BEAUTY, CULTURES, family, Grandchildren, holidays, home, Music, PARENTING, photography, RELIGION

Joys of Grandparenting

Many people ask me why we left Hawaii. Our main reason was to be closer to our grandchildren. Attending some of their activities and celebrations has brought so much joy to my life. I donā€™t know how much more time I have on earth, but I am thankful for the time I have had to spend with my grandchildren. Birthdays, sports activities, plays, musicals, performances, and so much more that my grandchildren have participated in stand out in my memory. Today I am grateful to be able to be with my grandchildren at many of their important milestones.

Recently, we had two graduations to be involved with- one from university and one from high school. Sweet 16 birthdays, first cars, and other firsts have kept me going. We also had a family reunion, albiet my son who is in the military was absent and we sure missed him, but all of my grandchildren were here. I was in heaven!!

They adore me! Or at least are forced to act like it!!

Each grandchild brings a new flavor to our family. Some are more serious, some hilarious, some studious, and some not so much. They have different challenges and make the most of them, but the best thing is that each one is cherished and they love to be with each other.

Crazy grandchildren ā€“ love it! Missing in this picture are Aliā€™i and Robbie (where were they?)

A challenge for me is trying to give the grandchildren plenty to do when they visit. I try to give them used clothes, but most of them are not into that. Some love board games, others card games, sports like basketball, volleyball or badminton, nerf guns, riding horses, acting, blowing bubbles, reading books, writing, making crafts, walks, road trips, swimming, shopping, and movies, etc. Most of them love to be on their phones or computers playing video games. Never a dull moment with these characters!

Now that all of my grandchildren are taller than me, I feel that I am amongst giants. One thing for sure, they all like eating! We must have plenty of good things for them to eat when they visit! Grandpa is very good at meeting that need!

When I think about my childhood, I was hardly able to be with my grandparents and donā€™t remember them coming to any of my activities. I want to be a bigger

Lily loves crafts like painting and making things.

part of my grandchildrenā€™s lives. Their parents usually invite us to their various performances and we go if at all possible. Most of the grandkids play a musical instrument including the ukulele, guitar, cello, piano, and using their voices. We rarely get together without some type of music being shared.

Something that has been fun to see is that a few of my grandchildren have chosen to study art

which was my major in college. To me ā€œArt is Lifeā€! Others like writing which I have done as a job and still do.

I may be to blame for the reason several of my grandchildren love the computer so much. When they were very young, I would sit them on my lap and show them video games. Some of them are addicted to them. I spent some time reading to them, but probably not enough.

What a marvelous treasure grandchildren are. They were each sent to our family for us to learn from and hopefully they learn something from us. It is difficult always trying to be a good example and attempt to be the type of person they want to emulate. I would not want to lead them astray in any way. They were sent to us to help them along their journey of life.

I hope we never take for granted what precious gems our grandchildren are. I donā€™t know how much more time I will have to be with my grandchildren, but I just want them to know how much I love them and their parents who sacrifice much for them. Love, Grandma

Our grandchildren. Missing is Lily.
BEAUTY, CULTURES, Grandchildren, HAWAII, HEALTH, holidays, home, PARENTING, photography, RELIGION, TRAVEL

Attitude of Gratitude

As I approach my 70th year of life on this earth, I feel the need to show my gratitude to all of those who have helped me along the way. First, I know my Heavenly Father has directed our travels throughout the world and protected us from accidents, major sickness, and has blessed us with a beautiful family. He blessed us with loving, caring children and grandchildren, for whom I am incredibly thankful. Iā€™m so glad that all of our children love and support one another. How incredibly blessed we feel.

We have been led to Tonga, American Samoa, Arizona, and Hawaii during our marriage. Iā€™m not sure why we moved so much, but here is a rundown of our moves: (I have previously written some articles about our experiences which I will link below)

Provo, Utah 1972-1974 ~ I worked at Utah Valley Hospital while ā€˜Isileli Tupou completed his Bachelorā€™s degree at Brigham Young University ā€“ Provo. We had Liana Olivia Kongaika six months before graduation. https://letterpile.com/personal-essays/Man-You-Have-Come-A-Long-Way-Baby

Liahona High School, Tonga 1974-1977 ~ We were hired to work at the College in Liahona. ā€˜Isileli Tupou taught Industrial Education including Architectural and Mechanical Design, woodworking, and metal. ā€˜Isi became the Department Head of the Industrial Education Instruction. We had Robert James Kongaika in 1973 in Tonga. https://hubpages.com/relationships/Friday-Night-Date-at-the-Movies-in-Tonga https://hubpages.com/politics/Do-We-Want-Social-Medicine-Just-Like-in-Third-World-Countries https://hubpages.com/relationships/He-Wrote-Me-a-Love-Song

Provo, Utah 1977-1978 ~ We returned to BYU-Provo to work on Isiā€™s Masterā€™s Degree. We had Joel ā€˜Aholelei Kongaika while ā€˜Isi was going to University. ā€˜Isiā€™s field project was a Pictorial Instruction on How to Operate a Metal Lathe for Tongan Students.

American Samoa 1979-1980 ~ ā€˜Isi was hired by the American Samoa Department of Education to work in Leoni High School as well as at American Samoa Community College to prepare teachers for certification. We had Jacob Epikopo Manuia while working in American Samoa. I attended American Samoa Community College while I was expecting.

Arizona 1981-1982 ~ ā€˜Isi was hired by the Pinal School District to work at Coolidge Middle School and taught MIE Industrial Education classes.

Tonga 1982-1992 ~ We returned to Tonga to work again at Liahona High School. The last three years we served in the Tonga Nukuā€™alofa Mission as Mission President with our family. https://hubpages.com/travel/My-Visit-to-the-King

Hawaii 1992 ā€“ 2013 ~ We were hired to work at Brigham Young University ā€“ Hawaii. First, as Foreign Student Advisor and then as Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students. Our children were growing and Liana left to pursue a degree in Nursing at BYU Provo. Robert stayed behind with Luā€™isa in Tonga. Our two boys, Joel and Jacob completed high school at Kahuku High School. I worked in the Fine Arts Departments as well as in the School of Education. https://hubpages.com/family/intercultural-families https://hubpages.com/politics/Not-Every-One-Wants-To-Be-A-US-Citizenhttps://hubpages.com/travel/Visit-Hawaii-and-Catch-Local-Festivities

Utah 2013 ā€“ 2016 ~ After 20 years of working at BYU-Hawaii, ā€˜Isi and I retired to Utah. We lived with my father one year and then lived in South Jordan near Liana and Siope Kinikini. We were happy to be with our children and grandchildren closer. https://hubpages.com/money/Changing-Climates-in-Retirement https://hubpages.com/travel/Fun-at-Lagoon-in-Northern-Utah https://hubpages.com/family/Write-Your-Family-History

In between our moves, we have been able to travel to many other parts of the world. I believe our lives have been enriched by being exposed to so many different people and cultures and love our friends throughout the world.Ā https://wanderwisdom.com/misc/How-to-Get-the-Most-out-of-Your-Adventures-AbroadĀ https://hubpages.com/travel/Scenic-New-ZealandĀ https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/City-of-Music-ViennaĀ https://hubpages.com/travel/The-Magic-of-ItalyĀ https://hubpages.com/travel/Southern-Germanyhttps://hubpages.com/travel/The-Magic-of-Austriahttps://hubpages.com/travel/Exploring-Egypt-in-a-Time-of-Transition

God has always been in the picture as we have moved from place to place. There have been trials, sickness, and disappointments, but as we look back on our life, It seems to all have been orchestrated for our own good.