KAHU, KIWA and CO

Don't know what she sees in him

2008-12-28T12:58:00.000+13:00

Dead eye

2008-12-28T12:19:00.002+13:00

2008-12-28T10:34:00.000+13:00

beach 27th Dec 08
Rayna, Kahu, Kiwa.

More quick pics

2008-12-28T10:08:00.001+13:00

2008-12-25T23:11:00.002+13:00

YO

2007-09-04T05:46:00.000+12:00

Howzit!! In a hurry got to get to the mines heres some updated pics.....

As the boys grow and their 'words' develop we get to laugh our heads off at their antics. No example pending as mentioned already late for the tar pit.
Every days Fathers day.
There's Mum and some old man, relaxed we may look but with three kids scattering through the bush at pace.....

Um.....and heres some more...
Go hard my girl
The end of a long tour.
Obviously conspiring against us, what they don't know is parents always bring a spade when they take their kids to the woods ah ah AH ( rolling of eyes and gnashing of teeth)
Watching Shark Boy and Lava Girl for the 20th time, its not even 3-D, just trying to make it different aaarrrggghhHHHH!!

Jed, Job, Jeepers Creepers

2007-03-31T20:27:00.000+12:00

JED

An update at last, especially for you Trevor & Maggie. It's been awhile, so bear with me. Not exactly sure where to start, i guess the dog is as good a place as any. We got a puppy three or so weeks ago, an adorable black labrador and we've named him Jed. When i say adorable, i mean really really really adorable, just look at the photo for goodness sake. The kids are pretty wrapped with him of course, part of the reason we decided to get a dog was to help Kiwa overcome his quite apparent fear of animals. I've made that sound a whole lot more dramatic than it really is, basically he's just a kid that had never been around animals so was very weary, he would actually start screaming if we came across a cat or dog at friends places or out and about. So we thought what better way to overcome that fear than for him to have a pet doggy of his very own. So far so good, apart from trying to pull Jed's tail and lie on top of him, ride him and all the rest, (hope the SPCA isn't reading this). Kahu's really good with him, it's been interesting watching him with Jed..seeing how he handles himself and talks to him. Jed is very fond of him and the first week or so we had him, everynight when Kahu went to bed Jed would go and lie at the foot of his bed and go off to sleep too. Needless to say, Kahu was pretty chuffed.

I'd be in serious trouble if i didn't mention the kennel, or rather dog palace. In typical Brendon fashion it was a massive project requiring him to work for hours at night after work to finish it in time for Jed's arrival. However, the end result is nothing short of perfection.

In other news, on Monday i return to the workforce!!! Well the paid workforce that is, got a job as a part-time Administrator/Project Assistant. Wish me luck, i'm not sure how it's all going to pan out, but i'm very excited. A few days ago i met with my employer to discuss hours and go over the contract before i start, it was fine but i had to laugh because i felt like such an impostor. All around me were business people having long business lunches and what seemed to be important discussions...and there i was little old me with blue and green dye on my hands from doing tye-dying at Playcentre with the kids that morning, only an hour ago in my trackies and jandals. There they all sat with their lap-tops and briefcases, and there was i with my little flax kete with Kahu's Teenage mutant ninja turtle figurine poking out the top. There i sat pretending i was one of them and trying to take it all in my stride. My boss told me that one of the first things i would need to do would be to get quotes for some equipment we needed to take 'on the road'. Call me naive but I was quite surprised as i wasn't expecting to have to travel, and thought maybe i was in for a trip to Rotorua....when she told me that in the next month i would be attending meetings in Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

The very next day i went out and bought my very own 'business satchel', apparently they are no longer called brief cases- just like lap-tops are no longer lap-tops, they are notebooks. LEARNING CURVE.

I will try not to leave it so long this time, i know the track record isn't good and that was before the job and the dog. We'll see how we go.......

Greetings!!!!!

2007-01-05T14:56:00.000+13:00

Kahu out for a sail

Kiwa after a few too many at the office xmas party.......

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas, Happy New Years to all! We have had a very busy and festive time of late which began in early December when we celebrated Brendon's 40th which was a great success....for those that were sensible and didn't drink the punch! I'll stop there as this event is deserving of a post all of its own.

We had a great Christmas. We spent the morning with my Dad and brother opening presents here and then had friends over for brunch. By then we were all really tired and could have gone for a nap but didn't-we went to my Aunty Mary-Jane's for lunch which was a huge family affair with lots of food, kids and cousins. Later in the afternoon we went to my Dad's side of the family at Maungatapu for more food, kids and cousins.......by then i was feeling pretty full and tired so i left Brendon and the guys to it and took Kahu and Kiwa home for a play with all their new gadgets and a much needed sleep. Brendon and I really enjoyed this Christmas with Kahu, it being his first real one where he was really aware of what was going on and could join in the excitement of it all. He was so cute putting food out for Santa and the reindeer. Kiwa was pretty overwhelmed with it all....he had this 'what the hell is going on' expression on his face for most of the day which we all found really amusing of course.

New Years was a blast. My friend Abbey who has two girls exactly the same age as Kahu and Kiwa, just days apart, offered to have the boys overnight on New Years Eve. Of course we said yes without even batting an eyelid and started to plan our big night out. We ended up going for a divine seafood meal and cocktails at the Blue Biyou restarant. Cheers Trev and Breda!!!!! and then a short stroll down to the legendary Pap Tav or Papamoa Tavern, where we met up with family and friends, danced on the stage and drank ourselves silly. It was heaps of fun, and i didn't even have a hangover the next day which i was pleased with as we had to pick up the kids at 9am who were by the way little angels for Abbey. Slept even better than they do at home, always the way.

For the big countdown Brendon and I ended up losing each other......i went to the bar and he went off to the dancefloor to show off some more of his moves......we were supposed to meet back at the table ( i know it's all sounding a bit teenagey!!!) but didn't. So for the countdown he ended up New Years kissing some random girl on the dancefloor who was of course a beautiful hot babe....and i ended up at the table with people from Playcentre who didn't even recognise me with my hair out and glasses off. They said i looked like i had been on Extreme Makeover. Great. No need to ask what my NY's resolutions are......

On an up note, we've had some brilliant days at the beach, been sailing, to the summer carnival, kayaking, snorkeling, out to the movies, had some good catch up time with family and friends and it's been awesome. Summer rocks.

I hope everyone has been having a good one, arohanui. Nga mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou.xx

Too cute in his xmas tie and shortie pj's!!!

kahu, kiwa & friends......

2006-12-03T21:14:00.000+13:00

more triplet pics......

2006-10-29T09:55:00.000+13:00

Jonty-this boy wants to crawl big time!!!

Lonan Ross-gorgeous boy.

Trevor....the responsible father.

Kahu and Ava enjoying a chat

The gang! Ava enjoying a cuddle with Kiwa!!!!!! not

Ava, Jonty and Lonan!!!!!

2006-10-29T09:01:00.000+13:00

Kahu & Ava...this photo says it all. Kahu is in his element.

Helping with a feed!!!

It's been a busy time of late as Brendon's brother Trevor and his wife Breda along with their 7-month old triplets have been out visiting from the UK.
They have moved on to Whangarei to visit Brendon's dad and his wife Mal and Ali, and we miss them.

It was a great visit. I personally really enjoyed seeing Trevor and Breda again. I met them for the first time 4 years ago and although lots has changed i.e i now have two kids!!! and they now have three!!....we all still got along really well and they are just lovely, lovely people. Ava, Jonty and Lonan are beautiful and their parents are doing a wonderful job with them.

Brendon and Trevor managed to get out for some golf, sailing, blo-karting and even a few drinks at the pub and Breda and I went out with Ava and Kiwa in tow, and hit the shops and had lunch which was great.

We enjoyed a couple of great BBQ's up at Maggie's place which were really neat too. Kahu and Kiwa were pretty impressed with their baby cousins and Kahu in particular took a real shine to them. He was very affectionate with them and very good at entertaining them by just having a quiet chat to them or jumping on pillows!!! This was hilarious....he had Ava, Jonty and Lonan all in hysterics as he jumped on our couch cushions!! Since their visit he has been asking me for another baby....uh oh!

We managed to fit alot in to the few weeks we had with them, the definite highlight was the lunch and shopping ah i mean um the babies of course. Seriously though i loved the cuddles and the talks and just helping out with the babies, loved every minute of it.

Fire station visit!!!

2006-09-14T16:17:00.000+12:00

Kahu and his buddies from Playcentre had a visit to the Mount Maunganui fire station this morning, it was brilliant. All the kids had a ride around the block in the fire engine, a turn with the hose and a chance to try on a uniform...kids size of course. Kahu absolutely loved it, the staff were great with the kids, i nearly asked them if they moonlight as Wiggles....
Enjoy the pics!

Happy Bday Kahurangi!!

2006-09-14T15:52:00.000+12:00

Rayna, Kahu, Kiwa and me. Not the best shot but one of a few which have more than two of us together.

Captain America

Kahu in super hero kit!!!

Kahu is now 3, his birthday has been and gone much to his disgust. I mean the day was great and so were the party and presents of course but he's a bit miffed that it's all over. He'd like his birthday every day, wouldn't we all. The Superhero party was a real success, the kids loved it and the entertainment wasn't bad either....cheers Brendon!!! Brendon dressed up as Captain America....see photo!!!

more photos...

2006-08-28T20:59:00.000+12:00

Proud Mum
Dadda + boys
Lis reading to boys..kinda stating the obvious ay
Poppa and Kiwa

HOWZIT!!

2006-08-28T20:13:00.000+12:00

Kahu and I building a dragon booster house/ foot stool.
My boys mucking about out the back.
Kiwa pulling a face ( in case you couldn't guess...)
Kahu and friend, bloody crack-up

Kahu on the flying fox going hard

2006-08-28T16:26:00.000+12:00

Koro & the boys. My Dad with Kahu & Kiwa.

Things have been ticking along quite nicely here, the kids are great and so are we.

KAHU

The world is a very fascinating place for Kahurangi at the moment. He wants to know about everything and how it all works and he wants to know why constantly. Yes the why phase is in full swing. He wanted to know why clothing has tags on it this afternoon, i was explaining to him while busy doing something else and then stopped to notice that he was just staring at me and taking it all in, just hanging on my every word. It was as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. Clothing and tags.

A typical conversation goes something like this.......

'Why are you taking the quiche out of the oven?'

'Because it's finished cooking'

"But why is it finished cooking?'

'Because it's finished cooking and it's ready to eat'

'No but why is it finished cooking and ready to eat?'

He just keeps asking over and over again until he has an answer he is satisfied with, he won't be fobbed off!! When you're tired or in a rush or just plain don't feel like explaining for the fifth time why cars need to stop when the traffic light is red, it's easy to forget that he's just a kid who wants to know about the world. He will be turning 3 in two weeks and is all geared up for his Superhero birthday party. About 3 months ago he and a few of his buddies from Playcentre started running around like lunatics in capes & masks waving swords and basically terrorising girls and babies, all apparently normal and healthy for boys at this age!!! So anyway they will all be in their element come Saturday 9th of September, stay tuned for photos!!

Granny babysat the boys on Saturday night while Brendon and I went to his work-do which was fantastic by the way, well done to Brendon who organised it and did a pretty awesome job as MC. Anyway back to the story, i came home at around 10pm and Kahu was awake in his bed sobbing. I went and sat down with him and all he could say was 'I not got any meatloaf, i not got any meatloaf'. He just kept saying it over and over. Nice to know someone appreciates my culinary delights.

Tonight at the dinner table i was talking to Maggie about someone being pissed off about something, i wasn't talking about myself of course i'm never pissed off....!!! anyway Kahu pipes up 'Hey, you sweared'. This totally surprised me as I didn't even know he was aware of the concept of swearing, i mean how could he be? Brendon and I never swear.............!!! just goes to show that old saying of my Nanna's is true that little piggies really do have big ears.

KIWA

Kiwa is too cute. He really is.

I don't know what else to say about him really other than that, he follows Kahu around and wants to do absolutely everything that his big brother does which isn't always possible and then he has a hissy-fit and throws himself on the ground, all while looking really really cute of course.

He is into absolutely everything, just at that age where they have to touch and pull out everything they come across. I watched him and Kahu having afternoon tea today, man it was funny. They were sharing a plate of watermelon and crackers etc and Kiwa had to pick up every single piece of food on the plate at least once, put it in his mouth and then regurgitate it and then put it back on the plate, but not before squashing half of it into the carpet. Makes me kind of understand why Kahu feels the need to give him a sly whack on the head when he thinks no-one is looking, not that i condone it of course!

He's at that can't turn your back phase. I went outside to hang some washing the other day and came inside to find that in that short space of time he had squashed nearly a whole bag of kiwifruit into the kitchen table. The whole table was all green, hairy and slimy. Kahu said it looked like Shrek.

yeah so life is busy but fun. I see Brendon has posted heaps of photos which is great, but i've just added a couple more of my faves. Hope everyone is well. You might not hear from us again for another two months!!! will try not to leave it that long this time. Arohanui. xxxxx

In a nutshell.......

2006-07-27T14:48:00.000+12:00

Hi all, well the good news is that no-one in our house is currently sick. touch wood.

Lots has been happening around here, but i'll just give you the condensed in a nutshell version and post some photos before the kids wake up from their nap. If i go for the detailed version it's likely the kids will wake up and interrupt me and this blog could go for another 3-4 wks without being updated.

Firstly the most exciting development is that Kahu is toilet trained!!!!

Ok the kids are awake now so in a really small nutshell.....

I started a photography night course on Monday, love it and really good to be doing something totally unrelated to kids. Although next week's topic is photographing Children and babies!!! can't get away from them that easy.
We're off to Auckland next week for our friend Nikki's wedding, looking forward to catching up with a lot of old friends and of course the chance to dress up and wear something other than jeans or trackpants.
My Mum flies in from Saudi Arabia next Friday for a month long holiday of which her and Dad will spend 7-8 days here in Papamoa, really looking forward to spending time with Mum & Dad and seeing them with the kids.
I'm sure there was more to report.....but gotta go, enjoy these recent random pics. I'm sure you'll figure out who's who. Cheers

Sick.....and sicker

2006-07-12T07:58:00.000+12:00

Kahu has just recovered from a nasty bout of gastroenteritis. I thought Kiwa and I had come away unscathed but he woke yesterday morning vomiting and now I can feel it coming on plus i have a bad cold and am feeling like absolute crap already.

Before and in amongst all this we had Rayna for a week, and Brendon took her and Kahu down to the snow and before that the boys and I went away for a really cool weekend in Auckland to catch up with friends.

All that is a fond but distant memory now though. Brendon or i will post some pics soon....not of the vomiting & diarrhoea...of the snow of course!

2006-06-28T16:53:00.000+12:00

Hi. The move went surprisingly well. Let's face it...packing every single item in your household into boxes and moving it all to another destination isn't exactly fun. Not to mention the cleaning part, chuck in a couple of kids and you've got a pretty nasty combination.
This move was pretty sweet, thanks to family members who got stuck in and made it the easiest and smoothest move i've ever done.
My Dad drove up from Palmerston North to help, Aunty MJ & Uncle Rob who organised the truck and helped on the day all day, Maggie & Tessa who cleaned all the windows and skirting boards in the old place then went to the new house and started unpacking, put on a roast for everyone for dinner AND took Kahu off our hands for most of the afternoon. My grandparents who are 86 and 81 took Kiwa out for the day, amazing, and finally cousin Tia who cleaned the kitchen including oven and stayed all day to help where needed.
It truly was an awesome effort, thankyou to all of you.

We're enjoying OUR house and the kids have settled really well, they love running around outside on the decks and having a park two doors up the road doesn't go down too badly either. I'm loving being close to the shops and new Papamoa library which opened a few weeks ago, it's all just a 10 min walk up the road....supermarket, library, the Warehouse!!! and not forgetting Fashion Island, 24 clothing stores and more being built as we speak.......Brendon is pretty happy too, in his element really. His list of ideas and things to do and make grows every day.

No photos this time, but stay tuned....!!!

on the move..........

2006-06-15T16:42:00.000+12:00

My boys!!!

Kiwa has discovered climbing-i find him in all sorts of places as you can see. He is very pleased with himself & his achievements but has had some nasty falls.
Boys & their toys.......

hi all! Been busy packing and organising for the big move this Saturday...it's been a mission, i've lost count of how many times i've packed a box only to come back two minutes later to find that Kahu and Kiwa have UN packed it and spread its contents throughout the house. Packing/moving house and children just aren't a good mix. I made them playdough the other morning to play with while i tried to pack, they played with it for about 20 mins maybe before they got bored....so a real success that was. No good old boxes are way more interesting. And of course the fact that Brendon is the hoarder of all hoarders doesn't help matters....bags of old receipts really come in handy if you decide to dispute the bill from that dinner out back in September 85 but apart from that i can't see a use for them. At all.
I am very much the opposite, i can't stand clutter, it drives me mad. Brendon and I have had a few terse discussions this week to say the least........
Anyway we're nearly there, and still excited but will be good to have the moving part over and done with. Our new email address is lisa.brendon@xtra.co.nz- i think that will take effect early next week and our ph number is changing too-will keep you posted on that one.
Hope everyone is well and staying away from all those nasty winter bugs going round. Kiwa and I both have bad coughs but other than that we're all good, touch wood.

Arohanui, lisa

Rotorua holiday

2006-06-04T16:56:00.000+12:00

I only have Rayna stay once a month because of the travel but she fits straight in as if she had never been away...her brothers love her and she them, it makes me very happy.
We went to Rotorua and did the lion park thing, fed the fishes, hot pools, dinner out, motel! Awesome. For those of you who haven't been in Aotearoa for awhile - this is a very beautiful country...

Kiwa climbing a tree. The feet to the right are up against the lion enclosure. It was feeding time and they were pacing up and down the cage ready to eat, there was only a standard garden variety wire fence between them and us -you could put your fingers through if you wished.....All the lions LOVED the little children and babies - gave them a good sniffing.
The holidays over now, work, routine and packing will keep us busy till 16 of June when we move to our new house...then I suppose it will be gardening and renovations to keep us going! Can't wait.

2006-05-31T21:02:00.000+12:00

Rayna in the rain.
Shucks.
Wish you were here....
Yeah man....just been harvesting my plants.
No. he's not picking his nose -he's musing intelligently..

Lisa has gone to a playcentre meeting tonight, as is the thing to do and has left me alone to care approprietly for the kids...well, Mum and my sis ARE here and the kids ARE asleep sooooo HELLO LETS PARTY!!!
Well, thats enough excitment for me. Good - night.

Road Rage................

2006-05-24T21:02:00.000+12:00

Kahu woke at 4.45am the other morning expecting his breakfast and Brendon got up to make it for him......i'm sure you were all hanging off the edges of your seats for that one. I'm still tired.......so nothing new there.

Anyway i've got more important matters to get off my chest and i might use bad language so apologies in advance. Here goes....

We had a fantastic morning today, we've been going to Gymnastics for the past 4 weeks on a Wednesday morning with friends from Playcentre. It's great, the kids love it-and then we go to a really cool kid-friendly cafe afterwards. They have a big sandpit and toys as well as crayons & paper to keep the kids occupied while we Mums have a coffee and chat. We look forward to it every week, a really good outing. Anyway today was no different......except for what happened afterwards. I piled Kahu & Kiwa into the car covered in sand and half-eaten pikelets with jam and set off to do a few jobs. One of these jobs was to go to Edex toys and get a bday present for Kahu's friend Jade who is turning 4 this weekend. She's having a 'crazy hair-do' party and Kahu's invited. On the drive over to Greerton, the kids fell asleep in the car which i was secretly pleased with as i didn't really fancy the idea of taking two tired, grubby kids into a toy shop of all places and i didn't have the energy to deal with explaining to Kahu that we were shopping for Jade and not for him. So my plan was to find a park right outside and dash in and get the pressie. I did about 5 or so laps of the car park waiting for the perfect park to become available, the one right outside the door so that I could see the kids if they woke.....things are going well when i see a lady with a small child coming out of the toy shop and approaching her car which is in my perfect park. I pull up close but not too close of course put on my indicators and wait for what seems like an age while she straps her boy in, folds up her pram and proceeds to pull out. I cannot believe my eyes when a couple probably in their 50's-early 60's driving a hatchback, come from the other direction and pull right into MY park. Now i'm the first to admit that there are those times when these things happen and are a genuine mistake, and even if they're not genuine sometimes you just drive off and mutter something under your breath. Well this wasn't one of those times for me and it wasn't a genuine mistake at all, it was blatant bad manners.

Let me point out that i am not in the habit of attacking people in car parks, no matter how tired or stressed i might be. But i needed to get that present today, i needed to have that exact park and bloody hell i just needed it to happen OK. My car is in the garage being repaired and i haven't had it for about a week and i'm not sure when i'm getting it back. Today i dropped Brendon at work and had the use of his car for the day, so the pressure was on to get all these jobs done. OK. So i rolled down my window and said politely 'Excuse me, i was waiting for that park for ages before you came along etc etc, my kids are asleep in the car and i just need to go in and grab something from that toy store etc etc'...... something along those lines. To which the male replied "too bad, what do you want me to do about it, it's a public car-park". To which i replied "Move".

So he moved and i drove into the park right outside the front door of Edex Toys. This should have been the end of it, except for the part where his wife starts walking towards my car and calling me a 'stupid bitch'. I couldn't believe it, i was just staring at her in shock....anyway her name-calling continued, and i thought right that's it, so i yelled out at the top of my voice "I'd rather be a stupid bitch than a fat, old tart". Hmmmmm ...... classy one Lis. Thank God the kids were asleep.

The saga continues. Her husband returns from re-parking their car and puts his head through the open window of my car, gets right in my face and starts asking me if i'm happy now and telling me I need to say thankyou. Get a life. By this point, i started to think ok things are getting a tad ridiculous so i told him plainly to just go away.

The finale goes something like this........they start to walk off and i think i'm in the clear when the wife turns to the husband and says within earshot of course. "She's gonna leave those kids in the car, she's gonna leave those bloody kids in the car while she goes into the shop, that's illegal".
The husband then turns to me and tells me that if i leave the car, he'll ring the cops.

I should've just gone into the shop and to hell with them but i didn't. I drove home and got Maggie my mother-in-law and she came out and did the rest of the errands with me. Thanks Maggie!!!

I was really shocked and apalled at the attitude of these two nasties that I came across today.....they looked so normal and decent!!! just like Mr and Mrs Higgins or Sean & Sharon Ryan....just your typical nice people but there was something more sinister lurking underneath!!! I've re-told this story what seems like a hundred times already today and have been met with some interesting reactions. Here's my fave........

My brother Matt- you should have knocked them the f*** out. Ha, can you imagine it??!!!

On my outings with the kids i've come across some really lovely people. People that have held doors or carried a bag, even offered to hold one of the kids while you tend to the other. A sympathetic smile or a kind word goes a long way when you're trying to deal with a tantrum in public or a baby that won't stop crying or such like. I've met some not so helpful and quite intolerable people also, but nothing at all like today's experience. It takes the cake.

Thanks for the rant, i'm off to bed......Ciao

Sleep when they sleep...................

2006-05-22T22:40:00.000+12:00

People told me time and time again when I was pregnant with Kahu 'just sleep when he sleeps' and 'don't worry about the housework, just put your feet up and read a book when he goes down'. A handy piece of advice, shame i never took it. They never told me that when I was pregnant with Kiwa....probably knew I'd never get the chance.
To get to the point, Kahu fell asleep at 5pm tonight watching TV while i was cooking dinner. My initial reaction was 'damn he's gonna miss dinner', but it wasn't long before those thoughts were replaced by oh well, i could do with an evening minus the dramas of having to co-erce, coax and bribe him into eating dinner, having a bath or shower and of course going to bed and then I even started telling myself well, he must just need the sleep. So I just picked him up off the couch and tucked him into bed, he didn't flinch....even changed his nappy and he didn't budge. I didn't push my luck by trying to brush his teeth.
I got Kiwa down which went pretty smoothly and was feeling pretty satisfied with things, which meant I had a free evening to watch TV............well who's a lucky girl then???
The downside of all this is that i find myself sitting here at nearly 11pm and all i can think is 'damn i should have gone to bed at 8.30, i'm gonna pay for this tomorrow'.......and the even bigger downside is that there's a fairly good chance that Kahu will wake at 3 or 4am expecting someone to get up and make his breakfast. If that happens i'll try the kind but firm approach 'it's not morning time yet, you need to go back to sleep'. Knowing my eldest son, i've got pretty much zilch chance of that working so at that point, i'll probably roll over and say to Brendon 'well you might as well get up to him, i mean you have to get up for work soon anyway'!!!! Hmmmm i don't like my chances.....
For all you people out there who have newborns or baby/babies with colic or triplets for that matter you're probably wondering what i'm whingeing about and maybe even thinking how lucky I am that if I stop ranting and go to bed I will get a good 4-5 hours sleep. But it just doesn't work that way i'm afraid as Kiwa is still waking for a feed in the night...........ah sleep, glorious, beautiful, lovely sleep. I miss you sleep. I've had bugger all sleep for the last two and a half years and i'm tired, really tired. Maybe i should have taken their advice to 'sleep when they sleep'???!!

Sweet Home Hartford Ave

2006-05-20T07:55:00.000+12:00

If anyone out there is still bothering to check our blog, we've just bought a house!!! Yes our own house, where we can hang pictures on the walls and have a pet if we like, make the kids a swing and a sandpit, paint the rooms etc and no need to worry about the landlord just popping in to 'drop fertilizer on the lawn' anymore. We've bought a property in Hartford Ave, Papamoa, you can check it out if you like at www.ljhooker.com and the ref no is 6amgsq. It's been a pretty stressful few weeks, the fact that it's our first home and we had absolutely no idea what to do didn't help matters-we were pretty clueless about the whole process really. Thank goodness for Brendon's Dad Mal who was our coach!
So the big move is on June 16th-we can't wait!! Maggie & Tessa have also found themselves a house, and they move 10th June-so it will be abit of a mass evacuation really. Matt is off to Palmy this Thursday to convalesce down there for a while, he fell off a kerb.......(pls don't ask me to go into details)...about 2 weeks ago and had to have surgery on his foot, so he's off work for about 8 wks and when he's back in action he will join us at Hartford Ave in the sleepout, which will suit him and us down to a tee.
Oh yeah the kids are good too...........

Haere ra Koro, haere mai Granny.........

2006-04-29T11:16:00.000+12:00

hi! just sitting here at home ALONE!! and loving it, it is soooo quiet and soooo relaxing. The boys have gone out fishing with Brendon, Dad, Matt and Uncles Paul and Thomas to their fave spot, called The Cut in Maketu.......leaving me with a free morning to ah um write about my kids on the blog....
We've had a really neat but very busy week with Dad here, really enjoyed it and not quite ready for him to go actually. Boo hoo! He leaves tomorrow, back down to good old Palmy North. The highlight of the week would have to be our trip to Baywave Pools, i think the pools is pretty high on the 'really fun things to do' list for most kids, Kahu just goes crazy. Dad said to me at one point in all seriousness 'you don't think he's got ADHD do you?'. And they say that water is calming???? that definitely doesn't apply to Kahurangi Ross.
Anyway very soon we will be farewelling Koro but greeting Granny. For those of you whom i haven't got around to telling, Brendon's Mum Maggie and sister Tessa are moving in tomorrow! as they have decided to make the move from Whangarei to this beautiful place we call home, Tauranga Moana. They will be staying until they sort jobs, accomodation etc. So we will have a full house indeed, with my brother Matt also living with us. It's quite an operation we have running here you see, it's kinda like the 'Welcome to Tauranga' induction package deal!! similar to the Price household in Sydney, they do the 'Welcome to Sydney' induction package.
When we were in Auckland it used to get me down that we didn't have whanau around, used to feel quite lonely at times even though we made some fantastic friends. It just felt like everyone else had family that they were just popping over to have Sunday lunch with, or just leaving the kids with their parents while they did a spot of shopping etc etc. I used to wish we had the same......now i know you should be BLOODY CAREFUL about what you wish for.....!!!!!!I can't get away from family here, they are everywhere........!!!!!

2006-04-24T12:59:00.000+12:00

ah ok i think i've just worked out the caption thing......not exactly rocket science is it. Here's Kiwa with his Poppa Fisher, my grandfather and of course the cake.

2006-04-24T12:51:00.000+12:00

Ok i'm giving up-having trouble posting pics and getting fed-up with this bloody blog so i'll just try and show ya one of the cake. I did say bear with me!!!

2006-04-24T09:44:00.000+12:00

I'm pleased to report that the cake was a great success-phew! It was a real mission and took Nanna and i five hours but it was well worth it, the kids got a real buzz out of it and when everyone had gone home after the party Kahu took great delight in hacking at it with a knife, pulling it all apart then reassembling it over and over again. He told me he was fixing the train bcos the train was broken and was taking it all very seriously, he's into rescuing, saving and fixing things at the moment.....i wonder where he gets that from????? Oh well at least we'll know who to turn to next time the car breaks down....
One of his favourite things to do is to get his toy cat and put it up in a tree, then he gets his firetruck and goes and rescues the cat! It's really quite cute.
Anyway i won't bore you with anymore of that stuff.
Kiwa wasn't overly impressed with the cake as you can see in the photo! Well you can't please everyone all of the time........
We are looking forward to a fun week ahead with my Dad here till next Sunday. The boys love their Koro and he them of course. He is very much the doting grandfather in every way, and of course I am so not complaining about having an extra pair of hands around for a week.
I think mini golf is on the cards for Koro and Kahu this morning, and then the big boys (Matt, Brendon, Dad and cousin Tiki) are golfing this afternoon.
Ah yes life is good....as for me, only ten hours to go until Desperate Housewives, man i love Mondays.
did i really just say that? Still time to delete...ah what the heck i'm totally hooked and not ashamed to say it!

Still can't figure out how to put captions underneath photos but i'm sure these ones are pretty self-explanatory anyhow. Nanna making the cake, Kahu destroying the cake, before/after, kids, party, presents......etc etc

2006-04-22T06:46:00.000+12:00

Kia ora everyone!!! Well i have finally got my act together and joined the world of bloggers and i can't think of a better day on which to start than Kiwa's first birthday!!!! What more could a boy want for his first birthday...... Ooooh look Kiwa- it's a blog!!!!!
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of being in Kiwa's company, let me take the time to tell you a little more about him. His first name is derived from Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, which means the great ocean of Kiwa. Kiwa is one of our ancestors who is famed as a great ocean explorer and navigator. Joshua is after his Uncle Josh in London, whom i hear is a real character and top bloke. Other than that, Kiwa is a real charmer. He is happy, chilled-out and loves a laugh. Of course if you'd been around him this week you would think i were an absolute liar, as he has been sick with bronchiolitis and there has been nothing happy or chilled-out about any of it. Ask his Granny!! First Kahu got a cough/cold and then of course Kiwa caught it and ended up spending a night in hospital, i've just had it and Brendon is just starting to get a sniffle...my poor baby, NOT!!!! it hasn't stopped him going out on an all-expenses paid fully catered deluxe fishing charter today.
I'm off to make Kiwa's bday cake with his great-grandmother, my Nanna Molly Fisher. We are making a train, not just any train either.....don't worry there will be photos!! It has been a real team effort, my Aunty Mary-Jane, a cake decorating whizz herself made the butter cream icing....thanks MJ!!! Man i love having the whanau around.....it's awesome.
Kahu is struggling to get his two year old head around the fact that it's Kiwa's bday and not his, don't ya love two year olds......

I'm still getting the hang of how to use this blog so bear with me....! can't quite work out how to place captions underneath the photos, but the photos above are recent ones of Kiwa, the one on the left was taken today and No he's not wearing lipgloss, he's been eating pebbles.