the vic

The kids and I went on another fun Playcentre trip today.  We toured The Victoria Picture Palace and Theater.  The Vic was built in 1912 and is the earliest purpose built cinema still in existence in the Southern Hemisphere.   It is also located just a block from our Playcentre.  When we first moved to the Devonport area the theater hadn't been in use for quite some time, but it was recently reopened and is becoming a vibrant part of the community.  One of our Playcentre moms works at the theater and arranged for us to tour the theater, use the stage and then watch previews for some up coming kids movies.

Maya was pretty excited about being on stage in a yellow princess dress. She twirled and sang and didn't take the dress off until it was time to go.

Max was more interested in playing music.  He loves strumming on the ukulele while tapping his foot.  

I kind of love Max's shy face in this photo.  

Marisa, sitting next to Max, is due two weeks after me.

After exploring the theater and putting on a show we had morning tea (which doesn't actually involve tea but is nevertheless always called morning tea) at the cafe.  Max liked watching all the cars drive by the window.  

We left The Vic so they could have a few minutes to prepare for the morning show and headed down to the library.   

Max and Maya talk a lot about how things are going to be when "my baby" arrives.  Usually the discussions start with...."When your baby pops out....".  Max says that he wants his brother to sleep in his bed.  Maya wants to help feed him.  Maya has also been a little more emotional than normal.  Yesterday she cried for quite some time when I wouldn't "carry her like a baby".  

On Friday I will be 38 weeks pregnant, three weeks longer than I was pregnant with Max and Maya.  For the most part I am feeling alright, but I am tired, emotional and physically awkward (maybe I have always been this way).  On my last two ultrasound scans the technician told me that I was measuring in the 90th percentile.  Considering that Max and Maya didn't even make the charts until they were about 9 months old,  I'm happy to have a big healthy baby.  I'm glad that this little guy is staying put in the oven until he is fully cooked.  I told myself that I would never complain about being pregnant to long.  It is nice to get the the stage where I don't have to think about making sure I don't go into labor and only thinking about when it will come.  I'm looking forward to the experience.  

belly painting

On my EDD at Playcentre I decided to celebrate being full-term by letting the kids paint my belly.  I had seen some pretty interesting photos of pregnancy belly paint.  This painting turned out a big different, combining the artistic talents of ten kids, who especially liked to stick their little paint brushes into my belly button.  The painting started out with just Max and Maya but soon involved almost all of the kids at  Playcentre that day.  

I was enjoying the belly painting more that it looks on my face in this photo. :)

lately

I finally admit my failure to blog due to lack of photos and Lonnie found a way to download pictures off our new camera.  Thank you Lonnie!  the new camera isn't as fancy as the one recently damaged by bubbles, but at least we are still documenting our lives, which will shortly be posted, because if it isn't blogged it didn't happen.  Not downloading photos for over a month and then looking back has made me realize that we have been quite busy, even with a small baby.  We go on a lot of adventures.  I'm not sure how much of it Max and Maya will remember when they are older, but at least we will have the documentation to prove it.  

Even when we are taking it easy we still spend three days a week at Playcentre.   This photo is just a glimpse of the facilities.  

And this is the view from our Playcentre....pretty freaking amazing.  

playcentre

The kids went to Playcentre on Friday and then again on Monday. . We are now attending twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. I have duty day on Mondays where I am responsible for an area of play, like books, blocks and science or play dough, house-play and collage. On Fridays I attend with the kids and help out, but I don't have a specific responsibility so I was able to chase them around and take some photos.

On my duty days I come home pretty worn out. Even with low teacher to child ratios of 1/3 (which is not too different from what I am used to at home) things still get kind of crazy at times. But Max and Maya love it. They are learning a lot and gaining even more confidence.

Usually I have my hands full, but on Friday I remembered to bring along my camera.

Here Max is making a collage.

He also especially loves to play at the water table. On Friday the kid had dyed the water pink.

Maya found these head-phones in the carpentry area where she practised pounding real nails into a styrofoam block. They blocked out a lot of sound I am surprised she wanted to wear them because when I put them on it was hard for me to hear, but she kept them on for almost an hour.

Maya followed around the bigger boys who were playing pirates on the fort.

She also had fun with some girls playing queen rabbit.

camp bentzon, kawau island

We spent the weekend at Camp Bentzon out on Kawau Island with our friends from Playcentre.

Friday evening, we drove about an hour north of Auckland and then took a water taxi out to the island. The sun was setting, and the view was beautiful. Max and Maya were thrilled with the 20 min boat ride (we found it ironic that they were so fascinated with the boat given the Mercer family's obsession with boating...if we lived in Utah, the twins would have been on a boat many more times than they have). They were also thrilled to find their Playcentre friends already on the island. After dinner and some running around, we put the kids to bed and enjoyed campfire conversation. We were even joined by three wallabies, which I was really excited to see.

Saturday morning, the sun was shining, and we walked up the hills and through the ropes course. Then we took a short kayak ride out into the protected bay and found a lovely little tree cave. We were impressed by the 10 (and some even younger) year old kids who were out in their own little sail boats. Max and Maya ran around with their friends and played. By the time afternoon naps were over, the rain came in and lasted most of the night.

Sunday morning, the sun gradually pushed away the clouds, and we were able to enjoy a little bit more time outside before hopping on the ferry back to the mainland.

turning four

I have no doubt that every mother says this, but I can't believe my babies are four years old.  While the past four years have gone by quickly I almost can't remember my life before I was a mother.  

The week before their fourth birthday Max and Maya started afternoon kindergarden.  Kindergarden in New Zealand is more like pre-school in the States.  It is focused on play and is located at a separate location from the school.  For three days a week Max and Maya get dropped for 2 1/2 hours.  I almost don't know what to do with myself and the few times we have been home and not our running errands Trent wanders around the house looking for his brother and sister and squawking.  Max and Maya are loving kindergarden.  Maya is quick to make new friends and Max is thrilled with all the new toys.  

We are still attending Playcentre three days a week.  I have duty once a week, Trent comes with me and he loves it!

 Max and Maya's biggest facination these day is with Lego.  My mom and I both got them some for Christmas.  We added to them for their birthday and they are a constant source of entertainment.

On the Saturday before their birthday we all went to the Auckland Zoo and got Zoo memberships.  Max has already started writing a letter to the zoo keepers asking all sorts of questions.  They are going to have to deal with a very demanding client.  He wants to know why there are no camels and when the snake enclosures will be done with their remodel.

Max and Maya's birthday feel on a Monday.  We went to Playcentre where Trent and I stay for my duty day.  The kids at PC all made muffins for Max and Maya's birthday and everyone sang to them.  It was a nice way to spend the morning together.

In the afternoon we had some of Max and Maya's
favorite friends, Jayde and Luka over for a play. Their mom Diana made it into a little party by brining lollies and chips.

That evening we ordered pizza and made fruit skewers.

Max and Maya requested that that each have their own cake. Max's was a giraffe cake and Maya's a flamingo cake.   To make the dinner extra special we all wore dress ups.

The next day at kindy Max and Maya each received a card and got to sit up in  front of the class.

 Trent thinks he is big enough to start kindy too and tries to get into as much as he can when we go to pick up his big brother and sister.

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

weekly activites

We finally had a healthy week so we have been enjoying all of our weekly activities! It was a very busy week.

Monday and Friday we went to Playcentre and the kids had a great time playing with water, paint and clay. They also climbed and raced. They were exhausted by the time they got home.

Tuesday we went to church where the moms of young kids have music group and toddler soccer. The kids love singing and running around with their friends. Maya's favorite song is Jack in the Box, she likes to practice her jumping (she hasn't gotten both feet off the ground but it isn't for lack of trying). Max especially loves the parachute at the end of soccer.

Wednesday we went to the local community center toddler play group called "Bells & Whistles". Imagine a huge open room filled with all the toys a child could ever want....slides, trains, play kitchens, tents, bikes,etc. Every Wednesday the toddlers of Devonport get to play while the adults visit.

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Normally Thursday is our day at home, but a wonderful woman in our ward, whose children are all in school, has offered to coordinate a cooperative play group. We are going to take turns dropping off our kids. I love my little ones and most activities are more fun when they are around, but there are things that are more enjoyable without the additional appendages. I stayed and played with the kids for a little while and then I ran off to do some errands. I picked up the kids new balance bike (bike post to come) we ordered months ago, and I even bought a new pair of shoes.