Cousin time!

Jaimee has been really struggling to find some special caring "all the time" friends since her best buddy moved to napier last year. She was in tears for the zillionth time this morning on the way to school. We have talked about how lucky she is to have her sister and her cousin, who are so close in age and get along so well with her. So this afternoon it was long overdue for some cousin friendship time. I picked up my excited niece and nephew after school and we set off home, where I had promised iceblocks waited. 

Should have checked the iceblock level first! Oops. So it was off to pak n save for iceblock. As they got out of the car, I counted them off "1...2...3 princesses and 1...2 princes!. Brianna added "and 1 queen! The kids had a blast racing up the ramp but I still bet them by short cutting on the stairs leaving them in hysterics as I popped out the winner! 

We took our stash (a 6 pack for the 6 of us) to the park and as we ate together the kids worked out how many ways they could make the 6 of us. 5 kids and 1 adult, 4 girls and 2 boys...the maths went on for ages and I didn't even initiate it! 

Luke was in hysterics of giggles bouncing on the seat of the see saw with his cousin at the other end. Jaimee and Brianna played tunnels on the slide while Jakob and Kate played soccer. I sat and lapped up the joys of family time. 

Then we gathered up for a quick game of 2 on 2 football - Luke was on both teams. Hehe.

They finished off their afternoon together by collecting acorns. I set a limit of 15 each, knowing that my house (and shonas!) would otherwise be full of hundreds of "collections". When I gave the 2 minute warning Jakob protested with "aww...only 120 seconds left!". 

I dropped off 2 happy cousins (although Jakob insists I'm STILL not the best aunty Nikki in the world despite my efforts!) and took home 3 tired but happy kids. Thanks for a fun afternoon Brianna and Jakob. From the (self proclaimed only) best aunty Nikki in the world! 

Room swaps

There's a cyclone coming through New Zealand right now.  Of course, weather patterns aren't easily predicted, so although my course today in Taupo was postponed due to the weather - all we got today was drizzle and wind.  

Still, it was nice to have an empty day in front of us together and we used it well.  I did a 50 minute pilates workout, then read an entire magazine cover to cover ("woman's health" from the ipad store if you really want to know). Marty made a treasure hunt for the girls, then they made one for him.  Their first clue was "hop, hop hop is where you will find your next clue". It was meant to lead to the rabbits hutch. The girls started jumping furiously waiting for the next clue to to handed to them.  Giggle. Kids interpretation!  We did some painting, which is one of those treat projects in our home.  Kate painted the plaster mirror she got for her birthday after moulding it. Jaimee painted the leftover plaster which we set into play dough molds. Luke just painted. Excuse the paint still on him, he did a good job of it.

At 3:30 I spontaneously suggested we move Kate into Luke's room.  We had been planning on this move in the school holidays, because Jaimee has been begging for her own space for ages, Kate hates being alone and the bonus: Luke and Kate are 2 of a kind.  We figured it was worth a shot while they were young enough not to care about the boy/girl thing.  We can't afford to build rooms on, and this might be the only chance Jaimee gets at "her own room" for a while.  We had nothing better to do, so we made the kids day with a room swap adventure. They were all so excited! 

SO began 2 hours of chaos.  All 3 beds had to be dismantled, moved and reassembled. The hallway was full of screaming children playing on mattresses while Marty and I had the ultimate test of a good marriage as we moved bunks and slat beds around. 

And then another 2 hours followed of moving furniture and all Kate's special things across, rearranging the girls clothes drawers (the girls share wardrobes so all weekend clothes stay in jaimee's room except a couple of drawers of uniform, pjs and underwear essentials for Kate) and making beds back up.  Luke was begging for bedtime by 5:30pm, so excited to be in the bunks with Kate! Marty fed the kids while I finished, and By 7:30, the kids rooms were done. And so was I! Whose silly idea was this?! 

Boundaries were quickly established between the girls ("you can come in to get toys or clothes but knock if the door is shut please" said Jaimee. Kate responded: "yes you have to knock too").  The girls said prayers asking God to help them to be without the other. Jaimee ran through several times to say goodnight ("cause I'm used to being with Kate" she explained) and Kate made a few visits back to jaimees room "just to see what it feels like now". 

We have warned them they won't have opportunity to move back until we can afford new carpet in the bedrooms later this year  (in which case we have to dismantle all the beds again anyway!), but so far everyone is happy. Let's see how this goes! 

First netball game!

Netball NZ have just launched a new version of netball for year 1 & 2 kids. Kate gets to play for 7 weeks for a term, just enough to get a nice taste of this sport that mummy avoided like the plague growing up. She was so excited for her first game today. Her team is called the Angels. Appropriate for our darling hehe. Check out her tiger face during the drill games:

Her classroom teacher is the coach, and also a bit of a sports nut - she runs the school netball, t ball and rugby groups with her competitive leadership style (which we sure saw today as she got these 8 littlies into shape!). 

This version of netball was much kinder then the kind I remember - everyone on the team was sure to have a turn to score a goal, and to start with the teams took turns handling the ball and getting goals. Then things got serious - just when it was time for Kate's turn to get a goal, they introduced the rule that if the team drop the ball, the other team can get it. Kate's team were all into racing down to the goal instead of sticking close to the ball, so they had to make long passes and she was all fumble fingers...so they kept losing the ball to the other team - and the other team stuck so close together they could just hand over the ball, so it took a while before she actually got her goal, but she did it eventually (with a bit of a set up by the coach, but still!) The goals were nice big hoops held low by adults of course. Hehehe. 

Kate had a blast, and looked very cool out there with her friends, even if she did keep waving at me with a grin instead of watching the game. And jaimee is now super keen on her turn next term! I wonder if this is the beginning of a netball journey for our family? 

The first camping trip!

I grew up in camp grounds.  True story!  Every christmas holidays, my family would pack up our pop-up camper trailer and spend a week at various beachside holiday parks.  Sometimes we returned for a few years in a row, sometimes we just had that week.  I have fond memories of playing sharks in one campsite thermal pool as it slowly filled up each morning, I remember making friends-for-life with other girls and then not seeing them ever again after that glorious week.  I loved my bedroom that popped out the side of the trailer when it was erected.   All those awesome summer camping memories.  But I haven't slept in a tent since I was a youth group leader helping out on an overnight trip about 10 years ago.  I have come to love the motel lifestyle, with its comfy beds, shower, toilets and walls.  We are blessed that dad moved on from his pop-up trailer home and invested in a real life bach that we can spend a week at each year!  Why sleep in a tent with 3 little ones in a noisy campsite on the ground when we can have a beach holiday in a HOUSE each year!  I happily put aside the tenting days, and when I had that anxiety bout a few years ago and was left unable to cope with any noises at night - well, I thought that was it forever.  I would not  be tenting again.  

However, I am aware that we are kiwis.  And our kids need the kiwi experience.  They want to sleep in a tent.  Its important.  And anyway, we haven't seen any of New Zealand as a family - It is too expensive to stay in a motel for longer then a night after all.  So finally, with Luke approaching 3, and the girls old enough to reason with at bedtime, we risked it all on Saturday night.  Our first tenting experience as a family.

Background story - Jaimee begged us for this.  On the way to church one morning, she was asking about sleeping in a tent (yet again) and I was considering where would be best.  Our backyard?  Maybe. I commented about our 10 acres of land at the church as we pulled closer.   Jaimee suggested "what about here mum?  I loved the idea.  Close to home, yet not on our back door step.  A peaceful and private spot in the country(ish).  It had toilets, a kitchen and even a hall.  I could ease into tenting again softly here.    My family ministry hat kicked into gear alongside my mummy hat...why not invite others to join us? Make it a fun family church sleepover?  And so...

On Saturday night we pitched up our tent (yes, we actually own one - Marty was given one before I was around!), and also a borrowed tent right next to it so we all had space, blew up the airbeds and unrolled the brand new sleeping bags I had brought hours earlier (I could have borrowed, but we really needed some anyway).  The tents were really only suited to 2 people each, but we squeezed 2 single airbeds into one tent and set up the three kids to lie across them! 

We had 3 other families join us for our adventure, and I was delighted to find that one of them had also never been camping as a family! Yay, we are not the only ones.  We had in our sleepover group 2 mums, 4 dads,10 girls and Luke.  The girls ran off and played while we set up and then got dinner sorted on the BBQ.  One of our friends had brought a brassier, so we were able to roast marshmellows and stay warm through the evening.   With great company, happy kids, the sheep in the paddock next door, and olive trees all around us, I actually was enjoying myself.  OK, so I was happy there was toilets and a kitchen on hand, but with the pop up trailer and staying at campsites, it was a camping experience I could relate to.  Yeah, I can do this tenting stuff! I found my inner kiwi again.

Of course, we were going to make the most of the fact that we had awesome facilities to use here too! We set up the big screen onto the side of the church, and settled in for a screening of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".  It was a great choice, the adults were giggling and the kids stayed focused.  As the temperature dropped, all my kids were in sleeping bags and wearing beanies.  Luke kept telling me "I hipster!" when he pointed to his hat on his head.  Someone must have told him he looks like a hipster in his funky cap?  Wasn't me! But it sure was funny.  

The movie ended at 10.20pm and it was straight to bed with everyone.  Our sleeping arrangements lasted all of 5 minutes.  No way Luke was going to sleep between his sisters, he was chatting away happily to them both!  So I left my cozy new double sleeping bag I was sharing with Marty and ended up wedged between my girls inside a pink childrens summer sleeping bag.  Luke took my spot and slept all night.  As did the girls.  Us adults....not so much.  It was COLD!  The first day of autumn had rung loud and clear.  Brrr.  I lay there unable to move much, with a warm body but a cold head, jealous of my oblivious children fast asleep beside me.  There was no room to move in the small tents, and most of our sleeping bags (except the new ones) were summer weight.  It was not the most comfy of sleeps.  But at 6.30am when I got up, my 3 kids were all still asleep happily.  So tenting for the night did work after all. Huh. Cool!  

Here is the girls at 6.30am - I had been wedged in that small spot between them all night: 

So what did I learn?  

1.  We will do this again.  At the church again for sure.  And also other nearby spots.  Perhaps not for a week, but for a weekend. And we will go from there...I still want power, a kitchen and showers if I am away longer then a day or so!

2.  We need to buy a bigger tent.   And a decent lamp.  And a few other basic comforts like sleeping bags and airbeds.  If I am going to do this with my family, I want to have more room then just crawling space on top of our beds.  We are looking at options already for getting a big one for next year.  We could borrow, but I think we would use it more if we just buy one we really like and know how to put up.  On special, Its the same price as a couple of nights in a motel anyway!  

3.  Don't tent in autumn.  In my defence, I had wanted to do this in January or Febuary but a couple of church leaders had said they wanted to come and asked me to do it this weekend as they werent available until then (and they didn't even show up!).  

4.  Camping with friends is way fun.  The whole experience was awesome because of who we were with.  So who's in for a tenting weekend next summer with us???.....