About time for an update!

OK so everyone keeps asking me if I'm going to update this... so since it's been about a year I thought I better!
So, since it's getting late I'll start by making a list of everything I need to post about:
-New bubba
-Haley's wedding
-Mum & Steve's wedding
-Stuart's new career
-Christmas 2007

Promise to write all about it asap!!
Goodnight x

First Baby photos

Here are the first photos of our bubba. These were done about two weeks ago, when baby is 20 weeks old. Halfway there! Everything is in place, just need to grow bigger now. Boy or girl? We'll have to wait and see!
Profile shot

Baby lying on it's back - side view. Legs are at the left (folded up), hand on tummy, and you can see the chin at the right.

Giving us the thumbs up

Two little feet

Spine, baby is lying face down

Jack's 2nd Birthday

This year we got all cultural and had a hangi to celebrate Jack's 2nd Birthday.
It was such a beautiful day and everyone had a great time and enjoyed the hangi. Jack loved playing with his wee friends, but most of all I think he liked the presents and cake! He's getting quite good at opening the presents now, last year he just thought they were brightly coloured boxes (:
We served almost 30 people with lots to spare. It was also a particularly special occasion because Jack's Granny & Grumps were over to help celebrate .
Here's the hangi in progress...

All ready to go

Food cooking in there!

Lifting it up


The kai

The cake (cooked in the oven!)

Our big trip!

Well, I thought it's about time I posted something about our big holiday last year!
Here's a quick break down of the trip:
Jack and I flew to London with Mum, stayed one night then headed over to Majorca. Jack was quite sick the whole week so it was a pretty quiet one, mostly wandering around the markets, and we went to a beautiful old village called Valldemossa. Haley and Yosmani had thier engagment party while we were there.
Jack and I then flew to Scotland where we met Stuart who had arrived while we were in Spain. Apart from a night each inGlasgow and Edinburgh, we spent the week meeting and seeing family and friends in Gourock. This is when we found out we were pregnant!
We all headed back to London together for the last two weeks of the trip. We popped over to Paris for two night's which absolutely beautiful but also a NIGHTMARE with a child who would not sleep, on top of early pregnancy sick and tiredness! I want to go back and do it properly one day!
Back in England, we did a few days road trip to Bristol and then Chester, and called into Winchester on the way back to London.
The rest of the time was on London mainly sightseeing! And for the grand finale a horrendous flight home which we don't want to talk about!
So here's the pics...

My poor sick baby

Palma (capital of Mallorca) by night

Haley, Yosmani & I (Palma)

Valldemossa with my Aunty Haley


Stuart in Gourock

Edinburgh


Paris in the middle of the night

Eiffel Tower (spot the lovebirds)

Galleries Lafayette, the biggest and flashest department store ever (nicer than Harrods!)

Boys at the Louvre


Big Ben

The London Eye, and view from the top


Covent Gardens (a market, but there happened to be a merry go round there)

Buckingham Palace

Jack and his buddy Isaac from Chester

Freezing our butts off at Stonehenge

Uncle David & Aunt Gill's in Winchester

Lunch with the Tetsils in London

Christmas 2006

We had such a great Christmas this year. Jack had the best time and was old enough to open his presents and enjoy the day with us (last year he didn't really know what was going on).
We started the day with a bubbly breakfast at a friend's place with them and another couple, both have little ones the same age as Jack so everyone was happy. We had the BEST french toast ever, bacon and eggs, strawberries and cherries, YUM!
We then came home, still full, to meet Dad who came down from Levin. We had BBQ lunch and tried to eat as little as possible because we still had another bbq to go to! We had to head off after a few hours and Dad left for another dinner too.
The afternoon was spent at another friend's family's place, Jack's little pal Aaliyah's family. The kids had the best time playing on thier new tricycles and jumping on the trampoline.
Jack was spoilt with a Thomas wooden train set (set up the night before - the first thing he saw when he got up), a tricycle, more trains, builder's outfit, a ukelele(!) Bob the builder figurines and little bits in his Santa sack. He also got lovely presents for his deserving Mum and Dad.
So after a huge day and way too much food, we were all in bed pretty early, Christmassed out!

We're back!

Hi everyone!
Sorry it's been soooo long since I've posted anything! We've been very busy, there's lots to write about now! Let's see, over the last couple of months we have:
- had a visit from Nanny from London
- went home with Nanny!
- had a big holiday in the UK and Spain
- had Christmas
- a new baby on the way!

Jack is a very busy wee boy and keeps us on our toes constantly. He's really into his train set and anything else with wheels, cats and dogs, anything outdoors, playing with other rascals like himself; he's starting to like books more, feeding himself and talking heaps. He is starting to put a couple of words together: dropped it, all gone and byebye Daddy. He's sleeping in his cot without the side on just like a big bed!

Anyway, here's some pics of the wee man himself:

Climbing out of the cot (hence side was removed!), drawing at his desk and helping in the
garden.

Oops just realised it's been a while since I updated!
What have we been up to? We've been sick! For the past month Jack and I have taken turns... first Jack had a bit of a cold, not too bad - then I got one, then Jack got one which was a bit worse than the first, then I got tonsillitis and the following day Jack proceeded to throw up all over the place (luckily lasted less than 24 hours) and he now has another cold )-: It sounds really bad doesn't it, but it hasn't been too terrible the whole time! He still manages to be a cheeky monkey while his tired parents race around cleaning up and working.

Stuart's been as busy as ever whith two courses on the go - finally finished an assignment on Friday so our skirting boards have finally gone on in the bathroom after a very long pause in the re-flooring process!

Despite all the colds etc we've still managed gym and playcentre - on Friday we had a trip to Staglands. It's a wildlife park which was more like a bushwalk as the wildlife part seemed a little bit lacking. Mind you we weren't really in the mood for it. Jack wanted to run around everywhere, but not necessarily in the right direction, he desperately wanted to get in the trout pond (have you seen how big thier mouths are???) and wanted to be carried, not sit in the buggy, and wanted to walk but not be out down *-: And I was really too tired to cope with all of that! The Stag part was right at the end and you had to walk up a big hill so we didn't see any deer or anything.

I'm on nightshift at the moment and Stuart's planned a dinner party tomorrow so while I sleep he'll be whipping up delicious delights. Sorry, no pictures this time I'll have to do that from home.

Counting down to the big trip now.... a month and a half to go!

Kelson is falling down!

Well it's been very rainy here and it's caused real trouble in our wee hillside suburb.


A major landslide on Monday night meant 4 homes had to be evacuated, with one house hanging off the edge. Tuesday saw more rain, and more chunks falling down, then today they actually pulled the house down )-: It's so sad for those people who have just lost thier home. They were able to go back in and get some of thier belongings though, but not from the lounge as that part of the house was in midair. I saw the demolition on TV and you could see thier pictures on the walls, books on the shelf...

There's been heaps of slips in the last couple of years, but this is just a bit too close for comfort! I think we'll be OK though (fingers crossed)

We're going on holiday!

Look out London, Scotland, France & Majorca!

Woohoo we're going on a big trip! Jack and I are flying over to London with Mum on 26 Ocotber. We'll head down to Majorca for a week - meanwhile Stuart will have arrived in Scotland - then Jack and I will go up to meet him and see all the places Stuart used to haunt and all his friends and rellies. After a week or so in Scotland, we'll all head back to London for the rest of the holiday - which will include a weekend in France!! So that's 4 weeks away for Jack & I, and 3 for Stuart. It was originally just going to be Jack & I but we all couldn't bear to be apart for so long! We can't wait!!

Change tables are for climbing on

I think he'll be climbing out of his cot soon....

Here's a spaghetti face! Open wide....


Jack got his first molar today! They have been threatening to erupt for some time and causing him some bother I'm sure. His poor gums look pretty tender - so hopefully this is the beginning of the end of teething (somehow I think it will be a while yet tho) That brings the grand total of teeth to... 9!
And since he's got a sore mouth Jack thought he might just slip on the back steps and cut his top lip )-: AND give Mummy a heart attack in the process. However, just a graze and no stitches required, phew. After dropping a rolling pin on his foot and rolling his head into the hearth, it made for a bad week... Jack got to have his first popsicle though which he LOVED! (for about 5 minutes anyway then he just tried to chew the stick).

Well, I drafted that last post about a week ago, but only just got around to putting in the pics! Sooo since then, we've been to Montessori - pretty good but a bit small, will see how it goes but not convinced yet (had a nosy at the school kids too); and to Gym - really good, will definitely keep going and enjoying that one! Jack spent 45mins up the top of an 8 foot ladder.... trying to teach him how to get down: he gets to the top, climbs over, and then tries to 'drop' like he's going down a slide on his tummy (feet first). Then when I try to turn him and show him how to do it, he thinks I'm stopping him and proceeds to have a back arching tantrum at the top of said 8ft ladder!! If I let him get to the top then quickly go around the other side to help him down, he decides to go down the other side! And THEN when he is on a small, 2ft ladder he climbs up and over and down just right! Sooo a little bit of practice needed there!

Stuart went up to Auckland again this afternoon for a couple more days of Uni, so Jack and I joined a colleague whose husband has also gone, at an Irish Club pot luck dinner. It was so lovely and everyone was very friendly. Jack had a great time, there were piles of kids and he just blended in (mainly trying to get the football - Daddy would be so proud!). We must have been good guests as we've been invited back, they even said Stuart could come too!

Anyway, better go off to bed, playgroup in the morning.

Few more piccies....

Loving noodles!


and boxes!


Oh, and another new word - no no no no no no no! complete with finger wagging action!