Families Are Forever

We are so Blessed!

2010-03-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law made a beautiful blessing dress for Desea. I decided to use that same one for all my girls. Well, I searched everywhere and I couldn't find it. My sister Ashley gave me the idea to use my own blessing dress to bless Ciela in. It isn't the prettiest of dresses, but she is too cute for anything to look ugly on her.

Lex administered a beautiful blessing. How grateful I am that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder. Thank you to all who were able to participate. We are so thankful for your love and support.

Our Girls

2010-03-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

My brother Jared ( Akona Photo ) took these pictures of our girls when Ciela was one week old. They turned out beautifully! Thanks Jared!

Ciela Hoku ala Hope
heaven's rising star of hope

Desea Ka'iulani Michelle
desire the highest point of heaven

Jasmine Kiakahi Fe
a person with a fixed purpose of faith

Hilarious!

2010-03-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

My family gets together every Sunday for dinner. It is nice because it gives us moms a break from cooking a whole meal plus all the little cousins get to play. Well, a couple Sundays ago Desea had to use the potty. All of a sudden it got really quiet. Sarah (my sister in law) and I couldn't hear Jazzy or Taije. They had followed Desea into the bathroom. Thankfully they hadn't made too much of a mess. Sarah put everything away while I got Jazzy and Taije out of the bathroom and helped Desea finish up. Before leaving Desea told Auntie Sarah and I that "I got pad!" I didn't understand what she was talking about, so I just nodded my head and said okay. Desea went to the dinner table where everyone else was and announced over and over, "I got a pad!" No one knew what she was talking about. It then dawned on me that I just had a baby and was having to wear those gosh awful pads! I pulled Desea's pants down to find a maxi pad in her panties exactly how it is supposed to be placed. She sure did have a pad, what a silly girl!

Our Beautiful Baby Girl!

2010-03-02T16:12:00.001-08:00

We have been so blessed with another beautiful girl!

Ciela Hoku ala Hope Olayan

Heavens rising star of Hope

Born January 11, 2010 at 3:09 am
7 pounds 1 ounce
18 inches

She is a dream baby, we couldn't be more excited to have her in our lives!

Santa . . .

2009-12-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Lex finally had a Saturday off. I can't remember the last time he was able to be home on a Saturday. We asked the girls what they wanted to do . . . Desea said, " I want to go see Santa!" I was so excited! Usually kids are scared of Santa, but not my girl. We went to Grossmont Center to see Santa. We waited in line for about ten minutes, and the whole time Desea was talking about seeing, talking, and being with Santa. Finally it was the girls turn to sit on Santa's lap and take a picture. Well, apparently waiting in line and seeing Santa was enough because Desea waved to Santa and said bye bye. Hence no picture for this posting! We stood in line for 10 minutes and that was enough. I guess when she said "I want to SEE Santa!" that is really what she meant:)

Thanksgiving . . .

2009-12-17T00:02:00.000-08:00

We went to Gordon's Well for Thanksgiving! My Dad is a hard core desert rat. Every year he spends certain weekends and holidays at the desert no matter what. This year Lex came up with the idea that we should join him. It turned out to be a little family getaway, minus Brad and Ashley. My parents took Desea with them on Wednesday, which gave me a little bit of a break, thanks Mom & Dad. Lex, Jazzy, and I went up Thanksgiving morning. We grubbed on some good food while we were there and enjoyed watching the little ones play morning, day, and night. They loved it so much that we stayed an extra night. Desea loved our house (the tent) that we slept in. Our girls couldn't get enough of the sand and Papa's dune buggy. They both cried when it was time to leave. It doesn't get much better than good food, great company, and making memories.

Papa and Nama with the kids

Jazzy loved just sitting on the desert toys

Desea tried on all the helmets and other desert accessories.

What do you think?

2009-11-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

We have a name for our baby girl. I'm am so excited that I found one this early. This is my least favorite part of having a baby. Lex and I pray for months and ponder and pray some more. However, Lex left it all up to me this time. The only problem is ... Lex HATES the name I picked out! I am SET on the name and refuse to change it. I have prayed about it and actually changed one of the middle names because I didn't feel it was right for her to have the one I orginally chose. I think that it is beautiful and he thinks that it sounds OLD and doesn't FLOW!

Ciela 'Elele Hope Olayan

Pronunciation: See-ella (Ciela) Uh-lay-lay ('Elele)

In Spanish, Cielo means HEAVEN. Because I changed the "O" to an "A" it no longer means heaven, but it does in my mind. 'Elele means MESSENGER in Hawaiian. So my translation of her name means heaven(ly) messenger of hope. I LOVE it! Lex didn't help me find it and hasn't come up with something else, so this is it as far as I am concerned. Just curious as to what you think :)

Veteran's Day

2009-11-17T11:25:00.001-08:00

Both of my parents had work off for Veteran's Day. The fam decided to head up to Julian for lunch, pie, goodies, and quality time.

Our little HAM!

Crazy face!

Jazzy and Nama

Reef and Taije
STUDS!

Mommy keeping Jazzy from running into the street

My Dad doing what he does best ... Papa! The kids LOVE him!

More Halloween ...

2009-11-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

We started the weekend off celebrating Josh's 28th Birthday! It was fun to dress up and hang out with friends and family.

Ballerina, Tinkerbell, Daddy, and Ladybug

Trick or Treating in the Collins' neighborhood

Jazzy was happy running on the sidewalk and knocking on the doors, she didn't care much about the candy.

Desea was feeling under the weather, but she still had it in her to grab hand fulls of candy!

Late as usual ...

2009-11-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

Another one of our FHE Halloween Festivities included pumpkin carving and caramel apples. The girls loved it!

Desea didn't mind getting her hands slimy from the pumpkin seeds

Jazzy, on the other hand, couldn't stand the feeling :)

Our finished product

Our apples half way done

The finished product covered in caramel, white chocolate, and butterfinger or heath bar.
YUMMY!

FHE

2009-10-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

For FHE this week, a bunch of us went to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins to carve next week. The girls loved finding their own pumpkins, feeding the goats, and going on the rides. It was a great family outing!

The three little pigs

Jazzy, Reef, and Desea
(Desea wouldn't smile in any of these pics because her mouth was full of cookies that her Auntie Ashley bought her)

Our Jazzy Fe

Our Desea

Papa and the girls

Feeding the goats

The Shelter Is VACANT ...

2009-10-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

"The Shelter" is the nickname for our home. It doesn't seem to fit right at the moment because it is just the four of us living in it now. (Well, we do have Aimee, but she doesn't really count because she is always on the go.) Ever since Lex and I have been married, we have had someone and more living with us. The numbers have been as low as 5 and most recently 15. Lex and I always said that we would have an open door policy for anyone who was in need. It has been a blessing to serve our friends and family. I miss the loud background noise that filled our house for the last 3 months. It is almost eerie how quiet it is around here. Now what to do with all the time that I have now :)

Happy Birthday Kiarra!

2009-10-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

It has been one year since my sister, Ashley, had her baby. She was born at 23 weeks only weighing 1lb. 3 oz. and was 11 inches long. Kiarra is the most beautiful baby girl I have ever held. I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and the plan of salvation. I strive even harder to be better so that one day I can see her again. I know that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER! Hence, the title of our blog. Every time I see those three words I think of Kiarra and remember the desire I have to live more righteously. Thank you, Ashley and Brad for being a true example of strength and love. I continue to admire the both of you!

Sleepy Head

2009-09-28T16:20:00.001-07:00

It was Jazzy's nap time and I couldn't find her anywhere. Thankfully I didn't have to look far. She was fast asleep in our office chair next to the computer.

Nicole's Bachelorette Party

2009-09-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us got together to celebrate one of Nicole's last nights of being single. Aimee rented a karaoke room for Nicole's Bachelorette Party. We ate appetizers, drank soda, had fun with some props, played a game and sang for hours. It was a blast!

The bride with her bridesmaids

Talitha, Brook, Stephanie, Nicole, Diane, Meagan, Aimee
Jaime and Me

Me, Aimee, and Talitha

Nicole and Aimee rockin' out with some props

Me and Girlfriend (one of my nicknames for her)

Nicole, Aimee, and Talitha

Brook being cute

Meagan struttin' her stuff

Stevie and Jaime singing "just a small town girl . . ."

Me and Stevie showing off our red lips for the game we played

Here are again with some masks

Thanks Aimee for a fun girls night out!

TOFW

2009-09-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

I got to go on another girls trip! I went to Boise, Idaho for Time Out For Women. I highly recommend going for a good spiritual high. The best part of the whole trip was being with my Olayan sisters and our niece.

We started out our weekend by going to the Boise Temple. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had. How grateful I am to be able to go to the House of the Lord and get answers to my prayers and direction for me and my family.

Chelsea, Desiree, Dacia, Melody, and Me

We fit in a photo shoot before TOFW started.

Melody, Erika, Chelsea, Mashaide, Shendileen, Dacia
Janel, Sadie, and Desiree

Thanks Shaz!

Here we all are with our note books that my sister Dacia made for each of us ... she ROCKS!

Friday night at the conference

Saturday on our Lunch break. We ate at my sister's restaurant, IOU Sushi . . . yummy yummy to my popping out tummy!

Here we are at the end of the conference. Our eyes might look a little red and puffy, well they are:)

This was one of the best getaways ever! We got to go to the temple, do a photo shoot, TOFW (cry), eat, stay up late, TOFW (cry), eat, TOFW (cry), sister bonding time (share testimonies, "I know", girl talk, cry, laugh, and cry some more), eat, enjoy some ice cream, and stay up late. I am so thankful for this opportunity that I had to draw nearer to my Savior and grow closer to my sisters. They inspire me to be better so one day we will be together FOREVER!

P.S. Thanks Lovey for allowing me to have this experience . . . I LOVE YOU!

San Francisco

2009-09-28T14:18:00.001-07:00

My cousins, some friends, and I went on a GIRLS TRIP to San Francisco for a weekend. It was a much needed break and my first trip without the hubby or kids since I have been married. We had a blast doing what girls do best . . . shop, eat delicious food, and talk! It was a blast!

This is me exhausted from being pregnant and walking all day long.

All of our names (except one) were drawn for the WICKED lottery. We got our tickets for $25! It was a great way to start our weekend.

On the tour of the city

Me and Stevie

Jolene, Jeannie, and Me

You can't go to SF without enjoying Ghirardelli ice cream.

Julianne, Stevie, Jeannie, and Me getting our massages

My Mom, Tracy, Stevie, Candi, and Me posing after eating at the best italian restaurant

What would a girls weekend be without giving each other glitter pedicures

Carina & Brian's Wedding

2009-08-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Me, Ash, and Stevie at the temple

Me and Aimee (our roomie)

The girls of the family (missing Sarah:()

The Lovies!

Our Family

Desea

Juj sneeking in for a pic with Carina and Me

My Dad with the girls in his life

Already 1!

2009-08-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jazzy and Halle were born on the same day (about 12 hours apart to be exact) . . . so my cousin, Kasey, and I call them our twins:) Well we decided to have their birthday party together. I can't believe how fast a year goes by. Our precious babies are growing up so fast.

Passed Out!

2009-08-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Desea is going through a lovely phase of not eating her dinner. The consequence . . . go to bed early. It was only 7 o'clock, but I am trying to make a point with her. I sent her to her room and ofcoarse she cried. About 10 minutes went by and my nephew came upstairs to tell me

"Auntie Erika . . . Desea fell asleep in the door way."
I replied, "That is okay Roko, just let her sleep."
"But Auntie, she took her diaper off . . . she is NAKED!"

I went downstairs to find her exactly how he said:)

Summer Time in La Jolla

2009-07-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

The weather at the beach couldn't be any more perfect! Jazzy loves eating the sand and being in the water. Desea could play in the sand all day long if I would let her. The love for the beach is in their blood!

Kalia, Jazzy, and Desea playing in the water

Roko making fish in the sand

Jazzy Fe

Koa and his boogy board

Ikaika

Silly girl taking advantage of mommy taking pictures so she can put handfuls of sand in her mouth

Pretty girl Kalia

My not so girly girl who loves being dirty

Eating more stinkin' sand

Cousins being buried by Uncle Darren

Funny!

2009-07-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I am pregnant. I am now 13 weeks and my due date is January16, 2010. At the time Desea did this, I was still in the beginning of the first trimester and feeling really nauscious. Being sick and making dinner DO NOT mix well with this pregnancy. For weeks I wasn't able to make any food. Apparently, Desea was hungary because she helped herself to the pantry and grabbed the cheerios. Within seconds the whole bag was on the floor and she was going at it! It is times like these that Lex and I laugh and take a picture for a lasting memory. When she was done eating, she did have to pick them up and put it in the trash:)

Chula Vista Nature Center

2009-07-13T22:34:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law, Mel, and I took our kids to the Chula Vista Nature Center. Most of the animals have been injured, so the center takes them in and gives them a chance to survive. I have never been before, but I highly recommend it. It has aquariums, exhibits, and shark/sting ray petting. It is small enough to see everything in an hour or two, but big enough for the kids to love. Our kids had a blast!

Learning about the local animals.

The cousins in a Clapper Rail nest.

Admiring the sea turtles

Jazzy was such a good sport! She stayed in the stroller the entire time and made the best of it:)

Kalia and Desea at the leopard shark tank

Ikaika petting the sting ray

Desea helping herself to petting the animals

Cousins on the bus ride back to the car

Koa, Kalia, Roko, Desea, and Ikaika

2009-07-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

Lex went to Baja for a week in June. They usually bring home coolers filled of fish, but the conditions were horrible. However, he shot his first fish ever with his spear gun. It was one of the four fish caught for the week.

Desea isn't scared one bit of the things Lex catches in the ocean. She was actually trying to take a bite of the fish. Silly girl!

My Lovey is so proud of this picture. He was so excited that I was willing to pose in a picture with his catch:)

Desea's 2nd Birthday!

2009-06-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Desea is 2! We had her pool party on the worst day you could possibly have it, but it still turned out. She was so excited to have a Finding Nemo birthday party. Anyone who knows me, knows that I HATE characters. I don't let my girls wear anything with characters on it. Well, I am not as tough or mean as my family says I am. When I took Desea to Party City to pick out decorations, she screamed for joy when she saw Nemo. I couldn't possibly say no to that. So, I thought I would let it slide because it fits really well with a pool party. The pool wasn't anywhere near warm, but the kids still got in ... purple lips and all. We filled blow-up pools with warm water and the kids packed in like sardines.

I think this shows off her personality to a "T"

Courtney, Courtney, Jared and Reagan

Birthday Girl

Mariah and Jared

Playing in the pool with her robe on

Brennan and Chad

Coen

Blowing out her candles

So proud of herself

Jasmine
It doesn't get much cuter than this

Desea loves her Barbie Jeep that Uncle Jared, Auntie Stevie, Nama and Papa gave her

ARGH!

2009-06-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

I tried to post some pics from Desea's birthday party, but they aren't uploading! Dumb blog!

The Birthday Cake

2009-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

My sister Ashley asked if she could buy Desea's birthday cake for her party. Of coarse I agreed. Well, she found a couple pictures of some Finding Nemo themed cakes and decided to put them all together and make her own. I have to say she is quite talented. The ingredients include: confetti cake, marshmellow fondant, vanilla icing, rock candy, sugar babies, nerds, fruit roll-ups, and kit-kat. It was amazing. The kids loved it!

Mr. & Mrs. Seth Freeman

2009-05-26T15:28:00.001-07:00

If it wasn't for family, we would NEVER go to Texas. As you can see from all the pictures below, our faces are shiny from sweat because it is so HOT and HUMID. Despite our dislike for the weather in Texas, we went to show our love and support for my cousin, Seth, and his beautiful wife, Katie.

The newlyweds!

Baby Mia (my cousin, Matthew's baby)

Desea

Kalani (my cousin's Tara's son)

In front of the room that Seth and Katie were sealed in

Sisters

Our Beauty

Our precious Jazzy

The Girls

Cousins

Ashley, Erika, and Jeree

Desea holding hands with Jazzy

wearing Auntie's shoes

The first dance

Desea couldn't keep her hands off Kalani. She is going to be bummed when she learns that he is her cousin:)

Auntie and Jazz

Million dollar smile!

It never fails . . . my dad can fall asleep anywhere, even if music is blasting in the background

Nama and Jazzy

The cousins playing in the chair linens during clean-up

The Ranch

2009-05-26T15:13:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day weekend we went to Texas. First on our agenda was Comfort, Texas to visit with Papaw. The girls loved it. They couldn't get enough of their great-grandpa and all the wide open space.

Desea in the chicken coop.

The chickens.
The black chickens are the ones that Anita (Lex's mom) raised when she was there for 2 months.

Jazzy being cute:)

Uncle Eddie, Coco, Ginger, Jazzy, Lex, Desea, and Papaw

Anita's garden

The San Diego Ferry

2009-04-25T16:54:00.001-07:00

Darren, Mel, and the fam came to SD for vacation. One of the days they were here we took the ferry over to Coronado. Julianne and her kids, my mom and dad, Stevie and Reef, Ashley, and my Auntie Ines were waiting for us on the other side. We had lunch and walked to a near by park. It wasn't the best day to be out and about, but the kids loved it.

Waiting for the ferry
Koa

Desea and Kalia

Mommy and Jazzy on the ferry ride over.

Not the best pic of Downtown.

My dad giving Kalia milkshake

Roko and Koa following a momma duck and her babies

Mariah and Desea running on the Marriott grounds

Kalia rolling down a hill

Chad walking, yeah!

They have a LOVE/hate relationship

Funny Nama

Kalia passed out on the walk back to the ferry

Happy Easter

2009-04-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

Reef's baby blessing was the same day as Easter. All the family and friends got to celebrate together. It was lots of fun for the cousins.

There were hundreds of eggs for the kids to find. Instead of a basket filled with eggs, Desea showed me a basket filled with a star fish. For some reason Nick and Candy had it in their yard.

Our little Stepford Wife. Not really!

I can't get over the funny cheese face, it kills me!

Could there be a prettier family?

John, Sarah, and Taije

Cousins!

Jazzy (8 months) Desea (22 months) Taije (4 months) Reef (1 week)

Taije in a purple shirt with matching vest and slacks

Does it surprise you!?

Twins Jazzy and Halle

Funny kids

Courtney, Ikaika, Kalia, Kaylee, Desea, and Roko

Still playing at the end of the day

Good times!

2009-04-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hayley Aiono had a Sweet 16 Birthday Party with food, music, and dancing. It was a perfect opportunity for picture taking. Most of the pics came out blurry for some reason, so here are the good ones.

Brashley

Jazzy rockin' out!

Of coarse!

LOVIES!

Auntie and Jazzy

Stinkin' Auntie

2009-04-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

We were at my parents' house for dinner one night. Uncle Jared was playing with Jasmine and let her play with a sucker. I wasn't too worried because the plastic was still on and Jared was supervising. Lex and I have a rule (within reason) "if you can open it then you can have some." Next thing I know, Jasmine is going to town on the sucker. Jared promised that he didn't open it. I thought it was cute so I took a picture. That night I was telling my mom the story and my dad starts to laugh hysterically. He couldn't believe that I really thought that Jasmine opened it all by herself. Come to find out Auntie Ash opened it! So much for thinking it was so cute.

Oh no what happened?

2009-04-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was upstairs getting ready and the girls were being too quiet for my liking. This is what I found when I came back downstairs. Desea got into the diaper bag and decided to play in Jazzy's formula. I asked what they were doing and Desea responded, "Oh no, what happened?"I wasn't very happy because formula is outrageously expensive and I can no longer nurse. Ultimately it is my fault for leaving it in Desea's reach.

Bunnies

2009-04-22T14:53:00.001-07:00

My cousin's bunny has babies almost every 6-8 weeks. Desea has really taken a liking to them. When we get another house, I'm seriously considering getting one of our own. They are really easy to take care of because you don't really need to. Plus, their food is cheap . . . 50 lb. bag for 8 bucks. Can't beat that.

This is Jazzy with her famous army scoot in my cousin's house.

FINALLY!

2009-04-22T14:47:00.001-07:00

Reef Tamaiti Aiono

7 pounds 7 ounces

20 inches

April 6

3:53 am

Lex is 32!

2009-04-08T20:06:00.001-07:00

For Lex's birthday, we went to Barona Casino to eat at their buffet. Their food is pretty good. Nama took Desea to get a delicious crepe.

Yummy!

She wanted crab instead. No joke!

Lex couldn't get enough of the crab.

Our family, stuffed!

The Lovies!

Mommy and Jazzy

Stevie (one week before Reef)

Employee of the month

2009-04-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

My mom works for GUHSD. In February, she was employee of the month. It is quite an achievement, so I had to give her a "shout out" to let her know how proud I am of her. She loves her job, puts a lot of time and effort into helping those in need. She deserved this recognition for sure.

We are her #1 fans and supporters!

Too cute not to post. For some reason, Desea loves to ride in Taije's stroller like this.

Not exactly alike

2009-03-11T14:39:00.001-07:00

This just goes to show that Desea and Jasmine don't look exactly alike. Lots of people try to tell me they look like twins. When I say "NO," they look at me like I am crazy. Here is a picture of them at the age of 6 months. You can tell that they are sisters, but so different in many ways.

Lex deserves bragging rights

2009-03-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I went in for a simple procedure. It was only supposed to take about 30 minutes. All they had to do was scope my throat to see what was going on. (I choke a lot!) I guess while the doctor had the scope in there, he thought it looked good enough to stretch. The doctor decided to dilate it. Well, my throat ripped. That wasn't supposed to happen, nor is it a good thing. So, I was admitted to the hospital. I was there on an IV with no food or drink for three days. My family offered to take the girls because Lex had to work. Instead, Lex took work off and stayed home with our girls. He was so excited to spend time with them. He even got Jasmine on a schedule (which I wasn't able to get her on.) On Sunday he took the girls to church all by himself. Even more impressive was the fact that he attempted to do Desea's hair in pigtails. I wish I had a picture to post. It gets better. I came home to a clean kitchen and the laundry done. He took a couple more days off of work to help me out when I was at home. I was on a clear liquid diet, but still really weak. I didn't have the energy it takes to do every day things moms do. To top it off, last Sunday I had the 24 hour flu. We had family and friends coming over for dinner. I helped the best I could with dinner, but it wasn't much. Everyone came, eat, and had a good time. When I woke up, again I found the kitchen spotless. I LOVE YOU, LEX! YOU'RE THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME!

A little late . . .

2009-03-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

We went to a birthday party a couple of months ago. All the little girls (7 years old) got their hair, nails, and makeup done. Then they got their picture taken. I volunteered to do their hair. My brother-in-law took the pictures. I took advantage of the picture taking with my girls. Even though Jazzy is 5 months and Desea is 19 months in this pic, I thought they were too cute not to post.

This was the first and only time I have seen Desea make this cheese face. Funny girl!

Our Gerber baby

Proudest Daddy Ever

2009-03-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Every time Lex goes lobster diving he has us go to the garage to admire his catch. It is so cute how pleased he gets with himself. This time he brought the lobster to us, all the way to the kitchen. Surprisingly, Desea likes to pet and hold them.

I didn't think girls did this!

2009-03-10T17:05:00.001-07:00

I let Desea take a nap without her shirt because it was a pretty hot day. I had no clue that I would find this when I went to wake her up. Isn't this a boy thing . . . guess not!

Wild Animal Park

2009-03-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone cares, I don't recommend the Wild Animal Park. I like the Zoo a hundred times better. There is a lot of walking and not many animals to see along the way. It doesn't help when you have two little ones and a single stroller. Totally not worth the drive for our family, but it is always nice to spend time with one another.

2009-01-31T01:46:00.000-08:00

We had to take our Christmas pictures twice. The first time was a disaster! The second time around was still a disaster, but we managed to get two half way descent pictures. For those of you who didn't get one, here you go!

I am not about rewarding my kids when they act up, EXCEPT when it comes to taking pictures. Desea was only happy when she was holding these keys.

This isn't our usual Jazzy either, she would not smile in front of the camera!

This isn't the best picture of our girls, but Lex and I look pretty good.

I'm such a slacker!

2009-01-30T23:43:00.001-08:00

Procrastination is not my best quality.

This post is really late, and so are the ones to come.

Unfortunately I am always saying

"Better late than never!"

Because Lex and I are too poor to buy our family presents for Christmas,

we decided to start a new tradition . . .

LOBSTER FEST!

This is our fourth year having this Christmas dinner.

Every year it gets bigger and bigger.

More family means more lobster and more food.

Starting in October, Lex free dives for the lobster.

This year we cooked about 75 lobsters.

On the menu . . .

Homemade Rolls

Crawfish Corn Chowder

Fruit Salad

Mac Salad

Fried Rice

Grilled Lobster

Lobster Dynamite

Dessert Buffet

These are the Lobster Dynamite. Lobster and crab mixed with a

dynamite sauce and then baked. Mmmmm!

Grilled Lobster!

The best ever fried rice.

Desea has a sweet tooth just like her Papa Red. This is how she started off the night.

Here are some random pics . . .

Auntie Mashaide and Desea

Uncle Russ, John and Justin

Juj, Greg, Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Jeanette and Jazzy

Jackie (Sarah's Aunt), Sarah, and Patty (Sarah's Mom)

Mikey, Cassidy, Bori, and Kristin

Aunt Sandy and my Mom

Bishop Atoll, Grandpa Lap (Margie's Dad), Margie, Tanner, and Omni

E-man, Brad, Carrie, Charity, Grama Cordy, Grampa Norris, Ash, and Wes

Ryan, Anita, Christie, Robert, Mike and Ann

Elder Cline and Elder Call

Mashaide and Rocky

Scoot and Jared

My Lovey and I

Utah

2008-12-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

Last month we went to Utah for Curtis and Sadie's wedding. Here are some pictures. . .

These are my favorite type of pictures when it comes to me and Lex.

US!

It is a tradition in the Olayan family for the guys to do the Haka at each wedding. It is their way of saying welcome!

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Olayan

This is the beautiful bride. Welcome to the family, Sadie!

Jasmine's smile lights up a room.

Daddy and Desea posing.

Halle Page

2008-11-18T00:51:00.001-08:00

This is Kasey and Bill's (my cousins) little girl, Halle. Her and Jasmine are twins! They were born on the same day. I got to see her at Sarah's baby shower. These were the only pictures I took that night and they are too cute not to post. I wish I took a picture of her and Jasmine talking with eachother. You would have thought that they were reminiscing about the good times in the pre-existence.

At the Park

2008-11-18T00:38:00.000-08:00

San Diego finally got some cool weather, so I dressed my girls in pants and long sleeves. Well, the cool weather didn't last very long. I think we had Fall weather for a total of two days. I wasn't prepared when I decided to meet my sister at a park in Rancho San Diego. When we got there, it was close to 90 degrees. Thankfully, there is a spary zone. Desea couldn't take her clothes off fast enough. She was so excited to play with the water. I didn't have a bathing suit with me, so she was cuma (white trash) for a while running around with only a diaper on.

She thought she was so cool walking around without her clothes!

Bath Robe Beauties!

2008-11-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

My mom has a bunch of clothes to keep at her house for all of her grandchildren to use. This bath robe is one that I use frequently when I am over there. I have pictures of Desea in this robe and couldn't resist taking some of Jazzy when she was in it.

These two pictures are of Desea right before she was three months.

These two are of Jazzy at 3 1/2 months.

You can already tell that their personalities are so different.

Where's Desea?

2008-11-18T00:17:00.001-08:00

The other day I was in a big hurry. I had about ten minutes to get ready. I turned the shower on, ran upstairs to grab my garments, and yelled for Desea to make sure she was okay. I didn't get a response so I hurried back down stairs to find Desea in her pajamas playing in the shower!

The San Diego Zoo

2008-11-18T00:05:00.001-08:00

For Mother's Day, my mom bought Lex and I passes to the Zoo. I go about once a month. A couple of weeks ago was the first time Lex used his pass. We finally made it to the Zoo as a family. I know that I don't have any pictures of animals, but I don't care about them as much as the moments of my family.

People try telling me that Jasmine looks exactly like me. They have it all wrong. This is Lex's look to a T!

Desea can't get enough of the monkeys. She stands in front of the glass with a huge smile on her face, yelling monkey sounds to anyone who comes near her.

This is Desea with Abby (one of the kids my sister nannies.)

I just LOVE the daddy daughter moments!

Baby Taije is here!

2008-11-17T23:56:00.000-08:00

John and Sarah finally had their little boy . . . okay, they didn't. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Viejas Oulets. I bought Baby Taije an outfit. My brother got all excited when I showed it to him. He came up with this great idea to dress Jasmine in boy clothes to see how it will look on their baby. He even spiked her hair up in the front.

John is glowing in these pictures just from the thought of his baby boy really being in his arms. He is going to be a great daddy!

YES on 8

2008-11-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

For FHE our family waved signs at a busy intersection. A majority of the people were in favor of Prop 8. They drove by honking their horns or holding a thumbs up. There were few who flipped us off, cussed out their windows, and even engaged in gay public display of affection in their car shoving it in our faces. I find it funny that those who are opposed to Prop 8 chose that kind of behavior to get their point across. They demand tolerance, but don't want to give any.

Photo Shoot with Nama

2008-11-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

The girls and I went to visit my mom during her break. Desea found the camera in the diaper bag and then took it to Nama to have her take some pictures. Well, my mom (Nama) decided she wanted some pictures with her grandbabies. I thought they were too cute not to post.

Sticky Mess!

2008-11-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

I was on my way to meet my Mom to hang door hangers for Prop 8. Desea's hand was hurting her from the night before (she grabbed the HOT iron), so I let her have a sucker to get her mind off it. When I went to get her out of her carseat . . . this is what I found. She thought it was so funny rubbing the sucker all over her face.

Trick or Treating

2008-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

My Tulip Fairy

Chad, Charity, and Desea

Desea and Daddy

Staring at her daddy instead of mommy who is

trying to take the picture!

Love this picture! She is daddy's little girl!

Desea is a pro at grabbing candy.

This is my precious Jazzy, she slept through the whole thing.

Feeding the Ducks

2008-11-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

My sister is a nanny for three kids. One of them isn't in school yet, so we get together often for the girls to play. We decided to go to Santee Lakes to feed the ducks. These ducks are very aggressive. As soon as we parked the car, the ducks were right there waiting for some food. Desea was fine at first until one of the mean ducks tried to bite her hand. She wanted to be held after that.

This is Desea saying, "No, no, no!"

Auntie Ashy and Desea

Cupcake Decorating

2008-11-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

For my ward's Trunk or Trick, I volunteered to bring cupcakes. My mom-in-law has this great book for decorating cupcakes. The night before the activity, my family and I got together to try it out. I think we did pretty good for our first time.

It was my brother's job to make the creepy crawlies. He continuously compared himself to the professionals on Ace of Cakes. I have to say he might be able to give them a run for their money:)
Ashley was in charge of the webs and colorful spiders.
Stevie had the more complicated part of the decorating . . . the bats made for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Even my Mom was getting into it!

My brother and sister are professionals (at heart:))
This is John's beautiful wife. She kept John in line and focused. Thanks Sarah!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-22T01:18:00.000-07:00

For FHE we carved the pumpkin that my mother-in-law brought home from the grocery store. This is the before picture.

She did not like the feeling of the slimy seeds!

The scooper was glued to her hand from that point on.

This is my funny lovey using his drywall cutter to carve a pumpkin.

What a proud daddy and daughter moment!

The finished product.