Musings of an Amerikiwi

Guess what...

2010-11-03T21:38:00.001+13:00

I have to be at the hospital at 7:30 tomorrow morning...to deliver baby number two!

I found out our good news eight months ago by phone.

Jeremy found out that night via a scrapbook layout.

Quincy learned of the baby two months later at a scan.

After

a hospital stay,

morning sickness that made the morning sickness experienced last time a bit of a joke,

a lot of sugar consumed,

an unfortunate craving for McDonald's cheeseburgers,

countless late night trips to the toilet,

an amazing amount of movement,

many midwife and doctor visits,

an incredible bond formed between a little boy and a baby in utero,

one too many baby outfits purchased,

a few sleepless nights,

a random third trimester pain that definitely won't be missed,

twelve kilos gained, and

a whole lot of lists made,

I find myself here already.

The first trimester crept along at a snail's pace, but the rest has passed in the blink of an eye.

Until I have this new bundle in my arms, I don't really know how our lives will change. What I do know though, is that I will...

miss the kicks and constant companionship that pregnancy affords,

no longer be able to justify eating everything in sight,

have a heart that in an instant has doubled in size,

feel so blessed but totally overwhelmed,

benefit from experience, at least a little bit,

wonder if I will ever get a good night's sleep again,

have two little ones who depend on me for virtually everything,

worry that I won't always be able to find the necessary patience,

dream about what this little one's personality will be like,

enjoy seeing Quincy in his new role as big brother,

be excited to watch a sibling relationship develop,

be thankful to finally be a mother of kids,

find the juggling act difficult at times,

try to treasure each moment, because I know how quickly the present becomes the past,

do my best to nurture our family of four plus two,

find it nearly impossible to remember what life was like before,

embrace this new adventure with open arms, and

not be getting much sleep tonight.

taking advantage of the fine weather

2010-10-03T20:51:00.005+13:00

Yesterday was such a fun family day...the Botanic Gardens for most of the day, followed by a quick rest, dinner at the local pub, and chocolate from the dairy. From start to finish Quincy was nothing but pleasant. Just a real good day.

It was the tail end of the Spring Festival at the Botanic Gardens and they were holding the national tree climbing competition. Never knew there was such a thing. There were several different events based on speed, strength, and agility.

Those climbers were seriously skilled and pretty cool to watch.

They had tree climbing for kids too. Initially Quincy observed carefully, but then at the end of the day as we were leaving the park, he surprised us by giving it a go.

Mt. Everest, here he comes.

Earlier in the week, Quincy and I went with some friends and saw the tulips. Glad we did, because they were a bit sad by yesterday. I don't think they appreciated the 160 mm of rain the other day.

Naturally, Quincy had to introduce Papa to the ducklings we discovered last time.

We paid a visit to the conservatory too, where the tapoles and lily pads were a big hit. Actually, I'm not really sure if they were tadpoles, but we'll just say they were.

Jeremy was keen to head to the top and have a look at the weather station and the planetarium, so up we climbed. And climbed.

The boy couldn't get enough of "the big gun," which incidentally is pointed pretty much straight at our house.

Then a picnic lunch, a long play on the very cool and very crowded playground, and a quick stop to feed the overfed ducks.

As we headed down, our animal lover took us on safari through Africa, Australia, and South America where we came across crocodiles, leopard tortoises, black mamba snakes, monitor lizards, wombats, platypuses, echidnas, tiger snakes, and emerald tree snakes.

What an adventure.

flying fox

2010-10-02T22:14:00.004+13:00

I try not to make too many comparisons between NZ and the US. Both countries have great things to offer. There are pros and cons to living here and there.

That said, the playgrounds in NZ are better. They just are. Hands down.

Pinch me. I must be dreaming.

2010-10-01T23:14:00.008+13:00

The weather forecast for the next TEN days is SUNNY with only light winds. I'm sure it'll change, but it's been a long time since we've had day after day of a bright yellow sun forecasted. And I think it's safe to say that everyone in Wellington is smiling.

Yesterday we had 24 hours of constant rain. It was unrelenting. About 160mm fell.

We didn't step foot outside. And I'm pretty sure Quincy was within an inch of me all day long, asking questions. It was unrelenting.

The sunshine, 17C day today was a welcome relief, for sure. It was time for summer clothes and an ice cream in the village. And my sidekick agreed.

Let me backtrack a bit...When I told the boy he could choose an ice cream at the dairy, he replied, "I'd prefer a chocolate car." You see, he absolutely loves these beautifully wrapped mini gourmet ($1.40) chocolate cars and tries to smooth talk one out of us whenever possible. I warned him that I'd be getting an ice cream, which would take a lot longer to eat than a gone-in-two-bites car. But he didn't waver. He chose a silver one. And I chose a triple chocolate Trumpet.

In the time it took me to unwrap my ice cream, his car had vanished. And this is what happened next...

Once his treat was finished he looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said, "Actually, I'd prefer an ice cream, Mama."

How could I not share?

saving money for a blue shark

2010-09-28T22:43:00.003+13:00

For a few months, Quincy has been desperate for a blue shark. He even suggested writing Santa a letter with four months to go until Christmas. For a good month or so, he has been saving money for one. He keeps it in his treasure box, which is an aorable box his cousin, Stef, made him for his first birthday.

We haven't ventured into the world of allowance yet. He still loves helping with pretty much everything we are doing, so we don't want to plant the seed that he should only want to help if he gets something in return. So he has mostly just gathered found coins from around the house. He is also turning lights and heaters off "because he needs to use that money to buy a blue shark."

The other night, I told him to count his money to see if he had enough yet. How much did he have? "Twelve."

Whoa, exactly how much a blue shark costs at Toy World's 20% off sale. So while in town yesterday, we stopped in. Wouldn't you know it, no blue sharks in stock. He zeroed in on another sea creature he's had his eye on... "Actually, I was thinking about maybe this (forty dollar) whale shark." Umm, no.

He scanned the shelves, and thought briefly about a dolphin.

But then he spotted the hippo and was sold.

With his focus on the hippo, he was clueless that his $2.70 didn't quite cover it and that I slipped the cashier my Eftpos card to cover the difference.

He most definitely hasn't forgotten about the blue shark. I have no doubt that it'll be at the top of his Christmas wish list. Hopefully Santa has a better-stocked Schleich department at the North Pole.

tulips + ducklings => the arrival of spring

2010-09-27T22:16:00.003+13:00

We met some friends today at the Botanic Gardens for a "Senses Walk". Most of it was aimed at school-aged children, but our three-year-olds still enjoyed sniffing and touching their way around the gardens, getting a tiny taste of what it might be like to be blind.

In the rose garden we came across these little cuties, a sure and welcome sign of spring.

Quincy wanted so much to take one home.

Growing up our neighbours had Daisy Duck, who made my old paddling pool home before moving on to their in-ground pool. So, yes, it's possible. But sorry, Buddy, I think two middle-aged dogs and Harold, your pet spider,* are all the animals we can handle at the moment.

*For about two weeks Q developed a fear of insects, mainly bees, ants, and spiders. Then one day he decided he wasn't scared anymore. He lovingly named a spider he found outside Harold. Now Harold is a bit of a magic spider, as he is able to regularly change appearance. In fact, every spider found in and around our house, dead or alive, is somehow Harold. Amazing really.

a sweet view

2010-09-23T23:48:00.003+12:00

This was my view (and constant source of entertainment) as I got ready to go to a local school play...

Note: Other than my usual adjustment of levels, brightness, and contrast, this is (almost) straight out of camera. Jeremy didn't believe me and thought I'd Photoshopped the effect of the foggy mirror.

We're getting the job done.

2010-09-12T22:40:00.004+12:00

Quincy said that a lot this weekend. The garage is clean. Well, mostly. And so is the craft room. Again, mostly. All the random tools scattered around the house are now tucked away in the closet. There is no longer a kite, a cane, and a xylophone on top of the fridge. And to top it off, the Christmas lights are down.

Even though this was a "sorting, putting stuff in its rightful place, and trying to find places for things without a home" kind of weekend, we still managed to squeeze in some fun. Baking pancakes together. Making farm animals and then cooking up a huge feast with playdough. Bubbles in the rain. Enjoying some arty time in the craft room (once the floor became visible, that is). And some digital scrapping time too.

You sure can get a lot done if you stay in your pajamas all weekend.

the boy takes his animal play seriously

2010-09-08T09:00:00.000+12:00

After lunch yesterday, Quincy wanted to set up a wild animal park in the backyard. He didn't want it to be a zoo this time because he wanted all the animals in their natural habitats. He quickly turned his attention to the baby animals who all apparently had swine flu. He created an animal nursery and needed to transport them to and from the nursery in his Hummer turned safari vehicle. At the moment, his play is not complete if it doesn't involve water play of some sort, so, of course, all the animals needed baths.

As the weather continues to improve, I have a feeling this won't be the last time we have to lug half his playroom down several flights of stairs to the backyard. And back up again.

---

Now you may think the boy is giving me some serious teenage attitude here, but in reality he wanted to seperate the fierce baby animals from the others and we were in the middle of a discussion about whether rhinos are fierce, despite being plant eaters.

Oh my, he needs a haircut. Again.

---

During dinner we were telling him the names of various animal scientists. He was definitely intrigued and then stumped us with, "What's the scientist who looks after thorny devils called?"

spring has sprung

2010-09-07T22:23:00.000+12:00

and our weeds need watering.

gymnastics...one year on

2010-09-07T22:00:00.005+12:00

It's been just over a year since we first went to gymnastics. I planned to go frequently, but we've only been a handful of times. Not only is it a bit pricey for an open gym ($7), but we're busier now with Playcentre. Still, he has a blast, and afterwards I am always glad we went.

Unlike last year, Quincy can jump high on the tramp, he can do rolly pollies (somersaults) down the big ramp, and he has to really bend his knees so his feet don't touch the mat on the rings. His balance is better and so is his concentration during circle time at the end.

Today it hit me that he is one of the big kids now. He's changed so much lately...in appearance and behavior. He's just had a growth spurt and my once placid boy seems to be overflowing with testosterone one minute and sweet and cuddly the next. He's louder, faster, and more cunning. He loved moving from one thing to the next...at full speed...but still following the rules...most of the time.

Sometimes I miss the baby he was, but most of the time I embrace the excitement of this new stage. Even if it does occasionally involve "crashing", "banging", "fighting", and as of today "spitting venom".

happy (NZ) father's day

2010-09-05T22:50:00.000+12:00

how i spent my morning...

2010-09-03T21:31:00.011+12:00

while Quincy was at Playcentre...

I could've used those precious few hours* to clean the house. I could've prepared dinner. I could've done some major organizing in closets, the garage, and in my craft room. I could've listed some furniture on Trade Me. I could've caught up on (gasp) 5 months of Project 365.

Nope. That stuff can continue to wait. Besides there were leftover black beans in the fridge.

So instead of tackling things on my growing to-do list, I took a long overdue, relaxing, off-lead walk with the dogs. Just me and the hounds. Like old times. The dogs happily set the pace, instead of a certain curious someone who likes to make lots of pit stops. Don't get me wrong, these two noses on legs make their fair share of stops, but today everything was on their terms for a change.

It's pretty rare these days for the dogs, i.e. the dogs minus their 3-year-old human brother, to be my sole photographic subjects.

After the last post, Kai was keen for me to show off her fancy fetch moves. That girl's got some serious skills.

Did I mention the walk was windy?

Here is the ferry that travels between the North and South Islands. [Quincy is desperate to take our car on it and travel around the South Island picking apples(???).] I love the snow-capped mountains on the South Island in the background.

By 5 o'clock, with the laundry thankfully dry and folded inside, the gorgeous blue sky was replaced by a very rare thunder and lightning storm accompanied by hail. Ahhh, spring in Wellington.

Footnotes & Asides

*Actually, "precious" is an understatement as they only come around once a week.

An aside...In the car on the way to dropping the boy off this morning, he said, "You're dropping me off. And then at the end you'll come back and pick me up. That's what Playcentre is all about." I couldn't help but reply, "Amen, brother!"

fetch. good boy.

2010-08-20T23:11:00.003+12:00

This is how my boys occupied themselves while I got ready for Playcentre this morning.

"Fetch, Berkley. Off you go. Good boy, Berkley. Drop it. Drop it. Good boy!"

back on the horse

2010-08-18T22:43:00.004+12:00

Sadly very little scrapbooking has been done around here this year. But I am happy to say I got the urge last night.

After looking at this layout from a year ago,

I thought it would be a good idea to document his favorite books right now.

Do you notice a common theme? Animals, perhaps?

Clearly I didn't reinvent the wheel, but I did get back on the horse.

I haven't stopped taking photos or recording stories, so I hope I don't fall off the horse anytime soon.

What does the future hold?

2010-07-25T23:25:00.004+12:00

Future vet?

Probably.

Future musician?

Quite possibly.

Future chef?

Maybe.

Future shopkeeper?

Perhaps.

Future rollerblader?

Probably not.

snippets of a sunday.

2010-07-18T21:18:00.004+12:00

Papa: Quincy, tomorrow morning I'll make pancakes or waffles. You choose.
Quincy: Ummmmmm, pancakes. Pancakes sound good. We don't have waffle spray. Waffle spray. (thinking a moment and recalling that Jeremy ran out to get some last time he made waffles) Actually, waffles sound good.

Quincy: They're good. They're really really good. I love waffles. I love Papa. And Papa loves me.

Quincy: I just need to drive for a liiiiittle bit.

Wearing a hat and sunglasses just like Papa and waiting in the car while Jeremy gets chips to enjoy during our walk. Slightly counter productive, don't ya think?

Quincy pedaled for our entire dog walk. It was so fun. A new door has definitely been opened.

Quincy: The dogs are fast and I'm prrrretty fast too.

Pausing for tricycle ice cream. There were plenty of ingredients on the beach for the five dollar (gasp!) ice creams. Jeremy's flavor: anchovy. (You did this as a kid, right? Jeremy thought I was a bit odd.)

Another stop. This time at the playground, where Jeremy gave Q lessons to improve his pumping.

Me: Quincy, you are not the boss of the playground.
Quincy: The biggest chimp of the troop is the boss of the playground.

He always has the last word.

pizza night

2010-07-15T14:03:00.005+12:00

We don't get "cheap" pizza often. In fact, last night was Quincy's first time having it. We often make pizzas at home and occasionally splurge on the good stuff from Days Bay. We were beginning to worry that we were turning the boy into a pizza snob, so it was about time...

To say he was excited about it is an understatement. We were all cavemen, a tribute to his Dinotrucks book and Jeremy's Fire Eater pizza. He held his hand on Jeremy's knee pretty much throughout the meal. He clapped, chatted, and smiled his way through dinner, eating two pieces of his Simply Cheese.

The following are some of the many gems that passed his lips...

"This pizza is good. It's really really good."

"When I'm a Papa, I'm gonna loooove jalapenos."

"I have to-mah-toes just like you, Papa!" (said in his best Kiwi accent)

"Papa, you are so nice."

"Papa, I can help you pour your wine."

"Cheers!" (with pizza slices)

"Berkley and Kai are jealous dogs. They want pizza."

"Quincy Caveman is gobbling up his Fire Eater pizza."

"Kai, how was your good morning, little Kai?"

It ended with an unsolicited hug, before the two of them were off to fix the water heater, and Caveman Quincy magically transformed into Plumber Quincy.

Last night, Q was so sweet, I could have eaten him up.

trip to the Plunket nurse

2010-07-14T16:21:00.004+12:00

Quincy finally had his three-year check with the Plunket nurse today.

Here Plunket offers well-checks and looks after kiddos until they're five, ensuring they are reaching milestones and growing properly, and also offering (often unsolicited) parenting advice. This is a free service. It is a good service. Really. Especially when they are babies, I found. When they get sick, you take them to your GP.

Depending on your Plunket nurse, it's easy to leave feeling like you are doing an inadequate job as a parent. They have very specific things they want to cover at each different appointment and are pretty much all business. If all the right boxes are ticked, you might get a compliment.

We weren't in the room but 30 seconds and she requested that he sing her a song. Not surprisingly he declined. Luckily I had been forewarned that she asks them where they live, so he redeemed himself pretty quickly.

She asked him to draw a picture of my face. I had no idea what he would do, as I have never asked him to draw anything specific. I was surprised that he actually included a mouth, nose, and eyes. The fact that they weren't anywhere near the circle didn't seem to worry her. Shwew!

He sailed through the object counting and letter matching, but disappointed her big time by not completing the never-ending eye test. He did well on the right eye, but after a while, the novelty of the eye patch wore off and it was irritating the heck out of him. In his book it's written, "Left eye: incomplete. He grew bored."

We were told to floss. Really? I have a hard enough time getting him to keep his mouth open to give his teeth a quick brush.

Last up...ball bouncing and catching. He held out his arms with a big smile and wide eyes, but managed to miss every time. It was a small ball, I tell ya! The last time he picked up the ball he quietly talked about the fact that the ball was actually the world. If given the chance, he could have identified about 20 countries. Instead, she turned and said, "You see what you have to work on, right Mum?"

Let's just say, I was very surprised to read in my book later that "I should be very proud of our accomplishments." Don't get me wrong, there were a few kind words and compliments thrown our way during the visit, but, when it comes to your child, those are too easily overshadowed by even the smallest criticisms. Fortunately, I am confident enough in my parenting to take it all for what it's worth. Really.

i {heart} beautiful winter days

2010-07-12T22:12:00.003+12:00

Today was good.

Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one.

(Dr. Seuss)

memories etched forever on the brain. i hope.

2010-07-11T23:54:00.003+12:00

Tonight was one of those perfect Sunday evenings. One that is extraordinary only to those that lived it, and ordinary to everyone else. One worth remembering. Forever. And I will try to tuck the memories of tonight into my pocket and pull them out on those less-than-perfect days.

After a week of non-stop rain and shivery winter weather, we had a beautiful blue sky Sunday, albeit cold. We all were in need of a run around, so before dinner we bundled up and took Quincy and the dogs to the playground. While Jeremy headed to the village for a scoop of chips for us to share, Q and I ran, hand-in hand with the pups down the soccer field. He pretended to be lost in the woods, saying many variations of "I'm afraid I might get lost in the woods." With one of his library books in mind, we talked about the ferocious creatures that might be in the woods. I spotted Jeremy at the other end of the field and we let the dogs tear back and forth between us, enjoying a chip each at Jeremy's end. Then we finished up the chips together amidst the trees, with Jeremy passing them to Q through the branches as he was still lost. A run through the dunes and then a walk on the beach in the setting sun. We talked about cavemen, ancient fish, and the orcas that occasionally visit the Wellington Harbour. We found some Neptune's necklace, lots of bull kelp, many sponge varieties, one very small paua shell and one enormous one, and a radiate limpet. We came upon a cool bivouac that some beachgoers would have spent the better part of the beautiful day building. Q had a play and found a stick to keep. One person passed as we were out on the beach and it happened to be a friend, Mary. We had a chat, before heading to the playground. Jeremy and Q had fun on the Rocktopus and Q asked to be pushed higher on the swing for the first time. He saw Jeremy go and promptly asked to touch the sky too. With a great deal of concentration, he learned to pump. As expected, he didn't want to go home, but home we went. For dinner. Leftovers and banana muffins for dessert.

An evening I am determined to remember.

three weeks. unexpected and treasured.

2010-07-05T23:28:00.001+12:00

A very happy hello. An instant reconnection between nephew and aunt. Countless meals prepared. Two bedrooms painted. House redecorated. Kitchen cabinets scrubbed. A goetta and pancake breakfast courtesy of Jeremy. A few rainy days. Too many lollies eaten. Many readings of Dinotrucks. One game of Sequence Jr played. One trip to the zoo. Lots of giraffe feeding and a very entertaining baboon troop. Five picnics under gloriously blue winter skies. Four visits to three playgrounds. Regular trips to the beach. A wet and windy Beagle Club walk. One computer broken. So much Good Earth tea drunk. Three playdates. One day of shopping. Many trips to Playcentre. One wild Matariki costume party. Frequent solo bushwalks with one close call under a rapidly setting sun. Lots and lots of walking. A bit of singing and dancing at Mainly Music. A Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains marathon. Many many smoothies consumed. Plenty of meaningful conversation. A very sad goodbye.

Three weeks with my sister. Sharing my everyday with her. It went too fast.

(The photo album can be viewed on Flickr.)

happy fourth.

2010-07-04T23:39:00.000+12:00

This year we had an unseasonably warm mid-winter fourth of July. Lots of time in the sandpit. Lunch on the deck. Homemade pizza and games in the evening. And a touch of patriotism.

No fireworks this year, I'm afraid. They are only available in the week prior to Guy Fawkes Day in November and we didn't have the forethought to buy ahead. We'll remember this November.

Notes: The flag was used only temporarily to torment the dogs.

A few days later I noticed him waving the flag. He grew quiet and looked as if he wanted to say something profound. Out came the very enthusiastic declaration, "I'm an American of CIN-CI-NA-TEEEE!"

hidden talents

2010-06-06T21:42:00.006+12:00

Jeremy discovered a hidden talent the night before Quincy's birthday party a few weeks back.

Here's how the drama unfolded...

Let's just say that I have yet to discover that talent.

But, I did discover the "candle" setting on my camera.

Jeremy, I hope your birthday wasn't too bad despite your wonky cake and nasty virus.

our big excursion

2010-05-26T15:58:00.007+12:00

To say that we've had wet weather for the last couple days is an understatement.

I've also had a cold, so Quincy and I have just been hangin' together at home. Normally we would both consider this a luxury; one that we enjoy at least a couple times a week. PJs all day. Non-stop play. No looking at the clock. No need to pack lunches and snacks. However, for some reason, the last two days this hasn't been the case. We've been a bit at each others' throats at times.

That's why our everyday, ordinary trip to the supermarket this morning was much-anticipated. A big excursion really.

Now what do you think is Q's favorite part of the grocery store? The bakery? No, he thankfully doesn't know that part exists. The deli, where all self-respecting Kiwi kids look forward to their free piece of luncheon? (Is it meat or what is it really?) No, he won't eat any lunch meat. How about the cookie/biscuit aisle? Surprisingly, no. The eggs? You're getting warmer. True, he does like getting a good look checking for broken ones, but that isn't it. The fruit and veg section? So close. He does love weighing everything and playing "here comes the sticker", but still no.

Hands down, his favorite part of the supermarket is the seafood section. He loves looking at, no carefully studying, the whole, intact-minus-the-eyes, fish.

He's into the crabs, the squid, and the salmon heads too. All of it.

But by far the most anticipated part of any trip to the grocery store are the mussels, which rest on a large tray that goes up and down keeping them moist while allowing you to scoop some out.

Today, thanks to many library books on the subject of NZ's rocky shores, which by the way make riveting bedtime reading, he informed me that they are indeed green-lipped mussels. In case you haven't noticed, the kid is mildly obsessed with sealife. Anyway, he says he wants to try them, i.e. he wants to scoop some out, so I promised him that Jeremy would take him to buy mussels on the weekend and together with Poppa, who will be visiting, the three boys can enjoy them.

Do I think he'll actually try them?

Not a chance.

Do I think he'll enjoy the process?

Absolutely.

notes: You may wonder if I was embarassed taking these photos in the grocery store. Most definitely yes! But I told myself who cares? And I tried my best to believe it and be quick and inconspicuous. Am I glad I bothered? Most definitely yes. Now I have a handful of ordinary photos that help me tell a story about a tiny snippet of life that I think is worth remembering, regardless of how mundane and quite possibly because it's so mundane.

You may notice from the first photo that despite all the rain, we were still caught unprepared. Five hours later and I'm still trying to get warm.

Once I wade through the mountain of bday pics, I hope to share some stories... Will it actually happen? Time will tell...

While writing this post, a pizza crust was silently taking over our kitchen, unbeknownst to me. Thankfully there were no injuries.

three-years-old

2010-05-19T12:28:00.003+12:00

There's no denying it. No escaping it. It has happened. Our baby turned three today.

He's clever. He's sweeter than honey. He's strong-willed, and one day instead of driving me crazy, that trait will serve him very well. He's forgiving. He's sensitive. He's forever curious. He is highly sensorial. His memory and attention to detail amaze me on a daily basis. He's a wise one. He talks non-stop. He makes us and himself laugh regularly. His imagination is pretty cool. He's passionate. About so many things. He is a lover of animals and his knowledge of them is pretty astounding. He's a bookworm. He is into facts. He likes puzzles, tools, balls, and the sandpit. He loves creating art and making music. He likes trains, cars, and trucks. He loves Thomas, but has never seen the show. He loves Bob the Builder, but has never seen the show. He loves Cars, but not the movie because all the wrecking upsets him. He's not a fan of TV, actually. Unless it's an animal documentary, then it's a completely different story. He loves to go out. He loves people, but can often be found playing on his own. He's a very selective eater. He shares my appreciation of photos. He loves to talk about Cincinnati and his faraway family. His favorite colors are blue and yellow and his least favorite colors are red and green; those two pieces of information play a surprisingly big role in his daily life. His best friends are Mama, Papa, Berkley, and Kai. He has recently become a proficient pedaler. He is always ready to help me in the kitchen. He would do anything for chocolate. He feeds the dogs their dinner. He is into rhyming words. He always misses 14 and 15 when he counts to 20. He ends many sentences with "and stuff" or "if you want". He weighs 16kg (35.2lbs)and is 99.5cm (39.25in) tall.

He is one-of-a-kind and today we have the pleasure of celebrating him and all the magic that he has brought to our lives.

The in laws

2010-03-22T15:11:00.000+13:00

will be in town this week, passing through in their motorhome on the way to the South Island. Lucky them!

This shot of the three generations was from Peter's last visit on 11 February. I adore this picture.

as happy as ever

2010-03-20T15:25:00.003+13:00

20 March 2009

17 March 2010

It's not often I check to see what pictures I took a year ago, but when I do, I sure am glad I took a moment to look.

one adventure, two ways

2010-03-19T16:58:00.004+13:00

Last weekend, Quincy got some new animal stickers. He was anxious to use them. I suggested he use them on a scrapbook layout about our trip to the zoo earlier this month. I told him that when I got the chance I would print out some zoo pictures for him to use.

Fast forward to last night and he reminded me about those photos. Only it was bedtime, so I kinda lied and told him that my printer was broken. He walked over and looked at it for a while before pressing the ON button. He looked at me so proudly, grinning from ear to ear. "It's not broken anymore! See, Mama, you just press this button. This one right here."

Anyway, I promised I would print them out in the morning and luckily he was satisfied.

So now it's today and me and my boy just had our first crop. Meaning, I actually scrapbooked my own layout while he worked on his. He chose the photos, helped me with the picture captions, attached his first brads, and helped with all the trimming, inking, gluing, + corner rounding. He was thrilled to use my Fiskars scissors and paper piercer for the first time.

me: Why do you think I am letting you use my super sharp tools?
him: Because Quincy is so nice to Mama.

(I was kind of going for "careful" rather than "nice"!)

And, of course, he used his stickers.

So here you go, one adventure, scrapbooked two ways...

mine

his

I'm pretty partial to his.

winter? slow down. and feed the meter.

2010-03-18T23:29:00.004+13:00

In between hot, summery days, winter made its second ugly appearance this week.

Plus I got two speeding tickets today. Yes, two. One on the way to music and one on the way home. But I was completely unaware. I got nabbed by cameras for going a few k's over in a school zone. So Q's $3 music class turned into a $113 class.

A parking ticket two days ago makes for a trio of infringements and one unimpressed husband.

a zoo keeper in the house

2010-03-18T16:11:00.004+13:00

It's no secret that Quincy loves animals.

I think his favorite place on earth is the zoo. He always wants to go but never wants to leave. He talks about our trips to the zoo in such detail for months and months. Sure he has his favorite animals, but he gives equal attention to the blue-tongued skink and the giraffe.

We have been lucky enough to visit three different zoos in the last eight months and thanks to my obsessive picture taking, he keeps track of which animals were found in which zoos. On our last trip to Wellington Zoo, he was understandably a little frustrated with our zoo's lack of elephants, so he hopped in the zoo truck and drove "to the Cincinnati Zoo where there is a whole variety of elephants."

He studies the zoo vets as they treat animals at the Nest, our zoo's very cool new animal hospital, and gives Berkley and Kai the same treatments at home.

Following our last stop at the Nest, the cellphone in his pocket is now a critical part of the zoo vet uniform.

He pays careful attention to the zoo keeper talks.

And he even goes so far as to mimic them, move-for-move, during a presentation. I'm not kidding.

Endearing now, but this kind of behavior might result in a black eye someday!

He regularly sets up elaborate zoos with his animals,

making sure to keep the African animals of the Serengeti Plains separate from the polar ones, the rainforest ones, and the New Zealand natives.

Speaking of New Zealand natives, the tuatara is a current fav.

But he is also very partial to all sea life. He would love nothing more than to have a great big aquarium complete with turtles, tadpoles, frogs, clownfish, a baby otter, the biggest goldfish he's ever seen, and the oft-neglected skunk-cleaner shrimp.

And he regularly fishes for great white sharks, basking sharks, humpback whales, and salmon.

On Saturday he got to rent his first movie. Finding Nemo lost out in the end to a South African one called Elephant Tales (where the animals weren't cartoons) but insisted it should be called Elephant Trunks. He was terrified of the poachers but couldn't look away. (It was rated G, who would expect poachers?) He was so engrossed that he never actually ate the popcorn.

If he had his way, he would be able to watch animal videos on National Geographic Kids at his leisure.

I am pretty sure all his current library books are animal-themed. One day before his nap, it took quite a bit of convincing before he accepted that I could not and would not read this 375-page animal encyclopedia.

Well I bet you can't guess what kind of birthday cake he wants this year. One with wild animals on it. Just like last year.

So it should be no surprise that he wants to be a zoo keeper. In fact, he currently is a zoo keeper, round the clock, and he has the gumboots to prove it.

Dolphin gumboots, at that.

I so admire this boy's passion.

The pool is closed,

2010-03-14T21:12:00.000+13:00

but we made the most of the last day of the season.

It was Jeremy's first time there and we met some friends. It was a really nice day, but once again it was virtually empty. I don't get it.

I will have to remember to take a picture like this next year to see how he's grown.

new sunnies + gumboots

2010-03-13T21:21:00.004+13:00

Rain or shine, gumboots are a part of Q's uniform, so after outgrowing his pair a good six months ago, you can imagine how happy he was when I suggested we get him a new pair today. We got lucky with a 50% off sale...at the beginning of autumn...weird.

We also found a cheap pair of sunnies, which he needed since I very sadly lost the pair Stef gave him last year. Ironically I lost them, at the Blueberry Farm, the same place we went the day she gave them to him almost exactly a year earlier. We combed the rows of blueberry bushes to no avail.

So these...

were replaced with these...

Just look at that swagger. Blue dolphin gumboots and snake sunnies apparently do that to a nearly three-year-old boy.

a Sunday playdate

2010-03-07T23:17:00.002+13:00

We started at the playground with Priya and the girls on this lovely Sunday afternoon. And we ended up on the beach, the kids swimming in their undies.

Margaret + Jacob in the house

2010-03-05T15:58:00.007+13:00

This week we were lucky enough to have a baby in the house! A super cute and pretty cruisy baby at that. Four-month-old Jacob was here and Quincy was smitten from the start.

It was so fun to pull out all of Q's old stuff and watch him (re)discover all things baby.

He was really gentle, shared pretty well, and surprisingly didn't get jealous of all the attention I couldn't help but direct at Jake.

It'll be nice to watch a friendship develop between these two little guys over the years.

Jacob didn't come on his own, though. He brought his very confident and calm mum, Margaret, along. It was a good thing because as hard as Quincy tried, he just couldn't offer him milk like mum could!

(I so wish I could share a certain photo here!)

I loved watching my friend in her new role. Motherhood suits her, for sure.

It was so funny how quickly Quincy dropped my hand at the airport for Margaret's. There was clearly something familiar about her. In fact, a couple times I caught him calling her "Rosey", my sister. Sweet.

Here are some more snapshots from our very relaxing and memorable week...

We couldn't let them leave without some gelato. Delish.

Margaret and Jacob (and Jon too), we miss you and can't wait 'til you move back to NZ!

happy valentine's day

2010-02-14T22:53:00.004+13:00

I got the heart, Jeremy the X, and Quincy had to have the O for oc-to-pus.

fancy party with a tramp

2010-02-13T23:09:00.001+13:00

It's not often we get invited to a fancy dress cocktail party. It was on an enormous flat (very rare in these parts) hilltop lawn and it was blowing a gale. The bouncy castle very nearly blew away, but it didn't matter.

Quincy couldn't get to the party fast enough, and we literally dragged him home six hours later kicking and screaming.

He spent the better part of those six hours like this...

At one point he said, "Quincy must take a break. I wish I could just take one little break in my bed." And then return to the party with fresh legs I suppose.

By the end, he resembled a drunken sailor while I played the part of overprotective mum. I gasped for air no fewer than a dozen times and gave thanks for my abnormally long arms on at least three occasions.

Good fun.

an overdose of dog: a photostory

2010-02-10T15:54:00.012+13:00

What have the resident beagles been up to this summer?

Catching up on some light reading,

and playing boardgames.

Dealing with a two-and-a-half-year-old human

and his occasional rough love.

But at the same time,

revelling in the companionship of said two-and-a-half-year-old.

Receiving some parental affection of the more predictable variety.

Lurking, stalking,

and ready to pounce at mealtimes.

Taking walks with the fam.

Lying in the sun

and then finding places to cool off,

but preferrably not in the pool.

Running on the beach

and getting wet + dirty.

Getting into trouble

and going to time out. Should the punishment be based on the human or canine clock?

And waiting.

Lots and

lots of waiting.

So, yep, they're around. They're always around.

my new partner in crime

2010-02-09T16:47:00.002+13:00

I just set Quincy up with his own space in my craft room. He was thrilled, saying "Now it's Mama and Quincy's office."

My go to guy when I need a corner rounded is just inches away. And he is in sticker and punch heaven.

Hopefully this will translate to more creative time for me...

all's well that ends well

2010-02-04T22:01:00.005+13:00

I like to call this series, "the plan that backfired."

The tears were shortlived and no grudges were held. The laughter continued as if nothing had happened.

We could all take a lesson from two-year-olds every now and then.

the pool: one year later

2010-02-03T17:01:00.007+13:00

This has been the worst summer in the ten years I have lived here. By far. We get the odd gorgeous summer day, but I can't recall more than two of them in a row and apart from this past Saturday, every single weekend day has been rainy.

Well, just as the poor school kids are heading back to class, we're getting some stretches of proper summer weather. Today we parted with $2.50 and hit the local pool for the first time this year. We spent most of our three hours there with just one other person who was swimming laps. The perfectly calm waters were just what Quincy needed to get used to the new depths. Initially he clung to me for dear life, but by the end I could hardly drag him out of there.

His courage came when a few older kids arrived. He watched them intently as he mimicked some of the things they were doing. That made him realize he could stand with the water reaching just below his chin and then there was no stopping him.

Well, until he went down the big slide, against my better judgement. After the tears stopped, he declared, "That was NOT okay. Water got all over you and in your mouth. Quincy choked." I don't think he'll be doing that again in a hurry!

As I was looking at the photos from today, I was reminded of last year. He's taller, more cognitive, and occasionally more contrary, of course, but otherwise, not a whole lot has changed.

He still loves that seal and interacts with it as if it's real.

He still gets absorbed in his surroundings and stares until he takes in every detail.

And he still has that same contagious smile that warms my heart.

I should definitely be in bed, but...

2010-02-03T00:59:00.003+13:00

I'm working on my first non-digital scrapbook layout since July 2008. Yes, that's right. First one in a year and a half.

That's a long time.

What have I missed? The tactile nature of traditional scrapbooking. The sorting through supplies. The ease of inking. But more than anything it's the handwritten journaling that I've missed.

What would you do for a Mallowpuff?

2010-01-31T17:31:00.004+13:00

Clearly a zerbert for a Mallowpuff is a pretty fair trade.

I'm certain Berkley wants in on this action.

A while later, Q told Jeremy that he would let him give him another zerbert in exchange for a Mallowpuff, which he couldn't say without giggling, by the way. They aren't dumb, are they?

edited to add: Thanks, Jeremy, he now thinks he can and should charge for zerberts.

just think...

2010-01-29T08:04:00.003+13:00

Just think what we could grow if our garden weren't so unloved and completly neglected.

When I say "unloved", I'm really not kidding.

The cat's out of the bag. We are officially the world's worst gardeners. We are the house that undoubtedly causes the neighbors to just shake their heads. They may even place bets on when the lawn will be mowed next.

On a side note, I brought in a little praying mantis with this gorgeous bunch of blooms. I caught it crawling across my computer screen.

cooperation. treasured by mothers everywhere.

2010-01-28T17:25:00.011+13:00

On quick trips, Quincy loves to walk through the grocery store carrying the basket. He walks hastily, with pride and determination. He takes his job very seriously, loading everything onto the counter and then returning the basket while I pay.

He seems too little to be such a big boy.

I think I was so keen to get a photo like this because it screams "cooperation" to me and that is huge in our house right now. He gets pretty engrossed in what he is doing. He dawdles, so I feel like I'm often asking him to cooperate, especially at bed time or while getting ready to go somewhere. He usually does, but it's definitely always best when there are no threats involved!

By the way, this is not the first time he paraded through the local Four Square wearing his sunnies from Stef, attracting a few stares and the odd comment.

notes: He loves his "Simon overalls". He also loves the idea of bread rolls, which he is being tempted by in the photo. He has never eaten more than half of a roll though. The bread lover in me can't relate. Today he had a few bites and then pretended it was an ice cream and just licked it.

edited to add: Upon looking at this photo on my blog...

Q: What's that's name?
me: Do you know who it is?
Q: Yes. (his voice filled with certainty but his eyes filled with question marks)
me: Do you really not know who it is?
Q: Yes. What's that one called?
me: Do you know where the picture was taken?
Q: Four Square. (but still no clue who it is)
me: I'll give you a hint, he lives in this house.
Q: That's a girl.
me: It's you, silly.
Q: (very sadly with a quivering lip) No, that's NOT Quincy. Quincy is a big boy. That's a grown up girl.

ties are not optional.

2010-01-26T17:27:00.006+13:00

At our house, ties are required at the moment. For the last week or so, Quincy has been Duffy Driver from the Little Red Train books by Benedict Blathwayt, and guess what Duffy wears? Yup, a tie. And a jacket. As you can see, no one is immune.

I have lovingly been given the role of Jack the Guard. Berkley and Kai are Jack and Duffy understudies, respectively. (Be sure not to mix them up.) But Jeremy has won the best part of all, the coveted role of the Postmistress. He is so pleased.

He studies the very detailed images for ages and copies Duffy's stances and mannerisms. He regularly slips phrases from the books into conversation. I love listening to his Duffy adventures through the monitor. Some favorites:

oh rust and dust
race to the finish
put on the brakes
animals on the line
here comes the swish train
coke and clinker
off in the distance
blow the whistle looooong and loud
Barnacle Bay. My favorite place in the whole world.

But the best of all was when I walked into his room and he jumped out of bed, exclaiming, "Duffy earlyslept (overslept)!" and then he walked with such purpose out of his room declaring that he was on his way to Birchcombe Village and he needed to load his supplies in the train.

A boy on a mission with a vivid imagination. That's a pretty cool combination.

Oh you may wonder why he needs that wrench. That's to fix the blown boiler. Of course.

Project 365

2010-01-21T21:30:00.005+13:00

I am a huge fan of Project 365 and feel the need to share it with those of you who aren't familiar with it. I first caught wind of it on Flickr a few years ago. The idea was to take a self-portrait a day for a year. You had to take it yourself and include some part of you. Heaps of Flickr groups popped up and the photo-a-day concept spread.

Last year it infiltrated the scrapbooking world. Kits and digital templates became available to document the ordinary and extraordinary of our everyday lives. In 2009 I made my own kit based on a Becky Higgins concept. It took me all my free time in January to design, print, punch, trim, and glue, but fortunately I had help. Well, at least company.

Here is a sample layout from a random week in May...

(These are 12x12 page protectors that hold six 4x6 photos on each side. I bought them from Hobby Lobby in the US. Each journaling card is 3x4, so there are two cards per pocket. I used a 12x12 American Crafts binder.)

Based on demand last year, Becky Higgins started a company called Project Life and now sells kits (a paper version and a digital one that results in a printed photo book). In NZ they are available for a limited time at KiwiScraps and elsewhere they can be purchased through Amazon early next week. Thankfully this is what I am using this year. A few of the colors and designs aren't my style, but it's a lot cheaper and a heck of a lot faster using the kit. The whole point is for it to be a low stress way to tell your story, so fast is good.

Here is my title page for this year. I chose to add a bit of chipboard, a few brads, a metal clock, and my trusty Dymo to the kit contents, but it's not necessary. For the weekly layouts, however, the only additional thing required is a pen, an ink pad, and an optional corner rounder. You don't even need glue or a pair of scissors! Now that's easy!

I must say I am sold on this way of memory keeping. It takes so much pressure off while allowing you to document those stories that would otherwise get lost. It encourages you to get pictures off your computer and into an album. Your photos can actually be enjoyed.

It makes you focus more on your photography and really think about what photos you want to take in order to tell the stories you want to remember. I think it also helps you to live more in the moment and to find beauty in the everyday.

This format can be adapted in many ways. A photo each day might seem daunting at first. One photo a week might seem more manageable for some people or doing one two-page spread per month. Another idea would be to just do one week each month. You can always add 12x12 page protectors here and there if you want to include layouts. If you go on vacation or have heaps of photos from one event like Christmas, you can just add an extra page of favorite photos and extra journaling, if necessary.

Some people might think they don't have something photo-worthy each day. How wrong they are. We all have so many stories to tell, most of them might seem mundane. Some involve important events. Some call to mind the character traits of loved ones. Some of them are funny, while some are downright depressing. They are all worth telling, and even brief little snippets speak volumes about our lives right now. What a treasure that will be in the future. Family members, friends, and pets are obvious subjects, but there are so many other details of our day-to-day lives that, if included, would be valued years down the track. A photo of the gas pump showing current prices, a new pair of shoes, the view out of your office, current events, food photos, photos of the places you regularly visit, a photo and receipt from the supermarket, a picture of the book you are reading, your computer screen, your ipod playlist, other current technology, your alarm clock, daily routines, home decor, an heirloom, a care package, movie ticket stubs, to do lists, weekly meal plans, bills... The list goes on. If on a particular day you are thinking about something that happened in the past, you could even use an older photo from that time. I had two aunts pass away in 2009, so on those days I used old photos I had of them. Those of you who have older children can get them involved with the photography and the stories too. Send a disposable camera to school or on a playdate. The accompanying journaling could be a short blurb, a list, a funny related story, a quotation, whatever. There are no rules.

I continue to scrapbook traditionally, well for me, that's digitally at the moment. I definitely still enjoy getting the creative juices flowing while working on a layout, but now I have the freedom to be more selective in what I choose to scrapbook in this way.

I am in no way affiliated with Becky Higgins or Project Life, I just want to share a concept that I really believe in with others.

Songs for Haiti

2010-01-21T15:45:00.004+13:00

If you donate to help Haiti, Paste Magazine will grant you access to a vault of over 200 songs to download for free. Some of the songs are previously unreleased and have been recorded especially for this cause. Some of the growing list of artists include the Cowboy Junkies, Emmylou Harris, and the Indigo Girls. The money that is donated through Paste will be spread among three charities: Doctors without Borders, Red Cross, and the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. If you have donated elsewhere, you can also enjoy the songs based on an honor system.

Spread the word.

Summer. Finally.

2010-01-19T16:54:00.005+13:00

Nothing says summer like board shorts, a singlet, jandals, a matching pair of skinned knees, and an ice cream cone.

We all hope it'll stay a while.

And now those three are fast asleep, dreaming of their romp in the sea.

interesting observations from an ordinary snapshot

2010-01-15T15:15:00.005+13:00

On the surface there is nothing great about this photo. It's pretty mundane really. In fact, it nearly got culled.

However, a closer look made me realize that this little snapshot holds plenty of sentimental worth.

Notice:

The undies. They are one of Q's favorites. More importantly, though, those undies stayed dry all the way until his nap at 2pm. What an accomplishment! One that was worth a mini Reeses in my book. When I gave it to him, he just laughed and laughed. Sweetness.
The slippers. It should be the height of summer. We should be enjoying lazy days at the pool, barefeet, picnics on the beach, ice creams in the scorching sun, dog walks followed by swims in the sea, and a brand new sprinkler that still sits in its box. Instead it's a cold, wet, and windy day, like a lot of the days of late, and we are spending it in our nest, playing trains on the uper-cool track Jeremy and Quincy built last night. We are home bodies and find plenty to keep ourselves amused, but still we would appreciate more than the odd sunny day here and there. Our so-called summer this year is a bit of a downer.
The chewed-up post. This was courtesy of a very desperate Berkley two Christmases ago when we had Priya and Joe and the girls over for dinner. The girls were a bit scared, so we locked them in the playroom. The dogs, not the girls. We'd never done that before and I guess Berkley didn't appreciate it.
The train turntable. This was part of my parents' Christmas gift to Quincy. Let's just say that he's a big fan.

So there you have it, some photos deserve a second look. Think before you hit delete.

PS-Just in case there is any doubt that the train layout is uber-cool, here is proof...

under construction

2010-01-11T00:42:00.004+13:00

Updating and filling in gaps. Ten new posts and counting...

Guess what we've been up to...

2010-01-10T21:31:00.002+13:00

Here are a couple hints...

telling words indeed

2010-01-10T21:05:00.007+13:00

While reading Who's Driving to Quincy before his nap today, he pointed out that the rhinoceros on one page was a mama. I asked why, thinking he'd mention the bright-colored Hawaiian shirt. Instead he said matter-of-factly, "She's carrying a camera."

Indeed.

These photos were taken one evening in mid-December when Quincy was rediscovering "the other Kawincys" after a 7-week separation. He was full of life as he cracked himself (and me) up making silly faces, kissing the other Quincys, and singing a very animated rendition of Frosty.

I must say, I'm glad my camera is often within arm's reach.

Indeed.

All that silliness would be long forgotten otherwise.

a crystal ball would come in handy

2010-01-02T22:27:00.000+13:00

I often wonder what the future holds for these two.

For now these looks are reciprocated.

But for how long?

01.01.10

2010-01-01T22:36:00.001+13:00

Hello 2010!

We welcomed the new year with a morning hike to Butterfly Creek with the same friends we picnicked with last night.

Amelia was a rockstar tramper, walking all the way in and halfway out without a single complaint. The other two kiddos impressed us too by walking a large chunk of the way in and a little bit of the way back.

Going at a slow pace, it's about a two-hour return hike. I think it took us six. No, seriously I'm not sure how long it took us, I didn't have a watch, but suffice it to say, we did a lot of exploring along the way.

Despite our naysaying, I think they were propelled forward by the visions of thousands of butterflies that seemed to be dancing in their heads. We're not sure why it's called Butterfly Creek, but oddly enough, we're almost certain that it has nothing to do with butterflies. We had a hard time convincing two-year-olds of that though.

No worries, the bright red dragonflies did not disappoint, especially when they landed on your hand when you held it perfectly still in a ray of light. The kids, and grown ups too, for that matter, were filled with wonder.

We had morning tea in the shade by the creek. Then the three amigos spent ages throwing stones into the water while Priya and I gasped repeatedly at their close calls with the edge.

It really was the perfect start to the year.

I think it should become a New Years Day tradition.

Definitely.

the end of a decade

2009-12-31T23:49:00.008+13:00

Here's how we ended the decade...

Someone learned to pedal his brand spankin' new tricycle this morning.

Then while the little guy slept, Jeremy and I busied ourselves making a delicious picnic of roast chicken, roasted potatoes, carmelized onions, strawberry salad, tomato and mozzarella salad, and a raspberry tart with whipped cream and berries for dessert. Yum. No photos but trust me, it was good.

Then we celebrated on the beach with friends.

They left early, but Quincy was in a fabulous mood, so we stayed and played.

Despite the gorgeous evening, the beach was pretty deserted. It finally got dark at around 9:30 and we enjoyed a small firework display that some other beach goers set off.

I can't think of a much better way to end this decade.

Good night.

a camper van Christmas

2009-12-25T23:24:00.003+13:00

We woke Quincy up from a very deep slumber at around 5 to enjoy the evening with Quincy's Nana, Poppa, and uncle. Kiwi style.

In the absence of cousins, who sadly couldn't make it, Cher proved to be a perfect playmate.

He was understandably tuckered out, but he somehow found the energy to devour the potato chips.

Quincy is always thrilled to spend time with his Poppa, and even with a busted up lip, tonight was no exception.

This next series is pretty funny. Quincy picked out a box of chocolates to give to Nana. Now this boy likes his chocolate, especially the good stuff. He has been talking about Nana sharing those chocolates since we bought them. I have explained more than once that when you give a gift, you can't expect to have some of it back! It clearly fell on deaf ears. Just check out his anticipation. You can see it on his face, in his posture, and even in his hands. He is convinced that a handmade Irish chocolate is just moments away.

The kiss on the cheek was so not what he expected!

Christmas Morning Magic

2009-12-25T14:00:00.005+13:00

We were awoken this morning, at a very reasonable 8:10am, by squeals coming from Quincy's bedroom. "Open it!" "It's a fire engine!" Santa had left him a fire engine train in his bed. He was not expecting that! Jeremy has such fond memories of waking up Christmas morning as a child to a sack of gifts at the foot of his bed, courtesy of Father Christmas. So we decided to incorporate that tradition by asking Santa to leave one small gift in Q's bed.

We could have called it a day after that, but instead we headed up to the tree, two flights up, at a run.

And with A Charlie Brown's Christmas CD playing and Quincy screaming, "Santa brought you (me) a tricycle!" the fun continued.

The gift opening and exchanging was at a nice and slow pace. Perfect. Although after we finished, all the presents for Jeremy's side of the family, especially those that held chocolate, were looking pretty enticing to a certain someone. Not naming names.

Notice the message Santa left for him: Dear Quincy, I think you are ready to use the potty. Love, Santa. Those undies were the only gift not met with over-the-moon excitement and appreciation!

For the last two months, his two wishes from Santa were "a tricycle and a crane to lift the cargo up and down". His wishes came true, but while opening the crane there was a minor glitch that required some quick thinking on my part... You see, Quincy apparantly left a few toys in Cincinnati, so Santa very kindly picked them up on his way through and included them in the box with the crane. His confusion and my shock were caught on video. We'll be sure to save that one for when he's older!

After my clever recovery and before losing himself further in play, there was the very important business of finishing Santas' leftovers...a half-eaten marmalade biscuit and a bit of warm milk. Yum.

A bit more tempting, in my opinion, were the waffles that Jeremy made for brunch. We took a break to fill our stomachs before attacking the stockings. We are a house of chocolate lovers, so the Christmas crackers filled with chocolates were a nice accompaniment, for sure.

Onto the stockings, and this picture has to be my favorite of the day.

A tiny bit of silliness

and a lot of chocolate and candy canes were involved.

His excitement was seriously contagious. Only 365 days until we can do it again!

evidence: Santa was here

2009-12-25T03:00:00.002+13:00

milk + cookies for Santa

2009-12-24T22:45:00.000+13:00

Christmas Eve 09

2009-12-24T22:00:00.000+13:00

What a fun evening! With Over the Rhine's Snow Angels and Josh Groban's Noel playing in the background, Q got to open his gifts from my side of the family.

He was so so excited when he saw the presents under the tree, he mustered up all his might but still couldn't run fast enough!

In typical Q-fashion, he opened the treasures slowly and methodically, taking in each detail before moving on. Pausing occasionally to get toys he already had that would work well with the new ones. Thank you Mom & Dad, the Norway Rickes, and Lucia. You were very generous and made one little boy very happy tonight.

We began a tradition last year that we borrowed from my sister...giving him a Christmas book and reading it together on Christmas Eve. This year it was Merry Christmas Curious George.

Afterwards he wanted to sleep on the couch in the lounge to wait for Santa. What would he say if he awoke and saw him? "Merry Christmas!" A very appropriate answer. He is quite certain that Donder will eat the carrot we left out. If the dogs don;t get to it first, that's a distinct possibility.

At 9:30 it was off to bed and for the first time ever he didn't ask for his lion and schnuller while reading; his hands were otherwise occupied with Lightly McQueen and Tow Mater, courtesy of his cousin.

And now he is fast asleep while dreams of pavlova dance in his head.

staycation

2009-12-24T14:10:00.001+13:00

It is so nice to have Jeremy home for the next twelve days. I love when he gets into holiday mode and is able to really relax. I would say Quincy agrees.

A lot of people here travel at this time of year, but we are all happy to just have some quiet time at home together, unwinding from a sometimes stressful year and enjoying our Christmas traditions.

I can't wait to share in Quincy's excitement tonight and tomorrow. I feel like a kid again myself!

By the way, Q was so proud to wear those plaid shorts because he said they made him look like a big boy.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T14:00:00.001+13:00

sometimes Santa just gets it right

2009-12-23T23:32:00.001+13:00

Quincy received this parking garage from Santa last Christmas.

He has played with it virtually every day since. At the Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights, he learned that Lucky the Elf painted it. That has only made him love it even more.

I wonder if it's possible for Santa to get it so right two years in a row...

Christmas Wishes and the Portable North Pole

2009-12-22T15:00:00.000+13:00

Quincy is fascinated by Santa this year. In fact, so fascinated that he is rendered speechless.

But he gets it. He totally gets it. He has not wavered from his original wishes for "a tricycle and a crane to lift the cargo up and down".

At the Playcentre Christmas party, he was very happy with the "cool nature book" Santa gave him but he did briefly wonder where the tricycle and crane were.

Yesterday when he received a video message from Jolly Old St. Nick via the Portable North Pole, I knew it'd leave a big impression. You might say he was a little uncertain at first.

But then relief set in when he got confirmation that Santa thinks he has indeed been nice this year and that a tricycle might be in the cards.

But he did ask why Santa forgot to mention the crane.

Anyway, it was no surprise that he was mesmerized and had to watch Santa's message several times to take it all in.

end of a two-month hiatus

2009-12-21T23:01:00.001+13:00

It's hard to believe we have been back for nearly two weeks. We are having so much fun reminiscing. I would love to make some time to do a photo recap, but for now let's just say our trip began like this...

Continued in this fashion...

And culminiated like this...

Happy times.

And I have thousands more photos to prove it.

wonder(full)

2009-12-16T22:59:00.003+13:00

I love seeing the world through his bright eyes.

happy birthday dad!

2009-10-23T10:40:00.001+13:00

One of the reasons Quincy and I travelled to Cincinnati at this time was to celebrate my dad's birthday. My mom is throwing a big party and after missing so many big family functions lately, this is a real treat. The Norway clan will sure be missed though.

His twenty-five grandchildren are giving him an album.

They each have a page with their photo and answers. Here is Quincy's...

It was so cool putting this together and reading all the thoughtful answers each of them (ranging in age from 2 to twenty-five) came up with. I loved seeing the many different ways he has impacted each one. I think he will too!

This time the paper comes from Jessica Sprague and everything else is from Designer Digitals.

missing you already

2009-10-19T09:07:00.001+13:00

As happy as we are to be here, we already miss these three...

bring it on.

2009-10-17T06:00:00.000+13:00

Three different flights. Two layovers averaging four-and-a-half hours. Eight time zones. Six thousand miles. Twenty eight hours, (after last time, make that, twenty eight hours if I'm lucky), on my own with a two-year-old.

Bring it on.

In five sleeps...

2009-10-12T23:14:00.003+13:00

we're off to the States! I've started packing and the line items on the to do list are slowly but surely getting ticked off, thanks in part to a cooperative little boy and a helpful husband. The washing machine has been running almost non-stop since yesterday. In fact, it's still going. We've had terrible weather for much of the last week, but thanks to some serious wind mixed with sun, I managed to dry every single load outside. The clothes we are bringing are now officially out of rotation.

Tomorrow I begin to tackle the five months of journaling that I am behind on on my Project365. Yes, five months, but that's another story.

Back to the trip anticipation... I've learned by now, not to share such information with a young child too early. But I have been dropping hints for a while. Throwing "Cincinnati" into conversation. Bringing up "airplanes" regularly. Showing him photos from our last trip just over a year ago. Talking about family members.

Not surprisingly, he has been studying these photos a lot lately.

Yesterday, I divulged all the details and today he got to begin his countdown.

Tonight as I was leaving his room, he said "And tomorrow we go on the airplane." I gently corrected him and told him tomorrow he got to tear off the yellow number 4. He seemed satisfied. As I was closing the door though, I heard him say quietly, "And then go on the airplane."

So, yes, he's excited. He is expecting Stef to still be at the Wellington airport. But he is also expecting her to be at the Cincinnati airport with Oma and Opa. He is getting mentally prepared for having his nappy changed inside the miniature plane bathroom. He has been warned that even though we are sitting in seats, we have to sleep on the plane. He has also been warned that it's a long way and that we will be in two airports before we reach the one in Cincinnati. We've been talking about using quiet voices on the plane and even though it might be uncomfortable we're going to try not to whine.

He is looking forward to feeding Norwin's piglet, Peter, a bottle. I think he will find a kindred spirit in his animal-lover cousin.

He talks about buying sandals in Cincinnati. (At the start of spring I told him we'd have to wait to buy sandals that fit him in Cincinnati so we'd have to make do. I guess that made an impression! In fact a few weeks later I mentioned needing something and he told me to get it in Cincinnati. Maybe he is expecting one giant mall!)

Oh, and he is talking non-stop about the airplane.

"Papaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

2009-10-07T21:20:00.005+13:00

Daylight savings means we are able to meet Papa at the ferry every now and then.

Looking for Papa...

Still searching...

There he is!

"Papaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Running to Papa...

You don't have to ask Quincy twice if he is keen. Clearly.

Happy in Papa's arms...

At dinner I asked Jeremy what his favorite part of the day was and he quickly replied, "seeing Quincy at the ferry." The feeling was mutual. Quincy responded to the question in the same way.

Sweet. But do you see what I see? A two-year-old who is dressed nicer than a man who just returned from a day at the office. In the city. There is no dress code at the white box. Clearly.

eta: Jeremy was acting all offended when he read this, until I pointed out the jeans, hiking boots, and HOODIE.

is that a whale spout on your head?

2009-10-05T14:00:00.000+13:00

The weather is wintery and WET. It has been cycling between pouring rain, hail, and dry wind. Quincy is sick with a cold. We are trying to stay warm. We have no plans to get out of our PJs. And this is how he insists we both wear our hair...

the tulips

2009-10-03T21:48:00.003+13:00

A few weeks ago we headed to town for a monthly beagle walk and to enjoy the Spring Tulip Festival at the Botanic Gardens. My agenda pretty much revolved around the camera.

Quincy was more than happy to stop and smell the tulips,

but he was less than excited about the camera.

Jeremy too, for that matter. And the dogs were only interested in the smells and the other dogs.

I had to act quickly before we moved on.

The hilly playground in the Gardens is better than awesome. A flying fox, several cool slides, a great see saw, a fire engine, a swinging bridge, ladders... You name it. We spent ages there.

As for the weather, there were just a few scattered showers.

yum, fresh bread

2009-10-02T16:18:00.002+13:00

Thanks to hotpoints, which we earn from our credit card, we are now enjoying this everyday...

And we have a very willing baking assistant...

I must say every once in a while, I do miss my Vogels in the morning. Just a tiny bit.

ummm, that was weird.

2009-09-28T20:57:00.006+13:00

Quincy has always fallen asleep happily on his own. Up until eleven months that didn't mean he'd stay asleep though. However, that's beside the point.

Tonight was a different story. I was washing the dishes and could hear him calling out to me and then start crying. I don't ever recall having to go in to comfort him 30 minutes after putting him in bed, but tonight I did. This is what transpired...

Quincy: Mama, read a book. Need a cuddle.
me: Quincy, it's bedtime, but I could give you a cuddle.
Quincy: Lift you up.
me: (wondering where this was headed) Oh alright.
Quincy: Go upstairs.
me: No, Quincy, it's bedtime.
Quincy: Sit in the rocking chair.
me: (thinking this wasn't going to end well, but feeling the strain of carrying him) For a little bit and then Quincy goes back to bed.
Quincy: (after the Love You Forever song and about 5 minutes of rocking in silence) Tinty go back to bed now.
me: (feeling quite comfortable and rather surprised) Oh, okay.
Quincy: (now lying in bed) Mama, rub your back.
me: Sure, Buddy, for a little while.
Quincy: (in a nice voice after about 20 seconds of a back rub) Mama, go away.

I feel a bit like a puppet, but at least my tea was still hot when I got back upstairs.

more spying: the sandpit

2009-09-27T21:36:00.003+13:00

Taken on Sunday, 20 September, from the landing below our bedrooms, just after showering:

Taken on Friday, 25 September, from a kitchen window, while I made lunch, started the breadmaker, and baked chocolate chip cookies:

Taken today from the dog's area as I peered through the hole beneath the patio, while I cleaned up after the dogs and gathered the week's rubbish.

The sandpit. His happy place.

out with the irritability and in with the laughter

2009-09-21T22:33:00.006+12:00

Quincy was not himself the last four days. At all. Really irritable and clingy. He has had his rough patches, but for this even-tempered boy, it was truly unprecedented. And relentless.

I guess like most people, I need explanations. Of course, I know it's not always possible to get them, but that doesn't stop me from pulling my hair out trying.

But no matter what kind of mood they were in while awake, when they're fast asleep, they are 110% precious.

Today he seemed better. More himself. Still a little whiny and clingy, but much more recognizable. And let me tell you, this was a welcome site in the bath tonight...

I wonder what tomorrow brings.

note: Yes, he still uses a schnuller while he sleeps. Yes, I know that is totally unacceptable to most people. Yes, I wish he didn't use it anymore. But don't worry, I won't send you the orthodontist bill.

sunshine

2009-09-17T23:27:00.005+12:00

Even though spring came early this year, it couldn't have come soon enough, and now we can't seem to get enough of the sun. It has even found its way onto a layout!

Today Q's fever finally broke and we packed a picnic lunch and walked down to the beach. First time since the weather has warmed up. I was not expecting it to be warm enough for him to wind up barefoot and pantless. It almost felt like summer.

Whining seemed to be much of the day's soundtrack, Q seemed to be moving in reverse, and he wanted to bring everything and carry nothing. But he more than made up for it this evening with this heart-melting moment...He was riding his little bike in the kitchen while I sorted dinner. Suddenly he hopped off and ran to me, while calling out "Mama, mama, I love you." It was the first time he used my name and the I and it couldn't have come at a better time.

I hope I remember how I felt in that moment forever.

baking pikelets

2009-09-16T15:05:00.004+12:00

Today I baked pikelets with a very feverish Quincy. You wouldn't know it by looking at the photos that he has a 102F/38.3C fever, would you?! He is the best sickie I can imagine.

He takes his responsibilities very seriously...

Notice how disgusted he is by the batter!

It's not easy choosing the perfect one. And spreading honey isn't that easy when you're two. Nor is working out how that sifter works! Oh, and what a surprise, the dogs want to join in on the fun!

I think he only took a total of two bites, saying "YUMmy" after each one,

but boy did he enjoy the process! And so did I.

I think it's amazing how the simple act of baking with your child can leave you feeling like the best mama in the world.

But if you aren't feeling especially patient, it can just as easily backfire and you wind up feeling like Cruella De Vil.

Fortunately I experienced the former today.

superpowers

2009-09-15T09:41:00.000+12:00

I think every parent wishes on a regular basis that she could stop time. I guess that would be my superpower of choice.

(all supplies from Designer Digitals)

This is a photo from January and a layout from May. Sadly, I haven't done much in the scrapbooking department for about a month.

dinner time and still fast asleep

2009-09-14T23:02:00.005+12:00

Buddy, you are approaching the three-and-a-half hour mark. It's 6:19. Dinner's ready. Do ya think it might be about time to wake up?

This is not unusual. He is such an awesome napper and sleeper in general. I consider myself very lucky.

By the way, I should've just let him sleep. I made shepherd's pie for dinner and after many protests and being ignored through most of dinner ("If you're not going to eat, it's hard for us to include you in our conversation."), he tried one bite which he promptly spit out. In the food department, not so great.

You can't win 'em all.

it's not everyday

2009-09-14T15:37:00.001+12:00

that a cat talks to you at the local 4 Square.

milk + a book

2009-09-14T10:15:00.000+12:00

A cuppa milk and an Eric Carle book...

a toddler's version of a cuppa coffee and the morning paper.

reliving memories

2009-09-12T08:05:00.002+12:00

Quincy loves looking at photos. I think he enjoys it as much as I do! He sits cuddled up to me as we flip through pictures and relive memories and talk about family and friends. Ordinary everyday photos. Ones from trips, near and far. Ones of his cousins on Facebook.

And especially ones with animals. His most-requested photo the other night...

At Staglands, this very large rooster caught him offguard and he was less than impressed. But once again, he has become fascinated with that which he fears.

taking over the driver's seat

2009-09-11T08:20:00.000+12:00

No matter where we've been, Quincy loves returning home. As soon as we pull into the garage, he is chompin' at the bit, desperate to get out of his seat and jump into the driver's seat.

He likes it best when the dogs and I are his passengers.

I'm not sure if the feeling is mutual.

At the moment, the most popular destinations are the zoo, the museum, or Staglands.

It brings back sweet memories of my dad's 1950s black Oldsmobile. I loved stealing away to the garage and pretending I had my driver's license. Or hopping in the back seat pretending I was someplace exotic and it was a taxi. Or imagining I was at the drive-in watching Footloose.

Anyway, no matter how long I let him stay in his driving fantasy land, it ends in protests, and more often than not, a few short-lived tears.

And now everytime I get in the car I have to figure out how to turn off that bloody rear windshield wiper.

mittens

2009-09-10T16:47:00.002+12:00

Q: Kai, want to see my mittens?

Kai: sniff. sniff.

Q: Beekey, want to see my mittens?

Berkley: Lick. Lick.

three conversations on 09.09.09

2009-09-09T20:35:00.007+12:00

Busy day today. Two things scheduled. Very rare in our world. I am a nap nazi so it's gotta be pretty good for me to let him skip his afternoon sleep!

When I went into his room this morning...

Q: (noticing I was showered and dressed first thing) Ready to go bye bye.
me: Where do you think we're going today?
Q: Somewhere.

Well, you can't lose with that answer.

This morning somewhere happened to be Playcentre, where good hygiene is critical,

and play is taken very seriously.

I love watching them having morning tea together. They seem so grown up. And civilized! (pardon the blurred faces)

Here they are learning a Maori song...

me: Cool. Is this a space ship?
Q: No, it's a barrel swing.

You can always count on a child to state the obvious.

And in the afternoon, a picnic with some of our antenatal group, whom we haven't seen in 70 days. How do I know that? Because the last day we got together was the day MJ died and the press did a good job this week reminding us of how long ago that was.

And finally, in the evening, while getting him in his PJs...

me: What was your favourite part of the day?
Q: Staglands.
me: But we didn't go to Staglands today.
Q: Staglands Sunday.
me: Yup, that's right, Buddy. We went to Staglands on Sunday. Today we went to Playcentre in the morning and played with Lucy and Teegan at the park this afternoon. What was your favourite part of today?
Q: Staglands.

Well, okay then.

hello spring

2009-09-01T23:43:00.004+12:00

We welcome you with open arms, and to you, winter, I say good riddance. We are ready for fewer layers, bare feet, and good health.

cool building site

2009-08-31T14:29:00.000+12:00

This is Quincy's "cool building site"...

Contents:

one tough yellow digger
one dump truck
three little worker guys
one dog, who's named Patch only when he is on the building site
two "happy birthday cars" (car-shaped birthday candle holders)
one car washing brush
one plastic squirt bottle
one wooden spoon
one salad dressing shaker
one handle from a duster
four chewed up tennis balls
one 27-month-old boy with a big imagination, and
a pair of gumboots

Notice that the gumboots are missing in some of the photos. When he realized his oversight, changing into his gumboots became top priority.

meet kai, our little food hound

2009-08-30T20:58:00.002+12:00

There is no doubt about it, Kai lives for food. And for pets under her chin, but that's beside the point.

Kai is not ashamed of her love of food. When the container comes out, she jumps with glee. Over and over again. Ga donk. Ga donk. Ga donk. Each time getting a bit higher, until she gently nips your elbow as you are pouring the kibble into her bowl.

Except when there are visitors, she gets embarrassed. She can't help but jump a bit, but she tries her best to keep it low key.

Kai is a Maori word. Translation...food.

Te Papa, Our House

2009-08-29T21:37:00.001+12:00

This morning we headed to Te Papa, our national museum.

It is a great place to take kids, but for some reason we'd never taken Q before. He is at the perfect age to soak it all in.

Plus it's free! And we scored free parking.

He was loving playing shopkeeper and had quite a system down. Not altogether right, but very efficient!

There is a Formula One exhibit there at the moment (the special exhibits aren't free) and in honor of that they had a bunch of go karts in the lobby that you could sit in. A big hit.

We were so excited to see the model of the blue whale's heart. It just so happens that one of Q's favorite books right now is a book with lots of mammal facts, and one of the facts about blue whales is that their hearts are the size of a small car. That little factoid was certainly brought to life!

I returned from the bathroom to find these two making music, Pacific Island style. Made me smile.

Quincy loved it all, except...the wild boar was not at all popular. "Tinty NOT like the wild pig. Too noisy. Ran back to see the bugs." Here he is leaning on the insect cabinet, staring at it safely from a distance. (Jeremy is flipping a page in a book and not about to give Q a wet willy, by the way.)

We wrapped up the day with a little puppet action. And then it was time to head home for a much-needed nap.

All that for the cost of a cup of coffee and petrol. Not bad.

weta

2009-08-28T23:33:00.001+12:00

So here's that weta I mentioned yesterday...

We don't have snakes, but we have wetas.

27 August...this day in Q-history

2009-08-27T15:30:00.005+12:00

27 August 2007 (3 months old, in our kitchen after a bath)

He was such an observant baby. Always taking it all in with his even temper. We were still getting to know him then and finding our feet as parents. His hold on our hearts was already very firm though.

27 August 2008 (15 months old, on the swing
in my parents' backyard in Cincinnati)

A confident walker learning to run, he has never known a stranger and has always made himself at home wherever he goes. Cincinnati was no exception. He didn't waste time finding his way into the hearts of all of his faraway family.

27 August 2009 (27 months old, in our courtyard
looking at his first weta...from a distance)

Amazing us everyday with his imagination and ability to make connections, he is so engaged in his surroundings. Forever curious. The passion with which he does things is contagious. The love runs very deep.

learning the ropes

2009-08-26T21:57:00.001+12:00

So today was our first day at Playcentre, a parent cooperative preschool. The sessions run for two-and-a-half hours and for now we will go to one session each week. Normally kids who do Playcentre start a bit younger and would be doing two sessions a week by now, with me doing duty on one day and free to drop him off on the other. We're not ready for that though. He still takes a long nap after lunch, so I (usually) treasure our lazy unscheduled mornings together. Sometimes we go to an activity or have a playdate, but more often than not, we are just doing the ordinary at home. I love that and I don't want to commit to more than one morning. Plus, he definitely doesn't need more than that right now.

I have mentioned it a few times over the last two weeks, but didn't tell him we were going today until halfway through breakfast. He got so excited, barely taking a breath as he chatted away and frantically chose some cars to put in his backpack. He kept mentioning the ropes. I dismissed it, thinking he was getting confused with gymnastics (which we have yet to return to, by the way, because one or both of us have been sick for weeks and weeks). But he kept saying things like, "See the ropes," "Play with the ropes," and "Tinty play with the ropes at Playcentre." Finally I asked what he meant. He responded, "Amelia show you the ropes at Playcentre." I couldn't stop laughing. On Sunday we ran into Amelia and her family and when parting ways, I turned to Quincy and said just that. How's that for a literal interpretation?!

I warned him that I needed to take his picture in front of the front door and even armed myself with a few mini marshmallows, but he wanted nothing to do with the camera. Nothing. He said many times, in the angriest voice he could muster, "NO Mama take a picture." I still managed to sneak a few though.

He assumed we would ride a yellow bus, but was satisfied with bringing his bus along.

He was so proud to carry his backpack and walk through the park and up that big hill.

He stared through those gates for ages while I snapped away, telling him that I was taking pictures of the sign, not of him. That was truthful on one occasion at least!

Everyone was very welcoming. There were about 20 kids, 4 and under, and 8 parents. My favorite part was watching him sitting at the long table with the other kids as they ate their morning tea in silence while one of the mums read a story. His favorite part was most definitely playing in the big sandpit on the big wooden digger.

There are some things I don't like about it, but for now this is going to work for us. He is more than ready to go back, that's for sure!

He was pretty wiped afterwards, but didn't nap. He talked to himself in bed for long enough though. His thoughts must have been swimming with excitement.

who knew?

2009-08-25T23:42:00.004+12:00

It started out innocently enough.

Who knew that this

would lead to this?

Not me.

spooky small world snippets

2009-08-25T21:34:00.005+12:00

I was tagged by Juli, a fellow ex-pat American living in Wellington whose cousin I happened to go to high school with (small world, yes?), to do the following...

Open your first photo folder.
Scroll down to the 10th photo. Or, you know, just pick a photo.
Post that photo and story on your blog.
Tag five (or more) friends to do the same. (Sorry, but I'll skip this part.)

I enjoyed reading her story and when you combine photos with stories, well, there's no need to twist my arm...

So I went looking, only to get bummed out all over again about all the photos I lost when Q was three months old, but then I quickly got happy looking at so many photos I had forgotten about. Anyway, get this, my first post-crash folder was 25/08/07. Spooky. And here is the photo...

Margaret and Jon being their usual silly selves
with a three-month-old Q-bert

Once upon a time, Margaret and Jon lived in Wellington and we got up to all sorts of mischief together. Then they sadly moved to Auckland, and if that wasn't bad enough, they now live in Abu Dhabi. It's not often you find "couple friends" and Wellington will never be the same without them.

Margaret is American and Jon is a Kiwi. Margaret and I bonded instantly. We had an amazing amount in common. We had very similar upbringings, coming from large Catholic families. She felt like a sister, and that's pretty cool when all your sisters are a world away. Her sister lived in Cincinnati at the time. Did I already mention that it's a small world? And once, without any planning, we got to meet each others' families while all coincidentally celebrating Christmas in Cincinnati. The weather nearly got the better of us, but we had travelled across the world and we were not going to let that massive snow storm get in the way of such a rare opportunity. If it had not been for my brother-in-law, Eddye, it wouldn't have happened. He was the only one brave enough to collect them on Christmas Eve in that storm and then drop them off again at, what 3am??!!

Do you know how priceless it is to have someone know virtually your entire family when that family lives 6,000 miles away?

The first time they came over for dinner, I had Over the Rhine playing and she immediately recognized it. An "Oh. My. God. You know Over the Rhine" moment led us to discover that many many years ago we had been at the same OtR concert that couldn't have had more than 100 people in the audience. Once again, spooky.

So, the photo...At this time two years ago, they visited from Auckland to meet the newest member of Team Buckley. As usual, lots of laughter and silliness ensued and Quincy was a more-than-willing participant.

And now in less than three months they will have their very own little munchkin. (I guess that that weekend didn't put them off children afterall!) They will make great parents and we are looking forward to seeing them in action and meeting Team Sickling's newest member early next year.

The end.

our imperfect dogs & an unpleasant woman

2009-07-22T16:10:00.007+12:00

Our dogs are not perfect. I am reminded of that fact when someone comes to the door. I am reminded of it when they bark at the neighbour's dog. I am reminded of it when they swipe food from Quincy.

And this morning I was reminded of it by a rather unfriendly woman at the dog park. She is a dog walker and had two large boxers with her. She yelled at my dogs for being, well, for being dogs. Then she said to them quite gruffly, as if they understand English, "Come on, let's not make this personal." Well, whenever we see these two dogs when we are out walking, they bound up to our dogs. They even come up to our open car door, which is pretty unpopular with Kai. I must say, they aren't very fond of them and they have tried to tell them off, as dogs do, on more than one occasion. So unbeknownst to her they have history, and maybe for the dogs it is personal.

This morning my dogs had been playing nicely and uncharacteristically quietly for 30 minutes with a large pack of dogs before this woman turned up. You know, not all people get along, in fact, I don't like this woman, so why should we expect all dogs to be best mates?

Maybe I should add that Kai was attacked last year by a large, brown, muscular dog. It was completely unprovoked. Jeremy was walking the dogs on the footpath and this tied up dog just lunged at her. It wasn't a boxer, but ever since she has taken a disliking to many other dogs that fit that description, including a lot of boxers. She was already slightly timid, but that incident unfortunately has made her more suspicious of certain other dogs. When she's off the lead though, she is generally fine because she is able to remove herself from the situation. But some dogs don't pick up on her signals and follow her and continue to sniff her bum. Unrelentlessly. Let's just say, she's not overly keen on that. Can you blame her?

gymnastics

2009-07-21T15:44:00.003+12:00

Last term, for one reason and another, we didn't participate in many of the local kiddie activities. So this week, when the new term started, Quincy and I were both ready for action. Today we tried something new...an open gym for 2-5 year-olds at a nearby gymnastics centre. It's a casual session from 10:30-11:30 and you just pay when you go. My style. As soon as we entered the gym, Quincy was off exploring. So carefree and curious. As usual he loved watching the bigger kids swinging on the rings, flying around on the tramp, and rolling down a ramp. He did his best to do the same, and even though he can't get both feet off the ground when he jumps yet, he thought he was pretty cool on the tramp himself.

This was exactly what I didn't realize I was looking for.

I suspect that the only thing that could have made it better in his eyes was if he was let loose in there with a basket of cars. Imagine the traffic he could make on the balance beams.

To you and I, it might just look like toilet paper,

2009-07-20T16:54:00.004+12:00

but are you curious what this really is?

It's chocolate marshmallow fudge delight like in the Rattletrap Car book.

A child's imagination. It's an awesome thing.