Happy 4th of July!!

I'm truly blessed and honored to be a citizen of and to live in this great nation where I enjoy the freedoms and liberties that many have courageously sacrificed their lives on our behalf and on behalf of our country.  Let's not ever forget them -- our nation's forefathers and the men and women in our military, both past and present, who defended and continue to do so to ensure these blessings and our Constitution!  God bless the U.S.A. and our brave military!!! 
Check out one of my favorite versions of "America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles. Please have a safe 4th of July!

Your Vote...

is needed! Vivint, formerly APX Alarm, is giving away monies to local charities with the highest amount of votes. This won't cost you a dime, but it will require a minute or two of your time. As most of you know, my son, Dallin, has been suffering from a chronic illness called Eosinophilic Esophagitis, or EE (EoE) disease, which for him is mainly triggered by aero-allergens that sometimes daily medications cannot help and he must endure the pain and discomforts of the disease. We were told he would "grow into it", those are not very comforting words. However, we are very blessed that his disease still allows him the freedom to eat like other normal children, with the exception of dairy. But, many of the children in his support group have other forms of EGIDs (Eosinophilic GastroIntestinal Disorders) caused by food and are on feeding tubes and/or are on restrictive diets. Imagine a life without food that you and I enjoy everyday. Seeing these children and thousands of others suffer from this disease breaks my heart. We can all do our part and help Dallin and these brave children (and adults) suffering from EGIDs by casting your vote for the CURED Foundation. This organization will donate 100% of all funds to research in finding better treatment options and most importantly, for a CURE. We urge you to please participate and assist us in this great and worthy cause by voting HERE. If you're able to, please vote every day until August 27th. Dallin and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

My Sweet 16.........

Some highlights from my birthday bash including my Uncle Vao singing one of my favorite songs "My Girl" as I danced with my Daddy!!!!

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My Life in a few photos......

This was the slideshow that was played at my Sweet 16 right before Josh and I entered the hall. There are no photos of my mummy. :(

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My Beautiful Mummy!

Estos son unos fotos de mi mummy HERMOSA, fueron sacaron a la fiesta mia para los diesiseis anos! Ella hizo un buen trabajo en ayudar a planear y preparar para mi fiesta!

Mi mummy hermosa y yo (y la mano de mi padre........jajaja!!!)
This is one of my mummy's favorite songs by two musicians she likes, which has become my favorite too: You Were Always On My Mind by Na Wai ft. Fiji. When my mummy sings this song, I think she sounds just like the lead singer (for Na Wai). Gracias Mummy! Y te quiero!

My Sweet 16 Photo Shoot & Invites

My awesome, awesome aunties, Betheny and Crystal photographed, edited my photos and created my invites. I LOVE MY AUNTIES!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our Favorite Bed & Breakfast

My sweetheart and I love to stay at Bed & Breakfasts, especially if it's a turn of the century home with a great history. I was in charge of finding a B&B for this year's Valentine's Day weekend. My husband didn't care about the price just as long as it was to a WARMER location. He's grown tired of the winters here and longs for the desert warmth. So, we decided to head south to Kanab. To my surprise, there was only one B&B, the Purple Sage Inn, out of several in town with perfect 5 star ratings on two different websites. I called and spoke with the owner, Kathy, who was very kind and very accommodating! We arrived after 9 p.m. on Friday night, since it took us over 4 hours to get there and we were greeted by Kathy, her husband, Tory, and their son. As we walked in, Tory had just lit the fireplace in the living room which gave it a warm and inviting ambiance. Kathy told us the history of the house and took us on a tour to see the rest of the home and its cozy rooms. The author, Zane Grey, stayed in this very room when it was a hotel and penned Riders of the Purple Sage (pictured above, bottom right-hand corner).
It just so happens, Scott and I were the only couple there for the weekend, so she upgraded our room to the master bedroom suite for free. Lucky us!!! She made us a Valentine's gift basket with chocolate lollies and a bottle of sparkling cranberry juice with cute champagne glasses, which we brought home. The mattress was perfect and we had a very restful night. We woke up early, for a Saturday morning, and took a stroll around the neighborhood.When we got back, the smell of breakfast permeated throughout the house. Kathy and Tory served up the best breakfasts we've EVER had, and I mean E-V-E-R!!! They even kept us company on Saturday night after Scott and I returned from eating a great steak dinner in Arizona at a place she recommended. As a matter-of-fact we saw them with their family as we were paying our bill. Earlier that day, Scott and I took off exploring a few sites in northern Arizona and the surrounding communities near Kanab, and she sent us packed with fruits and snacks to munch on, and she did the same when we headed home on Sunday. We've never had such wonderful hospitality as this from former B&Bs we've stayed at. We felt so comfortable as if we were amongst old friends. Scott says he felt as if he was staying at a museum because of the many period pieces found in the home. For our 17th wedding anniversary this year, we are going back to the Purple Sage Inn and I'm really excited! I look forward to seeing the flowers and trees blooming on the property. We plan to spend an extra day and finish touring Zion's NP and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and maybe do some whitewater rafting down the Colorado....or maybe not! If you get a chance... stay at this amazing B&B. You won't regret it!!

And a New Year has begun...

2010 was a busy, busy year for our little clan, well we're not THAT little. Much has happened this past year that trying to recap everything in this post seems a bit laborous for me at the moment...so I won't try. Maybe when I have a little more time during this month, or the next, or sometime this year, I'll eventually bore you with details of our 2010 humdrum life.

As for 2011, our family is looking forward to another year filled with changes. Hopefully promising changes that will help us achieve some family goals we've set.

Memories of Aunt Edith

"EVERYONE should have an Aunt Edith!!!"

I exclaimed to my hubby last night and he unhesitatingly agreed as we talked about visiting her and Uncle James. I was not expecting a call this afternoon from Scott's sister, Shelley, notifying us that our beloved (great-aunt) Aunt Edith passed away this morning.

As I sit here amongst the many tasks I need to conquer today, I felt it important to take a few moments to write my thoughts and feelings for someone so dear and special to me and to the lives of all who knew her. Unfortunately, these words cannot adequately portray my feelings nor can I verbally describe it without weeping. Aunt Edith, as Scott put it, was the grandmother-figure in his life. She had a way of making you feel special and needed. In the 17+ years that I've known her, I can honestly say that I've never known anyone quite like her...and I never will. I always felt a connection to her and could easily relate to her. Her fun, spunky, no-nonsense attitude is what drew me to her, but she also had the BIGGEST, KINDEST and most CARING heart I've ever seen. If I had to describe her in one word, I think it would be...SELFLESS. She was always so quick to help others no matter how inconvenient or burdensome it may be on her. She has a unique way of putting things into perspective for me and I will be forever grateful to her for all that she has done for me and my family. She indeed is and will continue to be a blessing in our lives.

Oh the things I'm going to miss from her... her calls, her "singing" messages she would leave on my phone, the weather report from Palm Springs and her wise words of wisdom. I know I should be happy knowing she is once again reunited with her parents and other loved ones on the other side, and to know that she's no longer in pain. Yet, I weep because Scott and I regret not being able to visit with her often since moving to Utah and I'm saddened my youngest, Malianna, never had the opportunity to meet her personally. I cry now because I miss her so much. I cry because...well, I'm just selfish and I don't want to let her go. It's hard to imagine her not there physically.

However, I take comfort in knowing she's around and I know I'll see her again. I'm thankful for the knowledge that our families can be together eternally! I'm also in deep gratitude for the Plan of Salvation and for my Savior who made it possible for us to be with not only Him and our Heavenly Father, but with our loved ones again. I appreciate and love my fabulous family, immediate and extended, and wonderful friends. Most of all...I'm grateful for Aunt Edith and I still believe that everyone should have an Aunt Edith in their lives! We love you Aunt Edith...Always!!!

Aunt Edith and Uncle James

I also think everyone should have an Uncle James!! Uncle James took wonderful care of Aunt Edith! He's amazing and we love him very much!

2010 Orchard Days Parade & Car Show

We had a grand time at this year's Orchard Days...

Color Me---America!!!

I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to several different countries and though each of those countries I visited are beautiful, nothing still compares to the splendor of our great and wonderful nation. Our country is not perfect, but it is by far, still the best to live in and I enjoy the freedoms our forefathers fought for. I am blessed to live in this country. I am proud of our military and I support them. Most of all, I am proud to be an AMERICAN!!!

I always get emotional when I hear our national anthem. It is truly an inspirational song. May its last verse ring true to every American heart!

"O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Have a safe and magnificent Independence Day and God bless the U.S.A.!!

Family Reunion

I got home on Saturday from girls camp just in time for my family reunion. I was so sore from tubing and boating but I had tons of fun with my cousins and brothers!! The wind was blowing mad and the water was choppy. Zel and Rich brought their boats and whipped us. All I can tell you is that Rich is a speed demon like Zel and it was so much fun (I even lost my shorts while tubing on Zel's boat). My mom went along for the ride and soaked up the sun! OH, girls camp this year was AMAZING!!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Girls Camp

Tiani finally left for girls camp this morning. She was so excited and maybe it has to do with the fact she wouldn't have chores for the rest of the week. This would be her own mini-vacation. I miss her already, but I'm glad she's there surrounded by good friends and amazing YW leaders and advisers.

Dad's Day 2010

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy, Grandpa W and all of my many Uncles! I love you all!

Run, Rick! Run!

We recorded the video clips below while visiting our close friends, Dawn, Rick (who are like an aunt and uncle to my kiddies), and their family, in Kentucky. As usual, we had a blast and everytime my family and I see these clips, we start missing them and even the Bluegrass state itself... what the?!? Actually, I REALLY miss the California beaches, but my family is ready to go back to Kentucky and visit them again.

Hinckley and Hannah...table dancing in Kentucky! As you can see, Hinckley was still in diapers! lol ;)

This Should Have Been...

a post for the month of May. As usual, I've been extremely busy and given my track record, blogging has never been a priority, but I thought I should share this...

After 16 years of marriage [and nearly 17 years of being together], my hubby caved in and took me on a date to an OPERA!! Isn't he wonderful?

For those of you who know me well, knows that I have a deep love for operas and classical music. Yes, I do love reggae and other music genres, but I am one of those rare Polynesians that becomes giddy with excitement when I can discuss the libretto of an opera with someone, or feel the emotions and be moved by an aria and recitative.

When Scott and I were engaged, we had a deep discussion about music one night and the subject of opera and classical music came up. I was excited to share with him my first live opera experience when I was an elementary school age girl, to which he seem not the least bit interested. He thought it was odd that I would love operas and further stated that he didn't care for them (even though he had never been to one) and couldn't stand the vibratos of soprano opera singers. He asked me why I would love such music if I didn't understand it. I told him that I did understand because I would familiarize myself with the libretto of that particular opera and I suggested to him that he would need to experience an opera LIVE for himself before he passed such judgement and this would help him understand why I love it. I then told him that he would have to accompany me to another opera some day. Well, that some day happened last month. We went away to a Bed and Breakfast for the weekend to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary and he surprised me with a homemade card (which I prefer over store bought cards), with 2 tickets to see the heartrending story of Suor Angelica and the comical Gianni Schicchi, operas 2 and 3 of Giacomo Puccini's trio of one-act operas, at the beautiful and historic Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.

Before the opera, doesn't he look excited?

Suor Angelica was so well done that it was very moving. I found it hard to control my tears at the end of the act and Scott even got a little teary-eyed as well. The only other opera to ever bring me to tears was Madama Butterfly. The second opera that evening was Gianni Shicchi. It was hilarious and I really enjoyed 'O Mio Babbino Caro'. Overall, the Utah Opera cast and Symphony was phenomenal! Shouts of "bravo!" and applause echoed through the hall and standing ovations occurred after each acts . The performances were flawless and though the translation was provided by the supertitles above the stage, it did not take away from the acts at all. Scott has admitted that he really enjoyed himself and was very impressed with the entire production. He told me he was looking forward to taking me again, but he was quick to add that he would still prefer a game of baseball over opera. lol.

I'm excited and looking forward to seeing La Boheme, another opera by Giacomo Puccini, in the Fall. I've been trying to convince some of my friends and sister to do a girls night out at the opera. They will definitely love La Boheme, another tragic love story like Madama Butterfly. I'm simply anxious to hear some of my favorite songs like 'Quando m'en Vo' and 'O Suave Fanciulla' performed live!

Easter...

On Saturday, we enjoyed watching General Conference and doing some last minute Easter shopping. The kiddies had fun dying eggs for our annual Easter egg hunt and taking out the Spring china for dinner on Sunday.

But mother nature had other plans for our Easter egg hunt. We woke up to about 8" of snow. So, Scott and Deuce spent an hour clearing our driveway, sidewalk and helping a couple of our neighbors with theirs. Needless to say, we used the downstairs theater room for an egg hunt and all the children, including the Valavala/Ballard clan, had a good time.

Scott taking a break after "playing" with his snow blower.

Scott and I gathered our family together and had a discussion on the real meaning of Easter. We made vanishing rolls, taught by Tiani, as part of our lesson, which we ate for breakfast. We told the children that the marshmallow represented Jesus Christ and the dough represented the tomb. After the kids received their Easter baskets and played with their goodies, the rolls were ready. We opened up one of the rolls and showed all of them the inside, in which Hinckley questioned, "Hey! What happened to Jesus?" (lol) We then explained to them about Jesus' resurrection.

Norma, Mike and their family, Mom W and Quinn came over for dinner. We set up 3 tables this year... our family keeps growing! The food was delicious, but the company was even better! Tiani folded all the napkins at the adult table into bunny ears this year. Cute, aye?

This year for dessert, I made lemon cake (with yummy lemon glaze) and a very healthy pina colada cake.

This is our last Easter with Quinn until he returns home from his mission in two years and Mik's first Easter.

A momma and her babies

went for a swim and ended up...

DEAD!

My poor dog Max -- had these nasty, disgusting, repulsive rodents in his water dish this morning. This is the most he's had in his water. These vile vermin even left feces, probably from when they met their doom. I think Max's water dish makes for a great mouse trap, aye? Since our cat Lucky's been missing since Halloween '08, I might need to finally get a replacement for her to keep guard.

No more monkeys jumping on the bed...

One of my monkey's tripped right off his top bunk bed and got acquainted quickly with the ground, this past Saturday.

After eating an early dinner with Uncle Verl and Aunt Joyce here at home, the boys ran off to play in their bedroom. It had been several minutes when we heard a loud thump, which alarmed me so I told Scott to go see what it was. I heard Hinckley crying and Scott trying to calm him down. In a few seconds, Scott ran down the hallway carrying Hinckley in his arms and telling me that we needed to take him immediately to the ER. Hinckley was still crying and I noticed that his eyes were rolled back. Worry and fear set in and my heart began beating rapidly as I saw him struggle to find me as he turned to the direction of my voice. We kept asking Hinckley if he could see and he said that "everything is black" and continued crying. Scott picked him up and put him in my vehicle and took off to the ER, luckily the hospital is only a few blocks away. Panic-stricken, I ran around the house trying to find my purse which had Hinckley's insurance ID card. As soon as I found it, which took a couple of minutes, I rushed to the hospital to find that he was already in a room. I left my other 5 children in such a hurry with Uncle Verl and Aunt Joyce that I didn't say "goodbye" to any of them. Quinn came over when he heard the news and relieved Aunt Joyce and Uncle Verl of their daycare duties. Tessa was on on-call duty and Norma and Mike came by the ER to visit with Hinckley. Scott and I are very grateful to all of them for their help.

When I got into the ER, Hinckley had most of his sight back, but it wasn't clear and he had to use his peripheral vision to see. He had a hard time staying awake and he complained a lot about his head aching...

and he was whisked away to get a CAT scan. We were VERY pleased and relieved that it was normal and that he was only suffering from a bad concussion.

Norma and Mike rushed over in the middle of their date to visit with him. At this time, he was still in pain as we waited for the doctor's orders, to admit him for overnight observation. We were waiting to see if he would regain his sight completely.

Tiani sent a little present for Hinckley. A little car she has had for a few months that he had been eyeing. She was a bit emotional and I realized how sincere, compassionate and loving she really is to her brothers, even when they annoy her.

After spewing all that he ate that day and receiving a blessing from his dad, he regained all of his sight immediately and started feeling better. The power of the priesthood, I tell you, it's real! By this time, he was eager to leave and go home. A friend of mine, Trenya, was his CNA who assisted his nurse (I can't think of her name), and they took great care of him throughout the night. Hinckley loved his stuffed dog, which I aptly named Bunkie, and blankie he received from the hospital. Yesterday, he changed the toy's name from Bunkie to Fluffy. Hmmmm.

Hinckley spent most of the evening watching Trauma - Life in the ER on the Discovery Health channel with his dad. He loved it. He told me a month ago he wanted to be "a doctor that took the babies out of mommies tummies." lol. After saying goodnight to his dad, I convinced him to watch something else. We settled on E.T. ;)

And then he was out...

Sunday morning rolled around and we were both anxious to leave. Hinckley had completely regain his vision, he had no more headaches and he wasn't vomiting. He ate a bowl of cereal and drank a couple cartons of milk, but didn't touch the rest of his breakfast. He told me, "I'm too tired to eat anymore."

He was released with orders for brain rest and he's recovered wonderfully.

His smile says it all...

It's events like this that remind me how important it is to cherish your loved ones, especially your little ones AND how much I'm blessed to have the priesthood in my home.