Today I just feel like sharing some videos of my funny little runts. All four of them are fun and funny in their own special way, and the twins are really starting to develop their own little personalities.
This first video is of Ovaka dancing. My boys love, love, LOVE to dance, and avidly watch the shows Shake It Up and America's Best Dance Crew searching for "new moves." Ovaka has started trying his hand at break dancing. It consists mostly of sitting on the floor, occasionally waving his booty or feet around, and then getting back up and dancing again. You'll get a good surprise if you watch this video all the way to the end -- he surprised even me with his exciting finale. Pretty sure it's an ABDC ending he picked up along the way. :)
The next video is of my two boys playing in the water. This is very typical behavior for my boys: Ilaiasi teasing Ovaka, and Ovaka thinking it's great fun. So far, this has been a symbiotic interaction, with each child getting his needs met without annoyance or injury to the other -- Ilaiasi doesn't get bored because he is entertained by the fact that he can do crazy things to Ovaka, and Ovaka thinks they are having a grand old time playing together. However, I am constantly reminding Ilaiasi that he is older and bigger and needs to be careful because he could potentially hurt Ovaka's feelings if he teases him too much, or could really hurt Ovaka if he is too rough with him. After an incident this afternoon where Ilaiasi hurled a beachball full-speed at Ovaka's face, I also had to remind Ilaiasi that at some point it's likely that Ovaka will be equal to or bigger than him in size, and that little brothers don't forget earlier mistreatment very easily. It brought back memories of my brothers, who had some seriously funny all-out wars that sometimes turned a bit...physical. They pranked each other ALL the time. I remember coming home one day and my mom saying to me, "That glass of lemonade on the table looks SO good. I've been eyeing it all afternoon. But, I'm pretty sure that there's a good possibility it's PEE. The boys have been at it again, and I'm not willing to risk it." Hahaha. (For the record, I believe it turned out to be lemonade in the end, but could just as easily have been urine.) Inevitably, the pranks would escalate until one of the boys got mad, hit the other one, and a small scuffle ensued. It really freaked my mom out when the boys got into high school and were both bigger than her, because once that happened, she was pretty much powerless to stop them once a fight started. Luckily, they both have great senses of humor, and got over things quickly, so the actual fights were few and far between. Anywhooo....when I was talking to Ilaiasi this afternoon, it occurred to me that in a few years, I could be in the position my mom was in a few years ago. Yikes! But for now, I'm enjoying the fact that they love to play with each other, and I'm happy that Ovaka is oblivious to the fact that Ilaiasi is sometimes a little too rough or slightly unfriendly with him. This video makes me laugh every time I watch it because they are both having a great time together.
And, finally, here's a little video of my sweet baby girlies. They are just the funniest little things because they love to snuggle and are constantly touching each other and sucking on whatever appendage they can get their little lips on. Usually they go for each others' ears, fingers, or toes, but they are just as happy with hair, forearms, and necks. Funny, funny girls! Kamila has a new trick that you'll see a little bit of in the video: she loves to stick her tongue out. And my funny Ovaka makes a cameo...such a grump! You'll have to excuse my "mom-talk"...when I took the video, I didn't expect to be posting it on here. Otherwise, I would probably not have done all the background talking. ;)
So, I've been feeling sad. I put off writing, hoping that week one of my little Happiness Project would lend itself to more happiness than it has thus far. However, it is now Tuesday, the 7th, and I have resigned myself to the fact that my first week did not go as planned. And after a good deal of contemplation yesterday, I realized that even though I am working on being happier, sometimes feeling sad is ok.
The past month or so has seemed like a big, long, drawn out, stressful trial for me. It started before Christmas, and is on-going, and I have been feeling this undercurrent of sadness that seems to always be just below the surface, eager to rise up and swallow any positive feelings I have if I'll let it. I'm thinking that's probably why I was drawn to the Happiness Project book when I saw it on the shelf. Something about the idea of working towards happiness -- and the concept that it DOES actually require WORK to be happy -- appealed to me. The author, Gretchen Rubin, begins her project by working on her energy, and I decided that it seemed a logical place for me to start also. Specifically, I want to work on eating healthier, getting more rest, and clearing away the clutter from my house to improve the atmosphere and energy in my home.
I realized rather quickly that my three babies have obviously not read The Happiness Project, and were definitely NOT on board with these resolutions I've made. In fact, after a week of trying to work on the resolutions, I've come to realize that maybe at this point in my life, these are not the most attainable or realistic goals I could have chosen. I mean, come on...MORE REST??!! SERIOUSLY?? Who am I kidding? Immediately upon making this resolution, both of my girls came down with ear infections. Which, in turn, resulted in lots and lots and lots and LOTS of cranky screaming at all hours of the day and night. You can probably guess that this is not the most effective sleep aid. And because they've been super needy, Ovaka, OF COURSE, has been like a human suction cup that doesn't want to let me go ANYWHERE alone, because CLEARLY if the other two are crying and want to be held, it only makes sense that he should cry and want me to hold him, too, right? So, these little curve balls coupled with the fact that I had already been feeling down about some other non-baby-related issues created a kind of energy-vacuum that seemed to suck what little energy I was previously able to muster right out of me.
But, my epiphany that it's ok to be sad came not because of the personal stress I've been feeling, but rather as a result of my contemplating the struggles of my loved ones. This has been a truly heartwrenching week for several of the people I care about, and I've been super sad for/concerned about many of my friends or family members who are struggling under much greater weight than the burdens I've been carrying. I have become aware of multiple friends who were/are pregnant and received devastating news about their unborn children, had both friends and family members lose close loved ones, and had friends or family members of friends suffer serious, life altering injuries. The trials of my loved ones have been weighing heavily on my mind, and last night as I thought of these people that I care so much about, I wondered how feeling sad because they were hurting fit into the grand scheme of my resolutions to be happier.
As I was turning this idea over in my mind and trying to reconcile the ideas of pursuing happiness vs feeling sorrow because of my own trials as well as the trials of my friends and family, a bunch of Bible and Book of Mormon verses started coming to my mind. It's funny, because it seems like the more I pursue happiness, the more open my mind is to spiritual ideology. Well, I guess that's not actually all that funny. Or surprising. It only makes sense that if "men are that they might have joy," (2 Nephi 2:25) and I am seeking to be happy and joyful, then greater spiritual awareness would be the natural consequence of striving to do something that God wants me to do. Anyway, most of the biblical verses that came to my mind were from the epistles of Paul. Oh, how I love Paul! I took a New Testament class at BYU that turned me into a big Paul superfan. I love his steadfastness. I love his unwavering resolve. I love that he threw himself wholeheartedly into the cause of whatever he believed to be right, and that he had the humility to recognize when he was wrong and change his course. His conversion brings to mind a saying that I've heard Oprah say many times. It is something along the lines of, "we do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better, we do better." Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure she was quoting Maya Angelou. But don't quote me on that. ;) At any rate, there were several little nuggets of wisdom that Paul imparted to the Galatians and the Romans that bubbled up in my mind as I was thinking last night.
I was thinking about my Aunt Sue and my cousin Adam, who this weekend had to put their dog to sleep that had been their companion for the past 16 years. I was thinking how silly it seemed that I had been crying over a stupid dog that I didn't even particularly care for, and wondering why I was such a big crybaby. As I was tearing up YET AGAIN just thinking about how sad Sue looked when I saw her, a verse from Romans 12 (ok, ok, I had to look up the scripture...I am admittedly not a Biblical scholar, but I DID know that it was in the Pauline epistles!) came to my mind. In verse 15, Paul encourages the Romans to "rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." AHA! This is the first part of my "it's ok to feel sad" epiphany. If we are instructed to "weep with them that weep," then obviously some sadness is acceptable. I had unwittingly been feeling guilty about the fact that my happiness project hadn't magically transformed my life into one big happy shiny never ending broadway musical, but this short passage eased my mind a little bit and allowed me to feel ok about being sad. Conversely, it also had the beneficial effect of making me feel HAPPY about my crybaby-ness, as I realized that we are commanded by a prophet to cry with those who are crying. (I come by it very naturally -- my mom is quite possibly the biggest crybaby I know. Not in a bad way. In an I'm-sad-because-you're-sad kind of way. Ok, maybe I'M the biggest crybaby I know. She would definitely be a close second, though. Whatever. Moving on...)
The second part of my epiphony is found in Galatians 6, where Paul instructs the Galatians, saying, "bear ye one anothers burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ...And let us not be weary in welldoing: for in dueseason we shall reap , if we faint not. As we have thereforeopportunity, let us do gooduntoall men..." I realized that by crying with/for those of my friends who have been struggling, I was doing my part to "bear another's burdens." I think, also, I realized that by sharing in the burdens of another, we are sometimes able to find meaning in our own struggles. I've been thinking a lot about one of my friends who miscarried last week, and her current trial brought back feelings I had when I miscarried. I think that although the pain and sadness of my experience will always be there, it has made me more sensitive to and empathetic of the needs of others who have had a similar experience. But this morning as I was pondering the passage in Galatians, I realized that just sharing a common experience isn't enough. The rest of Galatians 6 is what really brought everything together for me. "Let us not be weary in well doing...and if we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men." I think this is the key to my epiphony that it's ok to be sad. Yes, I've been feeling sad. And, quite honestly, weary describes the mood of my entire week (ok, MONTH) quite nicely. However, although it is ok to be sad, that sadness should move me to ACTION. In order to "bear the burdens" of those that I've been mourning with, I need to take the trials as an opportunity to "do good." So, that is my new resolution for the month of February. If I can't find a way to get more sleep or keep my house clean because I have three screaming banshees hollering in my ear, I resolve to at least generate more positive energy by taking the sadness I've felt over the struggles of my loved ones and using it as an opportunity to do good. I will bear the burdens of my friends and family and "faint not," and I will ACT so that they know that I love them and I am thinking about them. It's not enough just to feel sad. The important part is choosing to ACT. So, there you have it...my epiphany. It's ok to feel sad.
I hope this post didn't thoroughly depress you. In an effort to bring more happiness to your life as well as to mine, I will leave you with a few pictures of my funny little munchkins, and bid you all a good day!
Sweet kisses from my funny Ovaka. True story: last night, he came up to me and did this very thing...put his chubby little hands on each side of my face, puckered up, leaned in...and then SNEEZED A BIG LOOGEY ONTO MY FOREHEAD!! AHAHAHAHA...super gross! Best part? I don't know who was more surprised, him or me!
Another picture of my cutie pie Ovaka
Funny little sleeping girls with cute flowers on their butts
HAPPY GIRLIES!
Oh, how I love my sweet helper Ilaiasi. Such a good big brother!
Elva Kalea minutes after getting 3 immunizations. Definitely NOT HAPPY. (but still cute)
Sweet Kamila cried herself right to sleep after her shots. Look at her big wet eyelashes. :(
AAAAAND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:
This is currently my favorite video of Ovaka dancing. This guy swears he should be a member of the Disney Channel tv show Shake It Up. :)
Well, here I am. I should definitely be sleeping. But, sadly, I think I've gone from tired to exhausted to delirious, and now I'm in a semi-vegetative state where I'm so super tired I can't even get to sleep. So, here I am...blogging away the few precious minutes where all three babies are sleeping. Eh, what can ya do?
Last night the twins were TERRIBLE! Well, maybe not TERRIBLE...they weren't really screamy or super loud, but they were wide awake and looking to be entertained. I didn't even have to hold them or stand up or anything, but they were a captive audience and insisted that I sing or talk to them. So, we had a very eclectic impromptu concert last night consisting of mostly folk ballads, 80s variety, and 90s country. I've gotta say, I really out did myself last night: Dan Fogelberg, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Chicago, Jim Croce, Journey, Simon and Garfunkel, Jo Dee Messina, the Judds, Don McClean, and I even threw in a little Madonna and Queen for good measure. At any rate, my concert served to keep them quiet, but did nothing in the way of getting them to close their little eyes and let me rest. And by the time they finally got to sleep somewhere around the crack of dawn, it was less than an hour before I had to get Ilaiasi up to get ready for school. And then, of course, there's my early bird Ovaka who woke up just as I was finally drifting off after getting Ilaiasi out the door to the bus stop...you get the idea. So, here I am at 11:31 on Friday morning, running on approximately an hour and a half of sleep. But enough with the complaining. The good news is, I did get some really cute pictures of the runts last night and this morning:
My bed at approximately 12:45 last night: two bright-eyed, bushy-tailed girlies, and one sleeping monkey boy
Good boy Ovaka sleeping soundly to the melodious tone of my croaking...er, I mean SINGING...at 2 a.m.
Naughty girls, wide awake and watching me expectantly: "Perform, slave, or suffer our wrath!"
This picture cracks me up: "What are you looking at? You're looking a little on the fluffy side yourself!" Hahaha
8:30 this morning: Ovaka chillin sucking his thumb, twins FINALLY knocked out
This is what utter exhaustion looks like: 11:30 a.m...three soundly sleeping babies and a mom who's too tired to fall asleep!
In other unrelated, but hopefully more exciting news, I'm back on the jewelry wagon and things are looking up! Had a little booth at the craft fair at my mom's office last week, and it was pretty successful. Something REALLY exciting came of this craft fair, though. One of the ladies at my mom's work bought some of my earrings. She wore them when she went to a salon to get her hair cut, the owner of the salon saw my earrings and liked them, and asked if I'd be interested in selling my jewelry in the salon! So, I'm pretty excited about that. I have to come up with a way to display my jewelry while it's inside baggies...the owner thinks the chemicals from the hair products might cause my wire to tarnish, so she asked that I bag all of the jewelry prior to bringing it in...but once I come up with a display idea, I'm going to set up shop and see how it goes! Anyone have any good ideas for displaying jewelry that's already in clear plastic bags? I was thinking of maybe just getting a platter and laying everything out on it...I don't know. Anywhoo, your ideas would be most appreciated! Ok...Ovaka's up and hungry, so I guess I'd better get going. Happy Friday everyone!!
So, today's been rough. All three babies have diarrhea...which, as you can imagine, is less than ideal. And by less than ideal, I obviously mean incredibly, horribly, disgustingly, hideously gross. Let's face it: one kid with diarrhea is terribly nasty. Multiply that by 3 and, well...you get how my day is going so far. I keep reminding myself that someday I will look back on this and laugh. Or, as my dear friend Analyn reminded me, I will at least be able to use this terrible day as ammo to embarrass my children with later in their lives. Which, truth be told, is just as good if not better than being able to laugh at it later. Nevertheless, by about 9:00 this morning, I was already ready to call it a day. So, I decided I needed something else to focus on -- you know, something besides stinky runny poo seeping into my sheets AGAIN (the third set of the morning), squirmy poo-smeared legs kicking nastiness all over my shirt (also the third of the morning), and bath water running for -- you guessed it -- the THIRD time before 9:00. What could possibly divert my attention from such loveliness?
If you've read any of my former blog posts, you've probably noticed that I adore my crazy children. I admit it unabashedly...I think they are the funniest, smartest, cutest things around. And, fortunately for me, this is MY blog, so I can write whatever I want. And that allows me an outlet where I can voice my admiration for my little runts. I wish I could say that they are the result of my amazing parenting, but, truthfully, they just came the way they are. At any rate, I decided late this morning that rather than focusing on all the "muck and mire" I am literally knee-deep in today, I would instead document a day in the life of my little runt Ovaka. I adore this kid. He is so funny in his own little way. Ovaka is half of my second set of identical twins...he is SO much like his dad, it's scary! Their looks, their personalities...everything is the same. Ovaka is a kid who is extremely easy going, but it's extremely difficult to make him laugh. He's equal parts sweet and sour -- he'll lovingly pat his sisters' heads, and then without provocation he'll slap them in the face. He's fearless -- if you scold him, he'll turn and scold YOU back -- but his feelings are incredibly fragile, and after he's done trying to hit you or yell at you for yelling at him, he'll burst into unconsollable tears and stick out his lip because you hurt his feelings. So, in a series of pictures that perfectly depict my funny little guy, here we go:
Morning snuggles with Mom
Wide awake and ready to watch cartoons while Mommy changes and feeds the girlies
Typical Disney Channel-watching posture
Losing interest in cartoons...hm...maybe she won't notice that I'm getting ready to bug the twins if I stand here nonchalantly...
Yep...time to annoy my sisters.
"What? I'm not doing anything...see?"
After Mom told him to sit down and leave the girls alone: "No, YOU don't tell ME what to do...I tell YOU what to do!"
Pouty face...busted harassing the twins.
Ok, time for a nap.
"I own this bed."
15 minutes later...already up...dang it...
Special Agent Oso
Uh, Mom...?
Not feeling so good
***Brief intermission while we take yet ANOTHER bath due to nasty diarrhea***
Feeling better...must be time to bug my sisters again...
"Let's see what happens when I take this thing out.."
"YIKES!! Let's put that back in!"
"You don't want it? Fine, then...it's mine."
"Just keep staring forward...Mom has NO IDEA that I'm pulling my sister's monitor wires off..."
"Mom, please, please, PLEASE make it stop!! He's BUGGING ME!!!"
Feeling sorry...maybe I'll give her a little kiss...
