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.  :)

been busy

I have been absent from the blogging world for a while....why?  Well, several big things have been taking up my time lately....

1.  Moving.  We recently moved to a new house.  (Photos to come soon) We are no longer in our 2 bedroom unit.  We now live in a proper house with three bedrooms and two family living areas.  Moving from a furnished unit to an unfurnished home also meant that we spent about a week without a single chair in the house, which seriously cut down on my computer times. We did finally purchased and collect all the needed home furnishings and for the first time in a year I can put nails in the walls and decorate to my heart's content....to bad we don't have much in the way of decor.  :)

2.  Potty training.  I have been talking about potty-training Max and Maya for months.  My friend Kate convinced me that the chaos of the move was a good idea.  New house = new rules....we all use the toilet.  Toilet training twins is not for the faint hearted and I am certainly glad that we are doing it before the new baby arrives.  This may require a post all to itself.

3.  Pregnancy.  I feel so much better during this pregnancy than I did with the twins.  My vomiting has slowed to about once every two weeks, rather than two of three times a day with my first pregnancy.   Unfortunately similarly to my first pregnancy I seem to be prone to chest infections.  I have gone through two bouts of bronchitis and I now have yet another head cold.  But, this time I  haven't been sent into the hospital to stop preterm labor brought on by coughing.

4.  Visitors. We have had our first family visitor!  Hooray for Lucky (Lonnie's brother) for coming to visit.  We had hoped that photos of beautiful landscapes and red-headed children would have brought us family visitors sooner, but New Zealand really is quite far away for most of you.  Lonnie took last week off work (in NZ he automatically receives 4 weeks vacations vs. 2 weeks in the US) and we took Lucky on some travels around the North Island (photos to come).  Lonnie's cousin, Tiffany, who is a flight attendant, flew down on stand-by and also joined us for a few days. We will also shortly be picking up an old BYU friend who is here with us for two days.

5. Accident.  Combine #2, #3 and #4....Last Thursday ten mins after arriving at the holiday home we were renting near Lake Taupo I found Max on the steep spiral staircase trying to outrun his trail of pee.  I picked him up to carry him outside, not thinking about how pee, steep wooden stairs, flip-flops (jandles) and my awkward pregnant body would add up to disaster.  I slid down the stairs holding onto Max and seriously twisting my ankle and bruising my legs.  Thankfully Max and my pregnant belly were saved from any harm.  I immediately yelled for Lonnie as I felt the pain in my leg.  I was put into bed and we abruptly ended our vacation the next morning when we realized I wouldn't be walking anytime soon.  The dr confirmed that I didn't break a bone but didn't have much more advice other than to take pain meds (whatever I can take while pregnant) and stay off my foot and keep it elevated. Anytime I put any pressure on my foot I feel serious pain. At least now I have crutches so that I can get to the bathroom without having to crawl.  

courthouse on blyth

 One last post about our trip down south....
This is the place we stayed in Central Otago.  We stayed in Clyde for almost a week.  Clyde is an old gold mining town and it had lots of old historic buildings.  The house where we stayed was the former the courthouse.

The building was beautiful and had lots of character. 

The kids loved playing in the large fenced in area and quickly discovered ripe white nectarines growing on the vines.  

The building has been beautifully restored.  The kitchen counter is right where the old judge's table sat.

The old jail cel has been turned into the bathroom, you can see it in the far corner.

cromwell and lake dunsten

This is just a small sampling of the amazing wildflowers we saw all over Central Otago.

The water was pretty cold but Max and Maya insisted on stripping down and getting in the water like the big kids. 

After testing out the water the kids returned to the playground before we could catch them and put clothes on them.

Old Cromwell was relocated to accommodate the Lake Dunsten Reservoir.  The result is a cute old town area that the kids loved exploring.  

bendigo ghost town

On one of the rainy days when we didn't want to wander too far from our temporary home we explored Bendigo Ghost town and ate a picnic in an old abandoned house.  (More info)

road to haast

The road to Haast had hundreds of waterfalls.  I've never seen more waterfalls in my life.  Every time I looked into a little crevice there was another waterfall.  Max and Maya learned to find them by listening for the running water.   The road passed over the narrow passage between Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea and also had a view of  Mt Aspiring (another great name).

Go here for a link to short walks along the road.  http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/otago/wanaka-makarora/haast-pass-short-walks/

This photo also shows my growing baby belly.

One of our only family photos from the trip.  

Stopping for a little picnic with an amazing view.

Maya wanted to wear earrings made from cherries.

Max was a great hiker.  He ran on most of the hikes.  When I would slow down he would say "Bound with me, bound with me!"....quoting his all time favorite movie Milo and Otis (Click here and go to 5:40) 

wanaka

Can you handle a few more posts about beautiful lakes?

  

Maya decided that she preferred being carried to walking I can't say I blame her.

mavora lakes

While in Mossburn, we took an afternoon to follow an unpaved road to the Mavora Lakes, which are separated from Lake Te Anau by a mountain range. As with all our travels on the South Island, it was a beautiful drive mixed with sheep farms, rugged mountains, and beautiful lakes.

travel and friends

Cecliy, Jordan and Pam New Years morning in Mossburn

Cecily, with her boyfriend Max on the boat on Milford Sound

Some of the best memories of our South Island trip were experiences with friends who happened to be traveling in the same areas and at the same time as us. As mentioned in the Milford Sound post, we met up with Cecily (Alisa's friend of many years), Jordan (Cecily's sister who now lives in Auckland), and Pam (Jordan and Cecily's mom). Cecily and Pam had come to visit Jordan and travel around New Zealand. They planned to visit Milford Sound while we were down there, so we were able to meet up for the cruise. They also joined us in Mossburn on New Year's Eve and spent a night with us at "the house on the farm". Maya and Max really enjoyed being with them, and Max very quickly attached himself to Cecily. Even weeks later, Max asks about when we are going on a boat with Cecily.

Our other encounter with friends on the South Island was more of a reunion. In December as we were preparing for Christmas and our trip, Alisa got an email from a mission companion (Kelly), who had just booked tickets for a trip to New Zealand. After some correspondence, we learned that we would be in the South Island at the same time. So we arranged to meet up with Kelly and her husband (Yves) in Mossburn. Kelly and Yves are from Tahiti and traveled through New Zealand with some of their family. They ended up spending a couple nights with us in Mossburn where Alisa and Kelly talked about their time together in the Dominican Republic. We also quickly learned that Yves is a really good cook, and Maya especially took a liking to his cooking, which made Yves proud of the good eater that Maya is.

Max wanted a picture with "just the boys"

Maya quickly warmed up to Yves

Somehow the world of Alisa works this way....go on a mission to the Dominican Republic...have a wonderful companion who is from Tahiti (a world away from the DR)...over 10 years pass...move with your young family to New Zealand...go on a trip to the South Island...meet up with your Tahitian friend in Mossburn (of all places).

We also were fortunate to have Kelly and Yves spend a few days with us in Auckland at the end of their trip. They've convinced us that we need to come to Tahiti to visit them...not that we need much convincing for that trip.

Kelly and Yves with the kids in Devonprot

-Lonnie

milford sound

As mentioned in the last post, one of the highlights of Fiordland National Park is Milford Sound, which is actually a fjord (a drowned glacial valley). To access Milford Sound, you get to drive a beautiful highway that weaves its way through the mountains. Just when you think the highway is going to end at the foot of towering cliffs, you pass through the Homer Tunnel, and then the highway descends into Milford. If you enjoy beautiful drives (and we do), the drive into Milford Sound is worth the trip on its own. But this road also rewards you with the stunning views of Milford Sound.

Highway between Te Anau and Milford

West side of Homer Tunnel, which is center left in the photo

Once in Milford, there is a nice ferry terminal where several tour operators run cruises through the fjord. We were very fortunate to meet up with friends for the tour. It made the 2 hour ferry ride more enjoyable to have some friends to enjoy it with. Plus, our friends were extremely helpful with Maya and Max, who wanted to explore the ferry boat more than they wanted to experience the beauty of Milford Sound. Thanks Jordan, Cecily, and Pam for the great time together!

Although we had overcast weather at Milford Sound (which is not uncommon considering rainfall is upwards of 7 metres a year, or over 20 feet), the cruise did not disappoint. Rather than try to describe how stunning it was, I'll just go with the photos.

The nose of the cruise boat went right up under this waterfall

New Zealand fur seals lounging on a rock

Many photos were taken on this trip