Hill Cumorah Pageant

The Hill Cumorah and its stage





Last week we were so lucky to go as a family to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, NY. We had such a great time while were there. We first picked up Susie from Young Women's camp. Then saw a bunch of church historical sites like the Smith family log cabin and barn, the location of the first BOM printing press, and our favorite the Sacred Grove. We had a great time watching the pageant in the very front row on the grass. And it was a really great time to bond as a family not in front of a TV lol.


This was on our tour of the church history sites we love the temple peeking through the trees in the background.





Sitting in the Sacred Grove and Brian and Susie in a tree in the Grove



On the Palmyra Temple grounds.



Our front row seats as you can see Chioma was very excited.

The last 4 months

Our baby CJ is 4 months old today and in the last four months she has grown up so much. I work full time so just haven't had as much time as I would like to show off all her new skills she has gained and all the fun she's had. So let me catch you up on her short but eventful life.

She's celebrated Michael Jackson's 25th anniversary Thriller album


She's learned to be tough even when people tease her about her pants being pulled up really high


She's realized that her mom is the coolest woman she knows that was the same day she received her baby blessing surprisingly enough.


She's hung out with her cooler older cousin Kayson.


She's learned to stick her tongue out at people


She's tiptoed through the tulips with her aunt Susie





And most recently she's begun to sit up on her own and roll over not sure what she she has in mind to do next but I'm sure it will be big!

Flashback Friday:)

After checking out some other people's blogs I found some cool ideas for writing topics. One idea I especially liked was Flashback Friday. I'm not promising that this will be a recurring thing for our blog but I thought that this Friday would be an appropriate Friday for walking down memory lane, especially since our 3 year anniversary is coming up on the 24th of this month.

I am so grateful to be married to my hubby for so many reasons... 1) because he's so much fun 2) I never have to worry about finding a date for friday night. 3) He always tells me what happened at the end of the movie if I fall asleep 4) He takes every opportunity he can to tell me how much he loves me.... and many many more. Below are just some flashback pictures of our dating and engagement days

Well that last picture was actually on our wedding day. The last 3 years have been so much fun, I never want to go back to the single life again.

We're alive

Ok so I know its been a while but we are still here and I really do try to blog more frequent I have like 3 blogs that are still in draft form that I never got around to finishing so I'm going to do this again and hopefully it makes the cut. Our
family is growing like weeds. Especially Chioma! she now weighs 13 lbs and is 24 inches long. That's in the 73rd percentile for her height. I thought she was looking kind of long when her dresses were barely covering her diaper. But we all know that MODEST is the hottest. lol. SO I packed up those dresses to hopefully be used again in the future. Here are some up to date pictures of her from last weekends graduation for my little brother Lars.

This picture was Brian's way of getting Chioma in the picture with Lar's and his niece's without waking her up. So funny!

And then there were three...

Announcing Chioma Jane Iwalani (CJ). She entered the world on 2/24/08 at 4:11 am weighing in at 8lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long. The battle was long but we were victorious!

Patience what a virtue!

SO tomorrow is my big due date. and for those who don't know I am still working. I couldn't bring myself to wait around at home for nothing (or something) to happen. The hardest part about this decision is constantly being bombarded by EVERYONE about my going into labor. It's kind of put me on edge... and I really want to snap at everyone who is telling me what I should or should not do in regards to my own body and the self induction of labor.

With that said I have found myself pondering on a daily basis this great virtue known as patience. I'm definately no expert at patience, but I realized that our lives will forever be challenged (especially with a new baby) to develop this talent (and it is a talent). I found some quotes on patience that helped me realize that others before me may have had the same thought process as myself. This helps me to better incorporate patience into my life. It's nice to know that I am not the only one that faces the challenge of developing patience... and if all else fails I can always remind myself that no pregnancy lasts forever!!! HALLEJUAH!! Enjoy the quotes.

“Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable. Have the patience, wait it out It's all about timing.”
-Stacey Charter

"The patience of a mother might be likened to a tube of toothpaste - it's never quite all gone”

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”

“There are nine requisites for contented living: HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure; WEALTH enough to support your needs; STRENGTH enough to battle with difficulties and forsake them; GRACE enough to confess your sins and overcome them; PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished; CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor; LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others; FAITH enough to make real the things of God; HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

“Patience is bitter, but it bears sweet fruit.”
-Turkish Proverb

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” -Arnold H. Glasgow