Grandpa Thomas E. Howerton

What a hard yet cherished post.  I have been thinking for over a week as to what I wanted to say in order to honor my sweet Grandpa Howerton and yet the tears still flow and my heart aches as am reminded how much I love him and miss him.  I decided to pull out my missionary journals and reflect on what I wrote about my grandparents as I was on my mission.  What a tender experience it was to read the words that I wrote.

May 11, 2003

"I got to call my mom, my grandparents and my dad today. It was good to talk to them but the news that I  got about my grandpa made my heart sink.  I know that Heavenly Father is in control. I hope that Heavenly Father will permit my grandpa to stay here until I get home. I know that this sounds selfish but I pray that Heavenly Father will allow my grandpa to stay here until I get married and have babies, so that they will know just how wonderful he is.  I tried to be happy and let them know that I am doing well here in Georgia, but I couldn't, I just cried and cried on the phone.  I love my sweet grandpa so much and would do anything for him. I even made sure that I didn't go over the 20 minute limit that my mission president gave us so that maybe the blessings that would come from being obedient will fall on grandpa.  I told my grandpa that I would pray for him.  He said, "I know that if someone like you prays for me, I will be alright. It is a very special thing to have you pray for me." I don't know why he has so much faith in me. He stared crying when it came time to hang up. I guess it's hard for him that I am here too."

May 9th, 2004

"I got to call home today.  I talked to my grandparents, Tina, dad, Joseph, Savana and Randy. It was good to talk to them. My grandpa and dad said they have been waiting all week to talk to me. It was so cute!! My grandparents say they can't wait for me to come home and my grandpa even said that he wanted the 1st hug.  He then told me that he loves me as much as a person can love another person. That was very special for me to hear that from him. I am happy that everything is going well at home!" 

Some of the things that I wrote in those journal entries I remembered, for example, I remember praying to Heavenly Father to allow my grandpa to stay until he could meet my eternal companion and babies.  I remember it clear as day.  I am so thankful that prayer was heard.  My grandpa has always been a very special and important person in my life. He has loved me unconditionally and always made sure that I knew that. It may sound funny, but I can still feel his love today and I hope that feeling never goes away. I learned so much from him and I am a better person for it.  I know that he is in paradise now, happy and looking down on us this very minute. I hope I can always live my life in such a way that would be pleasing to him. This world is a better place because of

Thomas E. Howerton

4/23/1938 - 7/15/2012



4th of July 2012

This year for the 4th of July, we got up early and made a pancake, sausage and egg breakfast and them got ready to go to the parade. SO MUCH FUN!!! Holidays get more fun every year as our kids get a little bit more excited for the festivities!

I love how Siaosi is adoringly looking at his brother!!

Alofa getting Toa all buckled in for the walk to the parade!!

Waiting to start the walk to the park :)

Toa running around the park as we waited for the parade to start

Alofa wanted to make sure Toa didn't miss a thing so he put him on his shoulders and kept him there through out the whole parade. Toa felt pretty special and was able to see everything!

Alofa with Toa on his shoulders

Siaosi fell asleep and slept for most of the parade.  Such as sweet little boy!

Sweet sleeping baby Si!

Toa loved the motorcycles the most! He would clap as they rode by and when there was music he would start dancing on Alofa's shoulders. He loved the parade!! It was so fun to see him get so excited and point at everything as they passed by!

Toa clapping!!

Like father, like son!! :)

My mom with Siaosi and Alofa

After the parade, we came home and took a nap :) later we had my mom, Aunt Carrie, Tanya, Alex, Savana and Cam over for a bbq. It was a ton of fun and the food was great. 

Toa and Cam in the pool

Siaosi just chilling in the shade :)

Cam and Toa loving the watermelon

Alex, Alofa and Siaosi

Siaosi's 4th of July meal ;)

Siaosi's first time trying watermelon :)

He didn't like it so much!! Hahahahahahaha!! Another one of his silly faces!!

Playing in the dirt!! Boys will be boys!!

Bless this dirty little boy's heart ;)

Hoping they wash some of the dirt off before they get in the bath tub.

While I was in the bath room bathing the boys, Alofa came running into the house and said that my mom was having a seizure. It was so scary!! The ambulance came and took her to the E.R. to make sure she was ok.  She was there for a while and then was released.  When I came home, Toa was sleeping. I was disappointed because I wanted to watch Toa watch the fireworks so being the mean mom that I am, I went and woke him up!! I know!! NEVER wake a sleeping baby, but I did any ways!! At first I couldn't get him to open his eyes. I handed him to Uncle Ryan and he was trying to sleep on his shoulder.  I am not sure how Toa saw it, but he must of seen a firework off in the distance and sat right up, pointing to where the fireworks came from!! He was wide awake then!! It was sooo funny! I thought he would LOVE the fireworks, but I was WAY WRONG!!

Uncle Ryan, Aunty Jamie and Toa

Momma and Toa waiting for Daddy to start lighting the fireworks

At first Toa was ok with watching the fireworks from behind the fence. 

Watching the fireworks from behind the fence

So I took him outside of the  fence and this is what his reaction was!! He was sooo scared and wanted nothing to do with them!! He watched for a while but I ended up taking him back in the house and putting him back to bed. He fell right asleep :)

So afraid of the fireworks!!

After Toa went to sleep, Alofa, Ryan, Jamie, Savana, Trevin and Cam finished watching the rest of the fireworks. Then I went right to bed... SO, SO, SO tired!! Overall it was a great 4th of July!! We are so thankful for this country, those who keep this country free and all the blessings that we enjoy!!

June 2012

What a crazy time of life it is for us!! It seems as if time just passes so quickly and before I know it another month has come and gone! I really want to make it a priority to keep our blog updated and am going to try to make a more valiant effort to do so.

Toa and Uncle Ryan right before his first REAL 4wheeler ride

Toa has a little 4wheeler that he rides around the house and LOVES it so when we went up to Uncle Ryan and Aunt Jamie's camp site we thought that he would LOVE to take a ride on a real 4wheeler. We were wrong. He was fine at first but when Uncle Ryan stopped to make sure he was ok, he started crying, climbed off the 4wheeler and tried to run back to us. Bless his heart. It's been interesting to me to see what he is afraid of. He will always try to push the vacuum around the house but when I plug it in and turn it on he runs to the couch as fast as he can and tries to get away from it. Cracks me up!! I might be a mean mom, but I am ok with that ;)

Kinda nervous but willing to go for a ride, at first anyways :)

Siaosi had been going through this stage where he was afraid of almost everyone except for his momma (kinda made me feel special for a minute ;)) So when he were up camping and he would let Abby hold him with no problem, I was very impressed!!

Siaosi and Abby up camping

Toa had a BALL playing in the dirt, running around the mountain, throwing rocks and all of the fun things that little boys like to do.  He came home SO dirty and I honestly think he left a couple of pounds of mud in the bath tub after his "baf" (that's how he says bath and he LOVES them!!) 

Sliding down the mountain :)

I have to say that through out all of my life Heavenly Father has blessed me with some of the most choice and elect people I could ever hope to have known. I am so thankful for that and I am so thankful that I am able to keep in contact with many of them.  Some of those people are Melissa and Sara, both of them former roommates.  I love these girls and was so happy that we were able to meet together at my home and let our babies meet each other and play together. What a great experience!! So fun!!

Sara with Bridger, Melissa with Amy and baby girl (in her tummy) and Me with Toa and Siaosi

Father's day this year I let Alofa pick what he wanted to do, since he is a wonderful father and deserves it :) For some reason he LOVES Golden Corral. LOVES IT!! So, me being the good wife that I am, let our family go to Golden Corral for Father's Day. We took my dad, Tina, Joe and met Randy and Sami with baby Pais there. It was a good time and Alofa stuffed himself.  We went up to my grandparents and spent some time up there as well and Alofa got a new BBQ grill.  Spoiled daddy!! ;)

Daddy with Toa and Siaosi eating dinner at Golden Corral on Father's day
We love you daddy!!

I was so excited this year for Toa to be able to play in the water outside since he loves baths so much!! I knew he would love splashing in the pool as well!! I was so right!!

Toa and Emma getting ready to play in the pool!

Loving it!!

One thing that I have loved so much as I have watched Toa and Siaosi grow up together is watching how their relationship has grown and evolved.  When Siaosi was born, Toa was curious about Siaosi and would give him loves every once in a while but as time has moved on, both of them have started showing more and more affection for one another. I have cherished watching this happen, so very much!! Nothing melts my heart more that to see Siaosi get a big grin and get SO excited when his brother talks to him or when Toa walks up to Siaosi and gives him kisses for no reason. I am so happy that they love each other and can just see their relationship getting stronger and stronger as time goes on. What a blessing!! I love my little Laulu Boys!! :)

my sweet baby boys holding hands!!

At 5 Months, Siaosi has become VERY  expressive with his face! He is SO funny and makes some of the funniest faces I have ever seen!! I love him!! He learned how to blow bubbles and make "raspberry" sounds. He has become very aware of his tongue and is always sticking it out as well as sucking on his fists.  He is such a joy in our family and we love him so very much!!

Another one of Siaosi's silly faces!

Over all life is going great!! We have been very blessed and are continuing to grow and learn as a family!!