Sunday, January 13, 2019

Queensland 18/19

our most favourite holiday has come and gone.
it happened way too quickly.
every year we go away after christmas,
it is normally to the gold coast.
this year was no exception to the others,
AWESOME.
i could summarise our holiday in a couple of words.
beach, take-out, pool.
we spent mornings at the beach,
the water was perfect.
the boys found a love for body boarding
and zayden would spend hours building sand castles,
braxton also for stung for the first time and hopefully the last
by blue bottles.
we would come home for lunch 
and then then boys would swim in the pool for the rest of the day.
because of this routine the boys would crash out early every night.
there was never a fight when it came to bed time.
we had way too much take-out,
i did enjoy not having to cook
but was definitely grateful for home cooked meals when we got home.
the boys were so lucky,
they got spoilt seeing 3 movies.
(thanks Aya and Uncle Jared)
Wreck It Ralph 2, Aqua Man and How to Train Your Dragon.
we did 2 hikes,
the first one the boys loved because they got to swim under a waterfall
and the second is one of our family favourites,
burleigh heads national park.
perfect to watch the sunset on a sunday afternoon.
we watched the nye fireworks at kirra beach,
we went to currumbin rock pools 
where braxton got bitten by a turtle,
of all things !!!
the boys fell in love with playing monopoly and chess.
it doesn't seem like we did much
BUT that is why it was so great about our time.
i spent most days by the pool reading my book,
while the boys swam and swam and swam.
one of my favourite things we did this time though
was to participate in a Haeata tradition,
swimming at 5:30 at the beach on new years day.
it was the perfect way to start 2019.
we loved it so much it will now be something we do every year.
queensland you were just what i needed to say goodbye to 2018.




















Monday, December 3, 2018

Graduate 2018.

today my baby boy graduated from preschool.
he is my one who gets overwhelmingly nervous and shy in new situations,
or even when he has been going to something for almost a year.
everyday i have to hand him off to a teacher because 
the thought of running to his friends is too scary.
it has taken him almost 2 years to speak to his swimming teacher
and he still has to be bribed to go to sunbeams.
i asked him if he would be ok to do all this,
going on a big stage in front of lots of people he didn't know
he told me that he would be brave and
that all I had to do was drop him at the classroom and he would be ok.
my little zayden beamed confidence today
and for that alone i could not have been more proud.
he has taught me patience, compassion and to embrace people for all that they are.
his smile was so contagious.
and to make today even more special
he was awarded the "Vicki Miles" kindness award.
only 1 child from each class was awarded this
and all the teachers voted for the recipients.
of course by this time i wasn't smiling or cheering
i was BALLING like a baby.
he will never know how proud i am of him in this moment.
i wish i could bottle it up 
so that when he has moment of nervousness or isn't feeling so brave,
i could sprinkle it on him to know how great and loved he is.
his teacher came up to me after and explained that 
zayden isn't the loudest or most confident (as we know) 
but it was through his quite actions of service and kindness towards others,
when he didn't think anyone was watching,
that made him receive this award.
my heart is so full for him
and i cannot wait to see what the future holds in store for him.
i hope that he will always be the boy that is known for his "kindness".