Friday, November 11, 2011

Halloween 2011

Toa with his pumpkin!!
Instead of carving the pumpkin, we decided to get this kit to push into the pumpkin since Toa was too small to carve a pumpkin. He LOVED it and kept showing daddy where to drill the hole so that we could push the pieces into the pumpkin. It was really alot of fun! Toa would make sure the pieces were in good by pushing them in after Alofa and I had already put them in place. He was so cute and funny about it!

Toa with his pumpkin!!


I think he likes it!!


This year we had a TON of festivities that we participated in based around the Halloween season. The Thursday before Halloween was my work trunk or treat so we dressed Toa up in his froggy costume and let him go to town. He wasn't really interested in the candy but LOVED running around and seeing everyone. We had a great time!!


Alofa, Toa and I at my work trunk or treat! So much fun!! :)

Toa got this lion costume for his birthday from some friends and since we already had his froggy costume we decided that he would be a lion for some of our festivities and a froggy for the others. On Friday night Tina invited us to her work trunk or treat. It was so much fun! Once again, Toa wasn't too excited about the candy but loved running around seeing every one!!

Toa with the pumpkins at papa's house

Toa with Cam (who was a spider) and papa with the pumpkins right before we left for our ward trunk or treat on Saturday night.

Great Grandma Howerton has some spiders hanging from her lamp that Toa just LOVED!! He kept trying to show Great Grandpa Howerton the spiders!!

Grandma Howerton with her Toa lion cub!

Sunday we stayed home and enjoyed family time and on Monday we took Toa trunk or treating at Celeste's work. 4 times trick or treating?!?! Yep!! He was wore out and slept like a champ the following night! He had a great Halloween and it was so fun to dress him up and watch him run around!!

10-1-11 Toa's first birthday!!

October 1st, 2011 we celebrated Toa's first birthday!! What a wonderful day with LOTS of food, family, friends and FUN!! The weather was PERFECT and the party went just how we hoped that it would. We had so much food and fun! It was the prefect way to celebrate the first birthday of our sweet Toa Thomas Laulu

Alofa and his friends manned the BBQ, cooking up a FEAST of meat and food!! We are so thankful for all of the work that our friends and family offered in order to make his birthday a success.
The birthday cake
Toa got his own birthday cake

At first he had NO idea what he was supposed to do with it. He kept looking to me, seeking permission to dive in. It took him a little while and some help from ALOT of the other kids at the party but he finally dove in and had so much fun destroying his very own cake. I honestly don't think he ate very much of it... Bless his heart!

And this is what the cake looked like when he was finished playing with it :)

Looks like a very happy birthday boy!!



Our little family at the end of a wonderful first birthday party!


I can not believe it has been a whole year since Alofa and My life was changed forever, for the better! We have loved every minute of watching him learn and grow over the past year. He never ceases to amaze us as we see him master new skills and learn new things. I never knew that have a child and raising him would bring so much joy and strength to our little family. Toa is the sweetest, funniest, smartest little man. He started walking in the middle of September and has been on the run ever since. He has 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on bottom. There are times where he will just sit down and start laughing at nothing, he's a very happy baby. He thinks it is sooo funny when I get scared by a bug and just laughs as I scramble, trying to figure out how to get rid of the bug. He LOVES his daddy and is super laid back just like him. Toa gives the best kisses and knows that if he really wants something all he has to do is give his momma or daddy a kiss and they melt. Every morning when I go to get Toa out of his crib he greets me with a big smile and a kiss when I pick him up. He loves to play with daddy's ties & belts and ALWAYS takes the spoons away from momma when she is trying to eat. He loves to be chased and will run away giggling when you pretend like you are gonna get him. He gets super excited and tries jumping all of the time, but his feet never leave the floor. He dances when music comes on and it is soo cute!! He is starting to learn new dance moves and his latest one looks like he is doing squats... It's pretty funny. He is such a good sleeper and goes to bed with no fuss most of the time. He loves to play with toy cars and trucks... He will drive them ALL OVER the front room. He also loves to play with balls. He will kick them and throw them just to chase them and do it again. He has completely won over his momma and daddy's hearts. We cherish him and adore him more than words can express. He has the biggest, sweetest, dark eyes that just sparkle when he smiles, and he is ALWAYS smiling. We love him so much and thank Heavenly Father for 10-1-10, the day that our sweet Toa came into our family forever!

Happy first birthday Toa!! We hope you had a WONDERFUL day!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

It's a BOY!!

Today we had the opportunity to go to the Dr. and get our ultrasound done. Alofa had taken the day off and so we both went with Toa to the appointment. At first Toa was an ANGEL! He sat in the chair and behaved himself so well! I had drank some juice before we went because I wanted to be sure that the baby was awake and so we could see him moving around and OH BOY was he awake!! It made it very difficult to get the pictures that the ultrasound tech needed so the ultrasound took FOREVER!! Toa wasn't so happy about that and started to get a little fussy. Alofa left the room with Toa and the ultrasound tech continued to work to try to get all of the pictures that he needed. Alofa kept coming back to the room to see if we had found out if it was a boy or a girl and even though we had tried to look a few times the cord was in the way and we couldn't tell. I thought we were going to have to leave without knowing what the sex of the baby was but then the baby flipped and there it was! A BOY!! Alofa was elated!! The tech said that the cord was still in the way a little but that he wouldn't go buy any pink because he was pretty sure it was a boy. It was so fun to see our sweet baby boy on the big screen!
We are so blessed to be able to have two of Heavenly Father's choice spirits in our home! We are so excited and humbled that he trusts us enough to raise His children! We love them so very much! We love our Father in Heaven for the blessings that we enjoy! Two very healthy, active boys!! We are so grateful!
Later that night Alfoa, Toa and I were downstairs playing in our living room. Toa has made it a habit to walk along our sectional and is now starting to get a little bit more brave to the point that he tries to walk really fast, maybe an attempt to run, around the sectional. On this night, he was going back and forth from Alofa and I as we sat at each end of the sectional. When he got to Alofa, he turned around and tried to walk across the room to his momma!! He took two steps and then fell down!! His FIRST STEPS!! I can not believe how fast these little ones grow! It has been such a wonderful experience to see them learn, grow and develop! To watch Toa discover the world through his own eyes! My whole life I have waited and wanted to be a mother, but I never dreamed that it would be as wonderful as it really is! My heart is full of gratitude and I love my Father in Heaven for allowing me the opportunity to be a mommy! I wouldn't change anything in my life for the WORLD! I already have the world! :)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

2 WONDERFUL years!!

August 22nd, 2009
One of the very BEST days of my life!
The day I married my very best friend and eternal companion. I have no idea how I got so lucky! I find that I fall more and more in love with him EVERYDAY, he is the perfect man for me! He still makes me laugh everyday and does the dishes everyday. He is the perfect father and husband! He has a heart of gold and is so thoughtful of others, just the other night, we were in Wal~Mart checking out when there were some people ahead of us a few spots that couldn't pay for their groceries. First thing Alofa did was pull out his wallet and offer to pay for them. I stood there with my eyes full of tears at how generous and kind my sweet husband is. He does things like this ALL of the time! He makes me want to be a better person! I will be forever grateful that Alofa was willing to take a chance and marry me! My life is forever changed, for the better! 2 years down, an ETERNITY to go! There is nothing more that I look forward to than ETERNITY with my sweet babe! I love you Alofaaga Laulu! Thank you for giving me BEAUTIFUL children, being the PERFECT daddy and the BEST ETERNAL companion any woman could ask for!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Life is so GOOD!!

"And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."
- Anna Quindlen, Loud and Clear

Toa is 10 months. I have no idea where the time has gone. I love him to death! He makes me smile EVERYDAY, multiple times a day! He has 4 teeth, two top and two bottom and the sweetest smile that I ever did see. He shakes his head "no" when anyone says "no-no" to him or when he is full and doesn't want any more food. I really think he knows what it means. He calls me mama sometimes and it just melts my heart! He isn't much of a cuddler so when he lets me love on him I take the chance. He just recently started doing the "motor boat" thing with his tongue when I try to kiss him, guess he doesn't want momma kissing on him so much! :) He just started crawling and is now keeping Alofa and I on our toes! When he is going to get something that he knows he shouldn't have and I go after him he tries to crawl faster to get away from me, silly little man! Just a few nights ago he crawled up the stairs and now this is part of our nightly ritual, climbing the stairs to bed, eating one last bottle while he plays with my lips as I cuddle him and hum to him and then he drifts off to dreamland. I hold him for a while before I put him in his crib and thank Heavenly Father that I get to be his mommy.

I worry at times that my house isn't clean enough or that I am not doing everything that a wife and a mother should be doing. I am so tired from working full time and being pregnant. The quote on the top of this post helps me not to feel so guilty, knowing that the time that I do get to spend with Toa, I TRY to cherish and treasure! I know that I can do better and I will work at that, he is growing to fast not to. Alofa is so kind and patient. He is the best father and husband that I could ever ask for. He can get Toa to laugh harder than I have ever seen him laugh, Toa ADORES his daddy!!

I love my sweet boys more than I could ever express. They are my heart and soul! I am so thankful for the blessings that I enjoy! I am thankful for the amazing man that I call my husband and is the father of our children. I am thankful that Heavenly Father has trusted us with Toa and is sending another sweet spirit to our home. Life is SO GOOD!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Toa's First Circus!!

We took Toa to the circus for the first time this year and really didn't know what to expect from him. I thought he might enjoy it but when we very first got there Alofa tried to give him a ride on a little pony and he started SCREAMING because he was so scared!! Bless his heart!! I was pretty nervous after that and wondered if he had just made a bad choice to bring him to the circus, with clowns and elephants that can be super scary, at such a young age. I was nervous that we would traumatize him for life!! Turns out that he LOVED it!!


We sat right by where all of the clowns and animals came out onto the stage and he was memorised!! It was so fun to watch him try to figure out what in the world was going on!Momma and her baby boy waiting for the show to begin!


Our sweet little family! Daddy and Toa
It really was such a good show! Alofa and I enjoyed it just as much or maybe even more than Toa did! We will for sure go again in the future! SO FUN!!

Toa's bed time hit at about half way through the show. So we just put him in his car seat and he slept through the rest while Alofa and I enjoyed what was left. We had a great time!




It's so fun to be able to take Toa to things like this and see him watch in amazement! He is growing so fast and we are LOVING every minute!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Toa at 7 months

The month of May has been a super busy month for our family. Baby blessing, birthday party, baptism, first tooth and the list goes on and on! I will warn you that there are ALOT of pictures in this post, we tried to get pictures of everything.

My handsome little man all dressed up for Eli's baby blessing in Salt Lake

I think it is so funny how Toa hangs on to the handles of his car seat! Cracks me up!! Whenever he is in his car seat he will grasp the handle with both hands and HANG on for a "wild" ride!

On the way to Salt Lake. He thought it was so funny when I would wiggle my finger while he held it. He has been doing that ALOT lately, holding my fingers and just staring at me while he is eating or when we are just hanging out together. I love it so much!

Violette, Toa, Miles, Eli, Athena and Celena at Eli's baby blessing

Toa sitting in a big boy chair

Trying on a hat at the Zoo. He didn't like it and wouldn't wear it, too bad, it looked so dang cute! :)

Daddy and Toa

Toa is at the stage where he is chewing on EVERYTHING! SOOO CUTE!

Super excited at the Zoo. He LOVED the monkeys!!

Family picture at that Zoo

Toa's first taste of ice cream... he wasn't impressed! :)

Alofa and Toa with aunty and uncle in Springville

Toa and I with Alofa's aunty in Springville! We LOVE her!!

Checking out his tail...


Toa cuddling with the giraffe that we got him at Hogle Zoo

"How do I look daddy?" "Looking good son!"

Toa trying on daddy's sunglasses at the baptism :)

This was on Mother's day just as we were leaving the hotel on our way back to home sweet home! I had a wonderful Mother's day weekend and enjoyed every single minute with my boys! Alofa even surprised me with a Mother's day gift!! A SWEET card with a gift certificate to get a mani and a pedi!! I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have to be a mother! It is by far the best thing that has EVER happened to me and I will be forever grateful! I am so thankful for my husband as well!! He is the best daddy and husband in the whole world!

After church on Sunday we decided to get out of the house and take Toa to the park to play on the swings and check out the grass! He loved it!! He is such a curious and adventurous little man! We are gonna be in trouble when he gets more mobile, that is for sure!

Checking out the swing!

My handsome boys!! Love them more than words could describe!

Toa was pretty excited that we let him sit on the grass!! Look at that grin!

Such a handsome, happy little man!
Toa LOVES his daddy!! He gets soo excited when daddy comes home and I catch him just staring at his daddy smiling sometimes when we are just hanging out around the house. I can't blame him! I catch myself staring and smiling at Alofa too sometimes because he is just so dang WONDERFUL!

Toa LOVES to pull grass!! I was worried that he was going to pull it and start putting it in his mouth, since EVERYTHING goes in his mouth at this time, but he didn't. He just pulled it and let it go. I had a hard time getting his attention away from the grass. He was pretty fascinated.

Toa's first tooth!! It broke through on May 21st!! I was starting to get worried and wondered if this child would have any teeth so I was sooo excited to see that my little man was starting to get some chompers in so that he can start getting ready for the foods I am sure he will love, just like his daddy!! He is always playing with his tooth with his tongue now, just trying to get used to it and figure it out! Such a silly boy! He has recently started chewing on the nipple of his bottles as well. He will grip it with his gums/tooth and pull out the nipple as hard as he can. I am pretty nervous that he is going to pull the nipple right off of the bottle one of these days and I am gonna have milk EVERYWHERE!!
Toa isn't much of a cuddler because he is SO interested with EVERYTHING that is going on around him but when he does cuddle it's wonderful!! My favorite thing lately has been that he will lay in bed with me in the mornings after breakfast and look into my eyes with his hand on my cheek. Melts my heart! Such a tender and special time! I would give ANYTHING to know what he is thinking during those times. Other times he will just push me away when I try to cuddle him or help him get his binki in the RIGHT way instead of upside down. He gets pretty feisty at times too. Bless his heart! Such an independent child! 7 months of FUN!! It's gets better and better everyday!!