So...we've had a few changes over the last couple of years.  Yes, you could say that the Gonzales Family has learned a thing or two and has been down a rocky road.  HOWEVER....nothing will stop these amazing kids o'mine from achieving their dreams and being the awesomeness that they are.

Tiare graduated high school this past spring, WITH High Honors and a whole mass of awards, etc.  She is pretty much the most awesome girl around and I couldn't be a more proud momma!!  From the beginning, T has been a leader and it's not stopping.  She is a primo example to her sisters and brother, as well as to me!  Seriously, if I can be like Tiare someday, I will be a happy, content person.  Her she is....MY GRADUATE!!!!

Time To Graduate!!

All leid up and ready to take on the world!!

So long Alta High School!!!  Helllooooo BYU Hawaii!! 

Committed...

As I watch the days come and go, my kids grow like little weeds,and as the memories are being made I realize one thing...I need to start documenting these precious moments!!! This is good stuff and I can't miss it anymore.
First, I feel so bad about not giving Tai his own page for his birthday that was clear back in, oh, NOVEMBER!!!!! So, without further guilt eating away at my insides, this one's for you little buddy!

Tai...this kid has and always will pull at my heartstrings. I have been told that I tend to "baby" him, and of course I'm going to baby him...he's my only little boy. When Tai was born he came out with a very loud and
very demanding announcement to the world that he has made his debut. Now, things haven't exactly changed, he can be a little on the loud side and demanding(???) well, let's just say that he takes after his Mom and likes things to go the right way...his way! :) But all of that aside, there is nothing that has melted my heart more than watching him grow up on his way to becoming a young man. As I looked at Tai for the first time in LDS hospital, my hopes and aspirations for him were way low compared to what he has accomplished at such a young age. He is a wonderful straight A student, a very competitive and talented athlete (not by me, of course), is always up for a good laugh, sooo cute with little babies, and has eyelashes that will melt any girls' heart...including mine. I love him so so much and he brings a wonderful dimension to our family with girls. Lucky for him, he has a dad that coaches him in everything he does and helps form him into the wonderful person he is becoming. Tai turned 10 years old on November 17, 2009. And secretly, I shed a little tear as I tucked him in. Love you, bud

Malia Kilinaheokamalulani Gonzales

How would YOU like to learn to say Malia's name???? Kilinahe'o'kamaluluani. Yep, that's what I found out her middle name was as I sat in the hospital with my sweet little baby. As I looked down at her, thinking that her name was almost the size of a story, I had to chuckle. I had to practice, not just for days, now, we're talking weeks, to be able to say all of my kids' names. But I must say that Malia's name took the cake for being the most difficult of all. Her name means soft, misty rains of the calm heaven...and yes, I did have to double check the meaning from Kione. But her name couldn't fit her better. On a damp, cold October day, a sweet, calm little spirit entered my life. I will never forget how Malia looked straight into my eyes the very first time I held her. And, just as her name says, there really was a soft light rain falling from the sky. But nothing that fell from the sky that day was sweeter than what I had in my arms. Malia has continued to bring a very sweet spirit into our home. She is the first one to offer a prayer, help with baby Kiana, give a hug, write or draw a note for someone who is sad, or just be there with a warm smile. This girl LOVES to read! You can find her on any given Sunday pouring over the Friend magazines we have stashed in the living room. She gives REALLY great, and VERY thorough, Family Home Evenings. She takes amazingly wonderful care of her baby sister and "tolerates" her two older sibling's teasing and taunting the best she can. Although, I must say that in her in her later ayears she has found that fighting back works to her advantage. I love her with all of my heart...she is the greatest 7 year old I know!!!! Happy Birthday, Malia. note....this is a delinquent post, her birthday was October 22nd!

With her Birthday presents!!

Yep, they really do love each other that much....unless, of course, they're playing the Wii together!

A new apron from Grammy = cooking dinner with Mom!

Birthday party with her best buds!!!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MALIA!!

Happy "Late" Birthday, Tiare!!

Well, once again I have failed...I didn't "blog" my daughter's birthday until AFTER the big day. But, better late than never, right? Right from the beginning, Tiare was IN charge! When I was 4 months pregnant, my water broke. The doctors told me there was really nothing that could be done, so Kione and I prepared ourselves to lose our precious little baby. After time spent in the hospital and months on bed rest, a miracle happened and I carried Tiare to full term. Let me rephrase that, I carried her PAST full term. Thirteen. Freaking. Days. Past. My. Due. Date. Can you say BEAR????? Because that was what I had become at that point. Then, on the night of my one year anniversary, Tiare decided that she was coming for sure this time. The next day, August 21 1995 at 1:30 p.m. the most wonderful thing in my life happened to me....I was given a perfect, beautiful baby girl. I will never forget when we took Tiare home. We sat there in our basement apartment in Sugarhouse, SLC, UT. and stared. We stared and stared and stared. Then, we asked each other what we should do now??? Well, being the take charge girl that she is, Tiare took the situation into her own hands and notified us that she needed to be fed NOW! I can honestly say that up to that point in my life I have NEVER loved anyone the way I loved that sweet little baby. I was blessed to spend 4 years alone with Tiare and devote all of my time to her before Tai came along. I will never forget the sweet times I spent with her taking her on long walks, reading and reading and reading, mending her Elmo doll and mending him again, taking her to the beach, pushing her in the swing, picnicking and savoring every moment with her. Tiare has now become 14 years old!!! I don't know how it happened, but I blinked one day and there she was...no longer a baby, but a wonderful, beautiful, sincere and loyal young lady. I could go on and on about this girl...but to sum her up I will say that anyone lucky enough to know "T" will never doubt her faithfulness to the relationships she forms. Tiare is a one of a kind, forgiving, honest, talented person. Her middle name, Kamaleimailani, means beloved child from Heaven. And from Heaven she has come to bless my life, her family's lives, her friends, and those whose paths she will cross in the future. I love you, T. I am sooooo proud of you and would never want anything else in an oldest daughter. Happy Birthday....and I hope this next year DRAGS very, very slowly because I do NOT want you to grow up!!!!

Sometimes It's Just Not Fair...

Life. Sometimes, we have our good days and then there are the bad. Bad hair days, bad mood days, bad friend days, just plain old bad days. As parents we wish we could erase the bad days our kids have and throw them away. I would rather my own kids' feelings be hurt then have them hurt someone else, but gosh, it sure makes it hard to swallow when one of them get hurt, doesn't it? What I wouldn't give to go back in time and make sure I smiled at everyone everyday just in case they were having a hard time. I only hope I can raise my kids to do that. I have a child, won't mention which one, that had something kinda unfortunate happen to them and this child REALLY rose to the occasion and forgave the person who wronged them. This was even after I complained and moaned and groaned about the situation...they still forgave. I am so impressed with this kid, so amazed at their willingness to move on and forget about how they have been wronged. I am blessed to have such a great kid be such a great example to ME! I learned a lot from that kid that day and I sure am lucky to be their Mom.

I love them!

Crickets and Trees....

Tonight is so peaceful and quiet. Key word...quiet. THAT is an unfamiliar word in my home and I am happy that it is because what would I do without the sound of this and the sound of that. But tonight as each little and big kid is tucked into bed I am taken back to the summer days of my own childhood. I remember when I was little I had a white cat named Snowball...imagine that, me...with a cat!! (BTW...sorry cat lovers, but I really do not like cats in my aged years) Anyhow, I remember getting up early in the summer to go outside and feed little Snowball her allotment of milk for the day. Then I remember climbing up in my Grandma's apple tree until the sun was completely up and it was time to move on with my day. Then came the joy of running carefree through the sprinklers. Walking down to get a twist ice cream cone. Exploring in the "forest" which was really just a group of trees near our house, and making forts. Lying on my bed reading a book....watching old re-runs of whatever was on....lying under the big tree in front of my house and counting the leaves until I fell asleep, going on long bike rides, french fries and strawberry/banana shakes, suntan oil, midnight hikes, long talks that lasted well beyond curfew, night games, drive in movies, doing nothing at all, sleeping in until noon, pancakes for lunch, picnics by the pond, watermelon wedges, the fresh smell of Russian Olive Trees, the crickets softly singing the world to sleep and the quiet. Why is it that when we are little we are so aware of everything that is around us? Everything means something...it counts. And then as we grow older, we don't have time for THOSE things anymore. Instead we need to do the dishes, fold the clothes, wipe down one last counter. So tonight as I sit here listening to a very loud cricket, I am making a vow to notice. Notice the still of the mornings, the vibrant show that the sunset puts on at night, the way the trees look when their leaves blow in the soft breeze, and just summer in general. What are your favorite summer memories? Please share.

Happy Birthday Kiana!!!

It's a major blogging faux pas when you wait one whole MONTH to post your baby's first birthday!!! However, I am back in business and ready to devote this whole post to my darling little one year old. Kiana is the happiest baby ever. Her smile is constant and very contagious. She loves looking at books, and playing with anything other than her toys...that means she is in the bathroom and kitchen drawers all the time!! Needless to say, any organization that I once had is long gone. That's okay, she's well worth it. She is almost walking (would you want to walk if you had 5 other people who would carry you???), has her two bottom teeth, laughs hysterically when tickled, looooves books, puts up her one little pointer finger when you ask her how old she is, points to her eyes on demand, loves to eat
bananas, cheese sandwiches, oranges, and any piece of candy she can get her chubby little hands on. She truly is the light of our home....it's impossible to be in a bad mood around Kiana. She is learning how to throw little tantrums which are still cute, for now. She will give kisses (the kind that come with lots of slobber) and pats your back. She dances to any music and will push her little toys that play music until she finds her best "groove out" tune. She is a joy!!!


Birthday Balloons from Dad!!!

Ladybug cake made by Mom....mysteriously missing some chunks of cake...mmmmhmmm...wonder who sampled??? Of course everyone is innocent!
>

Oh yeah...bring it on over!!!


The face and hands say it all...



Lots of presents with lots of helpers!


Happy Birthday, Little Kiki!!!