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!

The Moon Festival

Alright everyone (Amanda), I know that it has been a month since we last posted...sorry about that. We have been busy (not a good excuse, I know), so hopefully these posts make up for it. Overall, things are well here. The kids and I are winding down the 3rd school term of the year and are looking forward to our two week break starting on Saturday. Talor is also finishing his swim lessons and will be starting t-ball soon. It's going to be busy, but good. I'll try and keep you all updated as often as I can.

Two weekends we went to a Moon Festival in New Lynn. Although we didn't know much about it, it had been advertised and looked like fun. There were a bunch of food stalls, performances and activities for the kids. There were also free rides and a bouncy castle. We had a really good time!

The kids and I went on a boat ride...it was a bit tight for me and the funny guy running the ride even joked that if I got stuck he had a crow bar to get me out. The kids obviously loved it.

Like the boat ride, the kids also had a fun teacup ride with mum. They had to anxiously wait for a little bit, but by the looks on their faces it was worth it.

As well as the rides, we also watched some belly dancers and drummers perform. There were tons of cool decorations too.

After having dinner at McDonalds, we closed out the night with dessert at the festival - frozen chocolate covered bananas. We sat and watched some dancers while eating. It was a lot of fun!

Random Kid Photos

The two sides of Layla - the pouty, "I don't want to do anything" Layla and the Happy Go Lucky Layla. You never know what you're going to get sometimes!

Sometimes we play so hard that all there is left to do is sleep!

If you hadn't heard, the Rugby World Cup is in New Zealand at the moment (and the National team is the All Blacks for all the Americans that may not have known that). In order to show support for the national team, Talor's school had a "Black Out" day at his school where everyone was encouraged to wear black for the All Blacks. They then congregated together for a picture or two. Both Talor and Layla are in there somewhere.

The Solar System

Talor has been studying the solar system in his class recently and one of his projects was to create a solar system. He could do it however he wanted, so Shell gave him a few options...he chose balloons. After a little more research, Shell found a cool/messy activity that had us all wrapping wool soaked in glue around balloons of different sizes. The wool, once dried, would take on the shape/size of the balloon and would represent the different planets. We then hung them in the correct order on a long pole. Everyone helped complete this, and Dad, being the child that he is, always chuckled when Uranus was mentioned (I'm still chuckling as I type this)! In the end, it was hung up in the school hall for the class submission for the Science Fair.

Layla and her new cousin

Over the past 12 weeks we have all enjoyed time with the newest Olliver...none more than the smallest Bacarella. She is a good little 'mommy' and loves to have her cuddles with her cousin. On one recent visit she even shared her doll's crib with him (just to see if he fit...he did!). I have a feeling that they are going to be great friends!!

Layla's 1st Day of Kindy

About three weeks ago Layla got the call up to the big leagues...she started kindergarten! This is what she had been waiting for since Talor started a couple years ago and she has been having a ball ever since! It's amazing how fast these kids are growing! Congratulations Layla!