dog cupcakes

Max and Maya are quite obsessed with dogs and cats. Since there is NO chance of us getting a pet I decided I would make dog cupcakes for the babies 2nd birthday. I looked on the internet and couldn't find any examples so I just made up my own. I made them in ice cream cones so they would be easier for the kids to hold. I think they turned out pretty cute.

We got together with some friends for a play group and shared our birthday cupcakes.

enjoy the photos?

Enjoying the photos of New Zealand? Why don't you come for a visit. Air New Zealand has some AMAZING deals right now $399 round trip from LA or SF.

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Seriously, come visit.


Sorry, it was only a 48hour offer. The link doesn't work anymore.

picton and waikawa

Picton is located about 30 mins from Blenhiem. It is in a beautiful location on a deep gulch at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. (see map I added to this post)

It’s the main marine access point to the South Island. In this photo you can see the ferry leaving the port.

It has a cute village with ships and, of course, a great play ground near the water. We ran into a member of the district presidency at the playground on Sunday afternoon.




Lonnie worked for a couple days in Waikawa, just outside Picton. It has a beautiful harbor with lots of boats. The water was so clear we could see jellyfish and starfish.


Shannon- Yes we went to Kaikoura...amazing! More photos to come.

dear kids

Dearest Max and Maya,
Just because you took a VERY long nap yesterday does not mean that you get to skip your nap today. But I am glad that you are feeling better. Two weeks of pink eye followed by triple ear infections (two for Max and one for Maya), along with coughs and running noses has been hard on all of us.

Love,
Mom
aka The Sleep Drill Sargent

btw... the best photos of our trip are yet to come, so stay tuned.

blenheim

On our extended trip to Blenheim we did what we always do. We went to the park. Pollard park was a short walk from where we were staying. It had nice playground and great gardens and ponds with lots of ducks.


Blenheim is known for its wine. The area has miles and miles of vineyards. While we were there the vineyards were turning from green to yellow and red. It was stunning.

kiwi word of the week

Ratbag: rascal or trouble maker

Example: How are those two little ratbags of yours? (All of my examples are things I have actually heard)

This one is in honor of my father-in-law, Lynne. Lynne served his mission in Australia, where they also use the term ratbag. Lynne still uses the word occasionally. I was pretty excited when I heard it used here in NZ.

**If any of my new Kiwi friends happen to read these posts and would like to correct or improve on my definitions please do so. :)

traveling

Lonnie was asked to go to Blenheim to work. The original plan was for him to work for four days and then we would have the weekend to enjoy as a family before heading back up to Auckland. The week long trip turned into 12 days. We were VERY glad that we decided to go with him. I'm much better at being a patient wife and mother when I get to see Lonnie at the end of the day.
As I mentioned before, there are a lot of things about New Zealand that make traveling with kids much easier.....so this is everything we brought with us (even including equipment for Lonnie's work).



The area was very beautiful....just a warning....lots of photos to come over the next several days. :)

Here is a map of the area where we were traveling....