Family Photo at St Augustine Lighthouse

The lighthouse symolizes many things and the same rings true for our family. Jesus is our lighthouse and we hope to look to him for guidance but also to light our way home and protect us from the storms.

Elena

Elena loves the beach, she is just like her sisters a little fish. She played in the surf and dug in the sand, and just had a good old time.

Thanksgiving mornings at the beach

Thanksgiving at the beach

So this year we decided to do the untraditional thing and hang out at the beach for Thanksgiving. It was a fun an beautiful time. We got up early and tried to see the sunrise(the clouds did not want to co-operate with us). We ran and played tag on the beach. We dug holes in the sand and made castles, and the kids tried to boogy board and surf.

We visited Lighthouses, got super sandy and dirty and thoroughly enjoyed being beach bums.

It was alot of fun and what made it even better was that Grandma and Grandpa were there with us.

Of course since we were so close to the beach we eat ou fair share of fresh seafood and boy was it yummy!!!

We really enjoy living here in Florida and are making the most of it while we are here and send out an open invitation to any friends and relatives to come and play with us.

Maria is amazing

I know Maria hasn't posted in a while, she isn't much for blogging and she has her hands full with 3 little girls, and an absentee husband. I just wanted to say that she is amazing. Somehow she manages to take care of the family, her friends, and just about everyone she meets, in addition to getting in shape and being an incredible athlete.

Seriously, I'd be lost without her, my world would crumble the first or second day if she wasn't holding it together, by raising our beautiful girls, handling the finances, and keeping me on task.

One day I hope to pay her back by being the man she deserves, but if that happens it will be because she helped to get their.

I love you Maria.

Hair Cut

Yes we cut Anya's hair. I asked her what she wanted to do and she told me she wanted to cut it and donate the hair to those girls who don't have hair. We talked about baby Lily and others who needed to wear wigs and she was so excited to do it. I tried not to be too sad but inside my heart was breaking.

I am so proud of her. She always thinks of others and I love that about her. Nadia on the other hand was so upset. SHe sreamed and cried at the hairdresser and gave him dirty looks and kept telling Anya that if she did it she would have ugly hair. Anya just replied but Nani it will make pretty hair for someone else.

Now Nadia is semi okay with it but man her eyes were shooting daggers, if looks could kill that hairdresser was done for.

I will post some pictures of my girl later

They cut off a foot I made sure that he had more than enough. I told him as he was just going to take 9 inches. I said you make sure you have enough as I didin't want to cut her hair for no reason. He got it all ready and is sending it in for us.

I love my girls they are blessings in my life and are great examples to me, even Nadia who was just trying to protect her sister.

Pumpkins, doctors and ballerinas

I was cutting up a pumpkin and I asked Anya to scoop out the insides(thinking that she would have fun doing it) gross mum I can't touch it, it is messy and looks like skeletons and such. I asked her what she meant and she told me that it was like what is inside a human(bones and muscle string thingies). I told her it wasn't that bad, she proceeded to tell me that she liked pumpkin pie and roast pumpkins but she was never going to touch the inside of a pumpkin. "one day I said you will be a mummy and have to make something with pumpkin." "Yes mum but then I would just get my husband to do it"....nice I thought John might like that.

Anyways I then told her that her husband may not be around "look is daddy here to help?"

She looked up at me and said that she was then going to be a doctor. "I am going to be a doctor so that I can make lots of money and I will pay someone else to clean my pumpkins" Who's doctors house has she been too...the kids are always going on about how poor we are...

So trying to make this long story short... I told her that doctors have to touch yucky things like blood and the insides of people which is what she doesn't like about pumpkins..." hmm she says then I guess I will just have to be a ballerina"

Gotta love the kids huh..

I think I just want to be a ballerina today too!!!!

She then decided to touch the pumpkin to get used to it for when she is a mummy

Elena

Pictures

Elena was in the Bumbo and Nadia wanted me to take pictures I thought they looked so pretty in purple, Nadia was also excited as Dad walked in during our photo shoot and of course he needed to be in the photo as well

Her first missing tooth

She was so excited to finally lose a tooth. It cracks me up everytime she talks as she has a huge lispeth and wihle I am typing this I am talking with a lispth.....suckering suckertash....

Anyways the tooth fairy came lucky the economy has not affected the tooth fairy's little business(; but Anya was really fun to watch. She recieved a silver dollar and can't wait for all of her teeth to fall out as that means she will get "$32 dollars mum"

She then proceeded to tell me that the tooth fairy needed to leave $10 per tooth......hmmm I might start pulling my own teeth out for that return.

Pukeko

We were visiting with each other before she had to go to bed, she was so cute unfortunately the lighting was bad hence a blurry video

My Girls

Elena just rolled over today, wow what a mile stone she has also in the last week started smiling which is super cute and her cooo's are precious.

The girls were so excited over her little milestones. They are not jealous over the fuss she gets and they are the ones doing most of the fussing over her.

She just has to let out a little squawk and they come running. Nadia especially has so much love for her and Anya is the little mother hen...(right now she is holding her and burping her) They are both great helpers as well you can really see the love they have for her
Needless to say she is going to be spoiled though I am not sure if that is in her nature she is so lovely!!! They all are!!!

Summer Activities

The girls are doing tennis camp this week and while I was worried about them being gone for a whole 4 hours it seems that my worries where all for naught. They both loved it!!!

I am also glad that Nadia gets to go(because I get a break but mostly because she always gets left out being not old enough and now she feels like a big kid)...heck she is a big kid.

They are both getting so big and while I love it, I am also saddened by it where did my babies go???

This summer has been great so far I love having my kids with me(for the majority of the time) and we have kept a great schedule and just relaxed and played. Elena has been both a joy and a blessing. She is easy going and lets us haul her to playgrounds and swimming pools and even puts up with this heat and humidity.

I know I have said this before but I am going to say it again our family feels complete and I love them all so very much, John included(: and I am very grateful for a wonderful and loving husband and for some pretty great kids.

Full Family Photo

We finally got one of all of us together

Let me think about it...hmmm

Bath time

She was soo little that we could bathe her in one of our bowls... Those times have passed but boy was she cute

The Chiara Girls

My heart is full and I am grateful our Elena is here. I have noticed that my heart is softer, she makes me a nicer and better person, that might be because I am not pregnant, it might be a mixture of both but whatever it is our home feels complete. The big sisters cannot get enough of her and love on her when ever they can. Anya woke up at 4am one morning I had told her the night before that if she slept well when she woke up she could help with the baby. As soon as she woke which was at 4am she came in "I had a good sleep, you said I could help with Elena. "

The first thing that both of them do is come and say good morning, not to me I am chop liver now, but to their little sister. She is the apple in their eyes.

Even though we are done with our family and I am still sore from the surgery I am glad that we did it. I am glad that I listened to the lord and that we have another little girl. I miss all my friends in Lubbock and wish we were there but have also felt welcome here in Florida. I have 2 texans and a little Gator who if we have anything to do with it still sing the BYU fight song.

We truely feel blessed

Elena Te Aroha Chiara has arrived

smelly elephants

Disney Dance with Donald Duck

Disney World

John met his cousin Peggy for the first time. She hooked us up with free park passes and parking at Disney. It was super crowded, but the girls had a great time. Maria nearly went into labor after getting tossed around on the safari.

Trip to the beach

It was cold, and you can't see it in these pictures, but the beach was sort of nasty, but the girls still had a lot of fun. Even Florida gets cold, and it certainly was this weekend.