August 2013

This is one big blogpost to cover August!  It was nice to be back in the pool after having a couple of winter months in NZ :-)  ;-)

The kids were really happy to be reunited with their scooters again.

Yeah ... Samuel really needed a haircut!

I have tried a few different recipes off Pinterest this month.   This vege dish was rather yummy and I'd make it again.

 Sunset up at the infinity pool.

Kids wearing their new NZ tee-shirts :-)  The ferns and NZ glow in the dark (this resulted in playing for ages under blankets in their rooms!  I asked them why on earth didn't they just pull the curtains!? Would have been a bit easier hehee)

Met up with some friends at Baskin Robins for ice cream as a wee treat one day :-)

I made icing for cupcakes which clashed badly with my cake mixer!

Maddison had a couple of school friends over as a little late celebration for her birthday.  They had some time in the pool.

And then gobbled up the cupcakes.

(Lyndon gave Samuel a hair cut!!!  He looks like he's escaped!!)

Meanwhile back in the jungle ... Samuel likes getting into this box.  He thinks I can't see him!  haha  He had been in there a while and was calling out and when I realised he was calling for me it was because he couldn't get the lid off hehee.  The box had moved under the arm of the couch so he couldn't push it up.  He wanted to get his toy snake back in the box with him!!  Funny little fella.

Aaron was bored one day, so I suggested he help sort out the plastic cupboard!  :-)

Aaron and Maddison started back at school on the 13th.  Maddison was SO excited to be in Grade 1 and wearing a white tee-shirt like Aaron :-)  He's in Grade 3.

That afternoon I noticed that Aaron had left his rabbit some "homework" to study while he was at school!  A book about rocks!  :-)

I cleaned up my bench.  (I refuse to publish the before photo ... but you couldn't see the bench!!)  This bench becomes a dumping ground for lots of things, it's very annoying.  So I cleaned it up (took me most of the day because I put EVERYTHING away properly, not just stuck it some place else!).  I am trying real hard to keep it clean.  Last thing I do at night now is clear the bench!  :-)

This was just the school papers that were part of the clutter.

Amongst it I found this gem from Maddison.  She obviously feels calm when wearing a Dr Seuss hat!  :-)

The bench when I had finished :-)

I built a train track for Samuel.  There was a lot of de-railing happening!

We checked out the new indoor playground at our condo.

Watched another sunset from the pool :-)

Samuel came with me to the post office one day and we had to stop and have a big chat to the fish :-)

Being goofy in the playground!

He found an empty snail shell in the garden and was poking a dead palm leaf into the shell!

Another recipe from Pinterest ... Beef & Broccoli in the slow cooker.  (Mine didn't look like the fancy pic but it tasted good.  I would make it again for sure.)

I suddenly noticed how many freckles Aaron has now :-)

More time up at the pool :-)

Had to take a photo of this restaurant sign!  Just for Grandma :-)

Made a cake to share with some friends and Samuel got his grubby little fingers into it!  Grrrr

Shared the cake anyway ... we just avoided the messy bit!

I had myself a birthday ... sort of a big one!  My Mum made me a birthday card!  ;-)  (Dad is on the left and Mum on the right.)

A friend gave me a lovely cake ... we had it after dinner that night with the kids.

I got totally spoilt with flowers!

Made myself a birthday cake ... another idea from Pinterest haha

Aaron had a birthday too.  He turned 8.  He was very happy with his Lego stash!  :-)

Happy to go to school :-)

Another boy in his class has a birthday the same day, so we celebrated after their school swim lesson with cupcakes, popcorn and juice :-)

He had a couple of friends over after school and he finally finally got the No. 8 racing car cake he's been asking for the last 3-4 years!!  :-)

So that's August done and dusted.  Can't believe it's September already.  Be back another day with an update on Lyndon and Aaron's trip to Cambodia.  They had a wonderful time :-)

Thanks for visiting.

My Sister came to visit us in KL

This is a long overdue post, but I didn't have time to do it before we left for our "summer" holiday and I want to get it up so I can start blogging about our New Zealand holiday!!

My sister came at the end of May for a two week holiday with us.  She hadn't been to KL before, so was very exciting for me :-)  (and her I think!) ;-)

She came bearing gifts from her and Grandma and Grandad (early birthday presents for some!  hope they remember that when it is their birthday haha)

She came with me to school one morning to watch Aaron's school sports day.

Was a fantastic blue sky and that little white speck was actually the moon.

Saturday morning was Aaron's last soccer game before school ended, so we all went along to that.

Maddison and Samuel enjoyed the swings.

Nothing like sitting on the steps waving a "sword" about!! ;-)

Aaron's team won gold medals ... he was sooooo excited and happy about that :-)

That afternoon Maddison went to a class mates birthday party - it was a cooking party and they each made their own mini pizza.

Sunday we went to Dragon Eye for lunch.  Was delicious.

Maddison and another little New Zealander in her class performed a poi dance in their music class (they were also supposed to sing).  My sister, Samuel and I went along to watch ... Samuel got into trouble playing with the instruments!!

Aaron lost ANOTHER tooth!  He decided he wanted to have New Zealand money, so he wrote a letter to the tooth fairy asking for that :-)

The tooth fairy was very obliging and gave him a $2 coin!!  Very extravagant! hehee

Samuel and I took my sister to Batu Caves one morning.  I tell you ... it was hard work lugging that 3yr old monkey on my back up and down those stairs!!!  My legs were trembling like jelly when I got to the bottom again!

And then you just would credit it ... after making me carry him up and down the stairs he suddenly had all the energy in the world to chase the pigeons!!  haha

She went swimming with the kids in the infinity pool.

She looked after Samuel for me while I went to school with Aaron and Maddison for their Student Lead Conferences.

On the last Saturday she was with us we went to Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in Pahang.

We arrived before the elephants were out, so they said we could do a guided jungle walk to a waterfall!  Huh!  We didn't really know what we were in for!

I wasn't expecting to treck through ankle deep mud when I set out that morning!  (and Crocs are not good tramping shoes!!)

I hope my disgust wasn't evident when I saw the waterfall!  Lyndon told them "that's not a waterfall, it's a water slide"!  hahaa  The water was very refreshing on my muddy muddy toes though!!

Then I realised what else was in the mud ... leeches!  My sister had 3, I had 7!!!  You don't actually notice they are there until you see them.  Hard things to pull off!

Hot sweaty family photo haha

Then we started back.

Note Samuel's perch!!  ;-)

We ate our lunch when we got back and then went to see the elephants.

Feeding them sugar cane.

Aaron and Samuel watching some of the elephants being scrubbed and washed in the river.

After their bath, they all lined up in a row and introduced themselves to the crowd.

Taking a selfie of Aaron and I while watching the elephants :-)

Then the kids got a chance to feed papaya to some of the smaller elephants.

Back to the heat of the car!  Very thankful for air conditioning!

We also got to visit Deerland.  Every other time we have been to the Elephant Sanctuary, Deerland has been closed.  This day we were lucky :-)

Kids got given containers of raw sweet potato chips to feed the deer.

Samuel stood up on a pot to get a better view :-)

Aaron and Maddison also got to feed the ostrich.

There were beautiful flowers at Deerland.

And cute baby hedgehogs!!  (Can I take one home mummy??????)

You know Maddison loves animals don't you?  Well she does ... of pretty much any variety.  She asked to touch the snake and then came back to me with a sad face because she wanted to hold it!

So she asked the man if she could and was all smiles again!!  haha

My sister also helped them hold this big python ... it was really heavy.

On the way home we saw water buffalo (I think that's what they were).

And goats just grazing on the side of the road.

And big trucks of course!

Love the colour of this frangipani by the swimming pool at our condo.

One night Lyndon and I took my sister to Central Market and China Town.  Her and I were snapping pictures out the car window of different buildings on the way there :-)

At Central Market Lyndon told her to have a fish spa heheee

Wish I could share her facial expressions with you LOL ;-)

And the final photo ... Master 3's new hiding place!!

Well done if you made it through that lot without falling asleep!  ;-)
Thanks for visiting.  Will try and be back soon with an update on our holiday here in New Zealand.