Christmas Day 2012

And then Christmas was finally here.  Dad arrived in Hawera!!  Hooray!!  It was great to see hime and he bought our car up so we could all drive home together.

Kate and Sam, Bradley and Jack, Nana, Tom and Mum all headed to Christmas Eve Mass and sung with great gusto.  It was lovely.  When we got home, it was dark and Kate and Sam got to walk all around the lights in Nana's street checking it all out.  It really is stunning.  The kids even got a christmas eve drink of fizz and treat to eat.  The excitement!!

The next morning Lachie, Kate and Flynn were up first then we all set about waiting for sleepy Sam to arise.  After much speculation as to what was in the parcels found under the tree we got to open a present or two or three ... around 8am.

 Bubbles and surf shoes!

 A drum! (and loppers for Dad)

 A Paper Jamz guitar!  Thanks Nana and Grandad!! (Surf shoes, Christmas clothes and head torch too - woo hoo!)

 

An ipod!  And Christmas clothes too.

We had christmas lunch at Tom's.  It was roasting hot and full of excitement.  Thank you Tom and Nana for the yummy food and for taking care of us.

Christmas night we arrived at Urenui Beach.  Luckily we bought the entertainment.

Summer Holidays - Part 1!

Once school was over we headed to Nana and Grandads to begin our summer holiday adventures.  We have had such a wonderful time. 

Nana and Grandad have some lovely people who live at the end of the road with two gorgeous wee dogs that the kids just love.  Molly and Lexie are Shitzu-Maltese and are adored by all but especially by Kate.  Anne and Ross, their owners, are so lovely to the kids and share all sorts of stories with them about the antics the dogs get up to.

 Lachie, Sam and Kate had a great time enjoying the novelty of a pavement and concrete to ride on.  Sam learnt to skid, Kate to scooter with style and Lachie to ride with confidence.

 We even got to see Aunty Sarah, Mackenzie and Alex in New Plymouth.  They are so good to us and we really enjoy their company.

 Kate and Sam made the annual excursion up the mountain to Wilkies Pools with Grandad, Bradley, Jack, Tom and Mum.  It was a magnificent day.

And we all got to visit Santa in Hawera's Santa cave.  Kate was SUPER excited about this, as was Bradley, Lachie was reserved but Jack and Sam were not too keen.  Flynn didn't care so long as he had Nana!

December 2012

 Flynn loves playing with the trains... and Mum loves that he loves it.  She has been missing them. Sammy doesn't play with them so much now that he is a big school boy.

 Grandad always takes the kids on a trip to the river.  We had a lovely time wading through the wee streams created as the river was down. 

 Flynn thought the river was a fantastic adventure.

This year La Muse Dance school put on 'CATS'.  Kate and Sam were both in it and loved every minute of it.  What an experience for all the McGregor kids.  Their teachers are very very clever.   Lachie was perhaps the most avid followe, as he seems to be every year. In 2010 it was Peter Rabbit, 2011 was the Wizard of Oz and this year Lachie knows every cat that is featured and all of their stories.  I'm sure T.S.Elliott would be tickled.  We have watched the musical movie a billion times and read the poems over and over and over...  La Muse put on two shows and Lachie sat through them both totally absorbed apart from the singing and the directing Nana as to what was and would be happening.  It was quite magical to see.  Flynn has joined in by pointing out and saying "Cat" and dancing away too.

October 2012

Our pet lambs are still favorites with everyone.  We now have five as Blossom, a lamb holidaying in the city, missed the country air and came to stay with us.

 Aunty Sarah, Mackenzie and Alex came to stay with us.  We had an absolute ball together.  We love their company.

 We went to see the Wiggles in concert and had a great time.  Lachie and Flynn especially loved the outing. 

 Flynn is growing up more every day.  He has to do everything the other kids do and is very independent and capable.

 Kate continues to spend hours with the lambs.

Spring 2012

 Beautiful Daffodils Nana.  They are all out now and look lovely!

 Growing bigger all the time.

 Another show night.

 Hanging out on the couch.

 We can fit 4 kids in this bath... but getting them all to look at the camera at the same time, is a whole other sort of challenge.

 Book character day at school was fantastic.  The kids chose their favourite books and dressed up as a character from it.  Kate was a Dalmation for her "Dog Breeds" book, Sam was Zac Power and Lachie was a pirate.  Not to be left out, Flynn was in for posing for photos too.

 We have gorgeous new pet lambs.  Charlotte gave us two lovely little ewe lambs as it didn't look like we'd have any pets from our own ewes...  Below is Daffodil and Missy.

 And then of course we had to rescue a set of twins from our own flock, so now there are four.  Speedy (with the orange racing stripes, who ran Mum, Dad and Chrissie a merry race when it was time to bring him in) and Nibbler (with no colour).  Flynn loves to watch them all out the window and Kate especially loves to be in the pen with them.

PolyFest 2012

Kate and Sam did a great job performing at PolyFest this morning at Invercargill's Civic Theatre.  

Well Done Sacred Heart School.

August 2012

 Its lambing time again and we have had some intensive care patients.  This is Rolf, who Mummy 'delivered' and we all attempted to save.  Sadly, he was too sick but the kids loved having him for even a short time and they got to see him get up and walk for the first time, pat him and feed him.  Out in the paddock we have Liesl, Frederick and Smartie who are happily with their Mums. (Inverargill's production of 'The Sound of Music' made quite an impression)

 Kate had her Primary Ballet exam today.  She has worked very hard and when it was over, she was pretty proud of herself for doing it.  Well done Katie.

 Flynn loves loves loves to be outside.