Kennan at 18 months Old

Kennan recently turned 18 months, which means he has attended Nursery twice now. He did so well, he went in with no problems and sat down with his Nursery leader and began looking at books without a hesitation or quivering lip. I have no idea what the secret is but both of my boys have done this, whew! I am relieved, I don't know how I got so lucky and yet I am grateful that it has gone so well thus far. Bill and I were both taking turns man handling him through church and our arms and backs are grateful for the rest.

I have been feeling remiss as of late since I have not been as stellar with documenting Kennan's life so I wanted to take this opportunity to record what Kennan is doing and enjoys at this stage of his development:

Favorite Toys: Kennan loves, loves, LOVES to play with anything round because in his mind its a ball. He loves to roll the ball, throw the ball and even catch the ball. He has amazing aim and coordination for a small guy. I recently found a package of 100 balls for a great price and I quickly purchased it for him. He is now in ball heaven! I put all of the balls in our superyard or in his pack and play and watch him go. Big brother likes to climb in with him as well and both boys enjoy playing together. I like these balls because they are light weight and don't damage or mare anything when thrown. Kennan has learned the hard way about how gravity works on a hard ball. He threw a ball directly above his head and looked up to catch it and got hit really hard in the face for his troubles. So these balls are great since they wont give you a concussion or black eye.

Another favorite toy for Kennan right now is anything with wheels. He loves to play with trucks, cars, anything that has wheels and can be pushed, pulled, or wheeled around the house. I am amazed that he is able to make car sounds at this young age, I am sure it helps having an older brother to show you how its done, but he does make some very convincing car sounds. He and I spend a good portion of our play time pushing our trucks and cars around the play room floor.

Favorite Books: Kennan LOVES books! Hooray!! He enjoys climbing on to my lap and reading several books at a time. He has a great attention span and enjoys looking at each page and pointing at the pictures. If Kennan is sad or needs some extra loving,
a book is a sure way to make him happy again. We love to read and snuggle before nap time. I love this special time with him, its our special bonding time and I love that I have a boy that has a special fondness for books. However, when big brother comes home and does his reading with mom, Kennan gets upset that Liam will not share his book or let Kennan tear the book away from him. Many fights break out during Liam's reading time I am sad to report. I have to try and be creative on solving the book debacles that break out in our home. Kennan typically ends up being handed a stack of his own books to enjoy in his super yard. Sometimes this is satisfactory for him and other times he is down right scandalized that Liam will not share his books with him.

Communication Skills: When Kennan came home from the hospital his Grammy proclaimed him to be " a communicator" from all of the grunts, squeaks, and noises that he made.  True to this proclamation, Kennan has proven time and time again that he is indeed a communicator. He is a loud communicator that will let you know that he is in need of something. He is also really good at doing baby sign, however he has added some of his own that we have yet to decipher. Words that he can clearly say:

Hi
Go
Me go
MINE!
He calls Liam-Liah, he says this a lot!
Dad
Dat for that
Ma for Mom
out side 
What is it?
WHOA
WOW

He understands easy commands and will follow through with them. He knows that when he has his shoes and a jacket on it means we can go out the door on to some amazing adventure. Once he has these items on you better be ready for him to walk out the door. Any hesitation on your part and he will begin crying, "Go, go!!!" If I want him to come to me to get ready to leave I can ask him, "Kennan do you want to go?" He will then come and lay down and wait for his shoes to be put on.

When we change his diaper he is really good at also taking his dirty diaper to the garbage and throwing it away. However, we have to watch what else he puts in the garbage. I have found the TV remote, my shoes, and Liam's shirt in the trash can. We now have to lock the lid shut so that he can't discard anything that we might actually miss!

Physical Skills: Kennan began walking just after Christmas when he was almost 15 months old. He has since added running, jumping, and spinning around and around to this list of accomplishments. He loves to block the TV and dance to the music that he hears in the commercials and such. He entertained us during general conference when he danced to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performing the rest hymns. He loves to stand up on the bench in our pew during Sacrament meeting to lead the music, much to our ward members delight. He has great rhythm and loves to move to music.  He and I attended our local library's story time where they would sing and have the kids dancing in between reading books.  Kennan was in heaven!! Pure Kennan bliss! Books, music, and dancing. WHAT!! He was in pure blissful heaven!!

Kennan's loves: Kennan loves to be outside, doesn't matter that its hailing, snowing, raining, or the sun is beating down. To Kennan, these are not deterants at all. He loves to be outside. We have to lock our doors since he has figured out how to escape through them. He has even managed to make it out to the main road in front of our house. SCARY!! When Liam and daddy leave for the day Kennan cries for several minutes because he wants to go outside since they are going outside as well. He loves to be outside! Daddy takes him on adventures into the park outside of our house while I make dinner. He loves this special time where daddy lets him freely roam and explore. 

Kennan is also very good at folding his arms and bowing his head for prayer time. He loves to kneel with us at the end of the day and pray. He will spontaneously "pray" throughout the day. When we are grocery shopping when someone speaks over the PA system he instantly bows his head and folds his arms. I have no idea why someone speaking over an intercom makes him think of praying but it sure does.

Kennan also loves to scribble on anything, walls, books, furniture, himself anything you can imagine. We have had to become more aware of what writing implements are accessible to him. I am grateful for a magic erasure cleaning product that allows me to erase all of his graffiti. I love that he is a budding artist as well, however we have been trying to teach him where he can draw and where he cannot. "Paper is for drawing, the couch is not for drawing."

Kennan is also a great eater. He LOVES his food!! He especially loves meat, pasta, oranges, yogurt, and cheese. I am so grateful for a healthy eater that enjoys his food and makes the funniest noises while he eats. You can tell that he is enjoying that PB&J by the noises he is making while he eats it. I love this little detail about him.

I am so thankful that I get to be this wonderful and delightful little boys mom. He adds to the joy in our home and we are so grateful for the blessing he is in our lives. He keeps us on our toes running from one disaster to another but we would not have it any other way! We love you Kennan!!

First Grader

Looking at our last several posts, I feel somewhat flummoxed that all of them are about the baby and don't have any mention of my amazing first born. So I will dedicated this entire post to him so that I can ease my conscience. This past summer has been a unique one for our little family. It began with us moving from on campus student family housing that we have lived in for ten years. Yes, ten years. No they didn't kick us out or even give us a reward for living there so long! We actually were very sad to leave and each time I drive past I shed a few tears as I reminisce about the wonderful times spent there. We moved to our new apartment in June and have enjoyed getting to know our new neighbors and ward. We have tons more space here with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. We even have a hot tub and swimming pool and have enjoyed swimming most evenings when Bill gets home. I have been avoiding the sun like a vampire since it makes me really sick and having sun stroke
while your pregnant is not the something I would recommend! We have therefore spent most of our time hanging out at home all summer. No camping trips, trips to the Shakespearean Festival, nothing, nada, zip! Liam had a total of 16 days of summer school over the course of June and July. At first I was apprehensive and felt like a huge failure as a mother because my child had to attend summer school. However, it was actually one of the best experiences that Liam could have had this past summer. He had a wonderful experience and learned tons and tons of stuff that had previously evaded him. He will continue to work with the prevention specialists and his teacher specializes in working with kids that struggle with math and reading. We are so grateful that his teachers and school staff are willing and able to
work with him to overcome his individual issues in school. We feel very blessed and fortunate that he is able to continue at his school this year. Its a huge reason we are living here in Logan while Bill commutes to Salt Lake for work each day. We were hugely concerned for Liam's education as we discussed his particular situation with his teachers before the end of the school year. We felt that it was not in his best interests to move him to a different school just yet. So we are going to see how this year goes and if we can help him overcome some of his learning issues. He is attending a charter school that has access to amazing resources that we would not have easy access to very easily elsewhere. I am hopeful as I have watched him become excited about school over the course of the summer. I have been working intensely with him all summer and I am watching a slow fire
building in him. He is starting to enjoy school and learning. He is a super intelligent boy, that isn't the problem. Its more like maturity and behavior stuff that comes with time and patience. Last week, I took him to his school to show him where he would be dropped off each day, where his locker and his classroom was and how to work the lunch room. Since that day he has been asking over and over again when he would be starting school. This morning, he was up, in the shower and dressed before I had his breakfast on the table. As he was eating his waffles, he kept telling me, "Mom I am so excited to be going to school today. I feel like a new Liam." When I asked him what was making him feel like a new boy, he said, "I think my new clothes are making me feel like a new boy." He was so excited about going to school today that we left 30 minutes early and were the first people to arrive at the school. The halls and classrooms were empty as we were able to capture lots of great pictures of Liam's first day since no one was around! He kept telling me how excited he was and that he just wanted school to hurry up and start. I can hardly wait to hear from him how his day went. I hope he has a great first day that will lead him to having a great second and third day, etc. I hope he makes some friends, listens to his teachers, and that he keeps feeling that little fire inside of him growing as he develops his own love of learning.

Apprehensions

I am in a ponderous mood as I sit here in my living room of ten years surrounded by packed moving boxes. I am excited to have more room for my growing family and all of the amenities of the new place, but I can't help but feel apprehensive and sad that I am leaving this tiny place of many memories. I think about the amazing friends and people that I have come into contact with here and I feel saddened that I am moving away from them. I will miss sitting in my living room with my back door open while I listen to the riotess birds in the trees. I will miss the cooling mountain breezes that blow through my bedroom window as if on cue at around ten pm every single night the wind begins to blow as if some cosmic switch was turned on to send cooling and refreshing air throughout my house. I will miss the rhythm of this place with its familiar sounds and rituals. I will miss watching my son playing in our back yard with children from all over the world and the diversity that is had here in this amazing campus family. I will miss being just one of the many diversely brown faces here. I will miss so much about this little community that I have called home for ten years now, I am sad and nostalgic as we make plans to move out in the morning. I wish I could take back the lease I signed and the intent to vacate this familiar place and hold onto this little slice of heaven for just a little bit longer. I wish my unborn son could know this place and call it home like his older brother Liam. But alas, I have to remind myself that I am an adult now and that a part of being an adult is making hard decisions. It also means knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Right now it is time to gently let go and move forward with our lives. I have learned that when we hold onto something we love to tightly it makes it harder for God to bless our lives with growth and possibilites. I grudgily accept that I am much like a potted plant that has outgrown its pot and that for my roots to grow deeper and stronger, I have to be transplanted to a larger space. Like so many things that have happened in my recent life, I have to cling to my faith and allow God to gently nudge me where he would have me go. I just wish being transplanted didn't hurt so much and fill me with so much melancholy and apprehensions.

Progress

Ironically six years ago today, I was in labor with Liam boy, I had gone into labor with him on May 30 and he was born at the stroke of midnight on June 2. Consequently I am nostalgic as today I am 23 weeks pregnant with baby two and we had our last appointment here in Logan this morning. I was a little sad to inform them that I was transferring my care to the University of Utah because I have been a client there since 2004. However, I am also grateful for the opportunity to have my baby with a midwife since I had Liam with a midwife as well. Despite the seriousness of his birth, the midwife made the difference with her care and concern. She was with me the entire time ensuring that everything went well and that I was supported in the choices that I wanted for my son. I am so grateful that I had a birth plan that my care providers worked hard to follow. I am looking forward to working with the midwives at the University of Utah.

Joanna, Moana, and Rosie--expectant mothers and sister-in-laws.

We were all really excited to be preggo together, we can hardly wait to meet our babies!

Joanna is due first, then Melissa who is not in this picture, Me, then Rosie. Four babies in time for Christmas this year!

My sister-in-law, Joanna had a baby with them last week and I have enjoyed hearing her birth story. I feel comforted knowing that I am also going to be working with the same midwives and nurses. I am excited for this new experience.

On another note, the baby's heart tones were right where they should be, he sounded perfect. The whooshing sounds of the blood flowing through his heart was like music to my ears! He is also measuring right on his due date as well. To me the due date is only a rough time line, I know that this little guy will come when he is ready. I just can't help but wonder if he will choose September or October for his birth month. I went into labor with Liam in May and had him in June and this newest little guy will be the same way as well since his due date is the later part of September. He could be right on time or be lackadaisical and come in October. He is sure to suprise me and keep me guessing the entire time! One thing that is for certain, is that I am happy that my blood sugars and blood pressures are looking so great! By this point with Liam we were on strict bed rest battling the beginning stages of toxemia. I have worked hard this pregnancy to use what I learned from Liam's pregnancy and complications to have a better experience. Admittedly, I have also stretched my faith muscles more and prayed for lots of help and for my body to be healthier this go around. Unborn Fullmer is looking and sounding great and the mama is feeling great as well. He is progressing as expected and I am so grateful for this small miracle and blessing.

Boxes, boxes everywhere!

Liam's converted garage

Empty boxes waiting to be filled

We are also hard at work packing up the many boxes that encapsulates the fifteen years of marriage and living together that have collected over the years. I am astounded at how much stuff we have been able to fit into this tiny apartment. I am forever making a run for more boxes as we quickly fill up empty boxes with the contents of our lives. I have high hopes of having everything packed and ready to go before our helpers show up. In years past, I have not been as well prepared and at the last minute everything gets chucked into an empty box and when it comes time to unpack its a small nightmare trying to put it all away. I have also never been pregnant and moving either and I have a new found appreciation for the women who have done so before! WOW! Its a lot more work and requires more energy then I had previously ever realized. I find myself taking lots of breaks and having to rely on the help of others. I am so independent that asking others for help is not one of my strong points! I am learning humility and not enjoying the process one bit! However, we are seeing great progress as areas of our small apartment are getting packaged up and put away into the waiting boxes that line the walls of Liam's tiny bedroom. He told me yesterday that his bedroom looks more like a garage and less like a bedroom. Sadly, he is right!

"This is my angry face"

Mom just told me something really stupid, like pick up my toys.

I don't want to pose for the camera right now, I am busy playing!

But I keep consoling him with the promise that not much longer and we will be living in a bigger place for more room for him to play and spread out. He just rolls his eyes at me and scoffs. Sometimes, he acts more like a seasoned teenager and less like an innocent first grader!I dread the day when he realizes that he is smarter than his old mom and my influence over him will be at its end. We have experiences much growth and progress these past few weeks and we are looking forward to what the future has in store for us.

Announcing...

For those of you who are not able to load Liam's video, I thought I would inform you that we are having a boy! Bill, Liam, and I were all in shock because we were so certain it was going to be a girl. Liam put his head down and became really sad for a few minutes. He was really excited to have a sister so that as in his own words, " I will have a girl to play with that likes me." He was quiet for a minute or two then he said, " Mom, if I have a sister then I want a sister, if I have a brother then I want a brother." He then perked up and has been excited all day about his baby brother. However before bed, Liam asked me if after this baby I could try and make another baby and if I could PLEASE make it be a sister then he would be OK with having a brother right now. He then informed me that he wants to share his bedroom and all his toys with his baby brother and he fell asleep making plans about all the fun things they will be able to do together.
Our ultrasound went really well, the baby looks great! He is very active and so getting an amazing picture of his face was really hard in 3D. What we did see astonished us because he looked very much like Liam especially his profile. He has very round features and a nose similar to Liam's, I can hardly wait to see him in real life! I have been waiting anxiously to know what we are having to start preparing and so after the ultrasound I went out and bought some baby clothes and a special outfit to take the baby home in. We did not have enough room to store Liam's baby clothes and so at the time we decided to make money on his smaller clothes in order to buy clothes that he needed. We were uncertain if we could ever have another child and we live in a tiny college apartment that did not allow us to store anything extra for the unknown. We did keep our stroller, infant car seat, and some toys. Aside from that, we are starting all over again. It feels kinda weird but I like it! I am so happy and excited for this little baby boy to be entering our family. Bill is really proud of himself as he tells everyone that he is having another son, it seems that my husbands family is REALLY good at making boys as three of the four siblings are expecting boys this year. The Fullmer name is alive and kicking! I keep teasing him, just think if Henry VIII had your families luck he wouldn't have divorced or beheaded all six of his wives or parted ways with the Catholic church to establish the Church of England. The historical implications are astounded when one considers what would have happened if Henry could have had healthy sons with any of his wives! Bill just grinned as he silently congratulated himself on a job well done as he simply said, "That's my boy!"

What Do You Think?

Next Wednesday we are going to find out what flavor this little bundle of joy inside my belly is. I am curious dear reader, what do you think we are having?

To give you some information to go on: I have been craving strawberries, oranges, salmon, and white meat. Although I have been very nauseated, I am not as sick as I was with Liam. I am more emotional with this baby and I am more clingy and touchy.

Either comment in the comments or take our poll to the left to cast your vote of which gender you think we are going to have.

Celebration

I will be graduating with my Associates Degree on Friday April 29. The next Saturday--May 7 from 12-2 pm Bill will be hosting a party for me to celebrate this newest milestone. Please email me, leave a comment or facebook message me for details if you would like to come.

I am really proud of this accomplishment because it is something I have wanted my entire life. Since I was a young child, I knew that one day I would like to graduate from College. I know that I am only halfway there and yet I am super proud of all the hard work I have put into earning this degree. I held a job, raised a child, got pregnant, and am a wife while maintaining a 3.97 GPA. That is all A's with two A-'s. I have loved every experience whether good or bad because it has contributed to my college experience. Yesterday, I had my exit interview and I nearly cried as I reviewed with my academic advisor all that had taken place over the past three years to get me where I am today. I am so grateful for the people who have helped me, encouraged me, and believed in me. I am so grateful and humbled that I am halfway to realizing one of the greatest goals I have ever had. I know that before to long, I will be back in the classroom completing the other half of my goal.

More Secrets Revealed

We have had a busy last couple weeks as we first found out that we are expecting baby number two. But I have been sworn to secrecy as Bill has been working on a few more surprises. This morning everything went through and now I am at liberty to reveal that Bill has landed and excepted a job in his field. We will ultimately be moving from Logan as a family, in May.

Bill starts his new job in exact two weeks from yesterday. He will be staying in the Murray area while Liam and I finish out the school year here. Liam and I will soon join him and begin setting up a life somewhere down south, depending on the school district.

I am excited, sad, and super scared all at the same time! I have never lived in a large city before and I am admittedly intimidated. any advise that anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated! I am mostly concerned about getting Liam into a great school, living in a safe area, and navigating my way around. I am surprised that all these miracles have come our way in such a short span of time. I feel God's hand in my life and I feel truly blessed and grateful.

The Details

If you just watched Liams little video you may be wondering whats the 4-1-1. Well, here it goes.

1. I am six weeks pregnant
2. I found out three weeks ago
3. I have been sick the entire time
4. My due date is September 30
   
5. I will be having my first doctors visit next week
   
6. I will be graduating from USU this Spring with my associates degree
   
7. I will be staying home full time again
8. I have been eating and drinking fluids like a crazy person
9. I sleep the better part of every day
10. I am SOOOOO happy it almost hurts!

Liam has been so excited about his new baby that he has been telling everyone who will listen. He has been so adorable, he continually hugs my belly and tells his "babies" that he loves them and that he is waiting for them to hurry up and get bigger and stronger so that they can finally come out. He is convinced no matter what anyone says that we are having a boy and a girl. We don't know yet how many their are in there but Liam has decided there are two of them. I laugh because I told my mother the exact same thing twenty years ago and she looked at me like I was crazy. I now understand how she feels. (For the record, I was right, she had fraternal twins!) I have no idea how many we are having but if you ask Liam he will tell you that their are two babies. We will know next week when we go in for our first appointment how many heartbeats there are. No matter how many babies there are in my womb, I am just grateful for the miracle I have been blessed with. It has been a long hard road to get to this point of having baby number two-- five and a half years to be exact! I am so grateful that I will be a mother a second time. I stand in awe of God and his love for me, I know that me becoming pregnant was a huge answer to prayer. I don't take this little miracle growing inside of me for granted, I am so thankful for the miracle of life and that I get to participate in this process for a second time. I am so happy and thankful. I feel so loved and blessed and I look forward to the journey that lies ahead of me.

Liam Spills The Beans

Healing

Liam has received a clean bill of health from his Orthopedic Surgeon who says that Liam's arm is looking great. Liam is running and playing much lighter without his cast and he swears he will never get onto the elliptical again...well alone that is. "Mommy, please help me do my exercises on the elliptical," has become a common phrase in our household. I am bidding my time until the newness of the elliptical wears off and he either gives up on it or falls and breaks his leg instead.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On...

I have been slowly recovering from our huge fun-filled weekend. I am getting our house put back together in addition to organizing all of the photos we took of Bill graduating with his masters degree. I was teary eyed as I contemplated all that has happened in our lives since Bill embarked upon this amazing journey of gaining a college education. It was validating and satisfying to watch him hooded by his esteemed professors and then receive his diploma cover. I was filled with so much pride and joy. It was therefore fitting that we had planned a huge party worthy of our newly hooded masters graduate. However, the preparations for said celebrations was filled with drama and chaos.

Other families had the same idea to host a dinner for their own graduates, we; therefore, were not able to secure a large enough building to host our guests. We originally thought that perhaps we could set up several picnic tables in our back yard and host our guests there. However, the weather was finicky with rain, snow, and scattered showers throughout the week. We kept calling all around town trying to find a building and yet to no avail. Finally, the day before the festivities, I was struck with a desperate but brilliant plan.

We moved Liam's bed into our room and set up my mother-in-laws huge picnic table in his room. When Liam saw that we had desecrated his beloved bedroom, he was upset and sad. We had to assure him repeatedly that we would return every item back to their original locations. We had transformed our tiny humble college apartment into a dinning hall that could accommodate about 25 guest comfortably. In the end, Bill and I were glad that we had the opportunity to host our guests in our home. Our home has come to represent so much of what we have learned and experienced over the past nine years. We have learned to be creative, making our small home work for us. Bill and I have collaborated together to create storage solutions that utilize every square inch of our modest home. Our home may be a small cinder block palace but we have worked hard to make it our own, to us it truly is home.

Bill's party was a huge success and we had such a great time with family and friends that were able to attend. We feasted like Kings and had a wonderful time laughing and talking.

Graduation

We had such a great time celebrating Bill's graduation from his Master's degree program from USU. Thank you family and friends for your support as we celebrated this happy accomplishment.

Tenaciousness to the tenth degree

My entire youth I was tormented by my inabilities to understand math. Math was a huge source of frustration, and confusion for me. I never understood why the apples were being taken away and what was up with long division? To me, these were torturing devices designed to make me feel stupid and inadequate. In fact, I was afraid of math to the point of delaying college because I believed that I would never be able to pass the Math classes that were required. After all I had literally failed every single math class I had ever attempted. However, I realized that I could not keep avoiding math out of shame or fear. I finally have been facing my math fears over the course of the past year. I began by first submitting myself for special testing to see if I had a math learning disability. The test revealed that I do struggle with math but that the components for understanding math were there and that with extra effort on my part I would be able to master math. I began at the very lowest level math class at the local technology college and I slowly started mastering the basic math concepts that had been stumbling blocks for so long. At first I was afraid that I would never be able to understand math but I worked hard nonetheless. What happened over the course of the next few months was a huge transformation that I was not expecting. As I consistently worked hard each and every day on math, I found that I was actually comprehending math. Where I had first been afraid and ashamed I developed confidence and comprehension. I was understanding math and actually enjoying it. I worked my way through the lower levels of math and passed those classes with A's.

I was then ready to begin at USU with the lower levels of Algebra. I enrolled in a special math class that is available to those who qualify. It's an intensify class that meets every day and has a special SI and tutoring sessions. The class size was only about 15 students and the same teacher teaches all of the math courses. I began with pre-algebra and for the first time in my life I was able to solve equations that I had never before comprehended. I found that not only did I enjoy math but I was actually quite good at it. I again received an A in this math class and my self esteem was boosted. The next step in this journey was for me to take Math 1010. I had heard mixed reviews from other students about this course and dreaded stories about the college wide final that concluded the course. I again was in a smaller class with the same math teacher and SI instructor and tutors. I worked hard each and every day and was forever mindful of the final exam. I did everything I could to succeed in my math class and I was astounded when my final math grade posted. I earned an A- in my Math 1010 class. Never in my life did I believe that I could earn an A from a math course. I believed that I was stupid when it came to numbers and that my brain was not cut out for math computations. However, with an amazing support system and tenaciousness I have learned that you can actually accomplish anything you set your mind too. I worked long, hard hours on math over this past year, at least 4-6 hours every single day for a whole year in addition to 6-8 hours every single weekend. Math has been the center of my universe and I feel strange that I have finished my math requirements. I learned for myself that I am actually quite good at math and that with hard work and determination you can accomplish anything. I also believe that I was creating my own stumbling blocks by continually telling myself that I was a failure when it came to math and that I would never get it. When I suspended those hurtful judgements and began to dig in and work hard at learning more about math I discovered that I actually love math and that my brain is more than capable when it comes to math computations.

Hallejuah!

I keep pinching myself and asking Bill if its really true that he is officially graduating from graduate school. The answer each time has been a loud and resounding, "YES!"

I am so happy, overwhelmed, and admittedly, scared. My life for the past nine years has entailed my husband being in college in one form or another. The rhythm of my life has been determined by the events surrounding my husbands college career. We have dreamed of the "one day" that would be heralded in with him graduating from college. Our lives have been painted with the imaginings of what our dream lives will be once he was graduated and had landed the "dream job". Here we now stand on the cusp of one phase ending and another waiting to begin and I am...TERRIFIED! I have found comfort in having a predictable life that has been dictated by the needs of my spouses education. I realize that it is up to us to take hold of the reins of our own destiny and create our own hopeful and amazing tomorrows. Admittedly, I have absolutely no idea how to do this. However, I am so proud of my husband for the hard work he has put into his education and I am nostalgic of the changes and amazing people and life lessons we have learned. I am planning a party for Bill that will be held at our house after the hooding ceremony, if you are interested please email me or leave a comment. I am in the midst of preparing for finals and have not been able to officially send out invites, it has been more by word of mouth and this is my way of saying if your one of our readers, chances are you are someone important to us. Let me know if your interested in joining in on our festivities to celebrate this amazing and momentous occasion.

My Son the Future Spelling Bee Champ

Liam has learned all the letters and sounds in the alphabet and is now learning to sound out words. I am so proud of him and excited for this new milestone. However I am going to have to adjust some of my parenting tactics to accommodate this new found skill. I spend most of my conversation around Liam spelling words out to Bill so that Liam has no idea what we are talking about. Here is an example:

Me: Honey guess what is on sale, T-R-A-N-S-F-O-R-M-E-R-S at Smiths Marketplace we will have to see if S-A-N-T-A will be bringing one for Liam this year.

Bill: Could you spell that again I didn't catch that.

Liam: I want to go with you to the store and see SSSAAAAAANNNNNTTTTTTTAAAAAA (the sounds of Liam sounding out what I just spelled)
SANTA!! (DING DING DING the light bulb goes off in his head of what he just spelled)
Hey is Rudolph and the Reindeer there? I want to go I want to go, is Santa there I want to see Santa!!! (Fit is then thrown and child spends time cooling down in his room or in time out.)

Having your child learn new and amazing things can be great but I will definitely need to rethink how I communicate and parent my child in the future.

But then again if I keep spelling words out for him to sound out who knows perhaps he could go on to win big trophies and big bucks at spelling bees and could even pay for college this way. Perhaps I will get a great big huge dictionary and start spelling out outlandishly hard words for my son to sound out so can one day become a Spelling Bee Champion. Hey Liam try this word on for size can you sound out the word...

Failed To Mention One Little Thing...

I have failed to mention one major accomplishment that I was able to achieve over the Summer. In the past 9 months I have completed 25 credits and in so doing I have advanced to becoming a:

Today was the first day back for all three of us:
Bill: Finishing his Masters Degree
Me: Advanced on to being a Sophmore
Liam: Has advanced to the Four's class at preschool.
I am looking forward to this next semester and hope that we all survive! Also wishing each of you much success and happiness in all your personal endeavors as well.

We are officially...teenagers!

Bill and I were married on June 19, 1996. Thirteen years ago tomorrow, I thought I would post this a day early since tomorrow will be such a busy and chaotic day.

Bill and Moana BYU-Hawaii April 1996

While Bill was on his mission in England, I decided to attend BYU-Hawaii. Since I was in the middle of mid-terms my parents advised me not to come home to see him at the conclusion of his mission. I missed his welcome home and I wept the entire day. Bill being an eternal optimist found a way to fly over to Hawaii and surprise me four weeks after his return home. It was like a scene in a movie when the girl sees the guy and the guy sees the girl and they run to each others outstretched arms--seriously! We were in a populated area where everyone stopped and watched and cheered for us. Our story was legendary and they were all able to deduce that this was MY missionary newly returned home from his mission. We looked deep into each others eyes and we knew that we were still compatible and that spark was definitely still there. We picked up right where we left off and within the first week of Bill being in Hawaii, he asked be to be his wife. Not once but twice! He proposed to me during sunset on the beach and again officially with the ring on the Laie temple grounds. (I said YES both times!)

One of our engagement photos, May 1996. We are sooo happy to be getting married!

Bill spent four weeks with me in Hawaii and I am so glad that Bill had the opportunity to meet my friends, see the life I was willing to leave behind, and also to share with him my Maori culture and heritage.
We were married 10 weeks after he got home from his mission and our wedding day was the greatest and most significant day of my life. I remember that much like this year it had rained and rained for weeks. There was some concern about how we would have our Garden Open House and capture all of our pictures, yet on our wedding day the sun came out shining and all was right with the world. Bill and I drove together to the temple and enjoyed the quiet time contemplating the importance and significance of starting our lives together. We also wondered in awe of our miraculous meeting and how we endured a long distance relationship for three years!! Yet we made it and are more bonded to one another because of it.
Our ceremony was attended by our closest loved ones and we rejoiced as we were sealed for time and all eternity. It was truly a memorable and glorious day.

June 19, 1996 Happily married--finally! Logan Temple, Utah.

I am so grateful that I have the honor and privilege of being married to my best friend and confidante. You have made my life full and complete filled with so much love, joy, and hope. Thank you my dearest heart for being my forever someone.

Update: Liams Festivities

Liam had a WONDERFUL 4th Birthday filled with Batman gifts, a Batman cupcake cake, meatballs and spagetthi and going to see the movie, "UP." According to Liam it was the, "Bestest berfday ever mommy and daddy, thanks guys!"