Reia's 1 1/2 Year Update!

My big baby is 1 and a half years old today! So much has happened with her since her last update so let's just get straight into it!

She sings along to songs she knows. Some of her favs are: Row Row Row Your Boat, the Alphabet song, If You’re Happy and You Know It, 大きな栗の木の下で, おもちゃのチャチャチャ, ぞうさん, 頭肩膝ポン！

She calls Jun, Ericca, and I "Nana" or "Mama." 

She can also say:

• Yes
• Amen (And can say her own little prayer. Food is such a great incentive:P)
• All done
• Douzo - どうぞ
• Ah-toh (which means arigatou, complete with a bow) ありがとう
• Are - あれ
• Genki - げんき
• Please (sounds like cheee)
• Cheese
• ABCD-HIJK-QRS 
• Mama
• Bye bye
• Koko - ここ
• Elmo - sounds more like Elo
• She puts her hands together and says the TA for Gochisou sama deshiTA! (What we say when we finish a meal)　　　

She is at the stage where everything is a learning experience. I am so amazed at her growth and understanding of what I'm saying!

She can answer to Yes/No questions. 

She can sign the words sleepy, milk, please, more, kiss, bye bye, hungry, and bath time.

She loves DVD's, choosing the DVD, and pushing the buttons on the DVD player.

She will flap her arms up and down and say nana! nana! to get my attention.

If she wants me to pick her up she will strain her face and arms and stick them out at me.

She can give "big hugs" and kisses on demand.

She sleeps through the night and only wakes if her nappy is full. We all sleep together in the same room on futons like a typical Japanese family, so it's really easy for me to get to her if she wakes.

She loves to dance :)
She knows how to work the camera already!

She always brings her soft toys to me and isn't satisfied until I make them sing "Oma Rapeti." I've gotten quite a few looks when I get up to the "Bang! Bang! Bang!" part hahaha

She likes to feed other people.

She babbles and has conversations that I am dying to understand!

She is shy when she first meets new people but warms up to them after a while.

She can sing along to some songs on the kids tv channel.

She loves books and words.

She likes being chased around the kitchen table.

She gives me her rubbish and plates when she's done.

She has really dry skin and sometimes breaks out into rashes :(

She is fascinated by other children and doesn't quite know how to socialize yet. She just laughs a lot around them and hopes that'll do it.

She absolutely loves cheese.
She has a playlist on Youtube of her fav songs and if she wants to watch it she says cha cha! That is the first song on the playlist. I found her watching it like this yesterday lol

She's been sticking her fingers up her nose lately, and mine while I'm asleep :/

She is old enough to go to nursery! She has been going for a while now but it's official tomorrow! She cries when I leave and it takes her a while to calm down, but once she does, she forgets she has parents lol. Hoping she'll get used to it soon!

She does this funny hop step walk sometimes and when she's excited she flails her arms all over the place!

I am loving this stage right now :) She is used to her routine and can communicate enough to get what she wants. Don't get me wrong, she likes to test the waters and will ignore what I say sometimes, but I don't want her to grow anymore! >_<

Her Great Grandma knit her this cute outfit!

I am so looking forward to seeing what will happen this July when we have another baby :) She will be a big sister! I think she will do a fantastic job of taking care of her new brother or sister :D

We love you baby <3

DIY Personal Progress Holder

We only have 4 Young Women in our ward and 3 of them are leaving in about 6 months!! No0o0o!! (Ｔ▽Ｔ) This also means that there is only 6 more months for them to complete their Personal Progress!! I know that sometimes it is hard to remember to bring your books to church, or even remember where they are, so last night I whipped up something quick and easy for them to use :)

I was in the dollar store yesterday (the best store evaaah!) to buy some felt for Reia's Halloween costume but this project was in the back of my mind. Buying material can be a bit pricey and so I went looking for a tea towel to use. The only ones I could find were the towel material ones and I thought that might look a bit weird. The next thing I found was an apron. Perfect! It had matching ties as well! 

This is how it turned out...

Too easy and too cute! It holds the Personal Progress book, the matching journal, and the For the Strength of Youth booklet! Found the idea here! Theirs is much cooler and more professional than mine..... but mine only cost 105 yen :P

I didn't use any rulers or specific measurements. I just measured around the Personal Progress book that I had, but I'll try to give some directions on how to make it! Or your could go to the blog linked above for a REAL tutorial hahaha

1. Start off with an apron with a cute design. 

2. Pick off the front pocket (if one) and the ties.

3. Fold in half and cut off the excess material to make a square.

4. Turn inside out and sew around the edges leaving a 3 inch hole. *Note* The apron is already hemmed so it may be hard to sew near the edges but do your best! You can also cut the corners at the stage for a crisper corner.

5. Turn it inside out. I used a giant chopstick to get the edges out (giant chopsticks exist!!). Fold the edges of the remaining hole and sew to close. You might need to iron it first if it's a bit unruly. Using a Personal Progress book, measure where you would like the bottom flap to come up to making sure that the book doesn't poke out the top.

6. Still measuring with the book, create pockets by placing the book on the side of the holder with the flap on top and pin on either side of the book. It should come to about 5 inches. Repeat for the remaining 2 pockets. Draw a line from the pin to the bottom of the holder with a pencil and sew on that line to make the pockets. One side of the holder is going to be thick because it was previously hemmed. I hand stitched this side instead of sewing because it didn't fit under the foot >_<. Stitch inside the hem for a better look! The other side should be thin enough to sew though.

*Note* You may have to adjust the length of the holder or pockets depending on the length of your apron. Make sure to roughly measure with a book before cutting out your material! It needs to hold 3 books. You could even leave out the Strength of Youth book and just keep the Personal Progress book and journal. Up to you!

7. Fold up the holder as you would if there were books in it and take the longest tie from the apron (or sew two together to make a long one). Put the tie around it once with the open ends facing the opening of the holder, making sure the ends are even. Place right above the sewn pockets and pin. Sew the tie down the same lines of the 2 middle lines only! Leave the ends loose.

8. Double check the the books fit into the pockets. Adjust if needed.

9. Roll up and enjoy!

I love the dollar store :D

Quick Tip: How to Keep Your Bananas Fresher for Longer

Don't you hate it when you buy a bunch of beautiful yellow bananas only to discover that they are already starting to spot after a couple days? Why is it that they stay so perfect looking at the store and decide to fall apart when you take them home?! My bananas don't stand a chance, especially in this humidity!

Today's tip is how to keep your bananas just a little bit fresher for just a little bit longer. 

There are actually two methods to doing this:

This first is to separate the bananas (at the top) as soon as you take them home.

The second is to wrap the top of the bunch with cling film really tightly and rewrap after you take a banana.

I personally go with the first option just because it's easier :p

This will keep your bananas from ripening too fast and will keep them fresher for about 3-5 more days!

Easy huh?

That's all for now :D