Potty training on the beach

 

 

 

 

I decided that today was going to be the start of a potty training lock down. I've been pretty slack about it so far, honestly because I didn't want to make the commitment. But I decided that this mon, tue, and wed. we were going to give it a go. So, the diaper comes off at 7:15am this morning and by 3pm...no pee. 8 HOURS, countless sippy cups and trips to the potty and NO PEE! Very frustrating. So, potty came to the beach. I dug a little hold in the sand and placed her seat over it and made my very own little porta potty :) Finally, when she wanted to go swimming and mommy said that there was no swimming until Zaiah peed in the potty, she did it! Easy as that!!!!! I think she was holding out on me on purpose but when she saw the stakes were high, and there was not going to be any peeing in the water, she caved. A battle of wills... kinda :)

The beach we went to was so beautiful, one of my favorites so far I think. Partly because it was so secluded and deserted. I guess that was due to the fact that it was monday.
D was fortunate to get off early this afternoon after a long hard weekend of call. Poor guy didn't get to see the sun for two days. So we headed to Tawharanui (pronounced
Ta-fa-newi)for some surfing. The water was still beautiful, not too cold, and the sun was shining. In the afternoons here it is still about 20 degrees. We found beautiful shells, I took pictures, and Tracy even found a baby octopus in one of her shells. The girls loved it. So after I had a very productive morning I had a wonderful afternoon at the beach.
If only every monday could be like today....

Finally

I finally did what ive been meaning to do for quite a few years now and took a photography class!! I have another next week. Its one of those things where ive always had a little bit of a passion for it but with no mentor's (BTW thanks Robin for getting me going ;) and not being very good at self-teaching its taken me awhile to get going with it. Darryl's training and the kids have kind of dominated the priorities in my life for the last 5 years anyway. Well now there is some time for me!!
As you could probably tell, by some of my pic's, we've invested in a really nice camera. And what better place to pick up my hobby then here in God's country.

The last time I did a class in photography it was on a film SLR and that was sooo much harder. I love that with digitals you can actually practice what you are learning and then experiment with the settings etc. seeing the product imediately. So much better for someone like me who learns by being shown or doing.



Looking forward to getting more great shots on here in the next few months :)

Ella turns 5

 

 

 

Tomorrow, Ella will be 5. Well, actually because she was born in Canada that kind of makes her birthday a day early here but anyway she is/will be 5! 5 is a big number. I find myself a little emotional over her turning 5. My baby years are gone and I already see her maturing so much, almost overnight. I am so proud of the beautiful, sensitive and caring little girl she has become.
I was afraid this birthday might be a little hard this year, being away from home and not having her FAVE little buddies around, so I did my best to make it as big and special as I could.
We celebrated today by having a Day of Ella. She wanted a rainbow theme so we tried to decorate as much as possible with rainbow colors. And there even just happened to be a theme park here in Auckland called Rainbow's End, which was fitting. We started off the day with rainbow oatmeal, went to rainbow's End for lot's of fun rides, then proceeded to MC Donalds play land for lunch and then back to the house to get ready for the party. Ella has two good little friends here, and they are both named Ben, both from the UK and both have mom's named Rachel :) Funny. Both Ben's came to her party with a few siblings in tow and we had a wonderful evening of Taco's (as requested by the birthday girl) candy and cake, mmmmm. We had face painting and a game of Pin the nose on the clown. Overall I knew it was a huge success because as I was putting Elle to bed tonight she kept saying over and over "this was the best birthday ever mommy!"
Mission Accomplished!

I will have more pic's posted on facebook.
Cheers!!

Ella celebrates her birthday at Kindy

 
 
 
 

Ella celebrated with her birthday today with her friends at Kindy because she won't be there tomorrow. We have a special day planned for her tomorrow instead of Saturday b/c D has to work and I'm doing a class all day.
They really do a great job at her kindy for making them feel special on their big day.
She was given special privileges all morning and got to decorate her own birthday crown with friends and had special messages from her teachers written on the inside. She had a play dough birthday cake, got to pick her favorite book to read at matt time and sit on the special birthday chair while her friends sang happy birthday to her and looked at her portfolio of all the things she's done with her time while at Kindy.

Here in NZ, the kids start primary school as they turn 5, although not legally expected to until they are 6 years old. So usually the kids leave the kindy at the time of their birthday. Ella will be finishing the next two weeks but not attending primary school here. In order for her to attend I would have to apply for a different visa, and she would attend school all day every day and I'm not ready for that yet:) She'll be in school full time soon enough and long enough.

I look forward to posting tomorrows blog with pic's and tales from our Day of Ella.

Shopping adventures

Arriving here with only two suitcases each to do us 6 months really is only a step above backpacking so now that the season is changing I am in need of a few items.

However, you definitely don't come to NZ for the fashion and shopping. You will be highly disappointed in NZ if that is something you need in a place.
I have spent weeks trying to discover where the good shopping is but up until now have stuck out every trip. Even if I did find something I liked I was always put off by the crazy expensive prices. Well today, I bit the bullet out of pure desperation for fall/winter clothes and took the afternoon to go by myself. Its been way too long since I've done that, gone by myself, and well... it worked out! I don't know if I hit a good day or if it was b/c I am desensitized to the prices now so I didn't stress about it as much. The other thing that puts you off for shopping here is the sizing. Its all a size or two smaller so you end up buying numbers you don't want to see sitting on that little tag.
what they lack in fashion they make up for in outdoor clothing, kids clothes, and well pretty much everything else I've blogged about.
One really neat thing about NZ is that they really promote home grown. They have a lot of their own brands from clothes to surf boards to all ranges of food.

Hopefully Darryl will be as successful this evening as he attempts to find dress pants for work. He arrived here for "work" with 4 pairs of board shorts but only two pairs of dress pants, both a light color. We can all see where his priority's were when he was packing :)

Raglan

 
 
 
 

We had an awesome weekend at a place called Raglan, a surfing Mecca. Darryl was in heaven. Surfer's come from all over the world to surf here and it is known for having the longest left hand break. For those of you who are in to surfing. Tracy and I had our turn attempting to surf Raglan, we're getting better :)
Such a beach town with cute little cafes and surf stores lining the streets and a laid back mentality.
We also headed to waitomo to see the glow worm caves, as I mentioned in my previous post. So AMAZING! We went on two different caves tours, one that included a dark boat tour down a river under a canopy of glowworms that were lighting the roof of the cave like stars. One of the caves was 13 kilometers deep! Truly one of the most amazing natural wonders I've experienced. The caves were full of Stalagmites and stalagtites (the spikes and pillars formed over thousands of years from the dripping water over the limestone). Featured in the planet earth video CAVES. It was so neat to have watched this DVD last year and to now be able to actually experience it for ourselves.
Among other neat things we were able to see was bridal veil fall's and a natural bridge formed out of rock and two holes in the wall of a cave. See picture.

Before bed tonight I asked the girls if they had a good weekend and they said "yes" so I asked Elle, as I always do, what her favorite thing we did was and in true 5 year old fashion she said "the trampoline!" Their were two trampolines in front of the motel where we stayed and out of all the amazing experiences that we had this was her favorite thing. So typical.

Its a wonderful life

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. Not that anything special happened it just ended up being one of those days that I know I will miss when we return back to Canada.
I started out by going for a run on the beach as the sun was coming up over the volcano, the colors were amazing. That energized me for the day. After dropping Elle off at kindy, Zaiah and I got grocery's before heading to the beach again for a tots playtime with our friends. The city organizes these play groups for tot's where they travel around to different beaches and set up all kinds of ride on toy's. We picked up big sis for lunch and after Zaiah had her nap and mommy got a few chores done we headed to the library for some new books and dvd's. The library just happens to be right next to...you got it, the beach. Everything here is near a beach. We took our books down by the water and read them and played in the sand untill it was time for dinner. And as if that wasn't enough, when daddy got home he wanted to go down to the beach too and since i'd had my fill he took the girls who were more than eager for another trip to the water. There is something so healthy about seeing the ocean everyday.

So needless to say the girls slept very well last night :)

Today was a little more low key. Im supposed to be packing for the weekend because we are going to Raglan, an amazing surf beach. And to the near by waitomo caves to see the glow worms. Should have some great new photo's to post!!

Field Trip

I went with Elle's class on a field trip this past friday to Kelly Tarlton's under water world. I love being able to go on these trips with her and getting to know her little friends.
We also went to a couple of festivals this weekend and one of them was the country show. The girls enjoyed a traditional country fair with lot's of animals, fair rides and trading booths. We left the country show and headed to the beach for D to catch a few waves and enjoy the hot sunny day that is quickly turning colder as we begin fall.

Fall in spring

Its a little messed up being here with the seasons all opposite from North America.

Like the other day I was watching a kids cartoon and it was set in winter. I was thinking "why are they showing a repeat of a winter episode in the summer??" It literally took me a couple minutes before I clicked in that oh yeah, it IS winter.
So as you all look forward to the approaching spring we are facing fall weather. Weird. Right now the weather is kind of like our end of august/September in Ontario where it is cold in the morning and evening but can still get pretty warm in the afternoon. We've begun the layering of clothes.
Can you believe they don't have heat or aircontioning here? It never get's to one extreme or the other and usually doesn't ever go below 15 degrees in the winter. We won't be here for the heart of their winter because we will be chasing summer again in Ottawa, yippee! This will be our third summer in a row :)

With every season change comes a little time of uncertainty I think. For me anyway, being in limbo this long I find myself a little out of sorts as my routine begins to look a little different. I was feeling it last week that's for sure. Thankfully we've met some really great friends here that keep us in the know of what's happening here in the city and help things feel a little more like a home away from home. I will miss the Ontario spring that is for sure but will enjoy the end of summer and beautiful fall when we get home .

We have a few exciting weekend trips coming up to different parts of the north island so I should have Lot's to blog about in the next couple of weeks!!!!



On a side note, but definitely not an after thought, please keep the families from our home province of NL in your prayers as the next couple of weeks and months will be hard. NL is a small province and each member lost on the recent helicopter crash will be felt and mourned by many Newfoundlanders.

This and That

A couple of fun things happened today. D entering the beach series for the first time being one of them.
At the beach, near our flat, they have a run, swim or paddle series where you can enter and get points each week to keep track of your progress and compete. Its mostly for fun and everyone gets involved. Their are kids running with their parents, people of all shapes and sizes swimming etc. Its also fun to watch and the kids love the extra time in the sand with their friends. D has been enjoying swimming for exercise since we've been here so he entered tonight with a few of our local friends. He didn't do too bad either. Its pretty neat, when they say GO about a hundred people start running down the beach and another hundred start swimming and I don't even know how many started to kayak. Quite a fun thing to do on a Tuesday evening after dinner :)
The other fun thing that happened today is Elle finally got her ears pierced!!!! As a few of you know I have been wanting to get her ears pierced for awhile but her daddy wanted her to wait until she asked to have it done. She was so brave and is loving her new bling. Zaiah of course wanted her's done b/c she wants everything that her big sister has but she managed to get distracted and forget...for now.

Overall our experience here has been amazing and we are so happy we did it. There are a few moments for me where I miss certain things from home, and of course people, but I just keep telling myself to relax and just enjoy this time that is such a blessing to our family.

Waiheke getaway

D and I were fortunate enough to be able to have a romantic getaway to waiheke island. A small island just off of auckland a short 30 min ferry ride from where we live on the hauraki gulf.
It had it all. Amazing rolling hills in various shades of green, dotted with sheep, beautiful vineyards and gorgeous beaches. The island is known as an upscale "batch" location for locals and for its many vineyards.

We started off our weekend bright and early arriving on the island around 10am. We did a little shopping b/c it was a little early to start wine tasting. So we waited until 11am! The first was called the Mud Brick. Known for its red's and in particular its 2006 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon which won a gold medal :) It had an absolutely breathtaking views of our volcano rangitoto and of auckland city. After leaving this one we went to Cable bay which was just down the road but known for its whites. So interesting all the factors that play into wine making and that even a few minutes away the soil, angle and slope of a hill or wind can play a huge roll in the outcome.
We stayed at a cute B&B in a studio style room that had a really tropical feel to it. After checking in we headed out to find some fish and chips and our last vineyard on the list. The last and most well known vineyard ended up being close for a private event (a lot of weddings on the island this weekend) but it worked out b/c we found a neat newer vineyard next door that also had a brewery on site. So they had great ales, wine and wonderful homemade dips. We were given cards for free tastings on arrival by other guests so that was a bonus.

That was enough for one day so we headed out to do a little sightseeing and to the beach for some body surfing. The weather had not been looking promising when we left takapuna but turned out to be a beautiful day.

We went for dinner at vineyard/restaurant called Te Whau (pronounced Te fow) that was voted by frommers as one of the top 20 restaurants in the world to eat at and by fodors the top pick for 3 years in a row. By the time we left we knew why. Fantastic service, delicious food, amazing wine list and like everywhere else here an AMAZING view. It was like one of those dates you'd see on "The Bachelor" or some other reality dating show. We watched the sunset out of one window and the other offered a view of the vineyards that looked fake it was so perfect. I have to say, one of my favorite things about NZ so far has been the amazing sky's. During the day the clouds are so picturesque and interesting and the sky is the most amazing shades of blue and as the sun sets here, it morphs into this watercolor of blues and whites, pinks and oranges. At night I have never seen so many stars. Especially not in a city.
Darryl was full of surprises and kept me happy with Lot's of chocolate, great coffee and champagne :)

The next day we set out to have more of an active adventure and rented sea kayaks for the day. We went around the island and found private beaches, sea caves, saw a blue penguin and were able to take the kayak through a neat natural arc in the rock. It was a great way to end our weekend in Waiheke. My only regret is not checking my camera battery which died after only a couple pic's, enjoy the one's I did get. The sunset one is not from Waiheke but from our deck at our flat in Takapuna.

So if I haven't already wrote enough enticing things about NZ on our blog I'm betting this one will have you saving your Penny's and looking at flights :) It is worth the money, travel time and any hassle to come to this side of the earth and experience God's country :)

Rick Warren interview

Someone sent me this email recently and I really like the interview by Rick Warren. I thought i'd share it on here rather than forwarding it out to people.
enjoy.




You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for..

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease..

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen.



But it might be nice to pass it on to a friend....just like I have done.