Beck's first day at kindie

Beck is loving kindergarten.
This is the family tradition shot...


This is the Calvin look...


Here's a boy who's going places...


He just loves his sissie...

First Day

Today was Quinne's first day of school!

In the morning, she picked a flower for the welcome ceremony. She chose a sunflower that she planted from a seed...

Beck chose a flower also...

Quinne's kindergarten teacher led her into the big school where the rest of the kids were assembled to welcome the new class...

Amy didn't even cry...


This is what Quinne's new classroom looks like...


She's even more excited to go back tomorrow.

Summertime

It's summertime here down south...


Time to water the children.

Quinne is devious when it comes to sprinkler tricks...


she gets Beck every time...


When the coast is clear, he'll be back...


for more


and more


until their lips are blue.

about time

Yes, I know I'm well overdue for a post. Christmas got a little crazy.
We've been enjoying the holidays. Here are a few highlights:

Putting up the Christmas tree...



entirely too many presents...



pancake breakfast at Rabbit Island:




having the beach to ourselves...




out with the old and in with the new...


and plenty of time with the family...

yet another honeymoon

Rob and Maria, friends from Boulder were here this week visiting us. It was great to see them.

We went hiking in Abel Tasman National Park while Grandma Tugi watched the kids.


They left yesterday to see the rest of the south island. I'm sure they'll have a great time.

Spring in the Mout

We've had a cold spring here on the top of the south. With the fresh snow on the mountains, it makes for beautiful scenery...

toof

Quinne is about to lose her front tooth. Can you tell which one?


What about from this angle...?


We'll keep you posted.

Anya

Our friends from Geraldine (and Boulder), Sarah and Sven, paid us a visit and introduced us to little Anya. What a beautiful little baby...


She kept the entire family entertained...


We hope to see them again next week.

Spring Fair

We recently had our locally famous Motueka Steiner School spring fair. The Motueka Steiner School is well known for its spring fair, and the entire town turns out. Its always a wonderful day for the whole family. This year was no exception. The weather was perfect, and the vibe was joyfully festive.

Much to the disappointment of many of the young children (and some older ones too ;) ), Amy was not the fairy queen this year. Instead, she sold the beautiful handmade dolls at the midnight elves stand. Here's a picture of the lovely fairy queen from last year...


The funniest story about the entire fair could only have happened in a place like Motueka. Two calves strayed from their farm and wondered into the school in the morning when the fair was still being setup. Naturally, they were added to the petting area with the other lambies and alpacas.

Here's the confused pair...


The farmer had no idea his lost calves had become a feature of the school fete. He called the police who somehow located the them in the petting area of the fair. He agreed to leave them there for the enjoyment of the children for the rest of the day.

The fair is an important fund raiser for the school, and even fairies have to pay. EFTPOS stands for Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale or something like that.



They have great craft tables for the kids. Little Anton was not happy about being told off for eating the paints though...


I'm pleased to say that the fairy queen was a hit this year also...

school holidays

Today was the first day of spring break. Beck is thrilled to have his sissie home all day long. They're getting along swimingly - for now.

We went up the road to the Mud Castle for afternoon tea yesterday. I took this before we got in the car...


I wonder what the pictures will look like at the end of school holidays.

Beck is Three

Beck turned three on Saturday. He opened presents in the morning...


and had a party on the beach in the afternoon...


It was a beautiful day. Beck was quite content playing in the sand.


Beck's friend Aila had a great time also. She was very proud to be on a date all by herself.

Happy Birthday Beck

This little guy turns 3 tomorrow!


He has a hot date with Ayla...


He's so excited, he could climb a tree.




We'll get him to put his shoes on the right foot for his date.

For the first time in seven years, Amy and I went skiing for the day without the ankle-biters tagging along. I took Amy on a little tour and showed her some of the views over the back. It was the first time she had been all the way to the top of the ridge. The mountains around the top of the south are stunning...


The direction that Amy is pointing is mainly unspoiled national parks that cover the top of the south island...


It was a magnificent day full of blue sky, fresh snow and smiles...


but strangely enough, we missed the kids and thought of how much fun they would be having if they were with us.
Isn't life peculiar.