life on the esplanade

The Curious Case of the Coconut Shell

2010-11-29T22:17:00.002+13:00

Today, at kindy, I noticed Ashers bestest buddy carrying around a familiar object.

I sat down by the bestest bud's grandmother and we chatted for a while.

Bestest bud's grandma mentioned the object in bestest bud's hands.

"That's a birds nest," she said.

"I thought so."

"She got it from home."

"Oh, I thought it fell out of the kindy tree."

"Nope, she found it on the ground under our karaka tree. We think its a Tui nest."

"I love Tui birds!"

"Did you notice? It's made out of one half of a coconut shell?"

"Is it really? That is so clever! Most of the nest making work is already done. Clever Tuis!"

"Yeah, but now she wont put it down, those birds will be wondering where their home is."

"What I'm wondering, is how they managed to get that coconut shell up the tree in the first place...?"

"Clever Tuis indeed."

buns take two.

2010-07-28T15:27:00.002+12:00

Mmmm.

1-4-25

2010-05-12T20:14:00.004+12:00

At 1 year, 4 months and 25 days old, my tiny little son has finally taken his first steps.

I always joked to myself that I was sure he was walking around the house when we werent looking. He's been standing without support for months now, using furniture and walls to help get him around on his feet, but until now he'd not taken any steps...well, not that we saw.

I think he was actually waiting til there was a decent enough audience to watch him make his little four step journey from the middle of our living room to our couch. Thankfully my sister-in-law and her 5 kids were over visiting which made for louder cheering and applause than we three could ever have given him.

Anyway, he had a little walk around before I could get to my camera, but I got it in time to catch him on his way to pulling his sisters hair. I guess we'll have to work on making sure he doesn't use his feet just to be a nuisance. I dont fancy our chances...

Fairy bread.

2010-05-11T14:17:00.003+12:00

Ok, so its not fairy bread as we know it, but a little fairy left some bread on my doorstep.

I've heard there was a fairy floating around dropping bread off on peoples doorsteps when they're not home, I guess it finally happened to us. Notice the bagels? Yes there are bagels too. If only I had cream cheese to go with 'em. Ha ha. Aaaaand, its all fresh!

So now we have so much bread that it wont all fit in our cupboard or freezer. I suppose we'll give some away and play fairy ourselves to unsuspecting neighbors. That should be fun. So thanks bread fairy, we love you!

scanning kiwi bloggers

2010-05-10T17:24:00.002+12:00

So I've just had a flick through the blogspot list of kiwi bloggers and have discovered the following:

1. Kiwis love photography and poetry.
2. Dude bloggers love cars.
3. There's a substantial amount of blogging that comes out of Palmerston North.
4. And Hamilton.
5. And the Hutt City.
6. There are also a lot of bloggers aged 17.
7. It would take me a long time to read all 3,000 odd profiles, I only read three.
8. My own profile didnt show up as I flicked through. Interesting.

the Mother of all days (in a calendar year).

2010-05-09T19:34:00.005+12:00

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, and have read my latest status update, you will know that I was showered with chocolate and stuffed full with pancakes this morning. I was also given an extra hour to sleep in, alone, in our super king sized bed. It was glorious.

I'm sure I mentioned that I was given some artwork from my children. But this wasnt your run of the mill drawing on a piece of card. Oh no. What I loved most about my arty crafty gift was not just the scribbles made by my 17 month old son, nor the block letters reading "Happy mothers day Mummy" carefully written and colored in by my husband, but the fact that it was drawn onto a piece of stretched canvas in cheap $2 shop coloring in pencils. If thats not thinking outside the gift giving square, then I dont know what is. Loved it.

As I reflect on the almost 4 years I've been a mother, naturally I think of how fast the time has flown. The challenges I have faced and lessons I've learned during that time have taught me to let go of the little things, focus on whats important and be how I want my kids to be when they're older. Sure, it sounds easier said than done, but I've realized more than ever, if my kids cant rely on me when they need me most, then who will be there for them if not me?

So its thanks to the wonderful person who thought of celebrating mothers day. Its probably the one day in the year that makes me forget about the time I nearly lost it in the supermarket because Ash wouldn't get up off the ground unless she got that lolly on the shelf. I forgot about that time I went into the kitchen and found all the eggs smashed on the kitchen floor. And I most definitely forgot about that drawing I found on Ashers bedroom floor done in black vivid pen no less.

Ok, so I totally just remembered. But you know, it doesnt even matter. Instead I think more of the times Asher has run to me every time she's fallen over at the playground, and that time she cried when she knew I was sad. I remember the time my little boy grabbed hold of my leg when a stranger came to our doorstep. And I most definitely remember the time he first spoke the word "mama" (on purpose) and said I love you with his eyes. Today reminded me of how dear my little ones are and how lucky Eden and I are to be watching these tiny humans grow and learn and enjoy lives of their own.

Of course mine is the perspective of a mother with little children. And I'm sure that when they grow up to be teenagers that answer back and dont come home on time, I will readily send them to grandma's house so I can pull myself together. Ha ha. But seriously, hopefully when that time does come I will remember then like I cherish now, that I do and will always love my children and never forget how wonderful it is to have little people like mine in my life.

heaven in a baking dish.

2010-05-02T15:12:00.004+12:00

Let's not talk about how I've been away for so long. Instead, lets focus on my new favorite dessert, pani popo. I mean, I've always loved me a good coconut bun here and there, but there is something about making your own, catching the smell of them as they come out the oven and dishing out a (not so) healthy serving of freshly baked doughy, coconut creamy, mouthwatering, gooey goodness that gets your heart jumping and your taste buds in a frenzy.

So here's how mine turned out yesterday:

Not bad for a first time. They are a winner in our house and I would make more if they didn't take so long to prepare. Still, they are totally worth the wait.

Growing...

2010-01-07T23:18:00.004+13:00

...growing

...a little bit munted

...pickin'

...showin'

...enjoyin'

gone!

How to boast a little about your children: steps 1, 2 & 3.

2009-12-17T22:17:00.007+13:00

Step 1. Write an awesome story about your kids. Even if others dont think its awesome, if its awesome to you, thats all that matters.

Like this one.

Our boy is a great mate to our little girl, they are the best of friends. Asher takes such good care of Dallin and Dallin laughs at all of Ashers funny faces. I love it when I catch Asher sharing her sandwich with Dallin so that he doesnt miss out or when I see Dallins face light up when Asher comes home from spending the night at my mums. These kids of mine are honestly so awesome, I, like most parents out there, could brag about them til the cows come home.

Yesterday I took them to the public library to check out the puzzle and game range for Ash. We had been all over town looking for birthday presents for Dallin so it was nice to get out of the heat and into an air conditioned room that was cool and quiet.

On our way down to the childrens section I grabbed some books for me and set our things down by the cozy chair. I took Dallin out of his stroller and sat him on the floor by the building blocks. Asher helped herself to the little red wagon and pulled it over to Dallin to let him take them out one by one the same way he does his own toys from the toy box at home. At this moment, I realised I could just let them play together while I got comfy in the cozy chair. So get comfy I did.

As I sat there and watched my two play I thought about how blessed I am that I can take my little ones to the quietest place in town and not have to worry about them tearing the place up or disturbing the peace and quiet - does this not spell awesome?

I read for a good half an hour, checking over the top of my book every now and again. So far so good. I look up again only to find that Ash is over at the bird cage. Thats funny because she strongly dislikes birds. In fact she dislikes most animals. I think its because they can be unpredictable. Well thats what I think. She stood there and watched the birds though. I think it was because they had their heads tucked up under their wings. And they were locked up. "They're alseep" I whispered to her. I guess she likes animals - provided they're locked up and asleep. Aw.

Once she got tired of the sleeping, locked up birds, Ash picked out some stories and I read them to her. Dallin kept playing on the ground with an old computer keyboard, a bead coaster and a hardcovered book about farm animals. Before I knew it an hour had passed so after a bit of story reading and building wooden towers it was time to head off home for our afternoon naps.

Seeing me there with my well behaved baby and child you'd think the librarian would notice and tell me how adorable they are and how nicely they were playing, but nope. Not in this instance. Thankfully I have this blog so I can put it all out there in the universe that my kids are the best.

Step 2. Post it on the internet.

Step 3. Tell all your friends about it.

And that my friends is how you boast a little about your children.

One fast year

2009-12-17T21:53:00.004+13:00

This time last year I was laying up in a hospital bed trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. You see, the night before I was up thinking about how our family was about to go from 3 humans to 4. Dallin was sort of an early christmas gift to our family last year and we have so enjoyed watching him grow and develop throughout 2009.

To date Dallin has 8 teeth. They all came up so fast its hard to even remember that he once had a gummy smile. Dallin has mastered the art of running and manouvering his way around the house in his walker. He can get through all the doorways and will find me if I call out to him from the other end of the house. Other means of transportation include rolling around on the floor and his signature crawl which is a combination of press-ups and yoga stretching. Its so cute to watch.

The little man is also a great little conversationalist. Once he's got your attention you'd better start talking or else he will squawk until you do. And you cant let him go until he decides he's over it. He is actually quite fun to talk to. He will mimic all the sounds you make and try to add a few of his own. He's usually quite generous with his smiles and hugs, provided he knows who you are. If you are a stranger, it might take at least 10 minutes for him to scope you out before you get any Dallin hugs.

Like other members of our family, Dallin is fascinated by the talking picture frame that is our tv, especially when childrens songs start to play, at which point he commences to bob up and down in excitement. He even kicks his little legs and raises his little arms to show he is physically commited to whatever show is on the box.

There are so many things I love about our little fella but the one thing I love the mostest is how close he is to his sister. Even at such a young age I can see the difference between my kids relationship and the relationship I had with my own younger brother when we were little. It was somewhat competitive so it meant we spent a lot of our childhood fighting over toys and trying to be better at sports than the other (I was such a tomboy). Somehow I cant see that happening with my kids, at least not to the same extent, since my little girl is very nurturing towards him and very much a girly girl, two things I was not as a girl.

So Dallin, its been an absolute pleasure helping you to get to know the world and people around you in your first year of life. A common theme at church lately has been that of the love of a parent for their child. When you have your first child, your heart is so full of love for them it is almost impossible to imagine you could expand your heart to love another. I worried about this before Dallin came along but once he came I can honestly say that my heart grew and I love him with all the love a parent has to give, and more! Happy 1st birthday my boy, love mamma. xox

Strawbolly update

2009-11-30T23:15:00.003+13:00

The strawbolly plants are doing great! Three of the four plants have about 3-4 berries each at the moment with more to come I'm sure, while the lone plant (Dallins plant in its own planter) so far has 2 berries growing. Cute!

Other things growing in Ashers little garden = beef stake tomatoes (still growing, in other words it hasnt died yet) a sun-flower that Asher brought home from kindy and couple different herbs, all growing nicely.

Strawbollies

2009-11-13T16:01:00.004+13:00

I got a phone call this morning from my granny. She asked me if we could get some strawberries for Asher to plant. I was like "yeah sure," so off we went to shop for plants.

So many to choose from, we went with red strawberries (as opposed to pink ones) and a couple different herbs.

At the counter asking about the right kind of soil to buy.

I'm no gardening expert, but here's hoping these will grow.

Asher mucking in.

This is actually quite fun!

Look at how cute!

Well its not much but it has potential. I guess we'll see how these turn out and decide whether or not we'll carry on planting things here and there in the rest of the garden.

E toru tona pakeke!

2009-10-20T23:31:00.003+13:00

Yes, my girl is now 3! And I cant believe it. In fact, not a day goes by that I dont think of how fast my babies are growing up. When we moved into this house we are in, my girl was getting the hang of talking and now shes a full on story teller! She can answer the phone and hold a conversation with the person at the other end. She can buckle her own seat-belt (thankfully she cant unbuckle...yet) and she can count to five-teen. The list of songs she knows the words to (mostly her own interpretations of course) grows by the day but her favorite song by far is "honey honey" from Mamma Mia. She can make her own breakfast and help dry the dishes and tells me when Dallin is crying. Man! This girl is SO wonderful! Call me a proud boastful parent, its almost a sin the amount of pride I have in my little bubbi. She's the best big sister and an even better daughter. Compared to some 3 year olds I know, mine wins when it comes to behaving in sacrament, saying her prayers without being prompted and willingly participating in FHE. What more can I say, we are so blessed! Ash, we love you long time!

Since I've been gone...

2009-09-14T18:20:00.005+12:00

A lot has happened since I last posted somethin...

1. We had to postpone our mini-holiday which we were supposed to go on after Ed's work trip to Aucks. Sadly one of my younger cousins passed away so we used our holiday money to make the trip to the funeral. A blessing in disguise really. So we started on our 6 hour drive early Saturday morning and came home early Sunday morning so Ed could catch his plane to Auckland from Welly. Asher stayed on with my mother for four days so I spent the most part of that week alone with Dallin. It was a different feeling having only D to take care of, but I enjoyed our time together. When Eden got back, we got these...

What's that? You want to see what was inside? OK...

OK, now that we've drooled over this lot, we might as well see how they went down with Ash...

That look = very satisfied indeed.

2. As at Sept 29th, Dallin's teeth count = 8. He has also found joy in dancing and singing along to music (particularly with Ellen) and has also reduced his early morning feeds from 2 to 1.

(OK so I missed most of his dancing but he did dance a lot more before I pointed the big black distraction of a camera at him, honest!)

Moving along...

3. I took Asher for her first haircut but she refused to get into the chair. Note to self - try taking her in the morning (our first try was probably too late in the day) to a hairdresser who doesnt look scary and who has a proven method for getting small children into the chair. It really is about time she got her hair cut, these home jobs just arent cutting it anymore.We will be trying our luck again this Thursday so watch this space.

4. Eden is studying again for four exams which have to be all sat by December. Thankfully he has a brain like a sponge so let's hope he can pull them all off because it will take a lot of pressure off of this family of four on a single income.

5. Ed also has a new calling as the ward welfare specialist. Hopefully this will inspire him to look at and work on our own welfare situation...hopefully. No, it WILL-I have faith!

6. I was asked by my brother (via text message) if I was "preggers" to which I replied "why would I be?" His reply was "because mum said you missed church because you were sick and boboi (Dallin) was sucking on his toe!" You see there is an old wives' tale in Maoridom that says when a baby sucks on his feet then his mother is pregnant. Well judging by what I was sick with, I can 100% guarantee that I was not and am not pregnant.

7. My kids are so close! They are the best of friends. I can tell because they both miss eachother when one is not around. If Asher comes home from my mums or my SIL's she'll ask for Dallin right away. And if I come home with Asher and Dallin spots her coming through the door, he'll let out a big "ah-aaaah!" as if to say "yay, big sister is back! I missed you!" It's such a pleasure to watch them laugh and play together, I hope hope hoooooope it carrys on as they grow older.

Four legged friends.

2009-08-25T16:20:00.008+12:00

My Ash is afraid of animals. In fact, she will run from a tiny sparrow if one flies down to scoop up crumbs in front of her. She has never been too keen on petting animals or getting remotely close to them. She would much rather enjoy them from a distance. So you can imagine my anticipation in seeing how Ash would react to the miniature pony and the alpaca and goat and guinea pigs and three little lambs and chicken and rabbits that visited kindy today.

I'll admit I was a little excited they were coming because a) I love farm animals as they remind me of visiting my grandparents farm when we were little b) who can resist petting a cute little lamb or a funky alpaca?! c) I figure getting up close to animals more often (since we aren't allowed pets at our house) will get her used to them. You'd think.

Notice Asher's careful placing of herself in proximity to the caged lambs (thats her in the pink hoodie).

Just as I expected, Ash kept her distance and looked on while the other children pushed in line to hold the little animals or bottle feed the bigger ones. Oh well, at least she petted Honey the shitzu/bichon, that's about as close as she's ever been to anything on four legs.

Actually, Ash was more or less forced into it. Notice how her arm is held in position. I guess she was fine so long as she wasn't looking at Honey. Oops, she must have looked!

Usually I think pictures of animals are boring, but I took some anyway because they were all little versions of their kind. I mean big alpaca = average in a "sure you can have my attention for a second or two" kinda way, but a little alpaca = very adorable, so adorable that you just want to hug it or talk in baby talk to it!

And just check out the grin on this lambs face!

Our Mini Holiday

2009-08-15T19:13:00.008+12:00

Asher has a few words and phrases she loves to use regularly on a daily basis. These include "I go kindy 'morrow!" and "I go holiday!" and "I love you too!"

We love hearing her put sentences together and watching her as she thinks hard about what she wants to say. Well since she came home from her one week holiday away with my mum, one of her favorite words to use was "holiday." And so I decided, a holiday for us is not such a bad idea. Since Eden has a weeks leave coming up very soon I decided I would search online for somewhere for us to get away to and have a lil vaycay.

The plan is to meet Eden after his week working in Auckland somewhere in the middle of the North Island. So far it's a toss up between Taupo-nui-a-tea a.k.a Taupo and Nga roto o Rotorua or Roto-vegas. I figure these are close enough that it wont cost a mint to get to and far away enough that we'll feel like we've actually left town. Oh the excitement and fun I am having looking for places to stay and deciding on things we can do as a family.

It would be a lot easier if one of these places were less exciting than the other but then I suppose they are both very similar in terms of attraction. Here's what I mean...

The views are stunning.

Above: Lake Tarawera; Below: Lake Taupo

The ground is steaming hot! You can't get this much action in Wellington.

Above: Whakarewarewa; Below: Craters of the Moon

People.

. . .

OK so I don't have any photos of people but you get the idea. If our mini holiday happens guaranteed it will feature here as soon as we get home, until then we will have to do with trips to the Hutt Valley where they have excellent playgrounds and lots of hidden picnic areas along the river. At least the Hutt is warm in the spring and we can always stop in at Nanna and Granddads on the way home.

While you were sleeping...

2009-08-13T21:06:00.002+12:00

...we four in the Joseph household were well and truly awake. We decided 2:44 am would be the best time to wake up for once, just to be random. Not.

So I woke up early this morning wondering why my backside was unusually hot. "Oh my goodness, did I wet myself?" was the first thing that popped into my dazed and confused mind. I reached across to our pint sized bed pal and realized it was she that had watered our bed. "Phew!" I thought, relieved I had escaped what could have been an embarrassing situation to explain but gutted that I now had to get up and drag myself into the shower in the wee hours of the morn (I know I know... I HAD to do it).

I reach over the little one and tap my hubby on the head.

"Eden, Ash has wet the bed!"

"Huh?"

"I'm getting in the shower, can you bring her to me?"

"Freak!"

I think she slept through the shower and didn't wake up til she was dressed in new pj's.

Thankfully our foam underlay saved our super-king slash impossible-to-flip mattress from getting wet. I will admit I delighted in the fact that we would go back to sleep on super fresh linen. There's nothing like slipping into bed after laying down fresh linen, even at 3am.

We were almost all back in bed when Ash decided she wanted to stay up. She put on her best desperate face and in her 2 and 3/4 year old language pleaded we let her watch T.V. Luckily for me, Dallin woke up and needed my attention, so off went daddy and daughter into the lounge never to be seen again til day light.

So now that I've got the bed to myself, and the other two are off making a bed on the couch, I decide to put Dallin in with me. Little did I know another sneaky sleep impediment would find its way onto my path back to dreamland. At 28 years of age, my wisdom teeth are finally deciding to appear. I knew they were there since I had all my biters x-rayed before I went to the Philippines. I thought I was one of the lucky ones who'd escaped the pain I've known wisdom teeth to cause. I kept telling myself that if they haven't come through yet, I doubt they ever will. Obviously I spoke too soon.

Dallin was the only one who got a decent nights sleep. I suppose it's only fair since his teeth (there are 6 all up now) have kept him awake at night for the past 2 months. The funniest thing about our early bird start to the day is that rrrrrrright before I put her to bed last night, I said to Eden, "isn't it cool how we haven't had to put Ash in nappies for bed?" Suuuuure enough right after she went ahead and broke a perfect streak of nil beds wet.

I guess I only have myself to blame. I should have touched wood like a normal person!

Yesterday and today

2009-08-11T20:03:00.004+12:00

I had Monday-itis. I don't even have a day job but still I just didn't feel like doing anything. I'm a full time mother so really my days feel like they're all rolled into one and the only reason I know it's Monday is because the day before I put on my Sunday best and went to church. So yeah, my yesterday was spent doing very little. It was great.

As for today. We got up. We got ready for kindy. We got in the car and off we went.

Dallin and I spent an hour at kindy playing and sitting and pretending to eat food Ash had heated for us in the wooden microwave. It was yum whatever it was. We watched the boys make a train track that stretched across the length of the classroom. It was long. We watched the girls make cupcakes out of playdough. They were glittery. When it was time for morning tea, Dallin and I snuck out the gate and went for a drive.

The afternoon rolled around and I found myself checking the usual places my friends hang out online. I had some great IM catch ups. I love to IM. I love how my social life (offline) improves after an IM chat. Yay.

Tonight I made sushi. Sushi is great, but even though I think it's great it's one of those things that if people ask me if I like it, I wait to see what they say first before saying I do. Then I will know if I have to play it down or not. You see, not everyone likes sushi. I have a fear of being disliked because I like it. That's right, a fear. It's not silly. It's just my attempt at being liked by everyone, despite my liking sushi.

I guess I am a people please-er. I have no idea why. I don't see people making huge efforts to please me. It's relatively easy to please me. Just bring me some chocolate and tell me how lovely I look and I'm happy. Actually chocolate is a tricky one. There is definitely a downside to bringing me chocolate. In fact lets list them:
a) one little block is never enough = me eating more than I should = me feeling guilty for not eating healthy = I feel fat = I want to eat more chocolate because I'm sad = vicious cycle = me spinning out of control = it's all your fault for bringing me chocolate.
b) one little block is never enough and so on and so forth.
c) you get the picture.

OK so I think I've established that chocolate is not a good idea if you want me to be pleased. I do like pineapple though, and mangoes and seedless grapes. Just in case you were stuck for ideas.

Right, now that I'm well and truly on my way to tummy grumble town I suppose I should make like Tom and Cruise or a banana and split or a tree and leave or a bird and fly or a ... oh snap, that's all I've got.

On that note, good afternoon, good evening and good night!

Aue tau kuri e.

2009-07-28T10:40:00.003+12:00

Let's try to write in Maori. Key word - try.

He korero tenei e pa ana ki nga mahi o tetahi whaea e noho ana ki te whare ki te awhi ki ana tamariki, ko Asher raua ko Dallin.

I tetahi ra, ka oho a Asher a ka pirangi ia ki te kai i te parakuihi. Ahakoa te tiori o tana tamahine, ka moe tonu a Dallin. A muri i te parakuihi ka haere a Asher ki tana ruma moe ki te tini ki ana kakahu.

OK. That's all I've got. Oh...em...goodness!

Not that I don't have a story to tell, I do. For every word I struggle to find in Maori, a Tagalog replacement comes out. For a few words, I didn't even notice. Frustrating! For example instead of writing patai which means question or to ask a question I wrote hingi which means ask in Tagalog. Hingi isn't even the right ask so even more frustrating!

In conclusion, I am sad that I went from a proficient speaker of te reo to practically useless.

Thanks Maori language week for bringing new meaning of the word effortless to me.

Huh?

2009-07-17T16:35:00.002+12:00

Ash and I like to play that game where I ask her what sound a certain animal makes and she makes the sound - you know the one...

Me: What sound does a doggy make?

Ash: Woof woof!

Me: Yes! Good girl!
What sound does a sheep make?

Ash: Baaaa!

Me: Yes!
What about a cow

Ash: Mooooo!

Me: Yay! Good girl!
And what sound does a bird make?

Ash: Fly fly!

Me: Huh?? (and then I click - "flying" is the sound they make - DUH!)

Hahaha!

Two Front Teeth, Frilly Dresses, Days off Work and Birthday Money

2009-06-25T11:07:00.007+12:00

Dallins two front teeth have popped up over the past week or so. I felt for the poor boy since its bad enough coping with getting one let alone two. Atleast noone can say I havnt suffered along with him since sometimes he thinks its a good idea to have a good hard bite while Im breastfeeding him. Ouchies for sure! I used to moan when his gums would get a good grip, now add two little rough edged teeth to it and you've got one screaming mum and a cheeky smiley faced monkey, hahaha. Im sure he knows that biting me hurts because as soon as I dig my finger in there to break free, he's got a huge smile on his face, nnnnnaughty boy! And ontop of his teeth he's got the flu, double boo. The upside is that he doesnt grizzle his way through the whole thing, that would be stinkies.

As for miss Ash bash, she's another one with the flu. She doesnt like wearing layers of clothes as it is so its been a struggle trying to keep her warm. Yes our Ash likes summer dresses she can twirl around in, a real girly girl. Of course I'm the one who gets into trouble whenever my own mother comes around and catches her parading around in a frilly dress like a fairy princess, as if I havnt tried all morning to keep her snuggled up in winter woolies. Kids will be kids, they dont feel the cold and just want to play and have fun.

Of course my dear husband didnt want to miss out on the indoor fun so he went ahead and got himself the flu so he could spend some time at home. I appreciate that our sniffles and sneezes have given us the chance be at home together to hug the fire and sit around like old people in a retirement home (minus the tapioca pud and bingo hahaha).

All this being stuck at home has given me time to think of what I might spend my bday riches on. Clothes? Perhaps. A new and decent haircut? Its about time for another one, but we'll see how I feel. At the risk of sounding desperately housewife-ish, something new for the kitchen???? Dont need to (thanks bro for the slow cooker). I know, something edible for the kids in my Sunday school class? Nah. Its funny coz I know I've spent time thinking of what I would buy if I had money to spare, and now I havnt a clue. I'll probably spend it on the kids. I always feel better when I've added to their wardrobes things they can grow in to. Yes. Thats what it will go towards, if we ever make it outta here alive!!! Da-dummmmmmmmm!

sicky 28th birthday

2009-06-23T21:50:00.007+12:00

Today I turned 28. I have a sore throat and a bit of a headache, pretty stink. It was cooooldies all day and I was not feeling it at all. But I couldnt go to bed without bloggin a little sumthin about my "happy birthday" as Ash puts it. I suppose if I wasnt so sicky sick, I would have enjoyed the gifts I was given by my favorite people. Thankfully, I didnt have to get outta my jim jams til I was ready to go out and run errands as my wonderful friend came and dropped off a gift for me and offered to take my girl to kindy, allowing my son and I to go back to bed and keep warm for an extra hour. Bliss!

Took my gran out so she could get stuff done and came back to my mums to sprawl out infront of the awesome fireplace. Right when I was about to doze off, I had to go back out into the cold to go get my husband from the train station, brrrrrr! We go get dinner for the whanau, then I find my spot again by the fire. Yuss! Since our whole little family is coughy and headachy, we decided to camp at mums since it was already warm. SO here I am. In bed, next to the fire, my son and I. Waaaaarmies!

And now Im tired. Sleep time for me.

A few of Asher's kindy firsts.

2009-05-11T18:39:00.007+12:00

First walk through the kindy gate.

First painting.

First play-dough pie.

First play-dough pie in the oven.

Of course she had fun doing other things, but we'll keep those pics just for us.
The best part for me was having Ed at home with our son so I could share this day with her one on one. Absolutely wonderful!

She's off tomorrow!

2009-05-10T21:22:00.005+12:00

By "she" I mean my little girl. By "off" I mean going somewhere important and special. By "tomorrow" I mean, well you should know what I mean. SO where is my little girl going tomorrow? To kindy. That's right, my little girl is growing up. And what a bitter sweet feeling it is to say the least.

Tonight marks my last night as a mother of two little ones who stay at home, with me, at home, during the day. Tomorrow I become the mother of two little ones, one of which is a big kindy girl, the other - the one Im no doubt going to smother until its his turn to do the same. Sigh and sob and laugh and cry all in the same breath.

So from tomorrow, I'll be packing a little school bag with an extra change of clothes every day of the week. I'll be sending her off with a little lunch box and a little drink bottle and other little things on the kindy essentials list.

I guess I never thought this day would come. I suppose spending all this time with Ash and her not having too many commitments during the day was just so much fun that I figured we would just keep it that way. I have enjoyed our time playing and doing mother daughter things, so much so that I know I will miss it a lot.

Ash has taught me a lot, mostly how to have fun and laugh and enjoy the little things in life. But kids grow up and need to branch out, its only fair that I let her spread her little wings so she can learn to fly on her own. Sigh and sob again.

Lehi's Journey

2009-05-06T23:03:00.008+12:00

Ash is really into her new book at the moment. She carries it around everywhere. She even knows some of the characters by name.

I started out wanting one for myself then found myself on-selling for the illustrator (an acquaintance of mine) and have consequently sold 6 out of 9 in one day. Not a bad effort...although, the book really does sell itself.

Good stuff!

Bop to the top!

2009-04-27T12:47:00.003+12:00

NO not HSM, but Baby Boppers. Our girl has started dancing at our local dance school, in the Baby Boppers class. Its a school that allows toddlers to discover their inner Anna Pavlova slash Janet Jackson through hip hop, jazz, tap and ballet. The best thing about it is that students can carry on with private tutoring as they get older or continue on in the school, so if bubbi likes it she can keep doing it as long as she wants.

We went along today with our friend who told us about it, and as we enter the room our three kids decide its the perfect time to start crying and screaming, so instead of "hey everyone" I manage a "sorry about this guys" with a please forgive us look on my face, to which the kind strangers agree its totally fine, kids are kids.

When the class began Ash stood back casually just to suss everything out. She sized up the other little tutu wearing dancers and watched the teacher flutter around the hall like an over-sized Tinkerbell before she felt comfortable enough to let go of my hand. On the outside she seemed shy but on the inside I knew there were plenty of wriggles dying to break free. So cute.

When she built up enough courage, she let go of my hand and skipped around a bit until she realized she was out on the floor on her own, then quickly found her place again at my side. I gave her a little nudge to get back out there, but she wasn't having it unless I went. So out I go, me and another mum, and we agreed it could end up being a good work out for the both of us. I haven't swung my hips like that in the longest time, hahaha.

I suppose I'm glad there are a lot of things on offer for the little ones to get into before they start doing big kid stuff like going to kindy and such. I hope the dancing thing is something Ash will want to keep doing, but if not I'm sure we will find something else to do. For now though, we'll try out the dancing thing and see how that goes.

Lark in the Park

2009-04-22T23:10:00.003+12:00

Ok, so I over did it with the second pic, but she's still v. adorable.

Note to self....

2009-04-15T12:33:00.002+12:00

Get rid of all the junk at the bottom of email posts before they're sent!

te first post from te email

2009-04-15T12:32:00.001+12:00

this is me emailing a post...look out people, more ways to post means more posts to read which means less time doing important-er stuff which means things dont always get done until finished which means upside down house which means living in an upside down house which means oh no better go e i e i oooooo.

Kylie Joseph

Download the new Windows Live Looking for a place to manage all your online stuff?

Jade and Andrews wedding

2009-04-12T20:04:00.013+12:00

random acts of randomness

2009-04-09T22:11:00.003+12:00

drove to town, upside down, in the car, oh so far, think of me, think of you, taking our kids, to the zoo, pineapple lumps and tummy bumps, hot cross buns just for funs, take me to another place, dotting glitter on my face, miley cyrus or hannah montana? scarf on your head or a pretty bandana? swimming in the ocean, spilling love potion, surfing on the internet, book a flight on a pretty blue jet, catching little butterflies, watching clouds up in the sky, people eat people play people say what they say, peeps are good peeps are bad, peeps give you what you never had, lookin up lookin out, thats what its all about, happy hands happy feet, moving to a funky beat, apples oranges peaches pears, getting older through the years, wrinkly skin, wrinkly face, wrinkles wrinkes all over the place, time goes fast when it dont go slow, primo says just go with the flow, i am here you are there, i can see your under---thats not very nice, put it on ice, can i have a cup of rice with my chicken adobo, im not a hobo, im a lady on a bike and i like to ride solo, dont hit me, kick me or spin me around, i'll put my hand bag on the ground, chase you to the top of a tree, and make you say im sorry to me, please dont leave, there you go, c'mon people, its on with the show,tapos na, haere ra, lets go riding in my car car!

Apple picking time

2009-04-03T15:43:00.006+13:00

We found this cute little orchard just out of town today.

Asher and Granny got a bucket and wandered through the trees.

Asher loves picking apples,

putting them in the bucket,

and keeping one for herself.

I strolled around and found these in a cute little local produce barn.

Even Dallin had fun.

The end.

Priceless

2009-04-02T21:27:00.005+13:00

A couple weeks ago while at Dallin's 3 month Plunket visit, I was changing him on the table where they measure and check over the bubs. Hanging over the table was the cutest little mobile with little wooden butterflies with smiley little faces. I didn't even notice it was there. But I did notice how calm Dallin was as I changed him. His eyes were fixed on something in the air so much so that it put a smile on his face. When I looked up, there was this mobile. I never bothered with mobiles for the kids because I didnt think Id have my kids lying down all the time while they were awake. I will never forget the look on his face, how intently he watched this simple contraption, just like that he changed my mind.

So since then I kept an eye out for a mobile for his crib. I spotted this cute one on Trademe that started at a bargain $5 with no reserve. So I watched it til the day the auction was to close and with no bids on it, I went for it. Up to the last ten minutes, I was in the lead when some freak user upped the bidding by a laughable 50 cents! I was like "oh no you dont!" and so I upped their bid buy the same amount. "Take that you mobile stealer! No one moves in on MY sons toys." Haha. OK so maybe I'm dramatizing it, I couldn't help it. Anyways, I won and was very delighted.

The next day, I went from being very delighted to very VERY delighted when I came across the exact same mobile in the Baby Factory. I had to check the price of it to see how much I saved from buying it second hand. Want to know how much? $44 is how much, very very delighted indeed. Besides the thrill of bagging a bargain, the fact that Dallin absolutely LOVES it, is really the icing on the cake. Here is the mobile that puts a smile on my sons face...

Mobile from Trademe: $6.00

Mobile in the Baby Factory: $50.00

The smile on Dallin's face as he enjoys his new mobile: priceless

Game on!

2009-04-02T18:45:00.007+13:00

We bought two new games today.

Wiiiiiiii!

Have I seen Slumdog Millionaire?

2009-04-01T23:45:00.002+13:00

Yes I have.
I quite enjoyed it.
Even if most Indian critics didnt.
I liked the music.
And I admit, I didnt know A. R. Rahman was as accomplished as he is.
I loved the little kids.
I didnt cry once.
But I was captured.
I love how they switched from Hindi to English.
Even if some people didnt.
I love how it didnt follow the book exactly.
I didnt like when the boys eyes met with a spoon.
I love how the slums reminded me of the Philippines.
I was almost convinced it was filmed in Manila.
Clearly it wasnt.
Some people say its not "Indian" enough.
Whats more "Indian" than two people falling in love?
OMGoodness!
11:58pm!
Goodnite!

I go bonkers when...

2009-03-31T16:43:00.003+13:00

-A popular song gets stuck in my head

-People exceed the speed limit and don't indicate when making turns or merging

-I get home hoping to have something I "think" is in the cupboard only to find out its not there

-The cricket is on

-Our rubbish bin doesnt make it out in time

-The laundry pile gets bigger because the forecast says its going to rain and then it doesnt!

-I think Ive done all the laundry only to find a secret stash of clothes in the spare room that needs washing

-The book I want costs more than I'm willing to pay for it

-Its a nice day, we're at the beach and we don't have anything to swim in

And that about sums up the past few days for me.

Completely bonkers!

Good Picks

2009-03-23T22:20:00.007+13:00

Our weekend was colder and wetter outside than usual. So having the house to ourselves we decided dvds would be our main activity for Friday night and Saturday. This time we did a grab and run, meaning grab a vid and run with it - no finding out what the story is about, just check the rating and off you go. Here's what we ended up with...

When you think about it, a man who relies on a blow up doll to work through his personal issues doesn't exactly scream "Mormons, watch this!" Lucky I didn't read the synopsis for this one or I would have put it back on the shelf and missed out on a good movie. This one could have gone in a very different - very wrong direction, but it didn't. It could have been OTT, but it wasn't. It was actually quite good. So what did Lars and the Real Girl have going for it? Well the story was different, it had a great cast and the small town setting provided the perfect backdrop for this tight knit community of caring souls. It showed that life there was simple and made telling and understanding Lars' unique story a lot easier. Ryan Gosling wasn't too bad either. Overall, I lllllllliked it!

I am a sucker for NZ made films, well the gentle ones at least. Second-Hand Wedding gets a nod from me just for being filmed on the Kapiti Coast, especially since there are so many other coastally coastal coasty towns they could have picked, I mean NZ is basically a coaster with sheep in the middle. Granted its quite a modest little flick (and it shows) but it makes it's point and there's no racking the brain in trying to make sense of the plot. Mostly I liked it because I'm a bargain hunter myself and I love the assurance I get that Im not the only one who's fanatical about rummaging through other peoples junk, even if it is just a movie.

Lastly, College Road Trip. I knew that Donny Osmond was in this one and I really only grabbed it to see if I could understand my mothers obsession with him a bit better. After seeing it, I still had no idea. I mean he's a little funny but that was about it. Needless to say it was another clean Disney movie that did get a few laughs here and there, but nothing to write home about. I usually steer clear of Raven-Symone simply because the older and more aware of herself she gets, the more she irks me. She was way more tolerable as a child star, now shes just older and more annoying. I guess it could have been worse, so over all, it was OK.

There were a couple others we rented, but they were so lame I'm not even going to bother posting their flyers. Sorry Anacondas 3 and Babylon AD, you don't get a show in this post because you were both too lame for words.

The End.

Eaten by the Balrog!

2009-03-17T23:54:00.003+13:00

So I just took this cool LoTR quiz to see how well I knew the story and it turns out I need to polish up on my knowledge of the Hobbit a LOT (although in all fairness it has been aaaages since I read it) and a bit, OK quite a big bit, on the other three.

I guess I just felt like re-visiting the journey of the fellowship by way of butchering a quiz, good at that I am.

Crikey, if I were a part of the fellowship, I would have barely made it out of Bree (d'oh!) as I only made it to the 2nd level. Very disappointing!

To try your luck see LoTR Quiz. Good luck little Hobbit!

Ten Reasons...

2009-03-08T20:22:00.003+13:00

...why today was sooooo good:

1. It's Sunday! (no brainer)

2. We were on time for sacrament meeting, something I'm so happy about since we made a resolution be on time every week. It's been three months since we made that goal and so far we're doing great!

3. Our Nursery leaders did a great job today! Asher stayed for the whole duration and enjoyed herself without Ed or I having to hold her hand. Not that she usually needs us close by, but today was especially handy that she felt like being independent, (see points 4-5.)

4. The lesson I had to teach in Relief Society went better than I expected. It's so great to be among sisters who willingly participate (I had them role playing, what a laugh.) It not only makes for a great learning environment but it also helps calm my nerves...a lot!

5. Eden took great care of Dallin, our nearly three month old (exclusively breast-fed) son, while I taught our class. Huge relief.

6. Eden and I had such a fun conversation about how my lesson went. He laughed as I shared with him how some of the sisters acted out their parts. I love that he thought it was as funny as I thought it was even though he had to imagine the whole thing.

7. We got to have an afternoon nap!

8. We had dinner with my in-laws. The best part about it (other than the fact they are great dinner companions) was that the food my sister-in-law prepared was sooo good, not to mention the fact that SHE had prepared it, not me. Food tastes better when its made by someone else.

9. My Ash got to spend time with her cousins. I love that she has 5 cousins to play with when we go to their house for dinner. For the meantime at least, it beats not being allowed to poke her brother in the face which is her idea of playing with him.

10.We had chocolate ice-cream after the lovely dinner.Yesss.

New Sounds.

2009-03-02T23:52:00.003+13:00

New sounds can be heard in our house at the moment, Dallin has found his speaking voice, and its soooo wonderful to listen to!

I have been waiting for him to start babbling and I have to say the almost 12 week wait has been well worth it!

Of course he's made plenty of noise up to now, but it was all to do with letting us know what he wanted. Now he's just making noise to talk and it melts my heart completely.

Caught in the Cupboard

2009-02-13T21:31:00.009+13:00

As nan and I sat at lunch today, we noticed it was a little too quiet for our liking. We wondered where little Miss A. had gotten to, and what it was she was doing. I had a peep over the chair in the lounge, and there on the other side was the little miss, exploring all sorts of wondrous knick knacks she had discovered in the craft cupboard in the conservatory.

I tip-toed to the other-side of the kitchen, camera in hand, to get a better view. Placing my camera on the ground being careful to stay hidden around the corner, I began clicking away. These photos would serve as evidence of her shananigans if I was going to expose her to my mother when she got home from work, it was after all her craft cupboard.

Notice below Miss A. has no idea that she is under surveillance. Quietly her fingers explore the contents of a yellow plastic container.

I decide to call out to her to see if she knows she's being watched.

"Asher!"

She looks up and cant see me hiding around the corner.

"Asher!" I yell again, making sure to keep hidden, "what are you touching?"

Confused and convinced she'd been found out, she stands up to see where the noise is coming from.

"I can seeeee you!" I announced from behind the door as she realizes I'm closer than she thought.

Not knowing where to direct her frustration, she yells out "NO!" which translates into "don't come over here or you'll see what I've discovered and take it away from me."

Before long, she discovers my hiding place. I get up to check the sharp pointy objects haven't been found. We struggle for a minute to put things away, but we get there in the end.

Unfortunately, the battery life in my camera did not endure long enough to capture more of Asher's antics. It was fun to watch her experiment with buttons and pens and paper and ribbon. Who knows what she'll find tomorrow, I guess we'll find out as soon as we realize, its a little too quiet for our liking.

fun, time and sleeping kids.

2009-02-08T21:58:00.011+13:00

Ever wanted to know what I do at night when I'm sure that both the kids are sound asleep and not going to get up for whatever reason? I knew you did, so here I am, letting you all in on my little world when the kids doze off to sleep.

First, I read a little of one of the books I'm currently reading.

Then I open a letter book my besty and I have been keeping since November 2004. I think about what to write in it, then I close it after only having read the last entry for the hundredth time and not having added to it.

Then I'll wander off down the hall to see how Eden is (because he's on his laptop doing some work.) More often than not, (like if he's stressed because he cant fix a problem) he's fine.

I go to the fridge to find something (I dont even need) to fill the tiny (its that small you can even tell its there) gap in my tummy.

Success! Instant pudding! (dont knock it til you try it, its actually not that bad.) Spoon, bowl, choo choo train into mouth. Walk away happy.

Then I'll see if the little green light on the computer is flashing telling me it's still on. If it is, I'll pull the chair out, sit down, turn on the screen and proceed to open the following pages;

1. Hotmail
2.Facebook
3. Whatever else my inbox tells me to open
4. Blogger

If the lights arent flashing, I'll go past the computer back to my room, pray, get into bed, then sleep.

Can you tell if the lights were flashing tonight or not?

Yes, they were flashing.

So here we are. Blogging. About every thing that has to do with nothing.

I might have a browse at what other bloggers have to say. That could be fun. But only if they have the same interests as me. Being a Mormon. Cultures. Photography. PHOTOGRAPHY!

I like it when people say they like photography. Im going to be a photographer one day. Even a commercial one. People who write photography in their interests fields, usually post photos they've taken up in their blogs. I usually have a sneaky look. That can be fun.

When I think of what I considered to be fun before the kids came along...I think, chatting away to Eden while driving around aimlessly late at night, all over town til we feel tired and want to go home. I think chocolate mud pie thingy from BK at 2am in the morning with the girls. I think road tripping to Hamilton with friends...that was back in the ra's.

Now, fun is tickling Asher and hearing her laugh like crazy. Its making houses out of giant lego pieces and picking "fa-le-wa's" (flowers) outside in the garden. Its coloring outside the lines in a Dora the explorer coloring in book. Its talking to Dallin and watching him pull his funny facials, and watching him respond to Asher when she talks to him.

It's nice to have alone time when the kids are snoozing, but I cant help it, Im either online talking about them, or looking at Asher's baby photos or putting away their clothes or something to do with them. So even my alone time's not MY time, its my "time to think about them" time. But it's cool. They're my kids and I love em!

Speaking of loving my kids, its definitely sleep time for me, so that in the morning, I can take care of them the way all good loving parents do. The alternative is for them to feed and tend to themselves while I sleep in which Im sure for them will NOT be fun...Kylie, out!

Pipi Hunting

2009-01-31T19:19:00.008+13:00

Every year for the past four years or so, our family has been going to Peka Peka to hunt for pipi. In the first year about 14 of us made the trip, just family from all over that had gathered for Christmas, it was the funnest! Sadly, just under half of that made it this year.

We left the trip a little late in the season. We were reminded of our family members who have since jumped the ditch or are up north living their lives as normal. Still we tried to have fun as it was Asher's first trip where she could go in the water and have a splash around. So glad her uncle Rick was there to keep her head above water. They had an absolute blast!

At this point, we'd been at the beach for about an hour, we'd eaten our "sandy-wiches" (lots of sand filled eats) and made our way into the water (well all except myself, the designated photographer.)

Total pipi count 1 hour into trip = 0.

I think he had fun too. Mum even turned to me and quietly mentioned how he'll make such a good father. I totally agreed.

After a little time splashing in the waves, Ash decided it was time for a walk with mum and nan.

Total pipi count 1 1/2 hours into trip = still 0.

Unfortunately, work commitments held Eden back at home but thankfully my bestest mate Ree was able to come along and join in the fun. Here, Rick and Ree are trying out their best poses for this months cover of Sports Illustrated, Peka Peka style.

Total pipi count 1 3/4 hours into trip = an uninspiring 0.

Finally, I decide to dig my heels in and go find the little shell covered morsels we had traveled so far to find. I think the most we found collectively was like 3 pipi, a whole bunch of empty shells (as you do when you're at the beach) and a handful of those cockle things which even though we dont eat them, we still collected to make the stash look like more than it really was.

Our tiny bucket looked sad this year. Not only was our pipi hunting troop down in numbers but the pipi beds were completely covered by the high tide we failed to anticipate (helpful tip #1, check the tides before you go on pipi hunting expeditions.)

This years trip was so different from the others. We missed our family, our picnic got blasted by a sandstorm, our pipi hunting went out the window, and the approaching high tide about chased us off the beach. Our car got stuck in the sand thanks to my not heeding warnings given by Ree to move the car (helpful tip #2 when the water starts to move up the beach, it means the tide is coming IN and you NEED to move your car FAST!)

Actually, if I'm honest, each trip we make to Peka Peka is unique. We create memories every time, whether it be that one time we ate garlic prawns cooked on the camp stove or that Eden lost his wedding band in the big blue unforgiving ocean, or that Asher splashed around in her uncles arms. Each time is different but we'll probably keep making our way to this beach to keep what has turned into a tradition, going.

Total pipi count at end of hunt = 3 (but I already mentioned that)

the goodness

2009-01-27T15:33:00.002+13:00

The goodness is when something really good, like warm fuzzy good, happens to you. Like when you get up in the morning and the dishes you left in the sink the night before have been done. Or when you manage to get both the kids down for a nap at the same time or you get snail mail from a friend. No one writes anymore, its just quicker to email! But yes, I love the goodness.

Today was filled with goodness. I woke up this morning, and not only were the dishes done but the lounge was tidy. Its NEVER tidy when we go to bed, cleaning up at the end of the night is usually the last thing we feel like doing so it becomes a first thing in the morning job. All before 9am, that's two pieces of goodness.

A friend from ages ago came over today with her two kids, around the same ages as mine. We laughed the entire visit at the silliest things, mainly at how our lunch kept getting interrupted because we had to rescue one of our kids from a punch in the face or their hair being pulled. I suppose we were silly to think we could have a proper meal while the kids were bouncing off the walls. After a while we just gave up lunch and joined in the fun. More goodness!

After they left, I got a call from Eden. I love it when he calls, its never about anything important other than to see what I'm doing. It's nice to know he thinks of us while hes at work. Even MORE goodness.

It's all about the goodness and Eden isn't even home from work yet. Next on the agenda, create something delish for dinner to keep the cycle of goodness going...

fun baby games!

2009-01-20T22:12:00.004+13:00

Here's a fun game to play with a 4 week old...oh wait! That's how old my son is! Although I'd love to take credit for making this one up, I actually got it off a website I've been going to since I was pregnant with Asher. Of all the baby/pregnancy websites online, this is the one I found myself going back to...

Tube talk. Seems pretty obvious what you do, when baby is wide awake and alert grab a cardboard tube, put it to his ear and talk to him. A good way to begin is to tell him you're going to share a secret, then use the tube to tell it. Do the same for both ears and watch his expressions. Oh and have fun!

Sorry to have posted a borrowed pic from the website, but Dallin and I have yet to try this one out. I cant wait to play it with him though, simple as the game seems, it's always cool to learn new things to do with bubbies. Oh the fun!

Its raining!

2009-01-18T23:54:00.004+13:00

What a nice night its been. Hubby and I have had quite a relaxing evening sittin and chattin about everything and anything. Little Ash is having a sleep over at nans and little D. is snoozing away with his arms stretched out over his little head, so we've had three hours of uninterrupted time to joke and laugh, reminisce about the past and think about the future. Lovely.

So what am I doing up blogging at 12am you ask? Well, I close my eyes for a brief moment and Ed says "ah, good night mummy," just like Asher would if she were here and proceeds to make his way down the hall to the main PC. I jump up and reply "where are you going?" to let him know Im not asleep. "Im off to use the internet," he says which then has me asking was there a cricket game on today? "ok then," I tell him and ask "will you pass me the laptop?" I figure since Im not in a sleeping mood just yet I might as well jump on the net for a tick before I doze off and join sonny boy in sleepy land.

So here I am. Loving the sound of the rain on the roof. I realize just quietly that it hasnt rained in a while, strange for a Wellington summer to have kept us dry this whole time. Actually it rained early this morning, thats right I remember it now and that I woke up a little confused. "Did I sleep through spring?" I wondered. Then I came to and realized we're still in January and we're gonna be late for church (which for us now starts at 9am) if we dont get up real quick!

It ended up being quite a good day at church. A well prepared teacher in sunday school and relief society makes all the difference. I am enjoying our lessons at the moment. Apart from being well prepared, theyre thought provoking and always leave me wanting to learn more. You know a lesson has gone well if you come away having learned something new and for me, having a desire to study the scriptures a little more each time.

Its always nice having a conversation with Ed about the lessons too, or anything centred on the gospel for that matter. He has such a huge vault of knowledge in that head of his, I really admire how much he has stored up in terms of things gospel. I always know I can turn to him if theres something I want to know. If he doesnt know, then he steers me in the right direction. Love it!

Aw, I just love life right now! Love my little family. Love having time outs and one on one time with Ed. Love it when its just the four of us cuddled up on the couch. Love packing the kids up into the car and going to church. Love chocolate brownies (had one for dessert tonight) and the reason I started this post in particular, I love when it rains on hot nights in the summer! Love it!

bed rest is a doozy!

2009-01-09T16:27:00.001+13:00

Ive just had a visit from my LMC. "Kylie," she says as she examines my tummy, "no more walking around for the next few days." And that was that. Sentenced to the confines of my super-king posturepedic. Jealous? Dont be.

Usually the thought of layin up in bed chillaxin all day sounds like heaven. You know, curlin' up with a good book, taking the phone off the hook, shuttin' the blinds and assuming your coziest position. Sounds like a dream, especially when you have an energetic two year old turning your house upside down most days! Today, Im laid up in bed, but its nothing like the scene I've just described.

The two year old is at grandma's so no probs there, but I can't curl up b/c I have to lie flat on my back...I'll get to that soon. There arent any good books around (ok thats my own fault, note to self- get more good books) and I cant take the phone off the hook because Im expecting an important phonecall from my LMC. I dont really want to shut the blinds because I want to get some fresh air in the room or else I'll die of over heating, and the coziest position right now is anything other than flat on my back, which is where I have to stay!

Dont get me wrong, I dont encourage moaning about the stink stuff as its a trait I find hugely annoying in others. Instead I thought Id use this time to reflect upon things I usually take for granted when Im my fully functioning self. But before that, understanding how I got to be here might make things clearer, then again, it makes the moaning about it that much sillier, coz really, I should be thankful. Nevertheless, this is how I got here...

Ok, so its been three weeks and two days since I had our baby boy Dallin. He was born by caesarean (for an actual reason, not coz Im a fraidy cat), which as you can imagine was far less painful than a normal labour and birth. Recovering from it so far has actually been really good. I knew before I had Dallin that it would be up to me just how fast Id heal and that it would mean taking things slowly and "keeping things clean," (and by "things" I mean my wound silly.)

Thankfully Dallin was born during Edens holiday period, so he's been home to take over a bit while I rest. Honestly, what a blessing! So, to cut a long story short (baby is doing great by the way, almost 5 kgs now!) three weeks have gone by and my LMC says I need to take things even slower! One of my stitches popped (gross I know, soz) so now Im in bed, flat on my back, its hot outside and I want to go for a walk and enjoy the day while the sun is still out. Um, not gonna happen. And yeah, thats the how.

Now to that list of little things usually taken for granted:

1. Walking. Yep, plain old walking. Continuous one foot in front of the other kinda walking. Ok, so of course I can still walk and get up and get around, but seriously, no walking for a little bit = I'll get better faster and be able to cope better when Eden goes back to work next week. I guess when I put it that way its not so bad. Still, freedom to walk at whenever times, definitly gets taken for granted.

2. Picking up Asher. No heavy lifting (heavy meaning anything weighing more than the baby) means no picking up Asher. Baby = 4.8 kgs. Asher = 12 kgs. It's sad not being able to pick up your own child when they stretch up their little arms towards you. Just sad.

3. Being able to vacuum. I cant stand when the vacuuming isnt done properly! I dont mean properly as in "my way," what I mean is nothing gets left behind, lift up the rugs, go behind the door, underneath the couch cushions, properly. Ok so maybe I do mean my way. But honestly, you dont realise how much stress your abs are put under until they have to recover from major surgery. I vacuumed once, and now Im in bed. Sigh.

4. Being able to drive. Cant drive anywhere for at least another 2 weeks. Stink!

And the list goes on. No gym, no running, no bunjy jumping, no swimming, no bombing into the "no swimming" pool, no doing anything that involves the use of tummy muscles. Ok so its just a list of things I cant do while Im recovering, but things I definitly take for granted being able to do.

Things will return to normal eventually. But still. And it definitly goes without saying, at least I have Dallin. I'll save my brag session about him for another day. In no way was this post meant to imply that I wish I didnt have him. Id do it all over again if I had to. Rather, being here in bed all day, as in ALL day, did help me realise that there are certainly little things in life we all take for granted.

So, the next time someone asks you to drive them some place, or you cant be bothered getting up to switch the channel coz you cant find the remote, spare a thought for your old pal Kyz. It's like that old comedian Joe E. Lewis once said, "you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." My thoughts exactly! Get up people! Coz bed rest is a doozy!

No More Chocolate For Breakfast

2009-01-09T14:50:00.000+13:00

Well, I'm no longer pregnant, so there goes my excuse for having chocolate first thing in the morning. Besides, chocolate for breakfast just doesnt have the same appeal it used to. And so I've decided it was time to get rid of the old title and bring in something new. It is the beginning of a new year after all. Now the tricky part, finding time among nappy changing, meal making and picking up toys to even keep this thing going.

How to become a millionaire.

2009-01-08T12:24:00.000+13:00

Get to know and obtain at least one dollar from exactly one million people.

Names.

2009-01-05T21:37:00.000+13:00

"Seriously. Dont take me too seriously." Me.

What's in a name? Are our names so significant that our parents hope we will live up to their meanings? Or do we get given names of others because of the kind of people they were? Do we borrow names from others because they sound cool when you say them? Or do we like the origin of the name, the fact that it sounds exotic or fresh? Or do we get given a name because of sentimental reasons where it serves to remind our parents of a certain situation, a place, a person, or an event? Or do we just end up fitting the meaning because we've found out for ourselves what the books say our names mean, and then try to fulfill them? Or do we do the opposite? I have decided that after all is said and done, my name has the deepest most spiritual meaning of all.

Lets examine for a moment the meaning of Kylie. I have heard of several meanings for my name, one of which I don't care to share, its just too embarrassing. But the one definition I don't mind however is the widely accepted Australian definition that a Kylie is a boomerang, a wooden instrument that has one side flat and the other convex and when thrown will always return to its initial point from where it came. If we considered that we somehow end up fitting the definition of our names, does this mean then that I am a person who's both boring (in other words "flat") and fun (in other words "convex" or "out there") at the same time? Or does it allude to my physique? (I sure hope not.) Or does it mean I'm complicated? Or does it mean I'm indecisive? Who knows?

Eden and I have had great joy in naming our two children. We picked names that held sentimental reasons to us both. Our daughter, Asher Lee, takes her name from the bible and from my mother. The sentimental value lies in an experience I had while serving my mission. To cut a long story short, I had chance to make friends with a missionary who revealed to me he was of the tribe of Asher. He was someone who helped me through a difficult time of my life, someone I looked up to. I knew when he told me he was of the tribe of Asher that I would use it to name of my first child, whether boy or girl. According to the bible dictionary, Asher means happy. Asher is such as happy child, it couldn't be more fitting! Is it a coincidence that she lives up to the meaning of her name? Or is it just that we look for certain characteristics that align with the meaning/s of the name itself and we are satisfied?

Our son, Dallin Maniapoto, takes his name from an apostle and from his father. Even in his infancy Dallin seems to show signs of seriousness and concern in his face which are characteristics owned by his name-sake. It is also note worthy to mention that I met this apostle while (again) on my mission. I know it seems now that I my own sentiments have dominated in the naming of our kids, but its just as well we can have more (just to be fair to Eden.)

And what of my DH Eden? Let's ignore for now the fact that Eden is mostly a girls name and focus on the fact that there is no way we can disconnect "Eden" from that garden where Adam and Eve once roamed. I assure you that DH neither looks nor acts like an area overgrown with vines and shrubbery. When we think of the garden of Eden, we think of innocence, serpents, fruit, cheribum, flaming swords, trees, innocence and fruit! I'd like to think my husband is innocent and not much of a fruit cake, although he is sweet and has angel like qualities. I am the first to admit that when we started dating, introducing him as Eden took a little getting used to. After a while, my tall dark and handsome beau began to me to suit his name more than any other Eden I'd ever met. He had successfully made a feminine name masculine and I was proud of it!

So! What's in a name? Perhaps nothing, or perhaps everything! Maybe I myself am an exact human version of a boomerang. I've been to many places in my life, some so wonderful I don't know why I ever left, like the temple or the Philippines! It seems however that no matter where I go, I always seem to return home. I'm the kind of girl who could never leave home. Home is where the heart is, that kind of thing. Then again, perhaps we are all boomerangs, thrust down to earth to have our experiences, only to return to the place where it all began (see answers to life questions) Either way, I feel I live up to my name. I'm just glad it has such a definition that can be interpreted to have a deeper spiritual meaning. What does your name say about you? Probably more than you realize...

my short cuts

2009-01-02T14:45:00.000+13:00

Welcome to a list of words that might need explaining. Thanks to Ange for inspiring this idea.

Bobo - not to be confused with the tagalog meaning which is stupid, "bobo" is Ashers way of communicating she would like a bottle of milk.
DH - denotes ones Dear Husband and is widely used by online "review and message post-ers"(for a whole list of other such internet abbreviations and acronyms, see list)

the naughtiest trifle you'll ever eat.

2008-12-29T17:58:00.000+13:00

I, unlike my husband, am not much of a pudding fan. Recently however I found a recipe that I just had to try, and with a few personal touches ( such as the oreos for that crunch element and strawberries to break up that chocolate intensity) I've created what could well be the naughtiest dessert you'll ever eat. Give it a go, I dare you!

ingredients:

500g chocolate brownie, roughly cut up into little pieces (home made or store bought, up to you)
2 pkts chocolate instant pudding, made up, mixed together and refrigerated until set
1 pkt oreos, crushed
500g fresh strawberries, sliced
1 pkt raspberry or blueberry jelly, made up and left to cool in fridge til cold but not set (important as jelly needs to be poured over mix rather than layered)
whipped cream to top
1 flake to sprinkle

-divide each ingredient in two and layer in above order twice in a large trifle bowl (except cream as only one layer is needed for the top).
-top with whipped cream and sprinkled flake
-set in fridge for at least 30 mins or until chilled
enjoy!

Random Shots in Wellington

2008-12-29T17:53:00.000+13:00

Like I said, totally random.

The Wellington Cenotaph (aka Wellington Citizens' War Memorial)

Gifts 4 Men, Willis Street

new era!

2008-12-17T04:46:00.000+13:00

Today, we three will become four. Ash becomes a big sister and Eden and I go from parents of one to parents of two. Needless to say we are so excited and are just glad the wait is almost over.

When the little girl was born, she had a rough time entering the world. She was born at 7:48pm on October 20th, and not held by me until about 1am the following morning. I had to have a bit of surgery to fix things up which meant it was hours until we got to spend time together. After her first feed, we were placed in our room and spent our first night together. My body was exhausted to say the least! My eyes were so heavy they could hardly stay open. I wanted so badly to sleep but my mind and heart were in a total panic, I kept wondering (well worrying) about how I was going to cope as a mother. Would I do a good enough job? How would we cope as parents? Would we agree on how to raise her?

Two years have passed since Ash joined our family and now that baby number two is about to arrive, I just wanted to say how awesome it has been raising her in that time. She has taught us so much! I hope we have taught her well. At this stage I feel both happy and sad. Its the end of an era for the Joe-fishes. Facing the arrival of a new edition is undoubtedly a huge buzz and we are excited, but it also means saying goodbye to the three of us being just the three of us. Now I'll have to split my attention three ways instead of two. Im sure we'll manage. I sorta miss Ash already knowing I'll have another bub to keep me extra busy, but its time for our family to grow like we always wanted. So, here goes, in a few hours, little boy will be here...its goodbye to our little trio, and hello to becoming a family of four!

My Ash can...

2008-11-07T16:38:00.001+13:00

...put her shoes on by herself (the ones without laces atleast), ask for a drink, ask for "kaikais," tell us when shes wet, talk on the phone (she learns from the best), push a chair against the bench to see whats on top, eat with a fork or spoon, put on her seatbelt, take off her clothes for a bath, put on her sunglasses, name at least 30 people in our family, push her doll in a pram, get water from a cooler, help set the table, put away her toys, set up a tea party, carry a doll as a mother would a real baby, despose of nappies correctly, turn on the tv, dvd, computer, light, tap, just about anything that has a switch or tap, brush her teeth, comb her hair, use the toilet (sometimes atleast) call 111 (usually its a fluke that she does this and not very often) say hello and goodbye, tell you shes ok if you ask her "my baby, are you ok?" ask YOU if YOU'RE ok? pat you on the shoulder if you're sad, tell the difference between hot and cold, climb up steps, go down a slide, swing on a swing, find things you've hidden from her, open a lolly wrapper, say please and thank you, eat brocolli, point to different animals and name them, pick out what she wants to wear, tell if you're sad, hug you when you need a hug, help you into your seat if you're not feeling well, open the door (although we try and keep them locked for that very reason), close the door, play nicely, play rough, handle the jandal, cry like a baby, cry out when she needs help, sleep in her own bed at night, find her way to us in the morning, ask for a "bobo," tell you how old she is, count to five if you help her, put shapes into a shape sorter, sing twinkle twinkle little star, sing popcorn popping (with actions) recognise who's talking on the phone (if you're eden, my mum or my grandma) point to her eyes, hair, nose, mouth, teeth etc etc, tell you when she wants to watch elmo, understand if you're angry, or happy, or sad, say "love you!" be lots of fun, be a nuisance, be very naughty,be very good, be funny and caring, and curious and clever. There are so many things our little one can do, most of the time she suprises us, we dont realise how quickly she picks things up! Asher knows there's a bubby in my tummy, but she still hasnt clicked to be gentle. Mostly Asher is the most precious wee thing we've ever been gifted...and we love her to pieces! This entry wasnt made to brag, but rather to remind myself of how Asher was and is as a baby, so we'd always remember how clever she was at such a young age. She can say a whole host of words, so many that we'll have to make another post to list them, perhaps I will some other day. Lastly, Im sure when bubi boy comes she will know how to treat him, the same way that she treats us, with love and kindness and huggles and kisses...

I like to snap

2008-11-04T21:34:00.000+13:00

We have the beach in our back yard!

Name the location.

Blurred.

I was into turntablism at one stage, til I discovered it was just as fun snappin the tables.

This was snapped purely for fun. I'll admit, I like it, I like it a lot.

(These images have not been resized, click to enlarge at your own risk. :)

The fun trip!

2008-11-04T19:39:00.001+13:00

Nine years ago in July, I met Eden. The one who fit my vision of what was tall dark and handsome. I was only 18 at that time, he would be 22 the following January.

Everything happened so fast. We got together, dated, broke up, spent a LOT of time together, spent even more time apart. Our meeting eachother was for lack of a better description, a set up. My very good friend who was inlike with Ed's older brother, made sure we met and talked at a YSA dance in Totara Park. I remember the dance but I dont remember anything more said than "hello". Needless to say, our paths crossed numerous times from that point on and every moment we then spent together would literally make up the story of our lives.

Three years ago, I met Eden, again. This time, at the temple, where we were married. When our invited guests left us in the sealing room, we stood together and cried. Now everyone knows.

Two years ago, I was in hospital. Asher was 3 weeks old. I was an emotional wreck. I was excited, scared, extremely overwhelmed and feeling grossly inadequate. I had to convince myself I was going to know what to do with this tiny bub. It turns out I did know. She has grown so fast and teaches me simple lessons each day.

In eight weeks time, we will become the parents of two. I wonder how I will cope. Two little people needing my attention. I think of the women I know with even more kids. How did they do it? There is definitly something built in to women that gives them the ability to raise children, otherwise I would not have come this far.

Man what a trip this is turning out to be! Our family is growing! We are having sooooo much fun! We have tea parties with our little princess while she wears her fairy wings and we go on date nights when we can. We have barbeques with the in-laws on the weekends and we spend our Monday nights singing primary songs and playing games. We're not perfect, but we learn to get on with it. Its just us trying to make the most of life I guess, otherwise, what's the point of it all??

Dont Eat Pete!

2008-11-04T08:53:00.000+13:00

Ever played "Dont Eat Pete"?? The game where you try and eat as many M&Ms off of a plate without eating "Pete" (an M&M chosen at random by your friends). Good game, good game. Unless you play with someone who takes their sweet time and eats them at one M&M a minute. Drag! We played it last night for FHE with the nieces and nephews. Faith (a niece) took her time and made us all mad. So we cut the game short and only played one round each, which meant there were plenty of Pete's left in the bag. I started the day off downing the remainder of Petes family. Chocolate for breakfast was a good idea at the time, but an hour later, I'm not so sure. I hope its not an indication of how this blog will turn out to be.

I decided ages ago that I would NEVER become a blogger. I figured I would just start one and never keep it going. I guess now we'll see about that. I figured I'd never have anything intelligent to say, much less anything important. I guess I've changed my mind. Not about me being intelligent or having important things to say, but just that I wouldnt limit myself to just thinking stuff, and actually give blogging it out a go. But the real reason I didnt want to blog, is because I have lots of clever friends who might find me boring and not too good with words (I bet you're all thinking its you Im talking about...wouldnt that be funny?) I guess Im saying I feel like it now, so Im jumping on it before the desire wears off. Plus, my kids will get know how quirky I was when they were little...