flying fox

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.

happy (NZ) father's day

hidden talents

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.

What would you do for a Mallowpuff?

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.

missing you already

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

"Papaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

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.

happy birthday to my better half!

When I asked him what he wanted, he said, "not to spend any money." He wants no fuss whatsoever. Not if Q and I have anything to do about it!

he's in there by choice. i swear.

He's just mixin' up storytime. He has to be closed in. He reads one book while Jeremy or I read another, of his choosing. He is, however, flexible about whether or not the dogs join him in their home.

Oh and Jeremy isn't trying to be a trendsetter, he's just doing his best to stay warm.

In other news...

Over the (very cold) holiday weekend, the fuse that powers half our house blew. It's a rare fuse, the kind that can only be purchased at a not-open-on-the-weekend specialty store.

Our garage door only closes some of the time.

And the ABS system in the car we've had for three months is freaking out. Warning lights flashing, making the occasional crunching noise, and even nearly leaving me stranded in an intersection yesterday. Yah, we should probably get that checked out!

And so as not to leave on a sour note, a random memory from a grocery shopping trip a few weeks back... As Q and I were getting out of the car, the employee who was gathering carts went way out of his way to bring me a cart. To my car. And he proceeded to help with the straps so that I could get Q in easier.

Life is good, even when it's kinda bad.

what's wrong with this picture?

Jeremy loves the next one on the left because it looks like he's asking a question. And the one on the right cracks me up because it is the first time I've ever seen him holding a book upside down. Ever since he could hold a book, he'd immediately turn it around if it wasn't already right-side up. In fact, in the Dr. Seuss ABC book he turns the book around on the page with the upsidedown camel on the ceiling.

the lion chair

Once upon a time when Jeremy was 10-and-a-half months old, his mum took two photos of him on a lion chair. He was wearing a gorgeous blue ensemble handknitted by his grandmother and holding a colourful, fabric ball.

Fast forward to April Fools Day 2008 when Quincy was 10-and-a-half months old, and his mama took about 6 billion photos of him on the very same lion chair. Obviously we still have the chair. We love it but we struggle to find the perfect place for it. But that's beside the point. He does have a very similar colourful, fabric ball, but his white bodysuit had to do.

Fast forward again to today, about a year later, and another couple billion shots, and I am amazed by his growth, by everything he's learned, by the little boy he is becoming. I am amazed by all that I see in those beautiful eyes.

Notice that this time around, he was treating the chair like a real lion.

first pair of running shoes

And, no, I'm not talking about Quincy. For as long as I've known Jeremy, and that's been many many years, 12.5 to be exact, he has never owned a pair of running shoes. Hiking boots and shoes, yes. Countless pairs of trendy brown casual shoes, yes. But not a single pair of gym shoes. Until today.

Jeremy joined a local exercise group a while back and I am so proud of him. However, he's been getting a lot of grief for wearing his worn out Merrills to run. This week he'll be sportin' some new (bloody expensive) sneaks.

(Note: I think the sales assistant was very confused when I tried unsuccessfully to discreetly snap this picture. And is it just me, or is he about ten? Are the child labor laws not enforced here?!)

Friday? Really?

Today doesn't feel like Friday. No takeaways for dinner for starters. Plus Jeremy has been working mega-long hours from home this week, in fact he's still working now. Looks like more of the same tomorrow. Poor him.

This is how we amused ourselves while he was hard at work...

Quincy made an escape up the ladder to the playroom. This is definitely not something he is allowed to do on his own. (We use the outside entrance normally.) As you can see, he was quite pleased with his disobedience, I mean accomplishment.

This is what the little monkey broke the rules for...

This has been a pretty much daily site at our house since Christmas. At the moment the configuration needs to include a circle. I know. It doesn't make much sense when you consider city planning, but for him it is a must. He even has to say, "bye road. bye circle road," before heading to bed.

OK, so who doesn't enjoy singing Jingle Bells in January? Ummm, me. But he was jingling those bells with such enthusiasm, that I had to humor him. Notice the cars on the cereal shelf. Typical. Oh and yes our Christmas decorations are still up. Again, typical.

He helped me make Jeremy some lunch. He took a bite out of one of the slices of bread. He ate a few bites of the slice of cheese. He doesn't like lunch meat, so he kept removing the ham slices with a wrinkled up nose. He tried adding the unsliced half of tomato to one half. There were no cubes of cheese left on the plate by the time it made its way upstairs. And he thought he hit paydirt when we poured a bowl of peanuts and smarties (m+ms which he now calls "sweet"). What it lacked in ham, it most certainly made up for in the Q-love department.

After his nap he reconnected with his baby over a few books. He would get overjoyed when the baby would count things in the book and would shout "yay baby" and give him a huge hug. Fifteen minutes I would have loved to freeze forever, that's for sure.

During that time, with a little assistance from mama, Q took his first ever photo.

And at the end of his day, he got mad at me for no apparent reason. A moment later he was fine and off to bed.

Oh, and, no, he is not for sale for the HOT PRICE of $3.33. Although, looking at this pic, you may wonder why not!

hearty smiles

How could this not make my heart smile?

When Jeremy comes home from work, Quincy doesn't greet him with a simple "hi". Instead he gets totally excited, says "book", runs to select one, and then plops himself down on the cushion eagerly waiting for Jeremy to join him. In the shot above, Jeremy just finished a book and I guess the hug is Quincy's way of showing his appreciation!

My boys. They always (well ususally) make me smile.

the look

Quincy has a look that is reserved for Jeremy. It is clearly one of awe and admiration.

Jeremy is a lucky guy. Quincy definitely doesn't look at me that way.

Speaking of admiring one's father, happy birthday, dad!

yay, papa's home!

"Oh geez, does she really think another round of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' deserves a smile? And by the way, what's with her singing 24-7? Does she think I don't know an out-of-tune voice when I hear it?"

"Yay, papa's home!"