Sunday, August 22, 2010

Happy Year Anniversay!!!

One year ago today, August 22nd 2009, I made the very best decision I have ever made in my life and married my best friend for time and all eternity. I could not have picked a better companion, I don't think one exists, to help me through some of the difficult times and enjoy the best of times with. He truly is the perfect man for me and makes me laugh out loud every single day! I am the luckiest lady alive to be married to Alofaaga Laulu!!

Some of the things that we have been able to accomplish together this past year and why I love Alofa soooo much:
I started my second & last year of grad school just 2 days after we were married. What a challenge. With that last year of grad school came working full time, internship, preparation for comps, oral exams and graduation. I was a WRECK!! If Alofa could handle and put up with me through that, then he can handle ANYTHING!!! He never once complained about my frequent absence. He never once complained about not having a hot meal on the table for dinner or our house not being 100% tidy and clean. He supported me through it all and picked up my slack. I can't remember how many times I came home from school/work/internship and found a hot meal on the table with the clothes washed, folded and put away. I honestly don't think I could have made it through the last year of grad school without my husband to encourage me and support me. When I would come home in tears, saying I wanted to quit or give up on getting my degree because I was not sure I would be able to do it, he would just hold me, tell me that he knew I could do it and that I was good at what I do and very smart. That is all I needed. I know I couldn't have done it without my Alofa!
    Alofa has a very laid back personality and almost nothing stresses him out. I, on the other hand, am very up tight and stress out about everything. For this reason we make the PERFECT couple. When I start to go into my "stress out" mode, he stops me and asks what good stressing out is gonna do. He is soo right! He has been the one to keep the sanity in our home and has helped me not to get too worked up over things that I have no control over.

    He is VERY funny and keeps the mood in our house very positive and light. I am soo thankful for that! I have very RARELY seen him get mad, almost NEVER happens! He is always singing, sometimes in English and sometimes in Samoan. I laugh EVERY TIME he sings in English because he makes up his own words to the songs, and most of the time it makes NO SENSE! It's sooo funny!! I love coming home to Alofa every night. I honestly do not know how I lived without him!
    Alofa is one of the hardest workers I know. He busts his bottom all day at work then he comes home and does what he needs to do around the house. This is one of my most favorite qualities about him. I know that he will always take care of our family.
    He has done the dishes EVERYDAY since we got married. I thought this might be something that would fade after a couple of days or weeks of marriage but he is still going strong. I have not touched a dish since a year ago today! I am so thankful for his willingness to help around the house!


    I don't know what it is about Alofa but EVERY single little kid I have ever met adores Alofa. He just has this spirit about him that kids are drawn to. Just the other night, while we were at Luau practice, all of the little boys were playing soccer. Alofa got up and started playing soccer with them. He loves to be around little kids and is sooo good with them. This is just one of the reasons why I KNOW that Alofa is going to be such a GREAT daddy!! There was this little girl, about 4 years old, selling lemonade out on the corner in front of our house yesterday. Alofa went over and asked how much it was. She said, "free, it you want some." Alofa bought a cup from her and gave her a dollar bill for the lemonade. He has such a good, big heart!! He is such a great example of being good and kind to everyone!


    This is Alofa reading a story to Stanzie, our friend's little girl. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Perfect example of why Alofa is gonna be a GREAT daddy!

    Alofa LOVES food!! He is not hard to please either. All I have to do to keep him happy is keep his tummy full. And if he gets fish, taro, lamb or stake and rice it's even better. He could eat those same things every night and be just as happy as can be.


    I could go on and on as to why I am so lucky that Alofa is my eternal companion, but I won't :) The last thing I want to end with is that Alofa is ALWAYS so sensitive and attends to my needs and wants. I have never felt so important or so loved in all of my life. He makes sure that I am comfortable and happy all of the time. If I want or need something he jumps to it and makes sure it gets taken care of. He treats me like a queen. He takes into consideration my thoughts and my feelings before he does anything. He is the perfect man and husband for me. I used to dream about what my future husband and family would be like. I thought the husband and family in my dreams were the perfect husband and family, but, as always, my husband and family in reality is WAY better than I could have ever dreamt. I thank my Father in Heaven everyday for Alofaaga Laulu. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father is allowing us to grow our eternal family here on earth. This, having a baby, is the greatest accomplishment that Alofa and I have achieved thus far. I can't wait for our little man to get here and I hope and pray he is JUST LIKE HIS SWEET DADDY!!

    I am so grateful that families can be together forever. I look forward to the rest of my life and eternity with my sweet husband AND our future children.

    Sunday, August 15, 2010

    The NESTING has begun

    Nesting has officially begun!! All I care about, think about and want to do is get EVERYTHING ready for this sweet little spirit to come into our home. Alofa thinks I have really gone crazy. There will be times at night where I CAN NOT sleep for the LIFE of me because I have to get "something" done in order to make sure everything is ready for this sweet baby to come. I try to explain it to Alofa, that I really can't help it, but he still thinks I am crazy :) That's alright with me. He'll be so happy when everything is ready for our sweet baby when he gets here!
    I was looking at car seat/stroller combos with one of my good friends, Jen, and we found this monkey one. I fell in LOVE and had to have! So here it is!! Isn't it CUTE?!?!? I am sure baby boy Laulu will LOVE it just as much as his momma does :)
    I got a REALLY good deal on a baby bedroom set a few months back. It included this dresser, a changing table and the crib. I have been asking Alofa to put it together for me for the past month or so. He has thought that I was crazy, as I mentioned before, and kept telling me that we had plenty of time to get it done and it would only take him a couple of minutes. Friday he came home from work and got the changing table and dresser box out of the closet with out saying a word to me and started putting it together. I was sooooo dang happy!! Above is the finished dresser product with the "jungle" decorations for our little tiger. Didn't Alofa do such a GREAT job?!?!
    Here is the proud and happy daddy with the finished changing table product! It looks wonderful!!
    Remember how I mentioned earlier that Alofa said, "it will only take me a couple of minutes to put all of this together"? Well here is a picture of him STILL working on the dresser 3 HOURS later!! :) I was laughing my face off the whole time too!! He is sooo dang funny!! He kept saying, "YES!! I am sooo freaken smart!! Why am I not going back to school" after he would get a piece together. I love my sweet Alofa! He makes me smile and laugh every single day!!
    When I would try to help him he would say, "you just sit there and relax, let daddy do his job" Later when I started folding blankets and stuff to put under the changing table when it was done he would say, "daddy's job is done, the rest is mommy's job" I LOVED hearing those words out of his mouth, "mommy" it was a really tender and special moment for me and of course I got misty. What a blessing and a privilege, to be a mommy!!
    I love watching Alofa grow into the "daddy" role!! He had to make sure EVERYTHING was perfect as he put the baby furniture together. I am soo thankful for experiences like this. It is amazing to me how having a baby at the right time, with the right person can make everything in life seem so perfect and wonderful. Alofa is going to be such a amazing daddy! I am so blessed and thankful that I get to be the mommy to his babies and that we get to grow our eternal family here on earth. The principle of eternal families and the plan of salvation is beginning to take on some many more meanings and dimensions to it. I am so thankful for the blessings that I enjoy from the hand of my Heavenly Father. I hope that I can be the mommy he wants me to be!