Christmas, Coffee and chips

Sunday 23rd. I was so excited about a couple of presents that I was the one that suggested we open presents on the eve of Christmas eve this year. :-) It was amazing how many presents we had under the tree this year. The children have all been doing extra jobs over the last weeks and so had fun being able to buy presents for each other this year.
I also forgot to post a picture of this year's Christmas card / decoration. We ended up making over 260 of them. At least there is a photo for those family in South Africa to see. We did post some to you, but alas, most of them never arrived. Looking back, I should have sent them all to Gillian in London, and she could have given them to Michelle when she visited.
They would have been late for Christmas, but at least they would have arrived. :-)
Ruth didn't hesitate in bringing presents through. She just loves giving gifts and so she was thrilled with how many there were this year.
The most exciting present for me to see opened was Rachel's running shoes. How often are you able to fit and try shoes for someone else. With us having the exact same size feet, I could pick ones perfectly for her. She was thrilled - and so was I.
I found the gift that she then bought for Dad - a Shakti mat. It's been one of the best every presents bought and is used so much.

Asher opening the little keyboard she got at the party earlier this month (that we just put aside for her to open today).
Hezekiah loved all the masks he got from Nana and his sisters. Anastasia actually loves this mask the most. She is not afraid of them at all but just loves the scary face on this one. :-)

Monday 24th: Anastasia got that big bucket of blocks which Asher is loving too.
Just look how flexible she is.

If you lie on the couch - you know Asher will join you. :-)

Tuesday 25th: We were thankful for the invite for lunch today, and that we had the courage to attempt it with the younger two. It was great to take the opportunity to get a new family photo too. Afterwards I realized we should have switched Ruth and Hannah around (and Ruth forgot to take her jersey off as she had a darker blue top underneath). It was tricky getting everyone smiling, but nice to at least have one with us all in.

A wonderful lunch and fun games. Asher enjoyed her toy bag and iPad but when she got tired of that (and wanted to leave) we put her in her buggy and she lasted for over an hour more - so that was great. Hezekiah and Hannah ended up staying longer and then spending the night at friends - so that was a nice treat for them too.

Wednesday 26th: Was great to be able to head to the Culverden Hotel and Cafe this afternoon to enjoy a coffee made by Rachel. It was nice to be able to get to see where she works. She has a lot of shifts through the holidays which has been great for her.
Working in the garden this afternoon it was fun to watch the chooks enjoy a sand bath.

Was really fun to watch.

Thursday 27th: Good shooting Hezekiah.

Friday 28th: Rachel had to get her eyes checked for the Police Application because she has worn glasses in the last 10 years (even though it was only for a year or two when she was quite young). So we made the most of the trip into town and watched a movie together. What a treat. It helped that the children had extra pocket money to help pay for the tickets as it gets rather expensive if you are more than just 2 or 3.
They enjoyed some of the rides before the show.

It was a special time and I'm thankfully for the carer who watched the younger two so we could enjoy this time together.

Saturday 29th: They had so much fun outside today.

This evening we decided to surprise Rachel and come during her evening shift for some chips and hot chocolates. It was nice for the children to all get to see where she is working too. :-)

Party, party, party

Friday 30th Nov: It was lovely to have an evening out tonight at the farm's Christmas Party. This was Rachel's last one as she will be finishing work on the farm at the end of this month. She has been working there for 5 years (every Thursday morning). She is so grateful for the opportunity she had to work there but is also very excited about the new adventures that lie ahead.

Saturday 1st Dec: It was the Youth Group lunch today. The water slide is always such a highlight. The weather was perfect.

So much fun.




And a traditional water balloon fight too. :-)

Anastasia enjoying playing with a bit of pumpkin. It was just too soft to eat with her hands though so ended up more of a mess than food.

I have been playing the piano regularly. It has become a bit of a routine for Anastasia once the children have left for school. She happily plays in the room while I play. This evening I went to play and Ruth quickly joined me with her guitar. We have had the piano tuned, but it's going to be a longer process to get it tuned properly. He brought it up a bit - but can't do too much at once as that might cause strings to break. So Ruth has to adjust her chords to play guitar along with the piano. She actually manages it (just finding a chord to fit) but I thought it would be more enjoyable to just play guitar together. Once we got started it was like a magnet to all the others. We had a lovely time singing together.

The start of December means that Ruth can put the tree up. She does love decorating for Christmas. The tree went up in two ways - up high enough for Anastasia to not be able to pull it over.
Sunday 2nd: This afternoon Hezekiah helped me in getting a load more CDs printed. He was a great helper and we had a good production line going.

Monday 3rd: Ruth decided to learn how to make a poached egg. Well done Ruth.




BELOW: Monthly children photo. I just couldn't decide between the two - so post them both.

Tuesday 4th: Ruth enjoying some sun this afternoon while eating an ice lolly. She is always so happy to share things with Anastasia who did really well with such a cold snack.







Wed 5th: While playing piano this evening Anastasia went exploring next to Hezekiah's bed.

Thursday 6th: Ruth had a follow up orthodontist appointment this afternoon. We were also able to organize to meet up with a lady from Nigeria who is studying in Christchurch. She was able to give us some great advice on how to look after Ruth's hair (which has all the braids out now). One specific thing she helped us with was what to do with it at night.

Friday 7th: We have a busy day planned for my birthday tomorrow, so we decided to do the cake today. I had seen a quick video of someone making a Toblerone cheesecake - so I had a go. I got a few on special earlier in the month in anticipation. The only other ingredients was a little bit of butter in the base (with blended Toblerone) and cream and mascarpone cheese for the filling (so it's a bit like a chocolate mousse). It was delicious.

Not often I get a photo with me and all the children. :-)

Saturday 8th:After breakfast Anastasia headed straight for the piano. So I got some playing in with her and Asher.

Rachel then took Asher to a Christmas Party in town. She forgot to take photos at the event but got this one after getting some chips for the trip home.

Rachel had suggested Brendon and I enjoy the day in town together as a treat for my birthday. It was so nice to be able to just enjoy a relaxed day together. The sushi we had for lunch was really picture worth. It was delicious. As well as being nice to enjoy the new food court at Northlands mall.

We enjoyed a movie together and did some shopping. The highlight was getting Rachel a Christmas present. She has started training to get her fitness up for applying for the Police. She had gotten herself some better shoes, but they were not proper running shoes (which were double what she was thinking of paying). What made it perfect was that Rachel and I have the same size feet. So I could try on a few of the shoes that were available and pick the best ones - knowing they would be the best fit for Rachel. I was so very excited about this Christmas present and both Brendon and I had to have a lot of patience to wait and give them to her on Christmas eve.
Because I'm so late at writing this post I can give the feedback now that she was absolutely thrilled with the shoes. They were a perfect fit and ended up even being the perfect colour choice for her too.

Soccer, cards and tough kids

Sat 17: A different kind of massage for Dad this afternoon. :-)

Playing drums this afternoon. Friends gave us these two drums and Anastasia just loves this big one. I can give her the drum stick and say "go bang on the drum" and off she goes (it normally sits in the corner). So sweet.

Ruth bought and painted these for Rachel for Christmas.


Below: . Hezekiah had some soccer practice with Dad this afternoon. It was nice that the girls went out to join them. Made some of the exercises a lot more fun.

Practicing his dribbling. Hezekiah has very high standards for himself and is frustrated that he is not instantly good at it all. It was good to see him go out and practice on his own over the next couple of days.
Anastasia discovered that she can push these soft balls through this part of the bead chaser. It was so much fun to watch her.
VIDEO

Sunday 18th: Ruth tickeling Anastasia. So much fun.
Monday 19th:I made a good start on our Christmas card / decorations today. We ended up doing just short of 300 of them.

I made some thick stencils for the star and then realized I needed a handle on them, so glued some rocks on the top of the stencils so that I could easily move them from one set to the next. I spray painted the black around the star so that the lovely shiny star was left in the middle.

Thursday 22nd: Tough Kids for Ruth and her friends today.

Fun that it's a dress up.

Not just a normal race, but also a big obstacle course (with mud).

Such a special day with so many great memories made.

Friday 23rd: Last primary assembly for the year. Well done Hannah on getting a certificate. I made it just in time to get this photo as I had an appointment in town which ran late.

Hezekiah got his sports certificate.
And they showed some of their art.

Thankfully his teacher let me just take these photos after assembly.