Sunny Days Painting

This morning we were all up with the birds at 5.30am as Wouter started work early and the boys woke from the bike starting and leaving.  By 10.30 the boys were getting quite cranky so I made up some of the paints Gawain received from the correspondence kindy he is doing.  Turns out the stoppers on the deck make great easels - until Melinda came along on the other side and pulled the pegs off.  Five minutes after these photos it was all over rover - and I had two paint covered boys.  Thankfully the paddling pool was already warm (it's about 28 degrees already here) so they washed off there and they're now snoozing in bed.  Just waiting for the little girl to get tired again and then I can have a nap too!!

Saturday afternoon Picnic

Well, I’m typing this up tonight so that tomorrow (Sunday) once I download the photos to blogger, I can just copy and paste …

I have had a wonderfully blessed afternoon/evening with my darling husband and kiddies … just good old fashioned quality time, which despite two pukes by Bryn (hopefully just car sickness) and a good quantity of screaming in the car by Melinda – was just amazing. 

We left for the Matikona beach/river mouth around 3.30 and it takes just over 45 minutes to get there.  The weather was sunny, with a slight breeze.  The trapper here on the farm had told Wouter fishing there was reasonable, and since Gawain has been asking to go fishing all week – we decided to try it, taking along a picnic dinner.  I boiled the potatoes and did the corned silverside earlier in the day, so added some bread and eggs and we were good to go.  Wouter was given a small gas stove for his birthday last year or the year before from Mum and Dad, so we put that to good use.

Once at the beach we realised we’d left the back-pack at home, so we didn’t walk right to the end.  There is a small river mouth on one side and the ocean on the other … so amazing and very safe (with supervision of course) for the kiddies to paddle at low tide.  Gawain made a bee-line for the water – he has no sense of danger at all – which is a bit worrying to me at time.  Once we’d had a wee walk to scout the place out we went back to the car, grabbed the buggy (Bryn wasn’t 100%, so he just wanted to hop in that and sit nice and snug) and set up our picnic spot while Wouter set up his fishing rod with ‘help’ from Gawain. 

Wouter did get some bites, but not any fish hooked this time.  Since Bryn wasn’t 100% we decided we better cut it a bit short and get the kids home and showered and into bed.  Hopefully we have an alright night … but since Sheepie got covered in sick also I’m not going to hold my breath … he doesn’t have any other cuddly but hopefully Sheepie will dry enough before we go to bed to tuck him in beside him. 

Anyway … the afternoon just really made me realise how much I value quality family time with Wouter and the kids … just our wee family doing and making traditions … watching Melinda scoot across the sand and shove handfuls in her mouth, Gawain just standing next to his Papa – enthralled by the fact that he was fishing as well … and even my Brynnie – snuggled next to me in the car on the way home asleep.  We are so amazingly blessed!!

Sunday morning:

Well, I think it wasn’t just car sickness … poor dot had a temp and was up in the wee hours.  He seems ok this morning BUT I think we’ll just take it very quiet today incase any bugs are still lurking.

End of the week

   This morning we had a neat walk to the wool shed for morning tea ... more later but now Wouter is home for lunch.

I’m going to try and write this quickly before my off-peak limit (2pm) finishes.  Life has been trundling along here.  Some days better than others.  I have a little miss installed on my lap trying to help me type … she didn’t wake up that happy from her nap.  We just had a wonderful weekend with friends.  Sat – Wouter went to Lake Ferry – one kowhai and a lot of crabs later they came back, I hung our with my friend and her kids … was just wonderful.  Such a blessing friends!  Yesterday (Sunday) we were in town all day as there was a second church service at 2.30pm, so it was worth staying in.  It was in Dutch as there was a visiting minister, so that was a treat for Wouter. 

I’m working on wee knitting projects here and there … had my wool order from Australia arrive … exciting stuff.  Our wonderful postie managed to chase down the parcel from Wouter’s sister that got sent to the wrong address (have I mentioned before how wonderful our postie is??)  so that was todays’ exciting post.

The boys enjoyed doing some craft with me this morning.   I always want to do more of this with them … but Bryn is still a bit too little I think, and sometimes we all get a bit frustrated.  Gawain is now getting kindy packs from the Correspondance school, so they had some fun stuff for us to do.  Very thankful for this service.

Other than that … I’m going to try my hand and some writing projects.  Still job hunting (please keep that in your prayers) … enjoying the sunshine but looking forward to some solid rain to fill the tanks up a bit (we’re nearly on empty). 

Anyway … hear a little boy awake as well, so better dash. 

More pics

Wouter and the kids were watching some disney movies on You Tube the other day... quite fascinated with Bambi and Donald Duck ... Gawain and Melinda play wonderfully together, the beauty of old nappy boxes ... and another of Bryn after he opened one of his presents.

I made Bryn a number 2 cake, just like his big brother had a year ago.  It was decorated with some of his favorite animals, some ducks, a couple of lambs and a hare and rabbit.  We're starting a collection of the Schliech toy animals, so this was a good start.  He enjoyed opening his presents on the deck.  On the morning of his birthday he had special sprinkles on his porridge.  We did a treasure hunt with all his wee friends around the paddock surrounding the house.  I printed off a page for each mum/child that had pictures of where the children could find the next treasure.  They really got into it, which was great.  They got to find pencils, stencils, and little items for their lunch.    After that we had a picnic on the lawn before they all went home again. 
Today we're having a nice quiet day ... tag-teaming the naps so Wouter and I get some down-time as well.  I'm enjoying my mystery knit-along, where I get the next part of the pattern each week for five weeks.  I'm doing the girls version for Melinda and the boys version for Gawain. 

Photos

We're having some issues with uploading photos onto here at the moment ... so I may send some from Bryn's birthday via the email ... if you don't wish to receive them, please email so I don't clog up your inbox ...

Thanks!!

Happy Brithday Bryn Maarten

What a blessing to have had you in our family for the past two years!!

What are YOU looking at??

Looking forward to hearing from you all :-)

Thank-you Opa

For the amazing birthday presents!! We received a wonderful white and orange box in the mail yesterday from Opa Smit. Wouter had told him that Bryn enjoyed pushing things around on the floor - so he choose out a Siku tractor and trailers for him. One of the trailers came with a couple of toy cows, which Bryn was thrilled with also. Gawain was just excited full stop. We already had one Siku John Deere tractor, so the second trailer was quickly put behind that and as soon as Wouter was home from work - it was playtime!!

The tractor

Well, it is taking Gawain a little bit of time to figure out pedals, so the tractor is either pushed by Wouter or I if he's in the driver's seat or he's very good at pushing Bryn around. Yesterday he asked if Melinda could sit in the trailer. I was a bit dubious, but she fitted nicely, and round and round the lawn we went. She had an absolute blast. You'll have to excuse the wonderful home clothes ... trackies were the order of the day yesterday - somewhere between here and the northern hemisphere spring got lost. WE had a fire going - well, I'm a bit of a wuss and like the piping hot water it gives as well.

Not much else happening. I'm about to go and make Wouter his coffee so he can wake up properly, and today's thankful thing is the boys are still asleep (it's 6.15am) and it sounds like Melinda has gone back to sleep. We're off to town for the day, dropping a CV off, doing the groceries, renewing library books and catching up with friends ... should be fun.

Thankfulness

There is so much happening in the world - sometimes we get so caught up in what's not happening in our little world, we forget that there is so much to be thankful for.

For AMAZING friends who care so much and so deeply - what a blessing. Our thanks to you and the gift of hope and care you gave us.

For a place to live and a job where the kids can learn and help and see their father during the day ... another amazing blessing

For sunshine and rain in what God knows is the best mix

For a happy smiley wee girl who is 11 months today and just growing up so fast

For the fact we have wonderful technology that allows us to keep contact with family and friends who are far away.

Anyways ... here are some pic's of what the kidlets have been up too. It is hard to believe Bryn will be two in less than a week, and then Melinda one in a months time. Time is just flying away on us. The boys still love their puzzles - although Melinda gets banned to the playpen when they're out. Puzzles and I have a bit of a bad relationship as I'm forever finding pieces have gone for a walk without me noticing.