Toa Thomas Laulu 10-1-10

The 3 weeks before our little man came were SOOO stressful on me! Alofa had gone back to Samoa three weeks before the due date of 10-8-10 so I was home all alone for the last couple of weeks of this pregnancy. That was hard. I thought that I would be fine since I was 28 years old and had spent 27 of those years single. I was wrong! Very wrong! I guess in the past year of being married I actually started to become dependent on my husband :) I felt like I could not live without him while he was gone and wondered how I ever did it before he came. Right before he left he gave me a blessing and I just sobbed! He has so much faith and knew that everything would be just fine. My faith wavered at times. I wasn't so sure and I was super scared. Faith and fear can not abide in the same heart at the same time. Alofa's heart was full of faith, my heart was full of fear. Good thing I married such a faithful man! I needed his faith more than ever then! After the blessing I had to go to work and it took everything i had not to cry the whole day! To make things worse, I had an ultrasound the day before Alofa left because the Dr. was afraid that the baby was going to be really big. She called me while at work, after Alofa had left and said that according to the ultrasound, the baby was measuring REALLY big and she wasn't going to let me go clear to my due date. When she said that I started bawling because Alofa was clear across the world and wouldn't be back until

9-28-10. I knew there was NO WAY that I could have this baby alone! I needed him!! I talked to Alofa every night while he was in Samoa and tried not to cry too much because I didn't want him to feel bad. It worked some nights and other nights I cried like a baby to him. I told him about what he Dr. had said and he remained faithful, saying that everything would work out just fine! I went to the Dr. on 9-27-10, the day before Alofa was to come home, and I was dilated to a 2 so she stripped my membranes! I panicked! I was worried Alofa would miss the birth of his son. But he didn't! He got home late Tuesday night and everything was just fine! Thank Heavens for my husband's faith and for tender mercies from above. I think Heavenly Father knew that I couldn't have this baby alone!The night before we were scheduled to go to the hospital we decided to go on one last date as non-parents :) We had a great time and LOVED being in each other's company as we PATIENTLY waited for the next day when we would welcome our son into the world!

Friday, 10-1-10

Alofa driving us to the hospital and super excited about what was going to happen this day!

5:30 a.m. on 10-1-10 on our way to the hospital to have our little man!
When we got to the hospital I was dilated to a 4 and having mild contractions every minute. I didn't even know that I was having contractions because they were so mild. Our little man was well on his way. They started the IVs and hooked me up to all of the monitors.
Alofa giving me a kiss right before it was time to deliver! We were both so excited to meet our son!

Alofa waiting. He was soo funny! I think this was the hardest part for him. He kept saying that if our son was not here soon then he was going to take matters into his own hands... I don't know what he meant by that :)

I got a epidural when I was dilated to a 7. Thank goodness for epidurals!! Heaven sent!

Then it came time to push! I pushed for an hour and 40 mins with NO PROGRESS! I was soo discouraged and wasn't sure I was going to be able to deliver this baby. The Dr. thought it was because he was sooo big, like the ultrasound said he was, and couldn't fit. They were getting me ready to go in for a C-Section when a specialist came in, did an ultrasound and saw that his face wasn't facing the right way. They turned him and not even 10 mins later our little man was here! He had the cord wrapped around his neck two times pretty tightly but everything else was perfect and he was healthy, safe and just fine! What a relief! I did NOT want a C-Section.

When he came out and we saw that he was just a little man we were all shocked!! According the ultrasound he was supposed to be a 10lb baby. But he wasn't :) he was a healthy 7 lbs. 8 oz. 21 inches long baby boy born at 7:40 p.m. on 10-1-10

Alofa got to cut the cord and he started crying, the most glorious sound I have ever heard!! They laid him on my tummy, he looked at me and I looked at him. He yawned and then stopped crying and I started!!! I can not even put into words the feelings and thoughts of this experience!

AMAZING!

So proud of my little Toa

Toa with Dr. Christensen, our Dr. She is wonderful!

Here he is!

Getting all inked up for his footprints

I can not even tell you how happy I was to hold our little man! He is PERFECT and so handsome!! This was the most spiritual experience I have ever had in my life thus far! I could not stop crying after I saw him and held him for the first time!

The very first picture of our little family

Alofa is such a GREAT daddy!! He wanted to hold his son all night! Sooo sweet!

Me and my little man!! I can not even express how much I love him!

The proud daddy and his son

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.

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!

Polynezia Mix

Alofa is a part of a Polynesian dance group called Polynezia Mix.

He spends ALOT of time practicing and learning dances from all over the Polynesian Islands then preforms them for different events in and around Pocatello.

It has been so fun to watch him SHINE as he has preformed for groups all over Pocatello.

Just thinking about him and his dance moves makes me smile!

I love my Alofa and am soo happy that he has found a GREAT group of friends who he has such a great time with!! I also LOVE watching them preform!!

I LOVE my husband's culture and am very BLESSED and LUCKY to call Alofaaga my eternal companion and best friend!!

4th of July

This 4th of July was the first one Alofa and I shared as a married couple. It ended up being one of the best 4th of July weekends I have ever had. It started out Saturday afternoon when we went to my mom's house and had a WONDERFUL bbq!!

This picture is my VERY FAVORITE PICTURE!! That is why it is the first picture that I posted even though it is out of order. Cam loves Uncle Al because Alofa takes time to talk to him and show him how the fireworks work. Cam listens to Uncle Al. It makes me sooo happy and excited to see Alofa with our babies. He is gonna be such a GREAT daddy!! I love him sooo much!!
Alofa and I in the car getting ready to go over to my mom's house for a YUMMY bbq!! (can you tell how HOT I already am by the redness in my face? Gotta LOVE pregnancy in the Summer time :) )

Poor Oggie! He looked sooo sad sitting at the fence while we were in the car getting ready to leave.

Alofa gave himself a haircut, like he ALWAYS does!! Isn't he soooo handsome? That is the outfit that he got from baby boy Laulu and I for Father's day!

Alofa throwing fireworks off of the porchAlofa, Me (baby boy Laulu) & Cam

Alofa and Savana throwing fireworks to show Cam While Aunt Jamie holds him

Savana and Alofa sharing fireworks

Cam being all Patriotic. He LOVED his balloons and his two flags! He would not let anyone touch them!! He is sooo funny and cute!

Alofa trying to look all bad on my step-dad's Harley

Cam with Uncle Ryan! Cam LOVES Uncle Ryan!!

Savana, Cam and Jamie throwing snap its

In Idaho Falls they decided to do the fireworks on July 3rd, that Saturday, this year because the 4th of July fell on a Sunday. The 3rd of July also happens to be Jared's birthday!! Happy birthday Jared!! We decided to go to Idaho Falls after my mom's bbq with Jared, Lisa, Alana and Ethan to watch the Idaho Falls firework show. We found the BEST spot ever, ate fruit roll ups and gushers and had a great view of the fireworks when they started. We had a GREAT time with Jared, Lisa and their kids!!

Jared, Alofa and I

Lisa, Jared and Alofa

Lisa, Jared, Alana, Ethan and Alofa looking for a good spot to camp out and get ready for the fireworks in Idaho Falls

Alana getting all ready and relaxed for the firework show in the sky :)

Ethan getting his jacket on, it was sooooooo cold!! BRRR! (I secretly was sooooo thankful it cooled down!!)

Jared, Alana and Alofa going for a walk by the river

Alofa listening to Alana and Ethan talking about their fireworks that they bought and get to light off later that night! They were soooo excited! So was Alofa!! Alofa even listened intently as Alana sang her "firework" song in order to get the fireworks to start going off. She later made a dance that went along with it as well. It was one of the CUTEST song and dances I have EVER seen!!

After the fireworks ended, we were planning on being in traffic for a while in Idaho Falls because there were soooo many people, but Jared found the perfect spot and we got out and on the freeway in less than 5 mins!! I was sooo thankful for that because I was tired and soooo ready for bed! I am getting OLD :)

Sunday Morning we got up early and headed back to Idaho Falls for one of my best friend's baby's blessing. It was WONDERFUL!! I didn't take my camera so here is a picture that Melissa sent me on the 4th of July.

Her blessing dress was BEAUTIFUL, the blessing was INSPIRED, and the food afterwards was WONDERFUL!! We are sooo thankful that Melissa & Mike allowed us to share in their JOY and celebration of Amy coming into their family! What a lucky little girl!!

We came home from the blessing and it was time to get ready to go to a bbq on my dad's side of the family. I had to make a salad and so I started but I didn't let the cream cheese soften like it was supposed to and I RUINED it!! I was devastated!! I started crying (pregnancy hormones, I am sure), threw the salad in the trash and went to lay down in bed. Alofa came in and tried to figure out what my problem was, he probably thought and still thinks I am nuts :) It just so happened that my aunt Karen made the EXACT same salad and we were saved. I look back on it now and I can't help but laugh at myself. I forgot my camera and didn't take any more pictures of our 4th of July weekend. I regret that now. We ate ALOT of yummy food, played lawn darts and had a great time with family!!! We came home and I wanted to take a nap so we laid down on the couches in our basement. Alofa said he wasn't tired but not even 5 mins later he was fast asleep and I just watched TV until it was time to go watch the fireworks.

We went to a park in Chubbuck to watch the fireworks from the fairgrounds in Pocatello. I just didn't feel like dealing with a million people this year so it was nice to watch them from a distance. We could see them GREAT!! My family had some fireworks that they were shooting off from the park and of course there were firecrackers and bottle rockets... I hate both of those kinds of fireworks. I thought they were gonna put me in early labor as they lit them off RIGHT BY ME!! Are you kidding me? Don't worry, I survived :) It was a GREAT night and a WONDERFUL 4th of July weekend! I would not have changed a thing!!

How grateful I am for the United States of America and all that it stands for! I am grateful for my freedoms that I enjoy on a daily basis. I am thankful for the men and women who have and continue to put their lives on the line to serve and protect us!

GOD BLESS AMERICA FOREVER ALWAYS!!