Goodbye 2010, hello 2011

I can hardly believe it is the end of the year - where did 2010 go? It was a busy year but every moment was memorable and so worth it. A new year brings so many things ... a new start .... new goals ... a new outlook ... new experiences - okay, so a lot of new things but it is also a time to reflect.

As a country, let us remember some poignant moments ... firstly on a sad note :

• On Saturday 4th September 2010 a shocking 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch in the early hours of the morning. It was a sheer miracle that no-one died from the earthquake but the extensive damage to the City has been devastating and at a cost of around $2 billion, let alone the emotional cost to those living in Christchurch. Since then, there have been over 4000 after-shocks of varying magnitudes and sadly no-one knows when these after-shocks are going to end, not even the seismic experts.

On a more positive note, there has been much to celebrate as a nation in 2010 and some highlights include:

• The NZ All Whites qualified for The World Cup and were the only nation to go through the entire tournament unbeaten - woohoo !
• The All Blacks won every rugby game this year on the international circuit bar one (I find it very hard to admit that we lost to Australia but I also need to point out that we beat them the other 3 times during the year!)
• The Kiwi dollar is worth 50 pence sterling - the highest exchange rate we have had against the pound in about 30 years.
• NZ competed in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India in October. 71 commonwealth nations competed and New Zealand came 11th overall with a total medal count of 36 medals made up of 6 x Gold, 22 x Silver and 8 x Bronze.

And on a personal note for Josh, well where do we start ... let's talk about all the 'special' and 'quirky' names we still have for you including Josh-Malosh-Maloo or simply Joshie-Maloshie; button; my friend; gorgeous boy; poppet; monkey; or just simply Joshua.

As for this year ... well you have completed your first full year at Scots College and achieved SO MUCH; you know your 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11 times-tables; you remain a very valued rugby player for the Mustangs and had a great first season at full tackle; you are now 1.350 tall and you weigh 25.1 kilos; you are amazing with a tennis racket in your hand and have a wicked backhand and can't wait to get to tennis practise each week; you are now a little Nipper for Surf Life-Saving and have the cap to prove it; you still love Mummy reading bedtime stories to you every night and will try every trick in the book so that Mummy keeps reading ... and reading; you do your homework each night reluctantly and still protest a little as you would way prefer to be outside playing; you can run faster than last year and more than proved that in the school athletics; your own reading is going ahead in leaps and bounds; you can tie your own school tie and are so proud of that; you are now so confident in the water and can swim 3 x 20 metre lengths of freestyle and backstroke at swimming training rather than only 1 x length like last year and are learning breaststroke; you are starting to be a little bit more adventurous with your food likes and dislikes and are now eating almost all your school lunch; you have discovered technology like there is no tomorrow and it is scary to see how you can juggle playing on the computer, the WII and the Nintendo; you and Daddy have discovered Indiana Jones on the WII and work so well as a team; you continue to beat Mummy at scooter racing although look out in 2011!; you really enjoy building and lighting a bonfire down at the beach and barbequing a sausage but you still need some lessons on how to truly toast a marshmellow over an open flame; you still love bouncing with Daddy on the trampoline; you have had your first try at public speaking and ended up in the semi-finals; you have discovered beyblades and will challenge anyone to a game; you love taking photos; you still have an innate sense of what is fair and not fair and are forever honest; you discovered chewing gum and what happens when you 'play' with it outside your mouth and ended up having to have a haircut!; you continue to love building things and astound us with your spatial creative awareness well beyond your years; you freely say "I love you" to both Mummy and Daddy and you still say you want to marry Mummy.

Yes Josh, it has been a good year. However, you still do not manage change very well as you are such a boy of routine; and this coming year we are going to help you develop more socially and emotionally so that making friends and mixing with your peers becomes easier.

But we have so much to be happy about, so much to be proud of and so much to be thankful for.

So Christmas is over, the year is at an end and summer is here. So let's go and have some fun ... we have a trip over to Martinborough planned and a week in a little bach up in the Coromandel; we have popcorn to eat and movies to see; we have lots of friends we want to catch up with; sausages and marshmallows to barbeque on the beach; sunsets to see but hopefully no sunrises because of lazy mornings with no set timetable; on sunny days we want to spend more time in the water than on land; and let's not forget discovering new walks and adventures up in the hills and all over Wellington with Huddy.

So to all our family and friends who have helped make 2010 special and memorable ... thank you. And as 2011 kicks off and the summer sun shines down upon us, let's look towards a great New Year of abundance, joy, good health and treasured moments - whatever they are, as long as they are special to YOU.

Goodnight 2010 .... Goodmorning 2011