The flight to nowhere

We are suppose to be in Hawaii laying on the beach and chill'n instead we are back home from a LONG day at the airport. We are flying out to Hawaii to be with Jethro's family for Christmas and our flight was at 3:15pm today. We left at 11am because it was snowing hard and got to the airport at 12 noon we waited and waited and waited our flight got delayed and we didn't board until 5pm. I was a little concerned because we had to catch a connecting flight in San Francisco and we ended up sitting in the plane for 2 1/2 hours when they told us our flight had been cancelled because the flight crew has gone over their allotted fight time because they had been working flights all day. So I'm thinking DUH get a new flight crew in here lets go. So we exit the plane and Ana is heart broken. She has been so SO excited to fly on an airplane and go to Hawaii. The whole time we sat on the plane she kept asking me if we were flying yet. The poor girl cried for a good 20- 30 minutes. She was tired, hungry and very disappointed. Once we got some food in her she calmed down and was much happier. I guess this was a test run I found I needed more snacks. The girls did great tho I was so impressed with them they were happy and content and just played while we sat and sat and sat. A lot of people on the plane commented on how well behaved they were, I was so proud of them. We didn't get home until 10:45pm, almost a 12 hour adventure. We are going to try again tomorrow, lets hope they do just as good and the flight takes off!! The interesting thing about it all is usually I'm a stress case and I'm very impatient with the kids but Jethro and I were both very relaxed and did everything we could to keep the kids entertained. When they announced the flight was cancelled we were of course disappointed but we felt no grief or anger about it. We feel like there was a reason we didn't fly out tonight. Jethro and I and his family have fasted and prayed for every ones travel plans and Jethro gave us each a priesthood blessing before we left this morning. I feel like Heavenly Father as blessed us with patience thru out the day and maybe there was something defective with the plane that it wouldn't have been safe for us to fly. We feel like the Lord has blessed us and is watching out for us! This experience has truly strengthen my testimony of the spirit of the Holy Ghost and the power of the priesthood!

Mele Kalikimaka

So much to do and so little time. But here is a post that I've been wanting to do but just haven't yet. Ana's hula class taugh by my sister in-law Maria did a recital earlier this month.






It was really cute, I love watching Ana dance and she really enjoys it! Of course Jethro and the boys playing for the recital and sounded really good! Ana's cousins came to watch, its always fun to have family there to show support, I know Ana loves to have her cousins around she is a lucky girl to have cousins to dance with as welll!!

All I want for Christmas!

Ana has been asking when we can put up our Christmas tree so I kept telling her soon, the truth was I wanted to do some super cleaning before we did. So finally on Monday I got the house cleaned and we put up the tree she was so excited. It’s been so fun this year because Ana is old enough to really be truly excited for each holiday we've celebrated. Now that Christmas is here she has been wanting to help me decorate which I love because I usually do it by myself while Jethro watches TV or plays Xbox. So I let Ana hang all the ornament on the tree by herself and I just sat back and let her do as she please, usually I'm anal about placing the ornament on just right but I didn't care this year she was so cute to watch decorate the tree. She hung most of the ornaments in the same area of the tree and she was so proud of herself I didn't have the heart to fix it.




This Christmas feels a bit more magical again because of Ana's excitment, I love it!!
Every time we go to the store and look at toys I usually have in mind what I want Santa to give the kids but this year everything I thought Ana would like she has shot down all she wants from Santa is a pink phone that has a rotary dial on it and nothing else. I keep asking her do you want a Barbi, a horse, a stuffed dog all the things she loves to play with but she says "No, I just want the phone". Easy enough for me I guess she is old enough to know what she wants so we'll put it on the list for Santa!

Going private

After seeing my sister in-laws published blog I decided I would love to have that and I would want to include more private entry’s for that purpose and really do my journaling on my blog so I could have that as a legacy for my kids. So I have decided to go private for that reason. I invite you to continue to read my blog so please post your email address in the comments or email me traciboo22 at Gmail dot com that way I feel more comfortable sharing private information on my blog.

Gone but not forgotten

Yesterday was a perfect November day for a funeral. We were so happy that the weather was nice. The service for JoAnna and Kayla was perfect. I was so impressed with the three little ones there were so composed and aware and they handled the day better then me. A lot of family memebers have had the same impression that as JoAnna was being pulled from the car she saw Kayla's spirit confused as to what was going on and with motherly instincts JoAnna made the choice to be with Kayla, she knew the other girls had Russ and each other and that Kayla needed her! I feel that is so true, that is so JoAnna!! Although I know of God plan for us and that we can be together again I can't help but miss Joey and Kayla so much!!

I have a very thoughtful husband. Jethro said that the last time we went camping him and Kayla wanted to make a "nature bottle". A "nature bottle" is what the kids usually make out of used water bottles, they gather rocks and flowers and acorns and fill up the bottle with them. So Jethro and Kayla spent an hour looking for acorns and rocks and flowers and all that to make their nature bottle but because they got distracted with the idea to go fishing they never finished making their nature bottle. So Jethro gathered some acorns and flower petals and put them in a vase with a candle and made Kayla her "nature bottle". I thought that was so sweet of him!!






This has been a big eye opener for Ana as to what death really is. I still don't think she fully understands because she says she doesn't want JoAnna and Kayla to be dead anymore and that she wants them to wake up.


I don't know how else to explain it to her but she comes to me and says "mom, lets talk about Kayla and JoAnna" I think we will continue to have lots of talks about them and others we know that have passed on. I just keep thinking how would we do this without the blessed knowledge of the gospel!!

This thing we call death.

I lost my dear cousin JoAnna and her daughter Kayla this past Thursday. JoAnna was my best friend since we were little we were always together when our families got together Joey and I loved to play together and as young girls I always thought it was so cool that she had her own song,"JoAnna I love you" by Kool and the Gang. JoAnna was always so much fun to be around she was a kind and patient mother and a great example. Kayla was JoAnna's clone she loved everything her mother loved most especialy animals. They had horse, dogs and even a pony. They had such a wonderful life here on earth they both left their prints on everyones hearts who knew them. I love them both so much and will miss them greatly! I'm so grateful that JoAnna married a man like Russ, he is such a hard worker and does all that he can to provide for his girls. Russ has also been a great example and I am so proud to call him family!! A trust fund has been set up at Wells Fargo for the Russel Anderson Family if you can please donate and help Russ who has to pay for two funerals and hospital expenses!!



What is this thing called death
This quiet passing in the night?
Tis not the end but genesis
of better worlds and greater light.

O God, touch Thou my aching heart
And calm my troubled, haunting fears.
Let hope and faith, transcendent, pure,
Give strength and peace beyond my tears.

There is no death, but only change,
With recompense for vict’ry won.
The gift of Him who loved all men,
The Son of God, the Holy One.

-President Gordon B. Hinckley-

better late then never

Finally my halloween update!

So we didn't get to do all our fun traditions because the month of October flew by so fast and money was short but we still had fun. We went to the annual 3rd ward Halloween Party in my mom's ward. The 3rd ward has always had a Halloween party for as long as I could remember and its always a lot of fun!! Then we went to our wards trunk or treat. This was the first trunk or treat we've ever been a part of so we had no clue what to do and we failed on our first time. We got there late (suprise, suprise) and Jethro parked the car a little to far away from the action so I stood there in limbo in the middle of all the trick or treaters with my bowl of candy and looked like an idiot plus we didn't bring anything to decorate the car......we are new at the trunk or treat thing, our ward from before NEVER did anything, it was an activitiless ward lol. So for sure next year we will be more prepared and do a way better job at the trunk or treat!! Other then that we had fun watching Ana enjoy the Halloween holiday and all it has to offer. She was very disappointed the next day when I started taking down all the decorations, she wanted it to be Halloween all the time until I told her that it will be Christmas soon she was happy about that but that statement just put a knot in my stomach, this Christmas is going to be an interesting one, but more about that later!

Pumpkins

For Family Home Evening we carved pumpkins usually I like to buy a pumpkin for each person in the family but since I am the one that ends up carving ALL the pumpkins I just got two this year, Jethro varies year to year on whether he is into carving or not, I love it but he did help Ana carve her pumpkin this year so I think from now on I'll just buy enough for the kids. It was perfect just two pumpkins and this year Ana was more into it and a lot more helpful too, she drew her own face and helped clean and carve it to. I think she did a pretty good job!!

I like to call it "Scare or be scared"

Happy 60th Mom!

Last week was my moms birthday and she is a glorious, wise and wonderful 60 years young!! We surprised her with a birthday party at Brickoven and later we hung out at the house and ate cake and ice cream. It was alot of fun, all of us were there which is rare these days. It was lots of fun being with everyone again, I'm so grateful to have a wonderful family and most importantly two wonderful parents. My mom is my best friend and I know I can turn to her for anything and she will be there for me at a drop of a hat. I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with a wonedrful mother!!

Kids say the funniest things

Ana is playing with her cousins right now

Gracie (talking about her brother): She is going to sleep
Ana: He's a boy not a girl
Gracie: He's not a boy he's a son

Primary Program

Our ward had their primary program today and it was awesome!! This years theme is "My Eternal Family", I have never felt the spirit so strong during a primary program. All the kids did a good job memorizing their parts and some even spoke their parts in Samoan. The best part of the whole program was the singing. I was so amazed to see ALL the kids singing even the sunbeams knew the words to the songs. It was like a choir of angels singing with them it was so powerful and strong! While the kids sang the new primary song "Family is of God" I felt the spirit so strongly! That is my new favorite song and then after they finished Ana got up and said her part, she said it perfectly "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ", it was so cute it brought tears to my eyes so see my baby girl getting so big. I know I'm gonna be a bawl baby when she has to start school!! Maybe because it was Ana's first time participating in the primary program I enjoyed it so much and also it was my first time in 6 years to get to sit in the audience and enjoy the program!! I wish I could have video taped it, it was the best primary program yet!! We have some great primary leaders and I am so grateful to them for all their hard work in teaching our kids, especially the primary chorister she did an amazing job teaching all the kids the songs. I just can't say enough it was a great program!!

the "WHY" stage

I can't upload pictures for some reason I don't understand. But I just wanted to update my blog since its been a month already.
Ana is in the "WHY" stage and she is constanly asking "WHY this" and "WHY that" I do my best to answer her honestly and the best way I can to a four year old but the other day she asked "Why do boys have long tita's?" (tita's is samoan for weewee's, peepee's whatever you may call it in your home) I about fell on the floor out of shock and holding in my laughter. This question came about I later found out after spending time at her cousins house she watched my sister in-law changing her sons diaper and I guess Ana asked her about boys parts as well seeing that his didn't look anything like hers. My sister in-law said that she told her boys have diffrent parts then girls or something and then Ana said "Yeah and my dad has a big one!" LOL Gotta love this stage no shame at all, what do ya do!

On the other end Penina is starting to try and talk more she can say "Cheers" and "Hi" and something that sounds like "Hello" She loves cell phones and pretends to talk on the phone chattering baby talk with her hand on her ear, its so cute!! When Penina see's something that amuses her she says "OOOO DAT" I love it, she is such a funny girl, she laughs at herself when she knows she is being silly. She loves to play with Ana and tried to do everything she does! I love seeing my two girls play together, its melts my heart when Ana looks up and says "I love my sister and I think she loves me too"

Happy Birthday Penina!

Yesterday was Penina's first birthday!! I can't believe it's been a year already, all day I would look at the clock and recall what we were doing a year ago at that time. Jethro went to church and as soon as he came home we took Ana to my moms and went to the hospital and by 6:30 that night Penina was born!! We didn't do too much yesterday I had to work and so we just hung out at home while I got some office work done, but we did decorate the house and let Penina open her presents after lunch. she got some clothes, pajama's, a book and a Leap Frog Fridge Phonics toy that teaches her the animals.

Later Grandma and Grandpa came over and we went to China Isle for dinner and came home for cake and ice cream. Grandma gave her some clothes and a Chatter phone and the one toy that Penina loved the most was a doll that made sucking noises when you fed it a bottle and if you pulled the bottle out the baby cried. She LOVES that doll and wouldn't let it go all night until we pulled out the cake and lit the candle then she was enthralled with the fire until she burned her fingers trying to touch it and then she didn't like the candle anymore so Ana blew out her candle and we let Penina dive into her cupcake.
She loved it!! I put newspaper under her seat for easy clean up but she barely made a mess on the floor she ate the whole cupcake!!

Like I said before I can't believe its been a year Penina has brought such joy to our family I love her so much and can't remember what life was like without her!! Penina loves to give kisses and hugs and if you pick her up she will lay her head on your shoulder and snuggle you. Penina captures everyone who meets her because of her sweet smile and her long hair. We always get complements on how adorable she and Ana are and I love it I'm so grateful to have two beautiful little girls!!

"Where did summer go?"

Lately I've been asking myself "Where did summer go?" It came and went so fast it seems, but as I browse thru my pictures I realize we did get to do alot of fun stuff. So I decided to post some reminiscing pictures on some of the fun things we did thru out the summer!!