Wild & Wonderful

Well since the state motto of WV is "Wild & Wonderful" we are easing into a more adventurous lifestyle. No, really Inoke has been asking for a couple years now to buy a tent. He has this dream fantasy that camping under the stars is "fun;" I have lots of childhood memories of mosquitoes and roughing it, not quite so "fun." I broke down and we bought a tent (mostly because Nadia kept asking me when she could go camping like Bubble Guppies). Nadia's excitement and complete enthusiasm made it all worth the effort. We set up the tent out on the back deck and Nadia and Tata enjoyed sleeping outside under the kalokalo (stars). I know sleeping in a tent on the back deck is FAR from actual camping... but we are easing into it... not diving in head first. Baby steps here. :)

A Surprise Visit...

Last week I got a phone call from my Aunt Gini. She and Uncle Harvey were cruising around on vacation and were going to pass thru WV on the way back to Michigan. The last time I saw Uncle Harvey I was nine years old. So of course I was very excited to visit and catch up on life. Nadia took a liking to "Aunty Grandma" and "Uncle Papa" pretty quickly and we all enjoyed an afternoon together before they got back on the road.
All I have to say is Inoke is always whining that he wants a motorcycle and I am always saying NO! Well after seeing Aunt Gini & Uncle Harvey's ride and what a motorcyle could be... I am not so completely opposed to the idea.

six months

Last week Sami hit the six month mark! I can't believe he is already six months. He is a happy and healthy little chunky monkey. You find him giggling at his sister or his tata constantly and smiling; the little guy has a million dollar smile that is for sure. He is a joy and a greatly treasured blessing to our family.He LOVES to eat. Hmm imagine that. He is working very hard on his crawling skills. He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth then face plants. It is entertaining to watch. He is growing so fast and we adore him.

And we adore this crazy little princess too :)

West Virginia Zoo

For about a month now Inoke has been planning on taking us up to the Pittsburgh Zoo on his rare day off. Things have just not really worked out for us to make the drive up yet. I guess he was mentioning to a workmate that we were going to go to the zoo this past weekend and his workmate told him there was no need to drive ALL the way up to Pittsburgh, hey West Virginia has a zoo just 20 miles east of here... So we decided to check out the zoo closer to home. (On a side note... Can I just say that every time we take an adventure to explore the surrounding sights of this area I gain an increased love and appreciation for Morgantown? It is like a budding metropolis compared to some of the neighboring areas). So off we headed to Kingwood, WV. I didn't figure that 20 miles would make a big difference, but a mere 5 miles in these parts makes a huge difference. We went from the "city" to the "country" in a flash. Woah. The zoo was a little on the smaller side but Nadia had a great time feeding the monkeys and seeing the bears, lions, tigers, panther, and other fun things. She is very into animals these days and it was a great afternoon trip for her. Probably won't be rushing back anytime soon, but we can add it to the list of been there done that. :) I didn't charge the camera battery before we left so here are a few shots before it died.

Some have inquired what we are doing in West Virginia... that is a dang good question. I woke up one morning and poof there were no more roosters calling me at 5am. No seriously. Long story short Hawaii is expensive and I didn't want to work full time anymore. So in order to allow me to stay home with the kids a few changes were necessary. We decided Inoke should take a job up here in the oil industry and we should take a new adventure in life. I am excited to see the sights over here yonder and enjoy being home with the kids all day EVERYDAY! :) (Although after a few months now I am thinking I had it way easier going to work full time...)

Potty Training...

Well we have the wearing panties down flat... now for the actual potty training. Suggestions welcome. :)

Aloha Oe

Best Big Sister EVER... :)

Always the little helper Nadia couldn't resist eating as we cut the watermellon.

Playing at one of the local parks around here...

Little BBQ action on the back deck...

Sami is ALREADY five months old!

Yes, we are alive. Yes, I am again going to rededicate myself to keeping this blog updated.... now that we have successfully uprooted ourselves and replanted on the other side of the country (which I am beginning to think might as well be the other side of the planet) I am going to blog. There should be some entertaining stories to report on as our adventure begins in West Virginia. For example second day here I have to physically appear at the trash company office to set up service to our new home. No worries, I am used to things being a little slower and old fashioned I did just spend 13 years in Hawaii (which until our move here I was positive was the LAST place in the US that didn't accept credit cards and insisted on cash or personal checks for everything). So I digress, I am there setting up service and at the sight of my HI driver's license I instantly form a deep bond with the woman as I am the FIRST person with a HI DL to ever come in the office and she tells me all about here one trip to HI in 1997; then like a worried mother she asks me about our vehicle if we have 4 wheel drive and if we are going to survive in the winter months... as there are a "whole lot a hills and hollers, round these here parts" yes I swear word for word first time other than old episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies have I ever actually heard someone use the word "holler" in a sentence. All kidding aside I have to admit the people "round these here parts" have been genuinely hospitable and friendly. I am confident we are going to settle in and do just fine... eventually.

In the mean time here are a few pictures of our recent activities. (I LOVE staying home all day with the kids that has been a welcome change).

Monkey Mouse...

The days have been running together the past two months. Baby Boy turned 8 weeks on Tuesday!!! Holy smokes. I don't have heaps of time between Nadia, Sami, and trying to pack our house but I wanted to post a few pics of late and tell a funny story.

So Nadia has been very possessive since Baby Brother's arrival. Sharing with the baby has been a little challenging at times. She loves him to death... but don't ask her to share a blanket with the baby a tantrum of epic proportions is sure to follow. The brand of diapers that she uses have little Mickey Mouse pictures on them... (she so affectionately calls him Monkey Mouse). Baby Brother's diapers had Monkeys on them... imagine the problem when one box of diapers that were given to me happen to be the same brand as hers... i.e. had little Mickey Mouse pictures on them. Nadia freaked out. "NO MOMMY!!!! Nadia Monkey Mouse! Baby Brother Monkey!!!" I had to just laugh and try to show her the difference in size... for a solid two weeks (as long as that box of diapers lasted) it was a constant battle when Baby Brother got his diaper changed... ahh I love you Nadia!!!!

Introducing...

He could't wait to meet us and decided to arrive five weeks early...

Samisoni Thadius Batimailagi Biutanaseva
February 1, 2011
10:32 pm
6lbs 10.5 oz
20 inches

It's Getting Real...

Last weekend I was blessed by the kindness of a group of gals I love to refer to as the FWC... (Fijian Wives Club). There are five of us ladies each from different cultural, ethnic, economic, educational backgrounds with one thing that binds us all together... we are each married to guys from that little corner of the world; Fiji. Monique, has partial Tongan roots and grew up in California; Lisa, is of Japanese/Hawaiian ancestry and grew up here in Hawaii; Monica has the latina Mexican roots covered; and Fetu is our token Samoan. Then there is me the blond girl from Alaska; together we have found common ground and formed valued friendships. I love these ladies and value their kindness and love. They all decided to host a baby shower for me and it was one of the most fun and relaxing days I have had in a long time. The shower was only supposed to last two hours; but we invaded Moniques for close to six hours laughing, eating amazingly delicious treats, playing games, decorating onesies for baby... all while the husbands watched the kids. I loved it!

Chocolate covered strawberries, Gormet Quiche, Fried Rice, Fresh Fruit, Cinamon Rolls... ahh getting hungry yet?

Monica and Fetu teamed up against Monique and I for the first game...

Lisa, Monica, Me, and Monique...
Lisa had to record the action... we actually did need an instant replay when the game got a little heated over who won the last challenge...
Sitting outside with our awesome new onesies for little man... "Boso"(Boy/Guy/Boss Man),"Stud Muffin", "Uro Levu"(Very Handsome/Hot/Adorable), and "Biu"

Thank you a million and one times ladies... it was FABULOUS! Now to get planning on Monique's shower this summer... :)

The Big 3-2...

Thirty-two is the magic number of the week. This week I am 32 weeks along (wow it has gone by so FAST) and yesterday I somehow turned 32 years old (That one has been even FASTER). After nine years of marriage Inoke is making leaps and bounds of improvements in the Birthday department. He not only remembered my big day, he catered to my every whim by asking what I would like for dinner and even MADE dinner. My request was Sourdough Mining Company Corn Fritters with Honey Butter and Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream... Well Sourdough is a wee bit far to go for dinner (It was one of our favorite restaurants in Alaska). So he busted out the recipe for corn fritters and got to work with his little helper Nadia. Since corn fritters and ice cream isn't exactly a complete meal, he even whipped up mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and petite fillet mignon wrapped in bacon. A girl could get used to this...

I had a stranger stop me on Monday and ask if I was having twins... uh THANKS.

Nadia is hopefully getting excited for her little brother to come... we are taking it one day at a time. :)

Corn fritters and honey butter!!!

Hello Again...

How is it possible that 2010 is gone? Seriously I think if I were to blink I might have missed it. Suffice it to say it would take far too long to update all the exciting moments of the last two months... so we are just going to make a fresh start and do better this year at keeping the blog updated.

We are busy these days. Busy preparing for our little guy to arrive in less than TWO MONTHS! WOW! Nadia is getting rather excited for her little brother. I am not convinced that she truly understands what changes are ahead once he arrives; but she sure loves to come and kiss and blow "flubbers" on my tummy for buba. She is quite the little mama these days and I am excited to see her interact with him.

She continues to bring joy and entertainment to our lives. I love her little sassy personality that is ever growing. For example last Saturday evening I put a roast in the crock pot so dinner would be ready after church on Sunday. Just before we went to church Inoke was commenting on how delicious the roast was smelling and how he was excited to come back and eat lunch... we went to church and came back. Immediately upon opening the door the aroma of fresh cooked roast waifed around the house... first thing Nadia did? She looked up at me and said in her very cute little voice... "Eww Mommy! Stinky!!!" while she waived her hand in front of her face. Uh, thanks little lady for the vote of confidence in my cooking skills.

Here is a little updated picture. We recently had to buy a new camera as Nadia the budding photographer that she is finally managed to kill the old one. I am still learning all the tricks and options. So be patient on photo updates for a bit.