General Conference Oct 2012

So for those of you not in the loop, twice a year our church holds a world wide conference of all it's members where we get the chance to listen to our leaders speak to us on topics they feel inspired to present about.  It's also a chance for those not of our faith to hear a little bit about what our church is really about (there is soooooooooooo much negative, incorrect information passed around about 'The Mormons').  But mostly for me I feel like it's an opportunity for me to have my spirit renewed, to refocus on what's really important, and to hear a Prophet of God speak.  I always come away feeling like they've written their talks specifically for me, almost like they know exactly what I'm going through, what my weaknesses are, what I need to hear (well, they don't, but the Lord does and he gives them a few hints I suspect).  I loved everything that I heard, but there were a few things that really stood out to me this conference that I wanted to share.

- Quentin L Cook spoke about how the world today is NOT a culture of righteousness, and that if we don't feel close to our Father in Heaven, it's because we have moved, not him.  To regain that closeness, we need to emerse ourselves in the scriptures.  He said that the way we treat those closest to us is of vital importance, no matter how we were raised.  And he said that it may not be "cool" to be God fearing people, but it's still the right thing to do.

- Ann M Dibb made the statement "I'm a Mormon.  I know it, I live it, and I love it".  For me this was a challenge to put my money where my mouth is.  I am so incredibley grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon, and I should never be ashamed to tell people, to talk about what I believe in.  She said "Are we as devoted to our religion as we are of our careers, interests, sports, texts and tweets?" So true!  For something so important as my faith, am I dedicating enough of my time to it?

-Dieter F Uchcoft talked about living without regrets, spending the time with our families that they deserve, developing real relationships instead of just ''clicking'', and becoming the person that God intended me to be.  He said we need to devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, that external circumstances don't determine our happiness, WE DO, and that "it's not a race, it's a journey, so enjoy the moment".

-L. Tom Perry said we need to make 'home' and 'family' something to write home about; that we need to create stronger family ties by praying for help to love, understand and guide our children, by praying and reading the scriptures as a family, by organizing our families, and teaching by example which means I can't just tell my children to be kind, I have to show my children how to be kind.

-M Russel Ballard encouraged us to serve others more.  He said that "service is the very definition of religion" and posed the question "what would be the cumulative effect of millions of small acts of service and kindness on the world?"

-Linda K Burton went right along with that and she said that we are surrounded by those who need our kindness, and that when we are serving others, we become the saviors hands.

And President Monson summed it all up beautifully by saying that if we would step back, consider our blessings, we would find greater happiness in our lives.  He said that the Lord is in all our lives, and that he WANTS to bless us.  If only we were more aware of how he blesses us.

Ok, so that's alot. Lol.  But it really was just all so good!! My testimony was strengthened so much, to know that God really is aware of us and our every little need, and I'm so grateful for a living Prophet and Apostles who are here to receive the revelation from the Lord that I so desperately NEED in my life.  If anyone missed out on watching it, go here and watch it, you will not be sorry. :)

Dare Devils

There's that saying, "Boys will be boys".  My boys don't usually fit that stereotype.  Except when it comes to their bikes.  Those boys are dare devils like no others!!  They are constantly giving me heart attacks with their speed or dangerous maneuvers.  There is a BMX bike track down the road from us, that is meant for older children with proper BMX bikes.  But my little toddlers rule that place with their sponge bob and plastic 3-wheeler bikes.  I've finally convinced Vili to wear a helmet to give me some peace of mind.  He's the worst, he tries stuff even Malachi won't.  These boys go up and down ramps 5-6 meters high, goodness knows how fast they are going.  Most of the hills I wouldn't even attempt to ride down (but then again, I am a sook lol).  So far we haven't had any major falls or grazes (touch wood), so for now I'm content to let them keep at it. After all, it makes them so happy.

 

Vili Let's hope baby girl can keep up with her brothers!

Polkadots

A friend of mine is part of this children's group called the Polkadots, kinda like Hi-5 or the Wiggles.   They were doing a nation wide tour this school holidays and we got tickets and went along. Their songs are so simple and catchy and our kids looooove them.  They're all mums so I think that helps them know what kids are interested in and how to entertain them.  Vili wants to be Mr Bop for halloween. Lol.  They had such a great time with their friends and cousins singing and dancing.  Malachi made it all the way up to the front of the stage.

 If you haven't heard of them, check out their facebook page, they're awesome!

The Mount

In an effort to keep Vili (and the rest of us) sane while he had Chicken Pox, we made the drive over to Mount Maunganui.  I hadn't been there since I was in high school, but it was just as awesome as I remembered it.  We were there during school hours so we didn't have to worry about Vili spreading his spots to anyone.  It was amazing weather, although the water was still too cold for swimming in.  We made sandcastles, collected shells, went for a mini hike, got ice-cream, watched the boats coming in and out, it was nice. It's where one of the major international ports in NZ is, so there were the huge cargo ships coming and going that the boys thought was fantastic.  And it worked wonders keeping Vili distracted from his itchiness.  Vili was a little apprehensive about the sand at first.  He has a thing about being clean, especially his hands and feet, and when the sand would touch him, he kept saying "Vili's feet dirty!!!"  He got over it though, as he always does.  And Malachi was just back in his zone.

 

My sandcastle was by far the coolest. (Took me (and my slaves) FOREVER to get enough of the right shells.)

This sweet old lady, who was probably 80+ offered to take a picture of us all. It totally made my day.

(On a side note, I look at this picture and think "What the heck? We have 3 children. When did that happen???"  That's insane. And yet it still doesn't feel complete......Heaven help us!!)

It was Lani's first time at the beach.  She loooooooooved the sand, rubbed her feet around in it, ate a few handfuls.  She really enjoys being outside.  It was a tad windy, and baby girl kept trying to taste the wind with her tongue stuck out the whole time. Lol.  It was hilarious.

 
 

 
 

Such a great day. Bring on summer!!!

Chicken Pox

It was inevitable.  We'd been around about 7 different kids who had it.  Malachi has been vaccinated for it.  And so lucky Vili was the winner!  To be honest, he's the last person I would have wished to have it.  He's a firecracker as it is, but add into that being hot and itchy, not cool.  The spots showed up Tuesday afternoon (it was kinda freaky, I saw them coming up before my very eyes), and today is Sunday and they've almost all scabbed over. Whew!!! He did pretty well, other then being grumpy (which some DVD's and junk food took care of), he was only itchy for about 36hours, during which he slept a total of 4 hours and cried almost all of the other 32.  We tried to remedy it with long drives and a visit to the beach (next post), which worked quite well.  And we made an effort to make the Chicken Pox really really cool, telling him "Whooooaaa, Vili has chicken pox!!! Awesome Vili!! Look at all your cool spots!!!"  My kids already think that freckles are fantastic, so I guess having chicken pox was just an extension of that.

We used a combination of natural and not so natural remedies, I couldn't say what did and didn't work.  All I know is that they're going away.  I tried really hard to count them all, and my rough count was 175, about 40 of which were in his hair.  Those were probably the itchiest.  And he only scratch one, the first one that came up, so we shouldn't have any scarring. And he was really lucky that he only had a few on his forehead, which his hair covered, and one by his mouth.  So if you looked at him, it didn't look like he had chickenpox.

 In the ''yellow bath'' to help soothe the itching.

  

We think that Lani got some too, coz there have been a few random spots on her, but nothing major.  So we'll just have to wait and see I guess.

Lani @ 4 months

Our little beast of a baby.  She is by far the chubbiest bub we've had.  I love all her squishies and rolly polly bits.  She now weighs 15lbs, which is about the same as her brothers, but she's shorter so it's all condensed.  She's an interesting sleeper, she wants to be in bed at 6pm every night, will then wake at either 10pm or midnight (never 11pm), and then sleep til 3am, and then wake at 5am and 6am.  During the day she usually takes one big nap (2+hrs in the morning) and then 2 little naps later on.  She's becoming soo much more vocal, squealing and blowing raspberries, growling (especially when she's tired).  She's so ticklish, and loves you giving her tons and tons of kisses.  She's holding on to stuff now, toys etc, all of which come straight up to her mouth.  She can get her thumb into her mouth pretty consistently, and when she wakes up from her naps she usually spends the next 20minutes lying in her bed sucking her hand until her entire sleeve and neck are soaked in dribble. I remember writing in Malachi's journal when he was 4 months that this is my favourite age for babies, and it still is.  She's smilie and happy and cuddley, but still stays in one place when I put her down.

 

She looooves her some bath time. She kicks and splashes and sucks the water off her hands.

 

She found her ear. Poor ear.


Crazy baby.


Play time is fun time.


Having loves with Malachi (he looks weird, but she looks cute)

Checking herself out in the mirror - what is with that tounge girlfriend???!

Pretty baby off to church


She loves tummy time with the mirror.

 

Bundled up for a day at the park with her brothers.

I love this little girl.

Ouch

My children ALWAYS hurt their eyes.  If they fall over, we don't ever get scraped knees or broken arms, they only ever seem to fall on their faces. 

Vili had a fight with the playground last week.

He didn't win.

 

 

Playground - 1, Vili - 0.