"Goodbye Sista".

As of July 7th the only sister/ family I had in the US of A:

M O V E D with her little family overseas.

They moved to New Zealand or like the Maori say "Aotearoa", commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud, land of "Lord of the Rings", a land of majestic mountains, green hills and woolly white sheep, Rugby (equivalent of USA football minus the spandex, padding and helmets), ferns and Kiwis.

Just a little background here my father and his family are from New Zealand and my mother is from French Polynesia. There are 9 kids in our family, I'm the oldest. The first 5 of us were born in New Zealand and the rest were born in the islands of Raiatea & Tahiti. So in an interesting way my sister has returned to her country of birth. I have an Uncle (my dad's oldest and only sibling) who lives there and relatives who alas I don't know.

Now my sister is an adventurous spirit, she's the spunky outgoing type that runs marathons, has fed sting rays, has participated in pioneer treks, sky dives and bungee jumps with her husband, loves to travel and is always willing to try new things. A few years ago she and her husband vacationed in New Zealand a couple of times and fell in love with the beauty of this place called "NZ". New Zealand is an "island country" in the south western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (commonly called the North Island and the South Island). It's a beautiful place. One of my brothers is actually serving an LDS mission in Wellington, New Zealand right now. I can't believe he finishes his mission next month.

Anyway to make a long story short they wanted to move somewhere other than Arizona. I remember her telling me of places like Hawaii, Tahiti, California...And since they are adventurous they chose New Zealand. The good thing is that it is an English speaking place so the kids and my brother-in-law won't have to learn another language they just have to remember to drive on the LEFT side of the road, confusing I know.

Since the move I have received emails from my sister and so far so good they love it! I'm happy for them yet sad that I have no family here. I miss our sister time, long phone conversations, visits, outings, French/ Tahitian speaking - "the codes", our love for French pastries and bread, recipe swapping, ideas, advice, surprises, laughs, outbursts, motivation and help with sowing, Thanksgiving dinners... We have done a lot together.
Thanks for being a wonderful sister. I love you and MISS YOU. But such is life. Take care.
So long farewell.............

until we meet again.

Cousins

Tia (10) & Kalia (6)

Kalia and Carson were the only cousins that lived "close by" (Mesa) the rest of the cousins reside in Utah and Tahiti.

For our Grandmas and family far far far away...

Level Two - Done!

So Level 2 started June 15-26 and it was a bit of a challenge for most of the kids. I think the part that scared them the most was having to jump into the deepest part of the pool which I think is 12 feet. The dark blue water probably made them think of sharks :) and the fact that they could not touch the bottom with their feet made things worse.

Jonathan was a little afraid but with some practice things quickly improved which resulted in him passing. He can move on to level 3 but that would be another 2 weeks by the pool...so we'll say "no thank you" and save level 3 and 4 for next year.

I've spent 4 weeks total by the pool for swim lessons and that's OK because I love my kids and I love the tan but we have other things to do too.

Walking

June 14th, 2009 - My sweet boy turned 10 months old.

Just a couple of days before his "monthly b-day" he took his first steps without assistance and I was there to see it all. It was awesome to see this little person walk from one couch to the other and then to see his siblings smiling, clapping, cheering him and hoping that he would continue with the show...very cute. Joshua has been pushing his walker or using chairs and other means to walk his way over to places but today was the day that he felt confident enough to let go and go for it! Good job sweetheart!

Yes, I know this post is late and come tomorrow Joshua will be 11 months - Crazy but that is what happens when you take a break from journal recording, gotta catch up!

Level One - Done!

Jonathan passed Level One and is ready to go on to Level Two.
We are proud of you!

Can't see...Click on the collage to enlarge pix.

Other than enjoying his vanilla shake I wonder what he is thinking about? A Gold medal?

Sibling silliness.

Dad suggested we celebrate Jonathan's success with lunch at In and Out Burger - LOVE that place! Thanks Dad for supporting me during test day and for the yummy shake.

Test day is over...the water was cold but wrapped in my towel I feel good.

Me and my buddy Blaine.

Burr...the water is COLD and it's windy today...cheese!

Piece of cake...

Summer Swim Lessons

Living in the desert especially during the summer time you want to be around water even if it's an inflatable kiddie pool in your back yard...W A T E R water please.
Last summer I was large with child and really didn't want to be in a swimsuit at a community pool so during his spare time Ty taught Jonathan how to swim.
Jonathan did very well thanks to his awesome teacher - Dad.

It's summer again and those skills were forgotten over time.
We were planning on swim lessons regardless but after almost "drowning" at my sister's in Mesa, we signed him up right away. Just for the record my sister and Tia were close by when Jonathan jumped in and realized that he had forgotten how to swim, they saved him! Where was I?
Well I was with Ty and Joshua at the Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa for a couple of days. Ty had some business there and spouses were invited. So my sister was gracious to watch the other kids so I could support Ty.

Anyways back to swim lessons here are a few pictures of Jonathan's first swim session. It was 2 weeks long Monday - Friday.

Taking a break...

Since Tia got out of school in May, I've been extra busy. Busy with all kinds of activities from swim lessons, several trips to our local library, to the movies, to crafts at home, to kids/cousins play dates, sleep overs, more pool days, parties and I can go on and on.
Mom's are busy period!
I got so caught up with family that I decided to take a break from blog world (one less thing on my list) and honestly I think it's a good thing... However since my blog is my modern day journal it's about time to get back on track and pick up the slack before the slack turns into a "mountain".
Must take the kiddos to the pool today but will be back to catch up...