All About Ella & Owen

Paradise Valley Berry Farm - New Plymouth

2011-12-17T21:47:00.003-05:00

We went to Paradise Valley Berry farm today and picked some beautiful strawberries. Afterwards we had Tip Top ice cream where they blended fresh berries into your ice cream! Delicious!!

The Beach at Low Tide

2011-12-11T23:52:00.028-05:00

Be sure to click on the photos to see them larger!

Last night was a beautiful warm summer night. We went down to the beach by our subdivision at low tide for our first evening of swimming at the beach this summer. The kids love, love, love going to the beach. They could stay there all evening. The black sand is warm from the sun and at low tide small pools form all over the beach and warm in the sun. These make perfect swimming pools for the kids. They love expoloring and running around the beach. Their faces are full of joy the entire time. I hope that they remember this forever.

This one is our Christmas card picture. We will be sending out a limited number of Xmas cards this year to parents, siblings, and grandparents only due to the expense and pain of postage.

Summer!

2011-12-10T15:29:00.010-05:00

The joys of living with Ella.....

2011-12-10T15:05:00.003-05:00

Pumped Up kicks
Ella: "I want to download "All the bonked out kids"."
Mommy: "What song is that?"
Ella: "You know." Then she sings, "All the other kids and the bonked out kids.."

Ella tends to be a know-it-all and will state things very matter of factly. Eating mixed vegetables the other day, there were cut up yellow peppers in the mix. She says to Owen, "Eat these Owen. They're apricots. They're made of corn and they grow on trees."

Ella helped Josh pick out a dress for me for my birthday. Unfortunately it was a few sizes to big. When I tried it on, Ella says, "Maybe you can grow into it."
Thankfully I was able to alter the dress for the perfect fit and didn't have to grow into it!

The baker delivered my birthday cake. Upon seeing it, Ella says, "That looks fab!"

We have a new playground in the Links that was just constructed. It's very exciting and we go there almost every night. Ella says, "Let's go to the playground and I'll show you my skills."

When I was little, my mom told me that the elves and Easter bunny lived in a cave through a little door in our entry way closet. It was actually a plumbing access door, but at the time I thought it mas mystical and mesmerizing! Our favorite restaurant in Bell Block, Eden Cafe, has a little door by the entranceway, so I told the kids that the elves lived through there and they were working on toys in there. Each visit we talk about it and it's very exciting. During our last visit a waitress went over and opened it up and was getting wine out through the door which looks like a little storage room. Ella disappointed says, "Uhhhhh! That's not where the elves live, that's where they keep the beer."

The ozone is thin in this part of the world and skin cancer rates are high. There is a national campaign called 'Slip, Slap, Slop, Wrap' for kids to encourage suncreen and skin cover. Our daycare has a sun policy that requires suncreen and broad-rimmed hats to be worn. At home last week Owen was going to go outside with a baseball cap. Ella stops him, "Owen, That hat is not sun smart! Your ears aren't covered up!"

Second day of summer!

2011-12-02T00:10:00.002-05:00

New Plymouth Walkway

2011-11-26T22:58:00.001-05:00

Entertaining Ella

2011-11-23T02:03:00.002-05:00

Ella is sleeping with me in my room why Josh is away to the USA this week. She was trying to fall asleep while I was brushing my teeth and says out of the blue:
Ella: "Mommy, do wishes come true?"
Mommy: "Of course they can Ella."
Ella: "Good, because I keep wishing that I can fly and I still can't."

Warning - If you're a Democrat, you may find the following offensive.
The prime minister election is going on in New Zealand so we've been explaining a lot about elections and politicians to Ella.
"Mommy, you don't like Obama because he spends all of our money, right Mom. Like, you give him something and he spends it right away. That's spending. Not me, I save my money."
She may or may not have picked up on conversations between Josh and I on American politics. I'm so proud of my fiscally conservative little Republican.

The candidate posters for the elections are posted all over New Plymouth. One candidate has a sign by McDonald's. Ella says, "Even McDonald's wants that one to win."

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T04:23:00.013-04:00

It was Halloween today! We had a beautiful spring night. The weather is so warm so we decided to grill burgers on the deck before taking the kids trick-or-treating. Here's Ella and Owen waiting for dinner.

All dressed up and ready to go! Yes, I made the jack-o-lantern scarecrow! We bought a regular scarecrow and I painted him orange and made him a sign.

Beautiful Ladybug - in New Zealand they call them ladybirds

My USA astronaut. We bought this costume when were back home last August.

The pohutakawas are already in bloom (the bright red flowers behind the kids). They say this is a sign that we'll have a warm summer.

We trick or treated at the Harold's home - they have an elevator in their house and the kids got to go for a ride!

Exhausted

Done for the night and racing back home. That's our house second in from the right.

Ella and Owen Show the Kiwis How to Party at Halloween!

2011-10-31T04:01:00.013-04:00

Kiwi's don't traditionally celebrate Halloween, so we thought it would be great to have a Kid's Halloween party for Ella and Owen and their friends from school this year. We had 15 kids ages 2 - 7. Fortunately we had a beautiful spring day. The party was a hit! Josh rented an industrial sized smoke machine to smoke up the front entrance as guest arrived.

Owen attempts to pin the tail on the cat.

Ella and pals (Lexi, Quinnie, Kaelyn, Emma, and Maddie)

Owen and buddies (Zachary, Neha, Jax, Cohen, George, and Thomas)

Enjoying treats and the sun

Toilet paper mummys!

Ella was wrapped up with her good friend George. She and George sometimes hold hands at school - Josh isn't sure what to think of that...

This picture is priceless! All the kids were gathered around and I asked Owen to show the kids how to stick their mouths in the water and bob for apples. He was so pumped, but when he tried to do it, he was too nervous to put his face in the water. He stood up and he was so disappointed. See the precious look on his face!!!

Ella gets an apple

Owen didn't give up. He was determined to get an apple and tried for about 20 minutes after all of the other kids were done.

Then he proceeded to eat 6 apples...

We've got a great green space in our back yard, so after all the kids were high on sugar, we took them out back for races.

Decorating for Halloween

2011-10-31T03:45:00.016-04:00

Our jack-o-lanterns

Ella and Owen each took a jack-0-lantern to school for their friends to see.

Ella went to a Star Wars birthday party for a boy in her class yesterday morning. She made an awesome Princess Lea.

Since Halloween is not a big thing here, I ordered some craft magazines from the US and we made all of our own decorations!

Pin the tail on the cat!

The bat cave. That is a new show home out our window. There's a ton of people that go through the home every weekend. After I hung my bat cave up, I thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea......but, too much work to move.

We made tombstone treat bags.

The spread for the party

Cupcakes from Cake-a-licious. Delicious!

More funny sayings....

2011-10-21T22:50:00.004-04:00

The other morning we were eating breakfast. Ella says to me, "Mommy, you do everything really good except for chew with your mouth shut."

We were shopping in the grocery store a few weeks ago. Josh was in China, so I was lazy and had just taken the kids to eat at McDonald's. In the grocery store, I picked out some chocolate covered marshmallow treats. Ella says to me, "Mom, We just had McDonald's. Don't you think you should have something healthy? Why don't you pick out some popcorn or something - that would be healthier." I sheepishly put my chocolate marshmallow treats back on the shelf.

Mom: "You guys are driving me crazy. What am I going to do with you?"
Ella: "Keep us forever?"

Owen refers to everything that belongs to Josh and I as "Mommy's".
Owen: "I want to sleep in Mommy's bed."
Daddy: "Mommy's bed? Then where does Daddy sleep?"
Owen: "In Mommy's bed!"

Hawaiian Vacation

2011-10-09T02:31:00.017-04:00

This past August, we spent a week on Oahu island in Kapolei, Hawaii with Andrea, Brent, and new baby cousin, Cooper. We stopped their on our way to South Dakota for our home leave. It was the first trip to Hawaii for all of us. The weather was hot, sunny, and humid - a nice change from NZ winter! We had a great time seeing the Scheele's home, getting to know baby Cooper, and exploring the island. We did beaches, shopping, sight-seeing, and, of course, a lu'au.

With new cousin, Cooper

Tumbling in the grass at Ko Olina

Aquarium

Waikiki Beach

We went to a lu'au at Paradise Cove. Their was a pig roast and authentic Hawaiin feast. There were great activities such as making flowered head and neck pieces. The kids loved the live music and danced the night away.

Owen gets inked

The boys and their tatoos

Beautiful sunset at Paradise Cove

Another one of the pools at Ko Olina

Pearl Harbor

Rugby World Cup - New Zealand 2011

2011-10-06T02:04:00.006-04:00

We have really been enjoying the all of the rugby activity with the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand this year. We cheered for America until they no longer advanced, and now we're cheering for the All Blacks (New Zealand national team). Here's some fun comments from Ella.

Ella was reading her "Small Blacks" magazine from Mr. Peter next door. She pointed to Richie McCaw and said, "he's my favorite All Black". I said, "yah, he's cute, isn't he?" Ella replied, "yah, I wish Daddy looked like that."

We were riding to school yesterday and out of the blue Ella says, "I want Wales to win [Rugby World Cup]. Even though they don't have a haka, they have a furious flag."

Welsh Flag - I guess it is pretty furious?

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2011-09-17T22:00:00.004-04:00

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

2011-09-17T22:00:00.001-04:00

Sayings that made us laugh....

2011-09-02T20:37:00.005-04:00

We arrived back home from our 3-week trip to the USA last week. The Rugby World Cup is kicking off in New Zealand. New Plymouth is decorated with the flags of different countries that will be hosted in New Plymouth during the event. Each street of downtown is decorated with a different country. We were walking down the USA block and there are American flags everywhere. I said to the kids, "Look at all of the American flags. What do you think they are for?" Ella replied, "I think maybe they're welcoming us home."

Owen's speech has really taken off, but he still has some sounds that he hasn't mastered. He pronounces all "C" sounds as "T" sounds and all "F" sounds as "P" sounds. Here are some examples: Baby Tooper (Cooper), Grandma Berta's dog Pipi (Fifi), toppee (coffee), I go to stool (school), Amerita (America), Grandma Berta lives in Tuster (Custer)

Here's one of Owen's common responses when arguing with Ella: "No I aren't"

The other day I was showing something to Ella and she responded with, "Cool as". This is a common kiwi saying (sweet as, cool as, awesome as, cold as) meaning cool as [something that is very cool]. Any adjective followed by as is used.

After our 3-week trip to the USA, Owen was so confused as to where we were at when we landed in New Plymouth. We were riding in the cab back to our house and Owen says, "I go to the Purple Pie Place?" When we asked him where we were at he said, "Tuster?" We hadn't even gone to the Purple Pie Place (dessert shop) in Custer, but we had driven by and he was fascinated with it.

A few nights ago I was on the phone with Andrea and Owen said, "I talk to Annie?" I gave him the phone and on his own asked, "What Baby Tooper doing?"

Proud to be Americans!

2011-07-04T02:01:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had a 4th of July picnic for supper in our living room. It was too cold to be outside and you can tell from the pictures that even though it was only 5:30pm we had winter darkness!

Happenings as of Late

2011-07-02T19:19:00.012-04:00

We have been really into bird watching and identification. I bought a book of New Zealand birds and owen is obsessed with it. We have to read it multiple times every day and he has memorized almost all of the types of birds.

Ella helps me fold laundry and is especially good with the towels. She folds them like "snakes". They don't stack in the bin very well, but I don't want to refold them so I lay them on top of one another. Everytime I see the bulging over bin of snake towels it makes me smile.

Ella and Owen now sleep together every night in Ella's bed. They do really well together and keep eachother company. One problem - no matter who gets up first they're both awake...

Evening winter walk. Owen has some paint on his face from school.

Ella with her new Ipod. We bought her an Ipod as promised after she was able to read her first book all on her own!

I had to take this picture of Owen after he drank his fruit punch. I really don't know how it is possible to get this predominant of a juice mustache?

Wrapping paper of a gift Ella made me at school. Notice the "mum"

These are the pictures that Ella drew for Josh before he went to China. I had to take photos of them because I thought they were so great. She did them all on her own including the writing. I especially love how she drew hearts on all of our chests and she remembered to include Harriet and Eva. She also idenities her picture as "Ella M" and I love Owen's googley eyes. You can click on them to see them big. Josh is in China for two weeks. We Skyped with him yesterday and he showed us these pictures hanging in his hotel room!

Lake Taupo Weekend Get Away

2011-07-02T18:59:00.015-04:00

In early June, we took a long weekend get away to Lake Taupo which is a ~3 hour drive from New Plymouth. Lake Taupo is a huge lake in the center of the North Island in New Zealand. It's a fun little town with great shopping and great restaurants. It's also an active geothermal area. We stayed at the Hilton Lake Taupo which was a beautiful hotel (see our room above and below) - it reminded us a lot of the Inn at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, MI.

Watching movies in bed at night

Lake view from our suite balcony

Even though the swimming pool was heated, it was a little cool in the middle of winter!

Ella and Daddy dry off

This is in the lawn of the hotel after our swim. You can see the steam from the thermal pools (natural hot water swimming pools) in the back. On our last day we went to the thermal pools for a soak.

Huka Falls

It's hard to see the magnitude of the falls in the photo, but the blue cascading water was so impressive. It was the highlight of our trip.

New Zealand is known for it's manuka honey which contains natural antioxidants. We visited the local Huka Honey store which had all kinds of manuka honey products.

Of course Josh had to try for the hole in one off the shores of Lake Taupo. He hit the box a few times, but unfortunately didn't hit the hole!

Owen-isms

2011-06-19T00:43:00.003-04:00

No matter what you are doing, everything is a contest for Owen and he is all about winning. He likes to be the first one dressed and as soon he is dressed he will run to find Ella and exlaim: "I THE WINNAH!"

I was listening to the radio and dancing in the kitchen while I was cleaning up. Owen looked at me wide eyed with a big smile on his face and says, "That's cool, Mom". I wonder how long that will last....

Blog Headers

2011-06-19T00:36:00.006-04:00

Today I put up a new blog header. I thought it would be fun to showcase the various blog headers that I have used since the introduction of "All About Ella and Owen".

Professional Pictures

2011-06-17T01:35:00.007-04:00

Click on the photos if you would like to see them larger. Use the "back" button to navigate back to the blog.

Follow this Blog by E-mail

2011-05-26T05:14:00.002-04:00

I have added a new application for viewers to subscibe to e-mail updates from this blog. Just enter your e-mail address in the space at the left and click 'submit'. You will receive an e-mail each time this blog is updated!

Random Pictures from the Week

2011-05-20T22:51:00.008-04:00

Ella was playing the other day and told us, "Look at my American Idol stage." If you look closely you can see the contestants on the stage, the judges' table, and the audience. So cool!

Last week Ella comes to me out of the blue and asks, "Mom, am I old enough to go for runs with you now." The answer was, "Of course!" So we geared up and went for a jog around the small ponds by our house. It was going really well until she slipped and skidded in her white pants across the gravel path. We also had to stop every few minutes because the ear buds for the I-pod kept coming out of her small ears, but she insisted on wearing them.

Ella and Owen love to wash all of the fruit when we get home from the grocery store. Owen mostly eats while Ella washes.

The feijoa (fee-joy-a) is a native New Zealand fruit. It looks like a lime on the outside, but tastes like a sour kiwi fruit. You can cut them in half and then scoop out the fruit. Owen loves feijoas. He will beg for them and hoards them. He first had them at school and was so excited when he saw them in the grocery store. The other day Josh put on a pair of his pants and Owen reaches in the pocket as says, "Feijoa!" and pulls out a feijoa that went through the wash with his pants.

Owen loves to wear hats and he'll rarely go out without one. This skull cap has been his favorite lately.

Owen loves to help make the beds, but he HAS to put the pillows on by himself or he will end up on the ground screaming. It's great to have the help, but all of our made beds look like this....

Ella's First Haircut!

2011-05-20T22:41:00.008-04:00

Before

Ella got her haircut at '42 on King' in New Plymouth with hairstylist Simone. At almost 4-1/2, it was time for Ella's first haircut. Her hair still isn't that long, but the ends were getting really split and snarly. She did fantastic!

Mom taking pictures

After!

Owen's First Haircut!

2011-05-20T22:37:00.007-04:00

Before

Getting hair cut with Daddy at the barber shop in Bell Block

After! He looks about 2 years older.

Blankee Boy

2011-05-19T16:42:00.008-04:00

Here's Owen with his original beautiful plush "Little Giraffe" brand Blankee that I purchased in Chicago in June of 2009.

Here's Owen with Blankee today. There are now two identical Blankees in circulation. One is always in the wash and the other is with Owen. They have to be bleached several times a week. I bought a third idential one and tried to put it into circulation, but it is too clean and soft and he wants nothing to do with it. Owen sucks on the blankees and rubs the material against his nose. He cannot sleep without one. They smell sooooo bad and look incredibly bad too. They are taking on a permanent brown color. Now that he's moved into the middle house at school, they've also taken on new paint spots. The teachers in the Little House at school coined his Blankee as "Manky Blankee", but recently they told me that it was getting so bad that they upgraded to to "Skanky Blankee". The teachers have to tell other parents that come in and see this child with a dirty rag in his mouth that his parents really do wash it each week. We are slowly weaning to have Blankee at only sleep times, but it isn't easy!

One of Owen's Skanky Blankees

Mother's Day in the Fall 2011

2011-05-19T16:36:00.005-04:00

Making a french toast breakfast for Mom

For Mother's Day we took a morning walk in Pukekura Park and went through Brookland's Zoo which is attached to the park. Then we went to a great coffee shop, Zanzabar, for lunch. Ella and Owen got me flowers and a sweater set from my favorite store, Kilt. It was an awesome day!

Feeding ducks and fish

It's strange to have Mother's Day in the fall. Here we are in the autumn leaves in Pukekura Park.

Jack Be Nimble

2011-05-18T17:51:00.001-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Latest Sayings that have Made us Laugh...

2011-05-06T22:24:00.005-04:00

Ella seeing Owen dressed in the outfit in the picture above, "Owen, you can play rugby. You look like an All Black!" The All Blacks are the New Zealand national ruby team. Sorry Daddy, no Steelers!

Ella: "We could go to the museum (moo-zay-um)"

Mom: "Ella, I have something really important to tell you. I love you so much."
Ella: "Uh, Mom.......that's not really important."

Ella says out of the blue while riding home in the car from work/school:
"Christchurch had an earthquake and Japan had a salami."

Ella was decorating Owen's scooter by pinning colorful clothes pins all over it, and says:
"Look Owen. Now it's all ready for the royal wedding."

I was in the middle of the most painful game of Chutes and Ladders with Ella and Owen tonight. Owen kept moving the game pieces all over and no one was listening. They are more interested in talking about the naughty or nice kids on the gameboard than playing. I was creating ways to cheat to make the game end sooner. I actually now hate Chutes and Ladders. In the middle of the game Ella exclaims,
"We should do this more often!"

Mom: "I love you."
Owen: "I love Mom!!"

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T21:02:00.002-04:00

Big Boy Bed

2011-04-24T20:27:00.002-04:00

This weekend I removed the siderail to Owen's crib to transition to a "big boy bed". He's done great the first few nights. Except for last night I went to check on him before turning in and discovered that he had rolled out of bed. He still looks so peaceful!

Owen's Teddy Bear Picnic Day

2011-03-23T03:20:00.003-04:00

The Little House at ABC Educare where Owen goes to school had a Teddy Bear Picnic. Owen brought his favorite teddy bear, "Puppy", to school for the picnic. We also sent the camera and these are some photos that the teachers snapped.

Family Fun Weekend to Auckland

2011-03-18T15:32:00.018-04:00

We spent last weekend in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand and has 1.2 million of New Zealand's 4 million people. Auckland is located on the north side of the north island which is about a 4.5 hour drive from New Plymouth. We stayed at the Hilton downtown which had room balconies facing the harbor. Owen loved watching the big boats come in and a cruise ship even came in on Sunday! We had a wonderful weekend of shopping, eating good food, and visited the zoo and aquarium.

Ella and Owen on our hotel room balcony

View from our balcony - downtown Auckland

Eating lunch in our hotel room

Aquarium

Ella's shark face

On the hotel room balcony at night

A monkey watching the monkeys at the zoo

Our favorite exhibit - the spider monkeys

Checking out the guinea pigs

The view driving into Auckland, "The City of Sails", from the north

View from the SkyTower. The SkyTower is the big pointy needle looking structure in the photo above.

Watching movies in the hotel room at night. You know it has been a fun weekend when there is a balloon animal octopus in your room!

Summer of Granparents - Grandpa Jim and Grandma Jackie Visit

2011-03-18T15:22:00.013-04:00

Biking the Coastal Walkway

Beach at the Links

Okurukuru

Back Beach

Everyone's Favorite - Stacking Kiwis!

Climbing Mount Taranki

Three Sisters

Dinner at Bach at Breakwater

Ice cream at Pukekura Park

Feeding the ducks at Pukekura Park

Summer of Grandparents - Grandpa Rod and Grandma Nancy Visit

2011-03-18T15:13:00.010-04:00

Beach at The Links

Three Sisters

Back Beach

Pukekura Park

Mount Taranaki

Coastal Walkway

Summer of Grandparents - Grandpa Hobart Visit

2011-03-18T15:07:00.006-04:00

Warm summer day at Back Beach

Snail hunting in the yard

Chaddy's Charters Sea Ride

Pukekura Park

Nap time

2011-02-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

Things Ella says that we don't.....

2011-02-26T20:30:00.005-05:00

"Zoo starts with zed"
Kiwis pronounce the letter "Z" as zed and not zee

"I am going to go give my room a tidy"

When she wants to try something: "I would like to have a go"

"Owen and I would like to have a play"

"I reckon that...."

"This is going to take for ages"

"I have to go toilet"

"That's right, aye?" "Owen's tired, aye" Kiwis follow a lot of statements with "aye" or "eh" when they're looking for agreement, kind of like the Canadians

A couple of other Ella-quent items to add to the list:
She pronounces puppet as "puffet" and pick-up as "hiccup"

"It's not a real person, it's a puffet."
"Mom, look at that dog in the back of that hiccup."

For Valentine's Day, Great-Grandma Davy sent the kids cards with $5 for treats in them. Ella opened it up and said, "Look, Mom, Funny money." She's used to the kiwi currency.

Owen's 2nd Birthday

2011-02-26T19:30:00.014-05:00

These cupcakes were for Owen's school party at ABC Educare. They had a picnic out on the school playground of the Little House and Ella came over from the Big House to join the party.

Daddy picked Owen up from school for lunch on his birthday (same day as above, but different clothes. His clothes were soaked from running through the sprinkler). Josh took him to a park to play and eat sandwiches by the coast.

"OWEN" gift from Ella. Her writing is getting so good.

We had a family birthday party that night. We went to the early movie "Gnomeo and Juliet" and had M&M's and popcorn. Then came home and opened presents.

Birthday Boy!

Love those summer birthdays

We also did a cake when Grandpa Rod and Grandma Nancy visited.

2-year and 4-year Doctor Appointments

2011-02-26T19:23:00.003-05:00

Owen (2 years):
Height: 85.5 cm (33-1/2 in)
Weight: 12.9 kg (28 lb)

Ella (4 years):
Height: 101.5 cm (40 in)
Weight: 17.6 kg (39 lb)

Everything checked out great. We made the appointment and our doctor asked why we were bringing the kids in if nothing was wrong with them. She said that babies require well baby checks, but kids are normally not seen annually unless they have an ailment or need shots.

Blonde Beauty

2011-02-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

Ella & Owen

2011-01-17T22:34:00.002-05:00

Ella's New Make-up Set

2011-01-03T20:13:00.001-05:00

Latest Sayings....

2011-01-03T19:47:00.002-05:00

Ella-quent Phrases:

Ella received her first weekly allowance of $2.00 after her fourth birthday. We asked her what she was going to do with it.
Ella: "I'm going to spoil Owen. I'm going to buy him some M&M's."

Ella recieved pj's and underwear in her stocking:
Ella: "We didn't know that the elves knew how to sew. They made underwear."

Owen-isms:

"Stop Ella!"

"Big boat!" "Big bus!"

Anytime you ask any question (e.g. Who wants to go outside? Who wants to brush their teeth? Who wants to......?) Owen responds excitedly:
"ME!! ME!!"

Auntie Melissa & Family Visit New Zealand! Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T02:36:00.049-05:00

We were so happy to have Auntie Melissa, Uncle Matt, and cousins, Caleb, Meg, and Sam visit us in New Zealand over Christmas. They were here for 10 days and we fit in so much fun stuff and spent a lot of time together.

Ella received this kit as a gift from Auntie Melissa, Uncle Matt, and the cousins. She spent hours in Raglan working on it and then gave it to me as a gift.

Raglan

Meg & Ella

I love this picture of Ella. The smile on her face says it all and I love the contrast of the gray sky and black sand to her bright suit and toys!

The Links beach by our house

Pohutakawa, the crimson New Zealand flower that blooms around Christmas

Okurukuru

Treading down the great sand hill to Back Beach

Ella and Sam, the snail catchers

Baking Christmas cookies

Ella decorating Xmas cookies. The more, the merrier.

Owen and Sam, fun with a box.

Hiking Mount Taranaki, our dormant volcano, Christmas Day

Festival of Lights - Pukekura Park, New Plymouth

Maori traditional Hangi in Rotorua

Hell's Gate Rotorua

New Undies

Owen sleeping with his new matching teddy bear from Santa

Whitianga

Hot Water Beach - Hahei (hah-hey) in the Coromandel Peninsula. During low tide, you dig into the sand and there are warm hot water springs.

Hahei Beach Day

Owen naps in the shade

Ella's 4th Birthday - 2010

2011-01-02T02:24:00.009-05:00

We were very fortunate to have Auntie Melissa, Uncle Matt, and Cousins, Caleb, Meg, and Sam here to celebrate Ella's 4th Birthday. Were were in Hahei (hah-hey) in the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. It was a rainy day. We at breakfast out at Luna cafe, spent most of the day in and went to Whitianga shopping, and then went to Hot Water Beach that evening.

Ella got a snail necklace from her cousins and Auntie Melissa and Uncle Matt. It was very appropriate as Ella is a professional snail hunter.

Ella got a make-up set for her birthday. She loves the hot pink colors as you can see.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T02:21:00.001-05:00

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Summer is here!

2010-12-01T02:19:00.006-05:00

Potty training

Washing Mom's car

Picnic by the beach - First day of Summer, December 1st (or as the Kiwis say 1 of December)!

Ella is obsessed with snail collecting. We brought her this net basket from Marlborough as a gift. It's full of snails. The snails are especially large here as you can see some of them from the photo.

Beach Pics

2010-11-12T19:24:00.006-05:00

Halloween 2010!

2010-10-31T03:45:00.018-04:00

After we carved our pumpkins, our neighbors across the street thought it was so neat that they carved one of their own. They used one of the traditional Maori symbols as the face. It was so cool!

Ella's school at ABC Educare was so fantastic to embrace our tradition of Halloween. First we brought a jack-o-lantern and many Halloween books to her school to share with her friends. They displayed everything on a table (see above). Then, in Ella's honor, they hosted a Halloween party. See the flyer below. It was so great of them to embrace our traditions and to give Ella a Halloween celebration! Click on the flyer below to see it larger - it is very entertaining to read!

Baking sugar cookies. We made pumpkins, bats, ghosts, and cats. We brought our cookie cutters from the U.S.

Our little Trick-or-Treaters. Owen was Max from "Where the Wild Things Are" and Ella was Snow White.

Max

Again - this looks like my brother, Nathan. It must be the look.....

Our neighborhood was fantastic! Our neighborhood, The Links, has a social club which sent out a note about our U.S. traditions, our jack-o-lanterns, and to prepare for us trick-or-treating this year. Everyone had bowls of candy just for us and we had huge success!! It was an awesome Halloween!

Because it was such a "big" deal, several families invited us in for drinks and socializing.

Water Break! Trick-or-treating is exhausting.

This photo reminds me of my youth when we'd get home and dump all of our loot out and the trades were on!

Wellington

2010-10-30T05:12:00.022-04:00

This past weekend was New Zealand Labour (Labor) Day so we took advantage of the long weekend and drove 5 hours south to the capitol city of Wellington. It's a fantastic city on the bay that reminded us very much of San Francisco. We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel downtown overlooking the harbor. We had a great time eating, shopping, and sightseeing. We all had a great time. I would say that we will definitely go back, but there are so many places to see and so little time!

Owen and I in our hotel room. We had a great view of the harbor which provided a lot of great action for the kids. Every day Owen would be looking out and pointing, "Big Boat! Big Boat!"

My sweet, sweet baby boy

Down by the Bay

We rode the cable car up to the Botanical Gardens which has a great overlook of the city.

Owen looks freakishly like my brother Nathan in this picture. Click on it to see it larger. What do you think?

The elevator at our hotel was one of the highlights of the trip for the kids. They would argue over who gets to push the buttons.

We had a blast at the Wellington zoo. This was Owen's first zoo visit as a "big boy". He loves animals, so it was so much fun to see him run around so excited to see each animal.

Owen watches the kangaroos

As I was taking this pictue the baboon swiped at Ella. Yikes!

I normally hate museums, but we had an awesome time at TePapa museum of New Zealand in Wellington. Here, Ella enters into an actual sized whale heart.

Maori building - The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand

Ella fills in a face at a children's station at Te Papa

Dr. Ella

Preparing for Halloween??

2010-10-16T16:18:00.002-04:00

What?! Kiwis don't celebrate Halloween?! They don't get it and see it as a strange American thing. Oh well, we've decided we're going to celebrate Halloween anyway. After all, ages 1 and 3 are formidable Halloween years. It's a little bit strange since it's spring here, and the usual autumn associations with Halloween are not present. We started by brining a bunch of books about Halloween to Ella's classroom. The kids were very intrigued with the whole idea. Yesterday, we went to a Farmer's Market and bought 8 pumpkins. As we were checking out the attendant asked us, "What ever are you going to do with all of those pumpkins?". Seriously - It's mid October and we just bought 8 pumpkins - we're going to carve them!!! As we were carving in our driveway our neighbor noticed and was so intrigued that he went back home and brought his wife and son over to see the crazy Americans carving pumpkins. We ended with a great display of jack-o-lanterns which have been quite amusing for the neighborhood. We've already spotted several folks stopping as they walk by to point, smile and check out the jack-o-lanterns. Ella is also excited to take one of the jack-o-lanterns to school to show her friends. We've also warned our immediate neighbors that we will be trick-or-treating.

Back Beach

2010-10-16T16:04:00.010-04:00

Last Sunday we went down to Back Beach on the edge of New Plymouth in the early evening. Back Beach is home to Paritutu Rock and the Sugar Loaf Islands. It's an expansive walk of beach with great views of Paritutu Rock and Mount Taranaki.

When I take pictures of Owen, I often crouch down. He then thinks he needs to crouch down too.

NZ has crystal glowing blue / green oceans, but the things that set it apart for us from other ocean areas we've visited is the rolling green grass.

Sugar Loaf Islands

As we were leaving we spotted a sea lion! (Look hard at the rocks on the left). He was moving towards the water and was much faster than we expected. We steered clear and went the other direction. We realized we didn't know anything about sea lions and didn't want Owen to be sea lion bait!

Kiwi Korner

2010-10-08T05:07:00.003-04:00

Like:

NZ music artist Gin Wigmore
Sunsets into the ocean
Driving to work with the kids every morning we have a contest as to who sees the ocean first. "Water!!" and who sees the wind wand first "Wind Wand!!" Ella wins every day. Owen repeats her after she sees it.
The NZ made women's designer clothing store Kilt

Dislike:

Diet Mountain Dew withdrawals - The first thing I'll do back in the US is drive to a convenience store and get hopped up on Diet Dew.
Owen's teacher telling us about his day saying that he was a "ratbag" today. (i.e. monkey). Now that I know the word, I actually think are kids are ratbags most days....
No Halloween!!!! Are you kidding me? Kiwis don't celebrate Halloween - they see it as "an American thing". No Thanksgiving in November. Labor Day in October. Christmas in the summer. It's really hard to remember what date it is.

Different:

Reading lines in the paper such as, "Hooligans ran amok....."
Rugby
Ella denouncing the flag. When we tell her she's an American, she says "I'm not an American. I'm a Kiwi!" We've finally settled with her that she's an American Kiwi.
You don't realize how much you refer to different months of the year by seasons until the seasons change on you. We catch ourselve saying "next spring" when something is going to occur next April, but that's really fall here. You have to reprogram your brain.
The letter "Z" is pronounced "zed". NZ is pronounced "en-zed". It took me a while to figure this out.
Josh got two Father's Days this year. One in June in the US and one in August in NZ.

Thank You for Our Mountain....

2010-10-08T04:54:00.003-04:00

These pictures of Mount Taranki were taken from our yard. Note that the dormant volcano is over 20 miles away in these pictures. Ella informed us yesterday that before every meal and tea at school, they say a Maori verse. She says it in Maori and then in English which is:

"Thank you for this food. Thank you for our mountain. Thank you for the children."

Lately in New Plymouth.....

2010-10-08T04:38:00.015-04:00

Lunch at home

Kids in the backyard

Our home

The "green" area in our backyard

Daddy and Ella return home after a sunset bike ride along the coast. Check out Mount Taranki on the horizon.

Running in the yard

Stroller sunset. Our new favorite thing to do is stroll down to the coast and watch the sun set into the ocean.

The Coastal Walkway boardwalk

Watching the sunset over Paritutu Rock and the Sugar Loaf Islands by the Coastal Walkway near our home

Wonkey Donkey

2010-10-08T04:31:00.002-04:00

Auntie Melissa Visits New Zealand!

2010-09-24T05:15:00.005-04:00

This past week Auntie Melissa visited us while Josh took a business trip to Midland. I did a horrible job of capturing pictures (this is all I took the whole week!), but we had a great time. We went for walks, went shopping, took a scenic drive (where Owen ralphed up a banana), went on a bike ride, and had a great time enjoying her company and exploring the area. We were so grateful to have her visit while Daddy was away! We had such a great time and it was awesome for Ella and Owen to spend quality time with Auntie Melissa while I was at work.

Playing Dress-Up

2010-09-18T02:19:00.000-04:00

Ella: "Mom, please put this tutu on Owen. I want him to look more beautiful"

Kiwi Korner

2010-09-10T05:54:00.003-04:00

Like:

"Sweet as", "Cold as", "Great as", or "[insert your favorite adjective] as". For example, "How was your weekend?" Replies, "Sweet as." It's a very functional phrase.
Pre-school education is focused on physical activity and virtues rather than traditional school curriculum (ABC's, etc).
"The Secret Lives of Dancers" New Zealand Royal Ballet reality TV show. Yummy.

Dislike:

The designer jeans in all of the top stores are "Lee" or "Wrangler" jeans. They're not you're traditional Lee or Wrangler jeans though - they actually look cool and sell for over $250 NZD ($175 USD). However, I will never buy designer Lee jeans - at least not since I was 7 years old.
The shops all close by 5pm and are only open a few hours on Saturday and not at all on Sunday. This includes the mall. When are we supposed to shop?!
Gas is $1.77 NZD/liter which is $4.70 USD/GAL.
Potential for natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.
Tennis shoes are outrageously expensive. We'll be leaving extra room in our suitcases to load up on shoes when we make our trip back to the states.
The golf courses use meters instead of yards for their distances. Josh golfed an entire round a club short before he realized this. He thought it was the wind.

Different:

Kids frequently don't wear shoes in public or outside. We saw a grown man in the grocery store tonight with bare feet.
Profanity and nudity on prime time TV.
The mailmen ride little mopads on the sidewalks like madmen and tear up our yard when they deliver our mail.
The country is so small. The earthquake in Christchurch did not immediately effect us, however the whole country is affected by the impact that it has on goods and services. When a city like Christchurch of 250,000 is upset, it has a big impact on a country of only 4 million people.

Ella-quent Phrases

2010-09-09T06:21:00.004-04:00

Mommy: "Ella, can you hand me that towel?"
Ella: "I'm quite busy right now."

The kids also freely use the word "tea" for snack/dinner and "nappies" for diapers. Ella has a friend named Jacey which Ella pronounces "Jay-say". That is how everyone else says it afterall.

The teachers got a kick out of Ella calling the toilet "the potty" as the children in New Zealand say they "have to go to the toilet." However, Ella is rubbing off on her mates - the teachers were laughting and telling us a story about one of the kiwi children saying, "I gotta go potty" after hearing Ella. As they were telling us the story, they tried to say "I gotta go potty" in an American accent which came out sounding horrible. I know we don't sound like that.

When picking Ella up today she giggled saying, "My teacher said that I was a 'gid geel'." (Good Girl)

Spring is Here!

2010-09-01T05:33:00.015-04:00

Today is the first day of spring! We had a clear and sunny 16 C day. Next week our clocks will "spring ahead" near the same time the US clocks "fall back", therefore, the time difference between us is going to change several hours. After work/school this evening we took a walk down to the Coastal Walkway and took a stroll on our black sand beach. Absolutely amazing. (Click on the pictures if you want to see them larger.)

New "gum boots" which is a necessity for every kiwi child.

The large rock formations on the horizon are Paritutu Rock and the Sugar Loaf Islands

Jump! See the footage in the video posted below to view Owen's magnificent leaps.

One of the most fascinating things about the black sand beaches is the way they reflect images in the sunlight. It's almost like walking on a wet sand mirror.

Ella plays "chicken" with the water as it moves in and out. Owen did it one time and then freaked out when the water came over his gum boots.

The kids are mesmerized by watching the waves roll in.

Sunset

First Day of Spring - Sept 1, 2010 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-09-01T05:32:00.001-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

ABC Educare

2010-09-01T04:55:00.004-04:00

We have found a second home away from home for the kids with ABC Educare. It is a fantastic center and reminds us of our friends and family at our previous center Kid's 1st in Midland. Here's an excerpt from their August newsletter:

"I'll start by welcoming our new friend Ella McNames to the Big House this month. We are excited to embrace and celebrate Ella's culture within our centre and share with her and the family our unique cultures of New Zealand. We hope you enjoy your time with us!"

See more about ABC Educare at www.abceducare.co.nz

New Plymouth this Week

2010-08-27T05:42:00.020-04:00

New goodies. A co-worker of mine graciously gave Ella and Owen kiwi gifts of a sheep pillow for Ella and a kiwi bird for Owen. Owen loves his kiwi bird, but will only pick it up by it's long beak!

Three Sisters - Taranaki

Every weekend we try to make an excursion to see more of New Zealand. Last weekend we ventured to Three Sisters which is about a one hour drive north of New Plymouth. It is a formation of three large oddly shaped rocks on the beach which can only be reached at low tide.

Ella playing in the black sand at Three Sisters

Josh and Ella at Three Sisters

Beach at Three Sisters

In our backyard under the deck. See Owen in the distance.

Ella's new Mongoose bike with trainers purchased off of Trade Me (NZ E-bay). Practicing in our driveway.

Owen's new Triang (New Zealand manufactured) trike purchased off of Trade Me (NZ E-bay)

Ella and I baked some cupcakes. Owen eats them like a snake. He sucks on them and slowly inhales them whole.

Stopping at a park to swing during a bike ride. See the sea in horizon on the background.

Josh and Ella in the trail-a-bike on the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway

A stop along the coastal walkway. Notice Owen's comfy bike seat in the front of my bike.

More Josh and Ella on the coastal walkway

Bridge on the Coastal Walkway aligns with Mount Taranaki in the background. Mt Taranaki is a dormant volcano. There was a cloud over the mountain on this day and the locals refer to the weather in terms of the mountain.

Ella and her new Trail-a-bike in our drive way

And, so it begins......

2010-08-27T05:37:00.003-04:00

We suspect that Ella and Owen will pick up some kiwi accent while we are here, but it's happened already with new words! Ella went on a field trip with her school to the zoo this week and saw ducks and baby ducklings. While talking about her field trip:

Ella: "Mom, Do you know what baby ducks are called?"
Mom: "Tell me."
Ella: "Duck-eh-lins" (think British/Austrailian accent here)

Oh my gosh! I kept asking her about the baby ducks over and over again to hear her say it because it was so cute!

Kiwi Korner

2010-08-27T04:56:00.004-04:00

We Love:

Line Dried Clothes. Every home, including the mulit-million dollar homes, has a clothes line. It may be in a discrete location, but everyone believes in saving energy when possible. I forgot how good line dried sheets and towels smell. Before I would likely have torn down a clothes line in a house I purchased, now I would likely put up a discrete one if it didn't exist!

Hell Pizza. http://www.hellpizza.co.nz/ Where else do you log on to the website to order pizza and it says, "Welcome to Hell." Their squid rings are to die for.

Lamb and catch of the day.

Low tide. We love walking barefoot in the sand and the beaches are so vast during low tide.

NZ sauvignon blanc and Australian shiraz

No tipping - for anything. Also, GST (sales tax) is included in price tags so what you see is what you pay.

Family bike rides. We purchased a trail bike for Ella and a bike seat for Owen. We bike the Coastal walkway every chance we get.

Locally grown produce - so far our favorites are the kiwis and pears.

We love reading the Taranaki Daily News. It's so raw, unfiltered, and a great insight to the local way of life.

Driving on the left hand side of the road (notice that this has shifted from "just different" to "we like" since the last kiwi corner). Since it's so new and exciting, we're kind of like new drivers and look forward to driving.

New Plymouth variety of resteraunts and night spots.

Hearing the coast from our balcony on days when "the seas are angry".

Grocery shopping is so much fun because there is all new items, brands, etc.

Kids clothing at the Pumpkin Patch. http://www.pumpkinpatch.co.nz/

We Dislike:

Negative attitude towards things American-made.

Our DVD's don't work here in NZ DVD players due to copyright laws and manufacturing.

Few diet sodas limited to Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and sometimes Pepsi Max in 2L. No Diet Dew!

Toys are expensive.
No affordable package for our Iphones. No caller ID on our landline - it's not available where we live!

Just Different:

The beef tastes a little "gamier" because it's grass fed.
Lamb sandwiches at Subway.
Winter in August

New Plymouth Beaches

2010-08-11T23:17:00.001-04:00

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Paritutu Rock and "Our Beach"

2010-08-11T23:15:00.015-04:00

Paritutu Rock & the Sugar Loaf Islands. It's hard to appreciate the beauty and magnitude of the islands and Paritutu Rock in these pictures. It is very grand. The Dow Agrosciences plant is just across the road from here.

Sugar Loaf Islands

The remaining pictures are from what we have now called "our beach". This is the beach that is right off of our subdivision. We thought that it was pretty magnificent, but then we visited during low tide. The sand beach was amazing. We love just walking on the sand and exploring.

Black Sand beaches. The sand is black from the volcanic ash. This makes the soil in Taranki very rich and therefore all of the beautiful vegetation and gardens.

Josh & Ella putting their shoes back on

Kiwi Korner

2010-08-11T22:08:00.004-04:00

New Zealand is similar to the US in a lot of ways, but of course there are many differences. Here are some of the keys observations we've made so far:

We Love:

Very active population - even with the elderly. It's very common to see 80+ year old couples biking on the walkway
Strong love of country and protectionism. Walk through the grocery store or stores and most products are proudly displayed as "Kiwi-made or New Zealand produced".
Everyone is so friendly. It is impossible to go for a walk without everyone you walking by saying hello, smiling, or making a friendly comment.
Order something from NZ on the internet and it arrives the next day!
Air New Zealand airlines. Friendly, accomodating, high quality service - everything you don't expect from an airline.
The accents.
Our carpeted garage. Sounds like a weird idea, but it makes an awesome extended living space.
The scenery is absolutely amazing. The grass is green and glows. The beach views. Mount Taranaki is spectacular. So beautiful and we haven't even left New Plymouth yet!
More natural, healthy food products

We Dislike:

Lack of heat everywhere! The New Zealand winter is mild to say the least, but anywhere feels cold if there's no heat!
Marmite - seriously, who eats this stuff?? They served marmite on crackers at Owen's daycare the other day. He gobbled it up, but I tried it and it tastes like salt.
You can't mail a letter from your home - you have to find and drop in a post box

Just Different:

Prostitution is legal and there are advertisements for prostitutes in the classifieds of the Taranki Daily News!
Hand shake agreements - Josh bought a car and drove it off the lot before he even paid for it. "No worries, mate".
The people don't seem to notice the torrential down pours and will continue with their normal activities (e.g. golf, running, biking, playing net ball, etc) as if it were not raining.
Driving on the left hand side of the road. Every time I make a turn, I accidentally turn on my windshield wipers instead of my blinker since the blinker signal is on the right!
220 Volt electronics and Australia/NZ plugs
The weather comes from every direction and can change rapidly

2010-08-11T21:57:00.009-04:00

We have really been enjoying our time off and together prior to getting started with work next week. We have been very busy taking care of all of the basics (e.g. cars, phones, accounts, etc), but we are also enjoying the area trying to see New Plymouth and getting out on the coastal walkway. We will be completed settled and comfortable when everyone has to go to work and school next week.

The Links Coastal Walkway Trail

Owen and Mommy on the Coastal Walkway trail from The Links to the beach

Kiwi-boy loves kiwi fruit. He will eat three kiwis in one sitting - probably more if we would let him. The kiwi fruit is exceptionally good here.

New tricycle we got off of TradeMe which is the New Zealand E-bay

Harriet & Eva Vacationing in Texas

2010-08-11T21:53:00.007-04:00

Snuggling in at their vacation home. We miss our girls!!

Harriet

Napping with Gpa Jim

Eva

Our New Home at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-08-05T23:22:00.001-04:00

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Our New Home - New Plymouth, New Zealand!

2010-08-05T23:01:00.012-04:00

This is the view of Mt. Taranaki from our deck and our living room. You can also see it from Ella's room window. She says, "I am the only person who can see the mountain out my window."

Click on this or any of the pictures to see them larger - hit your 'back' button to come back to the website.

This is the beachfront off of our subdivision.

Ella on the path to the coastal walkway. The grass is so green here that it glows.

Our home at the Links in New Plymouth. To see our subivision, visit www.thelinks.co.nz

Path from our subdivision, The Links, to the coastal walkway.

There is a quarter mile walking path to the Coastal Walkway and Pacific Ocean from our house. I'm pretty sure that we will run or walk this every day while we live here. It is absolutely amazing. Here's Josh and Ella on the walkway.

We splurged on a Bob Ironman Duallie jog stroller before we left USA. It is awesome. This is in our driveway before our first run with the new stroller.

Bridge on the coastal walkway

On the coastal walkway - see the ocean in the background. While I was running, Ella asks me, "Mom, are you running or walking?" I guess that I wasn't going to fast.

Josh lounging in our living room while talking with Gma Jackie

The Big Trip

2010-08-05T22:52:00.005-04:00

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean about 10 hours into the long haul flight

Overall, our move trip to New Zealand was a huge success. We flew to LA on Saturday morning and spent the night in a hotel relaxing. We flew out of LA at 9:30 PST Sunday night and arrived in New Zealand early Tuesday morning (due to the time change). The 12-hour long haul flight from LAX to Aukland went very well - Owen slept 9 of the 12 hours; Ella watched a movie, ate, slept 6 hours, ate and watched another movie. I was so proud of the kids. Josh and I each got about 6 hours of sleep as well, so we all felt fairly rested when we landed. Air New Zealand is very accomodating and the Economy seats are actually very comfortable.

Introducing..... Owen-isms!

2010-08-05T22:48:00.002-04:00

Owen has several favorite things for which he screams their name every time he sees them. He will yell repeatedly until you acknowledge him:
"TRU-TRU!" = truck
"BU-BU!" = bus
"PUPPY, PUPPY!"
"TITTY, TITTY!" = kitty

As we're walking through PetSmart, Owen spots the cats:
"TITTY, TITTY! M-OW, M-OW!"

Additional favorite words:
Ella, Mama, Daddy, hi, car, up-pee (up please), pee (please), "DAIN-TEE" = blankee

Ella-quent Phrases

2010-08-05T22:44:00.003-04:00

Upon arriving in LA, we see palm trees:
"Look, Mom. Zoo trees."

In our hotel in Los Angeles, we layed Ella down for a nap. She protested saying that she couldn't fall asleep, but then dozed off within minutes. After 3-1/2 hours of sleep, she sits up in bed and says to me:
"I just can't sleep, Mama. I tried and I tried, but I can't."

Mama: "You can have some candy if you eat one more bit of your mashed potatoes."
Ella: "Okay, you leave me no choice."

Goodbye Harriet & Eva....

2010-08-05T22:41:00.002-04:00

Due to the strict travel and quarantine restrictions for pets in New Zealand, we made the difficult decision to leave Harriet and Eva with Gma Jackie and Gpa Jim in Texas. It was heartbreaking to send them off, but they will be much more comfortable and happy there. Sending them off was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We miss them so much. Thankfully they are in wonderful hands and living the good life in Texas.

Grandma Berta Visit

2010-08-05T22:22:00.015-04:00

Gma Berta came to stay with us at the end of July to help us prepare for take off. We had such a good time! It was great to see Gma and spend time with her before we had to leave.

Grandma buys Ella a rainbow cone

We had a blast picking blueberries at a farm outside of Midland.

Owen ate about a thousand berries

Here's the blueberries we picked. We made a blueberry cobbler that was absolutely delicious!

Blue Blankees galore

Spray park

Walking in our old neighborhood

Gma Berta puts Ella on the fridge

Last few hours in the USA

2010-08-01T22:33:00.000-04:00

Naps

2010-08-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

They're doing great, but I forgot to mention that Ella got up at 3:30am PST. Owen "slept in" until 5am. They now working on a 3-1/2 hour nap and have slept through lunch. Sleep is more important than eat right now.

We Made it to L.A.!

2010-08-01T15:21:00.000-04:00

Look like anyone?

2010-07-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

I just submitted our visa applications with the attached pictures of
the kids. It kind of freaked me out that they both look exactly like
Josh........

Moving is so much fun!

2010-07-11T18:44:00.001-04:00

Moving to New Zealand!

2010-07-07T20:52:00.006-04:00

Our new home at "The Links" in New Plymouth. See more information about the subdivision at www.thelinks.com.nz

We are targeting an August 1st travel date to New Plymouth, New Zealand. Josh and Grandma Jackie visited New Zealand last week and secured housing and daycare. We are very busy getting ready for the big move, but are also very excited for the family adventure!

Fourth of July 2010

2010-07-07T20:12:00.020-04:00

Playing a little baseball in the backyard

Aunt Nicci visited over the weekend to visit and help us pack

Red cheeked boy! The 4th of July was a steamy 90 degree day

Watching fireworks from the back of the van

Watching fireworks

Lighting fireworks in the drive way with Daddy

Blankee Boy

Ella's Room

2010-06-27T18:07:00.001-04:00

Midland Spray Park

2010-06-26T17:50:00.000-04:00

A humid day at Dow gardens II

2010-06-12T20:58:00.001-04:00

A humid day at Dow Gardens I

2010-06-12T20:57:00.001-04:00

Oh No!

2010-06-05T15:02:00.000-04:00

We were walking on the sidewalk this morning and Owen tripped. He
landed head first hard on the sidewalk and recieved this beauty. Poor
baby Owen!

Temper Tantrum!

2010-06-03T22:30:00.003-04:00

Owen can't decide if he is mad or if he wants to fall asleep with his blankee....

2010-05-31T14:19:00.010-04:00

Sprinkler time in the yard. We had temperatures in the high 80s Friday through Sunday

Warming up

Here we are at the Detroit Zoo. We went to Detroit on Saturday. We spent the day shopping at Somerset, spent Saturday night at the hotel, and then went to the zoo on Sunday before heading back to Midland.

Leashed kids at the zoo

Look-a-Likes

Ella fed a giraffe carrots from her hand!

Band time

Playing and snacking in the "fort" in the living room

Owen 15 Month Pediatrician Appointment

2010-05-31T14:17:00.002-04:00

Weight: 24 lb; 14 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 30-3/4 in (50th percentile)
Head: 19 in (75th percentile)

All checked out well. He had to get 4 vaccinations :(

Planting Flowers

2010-05-23T12:52:00.001-04:00

New Blog Header Picture

2010-05-22T21:15:00.004-04:00

This was such a cute moment that I had to create a new blog header picture in order to memorialize it. See for yourself...... Ella and Owen walking in Custer State Park by the State Game Lodge.

Rapid City Vacation - May 2010

2010-05-21T20:55:00.012-04:00

Minneapolis airport waiting for our next flight

Dress up girls

Ciara & Owen

Mother's Day Mt. Rushmore

"Cave" at Mt. Rushmore. Ella was reluctant to go inside, "Are there bears in there?"

Ella, Ciara, and Gpa Rod in Keystone

Ella and Ciara share a fruit smoothie

Cherub Boy

Helping Gpa Rod blow out his birthday cake candles

Ella with Great Gma Ruth

Ella and Owen staring down Great Gpa Bob

The crew at the Alpine Inn in Rapid City

Hot tub party

Ciara and Ella following Gma Berta through the woods to feed the fox.

Walking with Gma Berta and Rosie

Ella was not happy that I was giving Ciara attention. She told me, "Ciara is NOT your girl! I am your girl."

Owen stares at the "buff-a-lo" statue. We were so amazed that he could so clearly say in a high little voice, "buff-a-lo".

Playing in the May snow. This was left after a few days of melt. There was actually several inches of snow accumulation on the ground!

Walk through Custer State Park State Game Lodge

Ella and a Mountain Lion - Custer, SD

2010-05-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

More Ella-quents....

2010-04-16T21:53:00.003-04:00

Mommy: As Owen was neatly stacking blocks. "Look at Owen. I think he should be an engineer."
Ella: Laughing. "Hmff. Boys can't be engineers!"

Lately we've been reorganizing and donating a lot of items. Josh said something silly and Ella joked back,
Ella: "Daddy? Mom, we should give him away to kids that don't have Daddy's. We should donate him. And then we'll get a nice one."
I was really impressed with her sense of humor.

Josh got a speeding ticket on the way to taking the kids to school last week. I took the kids to school one of the following days.
Ella: "Mom, are you going slow? You're not going fast are you, Mom? Daddy got a plane ticket."