The Tuesday with work for me and play for the boys

Hi,

Toby had a sleepover so Mike graciously volunteered to drive me to work in the morning.  Maybe he wanted an excuse to drive the wee green car on a great looking morning.  So I was at work early and Mike set off home to get through a mountain of work.

I had a day at work and then a work function.  Mike and Toby drove in again in the wee green car so I would have a car in town to drive home afterwards.  They both caught the bus back home.   But the work function didn't last very long so I drove Rex home in the wee green car via Pauatahanui.  And when we got there, I got fed a scrumptious BBQ dinner.  Good score!  I met Charm's mother too which was very nice!

Home to bed.  But Jack (who was having a sleepover) got homesick for his parents and cried.  So John popped in to take him home. 

My last day at work is today!  Yay!  Holidays soon for a few weeks.  We're back at work on the 9th!

So, have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.  I'll be thinking of you all.

Love,
Angela

The weekend and the Monday with lots of things happening

Hi,

Mike got home safely on Friday night.  Toby was at a sleepover at wee Tom's house because I went to a move with Tom's mother.  We saw Cave of Forgotten Dreams - in 3D.  It's a documentary about some prehistoric caves with paintings on them.  It was wonderful!  After the movie I stayed up reading then went to meet Mike at the airport.  Usually Toby and I are fast asleep by the time Mike gets home from Sydney.

Next morning we collected Toby early and had McDonalds for breakfast at Sally and Andrew's house.  Aidan and Janne were there so it was nice to see them before Christmas.

The mission became one to find a Christmas tree then.  And we found one in Ngaio.  So there you go.  Our tree looks and smells great!

Duncan and Emerson arrived for a sleepover, and we chatted to their parents for a while before they fled to their now childless house and had a relaxing time together.  The boys were all asleep quite early after watching a movie of some sort.  We know this because we slept on the lounge room floor and we can hear if they talk!

Sunday morning we took the boys to the new Junglerama in Lower Hutt.  It whiled away the morning nicely.  Aidan and Josh arrived and we headed into town for lunch.

Back home and Toby rushed off to play with Alex.  Is he ignoring us?  Mike and I went to the family dinner without Toby.  It was great to catch up with some people before Christmas there too.

Back to get Toby, and a cup of tea.  Then home to collapse into bed.

I am the only one working this week.  Although Mike had a 9am meeting that lasted all day till 7pm!  Hmmm.  Lucky Toby had arranged play dates.  And another sleepover at Alex's house on Monday evening.

After work Mike and I met up with Sally and Andrew for dinner at Maginnitys restaurant around the corner from work.  I had a lovely meal - asparagus with poached egg followed by pesto stuffed chicken breast.  Scrumptious. 

We dropped Sally and Andrew off at home (after Mike listened to music very loudly in the car).  Good fun.  On the way back home we stopped and smooched at the beach.  Heheheh. 

Better get stuck into work.  Mike has a lot of messages to get through today.  I like having a house husband.  And I have a work function after work today.  Home a bit late.

Enjoy the Christmas week.  May all your shopping go smoothly!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with a fruitless search for a Christmas tree

Hi,

I collected Toby and we drove to the Thorndon New World to find a Christmas tree and do some shopping.  No tree but I did get the other essentials.  Back in the car and we drove from town, to Johnsonville and back to Newtown looking for a tree.  Nothing open anywhere to sell me a tree.  Foiled!  It is now a Saturday morning task.

Today is the last day of school for Toby.  He will have a sleepover at wee Tom's house because I am off to a movie with Christine.  I have bought tickets for a movie that details the prehistoric cave paintings in the famous caves in southern France.  Perhaps Christine might sleep!  But I can't wait!  In 3D too!

Our last weekend in Wellington before we head south on Thursday next week for Christmas.  I hope the weather improves - it's all very soggy here in New Zealand.  Some areas more than others!

Enjoy the weekend!
Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with no karate

Hi,

Well, I rushed home from work for the last karate evening of the year only to have Toby say he didn't want to go.  It was a water fight outside and I am glad he said no because the rain started after we got home and it wouldn't have been nice for either of us.

It as so humid yesterday that I was exhausted after I got home and I sat under the air conditioner for a while.  Heheheheh.

I'm going to drive in today because I have parcels to collect at work.  One being our new PC.  Oooooo.

And I have decided we need a Christmas tree.  When I get Toby we'll go out and try and find a nice wee tree.

Have a marvelous day!
Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with carols in the park - or church

Hi,

I rushed home in the car to collect Toby because he was singing in the choir for the Wadestown carols in the park.  Unfortunately the weather meant the organisers shifted it inside the church.  Of course, by the time it kicked off the weather was fine.  But never mind.

Toby and I ate a sausage at the sausage sizzle before the carols in the church.  Toby was very cute in his green top (red and green were the colours of the choir but nearly all the kids wore red so Toby was very visible).  The choir all stand very still when they are singing.  But Toby can't stop bopping to any music when he hears it, so he was jiggling away during the singing.  Very cute.

Afterwards we caught up with John and Christine in the park.  The boys played together while we chatted.

Tonight is the last karate night for the year.  I hope I can get home in time to get Toby there.  Meanwhile Mike continues to struggle away with his work in Sydney.  Through a migraine I'm told, it's a shame for him... but home for the holidays on Friday!

Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Angela

The Monday with Toby's birthday

Hi,

Mike left at 4.30am and kissed Toby and left him a present to open when he woke up.  I think it worked because Toby hasn't complained too much that his Dad is in Sydney on his birthday.

We got home and I cooked spaghetti bolognese as Toby's choice.  He certainly ate a lot!  We watched a new DVD he got for his birthday. Ninjago (some Lego thing).

Tonight Toby is singing in the choir for the Wadestown Christmas evening.  I'll drive in so I can collect Toby in time to make it back.

Raining today.  The church might be the venue for the Christmas evening, rather than the park opposite.

Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

The weekend with Toby's birthday party

Hi,

Happy birthday to Toby for today!  What a great weekend we all had.  It started with Benjamin babysitting Toby on Friday night because we had our work Christmas party.  It was held in the waka house down by Te Papa and was a fantastic night.  The theme was Oktoberfest, and I had a silly little beer wench costume on.  But Mike's costume was so bad it made mine seem positively demur in comparison.  Mike had dodgy lederhosen on and they were a little tight around his... ahem... bits.

We got Benjamin home by midnight so we weren't too late.

Saturday morning we started early to try and get everything done.  And we did do everything.  Including swimming for Toby, grocery shopping, rotating the Corolla car tyres, getting a new stereo in the Corolla, getting central locking on the passenger door of the MX-5, tidying the house and preparing for the onslaught of 7 children for Toby's party.

Mike took the kids to the cinema in Wally's huge car and they watched Arthur Christmas.  Mike said he had a good sleep.  This is when William went home - he was a bit sick and slept on our couch waiting for his Dad to collect him.  Poor wee boy.

Then at home they bashed the pinata Jack had made for Toby.  It was a thing of beauty - an Angry Bird (bomber bird possibly) and filled with so many lollies the kids were unable to hold them all.

Ma called to say hi to Toby.  Toby had such fun it was funny to watch him so animated.

Then dinner followed by a DVD.  Not a lot of watching happened.  They slid down the stairs in their sleeping bags!  But they were all asleep by 10pm, so not too bad, really.  Mike was the only real casualty.  In a vacuum cleaner maintenance accident of all things - he stabbed himself properly in the webbing between his thumb and index finger with the sharp blade on my pocketknife.  Judging from the blood left on the knife, he went in quite a way!

Next morning we prepared for the Bichan family lunch and Toby's family birthday lunch, all in one.  Thirteen for lunch, which consisted of two roast chickens and veges.  It all went very well.  Malcolm came early and now our alarm system is back up and running.  A few more tweaks and it should be good.

Our house has never had so much luxing over the course of one weekend - between preparing for Toby's party, cleaning up afterwards, again to prepare for the lunch, and then sorting the aftermath again!  It's clean now!  And, the vacuum cleaner is working very well, after I finished getting the hair off the turbo brush - safely and easily with scissors rather than a sharp stabbing knife...

Time to go to work and school.  Mike is on the plane over the Tasman now.  He'll be back Friday night.  And stay here until the New Year!  Hooray!

Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Angela

The Thursday with a rollercoaster ride

Hi,

From thinking Mike might not be here this morning (Friday), and then having him arrive, but having him away for most of next week, and then having him here for all of Christmas week, I had an emotional rollercoaster ride yesterday.  But as I type, he is here, and making himself a coffee.  At least here is here for the work Christmas party tonight.

Toby and I went to the user group session last night (Thursday).  It went well - it was our first Christmas session where we just sit around and talk.

Tonight is the Christmas party and Mike has said I can wear the dodgy outfit to the party as it is not absolutely awful.  Just where it is on the scale of awfulness, I think Mike and I differ in our assessment.  The only thing I wear that shows more skin is my togs.  Disturbing.

Toby's party is tomorrow.  Sleepover and movie.  And Sunday is the family lunch.  Cool!  Should be busy.

Have a superb weekend.
Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with no karate

Hi,

Meetings all day meant no time to collect Toby early enough for karate.  We stayed at home and were in bed by 7.30pm to read. Nice.

Mike had Face Time with us around 8.15pm and he was at work and trying to sort out some issues.  I saw later he texted me at 2.30am still up!  Poor man.  And he said it is not looking good for him to return to Wellington tonight as expected.  Which means he'll miss our work Christmas party on Friday night.  Bit pants.

Last user group session tonight for the year for me.  I'll drive in so I can nip to Skids and collect Toby.

Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with Cubs, but no Mike

Hi,

Mike has left for Sydney again this morning after working until 1am last night.  Something has turned to worms in Sydney and it meant Mike couldn't attend the last Cubs session for the year.  Shame, because it was great fun.  Simon (new leader) was amazing and the Cubs cooked up a storm on hobo stoves.  I cooked up sausages on the BBQ and we invested Simon and his son and said goodbye to the two leaders.  Phew!

Louise (a mum) made two great leaving cards and all the Cubs signed it.  It was very well done - I had found the right person for that job.

I have meetings up to 5pm today so no idea if we can make it to karate or not.  A new approach on my part says I can't possibly do everything and some things have to slide.

Have a great day!  I am riding in and hoping to avoid forecast rain!
Love,
Angela

The Monday with wedding anniversary dinner

Hi,

Despite working until 7.30pm last night (what on earth???) we had a wonderful dinner at the Boulcott St Bistro last night.  It is always very nice there.  I had fish and the cheeses, and Mike has steak and profiteroles.  Yummy!  Thanks Benjamin for looking after Toby.  I know Toby enjoys it a lot.

Toby had a busy day at school.  A special assembly at 11.15am for the opening ceremony of the new classroom.  Toby was in a dance - he was by far the best dancer.  I managed to take an early lunch and see it.  Then they had a shared lunch (and Toby brought back my Tupperware container - thanks!) and a water fight.  Toby had a new water pistol and was very popular because of it.

This morning I woke up to an odd noise.  I saw water coming out of the top floor from my warm bed.  Turns out Mike was using the new water pistol out the window!  Boys!

It is the last Cubs for the year tonight.  Should be fun (must remember the gas bottle for the BBQ). 

Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

The weekend with Mike

Hi,

Toby and I could get used to this.  Having Mike here for days on end is great.  Let's see.  Friday's hot date went awry, foiled by logistic issues getting all three of us to the dentist between 2 and 3pm.  This meant Toby stayed at our work while we worked.  Pants!

Happy birthday to wee Tyler for yesterday - 8 years old!  Wow!

William came for a sleepover on Friday night so Toby was happy anyway, even if it wasn't with Benjamin looking after him.  Then we were away early Saturday morning to the work Christmas party for the kids at Junglerama.  Toby had a lot of fun and scored two presents.

Then off to get haircuts for the boys - Mike's looks good.  Toby you can't tell.  He wanted it kept long.

Finally, off to Waikanae to see Aidan and the boys.  Josh was due home Sunday so Aidan was the one to look after us well.  And she did, like usual.  We went to the beach where it got so hot the water proved too much of a lure.  I was sitting on the picnic blanket talking to Aidan and vaguely watching some man swimming in the sea.  I thought he swam a lot like Mike.  But Mike never swims in the sea - too cold for that Aucklander!  Heheheh.  But, then again, where was Mike?  And as the man walked out of the sea, he looked more and more like Mike.

I thought if Mike is swimming, the sea must be like bathwater.  So I went to investigate, and came back and threw my watch off and went swimming in my clothes!  It was wonderful!

Home for dinner (scrumptious spaghetti bolognese) and eventually home.  At 7.19pm there was an earthquake we noticed because we were still sitting around the dining table.  In Wellington it was quite strong (strongest in 20 years apparently).

Great weekend!  It's our anniversary today - 12 years today!  And 20 years together next year.  20 years!  That's freaky!  Good fun!

Have a superb week!
Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with no karate

Hi,

Yesterday was such a glorious day.  And today looks just as nice out there.  I had a meeting go too late for us to make karate.  So Toby and I went to the supermarket and bought BBQ stuff and went home and cooked up a treat.  Sausages (Toby's choice), chicken satay sticks (my choice) and asparagus (also my choice) followed by cherry tomatoes (Toby), strawberries (me), blueberries (Toby), gooseberries (me) and blackberries (Toby and me).  Scrumptious!

And don't tell Mike, but we're both eating Crunchy Nut Cornflakes this morning.  Heheheheh.  Indulgence!

Mike gets back tonight and is back for days and days.  Until Wednesday!  Yay!

Our follow up dental appointments are tomorrow afternoon.  I hope I can get to it (worried about meetings filling up my afternoon).

Have a great day - hope the weather is as good where you are as it is here!  I don't get to say that very often!

Love,
Angela