Friday, September 29, 2006
We are off to Tonga.. See you in a week..
We leave bright and early tomorrow for Tonga... so we will not be blogging, emailing, calling, texting or chatting until we get back next weekend! ahhhhhhhhhh (sigh)http://www.whales-in-the-wild.com/
http://www.tonga-islands.com/
http://www.thetongan.com/
The Queen has fallen.
It's the day before we head off for Tonga, and it is not a healthy household here at the Reynoldz. I was watching the girls last night while Anna was at a friends babysitting when "it" hit her too. (insert picture of another pumpkin here.) So me and the girls (or "The girls and I") are living large in the living room watching Dora this Friday morning, while poor ol' sicky sleeps. Anna wants her mommy. She is miserable, but managed to slur out the words "keeep the blogth goinn"...
so i am.
Cheers,
The Reynoldz
PS The Cat picture is a "Haidyn classic".. she was 4 when she drew it. It is Slinky Malinki and Sticky Beak Sid. Two characters from a popular KIWI children's book series by Lynley Dodd.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Here we go again!!!
Now it is Haidyn's turn..oh Noooooo!
At least she is old enough to make it to the pot. (well at least so far)
Who is next I wonder?
Thankfully you can not catch viral things through the web!!
WASH YOUR HANDS!!!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Swimming, Swimming, Swimming!
The Kilbirnie Pool is a great indoor pool in our area that has a terrific learn to swim program, a really great heated toddler/kid area, a BIG pool with high dives and a cafe. Eric usually takes the girls to this pool on the weekend for a little daddy-daughter splashing fun.
Haidyn is taking swimming lessons this week so we have made going to the pool part of our daily routine. She is doing really well at her lesson and can even go under water now with-out freaking out about water getting in her eyes.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
"Bye Daddy! Have a good day at work!"
"Make new friends Daddy!"
"Have a good day!"
"We will miss you!"
"Daddy Work!"
"We LOVE YOU!"
This is a snap shot of our daily "bring Daddy to work" routine.
We drop off Eric and the girls yell farewells to him as he walks up to his building.
Usually we then head to Haidyn's school to drop her off. This week Haidyn has "Term Break" (Spring Break). So instead of school we actually headed to the doctor to get the girls checked out. We found out that they are both fine and just suffering from a "viral infection"..
Looks like we will just have to wait it out.
Thankfully we have not had any more Athea "episodes" today, so we must be on the mend!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Ishy Yucky!
Ohh the joys of parenting ;)Athea has a bit of a stomach bug and needless to say it has not been much fun.
She came down with a fever a few days ago and has not been feeling great ever since.
Highlights/Lowlights
1) She filled her boots! Eric had her in the car and the only thing that was available at the moment to catch "her gift" was her little gum boots.. YIKES
2) Between 3-4:00a.m. we changed and washed our bedding 3 times.. and the washer has been going ever since. CHUG CHUG CHUG
3) Clean up at the cafe at the swimming pool.. YUCKO
4) No show for Eric, he had to miss the highly anticipated "Wearable Arts Show" last night since we could not leave a sick baby with a babysitter. The tickets for this "sold out" show were purchased last March. DARN IT
5) Athea had her own version of an organic "Wearable Arts Show" for her parents to enjoy together. HA HA Get it =)
Poor baby has been a trooper! But we sure do hope it passes soon and that it does not spread to the rest of the fam damily.
Stay Tuned..................
Saturday, September 23, 2006
We were blogging away...
Athea got a VTECH toy laptop for her birthday and is in heaven!
I went to the toy store here with a mission to find a toy with a million of buttons to push. Hoping that it would distract Athea from pushing the buttons on the TV and Printer for a bit. (I can dream =)
I found the toy laptop and it had a ton of buttons. But it cost NZ $79.00 - OUCH.... $79.99 bucks... Sticker shock set in for a minute.. (this same toy would only cost me $29.99 in the States)
"uggghh" That is what I get for living in a small island in the South Pacific." So I bought it with a sigh, brought it home and wrapped it...
Now, Athea carries her new "puter" around loves to turn it on/off/on/off/on/off etc.....
"uggghh" What was I thinking?? how could I forget that toys with a ton of buttons usually come with an annoying factor for any adult within earshot of its piercing musical computer simulated twang... and to top it off this toy has a computer simulated twang with an English accent...=)
"Ello, Let's make muzic"/"Bye for Now"/"Ello, Let's make muzic"/"Bye for Now"/etc..
Friday, September 22, 2006
I am 2 Hear Me Roar!!!
I'm 2 - Peace!
WOW Pretty!!
Jeb Jeb!! - Elephant
WOW Pretty!!
Jeb Jeb!! - ElephantThursday, September 21, 2006
Who let the dogs out??
Haidyn had her big school show here on Monday. "Jump into Spring" Her class dressed up likes dogs and danced/sang to "Who let the dogs out??" and "How much is that doggy in the window".
The parents volunteered to put on make-up.
We all also helped to make dog ears and tails.
Haidyn and her good friend Linka.
Eric told Haidyn that she looked like a beautiful Kitty.. not the right thing to say to a doggy.. (ohh DADDY)
We had big tears and had to go right back to make-up. My friend Michelle (Mia's mum) fixed her up with a few more strokes of the paint brush.. (Whew)
Here she is on stage.. notice the new face paint. Does she look more like a dog now ??
Can you find Haidyn??
She is front and center peeking at the camera. Who would have thunk it??
The parents volunteered to put on make-up.
We all also helped to make dog ears and tails.
Haidyn and her good friend Linka.Eric told Haidyn that she looked like a beautiful Kitty.. not the right thing to say to a doggy.. (ohh DADDY)
We had big tears and had to go right back to make-up. My friend Michelle (Mia's mum) fixed her up with a few more strokes of the paint brush.. (Whew)
Here she is on stage.. notice the new face paint. Does she look more like a dog now ??
Can you find Haidyn??
She is front and center peeking at the camera. Who would have thunk it??
We were/are very proud!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Happy Birthday to our September Pals!
Especially to our dear friend Maeve! Today is her birthday and she is 3.
plus our other little friends...
Madigan will be 1 on the 29th
Gabby had her birthday on the 2nd
Josie's birthday is on the 25th
Ronan who will also be 3 at some point this month...
Sophia turned 2 and her new lil baby who will have a birthday soon.
and we can not forget our big friends...
Barb D - Sarah K - Mashi - Aunty Jane - Aunty Mary Ann - Aunty Barbara - Ralph P - Moose (anyone missing??)
and our very special September baby...
Grandma "D" her birthday is on the 22nd
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Mother and Child x 2
Saturday, September 16, 2006
I love rock and roll so put another dime....
well more like.. Mashed potato, Mashed potato...
Here are the girls rocking out at Dick Smiths (a NZ version of Radio Shack)...
Too bad we missed the Alameda Labor Day party on Tregloan, my half pints would have been able to tear up the rug/stage with all the other Alameda east side local bands this year...
Friday, September 15, 2006
Most Wanted.... or Not...
These are the faces the the poor NZ Ministry of granting VISAs had to see when they opened up the package from the Reynoldz last February.How we were allowed into this country is beyond me.... oooga mooga!!
I call these our faces of change. It is a snap shot into what we looked like during the chaos of our big move to this island down under.
We have been here just about 7 months and are finally settling in a bit.. most days have been great and some days we just wonder how the hell did we get here.
But all in all NZ has been an awesome move for us and just think, it is a terrific spot for grandmas, grandpas, relatives and friends to visit. (or stay)
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Butterflies, Unicorns, Kitties and more
Well, I do not have the camera so I can not download any new pictures for you. Eric is using it at work at the moment to take reference shots.
But I thought I better get another post out to keep you interested in coming back.. =)
This is a picture that Haidyn drew a couple months ago.. it is one of my favorites because I believe it shows what she sees when she goes into "Reynolds World". This is a world that I am convinced is tied to a gene on the Reynolds' side. If people saw Haidyn go into this world they would probably call it "day dreaming", "not listening" or "zoning out" but Aunty Chris Reynolds explained to me once that it is just "Reynolds World".
Well, you can tell from the picture that it looks like a wonderful place to take a mental hiatus.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Biking, Swimming and Kitties..
We sure had a full weekend.
1) Eric took the girls swimming on Sunday. He ended up working until about 7:30pm on Saturday so my earlier post about blissfully cleaning the house sans kids did not happen until Sunday. Athea loves to swim, the picture of her was taken about a month ago when it was raining. She wanted to go out in the rain with her goggles on.
2) We rode bikes up to the Cafe, Haidyn is on her new pink bike with training wheels.
3) Haidyn drew heaps of kitties. (still a favorite)
I am happy tonight because I finally got in touch with my parents. They have not been on the computer for awhile and that makes it hard for me to keep tabs on them. (Since MSN Messenger and the webcam are my main communication tools to just about anyone these days). Apparently my Dad went fishing and my Mom decided to get some peace and quiet in the house by shutting off the computer for a few days. REALLY... How dare she, if it happens again, I may have to have Joanne call the Minneapolis police to locate them.. (Hee Hee =)
But for now I know they are well and boy did they look good. =)
Catch ya later...
Sunday, September 10, 2006
China Doll and more
Good Morning.. We are off to get Breakfast at the Chocolate Fish on this Fine Sunday Morning. The Chocolate Fish Cafe is a great spot down the road from us with a super view of the water.. I will get picture of it up at some later point. Better yet, we will take you there when you come and visit =)
Today you get to see 1) Athea wearing her new favorite silky outfit that her Papa bought in China (he actually bought it for Haidyn but since it is "blue" and not pink or purple it never got a chance with the Haidyn princess) 2) The girls heading out for the day.
Have a great Sunday!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Ballet..
Well Today Eric has to work a bit, he is finishing up his movie so needs to put in a bit of overtime. He should be finished for the day in about an hour and then he is going to take the girls swimming.. (remember in NZ we are one day ahead so it is Saturday here)
That will leave me free and clear to catch up on things around the house.. you know the never ending laundry, dishes, and other misc house chores. I know this sounds dreadful but let me tell you it is actually bliss when the kids are not around, things actually get cleaned.
Today we had ballet, Haidyn is getting ready for her big Christmas performance. It will be her first one...
Friday, September 08, 2006
So not so good at keeping up with the Jone's after all.
Well it has been over a year since my first post.. I am horrible I know! But I love to read the blogs of dear friends to get a glimpse of what is happening in their lives so much that I figured I better get another one out there so they could keep up with our lives as well.. (hats off to those of you who can update their blogs daily!)
Here are the girls having a picnic together in their dress ups...
Haidyn is really loving school, today is Friday and they have developmental day, she calls it her mental day. Basically they get to paint, color, dress up and just create all day.. Athea went to Tina's while I went to my art class in the city. My art class is every Friday and such a wonderful 3 hour break for me. Today we drew a picture of Madonna and child using colored chalks.. (so I guess it is my mental day too) At Tina's Athea painted too, you can tell because it is all over her hair, shirt and face. Tina told me that she actually was trying to eat the paint. That's my almost 2 year old for you! (oh Tina is my friends nanny who has offered to watch Athea on Friday morning so I can go to art class.. she is great!)
That is about all for today.. we will see how long it takes me to do this again... =)
