camping

So behind on all the adventures we have had in the last several months....but Calla asked for this cute photo of her and Max and because our computer is somewhere between Auckland and Salt Lake City our blog is the only place I can access it.

We are going to miss our friends in New Zealand.

moving on up

We can finally confirm that we are moving to Salt Lake City in April.  We are sad to leave New Zealand, but we are thrilled to live closer to our family.  

review of 2012

Lonnie put together a slide show of photos from 2012.  Don't worry if you can't sit through the whole thing, it provides entertainment for our kids who love nothing better than seeing photos of themselves.

christmas carnage

December has been a busy month.  Max and Maya are now in morning kindergarden (the equivalent of preschool in the US, but with government funding) for 20 hours a week.  They love it!  I try and stay to help as often as I can, which Trent loves.

With kindy, swimming classes, church and playdates Max and Maya have been worn out lately.   We usually have quite time after lunch while Trent sleeps.   I snapped this photo when they both feel asleep on the couch the other day.

Max and Maya are very out going.  They like meeting new people.  They run into kindy with our turning back.  They show off whenever new people come over to the house, but they are not performers.  The kindergarden had a Pirate themed Christmas gala where the kids were supposed to sing Pohutakawa Tree and Silent Night in Maori.  They both refused.  I took this photo of Maya while the other kids were preforming.  It reminds me that she is still so young and vulnerable.    

We had a lovely Christmas.  The Dimayas and the Kellys came over on Christmas eve.  We dinner, talked and had the kids perform a very quick version of the nativity.   

Christmas morning we were worried would be spent all by ourselves, but The Watts came and joined us for brunch.  The missionaries stopped by later in the afternoon and we also finished giving out our Christmas treats or caramel corn and fudge.  

I love that our kids can be so thrilled by (used) inexpensive gifts, may it always be so.

The best part of Christmas in New Zealand is the amazing weather.  Summer Christmas, along with two weeks of mandatory vacation for Lonnie, is wonderful.  The warm weather brings everything into full bloom, especially the beautiful red pohutakawa trees.  

utah friends

We were so lucky to be able to spend special time with friends and family while we were in Utah.  

Oddly, we didn't get any photos of the people we spent the most time with, Laura and Tom and Lynne and Patsy.  Thank you for letting us stay in tour homes and dealing with our chaotic life.  

We did get photos of some friends.....

Tara and I are friends fist and fifth-cousins second.  

We spent a morning at park with Michael, Scott, Ann and her kids.  Michael and Scott, we can't wait to see you here in Auckland!

We also spent a some time at the park with Jaclyn and her kids.

Cecily

Parth

Joanna and Andy

The Hermanas- Melissa, Sher, Sherrial, Marcy.

Cecily

Leah

Tiffany

Ann and Brian- Kendall, Joanna, 

We wish we could have seen everyone.  Time went quicker than we thought it would.

Napier round #2

Lonnie had work in Napier the week before Christmas.  He was going to be gone for five days so we decided to go along with him.  We did the same thing two years before, while I was pregnant with Trent.  http://rustedsun.blogspot.co.nz/2010_12_19_archive.html

The sky was clear when we stopped at Lake Taupo so the kids could get out and run around. 

The weather was beautiful, hot and dry in Napier.  It is such a pretty city (more like a town) with beautiful parks along the waterfront and a walkable city centre, which was especially nice because Lonnie had the car all day while working.  Trent and I had the pram and Max and Maya had their bikes which they put to good use.

When we were out walking one day Max and Maya came across the Ska8 Zone and immediately dropped their bikes and ran in thinking it was a playground.  After I was able to chase them down they asked if they could ride their bikes on the ramps.  I was surprised when I was told yes and even more surprised at how quickly their confidence grew.  

It is a bit hard to see, but Max rides past first (in a red shirt) then Maya (in blue polkadots).  

We stayed at the same house we did two years ago (the white one in the photo).  It is up the side of a cliff on a road that can only be accessed by foot.  Fifty stairs was a lot for the kids to climb especially with three kids, a pram and two bikes, but the kids were easier than they were two years ago.

the only thing better than a sleeping baby

...is a naked sleeping baby.  Trent likes to snuggle his monkey and blanket and prefers to sleep with at least two pacifiers which he calls sussies.   Thankfully our sweet boy likes to sleep.  Unfortunately he is a light sleeper and  has a hard time going back to sleep once he wakes.  He is now 18 months old.   The time has gone by fast.  I remember people telling me that time would go fast with the twins.  It didn't.  The first year felt like a lifetime.  There were so many changes, so much learning and so little sleep.  This time around I feel like I can't hold back time.   At night when I breastfeed him and then snuggle him in my arms before I put him to bed I like to ask him "Who is my baby?"  

His sweet responds is, "Me!".  

mt victoria

One of the kids' favorite places- Mt Victoria in Devonport.  It has amazing views and a bit of history to explore.

why I my windows are never clean

....and why it doesn't matter.

new zealand thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the one holiday in New Zealand that tends to make me homesick as it just disappears into the work week.   I miss being with my extended family and eating tasty dinner that is best made by many hands.  On Thursday Lonnie worked late and we had sandwiches for dinner.  But Saturday we held our our Thanksgiving dinner with American friends plus a few honorary Americans.   

I made the turkey, which cost $80 for 5.5kg, made me miss the fat hormone feed American turkeys that are almost given away at supermarkets.  I also made pumpkin pie, which turned out quite nicely.  I love pumpkin pie.  Marney made a delicious yam casserole out of kumra, you never would have know the difference.  She also made delicous canndied carrots and green beans, plus an apple pie.  Deric and Rachel made a mountain of buttery mashed potatoes and a sweet and tangy green apple desert.  Calla and Bryn made the cutest table decorations, a turkey out of a paper bag, a pilgrim hat out of a flower pot and a glass jar filled with corn kernels and a candle.   Sasha and Jordan made stuffing that tasted just like home even though Sasha had never made stuffing she and jordan also made no-bake cookies.   Jordan and Andy made homemade rolls, yum.   Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that require certain foods for them to feel authentic and together we managed to make it really feel like Thanksgiving! 

The kids didn't eat much of their meal.  they were too excited to play.  

My Dad said a little while ago that one of the best things about having Filipinos over for dinner is that they bring lots of food and wash all the dishes.  Deric and Rachel are always the first ones to help clean up and they always bring lots of food.   (Which is not why we invite them, but it sure make it easier to have parties when they are around :)

I'm so grateful for my New Zealand family that helps me feel at home on special holidays.