Bruce's 1st grade adventure!

First grade marks an important milestone for Bruce who finally feels like part of a “big” school. It was funny, as we walked down the halls of his school they had lockers (for the older kids) and he thought he'd get one because now he's considered a big boy in our family. Little does he know he still is a young in compared to all the older kids at his elementary. However, he is so excited to be in school longer! It was such a sad experience for Alani who realized that his older bro was leaving him. All morning as I tried to work my Alani cried his little heart out, saying, "I miss Brucey", " I want to be big like Brucey", "I want my brother to come home"...my poor baby. Luckily I had some treats in my office and that soothed him for a small time before he realized that he was going to be with just his lil' sis. until Bruce came home. Before Bruce's first official day of 1st grade, we actually had time to prepare him for it. We had a meeting with his teacher earlier this week where we talked about some of the new changes that he would encounter compared to kindergarten. As a mother it was so nice to have one on one time with his teacher so I could get a feel for what Bruce's cirriculum looked like and a also what kind of teacher he'd be working with. Bruce's teacher was nothing but supportive in the goals that we had for Bruce in the first grade. After spending an hour with Bruce's teacher, I then got to spend the rest of the day with Bruce where we went school shopping, went to the nearby ice cream shop, and just hung out. I almost started crying when we were just hanging out at the ice cream shop because it hit me how fast my lil' guy is growing. He's already 6 years old and is such a fireball! He's so social and is such a boy as his pastime consists of hanging out with his best friend (next to Alani) Sam our neighbor, playing with anything that is associated with reptiles, and always pretending that he's some dino. Theres not one day that goes by where he doesn't tell me, "I love you Mom!" especially when he wants something or my attention, I get the love phrase even more so. Time just flies right on by, and it doesn't wait for no one. Anyways as Bruce left this morning, I couldn't help but think how his new schedule was impacting his old habits of playing. So I waited for him to come home and couldn't wait to hear about his day. So I tried looking for my camera, mind you I have 2 digital cameras and couldn't find one so I could take a photo. Over the weekend, I thought it would be cool to let my boys have a stab at taking pictures. I thought I could get some cool shots looking at things from their perspective. They had a hay day, but since then they feel like they can just walk into my office and touch my stuff as they please. So both my cameras are MIA, and I didn't have it to take a shot of Bruce and his first day as a big school boy.

Anyways, some of the new things Bruce got to experience today was cafeteria lunch.....remember dem days....with the pizza, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, etc. Today Bruce had chicken nuggets and he said they were so yummy...he loved it! He also got to experience a real recess without the direct supervision of his own teacher, and made alot of new friends. All these experiences is marking his way to independence. Unlike kindergarten where they were hand held in everything he did, this new milestone is allowing Bruce to use his social skills and apply them in more mature ways. But I think the true magic of first grade happens when kids develop the ability to understand what letters and numbers really mean. I get so excited as Bruce reads and is able to recognize his alphabet, recite his address (were still working on his phone number), and just remembering his site words.

I've been very impressed with Bruce and his academics. The change is already occurring as he moves slowly from a world of play into a world of symbols and concepts (with alot of backtracking along the way). We've really worked hard this summer to ensure that he was ready for all expectations, but at the same time didn't want him to come across feeling inadequate when among his peers. Although "play" has taught and allowed Bruce to grow in so many different ways, now he will have the opportunity to become more organized and routine -based, with alot more room for exploration. Now its time for Bruce to be more comfortable gaining knowlege through exploration and play. We've worked hard with him to make sure he can grasp a few concepts at the same time and then to make connections between different concepts. It hasn't been easy, but I can only pray that his transition to first grade will be a little bit easier with all the work we've put in at home.

I love my kiddies so much and if there is something I've learned from this whole education experience with Bruce, it that my kids learn by doing and by making mistakes. Although some mistakes can be frustrating, as a parent I can't forget that for every mistake my kids need even more positive reminders of the many ways that they are powerful learners. Until now as I look at Bruce, most of his learning and growth have been part of a natural progression that has taken place in the comfortable worlds of play and home. As I think about this huge transition that my son is facing, instead of just learning how to slide down a pole at the playground, now he has deal with how well he did, get a grade on it, or how long it may take him to accomplish it. Now that Bruce is in the 1st grade, I'm sure he will begin to acquire skills in areas that he may not be comfortable in, he'll probably be asked to work with more difficult materials and may feel like he is struggling for the first time in his life. I just hope with all the extra time that we have invested at home in his academics that he will maintain his confidence and not feel unsure about his abilities because of the exposure of new materials. Being the oldest child of our small family, I know my Brucey has always considered himself as "master" at whatever he did, but now he may feel pressure to learn to read and to grasp more complicated math and science concepts and thats the one thing that I fear. In the public school system, I've noticed that alot of attention is concentrated on what a child lacks instead of what a child knows. Which is what I made sure to emphasize in my meeting with Bruce's teacher. I told her I don't want him to be pressured into anything. I want his education to have a natural progression and as a mother I believe that the only way my childre can become true learners of this world, is if we focus on their strengths. By focusing on our children's strengths and praising them for that provides the positive reinforcement they need to move forward and execute more difficult things. I'm all about my kids experiencing success so they can apply the same principles to any situation. I know I've only been a mother for 6 years, but within this short time I've learned just how importatn is is for our children to be surrounded with excitement and encouragement, and given examples of how we learn from mistakes. Okay let me get off my soap box! I'm so excited for my son, and although I'm sure we'll have some trials along the way, Bruce is on his way to building his future as we speak.

Happy 24th -Boating, Food, & Fun!

So in Utah we celebrate the 24th of July in recognition of honoring the first Latter-day Saints who crossed the plains and mountains to reach the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. The trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake Valley was approximately 1,300 miles long and would ultimately lead 70,000 pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the West. Every July 24, we celebrate Pioneer Day with old-fashioned picnics featuring lots of games for the children, foot races, horse races, dances, speeches, and parades. But unlike some Western pioneer celebrations, these are not exercises in nostalgia as fleeting as mid-summer. Today marks the anniversary of the day Brigham Young first looked out from the mouth of Emigration Canyon and concluded the Great Salt Lake Valley was the place for the Saints to stop their westward trek. Pioneer Day celebrations are religious rituals that remind us and LDS faith communities of a signal event in our past. Just as Passover prompts members of the Jewish community to remember the Hebrews’ successful escape from Egypt, so Pioneer Day reminds Latter-day Saints of what our forebears accomplished. I'm grateful for these Saints that suffered through so much physically, mentally, and spiritually to bring forth this beautiful gospel and the prophecies of our prophet Joeseph Smith. I love our gospel and am so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ which protects, and fosters unconditional love in all that we do. I'm bummed that both Dan and I don't have holiday today, so we won't be celebrating the 24th until later after work. On my mom's side of the family we are all meeting later this eveing at Provo

Harbor for some boating and a nice potluck dinner. We never really got into boating because first of all we don't have a boat, but after Uncle Beni purchased one the kids love love it! Happy 24th!

Welcome Baby Samani Siosefa Pahulu!

He's Here!

Born yesterday July 22nd, 2008 weighing in at 8lbs 3oz and standing at 20 inches we are so excited to have this addition to our family. He's a Pahulu alright with that nose, hair, and eyes! Dem Pahulu genes are just way too strong! He was born in Overland Park, Kansas and we are so excited to fly over to see him. My husband and his brothers are very close and have a bond that is not to be wreckoned with. For the longest time, on my husbands side of the family, my children were the only grandkids. Although they no longer have that entitlement, being the only grandchildren had alot of benefits because my kids were always taken care of during holidays, bdays, etc. However, I must say how nice it is to have sister in laws and see my brother in laws starting their little families! I love my sister in laws to death! When we have get togethers, its so fun to just relax and kick it while the guys are bonding doing their own thing. Anyways, last year Alani and Kathy had Danny Jr. who takes after his Dad and is growing so quickly. My kids love baby Danny to death and although Lehua is only 1years old she is naturally a caretaker as she tries to care for baby Danny when they are together. And now to add to the Pahulu side, baby Samani brings our total to 5 grandchildren! We are definitely growing. Leki and Holly live in Kansas, but we are in regular contact and get together at least 2x a year. Holly is a lawyer, so she always has interesting stories to share related to her work, and I love to pick her brain. They were just here earlier this year where we had so many all nighters where Kathy, Holly, and I spent sharing our prego stories and helping Holly to prepare for the time left for her to carry baby. Baby Samani is one special kid though. Holly comes from a family of all girls and Holly is the first to marry. So you can imagine how spoiled baby is, as Holly's family is so thrilled to not only have a grandchild, but also the first boy in their family. Even when Holly and Leki got married, my boys were treated like Kings at their wedding. Understanding that my boys were both in their mischevious stage, during the wedding they were noisey, wild, and always getting into trouble. They even got into the wedding cake before Leki and Holly cut it and as I got furious with them, Holly's mom was so nice to them. In fact just because the boys wanted cake she rushed over to Holly and Leki and had them cut their cake immediately so my boys could share in eating it. As soon as they had cut the cake, the first pieces were served to my boys. Even after the wedding, Holly's mom had gotten my boys spiderman gifts just because. I thought to myself, had this been any other wedding someone would of probably given the boot to my kids for getting into their wedding cake. Holly's family was nothing but loving and I appreciated all that they had done for my boys that weekend. We are so happy for this lil' family and are grateful to be a part of their lives. My kids can't wait to meet their new cousin!

Finally I can Relax!

Presenting in front of hundreds of people was definitely nerve breaking! But what a relief to have that all behind me. I think we are all our worst critics when it comes to these situations. For 3 days straight I was presenting about materials related to mentoring, motivating, and empowerig others. Being that my current occupation consists of motivating college students to get through their education, and having past experience to rely on, things went pretty well. However, there is always that fear that someone may question your technique or disagree with your research, and that is what I fear. I'd like to think that I'm good with confrontation but not all the time. Overall though, each presentation went really well and I got nothing but good feedback, that by my last presentation I was seeking for some real critical feedback that could help me improve if needed. All I can say is that by the time I arrived home, nothing else was on my mind other than being with my family! Anytime I leave home, my welcome is such a treat as my children usually are running to the door, screaming, "Moms home!" and then followed with hugs and kisses. It is those simple acts of love, and small moments of time that I live for! To feel valued, appreciated, and loved just pushes me to be a better mother, wife, and daughter. It is these kind of moments that help me to get through the day, or to forget about the challenges that I may have. My family is what reinforces me to push harder each day to fulfill my goals and make my life so worthwhile. The accomplishments of my life is measured by the love within my family. I love my children so much and am grateful for their pure acts of unconditional love!

Working in office today!

So after being home for 3 months now working, my boss calls me in to do some presentations for a big meeting we have for the remainder of this weekend. We have these meetings every 6 months during commencement. Its pretty neat though, because we have employees who work all around the world and our company pays for each of them to fly out here every 6 months to celebrate graduation for our students. So along with the presentations that I have to conduct, there are alot of activities, parties, and outings provided by my employer. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my buddies and just having a good weekend. When I started at WGU, I told some of my good friends and now 3 of them have joined me there. We love it! It sucks to have to leave my kids though, and honestly I don't know if I could ever go back to working in office rather from home. My kids were so cute last night though as they were constantly telling me that they don't want me to go. Bruce kept saying, "...but Mom, I thought your office is upstairs. Don't go Mom because I'm going to miss you!". Its so nice to know that my kids want to be with me, which is why I chose to work from home in the first place. Being that my children are all really still young, its great to feel wanted, needed, and loved. We all know that once they truly develop autonomy and are older their independence will probably bring about more time apart as they have to go to school longer, hang out with their friends more regularly, and become more involved with their own agenda which will mean less time with me. So I'm taking every moment that I have with them now! Wish me luck with my presentations!

Brand New Start!

So it's now 6 months later and I'm realizing that I really need to take advantage of this opportunity to capture the precious moments that take place daily in my life. Working from home has been such a blessing as I get to spend even more time with my children. After working out of home for 4 years, its hard to realize that I can't get that time back. Although I'm not really a stay at home mom, I'm thankful each day to wake up with my children, get them ready for school, plan eventful outings during the summer, and just allowing them to know how loved they really are. I only hope that I can figure this blogging system and get my site to look the way I want it to. Wish me luck in documenting my life at home with my kids!