Back...again!

Then: Horace Mann Middle School

Now: Trevista @ Horace Mann ECE-8

Never in a million years would I ever have thought I'd be back in my old middle school stomping grounds...as a STAFF member!!

Yup, back...again...only cuz it pays the bills!! Just Kidding!

Yes, many many moons ago, I once attended Horace Mann Middle School as a teenie weenie! Now, almost 30!, I'm here once again as a para! Boy does it bring back memories, especially ones that I'd thought I'd forgotten for good. It's amazing how different things trigger certain memories!

Well no longer is it a middle school, but it is in it's first year as a ECE-8 school. It's very strange to see 4 year olds mixed in with 14 year olds. (Well actually, the 14yos act like 4 yos) I worked at Remington Elementary last year and was fortunate continue my job this year at this school. It's really funny because after all these years, there is one person that is still here that I knew back in middle school. Mrs. B was and still is a para here. And I work with her!! How funny life is sometimes.

Well, the job is hard at times. I'm trying to adjust to the middle school aged children here. I always told myself I would NEVER work in a middle school, yet here I am..with middle school aged kids. But at least I have the younger kids to keep me sane! At least Naia (who is an ECE student here) can say she went to the same school as mommy!!!
So here's to a new school year!!! But this time I'm NOT the student!!

YOU GOTTA LOVE DA KIDDOS!

On a recent venture to McDonalds, our 4 year old, Naia, graciously asked to give the prayer before going in. We were a little taken back by the fact that the 4 year old had to halt us with her little lungs from the back, back seat and remind all of us the important duty of prayer. Eddie and I looked at each other with an "uh oh, our child is reminding us of what we should be reminding them!" look and happily said, "Sure, go ahead, Naia!"

So she proceeded with a very proud tone and began her prayer...She thanked Heavenly Father for the day and the somewhat repetitious things four year olds have the capacity to remember to tell and ask Heavenly Father. She asked for all her family to be good, and then for mommy, daddy and Kainoa and Jaedyn to be safe and not die...which is so sweet to say...but then...(which I think was the funniest yet sweetest thing to say) she went on to say, "and please bless mommy so that she can be a princess!" OH I LOVE THIS GIRL! How kind and dear that my child wishes that I could be a princess! I expected her to ask is SHE could be a princess, but yet she asked if her mommy could be one. Oh bless her little heart! How children touch your heart in unexpected ways! You gotta love the kids!

** PRINCESS **

Back to School

It's back to school for us. And boy is it BUSY! We're back into the swing of things and the older they get, the harder it is. Kainoa has now entered 3rd grade. Mrs. Zott is his teacher. He is enjoying it a lot. Although, being the child of Eddie Maldonado, he sure has taken after him in his schoolroom manners-he messes around a lot. Yup, just like his daddy, I say. I should know, because I did attend class with Mr. Maldonado. They are smart boys, but like to mess around a little too much at times. Kainoa has a lot on his plate this 3rd grade year. Lot's of homework this year and it sure isn't easy. But I'm sure it'll be a great year for him!

Jaedyn is now entering 1st grade. Having been in all day Kinder, he is used to the longevity of the school day. His teacher is Ms. Herrera(Kainoa/Lilli's 1st grade teacher too). He likes school and I'm glad. Although, he too, takes after the men in the family. They all like to mess around and unfortunately it gets them in trouble, especially at school. But he is doing well with his work.
Kainoa and Lilli on the first day of school

Big brother with little sis
Little big brother with little sis

This is Naia

(sorry for the sideways pic)

And this is her first year of school. She goes to ALL day ECE. She was so excited. This picture was taken when she came home from her first day. A little rough lookin' and it was a little rough for her also. She is defintely my child. Very shy and likes to cry A LOT. She's had a hard time saying goodbye in the mornings, but it's gradually getting better. I can visit her during the day now without her crying when it's time for me to go. So the going is slow, but if you ask her she says she likes it.

So things are very, very busy in our household. Mommy is back to work. Daddy is working 2 jobs and is in charge of the children (getting to school etc.) during the day. Kids are in school and homework piles during the week. Soccer for all three kids is underway. And all the things inbetween make life a bit hectic. But it's all worth it in the long run.

Babies Galore!

Well...there are so many babies coming into this world within the next few months to mothers I know and some are already here. It's so very exciting! Here's a little run down of people I know right now that have or will be having little bundles of joy!

• Cousin Gigi - had a little girl, Tehani
• Cousin Holly(cousins' wife) - had a little boy(few hours ago), ? name
• Friend Steph - had a little boy, Marcus
• Friend Becca - had a little boy, Austin (and many of her sisters have also had babies within the last few months; many which I've met)
• Cousin Charmay - will be having a girl, we think, in October
• Cousin Stephanie (cousin' wife) - will be having a girl, in September
• Friend Bernie - will be having a boy, in December, Xavier
• Friend Kimi - will be having a baby, not sure when Nov??
• Cousin Bianca(Eddie's cousin) - will be having a baby, not sure when
• Cousin Kawika - had a little boy, Kani?

That's my list, for now anyway. Who knows who will be next and when. Can't wait to see all these little bebes.

Summer's Gone

Summer's come and gone! (actually summer's still here, summerbreak is gone) Now it's time to go back to school and back to work. It was a nice summer. The kids are ready to go back to school. I wish it would a last a little longer but oh well. We all had a great summer. Here are some pictures of what went on this past season...

GYMNASTICS

Lilliana's gymnastics meet

WATER PARKS

okay, this is an Arvada park... that has water spouts, but the kids loved to play here during the hot weather and a broken swamp cooler

FRIENDS

We were able to visit with many friends far and near this summer which is always very nice. Here are good friends Mara and Ryan visiting Colorado

FOOTBALL

This summer we were able to blast to the past...

we were able to go to my brothers' semipro football games 'Mile High Grizzlies'. It was very entertaining to watch cousins Shane, Zach, Issaiah, and brothers Marcus and Eric, all play on the same team.

FAMILY TRIPS

Our family was able to do lots of things together this summer! Like going on car trips, going on bike rides, going to restaurants, going to new swimming pools and stuff like that! There's nothing like being together!

SWIMMING!!!

Kainoa, Lilliana and Issac
Naia
Everyone, swimming at Marie's!! This was the place to be this summer! Thank you to Marie for letting us use her swimming pool. The kids loved it.

Haircuts

BEFORE...

I like to have my boys hair a little longer than most...see picture below. I don't know, I just like to see them with hair at this age because I'm sure once their older, they'll want it shaved or faded and stuff. So I keep it longer. The last time their grandpa took them to get their haircut and came back with a shaved head, I freaked..

AFTER...
I figured, why not? So I let it be done. They boys got their haircut... real short. What the hey, it's hot! So here they are with their $3 haircut they received from the opportunity school(the students) that their grandpa works at. It works...


And yes...mommy got a haircut too. They took off like 5/6 inches. I'm willing to sacrifice my hair for a cheap haircut...free(thanks to grandpa minus the $5 tip)!

Track Stars

July 26, 2008 was the boys State Cara Track meet. It was held up in Longmont. And I'm so glad we're done with that! Don't get me wrong, I love to watch my boys compete at these things, it's just the early morning practices and Saturday meets kinda gets old after awhile.

The boys did great. We are so very proud of them. They ended up being finalists in 4 events, which is very impressive considering there are hundreds of kids that compete.

Kainoa: Baseball Throw-2nd Place, 5th place finalist; 50m run-2nd place(in his heat)8th place finalist; 800m run-5th place finalist

Jaedyn: Baseball Throw-2nd place; Standing Long Jump-2nd place, 5th place finalist; 100m dash- 3rd place; 50m dash-1st place(in his heat)

This was Kainoa's 3rd year running for Wheat Ridge Cara Track Team and Jaedyn's 1st year.

They did enjoy this summer of track and running--everywhere!

Boys had lots of support at their last meet of the summer. Mamo, Grandma and Grandpa, and Teri were there to bare the heat with us!
Kainoa running the 50m
Jaedyn running the 50m
Kainoa preparing for the 800m (he likes to get down, why, I don't know)
The boys showing off their some of their ribbons.

It's been fun running...

...Til next year!

WHAT... I'm IT??

Dangit...I try to avoid these things but I guess I've been TAGGED, I'm IT(especially when my name is actually there in colored letters!) So okay, I'll play this time..

Here's an ABC tag I was hit with...
A: Attached or Single? Attached 6 years
B: Best Friend? My Sis
C: Cake or Pie? Any kind cake
D: Day of the week? Any day that I can just relax
E: Essential Item? glasses...then I'd be blind
F: Favorite Color? Depends on the day-lots of them
G: Gummy Bears or Worms? don't matter to me
H: Hometown? Denver, CO(although born in Hawaii I wish I could claim there as my hometown but its not)
I: Indulgence? Sweets
J: January or July? July, I love the warm or I should say HOT these days, weather not too hot though
K: Kids? No thank you...ohh wait yes I have three he he he
L: Life isn't complete without? I don't know..my life isn't complete..can't answer that
M: Marriage Date? January 19, 02
N: Number of Brothers and Sisters? 3 brothers, 1 sister.
O: Oranges or Apples? Uhh...What about lychee?
P: Phobias or Fears? Socializing and people thinking I'm stupid
Q: Quote? I don't have a fav quote
R: Reasons to smile? My families accomplishments
S: Superman or Wonderwoman? Wonderwoman...I wish I could look that good in lingerie, boots, a cape and a crown!
T: Tag five people: Uhh whoever wants to do it, I tag you...1,2,3,4,5
U: Unknown fact about me? Can't tell then it wouldn't be unknown..j/k I'm not sure
V: Vegetables? Which ever tastes good at the moment
W: Worst Habit? Too much tv and computer time and inactivity
X: X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y: Your favorite food? Donuts..or also different types of food.
Z: Zodiac sign? I'm a fish.. Pisces

Nana & Baba

Nana & Baba

My mom's parents, Odile and Herman, aka Nana and Baba are the backbone to my mom's side of the family. I have been blessed to have such wonderful grandparents from both sides of my family. They all are wonderful examples, loving and kind.

You see, Nana and Baba live in Hawaii and it is anyone's dream to visit there at least once in a lifetime. I was extremely lucky(according to all my friends) to have had the opportunity to spend summers with Nana & Baba. Having a dad that worked for the airlines sure did have it's benefits. Long summers with Nana and Baba in paradise was the life for sure!!

Well, no longer are the days of going to the beach all day, eating McDonalds whenever, yummy long john's (pastries), dancing in front of RECORDING camcorders to silly songs, free movies from Uncle Allen(yeah!!), adventures of a tourist and exhausting Nana & Baba to where they actually slept in after 8am!

But hearing their voice over the phone comforts me and brings me back to all my happy memories as a child growing up. I always miss my Nana and Baba because they are so far away but oppotunities to talk with them are very important. Visits are rare and few between but getting to see them is always wonderful and special. I love them for who they are and what they have taught me and will always be grateful for their love and strength.Nana and Baba with the great-grandkids

L-R:Lafai, Jaedyn, Naia, Kainoa, Leilani and Lilliana

Nana and Baba with grandkids

Marcus, Yannick, Eric, Michael, Ginette

Nana, Yannick and I

6 year olds

Well it's round 2 of the 6 year old phase for me. I have no idea why, but for some reason, this time it's a whole lot different. My six year old has been
a)more whinnier..
b)more crybabier..
c)more lazier..
d)more stubbornier..
e)more needier..
...so for all you moms out there who can lend some help..please feel free to let me know what I'm doing wrong, if it's just a "phase," know of any books that will help, or just want to tell me to suck it up and deal with it, he's your middle child and I need to be more patient and loving and stuff, please do. Thanks for the venting session...and I'll be awaiting your advise!

99 years...STRONG

Grandma Mabel

99 years

May 10, 2008

Grandma Mabel, my dad's mom, turned 99 years old this past May. We were fortunate to attend the big birthday bash in Utah with all and most of the Purcell clan (her immediate family and their families ). We have been blessed to have such a strong, humble and loving grandma here with us. She teaches us to love, to be thankful and to always follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a great time to reconnect with cousins and aunts and uncles and bond in a way we all have never really had a chance to do. I am grateful to have such a wonderful family. They all show so much love. I am most grateful to have the chance for my children to have had part in this family reunion and get to know family members who love and care for them as much as I.

Grandma at church with Marcus' kids and my kids

Grandma and her children

Dad(Gordon), Teine, Irwin, Raymond

Grandma and all her grandchildren(and their spouses)

Grandchildren in order: Luhi(not pictured),Gina, Tamalii, Mynette, Tyrone, Ginette, Marcus, Victoria, Yannick, Mabel, Eric, Ammaron, Jarom, Sally, Sarah, Michael(not pictured), Douglas, Shalia, Stephanie

Grandma with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren

And of course...Grandma with the Purcell Family #2 (since dad is the 2nd boy)

You gotta love this crazy family!

Notice how grandma seems to be the only sane one of the bunch! Don't let her fool you though, she can be wild and crazy too, just not as often as us and maybe that's why she's been here so long!

D2 Primary Temple Trip

The Denver 2nd Ward Primary visited the Denver Temple this year on May 31, 2008. We had a small showing but for those who were there it was a very neat experience. We toured the temple grounds and learned facts about the temple itself. We also had the opportunity to go into he visitors center and learn more! It was very beautiful. People in attendance were: Vigils, Bennett Family, Maldonado Family(minus Kainoa), Trejo kids, Quintana girls, Molly, Lilly Angelo, Magalei girls+Mia Trujillo, and Bro Humphreys.

Last day in Utah

So I forgot some pics that I wanted to share from day 2-July 4th.

Jaedyn threw a fit to take pictures with the camera so after he calmed down he was given the camera to take some pics...and this is what he came up with!! He's fired!

This was Adam and the missionaries from his ward doing the Haka during the parade! Wow, pretty cool we got a little show! Too bad we can't remember any faces!

Here's cousins Taliah and Malaya posin' at the park with glow in the dark bracelets!
After a long day, Taliah and Naia enjoy a nice little bubble bath.

Day 3-Last day in Utah
The night before sure wore us out and we all slept in til about 9am. (Except Eddie and Adam who were up playin ball at the church by 7am-yeah Eddie heaved during the game which was quite odd..gee never thought he'd over do it in Utah!) So after breakfast and a little trip to the store(the ladies) while Eddie took the kids to the park we headed out to the Pool.

We had so much fun swimming and dodging the wind by staying in the water that I didn't get any good pictures. So here's Taliah after all the fun waiting to go home-yes she crashed before she even got home!

After showers, dinner and SHAVE ICE (thanks Adam!) we headed home around 10 and arrived back to our house in Colorado at 6am. It was a short trip but well worth fun!

This trip for me was great! I was able to spend time with my family and two of my best friends, my sis Yannick and my cuz Charmay. I love them so much. My family is so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. I thank Charmay, Adam and Yannick for always making us feel welcome and showing us a great time. It takes so much out of them to accommodate our somewhat big family. Thank you to you guys we love you and til next year...maybe.

Day 2 of Utah Trip

Okay...so please bare with me. I'm having trouble with my pictures.

Here is day 2-July 4th, 2008 in Utah

Here's Jaedyn at the Finish line of the annual Freedom Run in Provo.
Uncle Adam, Auntie Yannick, Eddie, Kainoa and Sam all participated in the 5k Freedom Run! They all finished!
After the Freedom Run we were able to watch the Parade in Provo under an awesome tent that Auntie May and Uncle Adam so graciously put up at 12 in the morning the night before!

(May and Adam you guys rock! Thanks for the shade!)

Here are Taliah and Naia posing with Cinderella during the Parade. It was kinda funny how every girl and their mama was trying to get pics(look carefully in the background) with all the princesses during the parade! Naia shyly came up to me after and said, can I go take a picture with Snow White now! She really must have enjoyed stopping the parade to take this pic!
After a much needed nap we all went to the park and had us some hamburgers and hotdogs(that never seemed to go away after that!) and other yummy food. We played games and enjoyed lighting some fire works and watching the fire works show from the Stadium of Fire. The kids had so much fun with Taliah, Sam and Malaya. They always remember things like this.

4th of July in Utah

Well after persuasion (by Auntie Charmay) and much pondering we decided to head out to Utah for the long holiday weekend. I really shouldn't say LONG because we were only there 2 days altogether. Last year, we had surprised my sister (auntie) Yannick for her birthday which is on the 3rd of July, and stayed and joined her and my cousin (auntie) Charmay and family for the 4th of July festivities.It was so much fun the once again we traveled the grusome 7-8 hour trip over the Rockies to Orem, Utah!
We arrived in Utah around 4pm on the 3rd of July in time to attend Yannick's Surprise B-day Party that Charmay and Alyssa(Yannick's roomie) put together! Of course, she got off early and Kana(Yannick's old roomie) had to stall til more people arrived. We (my family+Taliah) hid in a room and surprised Yannick when she opened the door. Honestly, it was the lamest surprise ever but whatevahs! Ask Yannick, maybe she WAS surprised.

Here's Taliah (Charmay's daughter) helping Yannick blow out her candles on her ONO fruit pie that Alyssa made....YUMMY!
Malaya, Kana, Yannick, Crystal, Kaui and Alyssa!(Sorry if names are spelled wrong!)
Friends!

NEEK and her cake.