Holiday Fun

Well it is amazing how quickly 9 weeks of school holidays can pass when you are having so much fun! We packed in so much ... but wouldn't have it any other way. We had quality family time; fun time with friends; sleepovers; so much sport, you name it - tennis, scootering, hikes over the hills, swimming in pools, the river and the sea; movies washed down with heaps of popcorn; endless hours spent down at the beach; late nights and early morning rises (go figure why children always wake up early in the holidays?); and yes even some chill-out time at home.

PS We are all going to be sad when the holidays come to an end and school and work life resumes.

Swim time with Huddy-bud

Water bomb fights with Tomo on the trampoline - it went on for hours !

Yes, we even did some baking - Josh did the icing and the M&M's

Sleepover with Tomo

Sleep over with Spencer

A tennis tournament with Fraser ... both dressed up for their respective parts (Joshua is pretending to be Roger Federer - I didn't have the heart to tell him he had the wrong hair colour!)

Playing at Mr Builder at the opening of the new Bunnings Warehouse - a home handyman's paradise

Simple family fun at 'our' park next door

Fun at the Swimming Pool H2O

Clowning around up a tree with friends at a birthday party

Beyblades, Mighty Beanz, tracks ... what more do boys need?

And yes, of course time spent on the WII with friends

Swim fun with Aunty Jellybean

Isn't swinging the most lovely feeling?

So much time in the water

Climbing trees with Mummy

Playing crazy mini golf and Tomo & Josh telling me they had both got a hole-in-one on the 'ant-hill', the most difficult challenge - mmm, I am not so sure!

Simply feeding the ducks

Hiding amongst the flowers at the Rose Gardens

Toasting marshmellows over an open fire down on the beach

Staying up late and watching a few glorious sunsets

Brrrrm, start your engines

We took Josh and Soul down to the dodgem cars this afternoon. Josh was initially quite unsure of the car and was rather daunted by the others on the track who were dragging each other off ... but eventually he started to get the hang of it and did some great circuits (please note he is wearing an ENGLAND shirt for car racing!). But, fingers crossed and I admit it is early days, but there are no signs of a boy-racer in the family as yet (phew!)

Happy Birthday Mummy !

Well, what a day ! It started with Joshua running into our bedroom (early!!) and whispering to Daddy ... then running back out again and returning with a handful of parcels. Hudson was picked up and placed on the bed so all 4 of us were there to open cards & presents. Mummy felt very spoilt indeed by her boys, her family and friends.

But the most special and memorable moment of all was Joshua's poem. From the age of 2, Joshua has given me a poem each birthday; it is something Mummy originally asked for and so far she has 6 in her collection. Up until this year, Daddy has always written a poem on behalf of Josh, or copied some lines from a printed poem. However, this year was different ... Daddy took some lines from a collection of poems and then Joshua wrote the last two lines. What made it even more special was that Josh stood at the end of the bed and read the poem out ...

For all the times you gently picked me up

when I fell down

For all the times you tied my shoes

and tucked me into bed

or needed something

but put me first instead

For everything we share

the dreams, the laughter

and the tears

I love you with a Special Love

that deepens every year

"If I just had one wish, I would wish that Mummy has a ginormous good life - I love you Mummy"

The day was lovely and full of celebration and phone calls ... we took Grandma to the Garden Centre for morning tea, went to a girlfriend's for a birthday brunch, then a 2-hour hike up into the hills to get ready for a birthday dinner at Rosie's. A truly lovely day - thank you everyone!

Joshua running in with all the parcels - all wrapped up in brown paper by Daddy and then artistically drawn on by Josh!

Albeit half asleep, Josh and Daddy sang "Happy Birthday"

Joshua reading out the poem - Mummy felt very emotional

There is no birthday without Huddy joining in - the only time he hops up onto the bed is Christmas and birthdays so even he knows it is a special day

Mummy and her special boy at morning tea

You are my sunflower, you are my tomato - Mummy and Joshua hiding from Daddy at the Garden Centre

Hugs for Mummy at Rosie's house

Oh I am very lucky and I so love my little family

What a way to welcome in the New Year !

We were so lucky to be offered a friend's villa in Martinborough for a week post-Christmas. It The property is very special and lives up to its name of The Secret Garden - it sits on 1/2 an acre of expansive lawns and garden full of box hedges, topiary and olive trees. It is bounded on all sides by a 12-foot hedge so once you step inside you truly feel like you have escaped into your own private paradise.

We had visitors every day, either friends who were also holidaying in Martinborough or friends who came over from Wellington for a visit. Days lingered on into long evenings with many barbeques and sitting outside to catch every last second of the day's sun.

Josh simply loved having so many friends to play with and the games on the lawn were endless - soccer, rugby, running races, hide & seek, beyblade spinning, scooter races, dancing competitions and whatever else we could come up with.

There was also a great local pool to cool off in as temperatures were hot, hot, hot ... and for Mummy, a large deep bath to soak in at the end of the very long days - oh bliss!

We welcomed in 2011 with a glass of wine laying in the hammock in the garden - how special is that ?!?!? Thank you Mike & Lisa for a glorious holiday ... we will be back for sure !

The Secret Garden

What Daddy will do to retrieve the ball off Josh !

Both boys are down !

Both boys are pooped!

Mummy & Josh sneak a cuddle by the hammock - look out, Hudson is watching!

A fun game with Mummy in the local pool

Daddy Crocodile lifting up Josh & Tallulah

Mummy was talked into showing Tallulah & Josh a ballet leg - mmm, it was a wee while ago now and I used to be very good Mummy cried

Fionn & Ciaren and Josh had endless hours of fun in the pool

Josh LOVES his scooter and is amazingly fast on it!

Soul and Josh having an outdoor shower !

Daddy & Josh competing at swing ball

Mummy relaxing on the swing seat in the garden with her 2 boys

All 4 lined up and were given instructions on what they had to do from one end of the garden to the other ... sometimes they had to do as many as 4 "lengths" of the garden to get a lolly! This particular 'length' was called free dance - look at Josh !

Huddy thought he was in doggie-heaven - sticks galore to chew on !

Tallulah and Josh are only 3 weeks apart in age and really 'clicked' this holiday

Josh & Tallulah playing beyblades and also swing ball

Us 3 on the hammock - a glass of wine gazing up through the trees to the stars made an ideal way to see in the New Year (although Josh had gone to bed way before!)

This was very funny - we were packing up the car to leave and Hudson 'disappeared' with one of the bags ... his way of saying "please let's stay" - says it all really!