with his little team learning how to bash into other boys his age. Kione has reassured me that he is taking every precaution in teaching Tai how to tackle properly so my little guy won't get hurt. He even took on the feat of being an assistant coach. So there we were, the baby, the stroller, the diaper bag, the bag of snacks, and the two sisters accompanied by Grandpa and Uncle Troy...ready to see Tai conquer the game! The moment I saw the little guy with GONZALES spread across his back, my heart welled up with pride, yes, there he was ready to go. Then it happened, he got the ball, he was off and going, going, he did it! He scored a touchdown. The pride was overwhelming and I was cheering, "Go! Go!" And he did it again!! He scored two touchdowns!!! "Yes," I told the people sitting next to me, "that is my son"...as they were commenting on how great the little gonzales boy was. I almost, ALMOST, cried because I was so happy for how proud and happy he must have felt. But, at the risk of "embarassing" Tiare I held back. Anyway, next Saturday we will return for game two. I will be ready to cheer and ready to be proud no matter what happens!

Tai Teaches Malia a Lesson...

So, Malia threw a little (okay, huge) fit today because she didn't want to get in the shower. It had been a long day, it had been a tiring day, and I announced that I wasn't cooking dinner because I was exhausted. It was Labor Day and we definitely "labored" both inside and outside of the house. So, I told Kione that we were going out to dinner tonight and that was that! After telling Malia to shower about 10 times, I could feel the tiredness getting to me and the blood began to boil. Tai, who is older than Malia and has seen the "blood boil" many times, decided to step in and take control of the situation before things got bad. This is how the conversation went...

Tai: "Malia, come here right now."
Malia: "What do you want?"
Tai: "Malia, just do what she says. Do you want to make Mom have to be the bad guy?" As I listened to Tai ask Malia this question I am cracking UP because I have told him numerous times that when he disobeys it makes me feel like the bad guy that has to pass out the consequences.
Malia: "Well, yes...I do want her to be the bad guy. Because that means I get to be the superhero." By this time I am laughing so hard that I need to run to the bathroom.
Tai: (resorting to other means of helping the situation...bribery...) "Malia, I have a dollar in my room and I will PAY you to shower." He is really trying to avoid me turning into the "bad guy."
Malia: "Hah! I don't want a little dollar!"
Tai: "Okay, how about two dollars?"
Malia: "No way!"
Tai: getting agitated at trying to help the situation..."Fine, how about ten dollars????"
This continues on until Tai reaches the fifty dollar mark!
Finally, when he announces, "Malia, I will give you fifty dollars if you shower for Mom!"
Malia: "You got a deal! Mom, will you start the shower? And Tai, go get your wallet!"
The blood drains from Tai's face and he wonders what he's done.
Tai: "Malia, okay, I don't really have fifty dollars, but I do have a penny. Will you settle for that? It's a lucky penny!"
Malia: "Okay, fine."
Malia gets the penny, takes the shower, I'm not the bad guy and Tai has saved the day!