oh my gosh, i'm 30!

holy moly... who knew i would actually make it to 30? i think my mother probably hoped i wouldn't during my teenage years, and i probably thought it was ancient when i was that age - especially since my mother had her last baby at 30. that's right folks, that was me - and i'm only on number 2, and i'm not even all the way there yet! but somehow, i've made it, and to be honest, it doesn't feel any different than 29.

my lovely husband spoiled me and took me out to dinner with my best friend and her husband... we went to the olive tree garden restaurant in west perth - yep that's right the restaurant we had out wedding reception at. the food was still amazing, service could not be faulted - and we even were met by the same lady that looked after us that night. such a great place to go - i highly recommend them!

me and the bestie 

amazing dessert - vanilla panacotta - yummmm!

i got totally spoiled in the present stakes from doug as well... a new handbag, i had wanted one for ages and i am thrilled with the choice! so super cool. it's like an ice blue and looks amazing, andddd... an ipad mini. how fun! can't wait to have a play.

it doesn't feel any different... but i am excited for everything that being 30 has in store!

work baby shower

today the lovely girls i work with organised a baby shower for me! we thought it was particularly appropriate (and downright hilarious) that being held in a funeral home that it was on friday the thirteenth. melissa decided it would be an awesome day to have it - being that i'll be 30 tomorrow! scary - but joint celebration!

i got some lovely gifts from all the invocrew, a big as coles/myer voucher, which will be going straight on things for the baby room... a tupperware wipes container (supercool - being that they have a lifetime replacement warranty... score!) a laugh and learn puppy (maddie has the pink version, so i am sure she and baby k will have a great time with their matching puppies), some aussie animals fingerpuppets, doug's favourite - a mini demons football club football from one of the managers and my favourite - a flat white wool teddybear which is absolutely adorable!

it was such a nice afternoon, spending time with such a wonderful bunch of people, i know i am going to miss them when i go.

the road to bethlehem

on monday night, we went to the seventh day adventist road to to bethlehem for the first time for one of our december family home evenings... one of my friends goes every single year without fail and this time we decided to give it a go with some friends from church - it was amazing! (you can read more about it here - and follow their website ready to go next year!)

basically, the road to bethlehem is exactly what it's called, you book your tickets online (don't worry - it is free, but they have had so much interest the last few years that it's been necessary to allocate tickets to ensure everyone can get through) and show up to your allocated booking time, where you are met at the gate by roman soldiers. you then begin to walk the road to bethlehem - starting with mary being told that she will bear a son, josephs reaction, the three wise men commencing their journey, cesear telling of his desire to "worship" the child, the shepherds being visited by the angels... before entering the bustling marketplace and finally seeing joseph and mary in the stable with their baby and the angels singing their praises.

it was such a wonderful experience and one that really tells of the true meaning of christmas and enables the spirit to be felt strongly by those present. it's basically a live nativity and because of this, the busy, bustling, crazy preparing and present buying that is so easily associated with christmas just fades away.

i think the market place was my favourite part, there were so many children from the church dressed in robes, haggling, shouting, calling and running - it really felt as if one had just jumped back two centuries and fallen into the time of christ. they did such a wonderful job!

the marketplace, with all its bargaining and bustling...

in the final scene prior to exit, mary and joseph are proudly showing off their baby - and what an adorable baby he was! fast asleep and not even stirring even under the bright lights and the choir of angels singing for him. 

and the best bit? we were shuttled to and from the church from a local school carpark, so my pregnant feet didn't even have to walk anywhere haha. i am so totally going every year from now on... what a blessing it was to participate and watch the greatest story ever told.

breen family shots

i got to take photos of this adorable family yesterday! cindy and i went to school together and when she asked me to take photos for her little family i jumped at the chance! her boys are adorable and we had so much fun.

master cooper loved the camera and shone like a little superstar while i took photos of him on his own, but wasn't so keen on sharing the spotlight. what a crackup kid!

"baby" callum was the cutest and kept throwing beautiful smiles at me, though wasn't so keen on sitting still...

and these two? adorable!! i could have taken pictures of them all day. so in love... 

we went out to these gorgeous old buildings in mandurah, which unfortunately i have no idea the name of (if anyone mandurah way recognises them and wants to let me know what they are called, please do...) - which also took a while to find... thank goodness for cindy's lovely and patient husband craig who drove around until we found something we were happy with.

i had a lovely afternoon and only hope they are happy with the results! 

invocare christmas party 2013

last night we had our work christmas party at the hyatt hotel in perth city. thanks to my amazing sister-in-law niques for my makeup job, mate jo for my hair and asos for the incredible dress (totally worth the gamble of shopping online)... i had an awesome time! the chicks spent a good part of the afternoon hotting me up and i am eternally grateful - as being 7 months preggers at the work christmas party doesn't really make me feel that hot.

here's me and the bun... 30 weeks, 3/4 of the way through!! bigger than i was with maddie, but still good. 

and a shot of our beautiful family - maddie is so cute and was so happy to be having a family shot... she smiled away and giggled with us - for once making it easy.

we had an awesome night, good times, good music and hanging with mates from work. it was a little sad though, as there's only two weeks left before i go on maternity leave, and then susie will be moving to l.a. with her boyfriend in january, so the three of us will be split up very soon. guess it just means we'll have to take advantage of what time we have left together. :)

the co-ord chicks. love these girls to bits! ♥

christmas decorations

i love christmas.

so much.

and the bit i love the most, i must confess is the setting up of my multiple nativity sets! i discovered last year - a wonderful gift shop at a centre, not too far from our house (i don't think i should publicly announce where... you'll see why in a minute...) that ever so kindly make their amazing nativity sets half price the day that they reopen after the christmas break. i love it! and that's how i managed to persuade my lovely husband to let me purchase this beautiful jim shore "babushka-esque" nativity set. and the willow tree large nativity set you can see below last year. i was so excited to open them this year, because i had never actually had them out of the box - and especially to put the willow tree in the custom made stable that my ever-patient and long suffering father "whipped up" at mine and mums insistence. i know it was no easy feat and i hope he knows how grateful i am. (i am sure he would have enjoyed it more if he could have heard all the people complimenting it as they came to visit over christmas!)

so... saying that - and showing these two off, i can't wait to see what i am going to score this christmas!

p.s. if you happen to live in perth, send me a message and i'll email you the details! totally worth it, but i highly doubt they'd appreciate me publicly declaring their sale!

samoan graduation

here are my lovely parents hanging out with dougs cousin apollos in samoa, on his church college graduation day. we could not be any prouder - he came away with dux of the school - and my parents were so happy to be there for it. mum excitedly told me about the lei's that people make for those who receive awards, which as you can see were heaped on him. 

his two younger brothers then joined in the fun for some more photos, although i think the only thing they managed to prove was exactly how short my parents are! sorry mum and dad - but you know it's true!!

mum said she can't get over the way they are treated over there, almost as if they are royalty, being asked to lead every school procession, hand out awards, sit in the front row at every meeting, eat before everyone else... but it's because the missionaries are so important to the people. i am so pleased they are being treated so well, makes missing them that little bit easier. i just hope they don't get too used to it though... i want their heads to fit on the plane when they come home! 

love you both and miss you so much!