Good weekend

We had a good weekend. The kids are in such a wonderful place these days. They enjoy hanging around each other lately, exploring, playing and talking. This weekend the weather was beautiful the kids spent a lot of time at the trampolines, walking around the camp, playing with new Hot Wheels and building a fort. It is truly a pleasure to watch them grow and daily we think about how this move to NZ has been positive for them.

After church Sunday Dano and I put together a few cots and bunkbeds for a large group coming to the camp. Then we puttered around, weeding a rose flowerbed beside the house. It was nice. I included pics of the long flowerbed in front of the house.

PowerBall is a lotto here in NZ. We never play the lottery but this Powerball was 30 million. We did not win the 30 mil, but we did come home with $103, that is better than a kick in the pants.

The kids spent Sunday evening playing and building a fort in the forest behind the house. Abby took us on a tour, acting like a tour guide. She is so Type A! In role, she bossed us around, told us how to get to the fort, ordered Sam around...it was hilarious.

Back to school tomorrow, the kids have a short week. They get a Teacher Only day on Friday and then Monday is Labour Weekend which is a holiday for all Kiwis. As I sit here, Dan and I are chuckling, there are dairy cows the live across the field and past the pond. They have been barking/moaning/yelling all day. The sound is so bizarre. I should try to record some footage of these strange sounding cows.

Until next time,
Samantha

Friday Nights

Friday nights are glorious. The kids get off the bus at 3:45pm, I get home from school a few minutes after that. The kids and I make supper together, tonight we made burritos. Sam and Abby play with and feed the bunnies and practice music. When Dan gets home we sit down for chow. It stays light until 8:30ish so the evening seems to last forever. After supper we went for a walk around the camp, the kids trampolined, Dan and I strolled. Here are some photos of our night.



The kids started taking swimming lessons this week. Abby's instructor is a Teacher Aide at my school, her name is Sally. She is a beautiful lady. Sam had a "fill in" instructor his first night so we have yet to meet Fiona. Here are some photos of the kids at swimming lessons.



Until next time,
Samantha

Spring Holidays 2008

This past week we have been on school holidays. It has been quiet and relaxing. The kids have spent a lot of time outside. The weather is getting warmer and the sun is out from 6am - 9pm. Our family celebrated Thanksgiving with a chicken, the biggest we could find. It seems that turkeys do not come out until Christmas time, even at a butcher shop! We went to church, swam at the pool and then Dano and I had to do our two hour time slot at the ice rink, so the kids skated too. When we came home we got our Thanksgiving supper ready. It was a gorgeous day.
We are back to school tomorrow. There are 9 weeks until we are finished this school year to enjoy summer/Christmas holidays. We will be off from Dec 12 - Feb 7. Dan's parents are coming to stay with us over the Christmas holidays. We are so fortunate to have family visit us.
Until next time,
Samantha

Mark, Kris and Emma's Visit

We were lucky to have Dan's brother, sister in law and niece come to New Zealand for a visit. We showed them a few of our favourite spots, although Milford Sound did not work out for them due to a mud slide blocking the road, then gale winds on the west coast prevented the tours from running. Ah well, they will have to come back!!! The house seems very quiet tonight. Here are some photos of things we did while they were here. Enjoy
Until next time,
Samantha