Family Night

My family and I lived with Jr.s parents for the first 5 years of our marriage, so with out really realizing it, we seemed to always count on them for Family home evenings on Mondays. Since we've moved out and been on our own for a while we haven't been very good or consistent at holding spiritual/meaningful home evenings as a little family unit. Lately Ray has been a little chatter box at school and has had recess taken away from him quite often b/c he doesn't know when to zip his lips. (Again I don't know where my boys get these habits from :-) So recently a lot of our Family nights is talking to him about being obedient in school, listening and being respectful to his teacher.
Long story short, about 2 weeks ago Jr. said to me that he noticed Ray isn't enjoying Family home evening when it's spent scolding him. He doesn't want Ray to grow up hating it b/c it's the time he gets lectured. I instantly had flash backs of Monday nights when I was a kid and realized that I was repeating the same cycle I grew up in. I love my parents so much but as I kid and teenager, Monday nights were the worst for me. I felt like it was "what did you do wrong this week" night. I do realize it's important to address issues with my children and they need the counel and discipline from Jr. and I but I need to find a happy medium and that Family night should be fun also.

Two weeks ago we attended Corey's play for family night. He had the lead role in The Tempest at Mountain View High. He was so awesome. A natural.









The boys had a blast hanging out with Tiera and Kyra. They absolutely adore their cousins.



Leka and Ray have been quarreling a lot lately and I've heard the words stupid, annoying and hate come out of their mouths a lot. So my lesson today was on Forgiveness. We played the Wii as our activity and had a family talk about having a testimony which Jr. discussed with the boys. We acted out silly skits and Leka came up with a human train game of course. This is Ray's crazy skit he and Jr. came up with one night. The upside down face.

It was a blast. I've had several "a..ha" moments in the past couple of weeks. I feel so blessed to just have this time together as a family. Soon my boys will b
e off on Missions and College and I'll never get this time back with them. I'm going to cherish every second of it. I'm still their favorite girl so I better take advantage of it!


I'm SO thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all that it teaches me. I dont know what type of Mother I'd be with out it. I'm so looking forward to Conference this weekend. Cant wait!!

Those Salt Lake people

I have lived in Utah county for about 7 years now and I've grown to love the Provo/Orem area. I grew up in West Jordan and could never see myself settling down in Orem or anywhere in Utah county. But here I am and I honestly love it here. It's weird but there are a lot of stereo types put on people from Utah and Salt Lake county and I'm sure the BYU/Utah rivalry doesn't help it. Jr. and I go to Salt Lake county at least twice a week. Jr. for band practice and we go as a family to visit my family just about every Sunday. Almost every time we go there we are cut off on the freeway or people tailgate us and we'll find ourselves saying "Freakin Salt Lake drivers" or once we pass the point of the Mountain and we see the inversion we'll say " it's so smogy in Salt Lake County" the list goes on and on.

It's so silly to think that Utah County drivers are safer drivers or that the weather here is so much better and the air quality, etc. But we cant help to mention it to each other every time we cross the point of the Mountain. This past Saturday Jr. had a show in down town Salt Lake and guess what we see?!? A carriage pull up to the Carl's Jr. drive thru window. We laughed so hard and said to each other "Only in Salt Lake". Go Utah County!

Wordless Wednesday

Softball time

It's about that time again. Our family has literally lived at the Orem Softball fields the last 2 summers. We're so excited for this upcoming softball season. I (by no stretch of the imagination) am not a softball player. I'm not really good at any sport. No joke! But I've had such a blast playing with my brother in laws, husband and a bunch of our friends and cousins. Jr. is going to be playing on a Men's team and our co-ed team this year. He's been trying to get back to the gym. I've been working out at work with Kristina and Kayla. We're done with HCG. I plateaued at 12 pounds lost which I'm happy for but I dont think I'd do it again.

I'm just thankful that I can workout during my lunch break. I'm never consistent about going early in the morning or after work. Jr. and I stay up way too late to go early in the morning. Then it's so hard for me to be away from my boys all day then come home and go to the gym. That's why Golds gym has me down for 3 visits for all of 2008. That and a million other excuses. So I'm so excited for softball!!! Cant wait! Our first game is in the middle of April. Jr. and I will be in New Orleans but we should be able to be at the rest of them.

Wordless Wednesday

It's looks like a Tongan one

Leka has finally started going to the toilet (number 1) by himself. He hollered from the bathroom to Jr. and I "Mom, my underwear...it's looks like a Tongan one. He slipped both legs into one side of his pull up. I guess it seemed like a skirt to him so he compared it to a Tongan or Samoan lava lava. Jr. and I laughed so hard.

He's such a crack up these days. After he fixed it he asked me if it still looked like a "Tongan one" I told him no, it's looks like a booty cheek one.

Catching up

So I haven't been on in a couple of days because life can get so crazy and hectic here at the Maile home. We've been busy potty training Leka. I'm tired of changing a 3 year olds diaper. He's been doing pretty good so far so hopefully by the end of the month he will be fully trained.

This past Tuesday Jr. and I took the boys to the Draper Temple open house. It was so beautiful. The tour was a lot shorter then I remembered the Timpanogos Temple open house being. I went when I was in Young Womens so that might have something to do with it. Your always in a rush when your a teenager. Why is that? I had no where to be. Oh well you live and learn. Anyways, the boys loved it. They had a blast looking at themselves in the mirrors in the Sealing room. Leka kept saying "there's 2 Leka's". Ray was so reverent and attentive the whole time. We asked him what his favorite part of the tour was and he said the cookies afterwards. hahaha that's our RayRay he doesnt weigh 80 pounds for nothing.

I've also been trying to work out a lot more so that has taken my nightly computer time. Since I've started the HCG diet I have lost 12 pounds. We're at the halfway mark right now and have about 13 days to go. I'm more excited about seeing my measurement changes. I've seen a lot of differences in my mid section. Before starting this crazy diet I took a body composition test with our personal trainer at work. So I'm more thrilled about seeing what those changes are then the pounds I've lost. Well let me stop lying I'm excited for both equally.

Lastly I'm going to steal the Davis sisters wordless Wednesday idea. I love it!