We are moving again! ha ha. Dale and I added it up and we have moved seven times since being married. A family in our church has offered us their upstairs area for half of what we are paying, so in three weeks we are moving down the street.
Another exciting thing is I felt the baby move today!! It was while I was reading to Lorri, she fell asleep but I was interested in the book so I kept reading. I felt a movement and wasn’t sure, so I stopped reading and just laid still with my hand on my tummy. Yep!! It was not just moving around it was kicking and punching. I was so excited and I can’t wait to tell Dale. It’s crazy because I didn’t just feel it move inside, but I felt it with my hand. I’m only 15 weeks along, so I thought it was crazy to already be feeling movement. I’m thrilled though.
Lorri has learned how to clap! We are so happy for her because she has been trying to learn for almost two months now. She’s so proud of herself too. She just learned yesterday, and now she’s clapping all the time. She’s also learning how to drink out of a cup. She thinks it’s a game, so it’s always fun to play it with her.
I’m taking sewing lessons on Fridays now. An older lady in the church wants to teach me how to make cloths for Lorri and the baby to come. She showed me a dress that she made for her granddaughter and I loved it. Also this older lady says she’s lonely on Fridays and would love the company.
On Sunday Dale and I went on a bush walk. It was amazing! Most of the bush consisted of different types of ferns and palm trees. We walked in circles so many times because it all looked the same. We were laughing at each other because our sense of direction was so messed up. Lorri fell asleep on the way there and continued her nap without waking up during the transfer to the stroller, through the walk, the transfer to the car seat, and then from the car seat to the house. Her nap lasted almost three hours. Dale and I were so amazed. During our walk we came upon an exotic looking picnic area. It was crazy because we were walking in heaving greenery than all of a sudden there was an open area with picnic tables. We were laughing at that too, because there weren’t any markings for it. I guess people just have to know the area. They have so many hidden secrets.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Amazing
We finally celebrated Dales birthday on Saturday. We dropped Lorri off at her adoptive grandparents house and went tramping around Karekare beach. It was the best thing we have done so far. We were able to tramp through the jungle then sit on the rocks and watch the waves. Lorri did pretty well away from us. I think she had a rough start and end, but the middle was okayJ George and Susan said they will watch her again but not as long next time. We were very grateful to them for watching her while we were gone. It would have been to windy and cold to take her.
For mothers day we went to the Auckland Botanic Gardens. It was a beautiful walk, but we are told it’s even better during the spring time. I have pictures that I will have to post later.
This week we have been busy with getting settled. We may be moving in three weeks though. A family from the church offered their upstairs apartment. We would save almost the amount that I would need to get a job to make. It may be an answer to prayer about me looking for a job. I can stay home with Lorri as my job:) Who knows though.
We miss you all and love you!!
For mothers day we went to the Auckland Botanic Gardens. It was a beautiful walk, but we are told it’s even better during the spring time. I have pictures that I will have to post later.
This week we have been busy with getting settled. We may be moving in three weeks though. A family from the church offered their upstairs apartment. We would save almost the amount that I would need to get a job to make. It may be an answer to prayer about me looking for a job. I can stay home with Lorri as my job:) Who knows though.
We miss you all and love you!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Every day stuff
Nothing all that exciting has happened this week. We are excited for Saturday to come because we are going out tramping the Karikari beach. Now that we have a car we can go out and discover more of New Zealand.
I’ll write about the little things that have happened in the week though it may be boring. Lorri and I went over to her friend Shikira’s house to play earlier this week. We spent all afternoon at their house and we just let the girls play together. When Shikira saw Lorri she ran to her and kissed her on the lips. It was so cute because Lorri opened her mouth and leaned towards her for another kiss. She hasn’t learned to give kisses yet, so it was funny the way she reacted. That morning Dale said goodbye to us and walked out the door. Lorri starting crying and walked to the door looking out as Dale was leaving. He noticed and came back to give her an extra big huge. We were both laughing because it hasn’t ever happened with him, she does that with me, but this was a new thing.
Lorri and I went to play group on Wednesday. We signed up for the whole year and they gave us a little T-shirt for Lorri. It’s cute on her because it’s several sizes to big. At the end of the play time they had 20 minutes of singing, which we hadn’t stayed for last week. I was excited to find that Lorri enjoyed it. I thought it might be a little to old for her. She was watching all the other kids at first, then she was bouncing up and down with the music. I borrowed some music from them to copy to the computer and play during the day.
Dale gave me my first driving lesson Tuesday night. I really felt like I was driving for the first time. When my dad taught me how to drive I had trouble looking for other traffic as I merged into a lane. It was just like that, I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road in front of me. I’m better at it now, I just have to be aware of what I’m doing, it’s so easy to slip into what feels natural. I keep turning the windshield wipers on to signal that I’m turning and I hit my hand on the door to put the car in park or reverse. I’ll get used to it soon enough.
I have to explain some of the pictures. Lorri received several frilly dresses from Shikira and I just had to take some pictures of her. She was afraid of the dress at first, but when she was wearing it I think she new she was cuteJ She also borrowed a hat from Shikira and I thought it looked so cute. She kept taking it off so I quick took a picture while it was on her head. She thought it was funny.
I’ll write about the little things that have happened in the week though it may be boring. Lorri and I went over to her friend Shikira’s house to play earlier this week. We spent all afternoon at their house and we just let the girls play together. When Shikira saw Lorri she ran to her and kissed her on the lips. It was so cute because Lorri opened her mouth and leaned towards her for another kiss. She hasn’t learned to give kisses yet, so it was funny the way she reacted. That morning Dale said goodbye to us and walked out the door. Lorri starting crying and walked to the door looking out as Dale was leaving. He noticed and came back to give her an extra big huge. We were both laughing because it hasn’t ever happened with him, she does that with me, but this was a new thing.
Lorri and I went to play group on Wednesday. We signed up for the whole year and they gave us a little T-shirt for Lorri. It’s cute on her because it’s several sizes to big. At the end of the play time they had 20 minutes of singing, which we hadn’t stayed for last week. I was excited to find that Lorri enjoyed it. I thought it might be a little to old for her. She was watching all the other kids at first, then she was bouncing up and down with the music. I borrowed some music from them to copy to the computer and play during the day.
Dale gave me my first driving lesson Tuesday night. I really felt like I was driving for the first time. When my dad taught me how to drive I had trouble looking for other traffic as I merged into a lane. It was just like that, I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road in front of me. I’m better at it now, I just have to be aware of what I’m doing, it’s so easy to slip into what feels natural. I keep turning the windshield wipers on to signal that I’m turning and I hit my hand on the door to put the car in park or reverse. I’ll get used to it soon enough.
I have to explain some of the pictures. Lorri received several frilly dresses from Shikira and I just had to take some pictures of her. She was afraid of the dress at first, but when she was wearing it I think she new she was cuteJ She also borrowed a hat from Shikira and I thought it looked so cute. She kept taking it off so I quick took a picture while it was on her head. She thought it was funny.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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.
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.
April 25th
The rest of this week hasn’t been anything special or exciting. Today is a type of veterans day for New Zealand, so there isn’t anything opened today, plus it‘s raining out. We were going to go shopping for food, but I guess we have to make do with what we have in the cupboard. We plan two meals ahead of time since our fridge is very small.
Lorri has been practicing her walking these past two days. Last night we walked her back and forth to get her really tired for her bedtime. We’ve set a bedtime for her and we are letting her put herself to sleep. She’s been crying herself to sleep, but hopefully that phase will end soon. We get her ready for bed around 8:00pm and we read a chapter in the Bible then a chapter in kids book from the library. She’s all calmed down and ready for bed by 8:30pm. It’s been a really nice routine for us, now we just have to get her to sleep through the night. We’ve done well with getting her to wake up once instead of twice.
Lorri has been practicing her walking these past two days. Last night we walked her back and forth to get her really tired for her bedtime. We’ve set a bedtime for her and we are letting her put herself to sleep. She’s been crying herself to sleep, but hopefully that phase will end soon. We get her ready for bed around 8:00pm and we read a chapter in the Bible then a chapter in kids book from the library. She’s all calmed down and ready for bed by 8:30pm. It’s been a really nice routine for us, now we just have to get her to sleep through the night. We’ve done well with getting her to wake up once instead of twice.
April 26th
Dale starts school today! He’s very excited and has been waiting for this for a long time. I think he had trouble getting to sleep and then he was up really early. It wasn’t raining today so I think he has a good start for his first day.
Sunday it rained all day for us. It was funny because we both set out for church without our jackets because we thought it was warm enough to go without. It started raining softly at first then it really came down in gusts has we were walking to church. Lorri was all snug and dry, her stroller had a plastic rain covering. A guy walking in the other side of the road saw us and offered his umbrella. We said no and walked on, but he crossed the street and really wanted us to take it. We had just been talking about buying one as soon as we could. We were already soaked, so it seemed odd to take an umbrella. The guy wanted to be helpful and I thought it would be snobby if I didn’t take it. I took it and thanked him. We looked funny walking with an umbrella soaked to the bone. It was so windy too that it turned the umbrella inside out. We were laughing so hard about the whole thing. Once we got to church nobody noticed that we were wet. All our cloths were so soaked that it looked like we had dark cloths on and Dales hair looked jelled. I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower, but my hair dried fast. We were cold through the whole service, besides that it wasn’t a problem.
I took Lorri to where all the kids were instead of going to the quiet room. There were a couple of little one year olds that liked her and all the older girls loved playing with her. All the kids were watching Madagascar 2 so it was nice to have her play around with all the kids without interrupting anything. Some of the ladies are taking me to a play date on Wednesday morning. They said there are a bunch of younger moms more my age and lots of babies. They just get together and have the kids play while they drink tea and fellowship. I’m very excited about it. This morning one of the ladies from the church came over to visit with her little one year old. Lorri and her played together while we talked. We even went to the park together and had the girls play. I think all the ladies don’t want me to be bored while Dale is at school. They all wanted my phone number so that they could call and talk. I’m very well taken care of here.
Something else funny happened yesterday. We were talking to an older lady behind us while everyone was finding their seat for church to start and we told her that we were pregnant. She had been a nurse/midwife in her younger days and we just got to talking about it. Dale told her that he wanted me to have twin boys and we were laughing about it. Well, after church everyone was coming up to us and congratulating us on our expecting twins. Some of the ladies were sad for me, being all alone and having such a big responsibility without help. We had to spread the news that we didn’t even know what we were having yet because it’s still really early.
Sunday it rained all day for us. It was funny because we both set out for church without our jackets because we thought it was warm enough to go without. It started raining softly at first then it really came down in gusts has we were walking to church. Lorri was all snug and dry, her stroller had a plastic rain covering. A guy walking in the other side of the road saw us and offered his umbrella. We said no and walked on, but he crossed the street and really wanted us to take it. We had just been talking about buying one as soon as we could. We were already soaked, so it seemed odd to take an umbrella. The guy wanted to be helpful and I thought it would be snobby if I didn’t take it. I took it and thanked him. We looked funny walking with an umbrella soaked to the bone. It was so windy too that it turned the umbrella inside out. We were laughing so hard about the whole thing. Once we got to church nobody noticed that we were wet. All our cloths were so soaked that it looked like we had dark cloths on and Dales hair looked jelled. I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower, but my hair dried fast. We were cold through the whole service, besides that it wasn’t a problem.
I took Lorri to where all the kids were instead of going to the quiet room. There were a couple of little one year olds that liked her and all the older girls loved playing with her. All the kids were watching Madagascar 2 so it was nice to have her play around with all the kids without interrupting anything. Some of the ladies are taking me to a play date on Wednesday morning. They said there are a bunch of younger moms more my age and lots of babies. They just get together and have the kids play while they drink tea and fellowship. I’m very excited about it. This morning one of the ladies from the church came over to visit with her little one year old. Lorri and her played together while we talked. We even went to the park together and had the girls play. I think all the ladies don’t want me to be bored while Dale is at school. They all wanted my phone number so that they could call and talk. I’m very well taken care of here.
Something else funny happened yesterday. We were talking to an older lady behind us while everyone was finding their seat for church to start and we told her that we were pregnant. She had been a nurse/midwife in her younger days and we just got to talking about it. Dale told her that he wanted me to have twin boys and we were laughing about it. Well, after church everyone was coming up to us and congratulating us on our expecting twins. Some of the ladies were sad for me, being all alone and having such a big responsibility without help. We had to spread the news that we didn’t even know what we were having yet because it’s still really early.
April 28th
Dale’s first day was an orientation/get to know the school type day. He has the class to himself today and he’s pretty excited about it. Susan, the lady who has been helping us all along, took me to the school today and gave me a tour. We went to the lounge room to wait for Dale to come and say hi. It’s amazing, they have a coffee machine that makes any type of coffee you could want and free internet. I get to visit every Friday after school and hang out in the lounge with Dale. I’m so excited for Fridays to come now.
Earlier today I went to the shopping street because I wanted to pick up a few groceries for the next two days. I met a friend! I had to pick up some wipes for Lorri and there was a special baby shop that is cheaper than any place around. Her name is Nunia and she works at the shop, she is my age and has a son that is 10 months. We talked for two hours and were instant friends. She has been married exactly the same amount of time Dale and I have been. I think I would have stayed longer but I had to get back for Susan. It’s nice to have someone my age and so much in common. She is the first one I have met that isn’t 15 or 20 years older than me that has a baby.
Another thing that I’m so thrilled about is Susan gave me a table cloth. I know it’s crazy, but I thought the kitchen looked ugly with the orange and blue one we had before. I’m going to get some flowers to brighten it up as well.
Dale’s birthday is coming up on Friday. We were going to go out for the day on Saturday, but someone is letting us borrow a car until mid July. They are giving it to us on Monday, so we are waiting until next Saturday to go. Susan and George are going to watch Lorri for the day we are out. They call themselves Gran-mum and Gran-dad for her. They said, “if her real grandparents heard us say this, they wouldn’t be to pleased.”
Earlier today I went to the shopping street because I wanted to pick up a few groceries for the next two days. I met a friend! I had to pick up some wipes for Lorri and there was a special baby shop that is cheaper than any place around. Her name is Nunia and she works at the shop, she is my age and has a son that is 10 months. We talked for two hours and were instant friends. She has been married exactly the same amount of time Dale and I have been. I think I would have stayed longer but I had to get back for Susan. It’s nice to have someone my age and so much in common. She is the first one I have met that isn’t 15 or 20 years older than me that has a baby.
Another thing that I’m so thrilled about is Susan gave me a table cloth. I know it’s crazy, but I thought the kitchen looked ugly with the orange and blue one we had before. I’m going to get some flowers to brighten it up as well.
Dale’s birthday is coming up on Friday. We were going to go out for the day on Saturday, but someone is letting us borrow a car until mid July. They are giving it to us on Monday, so we are waiting until next Saturday to go. Susan and George are going to watch Lorri for the day we are out. They call themselves Gran-mum and Gran-dad for her. They said, “if her real grandparents heard us say this, they wouldn’t be to pleased.”
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