Ssssh, Santa's coming!

Word is out ... Santa is coming so we need to get ready !! Tonight we decorated the Christmas tree - it is so much fun unpacking the tree and all the decorations from the year before. December is also the time to get baking and Mummy has started making her many little Christmas cakes and Josh is putting together jars of jaffas for all his classmates. Oh yes, we are busy ... but not as busy as Santa must be.

PS Josh, thank you so much for making Christmas SO MUCH FUN ! You give us an excuse to be child-like again and it is wonderful.

Do you think that Huddy would make a cute reindeer ?

Josh in his little 'elf' hat decorating the tree

Mummy puts Santa right up on top !

Our finished tree that already has some presents underneath - and of course Joshua's famous Christmas train always takes pride of place

Little Christmas cakes and little jars of jaffas - we are busy in the kitchen !

Joshua LOVES Tennis

Well we are playing tennis now every Tuesday and again on a Thursday. Joshua LOVES it and can't seem to get enough of tennis - I think he enjoys the fact that he gets to play 'his' game and there is no tackling or invasion of his personal space. He is perfecting a wonderful backhand and having a lot of fun which is the main thing.

Here are a collection of tennis photos taken in the past few weeks exhibiting all sorts of dress sense depending on the heat !

Joshua calls this his 'tennis wiggle-bum' - says it all really!

Our little Fish

Today was our last swimming lesson for the year. Now we just have to practise all we have learnt over the summer holidays, both in the pool and in the sea, before we return to lessons next year.

Joshua has improved immensely this term and his half-hour lesson each week now sees him swimming 3 x consecutive lengths of freestyle and backstroke. He is also practising butterfly but that is such a tough stroke to master and requires considerable upper body strength - there will be plenty of time for that. What is wonderful to see is both Joshua's confidence and his stamina.

Water Fight

Mix together the following ingredients:

• a lovely day
• Water bombs (Daddy didn't realise that they had been sitting in the fridge for 2 days and so they were VERY cold)
• Water guns
• and the most important ingredient, 2 boys

Equals .... WATER FIGHT !

Hands up ... Josh & Daddy call a truce

Summer has arrived

Wow, what a day ... an expected high of 24 degrees, bring on summer ! We headed to the beach in the afternoon and all of us had our first swim for the season - albeit Josh and Daddy donned wetsuits as although the air temperature was blissfully warm, the water temperature was still rather cold !

After spending a few hours at the beach, we wandered home to barbeque some sausages ... don't you just love summer, somehow life just seems so much more simple and easy.

Chef Josh is on dinner tonight - anyone for a hotdog sandwich ?

The World

A good way to study the Map of the World is by doing a jig saw. This jig saw was a family affair and stayed out for nearly 3 weeks - that is how long we all took to finish it ... slowly but surely, a few pieces every night.

School Picnic

Today Years 1, 2 and 3 went by bus into town to visit Te Papa and then the parents were invited to join their sons at Schafers Park for a picnic lunch. They had also arranged for 2 mystery guests to arrive and entertain the boys with antics and give-aways ... the Cookie Monsters !!