Changes….

Here we are mid June,how did that happen so fast?!!!! Luca has a brand new pair of braces and handling them very very well, the cleaning especially is quite the mission, he and Rich have it down to a fine art. A bit of a novelty in his class it seems, as he is the first to have them….

The day he got them he was representing his school in a spelling competition so was a hectic day all up. Schools from all around the Otago region were there. He and his team did not win, but it was a cool experience for him, luckily it was in the evening so I got to go too…

Halloween is Luca’s favourite celebration, and it is not really a thing here in NZ, (although I know in some parts they are trying to make it one). Anyway last week was annual , “book week” , at school and on Friday all the kids went to school dressed as a book character. Luca was ecstatic as the dress up, is what he loves about Halloween the most. He went as Harry Potter…

It is really embraced by everyone at the school, including the teachers, and at the end of the day they all do a big parade. Rich went and took some pics…

We continue to look at properties for sale most weekends. We looked at one at Long Beach, Luca’s favorite beach by far because of all the exploring you can do. The woods are great for building huts…

It is also an awesome cave exploring beach..

For those of you unfamiliar with a Weta 🙂

We stayed there most of the day…

Leaving as the sun was going down…

Luca is desperate for us to buy the property, literally right across from this beach. We love it too, but unfortunately it is very prone to flooding and with water levels rising all over the world we just don’t think this would be a prudent buy!

As you know Luca loves horses and riding, and he will quite happily climb up on any horse , even if he gets bucked off. Put him on a bike however and it is another story. He did fine on balance bikes when he was young, but making the transition to biking by himself has been a struggle, he just has shown no real interest, in fact has downright refused to! Anyway Rich and I want to do some of the great Otago trails this summer and said if he wants to come, he has to learn, seems to have done the trick! Rich found a cheap bike on Trademe and the lessons have begun….

He is getting there and can now ride by himself a wee way, albeit very tentatively. By summer he should have it mastered 🙂

I have now been in my new position at work 2 weeks and enjoying it, if still a little terrified! It is a huge challenge, long hours and lots of study, but I think longer term for us as a family, it will be worth it, which is why I took it on, but I am mindful of keeping a balance.

It has not all been smooth sailing getting to this point, adjusting to new routines and roles is stressful, and we have gone through a few in the last year. I absolutely could not do this job without Rich manning the home front, things would be way too chaotic. I do not cope well if things feel out of control, and I could not do this if I did not have Rich’s support. Luca and he have worked out their own routine and have things running smoothly. Not working shifts anymore means I am home every night for supper, getting regular sleep, and have time and energy for things like fun 🙂 !

Rich’s niece had a baby this week and it has reinforced to me that we had one of those 10 years ago, and that a decade has flown by!!!! We have so few years left with Luca before he will want to go off on his own!!!!! This came up on my feed recently and I keep it up to remind me to keep my priorities in order. Kids know instinctively rest and play is vital, and as a society we tend to not value it so much, I know I have been guilty in the past of getting too busy, not saying no when I should, and things have got out of balance. I am really mindful of not letting that happen again.

On that note we are off to the beach again it is a lovely winters day…. 🙂