BIRTHDAYS AND NEW ZEALAND

Last month we celebrated yet another milestone!  Two, really, to be exact.  Brandon turned the BIG 4-0 and our sweet girl turned the BIG 7!  We had our traditional family dinner and cake together and then, since Brandon was 40, I had the brilliant idea of making him go on a scavenger hunt for his gift.  Of course, there were 40 clues hidden throughout the house to take him to his gift.  He did well, until the end when he found it, but had to ask what it was because he couldn't read the fine print!  Adalyn had decided on a sleepover with two of her friends.  It was so fun hearing the giggles of three little girls.  They had pizza, cake, smores, and movies. So, as for birthdays and fun, God has truly blessed us with another wonderful year gone by and hope for the promise of the year ahead!

Since Brandon works so hard to provide for us and 40 IS a milestone, I thought really hard on what he would enjoy and NEVER be able to figure out what his gift would be for his birthday.  Being that we are over here, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and being that we are so close to New Zealand, (which was on our bucket list to visit while here) I decided to do a Red Stag hunt over there for him.  We flew into Queenstown, New Zealand, two weeks after their birthday and were met at the airport by Mr. Willie Apsinall.  I came across the Makarora River Ranch on a recommendation by a friend back home whose Dad does a lot of overseas hunting for some big horn sheep.  Anyhow, long story short, the Makarora River Ranch is owned by a Texan, so in some aspect, it was meant to be! HA!  Little did we know that Makarora gets quite a bit of rain each year, and this year they've been having more rain than normal.  So, the day before we are leaving, I receive a picture of a rock slide and Brandon gets a call from Willie saying that both roads to the ranch are blocked because of rock slides!  But, not to worry, Willie says (after Brandon and I decided we'd delay the trip by a couple of days) don't worry, they'll have it cleared by tomorrow when you guys land.  Well, we landed and the rock slide was still not cleared, so Willie and Kaye went out of their way, got us a room (a small house) at a bed and breakfast near Lake Wanaka for the night, and Willie had arranged a boat from another ranch hand to pick us all up the next morning to take us around the slip where the rock slide was in order to get us to the ranch!  Talk about above and beyond and not to mention GREAT UNPLANNED ADVENTURE !!  It seems to me that no matter where we go or who we meet those that make their living from the land or the animals/crops on the land ALWAYS do what's necessary or beyond the call of duty for their fellow man!  So, we headed out the next morning, after feeding sheep and chickens a the Alpine Lodge bed and breakfast owned by Michelle and Craig.  The girls had a blast feeding Molly the sheep and her companions and were all giggles and smiles on the boat ride!  I could write a book on the beauty of New Zealand! It was nothing but green grass, snow capped mountains, waterfalls, and clear blue water! Brandon got his stag (absolutely beautiful animals), we got to stay in the valley of the Makarora River with 360 degree views of the mountains, skip rocks in the river, visit the Blue Pools, and just enjoy the beauty that the good Lord placed all around.  I can't say enough about our hosts Kaye and Willie, Brandon and I felt like if it had been anywhere else, we probably would've just been told, "sorry, roads closed, will have to reschedule".  The only downside to the trip was it wasn't booked for long enough!  (the pics aren't in chronological order but hope you enjoy them!)

Feeding Molly the sheep and her friends

7 on one side, 40 on the other!

Happy 7th Birthday, Adalyn!

Blue Pools (you could see all the way to the bottom) That's not a reflection of the cliffs in the photo, that's how clear the water is! 

One of the many mountain views from the ranch.

Brandon and his birthday present. (not sure where this big baby is going to hang!)

Family Photo Op…of course, as always, not everyone is ready or looking! ;)

On the lake from the boat

Catching Up

The past month has flown by!  The girls are keeping us busy, between school, swimming, horse riding, tennis, gymnastics, and music, our "free time" is very seldom, but we wouldn't trade it! A has moved up a group at horse riding so now she is learning to jump with the bigger girls.  It's amazing to see how focused she is when she gets on the horses! She was so excited because her teacher said, "We'll make a jockey or jumper out of you easily!"  E LOVES her music class and dances around every chance she gets! She started a little "gymnastics" class….it's more of an organized obstacle course for toddlers and she really enjoys it as well…especially the trampoline!  They love what they get to do and it's fun to see them smile! These pics are just a few snapshots I took with my phone (hence the reason they are a bit blurry).  I tried to upload some video from E's music class and A's riding but something's not loading right. (OR it may be operator error ;) )  The weather has been very pleasant and unseasonably warm.  The high's are in the low 80's and the night/mornings are usually high 50's to low 60's, which makes for fun days at the park and just being outdoors!  Hope all is well with everyone!  xoxo

 Having some fun on the super slide at the school fete/fundraiser

 Sister Time

Her Happy Place

Hamilton Island (Great Barrier Reef)

We finally got one thing marked off of our bucket list for Australia...The Great Barrier Reef!  We took the girls up to Hamilton Island last week for a a little mini-vacay for the school holiday break. It was BEAUTIFUL!!  When flying over the islands I couldn't believe the different shades of blues and greens you could see as well as the greenery!  Absolutely breathtaking!  We spent the first day on the beach where B and A snorkeled a bit till A saw a ray and decided she wanted to get back to land!  E and I just hung out in the beach chairs and walked around in the water watching the crabs!  The 2nd full day was when we went out to the reef.  It was smooth sailing until we reached the shipping channel. To make a long story short, let's just say E got sick on Daddy while she was napping and then Mommy got a bit nauseated helping clean up E and Daddy! :( Once we got out to the reef it was AMAZING!  The ferry docked on a manmade dock that had a viewing room, picnic tables, sun shades, and showers.  Once we got there, we took a glass bottom semi-sub boat out to view a part of the reef.  We saw quite a few fish and there was even a reef shark, but I missed it!  After that, B and A donned their wet suits and snorkel gear and headed out while E and I ate lunch.  When they got back in and ate, I went out to snorkel and B took E out for a swim.  Both of the girls loved it as well as ourselves!  So amazing and blessed to be able to have the opportunity to see one of the wonders of the world!  Lots of parrot fish, clams, and other species of fish that I have no clue what they are called!  Brandon took a half day fishing charter out on Friday morning and said it was "okay fishing, but there were lots of shark taking the fish that anybody did manage to catch".  Our hotel was built with all of the rooms facing the Coral Sea and there were lots of Cockatoos, seagulls, and crows!  One evening I saw two wallabies hopping around on the side of one of the golf paths!  The cockatoos liked to sit on the balconies and the one below seemed to enjoy having his photo taken!  Hope everyone is well!  Enjoy the pics!

Part of the Great Barrier Reef

"I'm Ready Mom"

"Cheese!"

Family Shot in front of the Reef

View from Our Balcony

Another View from the Room

Miss E Ready for a Swim

Daddy Prepping A for the Tour

It Was Awesome!

View of the Reef from the glass bottom boat

#2 Out for the Ride Back

#1 Out for the Ride Back

SWIM

Since we moved here last April, both of the girls have been attending swim lessons on Saturday mornings year round with breaks according to the school calendars.  Emi is now in the water on her own (no more Mommy and me swim classes…sniff, sniff :( ) and Adalyn is working on backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, swimming with flippers and whatever else they try to teach them!  Watching all of the kids at these lessons is amazing and now I know why Australia has such awesome swim teams! (they start them young!)

BACK IN THE SADDLE

After almost a year of searching and finding the time, Adalyn is back where she loves to be…in the saddle!  We contacted the Australian Barrel Horse association and the majority (which isn't very many since barrel racing isn't a big sport here) of the people who do barrel race were an hour or more away from Brisbane. So, we just decided as long as she was riding somewhere and learning about the hows of horsemanship, she is now at an English riding center.  The people are wonderful and the guy who runs it has Texas roots!  (His father is from San Antonio AND graduated from A&M)  Small, small world!  Emi loves to go and watch her big sister ride and wants to know when she can start! 

Australian Sand Sculpting Championships

This past weekend we drove up to Surfer's Paradise (about a 45 minute to an hour drive) to check out the Australian Sand Sculpting Championship sculptures that were on display at the beach.  The sculptures were amazing!  It's hard to believe how intricate some of the designs were and there's no telling how many man hours went in to building them.  The theme this year was based on Fairytales and Mythology.  We checked out the sculptures and the girls got to make their own sand art hearts to take home.  It was a great outing…HOT but fun! :)

A and E in front of The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg sculpture

The Kirin….1st Place and won the People's Choice Award

Hard at work on her sand heart!

Scooping her sand for her heart

My favorite…The Trojan Horse.  You had to find 9 soldiers hidden within this one! 

The Billy Goat's Gruff

CHILD OF THE WEEK

The school year has been on for almost 5 weeks now and we get to brag a bit early on Adalyn this year!  She was named "Child of the Week" for her class for week 4 this year!  Her teachers (she has two this year) honored her with this award because of "her happy and enthusiastic attitude in all class activities and sharing her great ideas with classmates".  She was awarded a certificate at their weekly school assembly and a badge that she got to wear for the week.  We are all so proud of her!  She is doing fabulous in school and working so hard.