April 20th

This weekend was good for all three of us. Saturday we took the train into Auckland City and spent the day walking the parks and shops. I’m not sure how far we walked, but it felt like a long hike. It was so beautiful, which was crazy because it’s in the middle of the city. We were able to locate a Kauri tree. We had been guessing what type of tree they were and it was great to finally know what they looked like. They are really big, tall and beautiful. The city is impressive and flashy, much different from Papatoetoe. In the suburb it’s very simple and plain. It’s a treat to go into the city and see all the frills. In the middle of the city all the alley’s are paved in brick and there are so many different expensive shops and restaurants at every turn. We wanted to get something to eat and ended up at Burger King. It was nice though because there was a group playing some Peruvian bamboo music on the street. We sat down on a bench to enjoy the music and the meal. When we got back to the flat we felt like our legs wouldn’t walk anywhere else even if we wanted them to. We made some pop corn and watched half of a movie. We were too tired to finish it.
Sunday was a covenant service at the church. Lorri was getting fidgety as we were worshiping so I took her to the quiet room since they don‘t have nursery. I stayed with her there until communion and then caught up with Dale to go up front. We knelt at the alter to take the communion. I wasn’t sure what to do with Lorri so I took her with us and let her down on the kneeling pad. As we were praying she started playing with the glasses that were set in the slots above her. The pastor got a kick out of it because Lorri was so enthralled by the look of the sparkling glass above her.
Today is the last day we have our rental car. We planned on going to the beach but when we woke up this morning it was raining. I guess that means it’s a good library day. Dale has been reading every chance he gets. I think he’s finished three books now. I’m guessing he’s ready for next week to start and reading is a good pass time.
We are trying to get Lorri to sleep through the night, so we move our mattress into the living room every night. It’s been good for me because I sleep a little better when I don’t hear her every move. We get up at 6:30am now, so that’s good. We go to bed around 8:00pm. I think we are slowly adjusting to the time.
Lorri has four teeth coming in on the top now. Two are showing and the other two are working their way out. She has discovered that she can grind her teeth, which is crazy to me. She’s a smart little thing. Her walking is getting a little more balanced. She likes to hold on to our hand with one of hers and have the other hand free. The cabinets are her favorite toy. She opens them and brings everything out. If I’m cooking or cleaning in the kitchen she wants to be in there with me. Most of the time she crawls up my leg and hangs onto my pants. She’s learning so much and growing fast. We are trying to get her to eat more of a variety of foods and protein. She’s become very picky with what she will eat. I think she’s a vegetarian at this point. Tonight we are going to try some beans and see what she thinks.
Dale got his working visa, which is an answer to prayer. We have to wait on Dale’s permanent teachers license now. Once Dale gets his teaching license I will have to get a working visa and find a job for myself. I’m hoping to get a job at the preschool near Dales school. That’s something we are really praying for.
We haven’t tried the coffee here, but it truly looks amazing. They serve it in big round mugs and it looks like the cream rises to the top. It also looks worth whatever the cost. We tried two of their candy bars. The Morro chocolate bar is like a Milky Way but much better. Don’t try the Crunchy bar here, it’s suppose to be like the malt balls, but it’s not as good.
We went to the library today and tried to get on the computers, there was a long line for the rest of the library’s open hours. I can’t wait until school starts again for all these kids. I won’t have such a long wait once they are back in school. The kids like to play games on the computers and they always have a large group around them waiting to play. Once school starts I’ll be able to get internet at the school with my lap top and not have to worry about waiting in line.