Waiheke Weekend

It has taken me a couple of hours to get these photos uploaded so this is just a small selection from our weekend on Waiheke. As you can see Sofia mastered the art of BBQing quite nicely.

Stay posted....I'll try and get another update done soon but check out the Wilson's blog for the meeting of the cousins.

Our Sweet Bach

Even though the weather was a bit windy, the view out of our windows was spectacular and we went to sleep each night to the sound of the ocean. All the salt air made for some wonderful sound sleeping.

The Ferry

We decided that the best way to get over our jet lag was to rent a bach (beach house) for a couple of days to decompress. No timetable...no plans...just the beach on our front doorstep to relax on and enjoy.
We hopped on the Ferry to Waiheke Island, a 45 minute trip from Bucklands Beach for our R&R.


Waiting in line with the car for the Ferry to come in.


Sofia and Grandpa enjoying the breeze. Okay maybe a little more than a breeze....it was blowing pretty good.




Here it comes.....here comes the Ferry.


Here we go.....driving on board.

Settling In

We arrived in Auckland at 5:30am on a drop dead gorgeous day. Sofia pretty much came inside and made herself at home. The stairs at Grandpa's house have been a particular favourite.....all 16 of them (we've counted them a hundred times).


Beets shows Sofia the view.


Sofia and Daddy look none the worse for wear. Okay maybe a couple of tired eyes.


Look at this beaut day.....


.....and the awesome view.


And it turns out that Grandpa can make a pretty mean Fettucine Alfredo. They have peas in New Zealand too!!

Meeting Grandma Elaine

Sofia finally got to meet her Grandma Elaine. It was a pretty quick visit for the first day but we will be seeing much more of her to come. Sofia is warming up to people much quicker now, and after we had sat with Mum for lunch Sofia grabbed her hand and walked back to her room with her with no prompting from us at all. It was very sweet to see.

The Long Haul

So almost 24 hours on the go with an almost two year old was well, pretty much as I feared......LONG!!! Don't get me wrong - Sofia was a trooper, but there is nothing you can do when you are strapped down in a very full metal tube travelling at 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean with a little one.


Playing at the airport in Sacramento.


Our plane (or at least one that looked just like it) in the background at LAX. It is really quite amazing to me that in all my research on LAX there was not a playground in sight to while away some of our 4 1/2 hour layover. We ended up finding a somewhat sunny spot to run around in and a water bottle to keep Sofia entertained.
It was at about this time that we noticed her runny nose and endless sneezing which did eventually turn into a mild cold. It hasn't seemed to knock her too much but it did give her a little grief on both descents. Poor baby! We tried everything we could think of to pop her ears but in the end she just had to ride it out.



A bit of dinner before we get on board so we don't have to deal with the dodgy food on the plane.


Don't you just wish we could look this cute in our jammies. We preboarded the plane and as we walked on Sofia was waving at everyone and saying "Bye! Bye!" Too cute.

So we made it here safe and sound and vacation has begun. Sofia is dealing very well with the time change and has slept through the night waking at about 6:00am each morning. No camplaints about that at all here.....it could be so much worse.

Stay posted.....now the real fun begins!

Happy Thanksgiving

Since we will be gone for Thanksgiving this year, our family generously moved the celebration to today. It was a perfect day with all the things that make Thanksgiving so wonderful.

We started the day watching "Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown". Sofia especially loved the scene where Snoopy fights with the folding chair. She was laughing.



A pretty Thanksgiving dress....


A wonderful family....


A football game on TV that the Niners actually won....


A big old delicious bird....


Pretty flowers on the table....


A little plate of Thanksgiving goodness.....
Sofia has some pretty wierd tastes in food and will eat things that well, quite frankly, I would never expect a 22 month old child to eat. Case in point....today for dinner I cooked some pearl onions in a port reduction sauce. Yummy I know, but not something I would plan to put on my child's plate. Well, Sofia spyed the onions and knew they weren't dished up on her plate and she wanted to taste one. That was the beginning of the end. No potatoes and gravy were going to do now....it was onions all the way. In the end we had to hide the onions out of her sight just so there would be some left for everyone else. I am not looking forward to what all those onions are going to produce tomorrow (tmi I know!) but hey, she loved them and that is what matters.


And pie.....munkey pie....


We have a lot to be thankful for.

Daddy's Little Helper

So, Sofia got in on the act and decided that she would help Daddy pack the bags. Her technique.....Daddy packs one shirt, Sofia hands him two back in return.
Way to help Sofia!!

Just wondering....

How is it possible that you can put a lovely plate of polenta with fresh tomato sauce, home made chippies and watermelon in front of one wee person and have her turn her nose up at all of it only to find her 15 minutes later with cat food stuffed into her tiny mouth. Is there something we don't know, or does cat food taste a damn sight better than it smells?

Running Amuck in the Vineyards!

I have really nothing to post here except to let you know that after spending most of the weekend doing chores around the house, we escaped on this absolutely beautiful Sunday afternoon, down the Delta to fetch some wine. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to sit outside in the beautiful gardens and let Sofia run wild through the vineyard.