Holidays

Inter School dance competition

The whole family went to the interschool dance competition to watch Bridget's team who had gotten through the school competition to compete. Of course we also went to watch teh others a lot of great dancers and familiar faces. The Dance moves Ben saw performed he soon tried out in the audience, maybe Lakeview should have entered a team!

Laura's Party

Ben got invited to his cousin Laura's conjunction of fives, Birthday party. She choose a mid winter Arabian theme. "I liked them, that one, the white one cause I wanted to make friends with her. I liked them dancing and I love them."
Ben and his second cousin Cameron found a special hideout to share a stash of sweets from Cameron's dad. There was also lots of Arabian themed food, like dates, figs, couscous, chickpeas, breads etc to try as well. "Me and my friend Cameron are hiding in the box. That's me and him hiding in the box and he's not Cameron he's spiderman, Cameron is spiderman."


Ben had a go at sword fighting. "Having a sword fight. I'm making friends friends with the boy I was fighting with."Then Laura and her friends demonstrated some belly dancing, Ben's favourite was "the white one" possibly because he got lots of cuddles from her!
"I am watching the girl who's dancing, the white girl and making friends with her too."


Then everyone else had a go, Bridget.
And Nana, Ben really liked all the jingly bits. "It wiggles!"

Alex thought the seats were a bit high, but enjoyed the Thomas train set.
Fortunately cushions and kneeling tables were available. "I liked all of the food."


Check out the dancers!

Shifting the sandpit

Mum decided the sandpit was to close to the drains (guess what the plumber found when the drain blocked.) So mission move the sandpit.

Dad, Annie and the boys dug a new hole (and found bricks) so they dug it over a bit (and found pipes) so they dug it over a bit (in the rock hard dry clay, rocks and tree roots) and got the hole dug.

Next it was time to dig the sand out of the old sandpit into bags, fages and boxes.

Ready to move, come on dad heave, (it's a bit heavy guys.)

With moral support from mum, dad got the sandpit frame up and boy was it heavy. Mum suggested rollers and dad got one end up and they explored ancient moving techniques (we stayed inside incase dad dropped it on us, mum reckoned he nearly got the car, no where near dad says.)

In the new spot we all helped to wheel barrow the sand to the new location and spread it out.

Now our new new sandpit looks great and it's not near the drains (no more washing sandy kids in the bath mum.) Meanwhile Ben found the pegs and made a new belt. Ben's into belts and baldrics at the moment.

digging potatoes with dad

We all had a go a digging our potatoes and collecting our salad seeds, go Alex. We filled our box.

It was fun finding potoatoes, good one Alex.

I think the camera got a bit grubby.

Here's my potato.
Come on Annie.
Your turn again Alex.
You dig Annie, I'll get the potatoes.

Time to dig our Potatoes, we got out and took turns at digging and had great fun filling our box, now we're enjoying eating them. We also collected seeds from our salad greens some for replanting, some for spring.

Christmas Parade 2009

Ben, Annabelle and Bridget were lucky enough to get picked to go in the Christmas Parade with Santa!
Ben even got to drive the sleigh. "That's me, driving the sleigh and father Xmas supposed to be driving the sleigh. "

"Pixie Pixie and I dress up as pixie pixie, the pirate. I a too busy Pixie pirate. That's my costume. The ho ho. Bridget the fairy."

Family trip to Napier

While we were at Nana's we decided to stay the night and take a day trip to Napier, we started at Farm yard zoo, when to lunch at breakers (kid's roast) off to a second hand book shop, then to train world, were we rode the train and got to play with the huge train track layouts. Finally we finished off by checking out the aquarium, just in time to see the diver feeding the sharks."Having a ride on the train. Had a look at the things and the railway track. Then we went in the tunnel. We played with the Thomas trains."
"Having a ride on the boat."
"Mum had a picture of me by the swimming dinosaurs and the dinosaur sharks"
"Having a look at the diver man, and having a look at the stingray. then we came back to Nana's"
"Feeding the lambs, at the farm yard zoo."
"Having a drive on the truck."
"Having a ride on the horsie."
"The pig."
"A bull."
"I don't know, what is it? A llama."
"Dad, feeding the llama."
"Having a ride on the bull, having a ride on the horse." Ben was really hoping to "ride a cow" there.


Some of the things we saw at the aquarium, but the video is playing up.

Arataki Honey Family day.

We went to Arataki Honey for their family day. Dad told a marathon four sessions worth of stories, all including bees and honey 11 stories in all.
We stayed at Nana's. With the radio station there I decided it was time to treat Nana to some mighty air guitar. "playing guitar, on my guitar and turning my hands on the guitar, for Nana."
My cousin Tone made the model for this picture out of plasticine. "Mum putting me in there. There's lots of bees, and there's some bee hives and clouds behind and bees."
Here we are with Auntie Pam, Jack (Caroline) in auntie Jenny's old shop frock, Great Auntie Barb with the yellow balloon. "Caroline, Auntie Pam, Mum, Bridget, me, Auntie Barb."
Great uncle Doug took us for a ride in his car. "The car, Uncle Doug, it's a very fast one and it's a vintage car an oogah car. Uncle Doug toots the horn and it goes dougah dougah. I got two rides. There's another wheel on the car."
I liked "the car, my car, the balloons."

Great Chilli Cook off

Mum, Dad, Alex and I headed down to the great chilli cook off, (the girl's were at Aunitie Pam's.)
We tried 20 different chillis, only Dad and I though, (Dad got gout the next day so he probably shouldn't have.) My favourite was the motor bike club's chilli. Dad said it made his mouth really warm, his favourite was playgroups. Judy's chilli was pumpkin flavoured!
Hmmm.
Not bad Judy, you can have a donation.
We saw Mary tell her three little pigs story, with the Bruns our neighbours.
Then we finally got a look inside THE BIG RED BUS! I've been waiting to do this for a long time.
I was rapt.
But it couldn't take us for a ride, so we got on the other big red bus.
We rode up to Pukeora, but didn't have enough money for the ride back. Fortunately the bus driver let us back on and we got some more money to pay him back (and a fresh made, real fruit ice cream) in town.

I left my yellow balloon on the bus.
Back in town we got a ride on the fire engine, even better than the bus. Grandad says we should go to Auckland and see the transport museum.
Gaining literacy in the stories and symbols of our local town culture.