Elizabeth D'Vani Lao....the next ANTM!!!

That's right...I said it...My baby is gonna be America's Next Top Model!! hahaha..she was in a Keiki Pageant last Friday and SHE WON!!!! Well, to be fair to all the other lovely contestants, it was a popularity contest....meaning that the girl selling the most tickets WINS!! hahaha....whew...good thing too, cuz my daughter has 2 left feet and is clumsy as hell. So choosing a winner any other way would have screwed any chances we had of winning!! hahaha.... So, I got my game face on and I hella got my hustle on and sold her 101 tickets. She won by a landslide thanks to friends and family who supported and helped buy tickets even tho they knew they couldnt make it. Liz had the time of her life and wants to do it again. We will definetly have to refine our dancing and waving skills before we enter into any other pageants. Although, I must say; for having 2 left feet, Liz did pretty dang good on her talent.

My mother in law worked all nite and all day to put together her "ethnic" wear and I helped make her talent costume. My sister in laws Liti, Nia and Tai helped teach her a routine to a fast tahitian beat and that was her talent. I was sooooooo broke, so I borrowed a dress from my cuzzin....I aint got no kinda shame, shoooot....She wasnt gonna wear the formal dress all the time so it was a waste of money to me to get her a formal dress.
Anyways, just wanted to come and post some pix on here from the pageant and tell eveyone thanks for the support.

Hooooold on....change is coming....

Liz is forever pulling her hair onto her face, like covering half her face...you know that kind of style....I could never understand it. Anyways, and it freaken bugs me. So everytime I see her doing that, I always yell at her to pull her hair back cuz she looks like an animal!! Yeah, I know..I need change what I call my kids! hahaha....so I was expressing my concerns about her always doing this to one of my cousin's Lote and she tells me, "duh Betsy, cut her some bangs." *LIGHTBULB*.....Good idea.

So when we get home, I ask Liz, "Hey Liz, would you like some bangs?". And mind you, I was saying it in the tone of voice like, you don't really want bangs do you??, type of tone! LOL..and she turns around and says, "Oh yes! I would love some." So I you tube some bang cutting tips and we attempt to cut some bangs. I sent a picture of our final product to my brother Asa and this was his response

"hahahahahahahha.....LOL LOL LOL...dang Bets, that's messed up...why you do that to my neice for"

Sidenote...I dont know why the hell I even sent it to him....hell, he's been in prison half his life, he don't know what's style and what's not!!!! hahahaha..that's what I told myself, after i got his text.

I think I did good. Asa's girlfriend is a hair stylist and she said I did good and that if I wanted to, I can take Liz there and she will texture her bangs for me, which I'm sure in hairstylist terms that means-yeah, you hella F#^&ed it up. LOL. But, I believe myself and I think I did a good job and better then that, LIZ LOVES IT!!!

It's about that time!!!

So here I was, slaving away at my job (facebook) when my son wakes up and comes to the living room. He's just walking around and whatever, then I notice that he starts to pull his shorts off. I don't pay him no mind cuz he usually likes to walk around the house in just his diaper, he's animalistic like that sometimes. LOL.

So, I just glance at him as he's trying to pull his shorts off, and I go back to work (facebook)....cuz by now, I've gotten into work and I'm soooooo deep in my studies(being nosy on people's status).

Then I start to notice this smell....and it gets stronger and stronger and all the while, I was stuck on my work (the computer screen). The smell becomes so strong, it's starting to overwhelm the whole living room and it actually breaks the trance that the computer put on me and I turn, only to find him bucket ass naked running around the living room and hallway. He had taken off his diaper and I think he was hinting to me that he is ready to be potty trained!! So, I think it's about that time. He even left me little brown hints all over the floor. LOL.

So, instead of going with my first instinct, which was to slap him and drag him by his hair to the shower, I pick him up and rush him to the toilet!! :) He was a PRO!!! He got that toilet all figured out, probably from him spending so much time in there. Between following me and Teki into the bathroom, I'd say he spends a good amount of his day in that room!!! LOL. So he finished the rest of his "duty", no pun intended, in the toilet and I help him off. Then we clean him up with his baby wipes and he walks over to the side of the toilet and flushes the toilet!! *tear*....my diaper days are coming to an end!!!! YAY for potty training....I'm sure he wont actually be ready for another year or so but I'm glad he's leaving me little "hint's" to help me realize that potty training time is getting closer.

This is how we do it!!!

So I had been busy running around AALLLL week(last week) with one of my BF's, trying to get last minute things for Yeti Vaivaka's wedding. So Saturday evening, after the reception, Teki calls me and says he booked us on a red eye to New York....Holy freaken last minute....and this is how we do it.....Don't eeeeeeeeeeeeever get up and pack a backpack of clothes, drop yer kids off like yer dropping off bags of potatos and head to the airport......it takes about 20 minutes for me to pack a diaper bag for my son for church, but tell me I'm going somewhere outta town and I'll be packed and sitting by the door in 5 minutes. LOL...... Teki's uncle who is married to my cousin, live in New Jersey and had a baby blessing the next day, on Sunday. So we get on the plane and here I am looking forward to a nice 3 hour and 40 minute nap on our way to New York, but I guess you can't have it all, cuz that was THEE most uncomfortable ride EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! And to top it off, there were some first class seats open but the stupid bon darts at the counter didnt wanna give it to us!!! hahaha....(That picture up there to the left is of some famous bull....I'm guessing)


This is our first time to New York and I am so excited/scared/excited/nervous/excited and soooooo excited!!! LOL. We got in around 545am. His aunt tells us "when you get here, dont trust the cab drivers cuz they will try to hustle you, ask the person at the courtesy desk to direct you to where you can get a 'cheap' cab." When we get off the plane and come down to outside the airport, THERE IS NO COURTESY DESK!! HA! So we're walking around downstairs, looking hella lost and even worse, looking like some freaken tourist. The taxi cab drivers are staring at us with dollar signs in their eyes, but I guess that's how they always look cuz we asked around and the flat rate between JFK airport and Mahattan is $50. LOL...sidenote, if you ever go to NY and wanna go to Manhattan, a cheaper way to go is JFK airport to the Air Train,$2, and then from the Air Train station, you can catch the Subway, $5, to downtown Manhattan.....that's an FYI. So we catch a cab, cuz we were trying to catch the blessing at 10am. Everyone stayed in downtown Manhattan, but the blessing was in New Jersey, which was about a half hour drive. So we get to the hotel and get dressed. His uncle, Sione, had rented a "Le Bus" type bus for everyone to go, cuz there was quite a few of us. It was a good blessing. We doubled the congragation. They were surprised that so many people had made it out for the blessing. After the blessing we head back to Manhattan and were free to use the day as we wished.(this picture to the right is just of New York...I can't tell, but I think it's just down the street from Times Square...and the streets REALLY ARE just full of taxi's.)








HOOOOOO-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-COW, I LOVE NEW YORK!!!!!! It is JUST as it is in movies. We were there for a little over 24 hours but seen and did sooooooooooo much. So we changed for the day and Teki's aunt suggested we take the bus tour, but we wanted to go at it by foot and "experience" everything. Teki's cousin Esu and his wife Sela took us around since they have been there plenty times. Maaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn, what a freaken blast. Lemme tell you, WE EXPERIENCED it all. We walked down to Time's Square and saw MTV and TRL. Then we hopped in a cab and went further down to where you can shop off the streets, I believe they refer to these "stores" as the black market....hahhahaha.....well, we didnt go down the famous Canal Street but sa'll good cuz we upped it one more. How? Well, I'll tell you how. You know how people slang drugs on the corner of the streets....weeeellll, in New York, they slang everything else on the corner of the street. LOL. So we'll be walking by and like a group of guys are just sitting on the corner, and you think that they are just chillin there talking to eachother, but as soon as you walk by, they all turn around and all you hear is, "hey ma, you want purses, shoes, jeans....I got Coach, Louie, True Religion....what you want ma".....so Esu says, yeah....I swear he did this to just freak us out....cuz we follow this guy, and you think he's taking you to the store, but he goes in an APARTMENT complex, down the hall, up the elevators, down another hall, thru one door and then he turns around and locks it and I'm thinking, 'ok, this is the part where he kills us, RIGHT?!!'...then he opens another door and points us to go in ANOTHER room...and I'm thinking....'grrrreat, another room, further in so NOBODY can hear us scream'. hahaha....then we turn around and were in a room full of purses, shoes and jeans! hahahaha....and that my friends, is what you call STOLEN GOODS!!! hahahahaha.....Uhhh...needless to say, we partook of the "goods" and it was gooooood!!! LOL. (That picture up there to the left is of the Brooklyn Bridge)




This picture is a night shot from the top of the Empire State Building. That was such a rush to be up there and look down. I am sooooooo mad I didn't have my camera. I forgot it in my friends diaper bag and so we had to take pix with his phone....LOL...sorry, that's why all the pictures are such bad quality. Anyways, so yeah....we went up to the top. Sione has a personal driver, Giljen, a nice little Koren guy and he took us on a little tour of NY...it was nice. He took us by the Smithonian Museum, the Manhattan temple, the Brooklyn Bridge, Katz Deli (made famous by the movie "When Harry met Sally") which has the BEST freaken sandwhiches EVER....soooooo goood that I cant even explain it...you just gotta go there and eat one. Where else....ummm...he took us by Wall Street and we saw the NYSE building, which by the way another sidenote...Wall street was named for a wall that was put up on that street to keep the American Indians from going to "their" side of the city. So there used to be a big wall there and when the wall came down they kept that name, and it has been known as wall street since then. We went to ground Zero...it was blocked off and you really can't see anything. They are building just ONE tower in that place of the Twin Towers and it will be called "Liberty Towers". There was soooo much we did and saw in that 24 hours. I can't write it all down cuz this post is long as it is....hell, I don't even know if anyone has even read this far down!!! hahahaha....I just CANNOT stop talking about it. I'm sure everyone around me is soooooooooooo tired of hearing about our trip...geee, imagine if I was there for more then 24 hours....LOL


Weeeelllll, I just cant tell you how much I enjoyed our little get away. We caught the last flight back on Monday and got back around 10pm on Monday. I'm so glad I was able to make it out for Sione and Katie's baby blessing and so glad I had the opportunity to experience New York. I am definitly planning another trip out there. This time I wanna see the "real" New York...you know...the GHETTO!!! LOL...My brother Laisa served there in the ghetto and so were going back with him so he can take us around that part of New York. This last pix is just of the Late Show...I dunno...I dont even watch that show....just took it cuz it was there and it was cool!!! LOL. Hope you were able to understand my blabbling....if not, you just GOTTA GO some day...and when you go, hit me up cuz I will hella drop my bags of potatos off somewhere and join you!!!

Dilly Dally....

WHOA!!! It has been such a looooooong time since I've blogged and so much has happened that I don't know where to start....I guess we'll start from the very begining, a very good place to start. And first thing is, I wanna let ya'll know that I'm still alive and beautiful...hahhhaa....freaken R, yeah right...I haven't been out walking in about 2 weeks and I feel like crap! It really does help to have people to go with and lately my walking partners have all been busy. Either that or they havent been calling me - JERKS!!! They dont want me to be skinny like them...hahaha...I guess if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself....I'll start next week (story of my life) HA!

Liz is still enjoying her training bra. We need to go out and have her choose some that she likes. She thinks she is just some HOT SHEEEE when she has one on!! LOL. Isi is still very naughty and likes to test me....but I guess he always fails his tests cuz he gets whipped all the time!! hahah..calm down people who don't hit their kids...its just a pat on the butt. He knows that I am the discplinary in our family so he tends to draw towards Teki and Liz more....ah well...less diapers for me to change. LOL...kidding. He cracks me up soooo much and I just love being home to watch his little personality come out and develop and he is reminding me more and more of Teki....just a little goof ball. We are entering the "Terrible Two's"...so I'm NOT looking forward to that. Teki is doing good at school...least, that's what he's telling me. I'll know the truth when we get his grades next month.

I can't believe that the year is almost over. It has been a great year so far and a lot has happened. This is my most favorite time of the year...candy at halloween, turkey for days in November and then christmas...love the feelings, love the smeels, love the snow, love the family time....love love love it all.

On a side note, halloween was good and I will need to post pix of me cuz I was freaken scary, if I can say so myself....wwhoooeoooww....goosebumps....I just scared myself just thinking of my costume!! hahaha....well, here is another blog that is just kinda all over the place....SORRY!!!

Growing up Gotti....Lao style!!

Sooooooooooooooooo...we've been putting off getting a training bra for Liz for a while now because of 2 reasons. First, we don't wanna face the reality that she is getting older and second, we don't wanna face the fact that she is getting fatter...hahaha...no kidding. But for reals tho...isn't that sorta a young age to get a training bra...she is only 8 years old. LOL. I told Teki, that I swear, if she wasn't so feti we wouldn't be having to get one so soon. But I guess me and Teki are to blame for that....well, partly us, the other part I'm going to blame on genetics....oh crap...we'd be partly to blame for that too....so let's just blame it on the rain!



Aaeeeeeeeeeeeenyways......so we bought her a little training bra. I was a little excited to show her and explain to her how to use it because this will be my very first "girl talk" with her. This talk will prepare me for the many "talks" to come....period's, boyfriends, kissing...you know...the works!! So she comes home and I tell her I have a "surprise" for her, another sidenote...I know I've had a lot in this blog...I feel all over the place with this blog...sorry....sidenote:everything and anything we buy her, she LOVES to get it as a "surprise". LOL..so like if we buy her a toothbrush, instead of saying we bought you a toothbrush, we say, "we got you a surprise"...with EVERYTHING...even candy...eeeeeverything......OMG....so where was I...Okay, yeah. So I tell her that we got her a surprise and she automatically closes her eyes and holds out her hand and I drop the training bra into her palm. She open's her eyes nice and wide, with a huge smile on her face, as she always does and asks, "what is it?". Iiiiiiit's....a training bra!!!!! "Huh??". Then her dad, from the side (cuz I didn't think he'd make it thru this experience cuz she will FOREVER be his little girl) it's for your tata's.
Liz: Ewwee...so it's a bra?

Me: yeah, sort of. It's supposed to help train you how to use a bra for when you get older. You usually have to wear one when you start to have boobs and GIRL, yer starting to have boobs.


Teki: Yeah, everyone who has boobs has to wear one.


Liz: Cooooool, so you and mom have to wear one.


Me: No, just girls.


Liz: But dad has


Me: (before Liz could finish) FOR GIRLS!!!!


Liz: Oooooh...COOOOL!!!


So we put it on. As soon as the bra went on I felt like she was already lost to the world!! It's all down hill from here, next she's gonna be talking about boys, then kissing em, then HOLY HELL!!!......Please grant me the strength to raise kids in this evil world!!! LOL. I can't believe that we are at this point in her life already. I swear she just got outta diapers like....last week!! Where has the time flown too, cuz I wanna book the next flight there. Liz, on the other hand, looooooooooooves her new waredrobe addition. She said it feels weird but she likes it and she feels like she can "work better in it", cuz we were cleaning house when she put it on. HA!! That will all change when she's older. For now, we'll just enjoy watching her grow up...now I realize, like really really realize, how fast she is growing. I love how Teki handled the situation. He did very well. Just kept quiet and watched us take

care of business. He'll have to prepare himself for the BIG talk about the birds and the bees!!

Our BIG little girl!!

Elizabeth D'Vani Lao

Guess what I learned how to do??!!!!

YAY for me!!! I'm getting a hang of this slowly but surely!!! So, tonight I figured out how to add an image...notice I sain "an"...still working on how to add a few images onto one post!!! LOL. My goal is to become "blog savy" like all of y'all.

Anyways, so here is a picture that was taken last fall! I will post up more pix cuz I know my shizz is pretty boring. Like reading a long book with no pictures. LOL...cuz the pictures TOTALLY do it for me. HA! Okay, it seems I do my best work on here when it's way late and I am delirious.

More pix to come y'all!!

Impromptu FHE with the Lao's

Teki and I were planning on have FHE tonight here at our house with just our kids. We were going to go to Gardner Village but the weather didn't look to promising so we switched things up and planned on carving pumpkins at home and making yummy home made candy apples. Then Liti came over to get some cream of mushroom soup to make dinner and so I suggested that we have FHE over at her house with Bruce and Nia and Kime and Pua. It turned out to be soooooo goood and soooo fun with tons of food!! I was surprised how good it turned out because it was so last minute but one thing I have learned about Teki's family is that they don't do to well with things that are planned. LOL....seriously though, we can plan our little hearts out and at the last minute, things will fall thru or not go as planned but when something is thrown together last minute, it runs so smoothly.

I made some enchilada's, Liti made the most bomb pork chops and Pua made some sloppy joes and fajita's....and Nia (poor thing), it is her birthday tomorrow and so we told her that we will also celebrate her birthday tonight but we made her bring her own birthday cake and ice cream...hahahahaha...who does that? I guess we do that!!! LOL. We bought some pumpkin carving books and tools and the kids stared them and the adults finished em!! hahaha....the adults were more into it then the kids. Then we made some home made caramel apples and I must say, I have never tasted a better candy apple then the one I made for myself....dude, ya'll shoulda seen me...GRRRRRUUUUUBIN!!! LOL..it was sooo good.

I just love spending time with family and friends. It gives us time to bond and talk and get to know eachother more and appreciate everyone more. My sister Karma that lives in San Jose, Ca is coming this thrusday and I can't wait to do the same things with her this weekend...I'll let ya'll know how that goes!! Weeelll...g'nite!!!

Families can be together forever!! My conversion story

This is my conversion story!! LOL..I was born and rasied in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints but I have been on my share of wide and windy roads. I'm sharing this with everyone because if it can help someone find their way back to Jesus, or answer questions that they may have then it is good and anything that is good should be shared. This is one of the most intimate times in my life, the Cliff Note version. Enjoy :)

For My Little Boy

I can still smell that newborn smell, that babies always have.

I can still feel your sweet soft skin, your tiny baby hands.

I can still see your big plump cheeks, and your long black wavy hair.

I've taken a picture in my mind and in my heart it will remain there.

We used to sit around and wonder about how your gonna look.

If it would be my eyes you have, or dads big smile you took.

I sit up at night thinking, of the features that you had.

Now I know for certain, you would have looked just like your dad.

Than all at once it hits me, you're never coming home.

Youre going up to heaven and we're going home alone.

Our bed to remain empty with no baby lying there.

The clothes to remain new and clean, with no baby to ever wear.

The baby tub will remain clean and dry, it will never fill with water.

The toys and all the things we bought, our baby will never bother.

For seven years we waited,
For seven years we tried.

The day I found out you were coming, I couldnt help but cry.

For 9 whole months we talked, about plans we had for you.

All the expectations that we had, all the things wed have you do.

You've done so much for dad and I, youll never know your worth.

You saved our little family, and now your missions done on earth.

Goodbye my little baby, my perfect little boy.

Dont be sad cause mommies crying, these are tears of joy.

Cause Im sending you to heaven and theres no other better place,

To keep you safe, but up there my son, in Gods amazing grace.

~By Betsy Lao for Isileli Motekiai Lao
Written 21April 21, 2006

I wrote that the night I came home from the hospital after I had my baby. The summer of 05 we found out I was pregnant and that was the best news to hear because we were'nt sure if I could have kids or not. Teki had just got back from Iraq in May and we found out the end of July. We had prepared for this baby to come home and grow up and be with us but on April 17, 2006 we were hit with the worse news ever. I went in to the hospital to get induced, I was 38 weeks along and ready to pop this kid out. When I sat down for the nurse to grab the baby's heartbeat, they couldn't find it. Needless to say, this was the most sad and depressing time in my life, BY FAR!!!

I asked the doctor to just go ahead and do a c-section because I didn't wanna go thru the labor but he advised that I go ahead and labor him out because if I ever got pregnant again I could give birth vaginally...yeah, the furthest thing from my mind at the time...LOL....stupid doctors. Anyways, so they induced me on Monday April 17th 2006 around 5pm and I gave birth Wednesday April 19th 2006 around 2pm. He was a beautiful baby. He was 8 pounds and 3 ounces and 21 inches long...a biiiig boy!! We were able to spend a few hours with him as a family before they took him to the mourge. These are moments that I will treasure in my heart until I'm old and senile and cannot remember them anyomre!! :)

This was definitely one of the most trying times of my life. I know that families are forever and all the jazz but these are moments where your faith is just shaken. I have never doubted my faith in the church...don't get me wrong...just shaken. One thing I knew for sure is that my son came, he had a body, he fulfilled his mission and he was called back to heaven. His mission? To come here and perform an INTERVENTION!! LOL! That was a time in my life where I was on the wrong path...a path that, if continued on, would, without a doubt, lead me into a personal hell and possibly an eternal spiritual hell and damnation. I was addicted to a ton of things including drugs and alcohol. All things of which I had quit as soon as I found out I was expecting. I know that if I had not ever gotten pregnant with him that there was no way my family, my husband or the church would ever be able to get me back onto the right path.

I am so greatful for him. I owe my salvation to him and although I am still not perfect, I will strive everyday to better my life so that I can see him again. He will be our Forever Baby Isi, watching over us as we look forward to the day when we can be reunited. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and his purpose here on earth. I wonder about how his personality would have been. I picture him running around with my other 2 kids and I can't help but smile. I know he is here with me in spirit. He keeps me grounded and continuously wanting me to do the right thing.

We didn't think it would happen, but we were blessed with another baby in Jan of 2008. The Lord works in mysterious ways and I will testify of that!!! The Lord is mindful of our personal, spiritual, temporal, physical and daily struggles. He will find a way to see you thru any trial or tribulation that you put yourself in or the ones he puts you in. I love my 2 Isi's, I love my daugther liz and I love my rock, my strength, my hero, my bestfriend, my husband Teki. Teki has been there thru the good, the bad and the really ugly and that is why I can never ever live without him. He is the most understanding, kind, loving person you will ever meet. You would have thought that his patients would have ran thin with me but they didnt. He stuck with me thru times that any other husband would have left their wife already. Everyone already loves him cuz he's so cool but only I will ever know and appreciate HOW GOOD of a person he REALLY is. And I la la la looooooooove God and his son Jesus Christ. And even tho from time to time my carnal desires take over and I take on the natural man, instead of putting him off, I know without a doubt that The church is true and that the Lord was there with me in my darkest hour and that in the garden of Gathsemene he went thru that pain that I went thru that day in the hospital and he felt my pain and anguish and lonliness and sorrow. It is so good to know that I have a divine brother who shared that undescribeable pain with me and if your feeling lost and down, he will share that pain with you and take your yolk upon himself...you just gotta let him!! I love you all. Amen.

Fie ilo people...check it out!!

So, I'm new to all of this blogging stuff. I have friends who have been bloggin and telling me to blog but I've been putting it off cuz I'd much rather waste my time doing other things like facebook and watch TV! But after going onto my friend Dianna Otukolo's page, I must say...I am loving it. This is such a good way to keep in touch with everyone, or if you dont wanna keep in touch, you just wanna keep tabs, this is also a good way to do all that...you know, fie ilo on people you love to hate or hate to like and turn on yer internet stalking skillz!!

This is also a way to talk your friends ears off without having to talk!!!

So stay tuned....Imma hook my mug up cuz I got stories fah daaaaayzz!!!