Little Waves

Halloween is little understood here. It makes us realize what a particularly American holiday it is – or has become. When we were here last time it was SO misunderstood and barely registered on anyone’s radar. I can remember being at home at our place in Owhiro Bay when a small gaggle of children dressed up – the girls were all witches and the boys all ghosts – came to the door. When I opened it, I paused to wait for the typical blaring “TRICK OR TREAT”". Instead these children just looked up at me with raised eyebrows, mouths agape and goodie bags outstretched. When I said back to them, “What do you say?”, all I got in return was the littlest witch replying in a tiny and unsure voice, “Lollies?”. DOH!

Eight years later the phenomenon of Halloween has caught on a bit more, but not that much. Because Weta brings such a large community of Americans to Wellington, we were able to engage in it as much as any one. Brad and I longed to take Ondine to a pumpkin patch and enjoy the cool breezes of a Bay Area Fall season approaching… but alas, weren’t able to do all of that. However, we were invited to a Halloween party in the morning (Brad worked; yaaawn) and Weta threw a big party at one of their office buildings – at which kids could “trick or treat” throughout the offices collecting “lollies” along the way. It was a great turn out this year and the weather cooperated, so that was great. There was a group who went on to actually trick or treat around the one neighborhood willing to play along, but it was late and we were hungry for dinner so we came home and passed out candy to the whopping four groups of kids who came to our door. Sadly, like so many others who engage in such folly, we have a MASSIVE bag of candy in the pantry now. I literally threw it on the top shelf as far back as I could…

Here are some shots from the fun we had:

Ondine wanted to be a Kitty Kat and thanks to a friend who traveled to the States last month, she got to wear this winner of a ticky tacky costume a la TJ MAXX. She DID love it, though said at one point, “Wait Mom, cats don’t wear skirts!”

More than a few of the kids were unsure about the game of trying to eat the donut without using their hands.

Phaedrea-Witch. Quite unsure

You want me to do WHAT?

Ondine takes a turn swinging at the pinata. I wish one of us had our cameras ready when Ondine stood under it holding open her loot bag before the game had really begun…

BabyRyderSpider

Kitty Kat and FinleySpider go for a bounce.
Great party Tessa, Patrick and Mikah!

Mama Bunny

…and best family costume goes HANDS DOWN to the Stephens:

Way to rock it!!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!!!

We are really loving the our new location – for being close to town and the town belt. Last night Brad and strolled downhill for a leisurely walk – on a rare warm, dry and still night – to have dinner, drop by the bookstore and head back home. It was such a treat not to drive and or park, to enjoy the time walking together and to take advantage of the rare weather. We are so pleased with our decision to move to Mt. Victoria; it’s really good.

Ondine is liking it too, since we can go more places by “trike” or stroller than before. Last week when the sun came out we strolled into town for a play at the tuatara playground on Cuba Street.

And last weekend we hit Te Papa (okay we drove this time because it was 45 degrees and blowing freezing rain sideways) – for some “market time” …

…and a play with this very disturbing baby toy. The levers help “animate” him, which Ondine loved to do, kind of surprisingly – we thought she wouldn’t like him due to his lack of good looks. heh. It turns out this was a prop made by Weta Workshop for a Peter Jackson film, “The Frighteners” – but it was never used, and thus donated to the national museum.

Last week I got out some pent up frustrations and whacked the trees and bushes on our personal trail out of our back gate, which leads up to the wider, public-use trail through the town belt. So yesterday Ondine and I decided to hike up and over to the playground instead of going via trike on the street. Its great to have this option! It’s a short walk and only uphill for the first bit. We are loving the sounds of the wind blowing through the tall trees behind our house too (more so that the salt-water-pelting kind of violent wind on the coast).

On the trail with Ella (she comes just about everywhere with us these days)

View from the trail, just before we descend the stairs to the playground (and Mt. Victoria Lawn Bowling club)

The weather has been really off and on (read: crappy), so when its cold and wet outdoors, we often do some baking. Here are the many faces of banana muffins:

That’s life right now! (or part of it anyway)

Young and old

Alas, at 14 our Jumbalaya is getting on in his years and we are beginning to brace for who-knows-what. As many of you know, he has been suffering with hairballs and other health issues as a result of “over-licking” since we got here. We had been convinced that is was a stress-related kind of OCD thing, as that was the story we had been told so many years ago. But now we think he might actually be allergic to…well, New Zealand – or something here. It is just too curious that both times we lived here, he has over-groomed. And now his new vet has him on medication that reduces itching and the behavior has all but gone away. Unfortunately, there are still other signs of old age and perhaps illness. At this point, he will be on this medication for the rest of his days and when and if he stops eating, we’ll know his time has come.

It’s a lot to grapple with, particularly with the intense bond Ondine has formed with him. Let me just say that I do NOT believe this love to be reciprocal. Of course, she will never know that, but for the record, Jummy goes down as one of the most tolerant cats I’ve ever known or witnessed.

I think I’ve made my case.

Anyway… just keep our Jum in your hearts please… as much as he is a pain in the ass a lot of the time, he was our first child and we love him sooo much and will be crushed when his time comes. For now… more toddler love (whether he likes it or not)!

If there was ever a demonstration of us needing Quicktime Pro so I can edit video, this is it.  Apologies… thus, this is a multi-video-series… a time commitment for sure, so this might be just for Nana, but oh well! It might give you all some indication of whether or not she is developing an accent. Though folks here say she sounds so American, while on our trip home everyone thought she had a wee accent. Poor girl is somewhere inbetwixt. For sure you will hear vocabulary, such as, “he is naughtaaay”…. heh

(photo by Brandie)

I just put Ondine to bed, with “Ella”, her real elephant doll who right now is #1 favorite — as well as two imaginary bears — one big and one little. In the last month or so, another “friend” – this one named “Pandro” – has come and gone… as, you see, he is quite old… but still likes to dance!… but he dies…but comes back!!… and is friend’s with Lycia, one of her Groovy Girls.

Our “big giiurrl”, Ondine, is shaping up to be quite an author when it comes to telling tales and the like. She can go on and on and on, telling, changing, re-telling a story involving all of her stuffed animals and you, etc., for a long, long time. Her stories tend to drift into a lot of caretaking narratives, as in, “Ella/Pooh/Mommy Froggy/You Name It ishurt and needs a plaster”. You wouldn’t believe how many plasters (Band-Aids) we got through! But alas, this is our empathetically-oriented daughter, and that is a good thing.

I am trying desperately to write down as much as I can, because the things she says are so hilarious and unbelievable. The other day we were listening to reggae, and she said “Mom, I don’t like this music”. So I asked her what she did like, to which she replied, “I like rock n’ roll”. Oh. Good.

She is also REALLY into “Diego”, Dora the Explorer’s cousin. She has even – to my delight – started enjoying speaking Spanish again. Here she is, enjoying the new castle-tent that has been erected in our living room (oh well), and showing how she says “buenos dias” – unfortunately in a voice of a gruff old man – for some unknown reason.

Coming up next is Ondine “reading” one of her favorite stories – Brother Bear – to Brad…

* gasp *  I’m back… apologies for the long wait between posts; it’s been a struggle to find time to get to this…and its really just been us slogging along…but now we have good news!

Brad and I were surprised to receive word yesterday that we have already been approved (in principle) for our Residency Permits. We were told in June when we submitted our application that the wait time was 9-12 months, and for us to wait to hear from them (in no uncertain terms). To receive this in 4 months was a shocker, and a delight.

This gives us not only greater security but brings nearer the time when we might also gain “Indefinite Residency” – a goal of ours as it would allow all of us to come and go for the rest of our lives (to Australia as well). These current permits should be finalized within the month; then after two years time we can apply for the indefinite ones (and, if approved, be free to potentially move on to a new adventure). This also opens up the possibility of schooling and assures our health coverage.

Of course we sort of really don’t know what the heck we are doing a lot of the time (but who does? do you?) – but nonetheless we are thrilled!!

For sure it is HARD at times to be so far away, and we DO go through lonely times when we wonder why we are here, and then we come to moments like these when we get a glimpse into the reasons we returned – to provide for our daughter and make plans that hopefully will ensure her safety and promote her prosperity. The notion that she will have access to New Zealand and Australia for her life is just really exciting. Not to mention the idea that it gives Brad and I the same latitude in terms of where to settle/retire if and when the need arises. It’s a crazy, unpredictable world – more and more so it seems – so having options feels like a good thing. But let’s be clear – making these decisions ain’t easy!!

I can almost remember the point in my early adult life when it dawned on me that no one else knew how to make good decisions either. As in, no one had a secret red-light/green-light kind of system that would tell them which way to go in life. That the truth of adulthood is that you just have to either learn how to trust yourself in guessing which way to go, or get used to the anxiety that comes with not knowing – and then just do it anyway. It comes down to courage I suppose. And thus, sometimes our coming here feels courageous, yet at other times it feels… hard — for lack of a better word. Or perhaps it is best just to say that we miss you all a lot and hope we can craft a life for our family in which all things are possible and we are able to cultivate and celebrate many tribes around the world.

Blessings and love to each of you!

As you may have guessed, its been busy and full on over here between the big move and Brad’s final push on Avatar. He is currently working 7 days a week, but it looks hopeful that the end is near. It’s likely that in two weeks time he will be back in the textures department and working a mere 50 hours a week. It’s astonishing how “50 hour weeks” seems like a breeze now. Shuh.

We have also, at last, for sure this time (as far as I can tell) completely finished with naps. That is bad news for this blog, as that was my main time to sit and write here. It’s much harder for me to find the energy at the end of the day, I must admit. Alas, this is a brief update, sans exciting photos (just go to Brad’s Flickr site), just to catch y’all up while Brad does the bedtime routine and before I zonk out.

The new house is great. Most importantly for me, it is filled with light. In Breaker Bay we could be in the shade by 2pm. When my routine with Ondine is generally about being out and about in the morning and home in the afternoons, having late sun means a lot. With the move and the shift to daylight savings, I keep finding myself realizing its 6pm and I haven’t starting making dinner. There are skylights all over the place, so we get light even when its overcast.It’s fabulous.

Thankfully, Ondine is handling the change well. I was quite anxious about this but deep down knew she is SO adaptable that I kind of had an idea she would be okay. She did say many times before going that she didn’t want to leave Breaker Bay, and a few days into our stay here, she said she thought Breaker Bay was more beautiful – which just about broke my heart. It was quite hard staring out at that amazing green lawn and giant backyard knowing we were leaving it for so much less flat, green space. But like I said, this move was for all of us and so far its been really good.

Last weekend (when Brad still had a weekend day) we all took at trip out the back gate and into the town belt. Let’s just say we need a machete. The path from our gate up to the main track needs a lot of work. It wasn’t the greatest sell to Ondine, sadly. But we will hack at it and hope to make walks out and up more of a routine soon. Fortunately, the main track leads to a park/playground, so at least there is a good payoff for her.

Mostly though, Ondine seems to be in that developmental phase when her toys and stuffed animals really come alive. She has also decided that our couch – specifically the zone behind the cushions – is her new favorite place to be. Oh, and she has also become a nudist. It’s now a bit routine for us to walk through the door and within 10 minutes she isn’t wearing a stitch and has a coterie of friends with her living out some new drama. The whole “lounge” (living room) has become her play area.  She did ask where her play area was when we moved here; that little sunken zone off our old kitchen was good in that way… and there isn’t that kind of cordoned off area here. Hence, the couch. The cool part for me is that she gets so lost in her narratives that she can play and talk to herself and her friends for ages, while I putter around her. I do obviously stop and play and help (and of course offer reminders and the rare scolding) – but she plays more independently now than ever. It’s hilarious and fun to listen in… I will try to sneak some video if I can.

And the rest of life goes on…. swim class, Gymbaroo, creche, etc. She will start her new “kindy” next year in late January – which is the beginning of Term 1 here. She got in earlier but we decided starting fresh after the long summer break made more sense. She will likely to go four mornings of care a week and maybe even 5.

For Brad and I, its fantastic being so close to town. I returned to my Tuesday night sauna night at long last, and we have both enjoyed night’s out in town starting with a lovely stroll down the hill. We look forward to engaging with town even more once Brad’s hours settle down. Hooray!

More soon… missing you all and sending love.

As some of you already know, we are moving house – again. Yes, it is true it was only six months ago when we last moved, and yes I am already feeling overwhelmed by the process. But here is what is also true – when we came back from our US trip we realized we really weren’t happy in this house. It was very clear for both of us. And many of you know that when we decided to return to New Zealand we swore up and down that we wouldn’t return to the isolated, rugged yet beautiful south coast. And then look what we did! And then we did it AGAIN.  So after much deliberation and discussion, we decided we would move to Mt. Victoria – our favorite suburb – if and when a family-oriented house came available. Well, it did.

So this Friday we move to our new 3-bedroom, 3-bath house, with 2 garages and a back gate that opens into the Town Belt (Wellington’s green belt). Brad and I are very excited; Ondine.. unfortunately.. not so much.. yet.  She has started whining that she doesn’t want to leave Breaker Bay or move to a bigger room (that was my sell).  So we have our work cut out for us in making her new environment cooler than cool so she doesn’t have too much grief over moving.  She usually is quite adaptable, but all please say a prayer, won’t you?

It might be true that this move is more for Brad and I than it is for her actually. We are the ones who feel more isolated and cramped here than her. We are the ones who want to feel more connected to everything and be able to walk to anything so easily. But we also know that she WILL love her new big room and taking walks through the “forest” out the back gate. There is also a great park we really like very closeby as well.  In a few months (depending on when she gets in and when we think we are ready to shift her schedule around) she will start to attend a new “kindy” for three year-olds just down the road. It will be fabulous to walk her down and back without having to get in a car! Of course we hope to be doing more walking and less driving in general and her new trike will come in handy for sure in this regard — particularly the push-handle off the back that I know I will need to use many a time to get her back up the hill. I am panting already.

Here are some snaps of the place as it is empty… of course I will post more once we make it our own. Please also say a prayer for me that I get through this move in one piece, since Brad has just been asked to work 80-90 hour weeks!!!!!! While you’re at it, you can say a prayer for him too (all kinds of prayers welcome).

The “lounge”

the other side of the lounge – door to left goes into what will be our office/Brad’s “Man Cave” – to be repainted tomorrow; other door on right, if you can see it goes into Ondine’s room

Kitchen: quite industrial which hopefully will be cool. Loving the big pantry! The whole house is filled with lots of bold colors. Again, we hope this will be cool/workable!

Ondine’s room: this photo doesn’t quite capture it… hilarious that she will have her own ensuite bathroom

Master, with doors to back garden (top floor is all master suite)

view out over city and Mt. Cook

back garden with gate into town belt. There is a landing up top on which we hope to put a JACUZZI. Whooya baby!!! Incredible views from up there…

Front patio which needs a clean but will be great for the sandlot, table and chairs and more outdoor play space… perhaps a kiddie pool in the summer… this patio will get TONS of sun all day long – too bad it was a rainy day when I took these.

So thar she blows. Hold a thought for us… we move on Friday! (Thursday for most of you)

In between the marathon of 3 year-old birthday parties, we celebrated Father’s Day (yes, it is on a different date down here for some reason – even though Mother’s Day is the same). Brad got to have a chill day with Ondine and I and two naps. Ah, poor guy… he is SO tired from SO much hard work, stress and long hours… Thankfully it was a glorious day so we headed to the outdoor cafe on the beach just down the road.

Artist and artist

Hmm… resemblance?

Brad’s Father’s Day present will have to be another blog post to come. He got a gift certificate for a Trial First Flight Instruction – as learning to fly has long been a passionate interest. The Wellington Aero club makes it really easy and since we live near the airport, it makes it even easier. Now he will just have find a not-crazily-windy day in Welly to give it a go! This gift was the least I could do for our greatest dad in the world. Aww.