last day of NZ kindy

pippies

On one of our last nights in New Zealand our friend Leah took us and the Kelly family out to Orewa to dig for pippies.  When the tide was low but starting to come in we went out into the shallow tides and dug with our toes down into the sand until we felt shells.  We then dug down with our hands and pulled up little shelled animals.  The kids were thrilled to get wet and feel the water splashing around.  They were up past bed time in the late Summer sun.  It was a perfect New Zealand moment and it hurts my heart a little thinking about it.

 

The next day I cooked them up in a little sweet and sour sauce and the kids actually ate them!  They were a bit too sandy for me.  I still need to prefect my pippi cooking skills, but Max, who regularly eats sand anyways, loved them.

little kindy monkeys

Don't try telling Trent that he isn't able to do anything his brother and sister can do.  He loves going to kindy drop off and 

awhitu

We spend our Christmas vacation touring the Auckland Regional Parks.  

night market

Narrowneck

BBQ picnic

Korean BBQ at the park with our friends from China.  Jolin, Alan and Eillen Chen and baby Holly.

painting

jumping

Max and Maya love jumping on the trampoline.

michael and scott

My good friend from BYU Michael and his partner Scott spent a morning with us!   Scott is an ice skater on a cruise ship and the ship stopped in Auckland for a day.