Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Well, it took a while for the kids to decide what they wanted to be today, but last week ended with a pirate and Dora the Explorer. You can't see Layla's back in that picture below, but she has Backpack on too. They both looked GREAT and were so excited!

The kids started out by trick or treating at the neighbor's house where they got VERY spoiled. After that we went to the library for "Spooky Stories." There were quite a few kids there and they were all dressed up nicely. As you can see below, even the people reading dressed up. They also handed out quite a bit of candy, so the kids loved it...mostly!

At first they were entranced and having fun...

They even did some dancing...

But you know how Layla is with people dressed up...she didn't like it for the entirety. She spent quite a bit of time both squeezing Talor's arm and sitting on Shell's lap.

We finished the evening with trick or treating at Nana and Grumpy's house. Overall, it was a fun night and the kids looked cool. Happy Halloween everyone!

Layla the Barber

Just by chance yesterday I looked up and saw Layla with a pair of scissors in her hand. When I asked her what she was doing she told me that her pony needed a haircut. I told her that it wouldn't grow back but she didn't care.

It was only when she made this face that I started getting nervous for her pony!

Layla's Morning Concert

This is a song that Layla has learned while at kindy. Don't worry if you don't understand all of the words...some are in Maori.

The Great Pumpkin

For those of you who didn't know, Talor and Layla's 'Grumpy' is VERY big into his garden and he likes to grow a wide variety of things. Being the good man that he is, he one day found seeds for what looked like "American" pumpkins....so he gave them a try. The first 'good' one didn't quite make it in the end, but this one DID make it and today turned into The Great Pumpkin. The kids and I designed it and carved it this afternoon. It was their first experience doing this and they thought it was 'slimy!'

It is now glowing outside for the neighbors to see!

Stardome Observatory Visit

For the majority of our most recent break from school and work, the weather cooperated and was quite nice. However, we had an overcast day on one of the last days off so we decided to use our vouchers to the Stardome Observatory. Before heading in for the show, we spent some time playing on the playground for a little while.

After our play we went in for the show. Talor was supposed to have come here with his class but was sick at the time, so he was looking forward to it. The show inside was okay, but the kids had fun and even got to play with all of the "space stuff" for a little while in the lobby.

Rugby World Cup - The Cloud

Due to so many of our blog viewers being Americans who may not have known this event was happening, I thought that I would start there. For the past month or so New Zealand has been hosting the Rugby World Cup. The country has changed quite a lot in preparation for this event, and possibly no area more than downtown Auckland. So today we took a train into town to have a walk around and look at everything.

The main section on gameday is called The Cloud. It was somewhat disappointing since we thought that there would be more in it, but we also figured that the atmosphere on gameday would be quite a bit different. Still, we were glad to see it all.

Old MacDonald's Farm was also on the wharf, so the kids, Shell and I went to have a look. They had goats, cows, chickens and rats...yes Grandma, rats! Talor enjoyed having one crawl all over him and Layla seemed quite excited to have her turn. So, we put one on her...then she screamed and cried just like her Grandma would have! I was scared to death that she was going to drop the rat and step on it...thank God she didn't. We got her out of the farm and calmed her down...she had a good laugh when I told her that the rat I was holding at the time crawled down my back and was close to going down my pants when I went to get her. All was fine, but I think we'll just look at the rats from afar from now on.

Another feature was a 3D movie on the creation of New Zealand. This was Talor and Layla's first 3D movie. It was cool, and they enjoyed it a lot.

Here is a replica of what France and New Zealand are fighting for on Sunday night - the Webb Ellis trophy. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it looks like that trophy will be spending the next four years here in New Zealand. Although the French team can't be overlooked, the All Blacks have looked GREAT this tournament and Sunday night should be a lot of fun!

This has been a very enjoyable break...and we still have six more days!

Spongebob and Patrick

Tonight we brought the kids to the Massey Library for a special hour of fun. They were told to wear their pajamas and to come and enjoy a visit from Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star. We met up with Miss Julie, Jack and Charlie (along with about 50 other kids) and listened to some stories, sang some songs, danced some dances and then saw and danced with Spongebob and Patrick. The kids had a ball, but Layla ended up crying and holding me like grim death when Spongebob and Patrick came out - she really hates mascots! Still, it was fun and worth going to.

Thanks Uncle Dan and Jacob!

A couple of weeks ago we got a package from Uncle Dan and Jacob. They had sent some game films of Jacob's football and also some gifts for the kids. Layla got some very cool Dora hair clips that she loves and Talor got some colored hair gel - blue and white. Shortly after receiving this, Talor had a 'Monster' day at his school so he thought that would be the perfect opportunity to wear the gel. This is what it looked like...he felt very cool. Thanks Uncle Dan and Jacob!

A Very Fun Day!

Today's weather was BEAUTIFUL! The kids got dressed early and waited patiently on their trampoline. After a short wait for mom and dad...

We arrived at the Ambury Farm day!

There was a maze made from hay that the kids and Shell enjoyed. Layla was a very good director for Talor...leading him through the twists and turns.

And then there was the highlight...Layla has been REALLY into horses lately and has been asking to see and ride some. There was pony rides at the farm that the kids LOVED. I don't know if the smile on Layla's face ever came off after that.

Here are some of the animals that were on display...the turkey made us think of Thanksgiving coming up (Go Lions!) and it was cool seeing the sheep dog muster up the sheep. We didn't think Maddy would be able to do that, but agreed that it would be cool if she could!

We also took a ride on an old tractor. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one with the American flag (and Dukes of Hazard horn), but we got a picture of that one anyway. This ride took us all over the farm and brought us up close and personal to the many kites that were flying in the air. It was very cool.

We were also able to see some lambs. Some of the kids were able to feed them bottles but we arrived a bit late. We saw one of my students working in this area and she tried to get our kids a turn but wasn't able to make it happen.

As we moved through the farm we watched a guy shear a bunch of sheep. He was VERY quick and the kids were entranced. Both of our kids were able to stomp down the wool after it had been taken off the sheep. And one of the cheeky guys that was running the show tried to give me a bit of a wig...the kids (and crowd) thought that it was funny.

On our way out the kids got their first ever shaved ice. Needless to say, it was a hit and a nice way to end a great day. However, it wasn't over yet...

The police were present and showing off their gear. Talor and Layla went to have a look, but once the siren went off Layla took off crying. She hates loud noises! Talor stuck around though and tried his hand at police work. He looked good and thought he was pretty cool.

Overall, it was a fantastic day. We all got a bit sun burned and our feet hurt from all the walking, but we can't wait to go back again next year!