December 2025
12/4 - Timpview Volleyball Banquet
Earlier that week, Leila was like, “Are you guys coming to my banquet? I think I’m getting an award or something.”
Both Aljay and I were like, “Yeah… participation award lol.”
Welp. We were wrong 😂
Our girl was awarded Offensive Player of the Year for Junior Varsity! LOL
Way to be great, Leila. We know her ankle injury was frustrating, but she kept moving forward and stayed focused. We’re proud of her effort and growth this season. Keep progressing.
Playing a sport while keeping your grades up is not easy. She learned quickly how important it is to stay on top of her academics and to use her high school counselor when she needs help adjusting her class schedule. I’m especially proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone and going in to meet with her counselor on her own.
12/5 - ER For Kidney Stones
I was at work when I started feeling a sharp pain in my left flank. Around 4:00 pm it became unbearable. I finally left work around 4:40 and headed home, but the pain was so bad that I called Aljay to take me to the ER. He met me at Vineyard Elementary, jumped in my car, and drove me to the hospital. Leila drove herself and Sefa home in the other car.
Holy yako—the pain was unreal. As soon as I was admitted to the ER, they started an IV and gave me morphine. Yay for medicine. They say kidney stones are worse than giving birth, and I would absolutely agree.
Turns out, I was passing a 2mm kidney stone on my right side. The scans also showed three large stones on my left side. After I was discharged, I scheduled an appointment with a urologist to figure out next steps for the bigger stones.
12/8 - ER for Papa Joe
My dad’s home nurse came by to change his bandages and noticed that his middle toe was purple. She said he needed to go to the ER. Tui took him in, and he was admitted. They started him on antibiotics, but eventually the doctors had to amputate the toe (Dec 12th).
So now he’s down to two toes on his right foot. Ninja Turtle status. 🐢
12/10 - Aljay Starts His Weight Loss Journey
12/11 - Viiga's Youth Football Banquet
12/13 - Ward Christmas Party
Primary was in charge of the Giving Shop this year. We did it last year and it was a huge hit, so we brought it back again. The kids loved “shopping” for presents for their loved ones, and it was so fun to watch them take it seriously and get excited about their choices.
I also loved seeing ward members come through afterward and find some really great treasures. I just wish I had taken more photos.
12/15 - Timpview Football Banquet
Sefa lettered for varsity this season. He had a great year and has been working hard during the off-season. I’m proud of his efforts both on and off the field. He’s learned quickly that being a student-athlete takes real discipline and hard work.
One thing about Sefa is that he wants to excel in whatever he does. Something he continues to work on, though, is confidence in his own ability. He’s hard on himself when things don’t click right away and often compares himself to senior athletes, feeling like he’s not doing enough to make an impact.
We’re constantly reminding him to focus on the small wins and keep the bigger picture in mind. Just last year he was playing 12U football, and now—as a true freshman (not held back or reclassified)—he’s starting on JV and even getting on the field at the varsity level. There aren’t many true freshmen these days, let alone ones starting JV and seeing varsity action.
We’re extremely proud of his effort and growth, and we’re confident in his abilities. Love you, Sefa! 💙
12/17 - Surgery for Me
It was pretty weird peeing out the stones afterward—they looked like sand and tiny rocks.
I can’t wait to get the stent removed and really get my health back in order. This is the second surgery I’ve had in the past couple of years, and I don’t want to keep going down this path.
I found a nurse practitioner who finally accepts our insurance and comes highly recommended by two women I work with. I’ve already scheduled an appointment and am honestly looking forward to getting my lab work done and putting a plan together that actually addresses what my body needs.
Anyways, here I am post op with a warming blanket just before I started waking up from anesthesia. We went in around 9:45am and got home around 1:30pm.
12/23 – Papa Joe Made It Home
Dad was discharged from the hospital and was finally able to come home. He still needs to go in every day for a week for IV treatments, but he was just happy to be home in time for Christmas.12/24 – Christmas Eve
During the day, we cleaned the house and made food. Throughout the month, we had been using an advent calendar that included a scripture for each day, slowly reading through the story of Christ’s birth. We finished the story on Christmas Eve, which felt really special.That evening, Ian & Peyton, Penny & Vjal, and Lila all came over. We ate, played games, and just enjoyed being together. It was such a fun night.
12/25 – Christmas Day
We all gathered around 10:00 a.m. for our Christmas devotional, then opened presents. This year our family did Secret Santa, and Aljay and I also gave gifts to Grandma, Grandpa, and Tui.We went one by one, and before giving their gift, each person shared their favorite memory or favorite thing about the person they had. My favorite part was seeing what everyone picked for their secret person and hearing what they loved about each other.
In the evening, we rearranged the living room and set up the couches theater-style. Penny and Lahvjal took the kids to pick up popcorn from the theater in Vineyard, and I made a homemade “Demogorgon” pizza 😂 Then we settled in and watched three episodes together. It’s so fun watching as a family—especially with the kids. They’re really into Stranger Things, and this was just a fun way to enjoy it with them.
12/26 - Celebrated Papa Joe's 75th Birthday
The day before, my dad decided he wanted to take all the kids to the movies and then go out for dinner for his birthday. Knowing he was still recovering—and that he had physical therapy and an IV session scheduled on his birthday—we decided to keep it simple and just go out to dinner. One of his favorite places is Chuck-A-Rama, so that’s where we went.
Our Afele families (Uati & Omi, Teuila & Bubu) were also able to make it last minute, which made it even better.
I really wanted to do something more grand, especially since it was his 75th birthday. But with all the health-related uncertainties—waiting to see when Dad would be discharged from the hospital, me still walking around with a freaking stent, and Candace and her family not being able to make it because she needed a root canal—there were just too many moving parts.
I’m just grateful we were able to do this for him and spend that time together.
12/28 - Temple & Priesthood Preview
Viiga is advancing to the office of deacon and receiving the Aaronic priesthood. He's moving up to Youth next year with two other Valiant 10 kids. I can't believe it. Half our kids will be in Youth next year.
12/31 - Stent Removal
12/31 - Salani Turns 6
The four girls went with Aunty Brittany and Aunty Penny to babysit Pa’i and Ina while Ian and Peyton traveled to New York for a family function. They were gone for a couple of days and came home on December 31st. It was quiet without them, but it was also nice to have a slower couple of days with just the two boys.
While they were gone, Sefa and Viiga helped pick out Lani’s gifts and decorate the dining area. We got a big gift bag and put all the gifts from us and Brittany inside it. When the girls got home, Lani got to pick a few gifts every hour while we cleaned the house and got everything ready for the evening festivities.
Those festivities included Netflix games (Imposter, Pictionary, and Boggle), dinner, the final episode of Stranger Things, and then cheering in the new year.
For dinner, we did a Costa Vida–inspired theme with pork carnitas. Aljay made a really cool Stitch cake, which we enjoyed with ice cream. Aunty Penny and Uncle Vjal joined us too, bringing gifts for Lani and some “demagorgon blood” (juice with edible glitter).
Watching the finale with the kids was so fun. The show itself is great, but what really makes it enjoyable are their reactions. Saleima absolutely stole the moment with her “And the bastard was dead!” comment—said right when everything went quiet. Don’t worry, we explained she can’t just be using that word out loud 😅.
After the two-hour finale, we did the countdown, welcomed the New Year, cleaned up, and then it was off to bed.
Happy New Year!
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