love/hate relationship

Max and Maya were climbing in our backyard tree.  Max got frustrated and bit Maya.  After Max had a short time-out, I told them they needed a quiet activity and we decided to watch a movie.  Maya was still a little upset and said "I need someone to snuggle with me.....Max will you snuggle with me?".

marae visit

Our Playcentre group was able to visit the marae on the navy base here in Devonport (link).  We have seen the outside of many beautiful maraes here in New Zealand, but we had never gone inside one, except one at the Auckland Museum, until today.  Before entering, we waited outside the entry of the grounds and were introduced.  We were then called in with a lovely song.  All of the introduction and welcoming were given in Maori.  I think I understood about 15 words of the entire 15 mins, but I am pretty sure I wasn't the only one who was just listening to the cadence of the voices.  Most Kiwis I know here in New Zealand don't speak a lot of Maori, but thankfully the language is making a resurgence.  Teaching young children about Maori culture and language is a large part of the movement.

After we were welcomed, we all sang a Maori song in response.

Pakipaki, pakipaki, tamariki ma(x2) Kanikani, kanikani, tamariki ma (2) Rere, rere, rere, rere, tamariki ma(x2) Peke, peke, peke, peke, tamariki ma (x2) Hurihuri, hurihuri, tamariki ma (x2) Hikoi, hikoi, hikoi, hikoi, tamariki ma(x2) Oma, oma, oma, oma, tamariki ma (x2) Titiro, titiro, tamariki ma (x2) E moe, e moe, tamariki ma (x2 ) Pakipaki, pakipaki, tamariki ma (x2)	Clap, clap children. Dance Fly Jump Turn March Run Look Sleep Clap

Max and Maya didn't know all the words, but they know a lot of them and they like to sing this song at home.  They are both learning a little bit of Maori from Playcentre and watching New Zealand made kids shows.  The other day, Maya used the Maori word for hands (ringaringa) without prompting.  They also know several other words too.  Max's favorite books right now is "The Waka" and he will often repeat the phrase Haere mai ki te waka (Come on to the waka) while talking about several animals that are endemic to New Zealand.

The marae that we visited is located next to the Navy practice fields, which are adjacent to a beautiful estuary.  Max was a little disappointed that he wasn't able to see a waka there as he assumed that this was what the New Zealand Navy would use.

We were told stories about the people depicted in statues around the marae.  

The kids tried to act out some of the stories that were being told. 

This photo makes it looks like Max stood quietly listening to the stories.  In truth, while the stories interested him for a little while, he was also much more interested in running around (as were a lot of the kids).  I ended up spending a lot of the time trying keep my kids quiet and then trying not to lose them.

More about visiting a marae: http://ethniccommunities.wainet.org/nz_maori_4.htm

3rd birthday

Max and Maya celebrated their third birthday last week.  On Friday, we brought ice cream cone cupcakes to Playcentre to share with their friends.  I brought along the camera to take photos of the event but forgot to check if the sim card was in place (it wasn't).  So you will just have to trust me that they shared cupcakes with 15 of their friends.

Friday night, the kids helped me make pizza dough.

Then Saturday morning, the festivities continued.  We invited some friends over for pizza, cake and ice cream.  We decided against a big party with lots of 3 year olds.  I didn't think I would have had the energy to pull it off, and we knew Max and Maya would be just as thrilled with grown-ups and older kids giving them lots of attention.  The benefit for Lonnie and I is that we got to talk with friends without having to watch the kids closely.

We sang Happy Birthday to both the kids individually, so they each got their special moment.  They shared a cake with their favorite animal on each side, a zebra for Maya and a giraffe for Max.  

They both were able to blow out three candles on their side of the cake.

I am loving being the mom of 3 year olds.  Max and Maya love to play together.  Their imagination keeps them running around and entertained, pretending to be dogs, ponies, Care Bears or members of their own little family.  They also love to dance and sing and will often ask for an audience to come and enjoy the show.  They watch out for each other and I find them hugging or wrestling, or a combination of the both, often.  They love to talk and if given the opportunity will stay up for hours in their room at night talking to each other....I can't imagine what they have to say after spending all their time together throughout the day.

the new place

While we miss our old neighborhood and Lonnie misses riding the ferry to work in the morning (he now takes the bus), we are loving the extra space in our new home.  Not only did we gain an extra bedroom (which will be used by the new baby) but we also gained a front room/dinning room and a small play room outside of Max and Maya's room.  I love that when I put the kids to bed there aren't any toys in their room for them to play with (except for the ones that the kids have secretly stashed under their beds).  

belly shot

I realized a couple days ago that I didn't have any official belly shots of this pregnancy.  When Lonnie came home from work I asked him to take a photo.  He asked if I wanted to get a little bit more glossed up.  While a little bit of make-up and running a brush through my hair might have made for a prettier picture these photos are closer to real life.  They were taken at the end of a long day of playing with two energetic, creative, emotional and wonderful kids.  I should remember to take some photos on Sunday, the only day of the week that I usually manage to get at least a little glossed up (put on mascara and brush my hair).  :) 

By the way...we still haven't settled on a name for our new little guy and we are taking suggestions.

humidity is good for my curls

30 weeks

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week.   Three years ago at the exact same time, on the other side of the hemisphere I was also 30 weeks pregnant.  Our newest little one is due on exactly the same day that Max and Maya were due.  Of course, Max and Maya came five weeks early.  We are hoping to avoid that this time around.  You won't hear me complaining about being overdue (at least I hope not).  I want a fully cooked baby this time.  I want one that comes out and starts breastfeeding from the start  (5 hours a day of pumping for four months was not easy) and comes straight home skipping any NICU time.  I am also hoping that baby#3 will weigh almost as much as Max and Maya combined 8 lbs 6 oz.

It is hard to believe that I am already in my third trimester, let alone 10 short weeks from having a new baby.   Despite chasing around and potty training two toddlers who can out run me due to my wobbly ankle this pregnancy has been so much easier than my first.  I still have a weak stomach and will occasionally lose my lunch, but it is nothing compared to my twin pregnancy.  I don't have gestational diabetes this time and I feel better in general.

Aside from my health my feelings are quite different also.  With my first pregnancy I was excited to become a mother.  I'm not sure exactly what I expected motherhood to be but I wanted to dress the kids in cute clothes, change diapers, breastfeed, baby wear (didn't quite happen with twins and and exhausted mother).  I wanted to go to play groups and participate in mommy-conversations.

This time around I'm more interested in finding out about this little guy's personality.  What will he add to our family?  How will he chance the balance that we have created?  More than thinking about a new baby I am looking forward to meeting this new person who will be part of our family.  I also hope that I will be better equipped to deal with the long weeks (I'm hoping not months) of sleep deprivation, knowing this time around that it will come to an end eventually.   I have some fear that I will feel that desperation again this time around but I hopeful that I will be able to better cope with new motherhood better this second time around.

Motherhood didn't start out quite the way I imagined.  Max and Maya were born via c-section at 35 weeks.  They were only about 4lbs each.  It took months of determination and stubbornness before they would learn to breastfeed and I could leave the house for more than a 10 walk around the neighborhood.  I was exhausted and felt desperation sinking in until finally I was able to regularly get good night's sleep, almost eight months after they were born.  But eventually I found joy in being a mother and I feel like that increases the more I get to know my kids.

Max and Maya are excited about having a new brother.  They like to talk to my belly.  They ask a lot of questions about when the baby will come out, what he will eat and where he will sleep.  They are also both spending a lot of time these pretending to be parents to their dolls and toys.

I think we are all excited to have another member of our family.

feijoas

I've been a blogging slacker lately.  Please forgive the silence.  We are doing well and hanging on to warm days of Fall while our friends in the north are hoping for Spring to start the defrost.

We are settled into our new house.  I keep meaning to take photos but I can't seem to keep the house clean long enough for blog photos.

One thing the kids and I are really enjoying about our new house is a large feijoa tree that is bearing a lot of fruit.  I'd never heard of feijoas before moving to New Zealand.  The fruit is related to the guava and tastes like a mixture of guava and pineapple.  We have enjoyed eating them and sharing them with friends and neighbors.

Max and Maya sitting on the back deck with the Feijoa tree in the background on the left.

Please excuse the partial nudity.  We are still working toilet training and spending time in the nude seems to help.  :)

visitors and torn ligaments

Alisa mentioned in a recent post that we just had family visitors. This was actually our second visit from family members since we moved to New Zealand. The first visit was a quick overnight stay by my aunt and uncle, Vicki and Jerry, who had planned a trip to Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand even before we had moved here. So our visit from Vicki and Jerry was sweet but short as they had accommodation planned in places other than Auckland.

Last month's visit was from Lucky, one of my brothers, who had been planning for some time to come visit us and see New Zealand. At the last minute, he was joined by Tiffany (one of my many cousins), who is a flight attendant and flew here stand by.

When Lucky made his plans to come, we planned a trip to see some sights around the North Island. We went to the Coromandel Peninsula, which is a beautiful coastal area about 2-3 hours from Auckland. The Coromandel has beautiful beaches and a forested coastal mountain range. We enjoyed a couple nights in Whitianga, where we went to Hot Water Beach, which has a hot spring that flows out of the beach right in the surf. We also did a glass bottom boat tour, which took us to Cathedral Cove (filming location in one of the Chronicles of Narnia movies). We also got in a quick snorkel and looked at the marine life through the bottom of the boat.

After the Coromandel, we moved on for a night near Rotorua. In Rotorua, we enjoyed doing "The Luge", which involves taking a gondola ride up a mountain and carting down a concrete track. We enjoyed some hot mineral pools, and we also kayaked on Lake Tarawera.

The next destination was Lake Taupo. We had just arrived at our holiday home (bach) when trouble happened. We had been working on potty training for a few weeks before the trip, and the kids had actually been doing very well on the trip. But we arrived at this house, and Alisa went to find Max, who was on a spiral staircase and had peed his pants. Alisa can't remember exactly how it occurred, but she picked up Max and slipped in his pee, which was trailing down the stairs. Fortunately, she did not land on her stomach, and baby Tyrone (at least that's what I call him, for now) was just fine. But her ankle and shin got worked over. Just to add insult to injury, Max and Maya both pooped their pants within a half hour of Alisa injuring her ankle. It was a crazy hour. Alisa spent that evening on a bed and couldn't put any weight on her foot without unbearable pain.

The next morning, we ended our trip (just one day early) and headed back to Auckland. A trip to the doctor with accompanying x-ray revealed she hadn't broken anything, and later a physical therapist indicated she had a partial ligament tear. After a few days of resting the ankle, Alisa was able to get around on crutches. Our ward and friends really took care of us while Alisa recovered, and she gradually got more mobile over the next week. We were actually fortunate to have some other visitors (Devin and Ivan; Alisa got to know Devin while at BYU). Devin and Ivan were on a long trip through NZ and stayed two nights with us. While I was at work during the day and out of town for work one night, they provided great help to Alisa during the first few days after her ankle injury. A month later, the ankle is still weak, but she's getting around okay.

So it was a wild end to the trip, but we enjoyed a great week with Lucky and Tiffany. On our return to Auckland, Tiffany flew back to the US. Lucky went on a quick trip to Queenstown by himself and had a great time touring Milford Sound and doing a few of the extreme adventures available in Queenstown. We loved having our visitors and enjoyed a great trip with Lucky and Tiffany, even if it ended with some craziness. At least, we can promise some great memories for visitors that make the long trek to see us in NZ.

Walking along Piha Beach

Cooks Beach (near Whitianga)

Alisa loves to get ice cream for the kids so she can help them finish it (not that the kids don't enjoy it too)

View from the highway between Coromandel Town and Whitianga

Max and watermelon

                          

Glass bottom boat tour in Whitianga

Maya with Tiffany

We got in a quick swim while on the boat tour

Skyline Gondola at Rotorua

"The Luge"- Alisa had to skip the luge but Max and Maya really enjoyed it.  

Taking the lift back up for another luge run

Lucky with Maya on the lift

Blakc swan on Lake Tarawera (near Rotorua)

Huka Falls, near Lake Taupo

The infamous staircase where Alisa slipped from about half way down the metal stairs.  

We had a rest stop at the Hamilton Temple on the way back to Auckland

names

So, I have yet to find a name that I really like.  Unfortunately Lonnie has found several names that he likes.  So he has posted a poll over on the right hand side of this page.  In the meantime....we are open for suggestions.  :)