We spent our last day in the States, with a stop over in Los Angeles. I was great to see Aimee and Andrew again and we also spent some time at the California Science Center. I hadn't been there for a very long time and it was amazing. A definite hit all three of the kids and apart from paying for parking it was free!
Among other really cool things, like a wall of frozen ice, there was a huge aquarium with surf, that you could see from the top or underneath.
Maya walked around with a monkey wrapped around her all day long.
With my parents living in London, and our living in New Zealand we are exactly opposite sides of the world. You really can't get further away. While we were all in the States we only had a little more than a week to spend with my parents before they rushed back to London to prepare for their move and retirement coming up in December. After the family gathering in California we all headed up to Salt Lake City.
We took a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Silver Lake. After a bit of encouragement Maya enjoyed the hike and even managed to smile for a photo with her Nana. The weather was beautiful and warm and the leaves were just about ready to change for Autumn.
I went with my mom and dad and five kids to the Hogel Zoo. It was a busy day and we lost Max more than a couple of times. After raising five kids of her own I was surprised at how stressed it made my mom. She commended that she now understood how her mom felt.
Trent, Maya, Stella, Max and Sam acting like monkeys.
Nana and Papa bought everyone their own ice cream cones.
It was nice to see how quickly Max and Maya felt connected to their cousins. Sam and Stella were very kind in sharing their home and toys with their younger-mess-making cousins.
We also took a ride on the carousel.
We probably should have taken a group photo before the kids were fried.
We also enjoyed quite a bit of time at my parents house, where Laura and Tom and family are currently living. We watched lots of sunsets, played lots of "Ticket to Ride", hosted friends, watched British television shows and most importantly had lots of time to talk.
During our visit to Utah, we were able to spend one Saturday boating and wakeboarding, which is an activity that is integral to Lonnie's family. The Mercers are pretty serious about their boating/wakeboarding/waterskiing, and Lonnie was raised going out to the lake a lot during the summers. As soon as summer came around when Lonnie and I were dating, we went out to the lake, and I learned to wakeboard.
Going wakeboarding with his family is probably one of the things that Lonnie misses the most while living away. Plus, our kids had never been out boating with the Mercers, so this boating trip was almost like a time for Maya, Max, and Trent to become real Mercers (or maybe that comes when they learn to waterski or wakeboard...).
We went out to the lake with Lonnie's brother Darin and his family as well as Lucky (Lonnie's youngest brother). The weather was perfect...sunny, warm, and calm. Despite it being about 5 years since my last wakeboarding run, I was able to get up after a few attempts. The kids had so much fun with their cousins, and Max had to try and see every little corner of the boat.
I lived in San Pedro, CA from when I was five years old until I went away to school in Utah at 18. It is the closet thing that I have to a hometown. Thankfully my brother and sister still live there which has given us reason to return.
We loved having time to spend with Uncle Fuzzy (Thank you for letting us stay at your house.), Auntie Aimee (Thank you for being our taxi and letting us use your car.), Cousin Paige and Cousin Kelly.
We met up at the park with one of my very favorite high school friends Alison. It was so nice that our kids got along well. Max and Maya are still talking about their American friends Gwen and Kennedy. We may be dancing to the Wiggles now, but we will always go dancing, Ali!
I couldn't tear myself away from talking long enough to get the camera. Thankfully Alison had her camera phone and took some cute photos that I took from facebook.
We also went to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. I loved going here when I was young. I even volunteered here and gave tours as a teena. Not much had changed in the original part of the museum but it had grown even bigger. It was still amazing and the kids loved it. http://www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org/
The kids were able to hatch their own grunion fish, by shaking them in a baby food jar with sea water, just like I used to do.
The kids were worn out and ready for a nap before we were able to see the touch tank so we had to go back later. Max and Trent were excited about being able to see the animals, Maya was much more hesitant.
We also went to the Marine Mammal Rescue Center, a sort of hospital for injured, ill or orphaned marine mammals, where we saw two cute harbor seals. We also saw a sign about a blind seal named Big Guy who had lived at the center for two years but was recently moved to the Hogel Zoo in Salt Lake City....more on him later.
We just got back from spending almost a month in the US. It was our first trip home since moving to New Zealand almost three years ago. While nothing compares to the amazing scenery of New Zealand we were able to see something even more beautiful, family.
The main motivation for the trip was my grandmother, Norma Height Allred's 90th birthday. Here are some photos from the party. I am lucky to have such a happy, smart, friendly, beautiful, loving and story telling grandmother.
Some of the best things about my grandma, Norma Hight Allred....
She makes friends everywhere she goes. I went to the same high school where she had worked 20 year before, and people still remembered her.
She is smart and she knows it. She has always known she was smart and she has always been proud of it. I love that she is a strong smart and confident woman who isn't afraid of sharing her point of view.
She can tell a story and go off on twenty-plus side notes and still somehow get back to her main story, even hours later. It really is amazing if you can hold out long enough to hear the end of the original story. I have sat in a room with her telling a story to more than 15 people and she kept talking while all of them eventually feel asleep before she got the the end of her story and she just kept on talking.
She always has a smile on her face. She alway makes me feel loved.
Patty Kersee, Carolyn Guzman, Norma Allred, Leslie Gale and John Allred
Awkward Family Photo shot of all of my Allred cousins (and siblings) standing in age order- Aimee, Dennis Kersee, me, Gina Gardner, Andrew, Heidi Thompson, Loretta Monareng, Laura, Mike, Chris Calzada, Mary Young, Jordan Guzman, Leah Guzman
We even managed to get a family photo after Trent was nearly dragged to his death my Maya excitedly running away with a ballon tied to her brother's wist.
Trent fell in love with his Auntie Aimee....and her iphone.
My cousin Suzie even came. Maya was trilled to see her other ginger cousin.
We took a fun family hike with our friend Saryah on the Mercer Bay Loop in Waitakere Regional Park out to the west of Auckland. Saryah is from Texas and came to stay with us a couple times while she was spending 7 months on a working holiday in New Zealand. We enjoyed hearing about Saryah's adventures of travelling around NZ and working at organic farms during her 7 months here. We also took advantage of having another adult to help us with the kids on the hike.
The hike is pretty easy for adults and a bit more challenging for kids, which made it just about right for us. The track follows the coast with stunning views from cliffs overlooking the Tasman Sea. With the name Mercer Bay, we should have done this hike sooner, but it was well worth it once we got there. I have commented many times that NZ has enough beautiful bays and beaches that they could almost have one for every family. So it's nice that we have our name on one!
All of us together...Maya even wanted to bring her doll on her back.
Looking at the photo, it's kind of crazy to think that this is just 30 minutes from downtown Auckland.
Overlooking the Tasman Sea, which is between NZ and Australia.
Trent rode in the baby backpack for most of the track, but he wanted to talk some too. At 1 year old, he probably walked 300-400 meters (almost a quarter mile).
I remember when Max and Maya were born people told me to time would go by quickly, but to be honest it didn't. The first year of their lives seems like an eternity. Maybe it was because there were two of them. Maybe it was because, due to staying awake all night long, it actually took two years time to get through just one year. Maybe it was because I was taking a crash course in motherhood and still grapelling to hold on to a piece of my life before having children. Whatever it was, the first year of Max and Maya's life felt like forever.
Yet, somehow I find myself one of those people, the ones that say their baby grew up so quickly that before they knew it the first year was gone. The past year of Trent's life has flown by. I still can't believe he is one year old. He still has the delicious cheeks and the chub of an infant, but for as long as he has been able to has tried to keep up with his older brother and sister. He was born a strong baby. Started rolling over at three months, crawling at six and walking at nine. At one year old he runs. He backs down the long stair case. He gets into everything. He climbs on top of chairs.....
I haven't gracefully taken on the role of mother the way I thought I would, especially the infant stage. I don't do well with lack of sleep. While Trent has always enjoyed sleeping, he hasn't been very good at staying asleep. He didn't sleep through the night regularly until he was 9 months old....and even now there are nights that he wakes up in the night. The only thing that will ever put him back to sleep is breastfeeding. Thankfully he is quick and I enjoy the snuggle, knowing that this time will pass quickly.
Trent is inquisitive. He likes to get into cupboards, bags, toys, drawers, an open dishwasher, the toilet, and anything else that seems interesting. He bolts for any open door, especially when it is one leading outdoors. He likes to look at books and seems to want to turn the pages himself more than let someone else turn the pages for him. He loves to laugh and is a great dancer. I wish I had half of his energy and maybe even a quarter of his determination. He has this funny little angry streak that pops up when he doesn't get something that he wants (like a closed cupboard)...as if to let you know that he is in charge and you shouldn't get in his way. More than anything he loves his brother, sister, dad and especially his mom.
Sweet Trent Tane, we are so glad to have you as part of our family.
We were lucky enough to receive a quick visit from two girls, Natasha and Saryah, we knew in our ward in Katy, Texas. Max and Maya love visitors, but when they heard that we would have visitors from Texas, knowing that was were they were born, they were thrilled.
We always enjoy sharing our love of New Zealand with visitors, it never fails to impress. Here are some photos they took while they spent the day with us.
Thanks for coming to visit! Thank you for leaving a bit of Texas! Thanks for the photos!
