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.

7th and Last Week - 29th July to 3rd August 2013

Our holiday seemed to go really quick!  7 weeks seems like a while, but it sure came round fast to this last week!  This week Lyndon flew to Auckland for work early Monday morning.  Maddison and I took him to the airport.  Aaron and Samuel stayed home with Nana and Grandad.

Here they are having their breakfast and reading the news in front of the fire!!  ;-)

After Maddison and I had dropped Lyndon at the airport she went to have a sleep over at her cousins :-)  So exciting!  Her first sleepover!  :-)  On her first day they had lunch on the patio in the sun :-)

and played with playdoh on the front lawn :-)

I got home later that afternoon and Aaron had opened the gate all ready for me to drive in and had picked me a bunch of flowers :-)  I think he may have missed me!  ;-)

It was funny just having the boys without Maddison actually!  :-)

Samuel loved the lambs.  This little one the kids called "Chase" because he chased them around when he was let out of the pen.  Samuel of course thought that was just the best thing ever!  :-)

Grandad dropped a little brand new lamb off for Nana to feed.  Samuel helped it feel better!!

My sis-in-law sent me through some pics of what Maddison got up to during her sleepover :-)  She made pikelets for morning tea one day.

Went shopping with Aunty on her own while her cousins were at school.  (She bought herself some new pajamas!)  :-)

She lay on the floor and listened to cousin J read her a story :-)

She had a super time and even asked to stay an extra night!  :-)

Before we left KL I bought Samuel a new pair of sneakers as his old ones were a bit small and were quite worn at the front, but he wouldn't wear the new ones.  I tried several times, but had no luck!  So he just wore his old ones.  Finally I said he had to wear the new ones as he'd gotten the old ones all muddy and wet.  Well what a performance ... when I finally got them on his feet and he ran off screaming I noticed they had flashing lights along the soles of them.  So we pointed it out to him and showed him ... well you wouldn't believe it, but the tears stopped and oh my goodness all was well with the shoes then!!  (Wish I had known the shoes had flashing lights when I bought them!!)  He didn't wear them to bed that night ... but it was close!  hahaa  The next morning though, he had to put the shoes on before he had breakfast!!  ;-)

Bringing back the mail and newspaper for Nana and Grandad.  No jacket for Aaron because "I'll run fast Mummy"!

Love seeing two little boys following Nana around outside while she was checking on the new lambs :-)

I got a Sheppard's whistle for each of the kids ... thankfully they still need lots of practice to get them working properly hehee

The boys had been going with Grandad when he went to feed hay to the cattle.  So I went one day to take some pictures :-)

We went in the old truck and Aaron got to "drive" (steer) while Grandad feed out the hay on the back.

Note he did have his foot on the accelerator though!  ;-)

Mr Cool!  :-)

Lots of feeding little lambs :-)

Samuel trying to keep one lamp away while he's feeding another hehee

Grandad took Aaron eeling down at the creek.  They didn't catch anything, but Aaron thought it was pretty cool.

We had a playdate with friends after school one day :-)

And then came the packing!  6 bags, 3 car seats and 5 backpacks!  :-)  Not much really for 7 weeks!  hahaa

In the car on the way to the airport.

Checking in with Daddy.

Meal time on the plane.

View of Ayers Rock in Australia.

Another view of Australia ... we are a long time flying over that country!

Just passed it ... you can see the tip of Australia on the left :-)

 iPads,

 Movies,

And sleep for one little fellow!  :-)

So that was our holiday!  We had a fantastic time.  Kids really had a blast at both sets of Grandparents and loved being outside so much.  I am a little bit worried that when we move back to NZ they will be disappointed that life won't be one big holiday as they've known in the past hehee

Thanks for visiting.  :-)