Max Has Super Powers

I don't know why, but Max clenches his hands together and shakes when you ask him if he has super powers... Maybe he knows something we don't??

My Busy Lila

Lila has been pretty busy this Christmas season! She had her first school Christmas program....


"Christmas is bells ringing 'round the town"







Her first ballet recital....


Lila and her best friend Madison


Our great neighbors and friends, The Murdochs (Madison's family)





And she beat the pants off her Uncle Todd the first time she went rock climbing!







She does it all!

Chloe's 2nd Birthday

We had a blast celebrating Chloe's 2nd birthday! When Chloe opened a pack of bath letters, she started singing the ABC's for us. She's such a cute girl!



She loved her opening her presents all by herself! We enjoyed frosted brownies instead of cake - it's Chloe's favorite.



Here we are singing Happy Birthday. Chloe almost burned her lips off, but she was successful in blowing out her own candle!

Hawaii Trip!

We are back from Hawaii! It was quite an adventure. There was so much to see and do that it just flew by. It almost feels like a dream now.

Flying with 3 kids under 5 was pretty intense. I now compare it with childbirth. During labor, you keep thinking you will never do it again. But as soon as it is over, you forget all about the bad stuff and just revel in the good. When we first got home, I was so overwhelmed by the whole experience that I said I would never do it again. But maybe I will - in a few years! Don't worry though, the trip was great! It was just the flying part that was hard :)

Day 1 - We left on Thanksgiving Day and it was a Thanksgiving to remember! All our bags were packed, we were ready to go. We made it through security without a hitch, which was a challenge due to our packing a stroller, car seat, liquid formula, baby food and 4 carry-on bags. The kids were patiently waiting to get on the plane.



Just before we were due to board, Delta announced our flight was delayed. 3 long hours later, they announced it was canceled! The next flight out was at 7 AM the next morning. So we were stranded in Salt Lake City for the night. Lila, of course, thought it was the greatest day of her life. Delta put us up in the Quality Inn.... Not the most glamorous hotel in town.



Arby's wasn't my first choice for Thanksgiving dinner either. But my awesome hubby went and got it for me! So we made do and it made for a great memory!

Day 2 - We had to get up at 3:30 AM in order to get to the plane on time, so that made it a LONG day. Once we landed in Hawaii, we were greeted by Marc's Dad, Ed, with leis! What a thoughtful gift from Marc. He had planned it in advance so we would get a proper greeting. We were tired and stinky, but happy to finally be in paradise!



The view from our room was gorgeous! We were just steps from Pokai Bay, one of my favorite beaches. We spent the first day relaxing at the beach.



Day 3 - We went to the Aloha Stadium swap meet and met up with my Aunty Arlyn and Aunty Arnette. We ate some yummy food and had a great time catching up.



My nine year old cousin Allee and Lila hit it off right away. I'm glad they had such a good time together!



Day 4 was so busy! First, we met up with my Uncle Ardie, Aunty Stella and her fam. It was so much fun! We (again) had more great food, even better company and lots of laughs. The girls and Marc swam in the pool while Max and I hung out and talked with everyone.




We left the party to go visit my Grandfather Kepo'o's grave. He is buried in the most beautiful cemetery you've ever seen. It's so peaceful and feels so protected with the mountains circling around.



Then it was on to visit my Grandma Kepo'o. It was great to let her meet her great-grandchildren for the first time.



Yes, there was still more to do that day! I was able to meet my Great Aunty Helen (my Grandfather's sister) and her family for the first time. They had a nice party for us with - you guessed it - more great food! Boy am I surprised I didn't gain more than 1o pounds this trip... It was so wonderful to be able to sit and visit with them. It amazes me that I had a whole side to my family I had never known before. I also received a bunch of family history from my cousin (1st cousin once removed) Wynster. He has done so much work putting together information about our family.

Max had his first taste of poi. He wasn't quite sure about it at first, but once he got started he didn't want to stop!



We had such a good time visiting that we didn't end up leaving to go home until 11 PM. That's 2 AM Utah time!! Look at Lila in the group pic...poor girl. No wonder we have such bad jetlag!



Day 5 - We went hiking up to Maunawili (or as Marc says, MAH-uh-nah-WEE-LEE) Falls. I couldn't believe the size of the vines! I felt like we were in the jungle. Or Jurassic Park.



In the trail guide Marc had it said this was an easy 1 1/2 mile hike (each way) on a well worn trail. What they didn't say is that the trail is almost completely uphill, you have to cross 5 streams and you have to trek through 4 inches of mud. I also got ahead of myself and decided to go around some of the stairs because they were such big steps. Of course, I fell and I was wearing Max in the backpack. :( Corey took over from there and kindly carried him the rest of the way.



Once we got there, it was gorgeous!



After such a hard workout, we spent of the rest of the day relaxing at the beach.

Day 6 - We started the day at BYU Hawaii, where Marc's Dad had a meeting. We took the campus tour and had lunch.



Then we went to see the temple. It was so beautiful decorated for Christmas. It is kind of weird to see Christmas trees in a tropical setting though.

Finally, we made it to the PCC! (Polynesian Cultural Center) I wish we would have had more time there.



Lila was able to go on stage in Samoa and learn a coconut dance. She was so concentrated!



Marc stole the show in Tonga. He played the drums and did a great job keeping up! I knew there was a little poly in my haole boy! :)



I love watching everyone dance. It makes me miss the old days of the Multicultural Club! (You know you miss it too Nesa!!) All of the kids fell asleep during the night show. Lila missed the whole fire dance! Oh well. Maybe next time.

Day 7 - Another lazy day! We borrowed a portable crib from my Aunty and it was perfect for Max to play in and take a nap while we were out at the beach. Chloe also ended up falling asleep in the shade of the crib, so I actually had time to relax and read a magazine. Wow!



There is still one more day and lots more pictures and videos to post. But I'm running out of steam (and time) so I'll finish this post later! :)

Happy Birthday Chloe!

My baby girl is 2 today! Here are a few things I love about Chloe. She is so polite and always remembers to say "please" and "thank you". She is very smart and she can already sing the ABC's! She is a great talker and talks (and talks and talks) about everything! She loves candy, she loves her Daddy and she loves to sing and dance. She is so animated and helps me remember the small excitements in life. Chloe is such a sweet spirit and we are so blessed to have her in our life!

Incredibly Graceful

I'm sure that's how everyone I know would first describe me...incredibly graceful. Ha!

We went ice skating last night for Family Home Evening. Lila was too scared to let go of the wall for the first lap (which took us 20 minutes...). Right as we finally made it around, she let go and THUMP. She was done for the night. Here she is being sad with Daddy.



But could I be content with leaving?? Nope, I wanted my monies worth. I had to make a fool of myself by being an ice skater wearing hockey skates. I was just trying to make Lila feel better... I'm sure I was entertaining to those around me as well.

Musical Monday - Alicia Keys Ft Adam Levine

I will be seeing Alicia live on Thursday - hooray! I love that she collaborated with Adam Levine on this song. 2 of my fave artists together.

It has begun...

Max has started "The Scoot". Time to break out the stair gate.

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

Flashback Friday - So Many Photo Booths, So Little Time

Welcome Back Hubby

Marc went to Seattle this weekend for the BYU game...even though he left on Thursday and didn't return until today! Hmmm ;) But he had a blast hanging with his brothers and friends. It looks like they had a great boys weekend. Thank you Paige for taking care of all those grown men in your house!! I'm sure glad I didn't have to go to the Air Museum (twice)! I'm also glad to have Marc back. I can finally quit sleeping with the bat next to the bed.

Chloe was especially happy to receive a Minnie Mouse doll upon Marc's arrival!



I realize Marc isn't in any of these pictures. Jocelyn, Rhianna, or Paige - any of you have pictures from your husband with my husband in them????

Musical Monday - You'll See from RENT

Steamers Are A Girls Best Friend

Diamonds...nah. They just look pretty. But steamers... I wish I could wear one on my finger so I could have it all the time! Meet my new best friend, Sharky.



He makes the inside of my microwave look like this:



How long did it take? 1 minute and 12 seconds. That's right! All I had to do - spray the inside with the steamer and wipe it out with a rag. And I sprayed it twice for good measure. There are so many other tricks Sharky can do too - windows, showers, tubs, tile... Sparkling clean house, here I come!!

Making the Leap

Hi Everyone! I've been working on a new blog for all the random posts I make that are not related to my family news. It's almost ready so I'm going to make this blog private on September 15th. If you would like me to add you to the list of viewers, please email me at hoku31ATgmailDOTcom. (Please note - you should enter the @ sign and a . where the words are in my email address. I'm trying to ward off spam!) You are also welcome to leave a comment with your email address. This blog will be dedicated to my personal and Blaser family news.

If you are one of my new SocialSpark or Mommy Community Blogging friends or you just want to continue reading about all of my other life ramblings, I'll be posting the URL of my new website shortly so you can check it out and add it to your blogroll!

Yes To Proposition 8

The California Supreme Court recently ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in California. Recognizing the importance of marriage to society, the LDS Church accepted an invitation to participate in ProtectMarriage, a coalition of churches, organizations, and individuals sponsoring a November ballot measure, Proposition 8, that would amend the California state constitution to ensure that only a marriage between a man and a woman would be legally recognized. (Information about the coalition can be found at http://www.protectmarriage.com/).

What are the six consequences if Proposition 8 Fails?

1. Children in public schools will be taught that both traditional marriage and same-sex marriage are okay. The California Education Code already requires that health education classes instruct children about marriage. (§51890) Therefore, if the definition of marriage is changed, children will be taught that marriage is a relation between any two adults. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

2. Churches will be sued if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings that are open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries.

3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has put an end to its adoption work, deciding to abandon its founding mission, rather than comply with state law requiring that gays be allowed to adopt children. (Boston.com)

4. Religions that sponsor private schools and which provide housing for married students will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if it runs counter to church doctrine or lose tax exemptions and benefits.

5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government. It has already happened in Canada, one of six countries that have legalized gay marriage.

6. It will cost you money. A change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits. Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today’s activist judges), think of the money – your money, your church contributions – that will have to be spent on legal fees. And think of all the unintended consequences that we cannot even foresee at this time. Where will it end? It’s your children, your grandchildren, your money, and your liberties. Lets work together to protect them.

I believe this was written by Elder Larry Lawrence (currently serving as an Area Seventy in California). You can also read the LDS church article The Divine Institution of Marriage on the Newsroom website, the official resource for news media for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Help get the word out. Copy and paste this info and post it on your blog and/or email it to your contacts.

Happy Week Long Birthday To Me

We started the birthday celebration on Friday the 29th. Marc kidnapped me and took me to SLC for the night. It was great! Dinner at my favorite Mac Grill downtown, with dessert. Followed by My Best Friend's Wedding on TBS, uninterrupted by screaming children. Oh yeah.

Saturday morning, we had our Fantasy Football draft. I had the 6th pick...blah. I hate being right in the middle. It all starts tonight - WAS@ NYG. Go Chris Cooley. My team looks ok. Actually, my team looks great! I mean, c'mon:

Reggie, make it a good year Baby. And if you don't have a great year, just take off your shirt please. Here we are on our date Saturday night:

Sunday was the big day and it was the busiest birthday I've ever had. I went visiting teaching at 10 (yes, I realize I didn't have to wait until the last day of the month...), and then my visiting teachers came over at 11. I received a double birthday present from the church at 12 - Marc was called as the Young Men's President and I was called as the Assistant Primary Secretary. Hooray! :) Church from 1-4, followed by birthday dinner at my Mom's house. Whew!! It was a crazy day. Everyone also let me play Rock Band until I was tired of it. Which takes a really long time.

I got a sweet present from Marc - a 8G memory card for my BlackBerry. So now I can shoot video, store over 200 pictures and have all the music my little heart desires on my phone all the time. I LOVE IT!! Look at how small it is:

Monday I went to lunch with my Mom and Bros. It's been a long time since we've been able to go out with just the kids.

It was so fun. Ryan does NOT like sushi. Just check out this face.

I, however, love it! Which would be why we went to Happy Sumo again last night. Thanks Amy for getting us all together!

It was a great birthday everyone. Thanks for sharing it with me!