the last of my first birthday series...

this was the last of my first year birthday series. all of us babies were born between the months of august, september and october last year. i'm the first to be born since i was a premie. it's kinda cool if we continue these get togethers because then it means that my friends lauren, lizzy, surri, jared, addison, dylan and i will grow up together.

my daddy and some of the other dads watched as i took my first steps at this get together. my mommy was busy taking pictures and making sure everyone was okay. i'm not sure lamaze classes actually get together after their last class but my parents' class just has it like that...they LOVE getting together! this clip is the part where the daddies came in with our birthday cakes while the mommies are sitting with us. (my mommy isn't sitting with me because she's videotaping.)

my first trip to the nation of samoa...

the video clip above is part of our travels this year to samoa. on a 24 hour ministry-related trip from american samoa to the nation of samoa, my daddy decided to make a run to see his auntie oliula and uncle tui. they live an hour and a half outside of apia. life there is simple, low cost and beautiful. my daddy cried when he saw his aunt and uncle because his aunt reminded him of his grandma maulalo who lovingly took care of him and his uncle reminded of his dad (whom i'm named after) who literally had a heavy hand in raising him to be the man he is today.

my parents sighed an extravagant amount of relief when we drove away because they not only wanted to see my daddy's aunt and uncle for a long time, but for them to see me and vice versa. their conversation in the car after our visit consisted of anything from my mommy begging for another trip back for a longer visit, to my daddy explaining what my papa fua told him about each of the villages that we passed, to which car to pass up and follow, to how the team is doing back in american samoa, etc...these two still remain funny to me...alofa tele lava!

my 10-month birthday...

HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY DAD!

besides acclimating me with my first theme park (magic kingdom, orlando) for my 10-month birthday, my parents decided beforehand to dip my feet into the atlantic ocean. not too long after we left, sharks came. i would say my parents timed it well. it was have been nice to see one though...dont' you think?

since my mommy was on project while we were there, my daddy and i went state hopping. we drove from daytona beach, florida through georgia, through south carolina and into north carolina AND back within an estimated 48 hour period. do we rock or what? WHOO HOO! it's not an easy thing to travel with an infant across four state lines alone but my daddy didn't see it that way. he saw it as exciting. he couldn't wait to travel with me alone. think about it, i needed to be changed regularly, i couldn't eat certain kinds of foods and i faced the back of the car so my daddy had to be able to check up on me too. it didn't matter to my daddy he found a way to do all of that and was having a BLAST doing it all...for me.

we spent the night in north carolina with my uncle faanati, aunt melanie and cousins fale and diana...and then stopped off to see my uncle lagi, aunt anne and their family on our way back in to florida. when the clock struck midnight for my daddy's first father's day with me, we were driving through state lines together. man did i enjoy hanging out with my dad! i would turn my head from my car seat and talk to him and he would talk back. it was a sporadic, four-state long dialogue, twice. (cool, huh!)

i learned a lot about my parents on this trip. my mommy loves a certain store that my daddy makes time to find and enjoy with her. my parents like to eat at certain restaurants for certain meals when they are east of the mississippi. they are more down-to-earth places moreso than higher end. my daddy is not afraid to seek out and conquer new territory. my parents love to try local food and appreciate the unique culture in each town/state. i guess this is not the end of my travels with these two...i wonder where we will end up next? any ideas?

my first swing ride in the park...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOMMY and DADDY! (june 4th)

my gift to you? i can SWING!!! grandma mays thought we should try the swing at the park one afternoon. despite mommy's hesitant mindset, we tried it anyway and lo and behold...i LOVED it!!! i can't wait to go back! when daddy when? mommy? hello? anybody there?

p.s. my parents have been married for 14 years and together for a total of 22...WOH!

my 9 month check up...

my parents took me in for my 9 month check up. on this clip, i'm waiting for my doctor to come in and examine me. from the get go, my daddy told my mommy that my doctor's appointments would be his thing with me. so he takes care of all my appointments, etc, and keeps my mommy posted when she doesn't go in with us. this clip is just a taste of how much fun my daddy and i have at the doctor's office. when do i start getting lollipops for being a good patient?

my FIRST Easter...

"He can move the mountains, My God is Mighty to save, He is Mighty to save, Forever, Author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave..." This is what i repeatedly heard my daddy and mommy humming during this Easter season. it rung in their ears because that was the theme song at our church for this year's Easter services. i think they LOVE that song and more importantly, i honestly believe that they believe it. this is my heritage.

my daddy didn't want any of the Easter bunny or Easter egg stuff for my first Easter so my mommy decided to go ALL out on my Easter outfits (yes...plural). i'm wondering who had more fun, my daddy taking me on my first Easter shopping trip or my mommy dressing me? hmmm...

my daddy ALWAYS makes me smile...

...should i bite my hand now or wait until no one is looking?

see daddy...i can look serious too...

...but not for long.

i love my mommy and daddy!

my daddy's arms are SO buff...COOOOOZZZZZZYYYYYY!

mommy...are you ever going to stop kissing me?

my Easter season fashion show kicked off with this outfit. my daddy was proud of this find because he and i caught a bargain. has my mommy rubbed off on us or what? WHOO HOO!

this is my daddy's friend, john. he didn't see any reason why we shouldn't test out his bike since i was already dressed for it. GO JOHN!

watch the jeans dad!

my auntie shonna and i catching a moment in the cafe after my bike ride experience.

this was my Good Friday outfit. my mommy thought i would go a little preppie after my "born to ride" outfit thursday night.

is someone going to notice me yet?

one more glance at my thursday night outfit...

...okay, two more.

my God-sister chelsea and i posing after sunday morning service. yes...this was my sunday morning church service outfit.

my auntie edith holding me while i pose with my great-grandma shirley. oh! the Easter basket was from my grammy and uncle. i didn't want you to think my daddy renigged...that just doesn't happen.

ms. diane watches and teaches me two days out of the week at her day care. that is her, my auntie heather and i at sunrise service. btw, ms. diane is my auntie heather's mommy. aren't they cute?

our first Easter sunrise family photo. my mommy went a little casual and warm for this outfit of mine for obvious reasons. cute...aren't we?

people at my church just LOVE taking photos! i don't know if you got a good look at my GAP cap so i made sure to bow my head so that you can get a good look.

one of the things that my cousins sedona, micah and i have in common is that we are all miracle kids. not too bad huh? (oh...my auntie edith is still holding me)

victor likes to make me laugh and calm me down when i cry, right now i'm just making sure that he gets a good look at my outfit. my mommy told me to.

my auntie cindy and i have a BLAST together...isn't she just JOYOUS?

my daddy and i look slick huh? that was my after sunday morning service outfit. so far, 99% of the remarks lean toward me looking like my daddy. now you know why...

okay...so who do we have here? let's see...from left to right we have queen riley, then we have connor posin' cool for the camera, then it's grandma mays holding kennedy and i (tough job as you can see) and then miss kaylie with her cute pink outfit. aren't we just a cool bunch?

what is a post on my blog with out my auntie nene doing what she does best - spreading JOY and smiling at the same time...GO AUNTIE NENE!

that's my cousin sedona who caught the camera or did the camera catch her?

my auntie alberta always has something fun or encouraging to say to me. she is my cousin micah and sedona's mommy. i LOVE her calm demeanor...i pray it rubs off on me. (my auntie edith patiently awaits to carry me again. i LOVE the attention!)

after the sunday evening service, my daddy and i caught a moment at my grammy's house to open my Easter basket from her and my uncle. the candy went to my mommy's kids and the rest were books that have now been added to the rest of my collection at home.

look son...more books!

oh and what do we have here...more books!

my daddy wasted no time reading to me. i think i like this one.

my daddy telling me about why he is letting me have this Easter basket when he told my mommy that she couldn't make me one. (got it dad.) my daddy liked the sports theme...good goin' uncle talo!

a "daddy and i" moment...

my daddy and i missed the laker game tonight so when we got home we were sure to catch the highlights. my mommy shot this photo because she KNOWS that we won't budge once my daddy and i are watching anything that has to do with my daddy's teams, which are obviously mine as well.

being that this is march...my daddy and i will be sure to catch our favorite college team during MARCH MADNESS...GO BRUINS!

p.s. i think my mommy wanted others to see what she faces when my daddy and i are watching sports. isn't that something?

my uncle talo's birthday...

happy birthday to you! happy birthday to you! happy birthday UNCLE TALOOOOOOOOO...HAPPY BIRRRRRRRTHDAY TOOOOOOO YEWWWWWOOOOOO! if there's one thing that my mommy's side of the family loves...it's when my daddy treats for dinner. well, we went out to celebrate my uncle talo's birthday last week.

as you can see my uncle talo is gaining some of his weight back as he continues his battle with cancer. i LOVE that my uncle talo LOVES to play with me. we have our own terms that we use between he and i. i'm not sure that my uncle talo knows about my parents wanting me to hear how words really sound. hmmmm...

...my uncle's whole name is Falemalama Taloesea Mapuoletuli. i know...what a LONG one...huh? when my uncle was born my grammy actually wrote his name on his birth certificate as Taloesea (her brother) Falemalama (my granpa's brother) Mapuoletuli. unknown to my grammy, my grandpa changed my uncle's name on his paperwork to the name that he carries today - Falemalama Taloesea Mapuoletuli. my grammy didn't know what my grandpa did so when her side of the family asked for my uncle's name, she told him the name she "thought" was his. when my grandpa's side of the family asked him what my uncle's name was, he told them the name he changed it to. so to this day, my mommy's side still calls my uncle, Talo and my grandpa's side still calls my uncle, Fale. my mommy told me that that is what you call "repercussion" to the max!

uncle talo...do i get to taste your birthday dessert? it's lookin' REALLY good!

that's my uncle talo and yolanda posing with me. i was distracted by the yummy food on the table. my mommy said that it tasted YUMMMMY! i guess i'll find out when i'm older...huh?

my grammy and i are NEVER too busy to pose for a photo.

these are the employees of the restaurant who sang happy birthday to my uncle.

my half birthday

on saturday, february 16th my mommy and daddy celebrated my half birthday. some say that this is a bit of an over-react...and they may be right. however, because my parents waited so long for me, they wanted to celebrate as many milestones as their brains have room to remember. my daddy is holding on to me similar to the way he held on to the promise that God gave him over a decade ago that he would have a son from my mommy's tummy.

LORD, thank You for stephen-fua and raise him up to be a man of God.

son...we are here to celebrate the first 6 months of your life...your mother and i are still amazed that you are even here. (GLORY!)

wow! i get to look at a yummy cake that mommy's going to eat? how fun!

daddy time...

this was my first northern californian road trip (12/7/07). while my mommy was busy unpacking our things in our hotel room, my daddy and i got to PLAY! my mommy thought these pics were "post-worthy" because they capture me reflecting my daddy's handsome-ness. what can i say? it's my mommy...although i do have to say, she does have a point.

i'm having a BLAST with my daddy...

this is the way my daddy is looking at me...

i was distracted for just a second by my mommy asking my daddy a question.

sure dad...i'll tell mommy that i messed up the bed...

...hey dad...it didn't work. now we're both in trouble.