Happy 2nd Birthday Elina!

My baby, Elina, turned two last Saturday (January 28th) and I don't know whether to be happy or sad.  Lol.  I just feel like time is literally flying by so fast but it makes me so happy to see her learn and grow everyday.  For her birthday we took her and her two favorite people (her sister, Talanoa, and cousin, Lynnea) to play at Chuck E. Cheese.  Honestly, it was too packed and hot for us to really enjoy ourselves but we had fun nonetheless.  Note to self:  Next time we'll just take them to the McDonald's playhouse because she has waaay more fun there!  Lol!  After playing we went home for cupcakes, BTS cake, ice cream, and pizza.  This was probably Elina's favorite part of the day because she was around everyone who loves her and gives her the never ending attention she loves.

Celebrating @ Chuck-E-Cheese

Cake & Ice Cream

Here's some highlights of Elina's past year.....

-Elina learned to talk......too much if you ask me!  Lol.  She can put words together like "baby down" (put baby down and carry me instead), "I go nigh nigh" (cuddle me while I pretend to sleep), and "mommy, I kaukau" (please let me shower so i can play in water).  She also copies everything we say so naturally she calls Vili "honey" like I do.  It's so cute and of course, like any mom, I think she's a genius!  Lol!
-Elina learned to walk!  She was a very late walker but the doctors were never concerned because her social and cognitive skills were always high.  She didn't walk until she was 16 months but I know it was a blessing in disguise (for me) because I was way too pregnant to chase her around.  Now, her favorite thing to do is run away from us when she knows she's in trouble.  Lol!
-Elina is such a spirited dancer especially when she hears Beyonce, Justin Bieber, or Jessie J.  She probably learned to say Beyonce before she said mommy thanks to her Aunty Veronica.  Lol jk!  Every morning she asks if I can turn the computer on so she can dance with her sister.  My cue is, "Mommy, I wan dance."
-I'm not proud of this one but she learned to roll her eyes from somewhere.  It's so funny, cute, and annoying all at the same time.  Lol!
-She can also sing along to songs.  Some of her favorites are Ring Around the Rosy, Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, The Elmo Song, and Party by Beyonce.  Of course she doesn't sing all the words but she knows enough to follow along.

I know I'm forgetting a lot of highlights but I had to write some off the top of my head so I never forget how fun she is at this age.  I can already see so much of her personality and she is only two.  I feel so blessed to be her Mom and words can't even express how much I love her.  I'm grateful for her energetic and loving spirit that she adds to our family and I can't wait to celebrate many more birthday's to come! :)

Braids? Yes, please!

Elina let me braid her hair the other day.  I was shocked!  She was sitting a little more still that day so I decided, why not?  I've tried braiding her hair before but it never worked because 1) she wouldn't sit still or 2) her wild baby hairs would stick out everywhere.  When I finally tried again a couple days ago she was a little wiggly but all I said was, "Do you want pretty hair?" and she sat still.  Lol.  Elina does the cutest thing every time I do her hair no matter what I do to it or how it looks.  She always has to get Vili's approval.  She goes up to him and asks, "Daddy, pretty?"  Of course Vili answers yes with a huge smile and she just beams with delight.  It is so cute! Hopefully, she'll let me braid her hair often because I think they look adorable on her. 

The diva didn't want to take pictures but here's a side view.



Back View





Vili turned 28!

The love of my life turned 28 yesterday!  Don't worry....I wrote Happy 27th Birthday on the card I gave him.....yikes!  Worst wife award goes to......Lol.  Anyways, Vili never ceases to amaze me.  He is honestly one of the most selfless people I know.  He would give the last of anything he had to someone in need and I always joke that he would give away his own mahi (underwear) if he could.  LOL!  He makes me laugh every single day and he's, a lot of times, the strength I need to get through my roughest days.  I am so glad I married this man and feel like the luckiest girl to have him for eternity.  We spent his birthday relaxing at home with the girls and the then went to dinner with family and close friends to Sushi Ya.  Vili is soooo low-key that I'm surprised he wanted to invite people to his birthday dinner but I'm glad he did because we had the best date night!  I think we both got six packs last night from how hard we laughed!  Thank you to those who came and made his birthday a memorable one :)  Happy Birthday Love! 



The birthday boy!



Delicious!

The early birds.

The late one's.  Hahaha!

ummmm......write your own caption for this one!  LOL

 

Thanks guys!

I'm bringing sexy back....

Wait, did I say I'm bringing sexy back??  What I meant to say was I need to find sexy and bring her back into my life asap!  LOL!  Anyone who knows me from before I had my kids knows that I used to love dressing up.  Nowadays, I'm lucky if I can even brush my hair before running out the door let alone be fashionable or trendy.  I've been sporting the lazy mom look (hair in a bun, sweats, T-shirt) for far too long now.....social suicide!  Lol.  I "lost myself" in a fashion sense after becoming a mom and I think it's because I got used to always putting myself last on the list of things to do.  But it is time for change.  One of my personal goals for this year is to try to dress up and look cute like I used to.  (I bet my husband would secretly leap for joy if he read this post....haha!)  So my friends, it is time to resurrect the heels and let my hair down.  Lol.  I can see it now.  Me looking all hott with heels on trying to carry my 20 lb baby in her carseat while chasing after my 2 year old.  That is sooo NOT hott!  LOL.  So, maybe I'll just take baby steps for now ;)  Wish me luck!

Jingle Bells...better late than never, right?

I la la la la LOVE the month of December!  It's my favorite month of the year not just because of my birthday or Christmas but because of the spirit it brings and how it affects everyone.  Everyone seems to be a little more happy, giving, and loving so who wouldn't love this time of the year?  Here's the condensed version of December 2011 for my little family....

1.  My beautiful new niece, Molly Aria Ikahihifo, was born on December 17th :)
2.  I turned 25!
3.  The kids met a brown Santa at our ward Christmas party....haha ;)
4.  It was baby Talanoa's 1st Christmas.
5.  The girls were spoiled by everyone with toys and clothes galore.
6.  We ate like there was no tomorrow.
7.  Christmas was on a Sunday and it couldn't have been more perfect!

Vili and I have tried to make it a goal to focus more on the Savior during the Christmas season.  We hope that by doing this we can be good examples to our girls.  One thing we did this year was we didn't buy each other gifts (helped that we were broke...lol) and I actually didn't mind it one bit.  We bought our girls one gift to share (Leggo's) because I don't want to get into the habit of focusing on presents.  I want us to focus on the Savior, each other, and those around us.  I definitely think that this is a tradition we will keep.  I can't wait to make them an advent calendar next year so we can do daily activities that also help keep the focus of Christmas on the Savior, what really matters.

My Love and Our Baby Loves

Halloween 2011

Meet the Samani's :) Vili and I met at UVSC (how dated are we right?  lol!) in 2006.  Basically, he saw me THEN decided to enroll.  Haha!  I love Vili for his patience, kind heart, humor, and so much more before I get too mushy/lovey dovey!  Lol.  We were married in the Mount Timpanogos Temple on May 10, 2008 and since then have had two beautiful girls, Siutiti Elina born on January 28, 2010 and Talanoa Moeata born on April 28, 2011.  Don't do the math because yes, they are very close in age!  LOL!  15 months apart to be exact.  We didn't plan it that way but life just happens and we couldn't be more happy. 

These two girls bring so much joy into our lives.  I honestly don't know what I did with my time before they were here.  Elina is my active, spunky, little miss attitude who is smarter than any 23 month old should ever be!  Haha!  She copies everything we say and the funniest thing lately is that she calls Vili "honey or hun" like I do.  It's so funny!  Talanoa is my shy, quiet, calm and collected daughter and is such a little sweetheart.  I think the Lord knew I needed a calm child or I would've been done with having kids.  Hope I didn't just jinx myself!  Anyways, she can now crawl but prefers to sit and chill, talk baby gibberish, and pick up her own snacks now.  Can't believe how fast time flies!

Why Blog?

Lately, I've been trying to find a creative outlet to help me discover what it is I truly want to do with my life and how I can get there....sooner than later!  Hard thing is that I'm one of those people who can learn to be good at several things but I'm not necessarily great at one thing in particular.  Hence the reason I dabbled here and there in dance, cooking, photography, oil painting, watercolor, sewing, floral design, and who knows what else!  Lol!  Let's just say the list is endless.  Common thread amongst these things?  I love creating beautiful things.  So, this blog will be dedicated to the things that I love in hopes of finding what I am really passionate about.  Warning:  This blog may be a bit of a rollercoaster ride but you can't say I didn't warn you ahead of time.  Lol!