I have two wonderful little girls. Really thought we must've been pretty good parents to have ended up with such good girls (sure they have their moments, but they really are few and far between).
Then along comes a willful, tantrumming, rough and tumble, testosterone filled two year old boy, who challenges all the great parenting skills you thought you had.
Not so sure now if my great girls are a result of good parenting or if we just got super lucky to end up with naturally occurring really good girls!

Family shot for 2009

Happy Valley

We got to go up to the skywire at Happy Valley, where we had a lovely bbq celebrating our good friend Julz birthday. We all had a blast, even though the weather wasn't great. The kids had a load of fun dancing too (hee hee, to Rod Stewart!)



The trio. Would've been a great back drop if it wasn't cloudy/raining!

Daddy and daughter moment. Dancing!

Hugging a Matai tree over 2000 years old!

Jester House and Grape Escape

For Daryl's birthday we went to Jester house and fed the tame eels, then to Grape Escape for Llama kisses! A lovely day, but it is days like this where i feel for Charlotte who misses out due to being a big school girl now!

Ryan turns two!

My baby is growing up (sob!). Loads of fun watching him grow though. He is a typical boy, but full of love and cuddles. Mummy's boy!
We had his party at the ride on trains, which is always fun and had an 'airpane' cake, which is his latest obsession! He got a battery operated ride on bike for his birthday, which is the next best thing to an airpane!


Ryan aged two....wearing the SINGLE most PERFECT tee-shirt you could EVER possibly get him!

Party fun!

Guy Fawkes

Dad put on a lovely fun evening of Guy Fawkes for us. Charlotte had fun picking out all the big fireworks to let off, Maggie just loved the whole show, Ryan liked the pretty stuff, but not so keen on the noise and kept running inside to watch!
Watching from the safety of inside.

Sparkler fun!


Ryan and Alina.

Sharing the last sparkler.

A few fun photos.

As you might have noticed, i'm not so good good at the verbal blogging (in fact i think i'm kinda dull), so my blog tends to be more a pictorial one documenting our fun-filled days! Here are a few more piccys!!
Only a face a mother could love.... and i do!

Charlotte getting a sled ride at the Saints and Angels fair! She loooooooved it.... bit of a dare-devil girl this one!

Fun at home and RATBAG boy!


Farm kids

And then it was Goodbye to our Hamilton Whanau

Holiday - chapter 8

Our last full day was another wet one, with a tribe of kids to entertain, so we caught the bus into town (which Ryan thought was fabulous!), and then went to play ten pin bowling. An awesome set up, where for the little kids rails come up alongside the gutter, so they can't get gutterballs. With this in mind Charlotte won the ten pin bowling and Maggie came second (with a little help from Aunty Yvette!)