Just Hanging Out

We are settling into life here in Mossburn.  The kids go to preschool two days a week and LOVE it!  The get to paint, cut, glue, and sprinkle (use glitter).  The playground is also a favorite with cars and a "filling station", scooters, slides, swings, sandbox, and a playhouse with dolls and accessories galore.  Eleanor has also discovered the dress-up station and loves putting on fairy princess wings and a blue rose crown.  Marshall really loves outside and playing with the trains inside.  They are both into the arts and crafts.
On Thursday mornings we go to playgroup in Five Rivers and the kids have a good time there too.  Last Friday we went to Gore with them and got to ride on the model train, play on the playground, and had a group picnic.  Pictures from that will come soon.  :)  At playgroup they also love the dress ups (Marshall's favorite is a muscular pirate, must remember my camera tomorrow!)  and mailbox time.  Eleanor is in the "big kid" group and thinks that's pretty cool.
On days that we stay at home the kids help do the laundry and pick-up, run around the backyard, and usually go for a walk to the playground across the street.  At the playground the other day they two big kids spent the first 20 minutes putting rocks in their socks and shoes and then dumping them out to begin again.  It really is the little things in life!

We also spend some time just "hanging out".  Here are some pictures of Edith and the crew at 'tummy time'.    Edith is getting so big.  She smiles and gurgles all the time and loves to be on her tummy and play with the big kids.  She has flipped over several time from front to back and its always a surprise to her! (Especially, in the middle of the night!)

Check out the tongue!  Eleanor was sharing her bubbie. :)

Look at me, I'm super cute.

"Marshall, what are you doing?"

Eleanor and Marshall like to "tack" each other.  Mom and Dad have to watch out that they don't 'tack Edith!

Playing together

This is fun!

This was shaping up to be a great (rare) picture of all three together.  Obviously, mom needs to get a little faster with gathering the camera. 

Eleanor much prefers to be the one taking the pictures and is becoming pretty good at capturing what she's trying to take a picture of.  Here are some of her recent efforts.  At the moment her goal is to get what she wants in the picture on the screen before she presses the button. 

portrait of Purple Kitty Cat

close up

Portrait of Bubbie [and in case you are wondering that was Bubbie's chair and when I tried to sit there I was told that in no uncertain terms.  Don't worry, I know where she gets it from. :)]

Shoes by the fire

This is where we are parking our car...

A 4 bedroom house is included as part of Andrew's job.  It has just been repainted and scrubbed clean ready for us to move in.  There's not much "stuff" in the pictures because I took them before we "moved in".  No doubt in a few week (fingers crossed) when our stuff arrives it will be even more full.  At the moment we are borrowing bits and pieces until the container arrives.

Kitchen as you walk in from back door.

Kitchen from Living Room

Living Room from Kitchen

Living Room from Hallway

Down the Hall

Bathroom

Laundry Room (We have filled it with an awesome new washing machine!)

More Laundry Room.  Check out the new sink

First bedroom to the left - Eleanor and Marshall sleep here

Second Bedroom to the left - Edith sleeps here

Bedroom to the right. This will be the office.

Master Bedroom (at the end of the hall).  Eleanor and Marshall had just "made" the bed.

Backyard looking toward the house

First part of backyard

Second part of back yard.  The kids LOVE to play and just run around back there! :)

 The plan is to show you pictures again once things have arrived, been unloaded, and unpacked. 

New Zealand, Here We Are (part 2)

 I wrote this weeks ago!!  Its taken this long to get the pictures loaded!  We now have good, reliable internet and a home so posts should (take this lightly :)) happen more regularly now.

So, after a short flight then a long flight and then another short flight we landed in Auckland and were met at the airport by Granny and Grandad and Dale. Dale is a friend from Brevard who was traveling and working in New Zealand when we visited so it was good to be able to say hello while our paths crossed.

Granny and Grandad were great at spoiling everyone, including letting me take naps! It was really nice to get to spend time with them. Marshall's favorite past time was playing outside in the “wala” with Grandad. He literally spent hours out there in the puddle and at the hose just getting wet. They also enjoyed running around the gardens and swinging on the swing from Granny. Here they are showing off their sunhats, sunglasses, and cool initial shirts that Mrs. Tracey from Mother's Day Out made them.

After we spent a few days at the grandparents we packed our stuff up into our new van and went down to New Plymouth and the beach for a few days. While there we played in the sand and surf daily making sand castles and jumping in the waves. Eleanor also got her first opportunity to go fishing and she and Daddy caught her first fish. It was too small for us to eat, but the cat down the road had a nice dinner. :)

We also had a chance to catch up with Andrew's Aunt Barabara each morning with a quick beach walk and enjoyed going up to his Aunt Hillarie and Uncle Rodney's farm to help shift the cows. On our last night Andrew's aunt's, uncle, cousins and their kids came over to our little beach cottage for fish and chips. Eleanor and Marshall really, really enjoyed running around outside with their cousins!

Our pleasant stay in New Plymouth ended and our journey southward started. It was a long few days in the car and crossing islands on the ferry but we made it to Southland after stopping at Lois and Graham's to give them some smiles.

 Once here we found there was no room at the inn because of the Waimumu Field Days and stayed with our good friends Kirsten and James and their kids Leah, Elizabeth, and Jack. All the kids enjoyed each other's company. Edith made a special friend in 9 year old Leah who loved to hold her and take her to play with the other kids.

Jack, Edith, and Elizabeth

We did find our own space in Riverton and enjoyed playing at the beach, rock pools, and playground. We also looked at lots of houses! It was a restless time, but it was here that we found where the future was leading. After looking at many houses that would have been ok, but weren't quite right Andrew found a job in Mossburn as a top dresser. The whole family went to the interview and I think on both sides the feeling was this would work really well. Andrew will be able to work in the agricultural industry, meet lots of farmers, see interesting back country farms and station, and complete his pilot's license. The job also comes with a 4 bedroom house that has been remodeled (in fact, its still getting the finishing touches so we haven't moved in yet, but will next week) and has an awesome back yard for the kids to play in and to grow a vegetable garden. Its even fenced with a gate!!

Where's Marshall?

Top Bunk Fun!

Where's Eleanor?

We checked out the Mossburn area before committing to the job to make sure it was a good fit for our family and we think it will be. It has lots of young families, a great school, a preschool and playgroups, a heated swimming pool (and lessons are offered). Also nearby is a library with groups for under 2's and preschool aged children and dance classes if any of our children decide they are interested in the future. There are many clubs and groups for adults to get involved in too. We are looking forward to Saturday when we get to move up to Mossburn and next week when the kids get to start “school”!

New Zealand, Here We Are (part 1)

Well, a lot has happened since my last update, like a lot so I'm going to update with pictures and it might get long. :)

During the month of January we were super busy packing our house to load the container.  The container left our house on January 19th.  We'll let you know when we see it again...(Sorry no pictures, but think chaos, boxes, lists, and coloring coding.)

We did manage to squeeze in a visit to Brevard.  I think the only pictures taken were by Cate and Shelley.  Cate posted a few portraits of Edith that I have shamelessly downloaded and posted here.  We had a great weekend catching up with our friends there!  We stayed with Jeff and Shelley, who were (are) great hosts and the kids had a ball playing with their dog Arlo.  I think Arlo was probably glad to get his toys back once we left. :)

After, we loaded all our stuff on the container we did not sleep on the floor, but stayed with MarMar and JonJon.  They spoiled us rotten and we will/do miss them!!!  Eleanor is becoming quite the budding photographer and documented our stay there.  Here are some of her best shots.  You know, minus the finger over the lens and with a subject.

 

Just before leaving Paducah Edith was baptized.  It really meant a lot to me that she was baptized in the same church that I grew up in and where Andrew and I got married and the other two were baptized there as well.  My church family at First Pres has meant so much to me throughout my entire life that its great to know my children are part of that even if they live halfway around the world.

Add caption

Edith wore the same gown that the other two wore and looked gorgeous.  Its a special family heirloom.  Granny Jill's grandmother made it for her to wear to her christening.  MarMar and I tried to capture the handmade details but let's just say we are not professionals and didn't go it justice.  Sign us for lighting classes. :)

The flight over was long, but uneventful.  The kids had fun playing in the kid area again in Nashville, but other than that there aren't many pictures.  It was hard because a family of five can't sit together in the same row because there are only four oxygen masks.  But we made it!

 

Break time: message from Eleanor:

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TRANSLATION UNAVAILABLE.  ITS FOR HER GUYS ONLY! :)

Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon.