More babies!

Just heard the news about Ken's Uncle D and aunt K having their 3rd baby next year too! On top of that, my bro is also having another babe! Both due sometime in July or August! woo hoo! Baby D will have lots of playmates! Looks like the new baby bonus scheme is really working!!!

Coming to an end...

Thought I might just do a post, possibly my last before we return home to Singapore. We've got exactly 1 week before we leave Upper Hutt. We vacate our house next wednesday, and fly outto Christchurch on Thursday to go on our 2 week vacation on South Island. Guess what, we haven't started packing... where on earth do you start? Most of our own things are clothes, but we'll still have to pack up the rented stuff, and clean the house before handing the house back to the landlord. On top of all that, K has got classes right till the last day on wednesday, with his graduation dinner being on wednesday night! So we've booked ourselves into a motel nearby, arranged with a mother of jie K's friend to babysit them for wednesday night... I'm just praying that mei K will take it all in her stride, and not create a ruckus the whole night we are at the dinner! 

Too many things to happen over 2 days... and we fly out early morning on Thursday... all because we didn't want to waste 1 day with nothing to do, maximising our time traveling! Oh well... I'm sure all will turn out right. At least we have sold our car, at a lower price than I had expected, but at least the guy was kind enough to let us drive it till the last day. 

This weekend will be a busy one for us. Packing, and cleaning, catching up with friends for the last time, last minute shopping for christmas gifts etc. We'll be home only after christmas this time, so we apologise to those at home who won't be getting anything from us... just getting for those we'll see over christmas... anyway, we're trying to keep our luggage to minimum... hopefully we'll have some space for the yummy chocs though.

This is one of the things we have been keeping track... the girls' height growth. We've stuck flags on the back of the storeroom door (so they wouldn't rip it out). 

Jie K's growth: 96.5-99cm

Mei K's growth: 75-79.5cm

We really had to do it, otherwise we would never have known if they were really growing, except for them outgrowing their clothes, I guess. I was even looking at photos we took of jie K on her birthday in June, and realised that she was wearing a top that is now too small for her, and mei K has taken over. 

Although we really look forward to going home, and starting to adjust to our new life again, there are many things I'll miss here in NZ.

1. The weather. No matter how cold it was in winter, we really appreciate the coolness and dryness of the air here. And now that summer is almost here, we're starting to complain that it's too hot!

2. Our long walks. Nightly post-dinner walks with the girls in the double stroller, putting them to sleep while we have our couple time. Lately since K has had less work, we've been able to take 1-2 hour walks at night, especially with the sun setting only at about 845pm, it's just been great! Plus, the cool weather just makes our walks all the more enjoyable.

3. Our coffee group. The partners of the staff college have been meeting up every fortnight for the last 7 months. Will surely miss the company of these ladies whom I'm come to know, and we've all become very fond of, including the children. 

4. Playgroup, mainly music, kindy (for jie K), story-telling at the library. Activities that have kept us occupied during the weekdays. Not forgetting the adrenaline pumping fortnights when I lead the songs at playgroup.

5. Our garden and flat. Though it's not a place I'd live for long term, especially not during the winter months because of the lack of heating/dehumifying in the house. But it's a place we've felt safe in, served us well, including the garden which the girls love to run around in while I'm inside cooking, but still able to keep an eye on them. Just the outside area available to do things I wouldn't allow them to do indoors!

Painting in the garden

That's all I can think of for now... Memories are made of these blessed moments.