CHRISTMAS DAY

Well another Christmas Day has come and gone.. And again I'm left with the thought of Where did the time go.
Our Christmas morning started WAY before the kids woke up.. My helper David stayed up to help wrap things and to help with the two babies. Jr went to bed after taking some medicine he has a tooth ache that is KILLING him.. ( I think he just didnt want to wrap). LOL..
The kids woke up right after I finally got to bed, so it seems like I just clolsed my eyes and they were trying to wake me up so they could OPEN their presents, I stalled as long as I could but decided that I better get up because I was not going to get any sleep anyway because of the nagging of the children.
We started opening gifts and the boys quickly began to realize that Lelu had WAY more gifts then they did. I explained that the big one for the boys was to be opened last after all other gifts, Lelu of course loves the spotlight so she opened each gift as slow as she could commenting on each gift and then looking at the boys. I finally realized her game she was playing and told her to HURRY.. She got to her last gift and opened a Nintendo DS.. She jumped with glee for that was her TOP of the list request.. Now the grand finale both Sione and Amone started tearing the BIG gift for them and there it was right in front of both of them X BOX 360... A item that had been on the top of their list for 2 years now.. They could always play Uncle Siones but now it was their own.. The look on their faces were priceless.. Then it all seemed worth it, the staying up to wrap, the NO sleep just to watch them.. SO WORTH IT..
I've decided that next year we as a family are going to work more on the GIVING of the Christmas spirit.. My kids are older so they will understand the lesson being taught to them.. We are going to do the 12 days of Christmas but instead of giving each other gifts we are going to do SERVICE PROJECTS each day.. And then as gifts to each other instead of buying we are going to offer a service to each other ie.. a day of doing their chores, or a day of cooking for them, something like that.. I want them to know HOW much can be done with NO money, that doing service is worth so much more then anything else..
Well from our family to yours I hope you had a Merry Christmas and We wish you a Happy New Year...
Love
The Finau Family

2 birthday parties...

As per my previous post we had to do 2 birthday parties.. We are not a BIG birthday party throwing family, so it was very simple and very JUST US.. My baby Teki turned 1 and got to eat his very first piece of cake all by himself.. He was treated by being carried all day by everyone.. His feet did NOT touch the ground..
Iman turned 2 and because Imans only friend is my nephew Raymond they were invited.. She loves being the center of attention and just can't get enough of it.. I let her watch ELMO all day on the computer, so of course she was excited. She ate her cake opened presents, she got a motorcycle from Raymond and clothes and toys from us.. I think I'm going to hide her motorcycle just so she can get it again for Christmas.. ( I know ghetto but it's really to cold for her to take it out and play)
Now that these two parties are behind us, we can finally get ready for Christmas.. Only a few day left and lots to do...

Iman is TWO.. and baby Teki is ONE...

What can I say I have two babies in December.. Where does that leave me.. I'm not sure.. Sad is where it leaves me.. If anyone knows me then you all know my story.. We (my husband and I) had 4 kids then we were both satisfied with that then 8 yrs later we (actually me) had 2 more and they are less then a yr apart.. Crazy I know, but in some sort of weird way they actually have brought us closer together as a family.
My daughter Iman Tilah Finau will be 2 on Dec 18th.. I had her in Chicago (yes I said Chicago) She is so tiny and yet is so head strong that she yells at everyone and tries to fight everyone. The older kids laugh at her because she is so small.. They say her attitude is from Chicago. When she dances they all yell "Go Chi-Town, Go Chi-Town." and then they all laugh.. Iman was born as a chapter in my life was coming to end, she started the new chapter with happiness and a lot of forgiving (mainly of myself). When I look at her I am reminded at how simple things should be in our lives, and how the Lord remember you even in the BAD times.. Happy Birthday Iman I love you my Chi-Town BABY..
Baby Teki is 1.. His birthday was Dec 3rd.. Yes that means for 15 days Iman and him are the same age.. LOL.. I guess I'm really sad to see him grow because he is the baby of family.. He has brought so much joy to our lives we can not put it into words. When he smiles the whole family smiles, and when he cries the whole family cries.. The older kids hate to see him cry.. The older boys walk in from school and they go directly to him to bother him.. He has been the easiest baby to care for, he just wants his stomach full and a clean diaper and he is good to go.. (takes after his namesake).. I love you baby Teki Happy birthday..

Trying our hand at Wrestling

Like the title says we are trying Wrestling, which really surprises me since none of my boys have tried this sport.. I do have a nephew Aarron who is a 2x state champ.. They (David & Mone) tried out for the team and they both made it, David made varsity and Mone made Jr varsity. I'm just glad they made it, shocked as all HECK seeing as we've never tried it.
But wow it has been an experience for us all. The excitement of one on one combat and the THRILL of knowing that the victory is ALL YOURS or the defeat is due to something LACKING on your part is great, my boys have been involved in some type of sport every season of the year but it has usually been something pertaining to a TEAM situation.. Although BOXING is our family sport that's a given, they have only trained in boxing never competed alone. So this is a first for us.
Our first match was against Matheson Jr high, I was nervous (knowing that my boys would be out there alone) but friends comforted me saying they would be all right and that my boys are athletes and win or loose they would do fine. First came up Mone in the beginning he looked so happy go lucky (typical Mone) but when the whistle of the Ref blew he put his game face on.. 1st round done and Mone is ahead by 11 to 0.. Second round begins and right into it Mone pins his opponent, I screamed like a crazy women, I was so proud of him, his team jumped to help him celebrate and I could see the joy of VICTORY in his face.. So glad that was over but now I had to worry about David, the guy he was going against placed 3rd in district last yr.. Then the match began David pins him in less then a minute, oh my gosh the screaming like a crazy women begins.. I am so proud of the boys they are really liking this whole wrestling thing, and I'm glad they like it and are learning a new sport..(hey whatever keeps them busy is a good thing)..

If anyone knows me you all know that I coupon shop.. With the way things are headed with the economy and the job shortages SHAME ON YOU if don't.. I belong to a group of women who call themselves the Cents able Shoppers.. Today we took a break from Seeking out the best deals around town and decided to give back to our community. We all donated to the Utah Food Bank both with food donations and time. We were scheduled to be volunteer from 10am-12pm first we dropped off our food donations then we all headed into the warehouse to help. I took my 3 sons with me I felt like they needed to see that some people are worse off then us. Our group was in charge of the receiving dock which included, greeting donaters with their items, weighing all items, and giving receipts to the people and then sorting ALL that was donated.. Sounds easy but when you get a BIG donation try doing all that so you can clear the docks for the next car/truck waiting in line.. All in all it was a lot of fun. The workers at the Food Bank had never had so much fun with the volunteers we were truly an unforgettable group. We took pictures of everything and everyone. My boys learned that helping is a GOOD thing and that no matter if there is only Ramon Noodles in the house it's better then nothing..
I would like to thank Sinai Pauni for organizing the group to begin with, and a big Thank you goes out to Ati Vainuku and Mare Moala for organizing the FOOD bank project. This is the first time I or my kids have ever done this, I'm grateful for the chance to GIVE BACK even though it didn't seem like it because we couldn't stop laughing..
Thanks again ladies it was a blast..

David is 15 years old...

Wow my baby boy is actually 15 years old.. Where has the time gone.. Can you believe it..
David is our first born son and has really a OLD MAN spirit to him. He is stuck between being a MAN and still wanting to be a BOY.. Being his mother and being a women I dont know what he is going though.. But what I can say is this "When he gets out of this stage he will be a force to be reckoned with."
David has a special relationship with his Grandpa Sione Pouha.. He is always trying to get out trouble by just hanging around him, he knows when Grandpa is near we can NOT yell at him. I see the way he looks at Grandpa when Grandpa is talking to him and I know their relationship will carry on from this life to the next. He loves being referred to as Grandpa shadow, there is a trust there that I wish David had in us (his parents) I know that David feels SAFE when he is with his Grandpa and that no harm will ever fall upon him when he is at Grandpas' feet. I love David for loving MY DAD and I love my DAD more for loving my son..
Happy Birthday David may you learn all you need to learn from us (your parents) and may you cherish every moment that your Grandpa blesses you with..

My 16th wedding anniversay

So today or should I say yesterday (it's after midnight) was our 16th wedding anniversary.. WOW I can't believe it's been that long.. We have had a journey though out our marriage, but we have come out ahead of the game most of the time and as for the times when we were behind the game we held on to each other and to our kids and waited for the game to be over.. Some (I mean ALL) could say that our marriage needs to made into a LIFETIME movie, but I would never change a scene.. I have learned a lot from my husband and from my kids.. I have become more of a forgiving person and have applied patience in every aspect of my life.. I have become more humble and have learned that the Lord does hear and answer prayers.. No matter where you are praying from. I know that my husband and I are meant to be TOGETHER FOREVER.. We both have proven time and time again that we're not going anywhere without the other.. I love him for accepting me and forgiving me for all the wrong I do.. I love him for being patient with me and for loving our children.. I love him for going to work everyday for our family and asking me if I'm done fighting so he can go eat..haha..
Cant wait for the next 16 years honey.....

Already a LONG WEEKEND

Yesterday was Halloween and the kids were already loaded with candy.. Tuesday was our ward trunk o treat and they filled up there, of course walking around the cars several times helped.. They ended the night with hot chocolate and warm french bread.. Friday was Halloween which started at school with a parade and class parties, again my kids were loaded with stuff... Friday night of course being the main event the kids started trick o treating all of them Amone, Sione, Lelu, Baby David, Raymond and Iman (Baby Teki didnt make the cut and David was too cool to go).. They had only gone for 3 blocks when everyones candy was full.. Seems like our neighborhood kids went elseswhere to trick o treat so everyone was dumping handfuls into the kids bags. LUCKY US.. So Jr brought them home and left the 2 babies with me and took the older ones.. Again after only a little bit they came home with a full bad, same scenerio.. Needless to say everyone was looking for dinner so we ended up at IHOP with a bunch of children in the middle of their sugar rush.. Noone could sit down and noone would stop talking.. After we made it out alive, (I thought for sure they were going to ask us to leave) everyone came home and watched some t.v. and drifted off into sleep one at a time.. Except you guessed it Iman.. Needless to say her and I stayed up until 2:30am..
Saturday started early.. Sione had a football game at 8:30am and had to be on the field an hour prior.. So off we went, No we didnt play in the playoffs we entered the JAG BOWL.. Sione did well he scored 3 times (2 of the touchdowns were called back) we lost by 1pt.. Sione had some LEARNING moments like when he fumbled the ball and got mad at the quarterback so he stood there watching the other team recover the ball... But he did run his heart out and push all the way till the end.. I'm proud of him he played well...
I'm grateful for the kids I have all their talents and all their faults.. I am trying to be a better mom and to understand where they come from and why they do the things they do.. I love each of them and am grateful that Jr and I have some GREAT kids...

Amone got his game back

So it's been an interesting Saturday 10/25... Of course like every Saturday it's a Football day.. Sione played at 9am and despite the efforts of all they could not pull a win out.. Sione however got to play around at nose tackle (I know it's a X man position but for some reason Sione has always wanted to play it) and he loved it, I think next year he is not going to try and make weight because he loves the LINE.. Something about hitting people.. haha..
Next was David, they got to play on the Main field at Skyline High it was exciting for the 9th grade boys to play there, and again another loss for our Jr Team.. David had a great game with several sacks and several tackles on the running back.. I still don't get why Utah has the heavier kids playing only the line position because a 214 lb David hitting a 90 lb kid doesnt make any sense. GO FIGURE..
The last game was Amone he started out kinda down, he couldn't get any yards no matter which way he ran and he still is trying to go HEAD UP with everyone instead of using the speed that he has to beat everyone into the end zone. So into 3rd quarter we go and what happens Amone FUMBLES the ball, he is frustrated I can see it in his eyes and the way his hands go straight up and lays on top of his head.. His coaches pull him out of the game with the usual yelling at him for not holding on to the ball Amone stands on the sideline with his frustration. To my suprise he is sent in because the defense have stopped Skyline from getting a 1st down, so as the quarterback is calling the countdown Amone goes into motion and they hand him the ball (I'm amazed at how many chances this coach gives this kid) He runs for his life he swings out wide and runs up the sideline for a TOUCHDOWN. His team and the crowd go into a loud ROAR.. We are down by 1 point. Then our team decides to go for the 2 point conversion and who do you think they hand it to .... You guessed it Amone.. He fakes right then to the left and finds a wide open hole (Thanks LineMEn) and is in the endzone.. We are ahead by 1.. We go into kick off mode and Skyline has the ball, they fumble and Kearns has it.. There is 1 minute and 40 seconds left of the game, we run some plays and get the 1st down again, then the next play the coaches call a Time out.. They go into a huddle and then they get ready the next play starts the quaterback starts the countdown and I see Amone going into motion he gets the ball and starts to head for the hole it closes and Amone hits the one next to it, next thing we know Amone is sitting in the endzone.. AGAIN can you believe it.. Kearns is up by 7.. We go into Kick off mode and time runs out.. GO COUGARS.. Amone is the hero of the game, and everyone is running to him, he has a Big smile on his face and his jumping in joy to their victory. The look on Amone face is what I have been looking for this whole season, the look of JOY like he knows what he is doing.. Been awhile.. haha
I cant believe the Lord has blessed me with such talented kids.. They don't see the options in their life is going to limitless. (again I am kinda bias seeing as I am the MOM). I pray the Lord stays with them uses them in his WAY.. I hope my kids live a long and happy life and that ALL their dreams come true..
Incase your wondering why I'm up so late after a long day at the field.. Iman is awake watching TV.. Please laugh to yourself.. haha

Up @ 4am

I know it sounds like an awful title but I am.. I'm sitting here because me daughter Iman is WIDE awake.. For some reason she wants to eat and to drink and watch t.v. SO here I am she has eaten and drank and now she is sitting on the couch next to me watching tv.. I keep telling her to go Night Night but she looks at me and says NO NO mommy.. I'm wondering what else is going to go wrong today, seeing that it is only 4 in the morning, if this is how the day has started then I should just call it quits from here.. haha
I know there are countless parents who are saying Been there Done that.. But I just wanted everyone to know that I am going through it right now as I type.. Why do they wake up so early? But when you need to run errands they are fast asleep.. Why is so much energy wasted on the young when us OLD FOLKS have to watch them? Why did the Lord make them so dang cute that being MAD at them is so pointless, because they don't understand what all the fuss is about.. To them it's as simple as get up mom and lets go to the living room, whats taking so long?
But my biggest questions to all the PARENTING EXPERTS out there is? Why is Iman starting to fall asleep now when it's time for me to wake up the other kids? And.. Why will she wake up after I have all the other kids off to school and it's time for me to take a NAP?
Well if anyone has an answer then let me know... Or if anyone knows the number to CALGON let me know because today is already starting to be a CALGON TAKE ME AWAY type of day...

Learning to cope with life

Well another busy weekend has come and gone..
Friday 10/17
Our family had a relaxing day.. The kids didnt have school because of UEA weekend, so I let them sleep in and just lounge.. They have had a busy couple of months so it was just good to Vegetate.. (spelling?).. Friday night our ward had a relief society dance in honor of all the visiting teaching they had done and our youth kids had been asked to do a number that they learned for it.. It was an African number.. The kids of course made every excuse in the book not to go and perform, but we are trying to keep our kids active in church activities that NOT performing was NOT an option.. David seemed ok with performing since he had decided long ago that it was not worth the fight.. But our second son Amone was using every excuse in the book, for those of you who havent had the pleasure of meeting Amone, he is oh how should I put it.. His football coach use to call him the BLONDE bombshell.. He couldnt remember half the stuff you told him off the field but on the field he couldnt be stopped.. Back to the subject.. SO we are sitting there and I am ironing the costumes to be worn and Amone looks at me and asks MOM if I loose this costume can I not be in it.. And I told him Well if you loose it you will just have to perform with out it, but your performing either way.. Then he walks by me and says under his breath WHy are we doing an African Number when I havent even learned a tONGAN number.. After all that HE ended up doing it and it was FUN they had a lot of FUn..
Sat 10/18
We started with the same schedule, getting up to get ready for the football game.. Sione played at 9am and they have some real talent on the team they are just developing it and so they are in a LEARNING period.. Sione scored there only touchdown so we were happy for him. They still came away with a loss. Next game was David he did an awsome job he got 4 sacks and a bunch of tackles but again a loss.. Next was Amone he is finally getting his game back, he has been on a vacation for some time now.. BUt he ran with tackles all around him and he got the first down a lot for his team.. SO he ended up being our only win for the FINAU family.. After we all ended up at home resting and getting away from the sun and the crowd..
Sun 10/19
We didnt go to church today because we went to a Homecoming of my cousins kid Alex Vanisi.. He gave a beautiful talk and you could feel the spirit there testifying that he was a great missionary and that he served the Lord with all his heart.. THat ended with an EATING at the parents house with good food and good company, anytime we get together with family there is always a good time to be had by all..
So I have come to accept the fact that GONE are the lazy weekends where you could leave the world behind and just sit at home with your family.. I know the kids schedule will only get more and more complicated and that this is our life for awhile.. But I am greatful for everyone who has helped us in the past and in the present and for those of you who will help us in the future.. It takes a village to raise a child.. So if we happen to cross your way while we are running around town keep in mind We love you and appreciate you..
Love the Finau Family..

Our weekend

Well another weekend has come and gone and we played West lil league football on Saturday. The boys did good however ALL came away with a loss. But you know I am the mother so I thinked they did good. Sione scored a touchdown and despite his last minute plays they fell to West by 6pts. (I think). Next was David.. His team is another Blog all in of itself, they havent learned to play together as a team because most of them were on the B team and this is their first time playing with David, so the whole team Unity thing has not caught on to them yet.. David had his awsome blocks (again I am the mother) and played his heart out but it looks like the cards just were not in their favor this past Saturday. Next game was Amone. He did well and despite the SNOW he did his best as the running back, although he is noticing that he LOVES defense and that he would rather HIT people then run the ball, I hope he finds the passion for games the way he use to because when he does there will be no way to STOP him.. The weather was favorable despite the fact is was suppose to rain and snow, it only caught us during the LAST game, we still enjoyed watching the boys develop their talents..
Sunday was good, expect we didnt make it church everyone was up all night with running nose and coughing.. But I want everyone to know that I do have a testimony, and that I am a strong believer of the Repentance process I believe the Lord forgives those that come to him with a soft heart. I believe the Prophet Thomas S Monson to be a true man of god and that if we follow his counsels we will someday be runited with our Father in Heaven..
I love my family meaning my 6 kids and my hard working husband, I love my brothers and sisters, I wouldnt of made it this far without em..
Hope you all have a great week and God watch over you..

The joy of 2 babies

So as you can see by our pictures we have been blessed with two babies only a year apart.. We thought we were done and we thought Lelu was going to be our only girl, but we were wrong.. The Lord has given us another girl named Iman who is totally opposite from her older sister Lelu. Or maybe Lelu is older and the BAD memories have all been erased. But she is definetly a strong willed young girl. She can yell across the whole entire house and everyone hears her.. And when she wants something she's going to get it.. (no matter what).. Our older daughter loves the fact that she finally has a sister I think she wanted one that wasnt so bossy.. Imans first word was LELU.. thats how much she calls her older sister for HELP..
The baby of our family is Sateki Sii Finau (Baby Teki) he is a bundle of joy. We enjoy every movement and sound that he makes. All of his older brothers and sisters spoil him tremendously. They all love him so much they wake him up when he is sleeping , they get mad at the sibbling that makes him cry, they carry him all over the house and everywhere else we are. He holds a special place in all our hearts.
My husband says the Lord gave us two more because the older ones don't like us.. And some days I believe that. But I think he gave them to us to complete our family and to remind us that life really is simple and that our hectic schedules and our postitions in things and our duty to everything else makes us forget that..
Now if I could just get my older kids to slow down their busy schedules so I don't have to take these two babies to everything..

So another busy weekend @ the Finau house..
Saturday has been hectic around here.. The 3 boys playing football at 9am, 12pm and 3pm means we are there from the opening kick off to the actual last play of the day.. Oops forgot to mention my nephew Baby Davids games are at 10:30am.. It seems like just yesterday I was taking just our oldest son David to practice and begging the rest of the boys to sit still and to stop running into Davids practice.. Now they all have teams to call their own. Where did the time go.. By the time Amone played the weather had gone from bad to worse you could see blankets of water being poured upon us as we watched the game... Don't worry Me and my sisters are die hard fans and will sit thru anything.. I kept thinking how funny life is and if you don't pay attention to it it will pass you by.
Then came Sunday.. Of course as we all know it was General Conference, I'm glad to say it was GREAT.. (but then again when isnt it).. I was happy to hear the prophet talk about whats important in life and how we need to take the time for our family and friends, because this past weekend I noticed how so much of my time is spent worrying about STUPID things instead of paying attention to my family, my husband and my children.. So know I'm going to make a goal for the rest of the year (hopefully it turns into a habit for the rest of my life).. To Oh whats the old saying... "Stop and smell the roses".. Pay attention to how fast David is growing (i'm trying to stop that) but watch him grow into a young man.. Pay attention to Amone and how he loves ALONE time with me.. Watch Sione as he tries to prove to his older brothers that he can do anything they can do and he can do it better, give him lots of hugs and kisses because he loves it when I do.. Smile as my daughter Lelu finds something to do with her older brothers and helping her relize that even though they seem to have nothing in common she will always hold a special place in their hearts.. Watch Iman try her hardest to keep up with her big sister Lelu, as she yells across the room for her sister to come and get her or open a door.. Be amazed that we have Baby Teki in our lives and watch him grow up and copy everything his older sibblings do.. He can already dance when he hears music.. And last but not least watch in amazement as my husband gets up everyday and goes to work in the sun, rain, snow or blizzard all the while trusting me to raise the kids and make sure their needs are met..
I am a blessed person I know it and I'm getting a better understanding of it everyday.. I pray the Lord holds my family together forever and that he softens our kids hearts to forgive us (parents) as we make every mistake in the parenting book and not admit to it..