Alice's Antics!

Alice loves Miss Emily's Belle shoes we got in Hong Kong every day we hear clump Clump CLUMP! So she is in love!

Here she is in the high chair one of the last days she has used it since Christmas she has decided she is just like Emily a big girl! Where did my baby go??

Alice's favourite spot is about halfway down or up the stairs! She is trouble in the making!

Alice got this set of foam blocks for Christmas and she loves knocking them down I am trying to convince the kids each night to build a tower so far it is only me that does it for Miss Alice however I do have a lovely block model here show casing them for me!

Trying to fill Aiden's shoes now! we have a real shoe fetish! Please help us this Mumma has only 3 pairs of shoes in total and Keith has 2! I don't think we can keep up! LOL!

2009 Starts off with a bang!

Two Cheeky Monkeys in the cot!

Chinese language and culture school,end of year break up

Nanchang Fans on our wall in the hallway!

Making our Christmas cakes yum!

I need a headband just like Emily!

Well it has been a full on month already! And it hasn't started really!

January 4 Remembering a Nana My Nana's Birthday she was an amazing woman who could turn a sows ear into a silk purse! She would bake once a week and create tins full of yummy biscuits and cakes! Well this week we honoured her by baking and making Jam! Yummy Jam then Aiden ordered Piklets and cream! Then we have work starting again and I did a road trip by myself to Invercargill, Te Anau, Queenstown, Alexandra and visited 7 programmes and then called into see my sister and brother-in-law. Great to have a coffee and a chat! I am finding juggling children and work difficult so Daycare and rehearsals for Alice and Aiden start this week! we are settling Alice in Daycare and today she did well and gave cuddles when we left! So very positive!

Well With that we are then having Emily start swim lessons next week!

Uncle Sergio had a birthday yesterday and we have made him his gifts this year! We are going into home made and edible gifts for 2009 as much as possible! Tina my boss had her birthday on the 11th! So more stuff to make! :) Happy Birthday to you both!

We are also not using wrapping paper and once our store cupboard is empty we are going to try not to buy any more.

http://furoshiki.com/techniques.php check out this site for the techniques to wrap your gifts!

I have put in some random photos of the kids! Including Aiden and his surfboard that he must have 12 months ago and today sold as it was too small! He wants a long board! Go figure!

We are yet to Have Chinese New Year

My birthday 45! Oh my!

Our 25th wedding ann!

Alice at daycare

Emily back to school

Aiden back at school and 9 nights of production!

So full on few weeks!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2009!

Well 2008 is drawing to a close here in NZ we have had the most amazing year of developing our strong family unit with the arrival of Alice into our family! We spent most of June in China and it was just amazing!
Emily loved China and talks about the trip on a daily basis! She would be on a plane back there tomorrow! (As long as we all went!)
Aiden has grown inches this year and he is turning into a young man! He has done well at school and we are finding raising a teenager very challenging! Due to his life experience he has he is very worldly wise!
We were surprised when he auditioned for High School Musical stage show and in less than two weeks rehearsals start so we will have a very tired teenager on our hands!
Keith has worked no less than 80 hour weeks now for the last year and with the financial crunch and housing market slowing he has found that growth in his Mortgage business has been slow! We are hoping if he can hang in long enough he will reap the rewards!
I have had 5 months off sorting out the family and adjusting to life with a baby again! However she certainly isn't a baby anymore! she is refusing to sit in the high chair and has been sitting the last few days in a normal chair at the table! She loves it!
She is also had major ear infections and that has caused problems!
We may need surgery in the first half of the year!
Well we have meet people from all around the world on our family journey and we wish everyone a safe, Happy, Joyous and Peaceful 2009!
May the biggest of hurdles in 2009 be the smallest ones from 2008!
Happy New year my Friends!
Love Ruth, Keith, Aiden, Emily and Alice!

Merry Christmas

Dear friends and family
The clocks hands are nearly at Midnight! Notting Hall is on the Telly! Aiden and Keith are watching it and I am trying to finish off their treasure hunt for the morning!

We have both had a flu bug so feeling under the weather and slowly getting on top of things!

We have seen that Santa has left some parcels and now we have just to sort out our plan for tomorrow!

Before I go to bed I wanted to wish you and your families a very special christmas and know that this year has been hard on us all in so many different ways and also been the begining of a family of 5 for us and we do through all the heart break value that the most!

Watching all the children at Christmas eve service at Church tonught was very sweet!

Take care and enjoy the magical moments this crazy season holds for us all!

Hugs Ruth, Keith, Aiden, Emily and Alice

and the last of the videos!

We hope you enjoyed these!
Hugs Ruth

and yet more!