Out and About with Grandma

We have certainly been making the most of having Grandma here to stay. Here are a few of the things we've enjoyed so far:

A quaint coffee hour snatched at Martha's Pantry - my first time drinking a latte from a fine china tea cup accompanied by a lovely cheese & paprika scone. Except the coffee didn't even touch the sides so we just HAD  to have another one.

A special afternoon showing Grandma all the new developments at the zoo over the past year. In particular, we had great fun in the African village beating the bongo drums which brought the roaming chickens in to see what all the noise was about. We also showed Grandma the new animal hospital The Nest complete with penguins swimming in the salt water pool.




An outing as parent helpers on Tuesday with Noah's daycare taking all the children to story time at the library with John Zimmer. Noah got to choose 2 friends to hold hands with, Phoebe and Maddie being his chosen pals. There were some entertaining stories read with great gusto including: Kung Fu Moo Cow and Mr Magee and the Biting Flea.

A mini-break flying up to see GeeGee in New Plymouth for 2 days. Even though we've been enjoying some fantastic warm sunny days, Wednesday dawned windy and http://www.stuff.co.nz/ reported delays and cancellations of flights. It was not looking like a good day for travelling, particularly when there was a massive downpour accompanied by thunder 2 hours before we were due to fly. As it turned out, we were very fortunate to get a break in the weather to allow us to walk out to the plane to board our flight in semi-sunshine. However, it was a pretty bumpy, hairy ride - particularly the descent into New Plymouth when as well as some substantial bumps and jiggles, the plane dropped several feet without warning causing Grandma's magazine to fly up and hit the ceiling and then drop to the floor. But there was no time to be scared, as we had to put on a brave face for Noah, reassuring him with 'Isn't this fun?!!!' whilst Grandma and I looked at each other across the aisle somewhat terrified over Noah's head! I kept telling Noah that all the bumps were like going over speed bumps in the road whilst driving in the car, whilst he gripped hold of my hand very tightly. But it can't have put him off flying too much, as when we disembarked he exclaimed 'Well that was a fun ride!'

The not quite 2 days at GeeGee's sped by,  especially with a couple of visits from my aunt and uncle Wendy and Derek and (Great Aunty) Shirley who were all really keen to catch up with Grandma. Wendy and Derek had been able to stay with Grandma during their trip to Europe last year, so it was great to have another opportunity to catch up on all the family news with each other. The weather wasn't too flash while we were there, but we enjoyed a brunch at Zanziba and I allowed Noah to watch a fair bit of Playhouse Disney which I wouldn't usually do - although I have so far managed to convince Noah that we don't have this at our house....ssshhhh the longer we can keep that secret the better!




I must admit to being extraordinarily tired upon our arrival back into Wellington, to the point of having a bit of a meltdown on Friday evening. The responsibility of travelling with 2 children, 2 bags, a porta cot, a stroller and a car seat definitely took its toll even though Grandma was a fabulous help throughout the journey and especially on the flights etc. What also didn't help was disturbed sleep with Mylo who was up more than usual in the night, and sharing a room with Noah who was up not long after 6am - although he did lie relatively quietly in bed till nearer 7am, whisper singing nursery rhymes to himself - cute. Thankfully, Daddy (who had somewhat enjoyed 2 days peace and quiet without us all) has let me have the past 2 nights off the night feeding to try and catch up on a bit of sleep to restore some sanity.

I am now viewing the trip to Hamilton I have booked for me and the 2 boys in a month's time with a bit of trepidation....but will endeavour not to think about it too much in the meantime.

Yesterday, a chance drive by to our aeroplane spotting site allowed us the opportunity to see some of the unique and varied aircraft on display at the Wellington Aero Club open day including seeing a Catalina seaplane and some gyrocopters touch down inbetween the normal scheduled flights. In the afternoon, Daddy, Grandma and the boys walked down to the Gardens and braved an hour long wait to view the newly re-opened Carter Observatory on its open day.

Last but not least, we can not forget our fabulous weekend away with Grandma and Baba at the beach house last weekend - see Beautiful Beach Break.

This coming week we have Nana & Poppa arriving for Easter, and Mylo's Dedication to look forward to on Good Friday. We will  then have to sadly farewell Grandma on the Tuesday after Easter..,..but we shan't start thinking about that until we actually have to!