Christmas

 Christmas was a fun affair.  We started by discovering the scooters and Xbox that Santa had brought.  We then opened our presents, using the table that Santa brought Kyle.  Everyone was excited for the gifts and excited to give what they had picked out or made for each family member.  The afternoon brought a ham dinner with the Sister Missionaries and then relaxation and playing the rest of the day.  It was a beautiful day.

Christmas Eve

 Christmas Eve was a bit different this year.  We went to the beach!!!  We had a fun time and enjoyed being together.  That evening the older four kids got matching black shirts, we left cookies and milk for Santa and headed to bed, excited for the morning.

Cruise of Wellington Harbour

Kyle's company celebrated a success at work by taking all the employees and their spouses on a cruise of Wellington Harbour.  December 18th started out pretty miserable, but on the cruise the sun came out and it was beautiful.  The weather changed so much that Kyle had not even brought a hat, and ended up with a sunburn.  It was beautiful, and also a nice break from kids to be with my handsome husband.

Getting Ready for Christmas

 Zachary and Eric helped prepare the Primary Christmas Disco as part of their Faith in God group.  We had a fun time dancing, socializing, and eating ice cream.

 We found a live tree stand the first weekend in December and got a tree.  It was different than trees we have had before, and by the end of the season the star was drooping, but it was fun to decorate and have the feel of Christmas come alive.

Very few homes had lights for Christmas, but ours was one of them.  Only a couple of strands, but it was still fun to see.  I think one of the reasons lights are not as big is that it is summer and the sun doesn't set until 8:30 or 9.  Lights look best in the dark :)

Christmas songs are always a part of Christmas preparation.  Here are some videos of the family doing some Karoke together and Sabrina dancing to Jingle Bells.

Movember

Wow, what a looker.  

November had a lot of the guys at work growing beards due to Movember (Men's Health), Kyle already had a great one.  At the end of the month they all shaved to mustaches or something just as weird.  Here is Kyle, it only lasted until he was back home from work.  He is now clean shaven and showing off his baby face.  Any bets on how long he lasts, before he goes back to facial hair?

Multicultural Evening

We enjoyed an evening of fun at the school.  This term the topic has been "Living Globally"  The kids each prepared a presentation on a myth from somewhere around the world.  Eric and Wendy chose to make a mask representing their myths, Eric's was Celtic, Wendy's was Danish.  Zachary chose to do an oral presentation and did an amazing job (although I cannot get it to upload).  His myth was Samoan and had some long weird names that he memorized.

In addition to seeing what the kids had been working on, we got to go to a book fair, and eat some yummy food, and see a fashion show of native costumes from around the world.  It was a fun, noisy evening.

The Leak

Although it may not be fun to pay rent, it is nice to be able to call the landlady when a leak happens rather than be responsible for it.  There are some perks to not owning your own house.

Cleaning up the Beach

 Zachary and Eric were able to participate in a beach clean-up activity with their school classes.  They learned about marine life and how important it is to have clean beaches, even the little tiny wrappers.  We then cleaned up a nearby beach.  Hyrum, Sabrina and I met them there and helped too.  It was a windy morning, but we had fun helping the environment, and our community.