Just been for a walk on a cool summer evening. Its been a quiet day. Jamie went to the dentist this morning, and I went yesterday morning. So our yearly check ups are over - its been a while since we both went!

Lachie got a few more birthday presents today, one on the courier from Grandma and one from Auntie Mel. Her & Paul were over this afternoon and Paul was putting some new flashing on our roof.

I think its time for an early night.

Happy Birthday Lachie!

Tonight we have tried to teach Lachie to say "I am 2"! It has been a pretty normal day however. I'm not sure that he has yet completely grasped the whole birthday/present thing. Here is a picture of him on his new bike. We bought him a trike from The Warehouse, but surprise, surprise, it broke during construction! So we returned it and decided we needed to spend a bit more money. We ended up getting a proper bike with trainer wheels. It also has a thing on the back that we can push him along and steer. Its pretty cool.

We had a nice Auckland Anniversary weekend. Jamie finished night shift at 7am Friday morning. At about 3.30pm we drove up to Lake Rotoma to stay with Jamie's parents. Me, Jamie & Fletcher went in to Rotorua to do some shopping on Saturday. We had a swim in the lake on Saturday afternoon! It was lovely. Sunday was pretty uneventful, the weather wasn't that great - apparently it was fabulous at home.. We decided to stay Sunday night too. We went back in to Rotorua on Monday and went out for lunch.

Let's see...oh, we think Lachie might be left handed. We finally noticed that he has been holding his spoon to eat with his left hand. Bye for now.

Up with the Birds

I've had an early start today and yesterday. Fletcher has been waking to be fed at 5.30am so by the time that is finished I figure I may as well start the day. Jamie is at work and I expect he will be home in half an hour.

Lachie is going to Millsy's this morning, from 9-12. Me and Fletcher are going to visit Megan.

I guess we've had a busy week with Jamie coming & going at different hours while I do the usual things like coffee group. We got Lachie under the sprinkler on Tuesday which was great - he had a little help from cousin Ben, who came to play Tuesday morning.

Here is another photo of Lachie & Fletchie. Lachie often asks for a cuddle and then says "have a photo?". So here is his latest shoot.

Greetings on a very warm Monday evening. I am so thankful to have two wonderful boys who go to bed without a fuss around 7pm!!! Jamie is at work so I have done the bath-dinner-bed routine by myself.

Jamie also worked all weekend. I took the boys to town on Saturday morning and did a spot of shopping. I bought myself a cheap little MP3 player so that will be cool for when I am out walking.

On Sunday morning I was on a mission to get the boys ready & over to Ohope to visit a friend before church started, which we did, although we were a bit late to church. I spent a good while on Sunday afternoon picking yummy plums off one of our plum trees. So that is two trees down and one left.

Last Thursday night, Jamie was again, working, so rather than sitting at home me and the boys went up to Grant & Abby's for cell group BBQ. Both of them went to sleep in the spare rooms without a fuss so I was able to enjoy the evening! It was just a bummer having to get them up and take them home - although Fletcher hardly stirred.

The other main event of last week was that we tried to buy a new house! We saw a house around the corner in Riverside Dr that we had liked for a while, and then a 'For Sale' sign appeared. We looked at it Monday and made an offer Wednesday. However two other people made an offer the same day so we missed out. The people who bought it paid just over asking price (which is pretty rare around here). But we are pleased that we gave it a shot.

Jamie is home tomorrow until 2pm so I have made an appointment at the optometrist for the morning. I will try a bit harder to post more this week and add some photos!

Comet McNaught

I wish I could say that I took this picture but I didn't. I just copied it from an article on the net. However, that was the sight we saw last night about 9.30pm, we got a fantastic view from the end of the driveway. We kept checking back and it just got brighter and brighter. I have never seen anything like it! It was so awesome. I was expecting something that zipped across the sky but of course, that would be a shooting star... I think we will keep an eye out for it tonight too!

Sayoonara, Senator

The Senator purred out the garage door to its new home in New Plymouth today. Our stint of V8 glory is over.... Jamie is glad is has gone out of town so that he doesn't have to see it driving around and say "why did I sell it?!"

Well, lets see, damp and muggy day number 8. We haven't seen the sun properly for a whole week! However I think it is set to improve. The clothes dryer has been getting a real work out.

Jamie has the day off today before he works 10 days straight. This Saturday he is going to 'general duties' so back to the blue uniform and on the street.

Yesterday at church Angie O from youth group days was there with her husband. They have been travelling around Central America and are settling back here for a while. I filled her in on what you, dear readers (those who know her), are up to.

The sun is poking through the clouds. I am going to put some laundry on. It always seems like you have so much more when it rains.

Wednesday

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning we had 'coffee group' - or should that be 'tea group'? at my place. Everyone is back from their Christmas holidays. Lots of fun. In the afternoon and well into the night it rained so that kept us inside. Although it didn't keep Jamie from going go-karting with Mark V over at the lagoon. He came home a muddy mess.

This morning I went in to town with Fletcher & Lachie. I was a bit nervous as Lachie was going to have to hold my hand and walk the whole time. Apart from one episode where he tried to escape in the midst of the lingerie section at Farmers, he did great! We also went to the library and got him some Thomas the Tank Engine books and one other from a series about a silly Duck that he likes. He also found an annual report for Plunket Society - it had lots of neat pictures on the cover so he wanted me to read it! Unfortunately only boring pie graphs etc on the inside!

I just zipped up to the maternity annexe to see Karen P and baby Daniel, but they had already gone home. Silly me should have checked before I left!

Here is Fletcher, taken this afternoon. He is even laughing already!! Jamie can get a good giggle out of him. Plunket came today and weighed him, 12lb 80z.

Here is Lachie, on Monday, playing in our freshly weeded vegetable garden. (Maybe one day soon there'll be vegetables in it). He made a delightful mess and this morning asked if he could go and play in the 'sandpit'.

Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad! I think you've notched up 36 years?

love from us.

I was able to spend the morning doing the grocery shopping at my leisure today. I dropped Lachie at Zac and Ben's where he had a great time. It was just me and Fletcher, who was very well behaved in his car seat.

Church was very busy yesterday, lots of visitors, after a couple of quiet services around Christmas/New Year. I guess everyone decided to take their holiday a bit later this year! It was a really hot day so in the afternoon we put the sprinkler on for Lachie. However he decided he didn't like the water. He hasn't liked the beach much this year either. Don't know what has happened - he loved it last year.

Well I'm lacking inspiration at present so I'll say goodbye.

Friday

Let's see what we have been up to..

Yesterday morning (Thursday) Zac came and played at our place for a couple of hours. Lachie enjoyed having a buddy to play with. Zac mostly wanted to play inside with the cars though, and Lachie wanted to zip around on the trikes! However later in the morning they started getting a bit crazy jumping on the bed so I sent them outside to play.

In the afternoon me and the boys went for a long walk - Lachie enjoys his little spot on the toddler seat in front.

Jamie brought home some information on his course next month. He flies out of Tauranga at 7.05am so it will be an early start that day! He also has to organise getting the dog on the plane. He doesn't stay in barracks, him and the other 3/4 guys stay in a house. They go down the road to have their meals with the Army. The course info also says they need to be conversant with saluting! He hasn't done that since Police College I don't think.

This morning Lachie went out with his Grandad & Nana Kerr, I think they took him to the playground at The Heads. When he arrived home he was thoroughly exhausted and went straight to bed. They also looked after him while I took Fletcher to the doctors - and when we got home I think Grandad was thoroughly exhausted!

I took Fletcher to the doctors today for his 6 week immunisations :( He was pretty upset the whole affair. As you would expect.

Uncle Nathan came over from Tauranga on Wednesday on his cool new motorbike. Here is Lachie going for a ride!

At last we have bought a decent sized sun umbrella for our outdoor furniture (yesterday, from Bunnings). I think it is a 3.3metre one. Its great because it gets rid of the glare - we can now sit outside in the heat of the day in a bit more comfort.

I went for a long walk with the boys this morning - there was lots of traffic up and down Landing Road and Kopeo was pretty busy too. Jamie popped home today with all the guys from his office to help him move the dog kennel from the side of the house to around the back by the woodshed. It will be a bit warmer for the dog around there.

New Years Day

Ffffffffa freezing. An average morning has given way to a rainy chilly afternoon. On a happier note however, we were visited this afternoon by Lane, Sarah & baby Ambrose. Oh, and Jamie went water skiing this morning from 8-11.

I briefly woke from my sleep to hear the neighbours welcoming in the New Year - lots of fireworks too. However I was in bed by 9.30pm!! and welcomed in the New Year around 2am feeding Fletcher. ..

Happy New Year all, and as Nicole texted me at 0042 hours, "The Best is Yet to Come"!! Yehoo!

The boys yesterday after we had been for a morning walk. Lachie's latest unfortunate phrase is "I don't want to".

On Wednesday Jamie & Lachie went with the Greys for a practice ride out at Manawahe. Jamie did an 8km trail ride and reckons its the hardest thing he's ever done! They arrived home at 8.30pm and to my surprise Lachie was still a box of birds.

Lachie opens a present - his new Hot Wheels Transporter is in front of him. I think Jamie was more excited about that!

Fletchie says hello. He has started sucking two fingers on his right hand....he slept from 9pm til 5.30am last night.

Our plum trees are pretty much ready to go (if only the plums were a big bigger). Here's Lachie sampling the fruit.

Happy Christmas and all that...

Its been a busy week, as you can imagine. Its Saturday morning and Jamie has taken Lachie to the Awakaponga Motorcross to watch his cousins ride. Jamie went back to work on Thursday which was a little strange. Fortunately he has two short weeks to get him back into the swing of it. For New Year's Eve he finishes work at 8pm (he will be working over in Opotiki)! Nice & early.

Christmas Day was a bit of a quiet one really. We went to John & Moana's for breakfast, then popped around to Paul & Mel's. I brought the boys home for bed and Jamie went back and had Christmas lunch at their place. In the afternoon the Wintersons and Poppa & Grandma came down - Mum and Dad had driven from Havelock on Christmas morning.

I'll leave it there for now and just post some pictures. Don't they tell a thousand words or something?