I cant believe.......

I have a 7 year old! Time flies. Ray turned 7 last week and he of course wanted to have a party with his cousins that involved his favorite foods, BBQ chicken and rice. His birthday partys always turn out bigger then we intend it to because, Jr. loves to make so much food it would be a waste not to invite more people. Ray had a blast celebrating with his cousins and friends. Happy Birthday RayRay we love you so much, thank you for being such a great example to your younger brother and being such a sweet guy.

Just a wedding singer

I feel like I blog about my husband a lot. I hope it doesnt come off as bragging or dopey infatuation which I'll be honest I am a little infatuated with him. That's why I married him. It's just that he constantly amazes me. He is so genuinely kind. A lot of people probably mistaken Jr.s kindness as weakness. But I know better. He's so easy going and fun to be around. He's also so smart and spiritual.

Jr. is currently working on a church album, it's something he knows he has to do. It's one of his top priorities. He did a fireside for Big Budah last Sunday and it went really well. As do all the firesides he does when you do it with the right spirit. He also just got awarded a multicultural scholarship at UVU this week for his grades and singing talent. He just finished up his Associates degree last semester and is now working on his Bachlors degree.

We both had our hearts set on Jr. transferring to BYU after he got his Associates degree. Becasuse of his grades and Naki's connections there we knew it would have been pretty easy. But UVU does not seem to want to let him go. They keep offering him scholarships so why not? So he's staying a Wolverine for now at least.

He has so many accomplishments off stage. I've recently heard people refer to him as "just a Wedding singer" and ofcourse I'd love to correct them and punch them in the face but he does not care what people think of him. He only cares about what our family and friends think. I really wish I could say that.

Last night Jr. sang at a Reggae Festival headlining Three Houses Down. They are a polynesian reggae group from New Zealand. It was the first time Jr. and I saw them perform live and they are amazing! Honestly the real deal! If you like reggae or Island music you will love 3HD.

Everytime Jr. performs it's hard for me to enjoy the performers that go on before him b/c I am so nervous for him. Plus it was just Jr. and I (no kids) so I didnt have anyone to sit with. What's with me? I'm 28 years old and I cant just sit alone. I have issues! Anyways, I stole the seat next to one of Jr.s cousins, Connie. She was sweet enough to let me sit by her.

Jr. text me from back stage that his drummer just called and said he couldnt make the show. I wish he would keep this kind of info to himself but I think it makes him feel better when he tells me. I guess to him 2 nerverous people are better then 1. I felt sick to my stomach when I read that. There's a lot of anxiety when a group you admire and think very highly of is about to watch you preform.

Needless to say Jr. still did awesome! It didnt run as smoothly as he wanted but what does? I know he is my husband and I have heard him sing a million times but he is so freaking talented! He'll kill me when he reads this post and tell me to take it down but all I have to say is "THE BOY CAN SANG"! I say "sang" and not sing. It's different says Smokey Robinson. Just a wedding singer.......I think not!

Here are some pictures of him and the boys in his band after the show. They are a crazy bunch and have have become dear friends to us.

Denzel, Bruce, Jr. and Teki

Finally, a Lavea child!

It has finally happened, my Dad can die in peace knowing that his name will live on. The first "Lavea" child was born. It's only been Bradley's, Alo's and Maile's around the Lavea home. But things have changed. My brother Grady and his wife Celina welcomed the cutest baby boy into the world on July 21, 2009. His name is Grady Antony Lavea Jr.

He is 8 long years in the making. Lina and Grady have been trying for a long time to get pregnant but it's been hard. They've over come so many obstacles but have now been blessed with this little bundle of joy. He was 7lbs 7oz and 20inches long. He has the sweetest little voice and came out with a full head of hair. He is our Miracle baby! Uncle Grady and Aunty Lina have been so good to our boys and our boys love and adore them for it. We know they will be the best parents. Baby Grady is lucky to have them.

Below is a picture of the biggest baby hog in the world. Everyone knows Aunty Sharon likes to smother babies and she doesnt really give them a lot of space. When Leka was born she got the nickname Aunty Big lips b/c she would just give Leka kisses over and over and over and over. We'd pretend to know what Leka was thinking as a baby and when she would come around we'd say "Leka's thinking, Mom keep Aunty big lips away from me!" Poor baby Grady, he's her next victim.

We're so lucky to have this little angel added to our family and cant wait to get to know him better. Below are pictures of the shower we threw for Lina last Saturday. It was blast!

Sharon and Anya

Ievise (Lina's mom) Bella, Grandma Lavea, Ginger Tavita
Jae and I taking a break after cleaning. hahaha
Lina thanking everyone for coming. I tried to get a pix of Uila but she's always busy cleaning, preparing, etc.
Sinela, Ese, Kelsie, Jowee and Erica participating in one of the shower games.
All the yummy food

The kids got to swim during and after the shower thanks to Uncle Reti. The shower and swimming was held at their town home club house.
Two peas in a pod Ray and K.J.

Lina, Ngaire, Jae, Tala and Lima
Special thanks to Aunty Uila, Anya, Bella and Sharon for going the extra mile to get everything prepared. Jae and I lived up to our bad reputation and didnt do much but laugh and eat. We tried to help out but no one really appreciates it so we gave up. lol I'm so thankful for my family and friends! It was an awesome day.

Wordless Wednesday

Timp Cave

I have been such a blog slacker! We've finally settled into our new place and it's starting to feel like home. We had to purchase a new camera since Leka broke our old one. There has been so much to blog about but again I've been a slacker. I will write about our recent Maile activity to Timp Cave. Rex and Misty planned it and invited us all to go. I didn't really know what to expect but all I heard was it's easier then hiking the Y. So I was all in. Here's a picture of the kids before the hike. You hike a mile and a half up the Mountain and then they give you the tour of the cave. Tiera's 1st grade teacher was our guide and she was hilarious!
I dont know who said it was easier then the Y but all I have to say is......they lied! Nothing like a good hike to motivate you to get back to the gym. Gosh dang it I was huffing and puffing up and down the hill. I refuse to post the picture of Me, Misty and Abby. Sorry girls, you guys look good in it though.
Uncle Naki had to work and couldn't make it so Abby had all 6 girls. She's such an awesome Mom! I love her, she's amazing! What makes her so great is she doesn't even know how great she is but she's such a wonderful example to me. I would have definitely said I couldn't make it if Jr. was working. No doubt about that.
Ray and Leka hiked all the way up and were surprisingly pleasant "most" of the day. There were so many places to take pictures and the view was beautiful. That's why I took so many breaks ;-)
Our boys favorite part was being inside the cave. It's actually 3 different caves combined and they were all discovered at different times. The history on the caves was so interesting.
There were places we had to walk through that were as low as 3 feet and it was approximately 40 degree's in there. All the kids brought sweaters and their flash lights. I think with our family in the cave we brought the temperature up to at least 70 degrees. We're a hot blooded group. It felt so good in there Jr. wanted to take a nap.
Here's a group picture minus Abby and Ane. I love how the kids are holding their flash lights under their faces.
I was so proud of Grandpa and Grandma Maile for making the trip. It wasn't easy but they made it.
So usually the hike down is really fast and a lot easier. It was a little easier but overall this felt like a 10 mile hike but I think it was just over 3 miles. Our boys had so much fun with their cousins it's all they could talk about this weekend. Thanks Rex and Misty for planning such a fun activity and for all the snacks and drinks, you guys are the best. I cant wait till our family camp out next month! We were so pooped afterwords but it was worth it. If you havent been to Timp Cave I highly recommend it.

Our New/Old home

We are currently renovating our new home in Orem. It's approximately 40 to 45 years old. It use to be a farm house and would look over hundreds of fruit orchards. We definately have the best view in Orem. It's on top of a hill and over looks Utah Lake. Jr. has big plans for this house. He's gone crazy with painting (he chose Fire orange for our bedroom). I'm not choosey about things which is weird b/c most women are. So basically Jr. has chosen all the paint, carpet, baseboards, etc. I trust him. He wanted the boys bedroom sponged green b/c he loved how Kristina and Riley's house looks. In thier play room he called in Uncle Rex to draw a tree. It's so sweet. Uncle Grady will be drawing a wall sized Y for BYU in the boys play room also. Again all Jr.s ideas.

We are installing new carpet this coming Monday. We are still sleeping at Jr.s parents house until it's ready for us to move in which should be the end of next week. We have so much work to do this is a really old home but it's been fun so far. Oh and our property has 30 fruit trees on it with 9 to 10 different kinds of fruit. Come and grab some cherries, apples, apricots, grapes ect. if you need some. There's enough for our whole neighborhood. Our cute cousins the Bradley's came to grab some this week and as K.J. would pick them Ngaire would eat them. LOL That's our Ngaire girl.

Happy Fathers Day Jr.

I have the sweetest husband in the whole world!!! He is everything to me. I do not feel myself when we are apart. He completes me in every way. Happy Fathers Day babe, thank you for being such a great Father and worhty Priesthood holder to your children and to me! You are the best!