Labour weekend

It's Monday night of labour weekend and the 4 day (yay for hawkes bay anniversary) weekend is drawing to a close. We have just finished up a round of "doodle dice" (such a great game) with the kids and they are all snuggled in beds with books at 6:30 after a busy long weekend. 

It started well on Thursday after school when we optimistically put the pool up due to the great summer weather we had been having. The pool was only touched once very briefly on Sunday afternoon, but hey, the solar cover is on and we hope to see kids splashing in it soon! 

Friday morning we took granma out and got our vege plants for the season, a traditional labour weekend task to be done. Got the first strawberries of the season too - yum yum! I was delighted to get all the vege plants in the garden just as the weather turned sour - God watered them in for me! 

Jaimee had a friend over Friday afternoon , the kids were awesome keeping each other happy and busy - love friends. They were so good that Marty and I managed a sneaky game together on the PLayStation!! I was obelix and he was asterix 

A few card game rounds of new family fav "flux" after dinner rounded off a great day. 

On Saturday I spent the morning getting some much needed groceries after complaining about the lack of snacks on hand the day before. Well stocked, it was Kate's turn for a friend to play and we headed out to the aquarium together with our well used family pass in our hands.

 

Aren't Kate and sapphire just the cutest? After the fish had all been seen, we headed to the playground for some fun in the (windy) sunshine. 

But saturday wasn't over yet! We still had dinner plans with our besties, the dempseys and the winters families. Pretty much extended cousins, aunts and uncles for our kids, we love getting together with these guys and try and plan a dinner and games night at least every other month. We had a blast laughing over the card game "rage" - which is almost impossible to strategise with and thus leads to much light hearted frustration and rage! 

On Sunday after church, we had been invited for lunch at mum and murrays, and the weather matches our moods. Sunny for sure! We had a lovely leisurely lunch in the sun, followed by more "fluxx" card fun together and then headed out to see the gypsy fair. Let it be recorded that I did not spend a single cent at the fair!! But I loved looking and was tempted for sure by summery clothes, beautiful handcrafts, toys and jewellery. 

I can still "skip it" with the best of em! Jaimee is a champion hula hooper and has mastered the skip it too! 

We finished off the park with a trip to the playground, not wanting to end this beautiful sunny day - I actually got a wee bit sunburnt! It was awesome to hang out with the parents and just enjoy each other's company. 

On Monday it was baking day, but I cheated - thanks Betty Crocker!!! Yummy muffins.....

As it was Marty's nanas 89th birthday, so a family lunch together was just the way to celebrate. Fun to Skype aunty Cheryl and Alijah in palmerston too! The kids played "doodle dice" happily (well, as happy as 5 busy kids and 1 busy baby can play together on a cold wet day!) and we caught up over roast lamb. Dropping my family home, I enjoyed the afternoon chatting with some girlfriends at a friends baby shower. What a great long weekend. I Hope yours was too! 

Train rides!

A picture says 1000 words...so here was our afternoon:

Sleepover with ariel

Kate was sooooo excited. Her first sleepover loomed yesterday, with best friend ariel coming for the night. Yes, this is the same friend whose lovely Christian Indian family had us over for lunch, unaware that Kate would vomit all over their carpet one bite in. Luckily, the girls friendship is not affected! 

I was woken on sleepover morning by Kate who was inspecting the state of my room. "Get dressed mum" she told me off. "And make that bed. Everything has to be perfect for ariel coming". This talk went on for the whole morning, as Kate folded clothes and tidied each drawer. Good grief. Worse then me preparing for my parents staying! 

When ariel arrived, it was straight to loom bands, and then outside to the playroom for some "alone time" from jaimee and Luke, who stood outside the playroom door, heads hung and gloomy faces at being kicked out. Luckily jaimee has a sleepover planned for next week so we were able to remind her that her turn is coming! Anyway, it wasn't long before all 4 children were digging in the garden hunting for worms for their "nature home" 

It was all a bit fun in the evening, with granma and nana joining us for a yummy roast dinner. Kate and ariel got to sit at their own little table and loved it. After jelly and Icecream we headed to the lounge to watch Kate's choice of a movie - bambi.  Sleepy children were all asleep before 9:30pm after the fun! 

I woke up to giggles at 7am, and later found this awesome creation:

...the kids put on a play using this scene, complete with sound effects from the keyboard. So fun! 

And then it was back out to the garden for the morning, to hunt more worms together! Holidays are always easier with friends over, you are welcome here ariel! Xx with ariel living on the same street as us, long may this friendship blossom I say!