Singing in the car/Wednesday Adams strikes again

Sometimes my girls sing in the car:
The other day I looked back to see all three girls including the baby doing the chicken dance "da da dada dada dah, da da dada dada dah, da da dada dada dah, (clap clap clap clap)"
We've also had some beautiful harmonization. Sometimes Beth just harmonizes with the Radio, sometimes she puts an obbligato or other harmony over what the rest of us are singing. Leila can practically sing higher than the piano, so we have fun with that too. Hannah often joins in and certainly bops up and down along with any rhythm she can find (she's particularly partial to electric guitar).
I went visiting teaching today. As we drove along Hill street Leila sang the "we're going up" song from Playschool. That was fairly cute, appropriate and normal.
She also sang her own version of the "two little Dicky Birds" song... one named Peter, one named Paul. She named all her other fingers too, and then sang "DIE Peter, DIE Paul, DIE Alice...

Granny's Birthday

My pictures aren't that great, but here is proof that Granny did actually get some cake today. After the usual Friday afternoon arrangements (plus a visit to the West Hobart train park to get completely covered in pine bark) I tried to drop Granny home - but she was locked out!! This worked out as the perfect excuse to kidnap her and give her a little birthday party at the Norman house.
Best yet, she got to have a long chat to Jeremy and Debbie. Happy Birthday Granny!

A lovely afternoon

After General Conference we went to the Botanical Gardens with Matthew and Liz and their kids and had a lovely time making daisy chains and walking around. Unfortunately Damien is very tired, and was a bit of a non-participant. Tonight he has a fever which explains things a bit (our girls have been a bit off color too).
We came home to find him asleep - and all the girls fell asleep in the car too!
Here are a few photos from the day.

Granny and Grandpa's little house

Here is a picture of where Granny, Grandpa and Philip are living now. They also have a couple of shipping containers on site to hold some of their stuff that won't fit!
They are currently getting it done up a bit, and considering selling again.

Hannah update (Oct 5th)

Well, Hannah seemed to think that walking was a cool thing to do when egged on my Mum (Hooray!! Good girl Hannah, you are so clever!!) but had decided it was absolutely pointless for any other occasion.

She's been standing unassisted for a while, and can go from all fours to upright without needing anything to pull on. Now she's started "walking" around on her knees. Looks pretty strange, but it's her current favourite.

Sometimes in the Bath tub she stands up and raises her hands as if to say "Ta Daaa!!! - look Mummy - no hands!" , and then she claps herself, because she knows she's clever. She likes making a big splash when she falls on her bottom, and does this repeatedly. And she laughs. It is so cute!

Today we saw deliberate self-initiated walking for the first time. 6 or 7 steps, with a big "look what I can do" smile.
Now we just have to get Leila to stop dive tackling her (Okay - there's a slight exageration there, but not much).

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. Nothing too fancy as yet, but I've finally decided to go public.

Sewing for Liz and cooking for the cousins

Well, look at my house and you might think I was lazy, but this week I'm measuring things differently.Liz Chick (my sister in law) works co-ordinating early childhood programs and such-like out at Brighton, Gagebrook and Bridgewater. She asked me to assist with making dress-ups, so I've helped out as costume consultant, fabric selector, pattern supplier and sewing assistant. Along with Emily Read from Rosny ward, we helped some of the local mums to do the costumes themselves so that they would get ideas and skills, and have a sense of "ownership" over the finished product.
We didn't finish in time! This week I have been finsishing the costumes off myself: sewing on cuffs, hoods, tails and ears. We produced a leopard, a grey furry animal (could be cat, mouse, elephant etc) two monster/dinosaur/dragons, and a heap of fairy skirts and wings. I also organised hero masks, a Doctor's coat, patient pajamas, and made 2 fabulous mermaid tails. Did I say they were fabulous? Cousin Sophie certainly thought so.
If that wasn't enough, I also sewed up a sheer organza wall hanging made up of pockets for an interactive display (the organza put up quite a fight, it took me the best part of a day), I helped my brother Matthew with the design of a couple of mirrored play structures and a light table, I cooked up a bulk pasta sauce which fed his family twice and mine 4 times, and also cooked up a big chille con carne for my sister Elizabeth and her family (equivalent volume to about 14 meals for us).
Oh, and did I mention that I also drafted a years worth of activities for the Rosny Relief Society "playgroup" enrichment group?
The best bit about all this is that I have had positive feedback (I'm a feedback junkie) and more company - it has been wonderful to see Matthew and Libby and Matthew's children. I love making things too - it gives me a real feeling of achievement, and bumps up the ol' self esteem. Nice to get a lift like that, now all I need is sleep!
Another thing - when the cousins came over today Matthew was working downstairs, and I had them all help me catch up while I sewed: Lewis made dessert, Jordan cleaned the toilets, Mariah polished Mirrors, wiped up the bathroom and helped tidy the lounge, and little Sophie set about cleaning windows. How wonderful! My girls thought it was great and even helped. Brilliant brilliant brilliant.

Hannah's first steps

I tried to get Hannah to walk at the Dance School - I guess I thought it would be a nice thing to be able to say that she took her first steps at Body Language Dance Studio: perhaps then she would be fated to be graceful?
Well, Hannah had other ideas: She took her first steps on Sunday the 21st of September during Sunday School in the Rosny Chapel. It was a perfect place: all the pews make for easy furniture walking and they are nicely spaced. Perhaps now she will be fated to be faithful? Even better!
Of course - I'm sure she'll have her own ideas about that one too.