Gramma Barb's Visit 2010, Part IV

If we could live in New Zealand forever, Wanaka would be one of our first choices. Like many towns here, it's tiny, but it is built on a beautiful lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

The kids loved the playground downtown and watching the water skiers and kayakers on the lake.





























The weather wasn't great, so my mom took the kids to see The Frog Princess (Liska's first movie in a movie theater) at the local cinema, Cinema Paradiso. It was filled with comfortable chairs and couches and each movie has an intermission so you can have a treat, including freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. We also took the kids to an indoor climbing gym. They had never been to one and really enjoyed it.























My mom got caught in torrential rain and island winds walking into town one morning. On her way she saw an arts and craft market where everyone's wares were getting blown away. Even the tents-the kind with steel poles- were getting knocked down by the wind. Barb, who has one of the kindest hearts I know, spent over an hour chasing down hand-knitted tea cozies and the like for the artists who were trying to close up before their work was destroyed. Once she made it into town she ducked into a store to escape the rain and the shopkeeper asked her to mind her shop for awhile. She cheerfully obliged, not exactly sure what she was supposed to do and trying to imagine that ever happening in the US. Eventually I went to find her, concerned she might be soaking, exhausted and stranded in town. No, she had dried off and was happily shopping, excited to tell us about her adventures.

One of my favorite parts of the whole trip was when the five of us biked around part of the lake, away from town. It was gloriously beautiful and peaceful, a bike ride I will never forget.

Gramma Barb's Visit 2010, Part III

This year we stayed outside of Christchurch for a few days. Brad's reasoning was in case the weather was uncooperative there would be some indoor things to do, but I think it was really because of the nearby mountain biking.

We stayed in a house facing the estuary and the beach was a block behind us. It ended up being perfect because the estuary was only a couple feet deep for a long ways, so the kids could kayak.

















We also had a great afternoon in the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful!



Brad got in a good amount of biking, my mom and I had a terrific time shopping in the Arts Centre, a beautiful old college whose gothic revival buildings have been converted into art studios and galleries. And my mom was kind enough to watch the kids so Brad and I could go out, once to the corner bar where an unassuming pregnant woman stunned us with her amazing renditions of Bonnie Raitt and Alannah Myles on karaoke.

Barb's Visit 2010, Part 2

For our first night on the South Island we stayed at a holiday park. Before we left the park we went on a hike. I felt like we were in a Dora the Explorer video: we had to walk through the sheep paddock, creep past the bulls, then hike through the bush to reach the waterfall. It was a great way to begin our trip.

Bold-Faced Lie

In general, Lazlo is a rule follower and, as far as I know, has only told the tiniest of harmless fibs in his life. But I caught him in a bold-faced lie this week. On Monday he asked to bring his allowance money to school "in case there is a PTA fundraiser". I was about to tell him he couldn't, but figured it was his allowance and if he lost it he might learn a lesson in money management. He did the same a couple of days later. On Friday, when I dropped him off at school, he ran out behind me and said he needed his allowance money. When I told him that I didn't have it and that my purse was in the car, he became agitated. "You HAVE to drive home and get my money and bring it back", he pleaded. Then he started to panic and said "Mrs. Schultz said we NEED money for a PTA fundraiser today!" At this point I became suspicious, because there wasn't a note sent home about a fundraiser. Lazlo continued "She said we'll go to the office if we don't have the money!". When I told Lazlo I would talk to Mrs. Schultz right then and there he finally came clean- "Mom, can't I PLEASE just have a mouse?!" I asked him what the heck he was talking about and he admitted that "some girl" at school was hawking mice for "a dollar or two" and he had planned to buy one from her. I was laughing too hard to get angry about the lie and promised him we would discuss it this weekend. But no way is he getting a mouse!

Gramma Barb's Visit 2010, Part I

We were so excited that my mom came for another visit this year! She is such a good sport. We picked her up from the airport and headed straight for the South Island, just like last year. And just like last year she was raring to go, without any sign of jet lag.

We took the ferry over to Picton and drove down to Christchurch, stopping at Kaikoura to look at tide pools and seals and to eat roadside seafood.

Letters to Santa 2009

On Christmas Eve, Lazlo and Liska decided to write letters to Santa Claus:

Dear Santa,
Here are some cookies and milk for you and some carrots for your reindeer in case you are hungry. I hope you saw the magic oats we sprinkled outside to help you find our house. I hope you bring me a Star Wars Lego.
Thanks,
Lazlo


Dear Santa,
Please come into my room, it's the pink one with twinkling stars. Please leave Rudolph there forever so I can have him as a pet. If you don't, I'll steal him.
Liska

Boppa's Second Visit

We were fortunate enough to have my dad visit again this year, and best of all he stayed for almost a month. The visit was a little last minute so Brad hadn't taken any time off of work and the kids were in school, but my dad seemed happy to be part of our regular routine. We did get away a couple of times. We went to Napier for my birthday weekend, up Te Mata Peak and to the beach.

























We also hiked at Mt. Taranaki. It was a typical New Zealand hike, no information posted on the length or difficulty of the trail, which ended up including steep ladders and narrow bridges with a railing only on one side. You can't tell in the photo, but the bridge is up pretty high. We managed to get lost and had the sense to turn around instead of guessing at the trail, Brad and I having read about lost trampers dying in New Zealand one too many times in the paper. It's a good thing, too, because we had all missed the trail sign and were headed up the mountain. But it was a beautiful hike and Lazlo and Liska did a good job.



















Mostly we stayed in Wanganui, though, and my dad accompanied me on school/kindy pick ups and drop offs, swim lessons and touch rugby. He was an enormous help with the kids- putting them to bed, reading to them, singing with them and playing tickle bug, checkers, hide and seek and whatever else they requested. On top of that, he cleaned every chance he got. He also babysat so Brad and I could go out, and gave us an early Christmas gift of dinner at a great local restaurant.

He also had a little time alone with each of the kids, and took Lazlo to the movie theater (Lazlo's first time) and walked downtown with Liska for gelato at a cafe.


We miss him a ton, but feel lucky he got to come again and to stay for so long and can't wait to see him (and Grandma Molly!) again.