Becoming our Best Selves in 2014


It's 2014 ya'll !!! 

And I feel like it's going to be a good year!

Last year I got to go the Alicia Keys and John Legend Concert in New Zealand...well I went vicariously through my Sis-in-law Sui...but either way...my girl Alicia said to "be A New You" and "Follow Your Heart!" or was it "Dreams"? 

Either way....I was feeling all "New You"-ish  that I felt like changing up the blog format/layout/design thingy and add new things. *Thanks Sui for the inspiration!
We are all going to be a better people! And I'll start off by being better at updating the family blog....
Here goes!

Our Family Goals, New Adventures, and Baby Bumpdates
FAMILY GOALS

I was reading the First Presidency Message for January 2014 (The Best Time to Plan A Tree) and I couldn't help but get all pumped up and excited to become my best self and to start/restart NOW. 

Since Aljay and I got married our family has written down our family/personal goals (not necessarily at New Years..we just started when we felt the need to redirect our focus..which was much needed during the first year of marriage lol). 

Since then we've revisited, revised, updated, added on, and checked off goals throughout the year. 

New Years is the perfect time to revisit those goals and see where we need to improve.     

President Uchtdorf explained that when we fail to reach our goals, “we can be empowered. … Even though we might fall short of our finish line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before.” 

That's exactly what our family intends to do- 

Continue moving forward and enjoying the journey. 

For our last FHE of 2013 I decided to do something just a little different when we wrote down our goals.

We split our paper into two sections and wrote down everything we accomplished in 2013 on one side and then our goals on the other side. 

It was an easy way to kind of see our journey in three parts: where we've been, where we are now, and where we want to go.

When we were able to get some quiet time to ourselves, Aljay and I shared our thoughts and reflections. We both couldn't help but be filled with gratitude as we recognized the Lord's promises being fulfilled when we were doing the things we were supposed to be doing. It has been the simple every day things that have made all the difference. 

And that's basically what we want to become better at doing. 

-Daily prayer. Morning and Evening. 
-Consistent FHE. no excuses!
-Consistent Scripture Reading. noooo excuses!
-Attend the Temple. At least once a month. 

And in addition to those things...

-Be on time to church! We start at 9am...so we'll try our very best. 
-Prepare as best as we can for our callings. 
I just got called as the CTR 5 primary teacher (I'm excited) and I'm very sure Aljay is going to get a calling soon...this ward don't waste no time!
-Continue our family budget. 

Then of course we have our more specific/individual goals--

Aljay- 
  • Earn all his certifications at work before going back to school/getting a job with a company that will pay for his schooling.
  • Lose more weight (he's dropped and kept off 40lbs since we've been here) and reach Super model status
  • Continue studying, practicing, painting, and sketching so that he can produce and sell his art. 
Sandra-
  • Do my very best with our new endeavor- Huaka'i Dance Company. I'll explain in a bit. *This goal applies to Aljay as well. 
  • Give birth :) Yessss! I think I go this! lol....and then more importantly..LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT and become a healthier me. Gotta make use of those gym memberships. 
  • Maintain an orderly home (clean, organized, family budget, food/pantry stocked, etc)
  • Look into a job around here and possible Master's programs.
Leila-
  • Learn the alphabet/numbers. As in be able to recognize and identify letters and numbers. 
  • Add more chores! Right now she folds her and Sefa's clothes, puts away things when I tell her, and helps me with cooking. Next on the list- clean all the mirrors, clean her bathroom, take out the trash, wash the dishes, vacuum, sweep, chop the wood, shovel the snow...etc... we'll take it one step at a time lol. 
  • Learn 4 scriptures this year.
Iosefa-
  • Add more words to vocabulary.
  • Work on Pronunciation.
  • Be potty trained by May! 
  • Learn 4 scriptures with Leila. 

 New Adventures

We started a new business called the Huaka'i Dance Company! 'We' meaning Uncle Palemia, his wife Kim, Aljay and Me! It's a Polynesian dance school allllll the way out in Stansbury (an hour from where we live). We also have Ary as an instructor and plan on bringing in all our talented family! It's a family business! Which can be great but also challenging at times. So far..it's been great! 

I'm not looking forward to an hour drive out every Saturday but it's a great opportunity and there's possibility of expanding and opening studios in other areas. 

Best part is that we are legit! Business license and all! We're excited to use our talents, expand our horizons, and bring in some income at the same time!

P.S. shout out to Aljay and Lahjval for creating the logo, Uncle Mia for getting the ball rolling, and Aunty Kim for her mean marketing skills!


 Baby Bumpdates

First off...I'm huge for being only 21ish weeks. Waaayy bigger than I was with Leila (but duh she was my first)...and maybe just a tiny smidge bigger than I was with Sefa...maybe. I can't remember and I was so junk with taking photos with either of my kids that I have nothing to refer to. So junk yah? Better add that to my goal list (*be better at taking photos).

I'm feeling good....still salivating but not as much. Just as long as I'm talking/singing/eating then I'm not needing to spit. As Leila used to say "grurrs" (gross). 

I'm hungry....all the time. Every hour. All day. Every day. Preferring healthy food (not sure why) like smoothies, fruits, and fresh salads...but will settle with milkshakes, baked goods, chips, and just about anything edible.  

I'm feeling lots of movement. Baby loves to kick my bladder and goes crazy when I eat sweets. Makes me wonder what this kid is going to be like. Diva like Leila? Lost boy like Sefa? Smart and sassy? Cute and kuluku? 

Boy or girl? We don't know....if we find out then GREAT! If we don't...oh well. 

Names? Haven't really given much thought. It would be easier if we knew the gender but...I won't stress over a name unless it is two weeks after baby is born and he/she is still namesless hahah. 

Mommy Feelings:

I still have that baby-buzz-excited feeling you get with your first pregnancy. Especially when I look down and see my big oh bump or feel baby move.  Can't help but feel grateful that we have been blessed with another opportunity to bring another spirit into this world. I sometimes think...yess..maybe I'll get it right this time..hahah. I think I've been saying this since Leila and will probably be saying this with each kid lol. Aljay shares my excitement and is doing an excellent job of taking care of me; telling me to slow down when I'm overdoing it, feeding me when I have hunger attacks, and trying his best to make it to all my appointments.  


 OVERALL 

 We are excited

 motivated

 focused

and 

 sooo ready for 2014 to

brriiiiinnnnnggg iiitttt!!!!


We're ready.

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