Some Holiday Happenings

Ray and Leka made a short snowman with Grandpa Maile

We got to ride the on the Polar Express with our cousins. It was so fun!! Leka was in train heaven. Has been part of all his conversations lately...Leka are you hungry? He answers- when I was the Polar Express I was not hungry at all. We were lucky we got to go.

Jane Lavea (my sister in law) got Employee of the year at our End of the year Pinnacle Christmas party. Go Jane!
The kids got to meet Santa and tell the elves what they wanted. Eli and Eva were here also but were hiding. Santa is great but they just didn't want him to touch them. So cute.
Our loud little group.
Leka loved this train. Once he saw it he took off in full sprint (cowboy boots and all) to touch it.
Me and the boys decorating our Christmas tree that RayRay picked out. Good choice Ray.

Random

There are quite a few things that have happened and going on right now, so I labeled this post "random" because I will be skipping here and there.

First off.... our little Leka bear (Maati Semisi Kitione Maile III) turned 4 years old. I love this kid so much. He is such a crack up and keeps us all on our toes. Happy Birthday baby! We are so lucky to have you in our lives.

A couple of weeks ago our pediatrician recommended that we take our boys to see a cardiologist. We set up the appointments and headed up to Primary Children's hospital. They found that Leka has a heart abnormality in his right artery. He was born with it and will most likely need surgery to correct it. He has an MRI scheduled in 2 weeks and we'll make a decision on surgery from there. It's been scary but I know things will work out. Please keep my little guy in your prayers. Ray is a o.k. but is having a hard time accepting that he is 100% healthy. He thought for sure he had a heart abnormality too causing him to be a slow runner. Sorry pup.

Jr. and I are currently trying to get back into the gym. Man it's hard! Last year Naki ran the 5k on the 4th of July and wanted Jr. to run it also, but he didn't. He's never had the desire to be a runner and it didn't sound fun to him. That's one of my long term goals in life is to be a runner. I know it's something I can do but I just have to commit to it. It's always the commitment and hard work part that gets me.....Anyways, a couple hours after Naki passed away Jr. was talking to Jethro and they agreed that they will train and run the 5k in 2010 for Naki. And probably every year until they cant run anymore. Running, I think for Jr. will never be fun but he has a different outlook on life these days and will do anything to honor and feel close to his brother. Anyone that wants to run it with us is welcome to come. Let me know because we're making shirts.

Also, Jr. wanted me to blog on here that he will be holding a benefit concert every year for Abby and the girls. It will most likely be held at UVU and in October. He will be calling all his musician friends, Naki's friends that he knows, everyone and anyones friends to throw the biggest and best concert they possibly can for them. We know that time has been passing by but please don't forget about them. Please keep them in your prayers and continue to donate if you can by clicking on the Naki's girls icon at the right side of my page.

Lastly I wanted to personally thank our "T.V. fairy"....you know who you are! Other then when he's around his family/nieces it's been hard to see Jr. smile which most of you know is out of character for him. And after the whole broken T.V. thing with Leka it was even harder. But last week we had a "T.V. fairy" buy Jr. a brand spankin new flat screen T.V.! Oh my goodness was he surprised. I guess he really didn't smile though, he cried mostly, but happy tears. Thank you, Thank you! You are amazing and so giving, we do not know where we'd be without you in our lives! I am not naming her for fear of embarrassing her but also because almost everyone that reads my blog has already been told personally (by Jr.) the story and who the "T.V. fairy" is. Her name does rhyme with Thabby. Love you Thabby!

Why I love the Cougs

Lately at work I haven't been myself. I always feel on the verge of tears. And I'm kind of a grouch. I'm usually known as easy going and a trash talker at work. I'm always trash talking the boys in our dept. about sports. We're always talking about college football and the Jazz. But lately I've been silent. All I've even been interested in is my family.

A couple of weeks ago my co-worker Gentry and I placed $5.00 on the TCU vs. BYU game. I obviously was betting that the Cougs would win and he was betting against us. Well, the outcome was that we got spanked by TCU and I had to pay up. Jr. had an idea to pay him in pennies. So that's what I did. We went to the bank a week and a half ago and turned in a $5.00 bill and asked for 500 pennies in return. I put the pennies in a empty water bottle and placed it on his desk and walked away. As I walked away I just heard him laugh so loud. A couple of minutes later he comes over and asks what other games I'd like to bet on because he likes getting free money. Little punk! :-)

Then everyone started to ask me why I loved BYU so much. I've never really thought of it, so I sat there for a while. I'm usually the type of person that talks first and thinks later. But I've been working on that weakness lately, so I was really concentrating and thinking hard of the many reasons I love the Y. Then someone asks "what was the first game you attended". My memory is not what it once was so I sat there for even longer. Then the 'aha' moment comes and so do the flood gates of tears. The first game I attended was in 2001 when Jr. and I just recently got married. It was when Naki still played for the Y. I've had nothing else on my mind but Naki, Abby and the girls. I've wanted to blog about him for sometime but I've been hesitant fearing that something I write would cause Abby and the girls more pain. Which they do not need anymore of. But tonight reading Abby's blog about mourners rights I felt it would be ok. I hope it is.

I remember at that game I attended with Jr. and his parents, Baby RayRay, Abby, Ginny, and some of Naki's girls. I believe Malia was only 1 year old. I also remember Jr. wearing Naki's blue BYU jump suit and being so proud and cheering when Naki was playing. I don't even know who they played but I remember loving the atmosphere there and being amazed hearing 65,000 people singing the fight song every time the Cougars scored. I remember wishing that I knew the words to the song. I know that was the game that truly converted me and I've bled blue ever since.

Poor boys in my dept. when they saw me having flash backs and tears filling my eyes they totally backed off. The word AWKWARD kept coming into my mind as I was trying to answer their questions and fight back tears. A lot of people I work with, Gentry included play softball with our family so they know Naki and love and respect him just as much as I do. During the BYU/TCU game our family got to go onto the field while they honored Naki by having a moment of silence for him. It was so awesome it just added to the many reasons I love BYU. Here are a couple of pictures from the game.

As for being a grouch at work....... I think it's that I cant shake this feeling that my family has been totally ripped off and there is nothing I can do about it. I cant file a complaint to the BBB or to the Attorney Generals office. So when I hear that from customers about their accounts I think...yeah, well suck it up! I wonder if there will ever be a time when I don't feel this way. I am thankful that I came to the realization (granted that it was at work) the true reason I love the Cougs. Because of Naki. As we watched our team get beat by TCU we started to see many fans leave. Jr. and I kept looking at each other and silently wondering if we should leave too. Then Jr. said to me...Naki would be so mad if we left and call us fair weather fans. I never want to be considered a fair weather fan. Naki is the truest BYU fan I know. So we stayed the entire game and enjoyed every minute of it. Go Cougs!

But I've wanted one for soooo long!

The last couple of years Jr. has been harassing me to buy a flat screen T.V. It's never been in our budget and still isn't but 2 days ago I agreed. R.C. Willey was having a sale on them and we paid off our account a couple months back. I said sure, why not? I guess we can make minimum payments on it and get it paid off in the next 5 years or so. I'm only exaggerating by a year or so. So he bought it. He set it up Tuesday night and has been pretty excited about it the last 2 nights.

Let's jump to another subject that will soon tie this whole story together. We have a little 3 year old monster that lives in our home and pretty much runs this house. He also has what's known as the "Lavea Temper". The Lavea temper has been handed down from my Grandpa to my Dad to me and on to Leka. It basically is uncontrollable and when we lose it, it's hard to gain control. Leka is so cute most of the time that we usually let it slide. Tonight was not one of those nights.

Back to the T.V., as I'm washing dishes and Jr. is registering for classes online for next semester Leka runs into the kitchen and says-

Leka:Mom, Ray wont let me be the Rhino!

Me: That's okay be something else. (I have no idea what he's talking about)

Leka: NO! (runs back to the family room)

Ray: (runs in about 25 seconds later) MOM AND DAD, LEKA THREW THE REMOTE AT THE T.V. AND IT'S NOT WORKING NOW!

Jr: What the ..... (you fill in the blanks, but it wasn't too bad)

This is what we found when we walked into the family room.

He threw it so hard at the screen that it cracked at the top and made several lines down the middle of it. So after Leka got punished and believe me he did, Ray as well b/c they were fighting for sometime about who was going to be the Rhino. Jr. and I were just naturally trying to make each other feel better...then Jr. let out a moan..But I've wanted one for soooo long! Poor guy. Maybe Heavenly Father is trying to teach us to live within our means?

I called around to the warranty and to RC Willey, T.V. repair stores and asked how much that kind of damage would cost and they pretty much said we might as well buy a new T.V. b/c it's the same price to get it fixed. Oh Leka why are you so crazy? What are we going to do with you?

After the yelling stopped, Jr. and I both realized, it's just a T.V. it's just money. We don't have a lot of it but it is just money. Our family is what's most important, they may be crazy at times but they are what matters most in life.

Fly time, fly!

Lately in our home Jr. and I have been obsessed with time. What I've been thinking about is what time was it when I lost track of time? I've been as sick as a dog all week and didn't even realize Halloween coming so quickly. Ray didn't have a costume so on Thursday we had to go out and buy one for him. Leka luckily wears Ray's old costumes so we just buy one a year. Those things are expensive. I wish I knew how to sew and create things but I don't. And knowing myself even if I had the skill I doubt I'd put it to good use.

Jr. on the other hand has been wanting time to go fast. He just wants it to speed up and literally fly by. It's all he's been talking about lately. He just misses Naki soooo much it's making him antsy. I'd love to ease his burden and find the perfect words to make him feel better but I don't have those words. I just hold him and wish time would speed up a little too.

Ray and Leka cant wait for Halloween to come. Those boys love them some candy. They get candy all the time so I wonder what's all the fuss for Halloween. But they are excited to see their cousins tonight and trick er treat together. I know they will have a great time.

Naki Maile

I don't have words to say how much I will miss my brother in law Naki. By now it seems the whole world knows that he passed away unexpectedly last Friday. Everyone knew him and loved him. I've been avoiding Facebook and blogs like the plague just wishing that it was a bad dream. But the harsh reality is that we lost one of the greatest people I've ever known last week. My heart goes out to Abby and my sweet nieces. I love them so much. They will have to endure this mortal life without him. Please help them if you can by going to http://www.nakifamily.com/ and donating whatever you can to help them out.

I love and miss you Big Nox!

A breakfast to remember

So it's been forever since my last entry. My family and I have been overwhelmed with softball, school, homework, luau's, band practice, etc. But I had to make time to blog about a great breakfast that Jr. and I had with our boys on Conference weekend.

The last couple of years Jr. and I have taken the boys up to Salt Lake to watch Conference in the Joseph Smith building, but this year we have literally been so busy that it sounded nice just to stay home. So that's what we did. We woke up and stayed in our P.J.'s which probably isn't the best idea if your planning on staying awake for ALL the speakers. As always it was great to hear from the leaders of our church and feel rejuvenated and recharged to live the gospel and serve others.

After the first session we started to make breakfast because we got up so late. Jr. and I have never been big on letting our boys help prepare meals. I always think it will be a bigger mess to clean up. But to my surprise I heard Jr. tell them "yes" when they asked if they could help. Look at these cute little chefs in the making.

They got these aprons from Naki and Abby's family for Christmas and this is the first time they've used them. They were so excited. Jr. let them mix the pancake batter and scramble the eggs. Jr. is the cook in our home. If it's not ramen noodles or mac and cheese I'm most likely not the one that made it. But the boys were in the best mood spending time with their Dad and cooking in Ray's words "the most delicious breakfast ever". They started getting creative and wanted to experiment with some unusual ingredients.

Cheedo's and Coco puffs. They ate every last bite of their creation also. I'm so blessed to have these cuties in my life. I'm so thankful that I had a weekend to just sit and relax and enjoy my family. Hope you all had a great Conference weekend too!

Goooooooooooooo COUGARS!!!!!!!!!!

The Lakes Trip

This past weekend Jr. and I were invited by Riley and Kristina to their yearly Grand Daddy Lakes trip. They have been going for years with their family and close friends and this year they invited us to go. You horse ride 7 miles to your camp area. I haven't spent much time with horses so I'd been having 2nd, 3rd, and 4th thoughts about going. But Jr. was so excited, I was excited but also a little worried to intrude on a traditional friends and family trip. All worrying aside everyone was so welcoming and very patient with us well with me.

We left Friday morning and drove for about 2 hours east and met Riley and his sister Ralaina at Grandview Trail Head (it's by Tabiona, Ut). They packed all our things on a "pack" horse and I got to ride Nelly and Jr. is riding Heber. He's humongous.

It was a smooth, beautiful 7 mile ride to our campsite. The view is gorgeous.

When we made it there everyone that brought horses let's them graze and hangout. I love this picture. I believe there were 19 horses total and 14 campers.

We had the best meals out there. Everyone really went all out. Mostly everything we ate was cooked in dutch ovens over the camp fire and we had the best Cobbler ever made. No joke it was delicious. That reminds me I need that recipe. I tried not to eat too much out there because there are no bathrooms......if you needed to go, you took a walk and handled your business. It's definitely rough camping.

We stayed up late Friday night singing songs by the camp fire. Kristina and I had been working on a Song book for the trip because usually it's just Riley and Jr. singing at our gatherings but this time we wanted to join in.

We slept with 6 other people in Riley's new tent and I was warned that it gets crazy cold at night but they had heaters going in the tent and it was so warm and cozy.

I really felt like I was starting to relax with the 7 mile ride out of the way, then Saturday morning came. I woke up and I was sore! Not saddle sore surprisingly (good thing I have a lot of cushion) but my back ached. But these cowboys know what their doing because everyone had medicine for us to take. Then wouldn't you know it was time to jump on the horses again and go on what they called an "adventure".

And an adventure it was! Below are 2 videos that Jr. took while on this adventure.

It was crazy! I was terrified the whole time. I don't have a lot of horse control and I think Nelly took me for a ride that day. She seemed so sweet and slow on Friday but she was well rested and ready roll come Saturday. I guess I looked petrified the whole time because everyone kept asking me how I was doing. I didn't want to say I was freaked out of my mind and about pee'd in my pants a million times.

It was such an amazing experience and I was thankful we got to go. It really made me appreciate all the beautiful land and animals that Heavenly Father created for us.

Sunday morning we packed up and took the 7 mile journey back to our cars. We had so much stuff and it took up two more horses so Kristina and Ralaina hiked out. When I say hike I mean HIKE. It was a rough trail for horses with 4 feet. I was so impressed with those two especially with the high elevation.

Well I made it out alive and my husband has now become obsessed with horse riding. Jr. loved every second on those horses and cant wait to go again. I on the other hand am more scared then before the trip. That Saturday ride got me all messed up. But I still had an awesome time. Thanks Kristina and Riley! We had a blast.

Maile Reunion 09

A couple of weeks ago we had our annual Maile reunion. It's just Jr.s parents and his siblings and their families that go. I love having a small family reunion because no one really gets lost in the crowd. We're already a tight knit family so we were very excited to go and have some fun. We started it last year so this was our 2nd year. The Michell's in our ward let us stay in their cabin located in Hobble Creek Canyon. It was a really nice cabin. It had flushing toilets and showers. The only down fall was that we had to use a generator for electricity and it didn't work the last day and a half that we were there.
It was so much fun to spend time together as a family and just relax and watch our kids enjoy themselves. We did a lot of eating as always, went on nature walks, played with water balloons, sang songs, played in the near by creek, etc. It was awesome.

Here are the kids playing water balloon games on the sand volleyball court. I love the Mountains in the background.
Tiera and Line enjoying the cold stream. Aunty Misty caught a lizard and let Ray hold it. Leka and Eli hanging out on the swing. Not positive whose feet these are besides Leka's but I love this picture. Jr. doing what he does best...Barbecuing. I could have done without the pose though. lol
Majority of the manual labor was done by Ikaika and Corey. Thanks boys!
Jr. and I have been blessed with the sweetest friends ever. Riley and Kristina were kind enough to bring up their horses and let our family enjoy riding them for a day. We had such a great time. They definitely made the reunion a memorable one. We'll always be thankful to have such great friends.

RayRay getting ready to ride Yankee.
Eva not sure if she wants to ride the horse anymore. Look at that face, so cute. Leka riding Sassy. Naki helping Grandma off the horse. She'd had enough and was making a run or should I say jump for it. Good thing Naki was there to catch her.
I love this picture of the two Maati's riding horses. Jr.s Dad had a horse in Tonga. He actually broke his arm when he was younger when he fell off his horse. Ray loves when Grandpa tells storys about his horse. He was a natural.Here's a picture of us Moms with the kids. Kristina brought her twins Joni and Maile with her. I'm holding Maile and she's holding Joni. They are the cutest twins. They are so gorgeous, good and easy going. They named Maile after Jr. and our last name. Inst that cool? Jr. was so honored. Go Abby and Misty!
Here's Ikaika riding Sassy. Rex, Mom and Riley returning from their ride. We ended the trip with dances and family skits. The girls did a special number for Grandpa and Grandma. I have the most beautiful and talented nieces. The kids came up with a skit all on their own, I was amazed that Ray actually participated and helped out. Sometimes he's too shy especially when he and Leka are the only younger boys on the Maile side and the rest are girls.
This particular skit involved only Michael Jackson songs. Yes! Our kids know what good, real music is. Sorry Britney your music doesn't get much play by these kids. Rex and his kids performing "Thriller" it was hilarious! I'm so thankful to be married into such a loving, eternal, funny, forgiving and amazing family. I cant wait till next year!