Welcome to The Momma Tribe!

As I get to the end of my pregnancy, I wanted to get this post up while all of these things are fresh on my mind, before I forget! Pregnancy is such a magical thing! There are woman around the world who wait their whole lives to be pregnant, some who never expect to be, and some who can't. Whatever your story is, once you are pregnant, as much as you are extremely thankful for that journey, all our bodies handle it differently! And on top of that, our bodies handle each and every pregnancy differently as well! It's certainly not all sunshine and rainbows. Your body goes through some intense changes! Physically, emotionally, mentally, and hormonally! Some stages are beyond rough, and others you could compare to the "honeymoon" stage! Regardless of how your body handles it, there are always tips and tricks you can find to make those days that much easier to get through, to find that reward at the end of it! So here's my tips, tricks, and products that I hope will ...

I recently had someone write me via instagram, while traveling in Hawaii, asking if it was gonna be the biggest mistake of her life, to take trip from Seattle to Hawaii with an infant! I quickly responded to her, NO, it will be the BEST decision you ever make! And I knew in that moment, you first time mommas needed my help! :] Now first of all, I know what a different experience it can be, parenting for the first time compared to the second! The world of the unknown can be absolutely terrifying, and I think we as moms need to be more open and honest about those days of motherhood! So they don't seem so lonely when we land our selves right in the midst of those impossible days! Sleepless nights, sore/cracked nipples from nursing, painful uterine contractions while our body fights so hard to recover from birth, and of course the ridiculous task of trying to understand WHY IN THE WORLD IS THE BABY CRYING? They can't communicate, can they? OF COURSE they can! (Post on how to deci...

WARNING**** graphic photo at the end of post! My first #tinytongan  💙   My little buddy had a scary run in at the dentist today! He had to get his first filling ever, therefore was numb for the first time in his life. He did absolutely INCREDIBLE during his filling, which is every mommas biggest worry with dentist appointments! I should not have been nervous, considering how well he’s done since day one at the dentist, but I still was.... It wasn’t until after his filling was done, our visit turned bad. He was given a popsicle to suck on to help keep his hands out of his mouth and the cold helps him feel better! Well, I wasn’t allowed in the room the whole visit due to him has nitrous throughout and that being harmful to me while pregnant (could put me in labor). I sat in a chair just outside the room the whole procedure and was able to look through the door and see everything at anytime. At this point the door was open and I asked the nurse how long he’d continue t...

For those of you who don't know, I recently ended my journey as a Retailer for LuLaRoe. I've been thinking up this post for a long time, even before deciding to start my new space for mommas on Instagram! But I'm glad I did, to have an avenue for this entry to be shared!:] I had taken a VERY long break from this blog in light of the time, effort and work I was putting into my LLR business for nearly 2.5 years and I wanted to share with you what I learned during my journey, and also get this blog up and running again! I spent all weekend before "launching" my new Instagram, making over this blog and transitioning it to this new chapter! If you'd like to read my older posts all about my Tongan and I {and a little about our first little} just go back to the timeline between 2013-15! :] LuLaRoe CHANGED my life, for the greatest! If you were looking for another post about all the negative things going around lately, you're in the wrong place! I will forever ...

Wow. First of all, I am SO sorry it has been so long since you've heard from me! Life has been NUTS!!! From LuLaRoe, to two kids, I have left no time for me to sit down and document anything! But today I decided I would let NOTHING get in my way of documenting this boys grand entrance before I forget all of the details! August 13, 2016 was set as my due date! Based on my last period, that's the day we could expect to welcome this new baby we'd learned about! Already, I felt like I had so much love for this baby human before I knew if it would be a girl or a boy! All of those things about not knowing if you could love number 2 as much as number 1 until you meet them were true! I felt a sense of missing my "new mom" life already! I was gonna be a momma of TWO! My pregnancy as a whole went GREAT! After having gestational diabetes with Charlie I was determined to be healthier in this pregnancy and for that reason kept working out up until 34-35 weeks! I was super ...

My word of the year is SAVOR , and I've been truly taking it to heart! Therefore, I haven't had time to get on my computer and blog! Charlie is 7 1/2 months old and life has been so insane since my last post in January. As if it's not enough to have a newborn babe, in January, Nu'u started school full time at the College of Southern Nevada and I decided to start a new business with LuLaRoe! It has been absolutely wonderful and life changing, and HARD! I exclusively breastfed until Charlie was six months old when he started on solids. We are still going strong with nursing as his main food source. Yes, that means for the most part he nurses every 2 hours during the day! Crazy? I know. But the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my whole life. I had a post drafted up titled "10 things most women won't tell you about being pregnant". It would have included mostly complaints about how uncomfortable and annoying those last days can get. As I tried to go...

This is the fourth year I have chosen to forgo the idea of resolutions and instead choose a word of the year! A word that I want to define my year. A word to keep in mind that will encourage growth and understanding.. Last year my word was EMBRACE . I couldn't have chosen a better word for the year. I learned so much about the gospel, my marriage, and myself. I learned to embrace anything and everything that comes with being pregnant. The good and the bad. I learned to embrace the trials I may face in life for the purpose that I will learn something from every single one. I learned to embrace my changing body and the miraculous things it would do before, during, and after labor. I learned to embrace the pain and trial that came with breastfeeding as well as learning how having a tongue tied baby is, how to fix it, and what to do next. We bought a new home, Nu'u enrolled in school that he will start in 2 weeks, and we have both learned what it really means to be in love, wi...