sleeping beauties

There are few things I enjoy more than sneaking into Max and Maya's room to watch them sleep. Today I couldn't help but risk taking their photo. Thankfully they were so tired they didn't even move when the flash went off.

Max has a band-aid on his face because he was scratched by a cat at the park this week. He loves cats and dogs and can't help but kiss them on the face and hug them with both arms. Sometimes this makes the animals a little uncomfortable.

Max sleeps every night with a silky blanket that my great-grandmother Ethel Elliott Hight made for my sister. It somehow ended up at my house and I planned on giving it back to Aimee, but Max claimed it as his own. Max got his middle name from her, his great-great-grandmother.

The sweater Maya is wearing was mine when I was a little girl. I think it was bought in Colombia and worn by all my sisters and nieces. Maya's blankets were made by our friend Susan Combs, back in Katy, TX and my grandmother.

How could they not sleep soundly surrounded by so much love?

our kitchen

It is still a work in progress but here are the latest developments on the play kitchen at our house.

play kitchen

So, this is my most recent project, made with a lot of help from my kind neighbor Paul.

I've actually decided to make a couple play kitchens and sell them. I needed a creative outlet. I've bought four tables and I even bought my own jig saw. This specific play kitchen will go up on the New Zealand online auction site Trademe this week.

sunday drive part 2: huia

My apologies to Andy Smith....good thing I didn't promise to not post any more photos of playgrounds next to the beach or beautiful scenery. Don't hate us because our life is beautiful, just join us.

sunday drive: huia point

easter

We celebrated Easter a day before our friends and family back in the states. We woke up Easter morning to a beautiful sunny day. The kids looked to eggs in the garden. Our neighbor Gus joined us and all the kids had their first ever egg hunt.

I was excited to find plastic eggs after searching in a couple different stores. I filled them with small toys from around the house....no one seemed to mind.

While I wasn't able to find jelly beans we did have our first taste of Pineapple Lumps...basically pineapple flavored marshmallow eggs covered in chocolate. Max particularly enjoyed them.


On Friday we dyed Easter eggs with food color, which came off on our hands during the egg hunt.
I made pancakes shaped (sort of) like bunnies and eggs which we ate along with some traditional Easter hot cross buns.

more public health care...

Lonnie was sick this week. He had a rotating high fever followed by cold sweats for several days. He finally decided to go see a doctor, giving us another experience with public health care. Visits for adults are more costly than for children because coverage under the public system varies according to age, but the cost was still quite reasonable. Lonnie was able to get into see the doctor within an hour of when he called to schedule an appointment. The doctor thought it would be a good idea for Lonnie to get a blood test and then he personally called later that evening to let Lonnie know the results. Given that the illness was a virus there wasn't much that the doctor could give Lonnie. He just told him to rest and try to avoid contact with others. Thankfully Lonnie is feeling much better after several days of working from home. The kids and I have managed to only feel slightly ill and we are all on the mend.

sunday drive: st heliers bay look out

mt cambria

Sunday morning we went exploring the grounds at Mt Cambria (yet another park about a 5 min drive from the house) with our neighbor Gus. We followed the paths, rolled down hills and chased dogs.

Mt Cambria was originally a volcanic cone which was quarried away to provide roads, garden walls and ship ballast. The area has gardens, walkways and also the Devonport Museum (which we have yet to see because it is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 2-4pm). It has fabulous hand-crafted steps up and over the bluffs of the old quarry....best of all the small stone walls along the path kept the kids on the walking trails and out of the bush.

breakfast party

The babies have started insisting that their dolls eat meals with them. When I get them out of bed in the morning they so happy