I simply remember my favorite things. . .

and then I don't feel so sad!

One of the things I do to help the girls and myself if we are having a moment of homesickness is to ask, "What is something that is better here than it is at home?". It usually helps us to see that if we left here today there are already things that we would miss. So, something we've noticed is that New Zealand is big on parks, and the parks ROCK! I guess since they aren't busy suing each other they can still have toys that are actually fun to play on if you are kid.

The thing I love about this next picture is Josie in the background cheering Ellie on.

Below is a cool maze. . .

All of the above pictures were taken (by Sarah) in parks that are within walking distance of our house here in Karori. Below are some more park pictures from Palmerston North where Dugald's parents live and from Auckland where his sister lives.

A Sad Goodbye

So Miss Sarah left today. . .

And we are all very sad.

We love you Miss Sarah - thanks for being the best babysitter/nanny EVER!!!

Meggie loves you for tickling and giving treats - mommy translation - bringing her joy and encouraging her through the use of positive incentives.

Katie loves you for being so nice - mommy translation - patient, kind, encouraging, fun, generous of spirit.

Josie loves you for loving her and for tickling her and for giving her lots of hugs. No translation necessary!

Ellie loves you for teaching her how to be a supermodel, for patiently changing a million pull-ups and for letting her hold a weta.

We miss you already - thank you for blessing and enriching our lives with your joy and friendship and lots of amazing photos. You are our sunshine.

If a picture paints a thousand words. . .

The bunk beds are here!! The bunk beds are here!!! We have some excited children because at long last their beds have arrived and they are no longer sleeping on their mattresses on the floor. Mommy will be excited when their cute bedding arrives from Texas :).

Another exciting development this week was the arrival in the mail of the quilts Grandma made them for their dolls. The girls got to pick the fabrics and put them in the order they wanted, then Grandma quilted them. Ellie refused to have her picture made with hers, she was having a day.

Josie with her quilt.

Katie with the front of hers. . .

and the back!

Meggie shows off how her quilt matches her eyes.

We have an indoor, heated pool just up the street from us that we take advantage of often. Here is Meggie being a sweet big sister and playing with Ellie.

Of course we had to try and capture a photo that shows the strength of wind that is frequently blowing here in Wellington - Chicago has nothing on this windy city!!!

The next photo was taken on our trip to the Te Papa museum that I blogged about earlier.

Next are just a few pictures of the girls being supermodels for Miss Sarah. . .

Here are some pictures of the girls on the day before we left Texas - we had lunch with some precious friends.

Hope and Faith made a special trip to say goodbye. We miss our babysitters, swim teachers and friends!!

Josie and her buddy Kate

Lucy, Meggie and Alex

Katie and Maddie

The above picture was taken at Hunter's school, we made a special trip to say goodbye the day we left before heading to the airport.

Bay of Islands

Last weekend Dugs and I went away to the Bay of Islands, north of Auckland. It was such a great weekend - we left the girls behind with Sarah and her friend Ashley so they were in very good hands and we were able to just relax and reconnect.

This is a picture of the famous (at leat here in New Zealand) Hunderwasser toilets in Kawakawa. If you are interested in the story go to: http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/photographs/hundertwassers_ultimate_stand.htm

We stayed at a lovely vineyard/bed and breakfast just outside of Russel. Here is the view of the property as you drive up to check in -

After that you drive down a steep and sometimes scary little unpaved road right to the waterfront to our room, called "The Boathouse". Here is a picture in the room:

And here is the view from outside looking back to the room - the room is aptly named because the boat lives just to the right of the room:

The first two days we were there the weather was perfect - I snapped the picture below from the deck where we were eating our dinner and enjoying the sunset.

We went out on a Dolphin Adventure the next morning - but sadly after being onboard for four hours there were no dolphin to be found! I guess we'll just have to go back and have a swim with them another time. Instead we decided it was time for me to brush up on my New Zealand history and went to the Treaty of Waitangi grounds.

This is a specially built Maori meeting house on the grounds. I have seen them in various places around the country but had never been inside, it was very ornate and beautiful and I learned a lot more about the Maori culture while I was there.

Dugs wanted me to include the above photo - it is a picture of a New Zealand burger, minus the onions of course, it was Dugald's burger. Anyway, Whataburger should check it out, it had beets, lettuce, a fried egg, bacon and cheese on it - and the meat of course.

Finally, the above picture is Dugald in front of a Kauri tree estimated to be 500 years old! Wikipedia says the following about the Kauri:

"Agathis australis can attain heights of 40 to 50 metres and trunk diameters big enough to rival Californian Sequoias at over 5 meters. The largest kauris do not attain as much height or girth at ground level but contain more timber in their cylindrical trunks than a comparable Sequoia with its tapering stem."

We braved some rain to get out of the car and walk up to see these ancient trees but they were beautiful and it was worth the effort.

All in all it was a great few days together despite the rain!

Ballerina Girls

Josie and Katie are taking ballet in town. It reminds me of taking dance when I was young - they are doing the Royal Academy of Ballet so they will have exams at the end of the term. Josie was bumped up a level so she isn't taking "Fairy Ballet" anymore, she's doing the real thing, but thankfully she gets to wear a beautiful leotard and skirt for her classes so it wasn't too disappointing.

Katie also has a new "uniform" for ballet. Last week the girls walked to ballet with Miss Sarah since I was out of town - here is a picture so you can see Katie's ballet outfit (minus the Crocs).

Ellie is desperate to take ballet, she will be eligible for Fairy Ballet when she turns three in April.

Here are some pictures of the girls riding. I liked the second place we tried much better than the first. We will have to drive further but I think it is totally worth it and the girls love their lessons. I would like to join them!

Meggie learns how to hold the reins.

It is beautiful in Upper Hutt where they are taking - you can kind of see the landscape in the background.

Katie is all smiles on Sheba.

Finally, I will leave you with pictures of Ellie posing with her new sunglasses.