stitching for the babies

sometimes i like to sew. i find stitching back and forth creating words or an image quite therapeutic. in december one of my friends from church had a baby and i decided i would make a little sampler of his name for his room - and it only took me three months to get around to it - and less than three hours to finish it hahah. add a cute coloured edge frame from our local reject shop and ta-dah! i thought it was sweet. 

then our adorable next door neighbours had a baby this week. a long awaited rainbow baby who will be very loved! i thought what the heck - let's do another one... 

so baby april got one too. i loved making them - hopefully their mums liked them too. 

madeline's indonesian assembly

today madeline's class presented the junior assembly - all in indonesian! they have been hard at work so far this year in their indonesian class learning lots of different things including how to greet people and how to say their names. thennnn they learnt to sing "baby shark" or should i say "bayi hui" in indonesian. she was so proud of herself - and no surprise, alexander absolutely loved it, bopping away in his pram the entire time they sang. 

it was quite the day for it, because she then also sang in the school choir - a song called hideaway which is so pretty. she was so excited for it and i can see why. she loves to sing and the day was full of it. i am so proud of this girl... she just loves everything she does!

alexander james: seventeen months

i blinked and it happened again.. alexander is now seventeen months old!

during the past month he:

-started to do things when you ask

-cut two more top teeth... they are everywhere!!!

-pointed at things he wants and yells mum! mum!

-started to listen and act

-always brings his baby shark toy to everyone so we can press it and make it sing

-waves his hand up and down to music “like a chinese cat” the older kids say

-uses the laundry cupboard for a hidey hole

-closes himself in places and says bye bye. bye bye!

-grins, clenches his teeth and squints his eyes as if it makes him look cuter.

-constantly waves bye bye

-picks up the old mobiles that we use as toy phones and puts them to his ear and says bye bye bye bye!!!

-loves bluey and hey duggee and dances away to their songs

-loves his colour mixing cement truck toy. he always looks for it so he can bop away to the tune it plays

-loves having twinkle twinkle little star sang to him before bed. all three (with some possibly made up) verses hahaha

twinkle twinkle little star

how i wonder what you are

up above the world so high

like a diamond in the sky

twinkle twinkle little star

how i wonder what you are

when the blazing sun is gone,

when it nothing shines upon

when you shine your little light

twinkle twinkle through the night

twinkle twinkle little star

how i wonder what you are

alex i love you so much

that is why i sing as such

now it's time for you to sleep

i pray the lord your heart will keep

twinkle twinkle little star

how i wonder what you are

i love you my little twinkling star

*************

eternal friends

have you ever met someone and just knew that you would always be friends? someone with who you could share all your thoughts? all your downfalls and all your successes? someone who just understood you? i have always had a theory regarding eternal friends and on sunday during our lesson i had the opportunity to share that with the young women. being that it was my last sunday before i will be in primary it was an especially nice thing to leave them with.

i have always thought that this life can't be the only time we spend with those people who share our laughs and lives. those with whom we spend our lives with in the gospel especially! so i have always held out that we will have eternal friends. we learn the same things, marry in the same places and make the same covenants... so why would we not live alongside them in the eternities? it doesn't matter to me that we are not sealed to each other - would they not be in the same place with their eternal families? for this reason, i feel so strongly that we need to choose our friends so carefully - so that we can continue our friendships in the next life - with those who made the same choices as us.

i was looking for a picture to go with this post and came across this lovely quote from marjorie pay hinckley, who seems to believe the same as me that gives me even more hope for it!

i truly believe that friendships are eternal and choose my friends wisely to last the test of time. 

a new calling

(gorgeous printable available with great thanks from http://proclamationpictures.blogspot.com/2019/09/2020-lds-church-youth-mutual-theme-i.html)

well knowing that no one but me ever reads this i am completely safe writing this here... but tomorrow will be my last day in young womens as i am being called to be a counselor in our ward primary presidency! and i actually feel like nephi right now that "i will go and do the things which the lord hath commanded", because this is not something i saw in my future - primary! i always thought i was so much better with the older sisters - so even being called back into young womens at the end of 2018 was a surprise. 

i am excited though - i have loved watching all the preparations that go into the primary presentation for the last few years since my kids have been in them and i loooove the primary music - so maybe i am ready to have a turn there haha. plus i will be serving with two close friends so that is always a plus. well kids (especially my two - and three as of next month, when alexander hits nursery!!), watch out 'cause here i come! 

australia has gone nuts

yesterday one of my closest friends messaged to ask how we were doing and ask if we had heard any advice from our local church leaders in regards to stocking up on our groceries as she had received some information from some members in her ward.

she wrote that she had been told that within six weeks, there will not be any packaged food available on the shelves, due to the worldwide effects of the coronavirus (covid19) that has been an issue for quite some time in china, but has started to spread abroad. that now was the time to start preparing our families and ensuring that we had enough.

this hit me like a tonne of bricks. i had heard of the virus, was aware of things happening because of it, but had absolutely no idea of the widespread affect it would have on our lives, here, so far away... but the real question was, would i be ready if it came to it? would my family have enough? i mean sure, i have always had plenty of food on hand, but would there be enough? i sat down last night and did an online grocery order to collect today and imagine my surprise that stores were already selling out of everything. my order consisted of my regular needed groceries, plus a few extras, yet they couldn't provide me with oats, any kind of flour or toilet paper... and the toilet paper saga has continued - every store, every where has sold out overnight. no idea why, but apparently it is the must have item right now. 

i feel like the country is going crazy around me and have no idea why the insanity to clear shelves... i would think people would just get what their families need, but i guess we will find out in time. 

manaias baby blessing

today one of my favourite families everrrrr had their newest baby girl blessed. i was blessed to be able to take the photos yet again and loved every minute of it. 

seriously the coolest people you will ever meet, so laid back, this is the easiest friendship ever and i love it.

daddy aitu with baby girl number 4!

and gorgeous mel. i just love this picture of her and manaia

but my absolute favourite bit of the day was watching this gorgeous little girl gang!

i love how much these girls dote on their baby sister. it is the most precious thing. 

happy blessing day baby girl! ❤