Mr. Tane turned 1 month old yesterday, and continues to do great. Ella seems to enjoy his company a little too much - yesterday she threw a soccer ball at him while he was sleeping and told him to “kick the ball” as it hit him in the face. As many of you know, I had to go to Sydney for work when Tane was about 2 weeks old for several days - Jen and the kids did great, and we are now speaking again. On a side note - I thought the weather in New Zealand was great until I went to Sydney - lots to be said about warm nights on the Sydney Harbor. Will probably be heading back in a few weeks, but hope to take the family along this time.

Summer has officially ended in New Zealand, although the weather has still been great. We lost an hour of daylight on Saturday as we had to set the clocks back, so it is now getting dark around 6:30 or so. Job has been very busy but enjoyable - learning lots of new things and working with some great people. So without all the excitement that has been a part of our lives for these past few months, we’re finally able to relax and enjoy some of the nicer parts of New Zealand life!

Busy weekend we just had - spent Saturday at a local Mardi Gras celebration in Takapuna. Lots of activities for Ella, although she didn’t enjoy the Marching Kiwis as much as we had hoped
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On Sunday, we went to a couple of West Coast Beaches - Kari Kari and Piha - with some friends of ours and had an absolute blast. The West Coast beaches are New Zealand surf beaches, whereas the East Coast (where we live) has very little surf, so it is better for swimming and kids. Needless to say, the water was great, the scenery was incredible, and outside of a little too much sun, we all had a great time.

Just a final note - Ms. Ella has become a talking machine. She still requires a bit of interpretation, but is now fully capapable of carrying on conversations with us. She can count to 20, says most of her alphabet, and sings songs such as “Row Row Row Your Boat”, “The Wheels on the Bus”, and others. She is still a Sesame Steet and Dora fiend, but most of all enjoys spending time reading, coloring, and playing outside - in the water whenever possible. She continues to amaze us every day!

Click here for some more great pics of the family at Piha

Stay in touch - and hope to see some of you soon!