Advent Calendar.....

This year we decided to make our own advent calendars, so I bought yummy treats to put in each day's pocket leading up to Chistmas Eve.

Along with the treat I put in a wee message or task, something to prepare ourselves for Christmas and remembering the spirit of the season.

The notes our advent calendar pockets held this year read:

Make a present list for family and friends
Visit a friend we haven't seen in a while
Make a table decoration
Make a welcome wreath
Plan Christmas day menu
Make presents
Write Santa list
Make confectionery and bake for sharing
Deliver baking to retirement home
Take the photo for our Christmas cards
Decorate the house
Select and decorate a tree
Ring Grandparents and ask them what Christmas was like when they were little
Hire and watch a Christmas movie
Go present shopping
Shop for our family Secret Santa
Go on the Christmas light trail
Wrap presents and put under tree
Make Christmas crackers
Deliver homemade baking and confectionery to neighbours
Make Christmas cards and send or deliver them to our friends
Write and send out our annual Christmas photo cards
Read Christmas stories
Make a Christmas cake
Bake for sharing with Christmas visitors
Ice and decorate cake
Organise stockings and sacks
Ring friends and family

Game On.....

We had a bit of a game of softball after dinner tonight, here's H8 helping the girls win - OF COURSE!:

James.....

I forget just how fast a babe can grow, we keep thinking we really need to get over and see our adorable Hamilton bubba more often. It's kinda embarassing when the grandies from Gizzy see him more often than we do - and they have to pass us on the way to his house! Photos courtesy of Nana:

Fledglings.....

No camera (aaarrrggghhh!!!!!!), but I thought I better chronicle it anyway ;o) H7 found three sparrow fledglings in their nest at the bottom of one of the pine trees this morning (well, there was actually four, but one of them was dead). We're taking them with us everywhere we go, feeding them every couple of hours, and hoping they'll stay alive for a few more weeks till they can fend for themselves. Wish us luck.

Big Heads.....

No, not them ;o) The brocolli they brought from their garden for us:


Although, we think L5 had a reaction to it the next morning:

Action Shots.....

A11 showing us his new trick - jump over the power box and up to the tramp in one easy bound:

Visitors to Play.....

Petra and Cathy came today for a whole morning of fun:



L5 showed Petra how to make flash mutant bionicles:

Petunias.....

L10 is so pleased with herself, having turned a pot of soil into a pot of beautiful, colourful, prolifcially flowering petunias - all by herself!:

It's A Bird.....

L5 hooning up and down the hall on the skateboard:

Biscuit Icing, Pass the Parcel, Marshmallow Toasting and Aussie Cuzzies.....

H7's turn to organise the Family Fun Night this time, and so we all got a couple of Christmas Cookies to decorate (she'd made them that afternoon):


Then we had a round of Pass the Parcel, complete with 'real' prizes from the Present Box:


Outside to light a fire, Scout Style, and toast marshmallows to perfection to round the evening off:



I was thinking about Sheryl and her whanau today, and as if by magic, I got an email from them with some photos attached. This is them on their Tasmanian holiday in August:

Schleich.....

The treasured collection is growing rapidly, each with it's own name and story:

L5 loves to snuggle with his friends in bed, and today he inherited the walrus in the middle and so he had to have a trial run, just to make sure everyone could still fit after the re-shuffle:

The First Birth.....

I ever witnessed was the lad in the middle of this photo, all those years ago. It had a profound effect on me, as I imgaine it does on anyone the very first time they are privelleged enough to be present at the miracle that is a babe being born. Thanks Tracey for the photo:


Funny how you don't sort of notice at the time, but when we're lucky enough to have friends we're still hangin' with years and years in a row, you get to share a little in their Growing-Up journey, too:


These pics were taken when these three commandeered the camera to capture forever the essence of being a twit ;o):

Waiting For Nana and Grandad.....

L9 got some baking books out of the library and decided her and I should do some baking for Nana and Grandad to help pass the time till they arrived (she's already started the countdown to Christmas, as you can tell!):

Papamoa Hills.....

Even though it was a bit dreary today ;o) we braved the fog and the drizzle and the slippery underfootedness and hooned up the Papamoa Hills:



Some of us (the younger, fitter, skinnier ones) hooned faster than others of us (me):




They even had time to experiment with different footwear while they were waiting for me to chug on up to them:



Of course, the only reason I was taking my time was that I was so engrossed in the flora and fauna lol!:




And the wierd way there was a world both above and below the fog line:



The bonus of going UP a hill when you're a youngster, is the joy of getting back DOWN:

Horsey Heaven.....

We trotted out to Old Forest School to see Reagan undergo some halter training:


Here's his gorgeous Mum, Kahlua:


She did really well, considering there were a few of us visiting her today:


He did really well also, and we all got a photo opportunity with him:





And how's this for a new baby? Tea Stain (I think that's the name?) was only born this morning:



Here's Suzy Homemaker, showing off some of her many domestic skills:



While we're on the subject of show-off's ;o) have you ever had occasion to see a whippet in action?:


Now that's my idea of a dog - something with some meat on. Bear was a new edition to the family that morning also:


A rose with lunch:

Nana and Grandad.....

We have been very lucky to have Nana and Grandad come to stay with us a few times in quick succession lately, Nana is due to have her op on her eye and so we get to see her on the way up and down, and again for her pre- and post-check ups. The Lad got tickets to take Nana to the last Ellerslie Flower Show in Auckland this year, he's such a good boy.

Album of the day: Carol Storey, Mokomoko.

This woman is local, approachable, talented, beautiful and affordable. And her partner, Liam Ryan, is every bit as listenable. And he works with The Lad so I didn't even have to leave the house to get the CD - give the money to The Lad in the morning, get the CD from The Lad in the afternoon. Bliss.

Double Trouble.....

Or not.

Tui and Belle came to visit us today. Talk about CUTE!:


Actually, seeing as how they are going to be *real* working farm dogs, this is one of the few times we'll get to 'play' with them, as they have to start getting serious training soon:

Mountain Climbing.....

Well, climbing The Mount at least ;o)

While we were going "around" The Mount, everyone was keen as - climbing trees:


And hiding in caves:



But after we'd been round, we decided we'd go up as well (did you hear the howls of protest from your place?):


Halfway up, and we were feeling decidedly better off than the man waiting for the Fire Brigade to stretcher him down:


It's funny how it never seems that bad once you're actually up there:

Swimming With The Dolphins.....

We had the opportunity to go on a Swim With Dolphins charter at a reduced rate through a fundraiser the Guides were putting on (still $450 for us all though!):


Although we never ended up actually swimming with any dolphins, we did see a big pod of bottlenose before we had even left the harbour which gave us all a huge thrill, they are a special kind of creature alright:





We couldn't go in with this lot because they had two babies with them, one was approximately two weeks old, and the other one was about six weeks old - according to the Skipper:


Maddy The Fab:


L5 hanging out in the galley below:


The kids taking turns at being the Lookout - spotting the dolphins for us:





Kayne doing his Titanic impersonation:


We did go in the water near the end of the trip. Some of us took the fast way in:





And some of us did our best whale impersonations, and simply rolled themselves off the back of the boat:


There was great discussion on just what these little squares of jelly with black spots inside were - jellyfish or fish roe:


The Mount from an angle we don't usually get to see it:


The statue of Tangaroa as we don't usually get to see it also:


The view I had most of the day. I always thought I wasn't one for lounging about in the sun for an entire day doing not a lot of anything, but it turns out I'm a natural ;o) and it was very relaxing. There was something very wistful about bobbing about on the water while we were sailing, lying on the deck in the sun (I'm not a sun lover), hearing the sea and watching the world drift by:


As odd as it may sound, I don't eat crayfish, The Lad doesn't rate it at all, and the other kids can't really be bothered with it. But because Brooke knows Poppa loves it, she gave us a couple of small ones to give to him, which he very gallantly shared with A11:

Omanu and The Mount.....

We walked round The Mount this morning (I love this view):


We had the mandatory pose-off on the way round (L5 got banned from the photos in the end because he was being overly poserish (yes, Kate, that's a word!):




Then we took off to the Waiariki Street end of Omanu Beach, parked the car and walked the entire length of the beach till we reached the Surf Club:




This photo was taken about halfway down (how does one tell, really, though?), looking back from whence we had come:


We had a few play stops along the way (we had to walk all the way back, remember, although I did make them go back along the road, which they weren't happy about - nothing like the lure of an ice cream if you do it may way ;o) !!!):

Living Art Wildlife Park.....

Where do I start?!

What about with the Golden Pheasants:


Or maybe the Giant Chess Set:


Perhaps the Gallah:


Or Hedwig the Morepork:


The Wallaby:


Hand feeding the Chickens:


The Red-Eared Terrapins:


The Peacock:


The Turkey:


Or Domino the mini Kunekune:


The Llama:


The Kereru:


L9 holding the The Bearded Dragon:


Simba the Neopolitan X French Mastiff:


Jake the Cockatoo:


Frizzle the cool curly Chicken:


The Tui:


The Grey Heron:


The funky Ducks:


Some Snake Neck Turtles:


The Bearded Dragon with his mates:


H7 with a Rabbit:


L9 with an outrageously cool Guinea Pig:


Some cute Ducklings:


L9 with Zazu the Ringneck:


L5 with Zazu:


An Eastern Water Dragon:



Who knew that Mynah's could talk?

Fish 'N Chips.....

The Lad went fishing off the wharf with L9, H7 and L5 tonight and they treated themselves to hot chips while they were there.

They caught a few fish and brought A11 and myself home some fish and chips, lol:

Windsong Miniature Horses.....

Well, it's my turn to go on a Date with L9, and where better than to Windsong? They certainly are small, and this one is the shortest of all - a dwarf miniature, no less:


The old brown one here is 26 years old (I think):


We managed to spot the imposter, lol:


I was amazed the sheer quantity of horses they had there, considering they can't be ridden or used for work, the thought crossed my mind as to why someone would want over 200 miniature horses?:


Ever seen a champion sans make-up and hairdresser?:


Another thought crossed my mind when we heard that these horses were being shown and so they had to be clipped, but after they clip them, they wrap them up in hoods and layers of blankets and sleep them indoors so they don't get cold - go figure?:


Here's the place where they sleep the show ponies (couldn't resist) and display all the ribbons and keep the costumes - yep, costumes, I was getting well freaked out by this time as the wigs and dresses and clown suits and mouse ears and baby bonnets that the horses wear were being proudly shown off:


The bubbas *were* very cute though:

It's Been A Bit Quiet Round Here Lately.....

You know, that Mummy-alarm type quiet, after you've got over the pleasure of Five Minutes Peace (I love that Jill Murphy book, it goes straight over the kids' heads and the Mummy's nod all-knowingly), that little voice in the back of your head starts screaming "It's TOO quiet". Then it calms down again when you discover they're just engrossed in making "The Best Stable City There Ever Was":

A Step Up From Playcentre Volcanoes.....

But not quite to MythBusters standards.

The photographs certainly weren't, that's for sure. The battery was going flat and The Lad wasn't waiting for anyone.

We got the bottle of Diet Coke (needs to have the nasty aspartame chemical (the artifical sweetener) The kids were gutted. I hate Coke and never buy it (it makes my teeth go furry). The Lad loves Coke and often buys it (but doesn't share). I try to avoid aspartame if I possibly can. The Lad hates the aftertaste of any artificial sweetener. The kids missed out completely on even tasting the leftovers of the experiment:


Then we took two Mentos (everyone was allowed to share the leftovers):


And let rip, it was a bit of a fizzer to be honest (if you can see it), but it was an alright distraction from an Early Night after getting home from Scout Camp:



As an aside, have you noticed how the American trend of emphasising the end of a word has been creeping in to our common Kiwi language use - bat-TRY has become batt-ER-y, manda-TRY has become manda-TOR-y, etc.

Guy Fawkes.....

We stopped off at Sue's place after we had picked H7 up from Brownies and The Lad up from his welding course, for a few crackers:



The kids all laid up on the bank, watching the show:


The obligatory sparkler shot:


Yes, he asked for his photo to be taken like this!:

Scout Camp.....

A11 and his Scout Troop organised themselves a camp at one of the Leaders' places as part of one of their badges. The trailer was a popular mode of transport for getting to the campsite, they all jumped on with their bags:


They did a great job, organising the timetable, the menus, the budget, the gear list, the activities, the shopping, etc. They did all their cooking by campfire (no gas), which meant they had to gather the wood:


Luckily, there was some good supervision in place (I told Martin he did an excellent impersonation of a council worker, lol):


And then get the fire going well enough so that they could cook on it:


And work out the best way to do things like cook toast to have with your spaghetti, and what might be the best way to get the pot to sit above the fire to cook the spaghetti:


A11's patrol set up a Burma Trail (ropes through a course to be followed at night):


They also had some ropes and ladders tied through trees and they had to get from the start to the finish without touching the ground:


Bit of a trick to get to the Loo Tent the first night though, lol:


We went down a really steep cliff to get to a waterfall, we found out on the way back UP that there was actually an established track so we needn't have tried to carve our own through the underbrush!:




Scouts being Scouts, we had to keep the food under lock and key so it wasn't all eaten on the first day (we told them it was so the possums didn't get it):


The rope swing was pretty popular between activities:


There was some confusion in the orienteering/compass and map activities - A11's patrol were well off their game (check out how many different directions they got from reading the same instruction!):


Moa Eggs were a popular dinner - boiled potato wedges, a boiled egg, tomato wedges, cheese and bacon rolled in sausage meat, then crumbed, then wrapped in baking paper then tinfoil before being placed in the embers to cook while they did their next activity:



The highlight for A11, by far, was the go-kart and ride-on mower driving. They started out getting the hang of 'driving' on the ride-on, they learnt such valuable skills as how to drift and do handbrake slides:


Then they moved on to the go-kart on the grass:


Then they got to drive the go-kart round the track, complete with mud puddles and tight corners to go sideways round:


A11 had a ball being taken round the track with Tuakana, who is a REAL rally driver, I thought he would be petrified but I think there's a boy racer deep in the heart of every male:


Even though his Mum complained he lost a tooth and he had mud up his nose and in his ear holes, I loved this photo, it sort of summed up the weekend well I thought, a little bit of blood, a lot of dirt, and a smile that lasted till they fell asleep (early and exhausted) on Sunday night:

'Our Hill".....

We've been taking a few jaunts up Kopu Kairoa, the Maori name of the hill (or 'family' of hills - we live on Daddy Whale, there are Mummy and Baby Whales (hills) close by) we live on the side of. We've been taking dessert up some nights - strawberries and chocolate sauce with a view, lol!, but today we took the camera up. It takes about 15 minutes to walk down the road to the track to walk up (got that?), and we pass a lovely patch of wild flowers that the mowers always leave when they do the sides of the road:


A view from part way up, of what we've got left to climb:


Some of the views from the top of the hill. Tauranga City and Welcome Bay with the harbour in between them and the Kaimais in the distance (through the shelter belt across the road from our house):


The Mount, with Matakana and Bowentown etc. behind it (looking towards the beacon on the top of the hill from the girls' bedroom):


This one is out to Mayor Island (to the left if you were looking out of our kitchen window):


Motiti Island behind Papamoa (straight ahead out the kitchen window):


Across to the Papamoa Hills Regional Park (to the right of our house):


Looking back to our house, it's the one with the orange roof ;o) :


One of the bonuses of going up, is that you get to come down! The kids all run flat tack through the long grass and leap off the little jump at the bottom if they're still upright:




On our way back down we saw Sharon from across the road clipping the toenails of the horse who lives here and the one of hers she grazes here, The Lad would be horrified at the size of the offcuts from these babies!:


The pedicure process was scarily similar to our own, after the clipping there was the cleaning of gunk from underneath:


Then the 'emery board', lol:



Jericho is a bit of a rascal horse, and was getting told off a lot, but when he's not being naughty he's very loveable:


Tiara was having a bit of a nosey while she was waiting for her turn:


A11's favourite bovine - the bull that petrifies him every time, doesn't he look scary, like he's going to leap up and bust through the fence?"


Kaiser jumping for the kids. We left L9 there in the end, and Sharon dropped her off when they were finished:

Leisure Island and Mount Central.....

We took off this morning on an exploratory mission around Mount Central.

We went out to the Blowhole at the end of Leisure Island (I stayed on the path, the mountaineers scaled down the cliff face and back up the other side!):








We stopped for a photo for Nana's calendar:


L9 thought she had discovered a southern hemisphere close cousin of holly, flowering near Christmas our time:


And we scaled the dizzying heights of Mount Drury (well, it IS a bit of a stretch calling it *Mount* Drury):


In the background is where we were looking out to from Leisure Island:


A11 waved to all the people we knew in the places written on the plaque - Gisborne, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin, New York, Perth, Melbourne, etc.:


I tell you, it was a gruelling climb, A11 stopped for a well-deserved rest up a tree on the way back down:


We had a quick play at the playground at the bottom before we set back off on the other half of our walk:


We walked down Marine Parade, back and forth through all the shopping centre streets back up to the Hot Pools end, and then all the way back down Pilot Bay to the jetty for this photo (Mum, we're going in circles! cried L5). We were amazed at the masses of luxury apartment complexes, new and old:


And finally, 2 1/2 hours after we started, we stopped for a much coveted Copenhagen Cone on our way back to where we had parked the car at the beginning:

Congratulations!.....

I got this SMS at 9.10pm:

"Me an dorothy jus got engaged. Lucky me :D"

WOOT, WOOT!!!!! Go Uncle Dazza and Aunty Dorothy ;o)

We're so pleased, cos one of Uncle Darren's *best* features would have to be The Very Lovely Dorothy. lol!