My first DIY project

I did it! It was so hard. Haha. I took some chairs that where in our apartment and I redid then. I got spray paint, fabric for $3 from spotlight and some new foam for the chair for $8. It was definitely a learning project and I wouldn't mind doing some projects like it but it is time consuming so I will take it a bit at a time.

 The original frame sanded before spray painting.

 Chair partial spray painted

Completed project. The photo doesn't do it justice. It looks way better up close butfor a first time I am pretty dang happy with it!

A compliment

for Joe at his job, he has been only working for 2 weeks. I was so proud of him :)

Hi, I had the unfortunate trouble of a faulty computer over the last few weeks.

After having my lines monitered for 24hours it was noted my modem was the problem.

A new modem was promptly despatched. Great I thought I'd be up and running in no time.

After setting up the modem on the desk top I was away laughing. Not so with my lap top!

After settling down on Saturday night I felt this would be a great time to ring and find out what my problem was.

I got Joseph on the other end.

He talked me through (endless times I can tell you) the places I needed to be (and me forgetting or loosing the plot), over and over. Nothing seemed to phase him.

He was a great help and must have spent about an hour talking me through, making me laugh, just being an honest nice guy, and accepting me and my down falls.

If all people were like Joseph this world would be a nicer place.

He deserves my vote, thanks for employing an alright kinda guy.

Solids!

He loves them and I love making them. I have been reading so many blogs about making baby food and after paying $16+ dollars for two weeks worth of baby food I decided it was time to ditch that way and start making them. He loves them and I find it is pretty easy + the cost is so much cheaper. I will either make some along with whatever I make everyone else for dinner or I will do a day of making solids. I also find that the homemade ones are seriously delicious, I mean I will eat the leftovers because they taste really good anyway.  I took some shots today of my workings. 

 Sterilizing the cups 

Checking out the different recipes

 Chopping up the vegetables

  In the pot ready for cooking 

 Cooking on the ghetto stove top.. hehe

Broccoli puree 

Frozen portions of broccoli puree

and the verdict from the little boy himself?

Yum!

Conversations with Hinalei

H: Here Nanny I have a book for you (She has a book for herself as well)
N: Are we going to read?
H: Yes! Ready set go!
N: Once upon a time...
H: Wait! Wait! Nanny I CAN'T READ!

H: Why is the mama lion crying (She means Kiana from Lion King II)
M: Because the boy lion got banished and she can't be with him. Do you have a boyfriend Hinalei?
H: Hmmmmm..... Yeah. What about you mummy?
M: Yes. My boyfriend is Daddy. What is your boyfriends name?
H: Hmmm... His name is Hinalei.

Stories of a 2&1/2 year old

4:30am -

H: Quiet!
M: I jump up out of bed. She is standing up in here with her hands over her mouth
H: Oh on! What am me gonna do?
M: Whats the matter?
H: Its all my fault. Its all my fault. (crying)
M: Its okay, it was just a dream go back to sleep
H: Oh no! Oh no! (Goes back to sleep)

She has started picking up things from different Disney/Animated movies. Why is it they pick up all the things you wish they wouldn't focus on. If your not sure the above stuff all comes from "Finding Nemo" Marlin (the dad fish) talks about losing Nemo is all his fault and when the mask is dropping to the dark he says - What am I going to do?

Also my daughters new favorite response for everything is "I can't"

M: Do you want a banana
H: I can't want a banana

M: Can you please come put on your PJs?
H:  I can't put on my pjs.

M: Do you want to watch Thomas the Tank?
H: I can't want to watch Thomas.

Again that is from Finding Nemo - when Nemo gets stuck in the pipe he says " I can't do it, I can't get out."

Previous to this it was "No no no no no"
That was from an episode of Elmos world.

Before that she would scream at the top of her lungs "Tower EVER!" especially if anyone elses voices were raised loud. Movie -Tangled when the old lady says "You are not leaving this Tower Ever"

and on and on and so forth. Maybe it seems like she watches a lot of movies? Uh maybe but I am amazed more at the retention...hehe

We MUST always remember

I was 13 years old... we lived in a little town in rural Australia called Griffith. My dad and I would go on morning walks after dropping my mum off at seminary. We were walking home and saw the news paper with pictures of a building smoking and burning. We decided to take the short way home that morning. We got home and turned on the Television. We sat and watched. I think as a 13 year old I didn't understand what was going on but I think I tried to act like I did. I remember thinking  - What is terrorism? What are the world trade centers? Can it be possible that so many people have died, lost their life?

It was interesting over the next couple of weeks because as they started to release images of Usama Bin Ladin it was like an automatic scared feeling came over me whenever I saw someone wearing a turban. I had an English teacher who had  turban.... I noticed that our class changed towards him, almost blaming him for what happened in America.

I don't wanna preach, I know I have been guilty myself for not giving as much focus to 9/11 each year for the past 10 years. I feel like terrorism and natural disasters have definitely increased since 9/11. In the end it is how we act and what the memory of that day does for us. I know when I was 16 I witnesses another tragedy, the Samoan Temple burning down. That was to me as much life changing as the Twin Towers. In this case no one died but I came to understand more of what it meant to lose something that was important - something close to your core.

Joe here - On September 11, ten years ago, I was on the bus going to school in the morning and I heard other students talking about seeing an airplane crash into a building. It was a unfamiliar image for me to imagine and I thought it might have been a scene out of a movie. I decided not to ask what they were talking about it and sat silently, thinking of what could have possibly sparked such a topic of discussion. When I got to class, it was decided that we would watch the news and I witnessed what happened on that unforgettable day. Looking back on those events has caused me to feel gratitude for what I have. I have a lovely family, great kids, an awesome wife, and I have the Gospel and my life. I feel for the loss.

A quote for the day....

From as far back as I can remember I knew what the Oprah show was... I mean it is 25 years old and I am 23 so that makes sense right? Well everyday here in NZ I have been watching it with my mum and today it showed the Final Final Oprah Show. It was amazing. I mean I have always loved watching most (yeah most because a couple were a little weird for me - transgender and such) and I really believe that Oprah influence is a lot like what we would all like our lives to be... rich, willing to give to those in need yet seriously humble?


Anyways besides the point she said something I absolutely loved and I wanted to share it will all of you:


"There's a difference between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing that you are worthy of being happy. Your being alive makes worthiness your birthright. You alone are enough."


WOW! I know! What an amazing comment. I think to much we look at ourselves and we look at others and we think we are not doing enough. I know I think I have to be making more money, reading the right books, watching the right educational insights, studying the right subjects and raising my kids the right way and yet it comes back to the simple truth that we are ENOUGH!


The words of our favorite go to Sunday Song:


I am a Child of GOD!
and he has sent me here,
has given me an earthly home
with parents kind and dear


or more to the fact that when their was the great war in heaven we chose GOOD. We chose to have bodies and to come to earth. I just really wanted to share that. We are enough!! 

Conversations with Hinalei

M: Hinalei were are you?
H: I not Hinalei, I Wendy.
M: Why are you Wendy?
H: Hmmmmm
M: I don't like Wendy, I want my Hinalei back.
H: Mummy, I Hinalei, I back

M: Hinalei were are you?
H: I not Hinalei, I Carla.
M: ( I say nothing)
H: I Hinalei
M: Yay!
H: I Carla
(Sigh)

H:Woof Woof
M: What are you doing?
H: Woof Woof Woof
M: Would you like to get dressed?
H: Woof Woof
M: I can't dress a dog, I am sad, where is Hinalei?
H: Here I am Mummy!

Little Joe - 5 months old

My happy little 5 month old eating his apple and farex breakfast! He is a smiley happy boy all the time. 

 Check out his ponseti shoes! I brought him some groovy socks because he always has to wear socks with his shoes! I can't tell you how great his feet are looking. You wouldn't know that 5 months ago he had club feet!.

 The two boys having cuddles. Joe has to work from 1:30pm till 10pm now so it sucks and we have to have a lot of family time in the mornings. He loves feeding his son though...says he eats like a Savaiinaea.

By the way... he is weighing in around 20 pounds! I know 5 months old and almost too big for his carseat.... I love the chub though!!!