Most Recently...

As behind as I am in this blog, I thought I should just start with what's happened most recently... and there are some pretty big things - well, not that big, but let's just say that getting back into a regular routine after 3 months off  and all the prep for the move seems big to me...

On Wednesday the 15th of September Tony finally started back to work... but 3 months off makes for a rude awakening to getting out of the house on time to catch a bus that only comes every 20 minutes... thankfully the kids got to say good-bye at the door...

before he took off running around the house for the bus!!! This may be a familiar morning ritual!

Then on Monday the 20th of September our little boy started "kindy"... it's really just a pre-school programme for kids under 5 to prepare them for going to school. This is the last week of the term so he'll go for 3 days then have 2 weeks off then start into his real term which will still just be 3 days a week.

I made it back for "mat time" when the teacher called him up to the front to introduce him as a "new friend" to the rest of the class... he went up there so confidently (doesn't really look it here) and I was so proud of my little boy (until the next day when I happened to be walking past the playground just in time to see him push a classmate, get pushed, then push the next kid so hard he fell over into the slide - yeah, not my proudest moment).

And to celebrate Hunter's first day of kindy, I took him for an ice cream at McDonald's - he got to eat the whole thing himself (with the cookie flake) while mei mei had to share with mom... the funny part was he then complained about a tummy ache that night - maybe that "YUMMY YUCKY" book we had was right about ice cream being yummy and too much ice cream being yucky... I never seem to feel that way about it... but maybe there's some merit to it!

This past weekend we went to visit our friends at the hospital to see their new baby girl - Liberty Burrows... she's adorable and mum is well too... certainly you'll see some of them posted eventually too... but on the way home Tony decided to take us for a real Kiwi experience - fish and chips at the beach...

so here we are at Petone waterfront in the back of our new car enjoying some shelter from the wind before the BIG STORM that blew across NZ.

And the week before we met up with some extended family at Te Papa to say hello/good-bye to Nanni Bev who was in town for a Princess Party. How fun to have some family time...

and yes, she's got tights on... oh she's just so adorable in her little turtleneck and tights!!! What a doll!!!

First Weeks in Wellington

That 4am start on Thursday, August 12 was a cold one... but thankfully the heater in the new car worked well and the four of us made it to Wellington in record time (going the speed limit)... our kids are amazing travellers!!!

Along the Desert Road we looked out to the right and this was the majestic view of Mount Ruapehu! Wow!!! We live in this country... you jealous??? Come on over!!!

We didn't even drink the V energy drinks we bought - we saved them til the conference the next day... when we it all started to sink in that we were tired!!! I'm pretty happy to be driving again!

One morning while we were staying in the serviced apartment we decided to go out to breakfast. I love eating breakfast out... and the Occidental does a pretty decent(ly priced) one! Tony's blueberry pancakes were the best but the kids got their first sample of Wellington's cafe culture - their first "fluffies"!

Hunter's stirring up the chocolate powder into his foamy milk with the little spoon like mommy's coffee spoon...

and Helena - well mommy doesn't look like this after a good latte (maybe I feel like I should look like this) but I think she certainly enjoyed it!!!

Although our friends have all been so generous, caring, giving, accommodating... we did enjoy those 5 nights in the serviced apartment where we could actually just totally relax on our own timetable.

Then Monday, 31 August the trucks arrived with our earthly goods...

YAHOO!!! We're "home"!!!