YOUTH CONFERENCE KAILUA-KONA, HI. 2009

Brother & Sister Groberg
Our Group of Boys & their leader

Can you believe? it's that time of year again........Ephraim & Jonah are attending the Youth Conference this year. It began last night with the youth being divided into groups of 5-8 kids and staying with their host families (locally here in kona). Tony & I volunteered to be a host family to a group of boys & their leader. We met them at last nights 'Ice Breaker' activity and also dinner/fireside featuring 2 guest speakers.........Brother & Sister Groberg from the movie "The Other Side of Heaven." It was an honor to hear them both speak of experiences throughout their lives, and as they shared with the youth how they both have been blessed for making righteous choices & encouraging them to serve missions and enjoy spreading the gospel to those around us everyday. Their wisdom & knowledge of the gospel is not only spiritual on a higher level, but he also puts it in a way to where the youth of today can relate with their own modern day trials & tribulations. His wife also shared her testimony with the youth and uplifted & edified them to continue on their journey in life knowing that they are the "Blessed" children of Israel.

My testimony was surely strengthened by attending this most amazing fireside..... After the fireside, we headed home with our 5 boys and their leader. Their locations ranged from Kona, Waimea, Kohala, Keaukaha, Hilo & Puna... We watched "Facing the Giants" while we enjoyed goodies, then closed with a family prayer......I'M SO GLAD WE WERE A PART OF THIS YEARS CONFERENCE! This event is 3 days long beginning last night & lasting through Saturday..... I'll keep you posted! Today, they will be cleaning the Veterans Cemetery while preparing for their dance tonite =)

CONGRATULATIONS TENNY!!

Tony is the oldest of 14 children (8 girls & 6 boys) in his family and we love & appreciate each and every one of them. Tenny just graduated this year from high school and has received a football scholarship to SNOW COLLEGE. We are soo very proud of him & his accomplishments throughout his high school years. He will be stopping by later on this month to visit with our family along with mom, janet, lynnette & sini... woo hoo! we can't wait! Just hangin out at the beach, gettin some sunshine, making some delicious food at home and gettin some good ol' R&R is what I we are all craving!! Can't wait to see you all and get to spend some time with the family..........WE LOVE YOU!

SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE!!

SCHOOL'S OUT!! Last day of school for our kids......songfest, class potlucks, parties, and making lei's for friends... It's what our house has been busy with the past few days... Our 5 kids have been extremely busy closing up their school year and getting ready for report cards to come out soon. They've done their best this year in school and we're proud of each & every one of them.

Ephraim - Will have a plate full attending youth conferences, football camps, youth activites & scouts as well. He will be a sophmore next year.

Anton - Will be his last year as an 8th grader next year at Kealakehe Intermediate school. He has taken an interest in a few sports. We'll narrow it down and get him right in there!

Alafou - She has definitely passed me already with her super long legs and energetic personality.. She's gearing up for volleyball & basketball next year....

Tony - Definitely the baby of the family & wants to hang out with the older ones... he's always willing to learn new things and such an obedient child....

We're lookin to do some fun things this summer with the kids maybe takin a trip to oahu for a few days & show the kids around and enjoy some time spent together.

2009 Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance Football Combine Hilo 2009

We're sooo very proud of Ephraim & his efforts in today's football clinic... We had so much fun. We packed the van AGAIN. Tony & I took Ephraim, Jonah and their friend Fale to Hilo last night in preparation for today's football camp in Hilo. It was hard work since their day started at 6am and did nothing but football drills all the way to 2pm... They learned different techniques for football, and had the opportunity to work with different coaching staff and met the other boys from different high schools who came for the same reason..... EXPOSURE!! In the hot sun, they ran their 40's, ran line drills, defense & offense drills, weight training, & ran their vertical lines, did jumps, & took measurements for their online stats....

EPHRAIM = Height: 6.1

Weight: 240

Arm length: 32.75

Hand Width: 10 inches

He had some good feedback from a few of the staff members that were assisting today.... We're soo very proud of you son!

Ephraim....

Ephraim received his Seminary certificate yesterday at church for completion of his 1st year of seminary!! Good job son....

THE BOYS!!

The twin boys Jeron & Kenan have so much fun whenever they're around our boys... On Friday last week Anton & I went to Costco with keers to do some shopping and we ended up eating pizza afterwards.. The boys threw me their "Shaka" sign and also the symbol for "Hauula Boys"... it was too cute! I just HAD TO TAKE A PICTURE!!

Fou received an award for her project that she did on "The Temple of Artemis"...she did weeks of research and received an award for 1st place.....Her teacher gave her this stuffed Lion to award her in front of her class last Friday....Congratulations Fou!!

YW MOVIE NITE!!

"ANOTHER" fun evening with our young women was "Getting to Know Aunty Iris Gaspar" night.... we went to Makalapua Stadium Theaters to watch Night at the Museum.... It was absolutely hilarious!! We had a great time spent the YW & also the Leaders...

BIG ISLAND VOG.......

Okay, maybe my spirits aren't as high as usual but there's something about the VOG here in Kona. For those who don't know what VOG is, it's our version of L.A. SMOG.... only our VOG comes from the constant volcano flow (ash & smoke) here. We've had a few days last week of beautiful clear, blue, sunny skies with slight cool tradewinds however we had a few days of drizzles & rain.. which is nice to have in between the hot weather. I hope the VOG subsides soon to give our breathing passage ways a rest.....

Anton's been sick with fever for the past several days & I'm sure with some rest, he will regain his health & strength. Ephraim is home too with a sore back from weight lifting after school for football training, but he's been motivated to work at it, I'm so proud of him! He came to work with me today until Aunty Jill picks him up to take him to lunch for his birthday... Thanks Aunty Jill!

Tonite we have our Young Women's activity night at the movies & the Young men and Preisthood will be at the Bowling Alley... I'll be posting some pics soon!

EPHRAIM'S 15TH BIRTHDAY......

Our eldest son Ephraim Alofaio Unauna Semo just turned 15.... WOW! Can't believe it... I'm feelin old right about now. We had a Great memorial weekend as we relaxed & spent time with our family at home. Ephraim wanted his birthday nice & simple and that's exactly what we did. We invited everyone over for a BBQ with salads & deserts and it turned out to be a pretty fun evening..... Happy Birthday Son, WE LOVE YOU!

ONOLICIOUS CREAM PUFFS

A good friend of ours made her first few batches of creampuffs......all we have to say is?? ONOLICIOUS!!

Hurray!!! Aunty Dayla's Pool.........

"Aunty Dayla's Pool!!!" our kids are soooo familiar with this phrase.... Our long time family friend Dayla Clarke lives right up the road from us just a few minutes away, and yes! SHE HAS A POOL. We all Love to go there, not only for the pool for the panoramic view of the entire kona coastline. The blue skies and ocean is truly visible from the balcony of her house.

Saturday, we packed a few snacks and headed over there for a day at the pool. Totally underestimating the scattered clouds & minimal sunshine, I failed to put some sunscreen on myself and my kids bodies & faces..(bad mother)...hehehehehe. That didn't seem to stop us.... we swam for hours on end with the kids as we all splashed & played in the warm kona sunshine. It was definitely a treat beyond measure. Thanks Dayla for your awesome hospitality!!!

Being Parents of Teenagers!

Hair gel, body spray, cologne, sweaty socks, wall posters, seminary, youth activities, firesides, football practices, cell phone bills, constant outdated wardrobes, dances, phone calls, myspace, youth conference, football camps, shopping etc ..........YUP! you got it.......we literally have 3 going on 4 TEENAGERS in our house.. It's a lot more fun than I anticipated and we are fortunate to have good kids! This year has been one of our busiest.......we are looking forward to Youth Conference coming up soon, football practices & camps as well. Tony & I have caught onto their excitement and support our children 200% in all they do! I am Grateful to have the opportunity to learn with my children as they grow & mature in life, not only physically, but spiritually, mentally & emotionally as well.

Although at times it may seem as if we are being hard on them regarding homework & grades, they handle themselves pretty well. TV is no longer an option in our home rather reading & homework is their first & only choice. I find it humorous to listen to the kids conversation with the younger ones about school, church & friends. When I think back & 'remember when' I was their age.......how in the world did my parents put up with me????? hahahahahaha j/k.... Heavenly Father has definitely blessed us both with patience, time, sacrifice & determination to teach our children according to HIM. I know that time is of the essence when it comes to parenting children. I'm no expert however I believe that to be true with all my heart. I can still remember being a new mom wondering if I will be just as great as my mom was to us?? I try everyday to live up to those expectations in all that I do for my family....so far? I think I'm doing a pretty good job :-)

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY BABY TONY!!

(above) Baby Tony swingin from the tree........

(above) The kids standing in line to jump off the diving board.....

(above) enjoying some lunch & goodies........

Up early..........cleaning & packing to reserve a nice shady area at our local pool to set up tent & food for Baby Tony's 9th birthday celebration..... It sure was nice spending the day with our family & friends while partaking of some pure 100% Hawaii sunshine......we spent nearly 5 hours swimming, eating, laughing and enjoying Tony's special day. Tonite, I am rubbing yogurt on my sunburned body (yess, yogurt cures sunburn instantly!) and also keeps you from peeling the next day.... You should try it, it really does work! Thank you to my family for making this a special day for all of us.........we had a Great Day!

Young Women Beauty Night......

I just ADORE our Young Women.....Their strength, vitality, upheld morals & values is what makes them sooo special!!! Every Thursday night, we have activities with our Young men and women.. From slumber parties & welcoming our newest beehives to the YW program, to teaching our girls new & exciting things that they will use throughout their lives.

Last night, the girls learned how to apply make up. Eyeshadows, lip glosses, lid liners, & blushes is what they used to 'decorate' each other's face. They had fun experimenting with different colors & shades not to mention learning a few new beauty tips here & there.....It was fun and we ended with some refreshments.

I appreciate every young women in our program and their individuality they bring to class every sunday. It's like a smorgasborg of testimonies that we all feed off of. I'm Grateful for my calling as an advisor in our Program and Thankful for our Leaders.