More Fun at Matangi
As well as hanging out with the cats and horses, we had fun digging up 'tartoes' with Poppa, and watching Noah pose like a nude Greek statue on the kitchen floor! The adults also got the chance to try out petanque on the great sized lawn once Noah was in bed.
Bad Parenting 101
One of the more hilarious movies we took was of Daddy 'helping' Noah ride his bike, though as you can see from the video Noah might have had more success on his own!
The Zoo
Mum & Dad were very excited about taking Noah to the zoo, and he didn't disappoint. He insisted on walking the whole way around the zoo, and every time we left an animal he would say 'tataa' and wave to them before saying 'more...more', i.e. what's next?! He enjoyed seeing the monkeys and rhino and we even made up a new sign for rhino whilst we were there which Noah readily copied.
Family Portraits
We also took the opportunity whilst at the zoo to try and get some nice family shots as it is always so easy for the days to pass without remembering to stop and take some just the three of us.
Hamilton Gardens
We left Poppa and Nic at home in peace to finish off putting up the new shade sail for the kitchen deck and took a trip to the Hamilton Gardens. Noah was very independent and wanted to walk everywhere on his own.
I've used Picasa to make a couple of the shots with Noah and the fountain a bit more arty, and am hoping I might be able to enlarge the one of Noah running towards the fountain to put up on the wall. To me, the photo really looks like he is 'Boy Alone' in the midst of a vast space.
Fun in New Plymouth
After a wonderful (and spontaneously extended by one day) 5 days with Nana and Poppa, it was time to hit the road back to GeeGee for a couple of nights. When we arrived, we enjoyed a gorgeous warm afternoon in GeeGee's back garden playing with some water in the garden. The next day we returned to Okurukuru, the gorgeous winery cafe for lunch where we had so enjoyed a visit the last time we were in New Plymouth. This time, though, we had the added attraction of not one, but TWO helicopters on show, and we even saw them both land, Noah was simply in helicopter heaven!
Festival of Lights
Whilst in New Plymouth, Mark and I took a rare opportunity to enjoy a night out on our own, visiting the famous Pukekura Park's Festival of Lights. For me, this was a trip down memory lane as we used to visit the park every Christmas holidays when staying with Granma, but it has certainly developed into a much bigger event than fifteen years ago. We also drove past what must have been New Plymouth's most lit-up house in this year's annual Light Up Your House competition - quite a sight!
And so ends, for us a most memorable and fun-filled Christmas holiday. Sadly, tomorrow it is back to work and daycare for us all. My first PAS study pack is due to arrive at the end of this month which I am trying very hard not to think about until I have to. That being said, we do of course have plenty to look forward to this year, with our trip to the UK to see Mark's family now only 15 weeks away and the time is bound to fly between now and then.
From the much more relaxed and refreshed team M...that's all for now!
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