2010 - All the Smiles

I'm a bit slow off the mark with this whole celebration of the past year. Since we're five days into the New Year and all.

But as I've participated with a few of the Project Smile celebrations over at Alicia's A Beautiful Mess, I thought there could be no better way to round out the year than to recount all the beauty we explored and found. If only just to remember what made us smile one more time.

If I'm honest, I'm also a teeny-tiny bit proud of these collages. Together, they became a hard cover photo book we gave to both grandparents for Christmas. It was a labour of love starting way back in May and I spent many a night creating and tutu-ing (not sure that is a word but hey!) happily. When I finally finished it in mid-November, I was dying to blog about it, but I could hardly ruin the Christmas morning surprise now could I?

So without further ado, here's the smiles we discovered on our quest to Explore Beauty in 2010:

In January, I raged about the crappy Wellington summer we were having. But that didn't stop us getting out on some lovely mummy and son days. Including trips to the water front where I lamented the loss of more brain cells due to that 'nappy brain' syndrome. Mark and I finally resolved to get back in shape with the trusty Weight Watchers programme after the excesses of Christmas and post-baby weight that had to go.

In February, the boys and I discovered Karori Park for the first time.

A freshly bathed babe just had to be photographed.

We were treated to a visit by my gran who adores her only two great-grandchildren.

Noah hung out with his mates at the Chinese New Year Festival.

Some mummy and son time at the park on a sunny afteroon.

And we celebrated our six-year wedding anniversary.

In March, we were treated to a surprise visit by English grandma who was desperate to meet baby Mylo. We made the most of her short time here. Taking in the best little zoo in the world...

And relaxing at Raumati for a one-night beach escape together. Where the sun set like I have never seen it before and probably never will again.

And Mylo decided it was about time he got in on the action by learning to crawl.

In April, we celebrated Mylo's dedication day surrounded by all our friends and family. Made all the more special that Nana, Poppa and Grandma could all be there.

We had fun hiding easter eggs all over the garden. And ate ourselves silly (we weren't still Weight Watchering by then having reached our goals!).

The last day before Grandma flew home to England we marvelled at the wild beauty of Makara beach.

An unseasonably warm April afternoon providing happy playtime for us all.

I flew solo with the boys up to Hamilton to hang out in the countryside with Nana & Poppa. Yet another magical adventure in the Hamilton gardens. A wonder of my world.

 In May, I suffered for a good few weeks with awful tooth pain after what was meant to be a simple wisdom teeth extraction. Not an experience I'd ever want to repeat. EVER. It still makes me wince just thinking about it. But I put aside the pain to enjoy a magical afternoon at the beach with the boys before having to return to full-time work.

And I sat and watched this little dude growing before my eyes. Wondering  wistfully where the past eight months had gone?

In June we were thrown into a whole new world. Full-time work and daycare. And winter was upon us too. Colds, new routines, so much to get used to. Coping as best we could.

 The cold days providing opportunities for indoor creativity.

But by the end of the month we were drained. Physically sick, tired and struggling emotionally with all the recent changes. So I decided to throw caution to the wind, and have a mid-winter Christmas on June 25. Exactly half a year since Christmas, but still Christmas was half a year away. We needed this day. So much. And it gave our spirits exactly the lift we so needed.

July was a quiet month for us. More sickness, more quiet time at home. I agonised about the guilt over being a working mum. Guilt that never leaves but that you just learn to cope with. Hoping that you are doing the best you can with what you've got.

I was inspired by Bobby Robin's Photo Boards and had a go making my own. And to this day I love seeing our photoboard on the wall. So much so, that I've made a few smaller versions for friends as well.

August was a HUGE month for us. Noah turned four.

And the big day FINALLY arrived. Our brother, sister and cousin arrived from Wales to spend three once-in-a-lifetime weeks with them. In the middle of it all, Mark fell really ill with viral arthritis which gave us all a scare. But after a few quiet weeks and a course of steroids, he bounced back.

With our family, we discovered a Wellington we didn't even know existed.

 And showed off familiar haunts.

 And then it was off to our friends' beach house again. With photo opportunities running into the thousands.

 Where a driftwood filled beach turned into a scene from Boy: The Movie.

Where the fact it was mid-winter didn't stop two brave boys from getting their kit off.

 Neither did it stop a little boy from exploring the sand in bare feet.

 Ah the memories. They have to tide us over for months and years to come. Until the day we meet again. We know not where or when.

 Sunset walks on the beach. Every night the sun had something new to offer. Couldn't take my eyes off it. Transfixed.

And then as quickly as they came, they went. And it was back to cold hard reality for us.

But there were good distractions ahead to take our mind off the sad farewell.

In September, there was Mylo's first year of life to celebrate. A weekend spent at home with Nana & Poppa and a few friends to celebrate the occasion equalled the perfect tonic. And we were jolted awake by early morning fireworks and saw the drama of a garage fire across the road play out first hand, even feeling the heat of the flames from our bedroom.

In October, Noah and I turned pirate for a day. Mark surprised me at work one Friday with flowers and a trip down memory lane reminiscing about our early days together. We were amazed at how many moments on our 'wish-list' have since come true in the past 12 years. We celebrated Labour weekend with an A-Z of our fun moments.

November hit me hard. With a really nasty dose of conjunctivitis that kept me home and in hiding for a few days. We celebrated Guy Fawkes in spite of the weather's best attempts to have it called off, lighting our sparklers in a howling southerly gale. Mark and I agreed to disagree on what constitutes fashion. And we shared our Punch Buggy family tradition. I created my Summer Bucket List of things I'd love to do over the summer. And was decidedly grossed out by a near miss with Mylo eating cat poo. We rounded out the month with a fantastic afternoon at the beach - practically unheard for Wellington in November.

December couldn't have gotten off to a better start when I took a surprise trip to Ruth Pretty's Christmas Cooking class. A day I'm unlikely to forget. I got all inspired on the Christmas crafting front, making a nativity advent calendar and candy cane crunch. Oh and paper snowflakes too.

And before you could say Christmas Cracker, the big day was upon us. Not even an 8-hour road trip could dampen the excitement of knowing our holiday was underway. And there was nothing that made me smile more this year than having our extended NZ family together for this one day of the year. In fact on Christmas Day, I think I smiled so much it hurt. But it was so worth it.

I aim to catch myself smiling till it hurts throughout 2011. I mean, you gotta put some stretch in those mouth muscles right - what other way is there to smile!

Lighting up our night

If you try hard enough, you can always find us here at New Years. Or there and thereabouts. We will be here.

I've been coming to the Festival of Lights nearly every year since I was knee high to a grasshopper. It's somewhat of a tradition. Back then it was a real treat to be able to stay up late enough to make the pilgrimage.

These days there is nightly entertainment. Rock, jazz, folk, pop. Whatever rocks your boat. You can take your pick. It's certainly changed a bit in the past 20 or so years that I've been going. More commercial, maybe. More popular, definitely. But the thing I love the most is that its a tradition from my childhood that I can pass onto my own children. So many of the wonderful memories we have from our childhood just don't survive into adulthood. What one generation loves, can often seem dated and passe when it comes to the next. So when we find a tradition that stands the test of time, it makes it all the more a tradition to cherish and hold onto. To grasp with both hands and to make the most of this special night once a year.

Although this year, we left Mylo tucked up, snoring safely at home with GeeGee. He's still a bit little for these late night adventures. Especially when he didn't sleep at all on the journey from Hamilton to the Naki - the stamina that boy has is nothing short of impressive. But it did leave him somewhat crochety and in need of his pit!

One of the things I love most about the light festival is that each year the route is different, and there is always something new to behold and ooh and aah over. This year I was rather taken by the hovering dragonflies on the Poets Bridge. Made partly from old plastic water bottles and straws, they were rather ingenious, and were a beautiful effect hovering over the water.

This year our adventure around the park took us on a hunt for pirate treasure. We found their abandoned den, and their sunken ship, surrounded by sharks, no less. But alas, the treasure was tucked up safely on an island surrounded by squawking toucans, so we went home empty handed. Well not entirely, if you count the glow sticks we brought along to crack open once it got dark.

Which also doubled nicely as light sabers on the way back to the car :-)

*Contented sigh appears here*

One Fine Day

Back in April when the boys and I flew up to Hamilton to stay with Nana & Poppa, we discovered a little hidden gem of a lake out the back of Cambridge called Lake Te Ko Utu. It’s a lovely little spot quite hidden away in behind the main town and the busyness of all the traffic roaring down State Highway One.

On that day, we only saw it from the carpark as we were in a flying hurry. But I tucked it into the memory bank, vowing to return. And return we did.

After stopping in for a quick look at Sam's bike shop Evolution Cycles (which is one of three – the others are in Hamilton & Te Awamutu), we pottered on up the road to the lake.

I had it in the back of my mind that it could be a nice spot for some family shots taken by Nic who is always keen for some extra practice. Nic is planning to start a photo journalism course at Sydney University mid 2011 and has to get a wide-ranging portfolio together in the meantime. And I was keen to update last Christmases' family shots. The one hanging on the wall at home has Mylo as a little baldie of just 3 months old. Not your best look aye poppet.


So it was a win-win for us all.

Apart from the fact we never managed to get a good, classic ‘family of four’ shot.

It turns out that getting four people looking even half normal in the same shot is well nigh impossible. I have no idea how other people do it!

But that’s not to say we didn’t have fun in the meantime. Some of the ‘outtakes’ were rather funny, but there’s just not the space to share them all!

I particularly like the look on Noah's face in the bottom left shot as if he is about to clobber Mylo a good one. And Mark looking as if he could care less, like he'd rather be anywhere but here!

We did have a little more success when we stuck to just one kiddie in each picture.

Before it became apparent the camera had completely outstayed its welcome!

On another day, I’d love to have brought a picnic, spent a whole afternoon here, and taken a walk right round the lake. But as we had accidentally left the stroller at home, we managed only a short walk to and from the lake having to make do with some shoulder riding instead.

Which the little guy quite likes apparently.

No need to buy ear buds anymore, he’ll happily get rid of all your wax for you. No need to worry about grey hairs, he’ll happily find them and pull them out – along with all the good ones too!

Thanks Nic for your never-ending patience and ever talented eye for a shot. We all had fun! And we’ll definitely be coming back to Lake Ko Te Utu again another day. Another year.

And that's another tick on My Summer Bucket List 2010 too :-)