Eric's Dino-Cake

It was my brother's birthday, so I made him a Dinosaur Cake

Eric turned 24, so never too old for cute little cakes like these

My 30 Weeks Preggers Self James snapped licking the frosting

Everyone singing Happy Birthday, he was totally surprised & loved his cake. (We HAD to surprise him because this brother is 'whatever' towards everything.) Actually everyone loved it so much that they didn't want to touch it, but my Grandpa was the first to dig in & chopped Dino's head off. For some reason I never eat any of the things I bake, but I was told it tasted good ;)

lolo heads

Some days I'll get back from class and James will come home from the gym, and we'll jump in our car just for the fun of it. And even though (to others it may seem) we do nothing significant on these sporadic drives, we have all the 'lolo head' fun we can in Loretta our Jetta. Some of our fondest memories have come from simply spending time together like this. Don't you just love talking story with your husband, I sure do. From dance competitions to conversations of "whose McDonald's vanilla cone was made the best" haha, and little 'kicking' reminders from our kaikamahine that she's coming in 10 weeks, we definitely find joy with getting lost in each other's company.

"I think [the Lord] smiles when he sees young husbands and wives, and older ones, with deep affection for each other, who continue their courtship as our prophet has said, who continue to love each other with all their souls until the day they die and then accentuate it through eternity."
-Spencer W. Kimball

happy meal grandpa

Grandpa B is staying with us this week. He was bored, since according to him Laie is country and therefore boring to him :) He almost tried to pack his things up & leave to the nearest bus stop, BUT, we packed him into my car and went for a drive.

We made a stop at the Haleiwa McDonald's and had lunch at Alii Park. Here's Hill playing with my Happy Meal Barbie. Yuck, I've never liked barbies/dolls.

Playing with Grandpa's O.G. sunglasses...could pass as some VonZipper's

Cute picture of Grandpa & Hill....back to Laie we go <3

4:45 a.m.

No I did not go into labor early this morning, I have like 2 1/2 months left.
Today was my Jury Summons, with my Jury Pool needing to check in at 7:45a.m. at the Circuit Court on Punchbowl street, blah! My Dad told me to be ready by 5:30a.m. and I wondered why so flippin early, until we hit Temple Valley & it was literally bumper to bumper until Honolulu.

I never realized how intense the morning traffic was! Oggie & Lina girl cracked us up the whole time. Good thing for under eye concealer because I was very tired. I felt my first rib pain caused from our little girl since she's so active now. I also kept waking up for bathroom breaks in the middle of the night. AND, someone's damn dog kept playing in the bushes outside of our bedroom window at like 2 or 3a.m....ugh, those bushes attract bugs, dogs & even little children wanting to pee. (I can't believe I hear parents telling their little boys to use the bathroom in the bushes, eeeeh!)

Anyways, I wasn't sure how long the process of interviewing and selection of the jurors would go, so I had my Dad take me in since James had to work. And boy did the selection process take long. However, it was such an interesting experience. Fortunately my name wasn't randomly drawn from the clerk's wheel thing, but I'm pretty sure I would've been excused because of my pregnancy & that I'm a college student. But honestly, I wish I was selected to be on the jury. There were a lot of irrits people complaining under their breath about being there, but the Judge gave a very inspirational speech about our minimal civic duties as Americans. Can't really repeat what he said, but the courtroom had my full attention the entire time. Plus, the people who were not paying attention made the process go longer than needed.

It was unreal to see the Judge, the Court Clerk, the Court Reporter, the Prosecutor and the Defendant and his lawyer. Television totally blurs our reality. I learned so many things today, and many of my 't.v' stereotypes of what goes on in a courtroom completely disappeared. I was surprised at how the judge and both opposing sides stressed the importance of, "Innocent until proven Guilty". I had always assumed that the person convicted entered court with EVERYONE already against him/her...totally wrong. And this is why we have Jury Summons, so the Judge & both lawyers are able to filter out people with strong/certain biases. I was really impressed at how they emphasized that those selected must JUDGE FAIRLY according only to the evidence presented.

Long day, but totally worth it. Came home & took a long nap, now I need to research for a presentation!

Kaahanui Reunion

Ohhhhh Sunday, what a day....

So yesterday in Sacrament meeting, our Bishop thought we would be able to listen to some Stake and High Council speakers, however he mixed up the dates or whatever so the program was empty. SOOOOOOOO, what OUR Bishop LOVES (sarcasm) to do, even on days when there ARE assigned speakers, is to call on random ward members to bear their testimony or to give a talk. I have already been the victim (lol) of this random selection when we first moved into the ward.

I sat there in sacrament not feeling the nervousness/pressure like everyone else wanting to sneak away to the bathroom because I had already been called before. Which on that past occasion I had the worst fever & runny nose EVER, & was still called up even though Bishop KNEW I was a hot-congested mess. This time, I was like hey I got called already, plus hello I'm pregnant and swollen, lol. So I kept poking at James to pay attention because I felt he would be called.......HELLO WAS I WRONG! Cause as soon as I did this, all I heard projecting from that awful, dreadful microphone was, "And now we would like to hear a talk from Sister Ashlyn Aspinall" (FRACK!) Yes guys, I could not believe it, and James' face was shocked/scared, not for me having to talk but for my reaction, thinking "Oh my gosh is she gonna rage?!" lol, well, I made my strut down the aisle and up to the podium with a blank mind & empty mouth.

Bishop announced a theme he wanted us all to follow, "The things that prevent me/us from loving fully" I KNOW RIGHT! What the?? And now Im stuck standing in front of the whole ward with 'What the?' stamped on my forehead. Well the first thing that came out of my mouth was pure ASHLYN PERSONALITY/HONESTY saying: "Well Bishop, one thing that is preventing me from loving YOU fully is that this is my second time getting called up while you have never picked on my husband EVER, you can choose him too you know" bahahaha, whatever, it got the ward & bishopric rolling....and I was able to give a talk/bear my testimony on the power of patience in all of our relationships, and how patience allows us to love. And then of course I cried as I explained how truly blessed I was to have James because he is MY perfect example of Patience, especially since quote, "I'm such a Monster in the morning because of my pregnancy and a Monster at night" :) but my husband through patience loves me no matter what, and has taught me to be likewise towards him and others.
So thanks Bishop, but stop picking on me eh! LOL, too much stress on my pregnant body haha. Nah, many ward members complimented me afterwards.

After church was pau, I zoomed over to do my Visiting Teaching for my dear friend Dahli who's from the Congo and ONLY speaks FRENCH! I definitely have a testimony on how the spirit helps us to communicate verbally and with the heart if we really REALLY exercise faith. And sure has helped me & my companion Ming out with beautiful Dahli. If I could, I would just sit there and listen to her speak French all day, such a beautiful language, gets me every time. Dahli and her husband are wonderful people and have gone through numerous challenges to be able to attend BYUH. Her english is improving as she is excelling in her English classes sponsored by our ward. She is also probably two weeks ahead of me, so we share that special pregnancy bond.

I came home from Visiting Teaching to a special surprise from the gorgeous Lanea, one of my favorite and best friends of all time.....cinnamon rolls for my birthday. I was so mad that I missed her, I barely get to see her since I quit Night Show and we both aren't in the same classes anymore. Plus she's always traveling the world showing off her hot body and mean dancing skills. C'mon guys out there, hit that up! LOL

us killing time at Camp Erdman

Our whole family piled up in different cars and headed to Waialua for our Kaahanui Reunion luau. Hoooo Brah the venison was MEAN! Mahalo to the Moloka'i Kaahanui's. It was a reunion honoring one of our kupuna John William Nakoa Kaahanui, with family connections branching to Moloka'i and Maui.

Anyways, that was our Sunday. Pregnancy Update:
I am 29 weeks & 3 days! (Baby size: Butternut Squash)
Slowly Im putting my hospital bag together, never too early to be prepared right?
Bought the cutest little girl outfits that were on sale for $1-$2 (Ballah on a Budget!)
Was late to my Glucose test so they had to rush me in, & rush the needle too ugh!

you don't think its that big until you have to time yourself gulping this down

We got a First Name-Middle Hawaiian Name-Middle Samoan Name chosen :)
I look swollen in all my pictures, gross, & feet have gone from a size 8 to size 9
Baby girl has got some HUGE kicks goin on.....

Well I need to get ready to sleep, my Dad is driving me in tomorrow (5:30am) for Jury Summons in downtown Honolulu, hopefully I don't get selected for Jury Duty. Please Jury Selection people, take one look at me & send me to the exit LOL. Im wearing my most "pregnant looking top" tomorrow morning, night :)

february, february

For once I did all of my homework early & I'm finally able to blog.
Tomorrow morning I take my Glucose Test, so I'm planning on making myself go to bed soon so that I won't be tempted to eat or drink late. Also I need to wake up early to drink the bottle before my 8:15am appointment. Anyways here's the lowdown on what's happened this past week:
BYUH held its Food Fest on Saturday...I tasted all that my tummy desired and more!

Just made 28 Weeks in this photo!

Me & all my different ethnic foods, yum yum. Can I just say the Samoan Plate was to die for!! Also the club that made the scrumptious Texas Sheet Cake or whatever its called.

She's growing very quickly now, I can feel it in my knee's and feet!

James & I celebrated my birthday as soon as the sun rose, well almost, and made a stop at all of my favorite STORES! Yes I dragged him alongside of me EVERY where :)
I'm such a fan of these over sized cards.

Heading out, it was so hot & I forgot to bring a water bottle. James wears a lot of black, blah. It's because he gets all the newest clothes from Isaac's clothing label: Defend Hawaii & Restless Kids. I'm still waiting for my free stuff brother!

Can you guess what stores we hit up? haha

if you're a beauty insider member of sephora, they give you a free gift on your bday

Here's James trying to teach me about strollers, oh please! He was so funny :)

We had many more things planned for the day, but we were both tired & pooped out. My parents even stole me away to have lunch, and then I was welcomed home to cleanliness & roses :) We even made cupcakes for our neighbors & friends later on, sorry I had no strength to take pictures <3

1st Baby Luau

Valentine's Baby

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

Happy 22nd Birthday To: 

ME!

Banana Cake w/Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

TGIF! TGIF! TGIF!

James helped me study for my 3rd Samoan 102 test the entire day:

"E tatau ona kuka e le fafine le mea'ai"

Anyways after that brain killer, I dropped James off at work since it was my day off and worked on my banana cake. I couldn't wait for our banana's to become really really ripe so that I could try out this recipe I came across on one of my favorite food blogs. 

 Our home smelled beyond delicious.
Although we didn't have ice cream on hand, we did wash everything down with a glass of milk.

 It's been a very fun night so far.
We moved (well James did) our mattress and memory foam into the living room.
Movies, sweets, our own little "sleepover-style" Friday fun.

Not even aware I had the timer & multi-shot on!

  still fully immersed in his black ops, but then he started to catch on

We watched Part II of the The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reunion. 

Those women are filthy rich and also crack up! There better be a Season II!

The sink is filled with dishes...

goodnight mates

i only have EYES for YOU

Tonight was my Relief Society's "Activity of Love".

We made valentines for our hubby's and some for others, had a spiritual message shared by one of the missionary couples serving in our ward on how to keep love always present in our homes, and decorated some sugar cookies. 

For some reason there was a pile of eyes and popsicle sticks, so instead of cards I made these haha. Our Relief Society Stake Presidency joined us, and they were so funny. They wanted to glue some eyes on their cards and write, "Keep your eyes glued on Me" and "No need to look anywhere else...too late already" hahaha, the older, the more hilarious you become!

Ya they look junk, but I had to take a picture because I ate them all up right after.

 

As we decorated, Sis. Brenley shared a message based around a quote from President Hinckley, "True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well being of ones companion." 

Each Sunday a sister in our ward passes out a Relief Society handout with upcoming events, excerpts from our Visiting Teaching Message, yummy recipes...and the best quotes I've ever came across and I love saving  them all:

"I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion's joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion." -Pres. Henry B. Eyring

"It is far more difficult to be of one heart and mind than to be physically one. This unity of heart and mind is manifest in sincere expressions of 'I appreciate you' and 'I am proud of you'. Such domestic harmony results from forgiving and forgetting, essential elements of a maturing marriage relationship. Someone has said the we 'should keep [our] eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterward'. True charity ought to begin in marriage, for it is a relationship that must be built everyday." -James E. Faust

Maternity Yoga

I came home after my 7:30am class & passed by so many women running. I miss going for a run! So I came home,  and popped in my maternity exercise dvd. Due to being sick the end of my first trimester, I slacked off on exercising...but I'm back at it! Now that I'm in my second trimester, I have a lot of energy that helps me balance the now rapid growth of our little girl. The baby weight is now taking its toll on all parts of my body, but my exercises & yoga (with a few dips in the ocean), help me out a lot in limiting pains. Plus it keeps the blood flowing, keeps my legs from cramping and makes me happy & healthy.

For FHE tonight we watched an exert from an interview with Elder Perry. He's my favorite apostle, because he was the first one I met when I was younger haha, but also because he is so humble and a wonderful person to listen to. 

"How the Priesthood Strengthens the Family".

(scroll down until you see the movie to play)

I liked when he touched on the relationship between husbands and wives.

"The respect and honor we give our sweet companions is one of the great responsibilities we have as a priesthood bearer.”

Saturday Session

For some reason, James & I were caught up in a cleaning frenzy. We threw a lot of things out, rearranged furniture, vacuumed, wiped things down, stored things away, leaving our home spotless around 2am! We planned on taking an early morning session the following day, however we woke up a little later than expected but still made it to the temple for the 11am session.

beautiful saturday in laie

I got to visit with my neighbor/ward member Janine who is due any day now! Good for her in taking sessions so near her due date, especially since the a.c. was kinda low...or maybe it was just our pregnancy hormones thinking this :) Anyways, everyone in the temple treats you even more like a queen when you're expecting, so willing to help and make you as comfortable as possible. It was a blessing to serve others with my husband, and to sit in on some sealings. A wonderful saturday to remember.

a Samoan-Hawaiian-Navajo

James and I both slept in & I got up just in time for my only class, Applied Anthropology @ 11am. Lunchtime: We are both striving to eat healthier meals and I came across two cute food blogs that I have been camping on the entire day. I made some teriyaki meatballs & a salad, simple but very flavorful and satisfying. Anyways, we had the entire day to relax (well I had to finish a presentation for my online class), and my mind wondered a little here and there thinking about our little girl, especially how/what she'll look like. I laugh because I'm expecting each of my future children to come out with different types of hairstyles: 1) The Hawaiian: dark brown, wavy  2) The Navajo: straight-thick-black, no white hairs EVER!, but also cant hold a curl  3) The Samoan: Nappy as hell, & choke white hairs :)  4) The Chinese: thin, silky straight-my little brother was blessed with beautiful hair...so between james and I, lets just say hair-straighteners will be a lifetime investment haha. Here are a couple of baby pictures of us for a mental calculation for May 7th!

Us with our loving siblings

Im the princess with the crown!

James is the little cutie on top

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!!!

Calm and gentle, but persistent.

"Quietly charismatic, thoughtful and calm, rabbits are admired for their tactful and considerate dealings with all who know them. As such, they are most often depended upon for their wise counsel, or as someone in which to put valued trust in a personal friendship or a business dealing."

Some things that made me think of the future of my daughter (LOL): 

-Rabbits will not commit to any one person right away.

-Once they are settled down in a domestic relationship, however, no truer or more sweeter spouse is likely to be found.

-In dealings with family and friendships, they can always be counted upon for a sympathetic ear or a gentle hand to hold.

-They have an impeccable eye for color and line that is evident in their thoughtful fashion sense. The rabbit is usually on anyone's Best Dressed list (oh yeah!)

"According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.  It is a time for negotiation.  Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail.  To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children.   Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise."

My Grandpa (Dad's Father) has always kept a part of our Chinese heritage alive within our Hawaiian culture. I can remember going to the little celebrations in China Town when I was little & Grandpa giving us kids money to feed the dragon (which terrified me!)

My favorite part of this year is receiving "Lai See" or the famous little red envelopes filled with money, money, money! 

 Here are two old ones I've kept in my wallet for some reason, but I have many more at my parent's house. Grandpa gives us our birthday money in these envelopes. Have you ever received Lai See before?

The Month of LOVE

February

my most favorite month

(other than Christmas)

blogger really takes away from the quality of photo's, the colors are beyond beautiful in person

February is just so girly, and romantic....and hearts flying everywhere, lol, time to indulge in chocolates...and its also the month to celebrate my birthday: the 14th, Valentines Day
So, in honor of the month of my birth, I'll try to blog about as much childhood memories leading to the 14th! On whatever comes to mind, watch out, YOU may even be featured in one of them....haha <3

 (Above) My Great-Grandma Hannah (Hawaiian side) holding me at my baby's blessing, decked out in my Navajo wear & jewelry from Grandma Yazzie in Arizona. My Mom still has my little dress & little silvers, turquoise, belt & moccasins for my little girl :)

picture holder from a craft sale, its wobbly :)

Today I am so happy for a specific & secret reason...that makes me even more excited for our little girl to arrive :)