Ready for California!

Friends and family, we are moving! We are moving to Calipatria, CA which is about 2 hours inland from San Diego, it's farming country and smaller than Vernal, but Brawley which is 10 minutes away is about the size of American Fork and El Centro is even bigger, so we will be closer to big town amenities but enjoying the hot desert heat--after july and august :) I am so excited to be able to garden and be closer to the beach and my brother and his wife (who are doing an internship for about 3 months), Saki's parents, and Saki's brother and his family, and some friends :). We leave Sunday evening to SLC to visit some friends and then are off for real on Monday, if all goes as planned... Saki is hoping to transfer with the same company and we are exercising faith that since we have prayed and felt so at peace about the move that all will go well with this job or any other opportunity that comes up. Below you see Meresiana getting ready for the sun and to the delight of her mother she has learned how to use a sippy cup (she hates bottles) so we can make less frequent stops on the road (and have happier babysitters).

Father's Day and Family

Yesterday we had a picnic with family in American Fork-I love this warm weather and it a pleasant diversion to get together with family:)



Fun father's day gifts


Visiting with Anna and Steve (he's only 1 month older!)

Playing in the grass

Mere is just over 5 months old now! She loves applesauce and bananas and chewing on her fingers or arm. She sits up a little, but not very straight. She rolls around a lot to get places and says mama and baba--I am enjoying her more every month!

First Tag :)

1. How long have you been married? 2 years and almost 3 months
2. How long did you date? almost 1 1/2 years? I don't keep track of time and numbers well...but we met through his brother Jay who was my coworker at USH and I think he was inspired--I was interested right off, but Saki took some coaxing by Jay until he finally called me up (he was living in Ogden and I was in Provo). I went to France for 4 months and we both decided we needed each other and when I got back we were more serious. . .
3. Who eats more sweets? Saki--he loves brownies, cake, ice cream, banana bread, and fruit juice, for me it has to be worth the calories--like cheesecake & soft cookies, then I overdo it :)
4. Who said "I Love You" first? I don't know, I say it a lot but I wish it could more fully express my depth of feeling and appreciation for him!
5. Who is taller? Saki--but I don't know how tall we are
6. Who can sing better? Saki, I only sing if I'm being drowned out by those around me, he gets lots of complements on his singing.
   
7. Who is smarter? Saki is much more together than I give him credit for, I'm more logical and foresighted and he is steady and dedicated
8. Who does the laundry? I do. I hate dishes so they usually pile up till Saki does them.
9. Who pays the bills? We try to talk about them together then I pay them with the money he works so hard for.
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Both of us, I like variety.
11. Who cooks dinner? both of us, I do when he works, but when he's home he helps out a lot and he's a good cook, I'm more of a baker.
12. Who drives? Saki, he's WAY better with directions and I get distracted.
13. Who is more stubborn? I am :(
14. Who kissed who first? he says I did, I say he did, I don't know, but he's the first and only man I've kissed :)
15. Who asked who out first? he called me after lots of prompts from his brother--we ate out at the Olive Garden and then he dropped me off at work, it was snowing.
16. Who proposed? I didn't give him a chance to propose, because I called the temple and set up a date to get married then told him I had done it (we had discussed various dates but Saki likes to do everything right and so he is slower on decision making).
17. Who has more siblings? both of our families have 3 boys and one girl.
18. Who wears the pants? depends on the topic, we try to work together and discuss a lot. . . I'm glad Saki is willing to discuss things because it's not something he's used to doing, but now he does so well and we make a great team! We learn so much from each other!

Dating photos:

Saki braved the snow and went skiing for the first time with my dad and my brother and me, us in Vegas at a funeral.

Thanksgiving with my grandparents and Robert and Camille--we took the Greyhound from UT to OR! Never again... and sightseeing in SLC.

Grandparents & Solid food

While in WA we met up with my maternal grandparents who live in Astoria, Oregon. Saki met them for the first time when we took the Greyhound from UT to OR to spend Thanksgiving with them, a long ride!!! I wish we had been able to spend more time with them, but it was nice to see them in person and they relished the time with Mere!
We also saw Pate and Ginger and their little girl in Kent, WA-she is almost as big as Mere and only 1 1/2 months!
At the Hoffman's Andrea fed Mere some banana's-her first time eating solid foods. After some funny faces she enjoyed it, and now when I do feed her bananas or applesauce she eagerly leans forward and opens her mouth!

Trip to WA

Saki and Mere worn out the day we were to fly back home. . .


My parents and their close friends the Hoffman's went on a trip to Israel. I have babysat the Hoffman's since I was about 12 and consider them my brothers and sisters, so Saki and I went to watch them one week, and my older brother Robert watched them another week. . . We had a ball!!!!!!!! Had so much fun playing, catching up, clowning around, and eating good food :) The kids were so much fun, it's so odd to see them so grown up, only the 4 youngest are still at home, the older 2 boys are in UT and Nevada, one going to BYU and the other serving a mission. Unfortunately I didn't get a group photo--but here's some pictures.


on the airplane, she did well on the way to WA and on the way back she squealed pretty loud, the flight attendant said she would be the next american idol:)

Kristin teaching baby new tricks. . .


Andrea talking with Mere, Aaron making Mere laugh :)


Folklife Festival by the Space Needle--crafts, food, musicians, dancers, mimes etc. Bagpipe player behind Saki, Seth and Aaron, below Kristin and Andrea dancing with the Indian dancers.



swimming at cottage lake... more photos another day...

Mother's Day

For mother's day Saki took me and Tima (his sister) out to a delicious mexican restaurant in Bountiful. Here we are with Tima, Tanner, and neice Brenna. On our way home we stopped to see Maina who is due about a month, and the Vuniwai's who head to Hawaii Monday!