Keeping up with the Aitchisons

Sandcastles

2012-02-04T22:43:00.003+13:00

A couple of weeks ago Christchurch held the Inaugural New Zealand Sandcastle Competition at New Brighton beach. Sadly it wasn't the best weather that weekend with a strong wind on the Saturday keeping numbers down and heavy rain on the Sunday but we got along for a look on the Saturday and were quite impressed with some of the creations.

It wouldn't be New Zealand without a rugby reference

Ewan plays in the sea

While Finlay has his spade ready for his sandcastle

Although the wind wasn't great for sandcastles, at least someone made the most of it

Cameron turns 9

2012-02-02T22:51:00.001+13:00

Last month was Cameron's 9th birthday. He was rapidly outgrowing his bike which he had had for about 4 years so he got a shiny new bike. So plenty more bike rides for the rest of the summer
A few days later we took him and a few friends to a pizza restaurant in Ferrymead near the estuary (they used to have a restaurant in the centre of town but that was damaged in the September quake. Then they moved to a new site across from one of the squares in the centre of town but that was destroyed in the February quake, but the Ferrymead branch is pretty good!) The kids all got to make their own pizzas, with us not having to clean up the mess!

Little River Rail Trail

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000+13:00

More photos from the summer holidays. The Little River Rail Trail runs along the route of a disused railway from the edge of Christchurch to Little River on Banks Peninsula. It was a bit long for the boys to do the whole trail so we loaded up the bikes and drove to Birdlings Flats then cycled a 20K round trip with ice-cream in Little River.
The beach at Little River

The boys set off

Lake Forsyth

At Little River

Otukaikino Wetland

2012-01-06T01:09:00.002+13:00

Today we went on another walk, this time a little closer to home just a short drive to the other side of the city. The Otukaikino Wetland is a swamp area near the Northern Motorway that is slowly being returned to a native wetland. It is supposed to be a haven for birds but in the face of three noisy boys they were conspicuously absent. However, there was still some wildlife to look at.

Some dragonflies

The boys spot something interesting

Finlay has a rest as his brothers disappear in the distance

Arthur's Pass

2012-01-06T00:40:00.000+13:00

Yesterday we took a drive into the mountains, stopping at Arthur's Pass and walking some of the tracks around the village. We haven't managed to see as much of NZ as we'd like in the last few years but now that Finlay is in good health we can get out and enjoy what's on offer.

First we went on a short walk to a waterfall just off the road, then we took a longer walk up a hill on the edge of the village to the Devil's Punchbowl waterfall.

Driving past Castle Hill (Narnia) on the way

The mountains from the Waimakariri

Avalanche Creek waterfall

Devil's Punchbowl waterfall

Finlay strides up the track

Lake Pearson

Some Kea come to see us off from the car park

More shaking

2012-01-03T21:28:00.003+13:00

Since just before Christmas we have had a series of sizeable aftershocks in Christchurch. We are all fine and the house has suffered no new damage. The shakes are continuing with the city getting a couple of sleepless nights as we are all woken with jolt after jolt but really nothing to worry about. While some suburbs in the east were hit hard yet again, enduring more damage to homes and streets the extent of our loss was limited to my lunch......

But luckily the police were on hand to sort things out!

Christmas Snow

2012-01-03T21:13:00.000+13:00

Thw weather over Christmas has been great. Lots of long sunny days. Probably the best christmas weather since we came to NZ.

The trouble being it's hard to get into the festive spirit without snow. Even the christmas TV adverts have snow in them!

But, undeterred by the scorching temperatures, we set off to Hagley Park to get the festive experience in a snow globe!!

The boys loved being in the snow even if it wasn't the real stuff and as it was sponsored by Cadbury they got some chocolate to keep the smile on their faces all the way home.

Christmas parties

2011-12-08T22:07:00.001+13:00

It's that time of year again and the boys have lots of parties to go to. Last night was the Diabetes Youth party and a couple of weekends ago was the @Heart charity Christmas party. And this weekend we went to the Santa Parade.
Ewan lines up for the egg and spoon race

Plenty of relaxing in the sun

and playing on the trains

Santa Parade

Bob takes some time out from rebuilding the city

Well...it is NewZealand!

Even in the sun we can make it snow

And the airport fire brigade help us cool down

And the man himself

Auckland

2011-11-05T23:25:00.000+13:00

Last weekend I took myself off to Auckland to run a marathon. Despite the 3.30 alarm call to catch the ferry to the 6am start in Devonport it was a really good event. The course runs round the North Shore then across the Harbour Bridge into downtown Auckland then along Tamaki Drive through the bays before turning back into the finish near the centre of town. It's easily the biggest race in NZ and they put on a really good event.
Sadly, thanks to a month long cold I couldn't shift, my performance was a bit rubbish but I got round to collect my T-shirt and medal.

Wynyard Quarter

Devonport

And a few photos for Mum from the wharf

Changing Seasons

2011-10-03T23:30:00.000+13:00

The boys were a bit disappointed to have missed a snowfall in Christchurch while we were in the UK. It rarely snows much in the city so it was a shame we missed it.
So they were delighted a couple of weeks later when we were hit with one of the heaviest snowfalls in decades. The schools were shut for three days leaving the boys plenty of time to play in the snow

Finlay gets his first taste of snow

Cameron takes aim

Back inside for cookies by the fire

Fast forward a few weeks and Spring is well and truly here. Yesterday we spent the afternoon in town at the botanic gardens before catching some of the rugby at the fanzone in the park.

Amongst the spring flowers

Getting close to the World Cup

The Fanzone just after the All Blacks match

Cameron enjoys the bouncy castle

Tell Andy Robinson we've found someone who can get across the line between the posts.

Even Further North

2011-09-16T22:56:00.000+13:00

As we were having a month of summer in the middle of the NZ winter it was the perfect opportunity for me to take asdvantage of the warm conditions, do lots of training and return to NZ a finely tuned athlete in peak condition. For this reason my running shoes travelled up and down the length of the UK in the boot of the car. Comrie was the only time they saw daylight. A run up Glen Lednock to the reservoir was stunning but sadly I had no pockets so couldn't take the camera.

Once I got back we jumped in the cars and drove to Loch Morlich for a few days playing amongst the mountains. In the three days we were there we never got to see the mountains but they were there somewhere in the clouds. But a little cloud and rain wasn't going to dampen our spirits or stop us enjoying what Loch Morlich has to offer.

Ewan at Loch an Eilean

Campbell, Callum and Ewan take a leap

The boys and Lorna

Strangely nobody offered to join Callum

Further North

2011-09-16T21:33:00.000+13:00

OK, time for some more photos from our trip.
After leaving Edinburgh we headed north again to see Flea, Bobby and the boys in Comrie. Once there we headed out for a walk round the shaky bridge, which really isn't shaky at all, much to our disappointment.

Finlay persuades his cousins to do the hard work

Livingston

2011-09-07T22:55:00.000+13:00

After a morning of retail therapy we took the boys to Almond Valley Heritage Centre to see the animals and have a play. It was fantastic, well worth going and we could easily have spent the whole day there. The boys got to play on a bouncy castle, mess about with some cool toys in the adventure zone, see lots of animals and drive some karts.
Ewan and Finlay enjoy the interactive toys

Cameron enjoys a bounce

Ewan and Grandma look at one of the bigger residents....

...while Finlay gets close up with something a little smaller.

Then the boys went karting

Edinburgh

2011-09-05T23:04:00.000+13:00

So finally into Scotland.

After staying with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Ken we jumped on the bus, threaded our way through the tramlines and roadworks up to Edinburgh Castle.

It was a typical Scottish summer day, clear blue skies and a scorching sun and the boys loved looking round the castle.

Finlay inspects the cannon

King of the Castle

Cameron and Finlay look around the castle

View from the top

Castle Count: 2

2011-09-02T00:14:00.000+13:00

Before we left Cambridge we had a few more people to see,

At Mark and Sarah's house Finlay trains them on the kiwi style of rugby.

"then if you want the ball back just shoot them with a water pistol"

Everyone except photographer Vicky

Reclining at Em's place

Then we headed north again. Despite an unscheduled hour long stop going nowhere just past Peterborough thanks to a lorry accident it was a pretty good trip with the boys coping surprisingly well with being so close to each other for so long. On the way we stopped at Alnwick to let the boys out and got to see a little of Alnwick Castle on the way out. Seeing castles was one of the main reasons for the trip as far as the older boys were concerned. And after Alnwick, onward to Scotland...

At the market cross in Alnwick

Castle Count: 1

Cambridge

2011-08-31T23:20:00.004+13:00

Most of the country hasn't changed much since we left 6 years ago. In some places it's like we never left. Cambridge is different. Loads of new buildings, new roads, shopping centres, even a guided bus (which apparently has started running now)!

But in amongst all the shiny new buildings was the Cambridge we remember, which we took the boys to see. They seemed to like the double decker bus more than anything else but hopefully enjoyed the touristy bits.

Ice creams by the millpond

Lunch in the market square

Cameron picking up his prospectus!

Tracking cows by the river

The start of the trek north

2011-08-31T21:29:00.008+13:00

After braving the M25 we arrived in Balsham for a few days with Ele, Leona, Naomi, Dan and Charlie.
Naomi introduces the boys to the guinea pigs

Rain threatened....

But not enough to dampen spirits!

Charlie and Dan dominate on the football field

A walk around Wandlebury

Cameron takes the easy way round

While Ele gets the lighter load

Birthday!!!

2011-08-22T21:09:00.008+13:00

The next day was Aunty Charlotte's ??th birthday and Aunty Flea flew in for it. A rare chance to get all 3 sisters together. But more importantly for the boys this meant cake!!

Ewan and Cameron driving their Aunty to drink!

The following day was the Oxted pram race. Having not been initiated into the intricacies of pram racing I thought it would be good to take the boys down to the park to watch. I didn't think anything of seeing a family heading in the same direction with some water pistols. I did start to question the wisdom of my decision at the next road junction where there were half a dozen families fully tooled up with an array of liquid laden weaponry but curiosity urged me on.

We took our places on the sidelines just before the start of the race. It really was quite impressive with dozens of teams bedecked in bizarre costumes. You'll be glad to see I chose not to photograph the team in the Borat mankinis. The basic premise seems to be to get the teams as wet as possible: and it seems the spectators are fair game too as far as the competitors are concerned. So we all got a soaking. Great fun.

Thunderbirds are Go!

Dennis the Menace

Where's Wally!

International competition from Jamaica...

....and Scotland

The fire extinguishers were just cheating!

A Royal presence......

and an Imperial one!

London

2011-08-18T23:11:00.008+13:00

The next day we caught the train into London. Here in the South island of New Zealand there are no passenger trains except for two tourist trains so this was a bit of an adventure for the boys; lots of tunnels to go through and plenty to see once we were travelling through London.

We met Vicky at Victoria, along with Lisa, Ken and Sheila. Then we went to see the sites:

Lisa and Sheila try to stop Ewan jumping the fence
Cameron outside the palace

Finlay not too impressed with the big house

Someone we found lurking outside the palace

As close as we got to the London Eye! Next time, maybe.

Still smiling from Robbie!

Lunch

Cameron outside the Natural History Museum

Three cheeky monkeys

2011-08-15T22:57:00.004+13:00

OK, time for some photos from the UK.

After our 4-flight, 30 hour journey we took it easy for the first day or two. A swim at the local pool and a trip to Morrisons to stock up on Jaffa Cakes was about the extent of our exertions.

Then on the Tuesday Vicky left for London to stand around in the rain waiting to see some has-been pop group the rest of us had happily forgotten. So the rest of us spent the time down on the farm:

Strange looking elephants

Ewan and Finlay go for a drive....

.....while Cameron milks a goat!

2011-08-06T15:55:00.010+13:00

OK, we've been back from the UK for a week now and before we left we told everyone we'd update our blog as soon as we got back. So it's really time we got started.....

Instead here's some photos from our walk this morning (don't worry, we'll make the holiday photos worth it. Patience !).

This morning was a bit cloudy and cold but we managed to force three unwilling children into the car and took off up the Port Hills to the Sign of the Bellbird. We parked overlooking the harbour and crossed the road, walking the few yards down to the shelter. After playing in the ruins we took one of the paths down into the bush for an hour's walk. There were dozens of birds singing in the trees around us, and we even got to see a bellbird playing in the trees around us but he refused to stay still long enough to get a photo.

We climbed back up to the car, all the while Vicky snapping away with her new camera. And here's the result:

Sign of the Bellbird

Finlay climbing the ruins

Lyttleton Harbour

Getting back to normal after the quake

2011-04-25T12:53:00.003+13:00

On February 22nd Christchurch was hit by another big earthquake. Although we were used to them after nearly 6 months of aftershocks this was bigger, close to the city, very shallow, very violent and much, much worse than anything before.

But despite taking a few hours to all find each other and get home we were all safe and uninjured. Sadly many others weren't so fortunate. Christchurch is a small city and over the next few weeks as more and more names of the dead were released, although fortunately none of our friends were among them, we inevitably heard of people we knew that had lost friends or family members. It brought it home how this was not some anonymous tragedy on the TV but a huge event that will have repercussions for years to come.

Our house suffered a little more damage to add to that from the September quake. Thanks to Finlay we were put on a priority list so we got our chimney fixed in March so we have heating going into winter. The rest of the house will be fixed in the coming months but there is nothing critical so there's no rush. Thousands of households in Christchurch are staring at a long, cold winter without decent heating. Again, we have been the lucky ones.

I'm glad to say the boys have been very resilient and have come through very well. The older two are back at school and Finlay is really enjoying his new preschool after the one he was in was damaged.

And they've been helping out with the clean up.

Finlay clearing up some silt from the liquifaction

Ewan repairing the sewers

Hot, hot, hot

2011-02-06T22:33:00.004+13:00

This weekend has been a scorcher! The mercury has been in the high 30s all day and even now, approaching 11pm I'm still sweating.

Today we went to Ferrymead to play on the trains and trams. Cameron had a ride on a horse while the rest of us tried to keep ourselves cool.

Cameron on horseback

Steam-powered tram

Finlay tries to cool off with some water

Cameron has a bit more success

Ewan tries a more desperate method!

Train Rides

2011-01-22T10:32:00.004+13:00

The HeartKids Christmas party was cancelled before Christmas because of bad weather so we had a day at Steam Scene in January instead. All three boys are old enough now to get excited about going on the trains. We'll have to go to Ferrymead this summer to ride on the big trains.

Finlay tries his hand at some woodwork

Escape to Narnia

2011-01-22T09:29:00.003+13:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Castle Hill, about an hour out of Christchurch. The battle scenes from The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe were filmed there and at the nearby Flock Hill. So the boys were able to run around, climb on the limestone outcrops and battle mythical monsters.

Abel Tasman

2011-01-22T00:04:00.006+13:00

So after our epic journey north we made it to Abel Tasman a couple of days late but it was so worth it. I could write lots of smart-arse comments to try to make you all jealous but why bother when the photos can do it so much better!!

Marahau beach

Callum strides across the sands at Tonga Bay

Peak-season crowds on Tonga beach

Awaroa Pizza Bar. The most chilled bar in the world!

Riding on the boat is this much fun!!

2011-01-19T22:28:00.008+13:00

Aunty Flea and the boys came to visit in December. I'll let Vicky blog about their trip to the North Island.

The week before Christmas we packed the tents and headed off to Abel Tasman for a week in the sun. We piled the boys in the cars and headed north stopping in Kaikoura for lunch. Now Finlay doesn't travel light. There are a few extras we need to pack for him. Quite a few. What with his insulin pump, feeding pump, infusion sites, feeding sets, insulin, daytime digestive enzymes, night-time digestive enzymes, gastrostomy tube, glucose meter, test strips, spare test strips, alcohol wipes, glucagon, spare glucagon, syringes (various), plasters, antibiotic cream, spare cartridges, meter batteries, pump batteries, pump power cord, spare gastrostomy tube, lancets, back-up gastrostomy button, bottles, mixing pots, hypogels, spare hypogels, back-up hypogels, emergency back-up hypogels...it's a wonder we ever manage to leave the house.

So perhaps we shouldn't have been too surprised to get to lunch and discover we hadn't brought any of his milk! For a diabetic child with a highly regimented feeding plan requiring a high-carb prescription-only milk formula five times a day to delicately balance his blood sugars between damaging highs and potentially lethal, seizure-inducing lows this was possibly the worst thing, other than Finlay himself, that we could have left behind.

So we hastily booked a campsite in Kaikoura, and while Vicky, Flea and the boys enjoyed the delights of the spa pool, I bought the most sickly, sugary milk drink I could find, made sure I had plenty of hypogels (just as well we packed the emergency back-up ones!) and turned the car around heading back for Christchurch.

What should have been a lovely spot for lunch!

The cousins brave the mighty Pacific

Not a bad place to get stuck for a day...

Having made it safely back home we got up the next morning and laden with two boxes of milk bottles, we set off again for Kaikoura. So we'd only be a day late at the campsite in Marahau. Or maybe not...

By the time we reached Blenheim we were driving through pouring rain. By the time we got to Havelock it was torrential. It was clearly not going to be much fun putting up a tent in that weather so we decided to book a room in Motueka, just north of Nelson and close to our final destination. Of course we then drove over the hills to find Nelson and Tasman bathed in early evening sunshine. None of us suggested carrying on to the campsite though. Funny that!

Kids4Kids

2011-01-19T22:01:00.003+13:00

Back in December, before the schools broke up for summer, Cameron got to sing in a charity concert at the Town Hall with his class and hundreds of other local schoolkids along with a very, very famous NZ singer.... that we'd never heard of!

Cameron in the green T-shirt and Santa hat in the middle

A & P Show

2010-11-16T22:43:00.005+13:00

Last week was the local agricultural show in Christchurch so I took the boys along to see the animals.

Not the first thing I'd expect to see at an agricultural show in NZ!!

Cameron had a go at milking

and so did Ewan

but they both seemed happier with the sheep

Summer sun

2010-11-16T21:54:00.005+13:00

Summer has arrived here with the last couple of weeks seeing temperatures in the 20s and plenty of sun. So recently we spent an afternoon at Sumner beach playing in the ocean and hurrying through the cave before the tide came in.

Hurry up and get over here, Auntie Flea. The sun's shining!!

2010-10-26T22:32:00.005+13:00

We knew that New Zealand was prone to earthquakes and was on the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire but in nearly five years we had felt nothing. In the early hours of September 4th we finally felt a tremor. And what a shake! The 7.1 quake was centred about 40km from us and was a hell of an experience. We were jolted awake and the violence of the shaking left us in no doubt immediately what was happening. The power went off straight away and as it was 4.30 in the morning we were left stumbling around the house in complete darkness trying to grab the kids. It is susprisingly difficult to negotiate doorways in the dark when you can barely stand from the shaking and the doorways are moving targets! But a few bumps and scrapes later we were all together and safe.

Talking to locals the next day it was apparent this was the biggest shake that Christchurch had ever had which was comforting in a way as I wouldn't want to have to go through that too often.

We all came through well and the house initially seemed to have coped pretty well. However, the subsequent aftershocks and the gradual settling of the ground has revealed increasing damage. Our chimney was taken down last week (before nature finished the job with another aftershock) and we are starting to notice tell-tale signs of damage under the house (uneven floorboards, doors not shutting properly) but nothing terminal and we are fully insured so we just have to wait along with the 100,000 other claimants!

We're all pretty amazed at the lack of casualties. In January Haiti had an earthquake of the same magnitude as ours killing over 200,000. The death toll from the Canterbury quake was 0. With that in mind it's a bit hard to complain about some broken bricks and wobbly floorboards.

We didn't take many pictures of the quake damage at the time but there are plenty here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4095395/Latest-photos-7-1-quake

Here are some of ours:

The two sides of the river moved in different ways during the quake leaving the bridge twisted

Some damage near the river

Cameron in a crack that appeared in the pavement

A Finlay-sized crack in the road

One of the many buildings in the centre of town that had to be demolished

Our chimney after the first aftershock. It gradually got worse over the weeks with each large aftershock

Update on Finlay

2010-08-18T01:29:00.002+13:00

Winter is always tough on small kids and Finlay especially. Last winter he spent over a month in hospital so we weren't looking forward to this winter. But despite a fairly wet and cold few months he has stayed remarkably healthy. It's now mid-August and so far we've only had two nights in hospital for the whole winter. He did start to lose a little weight but we put him on a new diet designed to fatten him up. We've been told to add cream and cheese and all the naughty things that we're normally told to avoid to his meals until he puts on weight. We had a clinic at the hospital yesterday and we're glad to say he is over 11kg for the first time.

Meanwhile he continues to develop well. He has a few words. Worryingly amongst his limited vocabulary, alongside the usual 'car' and 'dog' are slightly unconventional words for a 2 year old, such as 'pump' and 'drugs'! I suppose it was inevitable. Should make for an interesting time when we next go through security at the airport. A bag full of syringes and a 2yo shouting 'drugs'!

His feeding is still an issue but he is eating more. Just not enough to sustain himself yet so we will have the tube in his stomach for a while yet. The next stage is to replace the cumbersome tube with a little button type port which will mean no more long tube constantly hanging from his tummy and hence no more painful incidents with car seats. So one minor op in the coming months.

Other than that he is up and about. Here's a quick clip from the weekend.

Long Overdue Update

2010-08-14T15:49:00.005+13:00

So it turns out we're pretty crap at keeping this blog up to date. No surprises there!!

It's been a long winter that is now starting to turn into spring so hopefully there will be lots more exciting adventures to keep you up to date with in the coming months as we get outside and be a bit more active than we have recently.

So here's a few photos from the last few months:

Back in April it was Finlay's 2nd birthday. Here's a photo of the brothers all eagerly awaiting the cake.

We took a day trip to Ferrymead and jumped on the trams and trains while Cameron tried his hand at some more sedate transport

Back in June Cameron, Ewan and I ran in the marathon in Christchurch. I ran the half marathon while the boys did 2.5K. Cameron sped round in 12 minutes while Ewan took a more leisurely jog round the course in 22 minutes but then he was one of the smallest. And as I had to run alongside him after my run I was glad he slowed down for the old man. Here's us showing off our medals.

Other than that the winter has been full of days indoors reading,

football in the park,

feeding the ducks

and the odd game of chess!

Happy Easter .....

2010-04-04T09:52:00.004+13:00

Well it's that time of year again and true to form the Easter Bunny did a fabulous job of depositing a fair amount of chocolate around our garden. The boys were up and about early (a little too early as we had daylight saving last night and our clocks went back!!!) and had great fun on their Easter Egg Treasure Hunt.

Finlay shows us that is very important to clean your teeth well especially after finding lots of chocolate!!!!!

Have a great Easter everyone!!!

Easy riders ...........

2010-04-04T09:37:00.003+13:00

Now that I have a new bike that fits me and Ewan is far too big to continue sitting in the child seat on the back of Alan's bike we decided to invest in an extension bar to fit Ewan's bike onto the back of mine. With Finlay sitting behind Alan and Cameron on his own we could all go for a ride together so we set off. There are lots of fabulous bike rides around Christchurch but in the first instance we just headed around the locality, down to the river and back again punctuated by some much need respite in a local coffee shop .... well it would have been rude to pass it by!!!!

After the ride - a very happy boy!!

We look forward to getting out and about much more often, next purchase will be a tow bar and a bike rack so we can go further afield around some of the tracks around town ..........

Cross Country Running

2010-04-04T09:27:00.004+13:00

This week was the end of term for Cameron and one of the activities that he participated in with the rest of the school was the Cross Country run on Monday. Both Alan and I went along to watch and were very, very impressed. After starting out with the main pack in the middle of the Year 3 boys we watched as he steadily took over one then another until he got to the front group maintaining 4th place throughout the race. The other 3 boys ahead of him were all older than him and he was the first in his class ....... Well done Cameron ..... maybe some of those Snowsill running genes have been passed down after all!!!

Busy baking .....

2010-04-04T09:18:00.003+13:00

Last weekend Cameron had one of his friends, Max, over to play for the afternoon. Last time he came around Alan made some great lizard biscuits with them so the boys were keen to make some more. We all had great fun decorating once they had come out of the oven and below are the finished masterpieces and a very happy Finlay who didn't do much decorating but participated in the eating!!!!

Heading up to higher ground .....

2010-03-07T22:56:00.006+13:00

Last week, as most of you will know, following the Chilean Earthquake New Zealand was put under a Tsunami alert. No major repercussions but we had planned to head to Lyttelton Port for the Lyttelton festival ....... decided against it and instead I headed up the hill with Cameron and Ewan via the gondola. A well travelled route by us now but always a good one and on such a beautiful day stunning views ...... luckily not of a Tsunami and I managed to get some great shots of the boys.

Happy Birthday Ewan

2010-03-07T22:42:00.005+13:00

On 20th February Ewan turned 4 ... so hard to believe especially as he was our first kiwi baby ... doesn't time fly eh ...

We had a lovely day starting off with the opening of presents. Thanks to everyone that sent cards and presents ... they were all very much appreciated :o)

That afternoon Ewan had his birthday party with some of his friends coming round for a party. Lots of fun and laughter and of course the obligatory chocolate cake ......

14th February

2010-03-07T22:28:00.004+13:00

There was a pipe band competition and fayre on the 14th February at Riccarton House. Alongside the pipebands there were lots of old cars and bikes and people dressed up in clothes from days gone by. We finished off with a walk around the Riccarton Bush .... a really lovely afternoon.

A busy weekend

2010-02-07T22:52:00.005+13:00

Phew ... finally caught up on most of our goings on over the last few weeks!!!! This weekend the weather was absolutely fabulous. We had a quiet Saturday having been to the Classical Sparks in the Park on Friday. The boys went to bed well after 11pm and were still up by 7.30 the next morning so we weren't suprised that by lunchtime they were all decidely grumpy so they were sent off for a snooze which gave Alan and I a chance to just sit and chill for a few hours which was lovely!! In the afternoon we headed into town ..... there was a Latin Festival going on in Cathedral Square which unfortunately we missed most of. Apparently lots of dancing workshops (tango, salsa and the like) and demonstrations, food and laughter. Definately going on the calendar for next year. After a quick look round we had tea in a local bistro ... watching the world go by before we headed back for home and an early night!!

A local busker in the square

The chess set in the cathedral square .....

Today I took Cameron along to a friends b'day party at Clip n' Climb whilst the other boys went into town where we all met before settling down for another local free concert in the park and then heading home.

Classical Sparks in the Park

2010-02-07T22:42:00.004+13:00

Another yearly event in our household is the Classical Sparks in the Park ... a free openair concert held in Hagley Park, starring the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

The first half is usually a mix of well known classics which this year was followed by music from the films. The finale was the Warsaw Concerto accompanied by a feast of fireworks. As usual it was great and the boys loved it ........a very late night and we did pay for it the next day with 3 grumpy boys but it was still worth it :o)

Mummy .... what's this?

2010-02-07T22:34:00.003+13:00

The other night Ewan came across the shirt and kilt that Cameron wore to Uncle Ken's wedding when he was about the same age. Straight away he wanted to put it on .... even wanted to sleep in it ..... !!!!

A rather large milestone .....

2010-02-07T22:23:00.003+13:00

Last Tuesday Finlay was admitted to Christchurch Hospital ... this time planned .... for a gastrostomy. Basically an opening has been made into his tummy for a tube which goes through the stomach wall into the stomach. It is a fairly common and straight forward procedure only made complicated by his diabetes. We have a fabulous team though and have always had complete confidence in them so knew that we would get through without too many issues. He went into surgery at 1.30pm and we had had a phone call by 2!! We went into recovery and he was still under but soon came round and although a bit sore was in pretty good spirits. The next couple of days was really about balancing out his blood sugars as he was unable to eat/have feeds 4 hrs previous to the op and then nothing until 6 hours after and then only very small amounts. This was balanced with IV fluids topped up with glucose to try and maintain his sugars. The first was a very long night but we came through it without too many issues and the 2nd night was even smoother so we were finally discharged on Thursday morning.

For Alan and I the removal of his NG tube is huge. For the first time in two years we are able to see all of his smiling face and all being well will never have to put to use our newly gained skill of inserting the NG tube again. For Finlay he can now eat and speak without restriction which must feel so different for him .. plus not constantly having tape across his face ..... it's all good. So I'll leave you with a very special photo ..... our boy without his tube .............isn't he gorgeous!!

A walk on the pier.

2010-02-07T22:13:00.004+13:00

The weather (which to be honest has been decidedly un-summery) has finally taken a turn for the better recently. Last week one evening after tea we headed over the hill to Governors Bay for a wee walk and to look for crabs on the shoreline. Just beautiful ...we are soooo lucky to live here.

Kite Day

2010-02-07T21:55:00.005+13:00

Every year there is a Kite day held in nearby New Brighton. Hundreds of kites, all types and sizes, dart and jig all over the shoreline, including sports kites, school kites, family kites and wind toys.

Once again we went along for a look - another beautiful day and the boys had a great time chasing the waves and getting completely soaked in the process.

Our veggie patch .....

2010-02-07T21:41:00.005+13:00

Whilst I was in the UK the boys made a fabulous start on our veggie garden, planting lots of seeds and watching them grow. We have finally dug over half of the existing veggie patch and from there as the summer has progressed we have got a harvest of lettuce, cauliflowers, courgettes, broccoli and beans with onions, corn, peppers and tomatoes still to come ..... yum!!! Great job boys :o)

My lemon bush .... twice the size of what is was last year!!!

Work in progress .....

Beans

Peppers ... or capsicum as they call it here ... now much bigger and starting to fruit!

Our lettuce ... also now completely fills the pot and has already been harvested a few times

Some of our harvest so far ...

The boys ....

2010-02-07T21:35:00.001+13:00

Just loved these photos so thought I'd share them ......

Hector Dolphins

2010-02-07T18:51:00.005+13:00

As his birthday treat Cameron and I went to Akaroa for the day to see the Hector Dolphins. Last term at school he was learning all about the ocean and one of his favourite topics was the Dolphins. The Hector Dolphin is the worlds smallest dolphin and is only found around the coast of NZ ... quite handy really!!

After dropping the other two boys off we set off for the drive ... it was a beautiful day!!! We arrived just in time for lunch so went to a lovely cafe where we had a yummy lunch before we headed off to the wharf to get the boat.

The 2 hour harbour nature cruise is a chance to see lots of NZ wildlife including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. We saw giant volcanic sea cliffs and heard about Akaroa's fascinating past. Undoubtedly the highlight of the trip, for both Cameron and I was the sighting of one of the world's smallest and rarest dolphins, the Hector's or New Zealand Dolphin. We came across a few pods who swam alongside the boat and came up to say hello ... it really was an amazing sight!!! We also caught sight of a White Flippered Blue Penguin, the smallest penguin in the world .... only one but it was very cute!! There were many different bird species in the harbour, including five different cormorant (shag) species and the endangered yellow-eyed penguin. Further along we also saw New Zealand Fur Seals sunning themselves on the rocks near Seal Bay. It was just a fantastic day - in fact Cameron couldn't help shouting about how 'awesome' it was!!!!

The Black Cat Cruiser....

A very happy boy!!!

Hector Dolphins

An even happier boy ....!!!!

Penguin ..... honest!!!!

Saturday 16th January - Cameron's B'day Party

2010-02-07T18:42:00.002+13:00

Alan has already written about Cameron's b'day ... as he said it's hard to believe we have got a 7 year old in the house!!!! On Saturday 16th January we had a few of Cameron's friends round for a wee party. Not too much to report but here's some piccies for you .......

Apologies ......

2010-02-07T18:40:00.003+13:00

Sorry that we haven't been updating as much as we would have liked, what with my impromptu visit to the UK, Christmas etc the time has just flown by and although we've talked about it alot we have never quite got round to sitting down and doing anything. Anyhow .... will try and fill you in as to what's happened recently .... in no particular order :o)

A Busy Day

2010-01-14T23:35:00.003+13:00

While Cameron is on his summer holidays we are taking it in turns to keep him amused. Today we loaded up the bikes and drove to McLean's Island (it's not really an island so, yes, you can drive there!) and a bike ride through the forest mountain bike tracks. We ended up riding for 15km! (I hope the video works)

Then it was back into the city for a trip to the circus. No photos from the show but go to http://www.zirkacircus.com/ for pictures. There was some really impressive acrobaticsto please the adults and clowns for Cameron. Cameron was asleep by the time we picked up his brothers. Must have been a good day!

Happy Birthday Cameron!

2010-01-14T23:05:00.004+13:00

Somehow we have a 7-year old in the house. No idea where the time went but Tuesday was his birthday. So we started with a trip up the gondola, which with the wind was a bit of an adventure ride as the gondola swung from side to side but good fun!

Then we explored some caves near the beach before picking up Mum for some lunch. Then after picking up his brothers from nursery, back to the house for dinner and cake.

Always smiling faces when there's chocolate cake

Even Finlay enjoyed his (small) piece

Thanks for the Christmas present!

2010-01-14T22:58:00.003+13:00

Surprisingly Finlay has grown enough to fit into his Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa!

I haven't been able to keep the other two still for long enough to get a photo of them in their T-shirts!

Double trouble .........

2009-11-14T22:28:00.005+13:00

Couldn't resist taking these piccies of Finlay and Ewan in the bath the other night ... just gorgeous ... they were having so much fun as you can see .............

Finlay Update

2009-11-14T22:15:00.004+13:00

As you can see from the above piccie our baby is a baby no more!!!! Every day he is turning into a little boy which although sad to see the baby go means more than words can say. He is doing so remarkably well and all his Dr's are very pleased with his progress. Last week he finally hit the bottom of the growth charts!!!! Big Yay!!! It is a real juggle managing his diabetes so that he can get bigger and stronger but Alan and I are finally recognising that we're actually doing an ok job in keeping this little boy alive and healthy. He is zooming around on all fours at the moment and just starting to pull himself up to standing ... he loves being on his feet now so I'm sure it won't be long before he's running around after the other two boys.

His feeding is coming on; although he is still very much dependent on the complete nutrition he gets from Pediasure he is starting to become very interested in food and gets quite upset if he isn't getting something to eat if anyone else is which is just fabulous. We have an appointment with the surgeon next week to discuss a gastrostomy which will mean putting a wee button direct into his tummy which will mean finally after 19 months getting rid of his Naso gastric tube. Although it will mean an operation the advantages for Finn really do outway the disadvantages and hopefully will mean a big improvement in his eating and talking. Both hard to do with a tube down your throat!!

At the moment we are lucky enough to temporarily have a continous monitor which allows us to keep a very close eye on his blood sugars without having to do the finger pricks all the time. Although there is a lag of about 10/15 minutes it gives a fairly accurate reading in the lower levels and is allowing us to rein those sugars in even more ..... all positive :o)

Will keep you posted as to the outcome of the appointment with the surgeon next week ......

Heart Children Christmas Party

2009-11-14T21:56:00.004+13:00

Yes it's that time of year again and it all kicked off last week with our first of many Christmas parties. Heart Children put on a fantastic party for all the local Heart Kids and their families. It's a great time to get together and catch up in a relaxed atmosphere and have a lots and lots of fun!!! Can't be bad!!!

This year, like last, it was at Steam Scene which is the home to a miniature railway which all the kids (and adults) had a chance to enjoy. Alongside the railway there was a spit roast which made for a yummy lunch, bouncy castles, lots of games, a police car and truck rig and of course no Christmas party is complete without a visit from Santa!!! It was one of the hottest day of spring so far (ok so we haven't got that far in yet!!) and the boys had a fantastic time and were all spoilt with presents from Santa ..... a good time had by all :o)

waiting to see Santa ...

Our very own gorgeous Heart Kid having a fantastic time with Daddy :o)

A day out a Orana ....

2009-11-14T21:40:00.004+13:00

Did I mention that the weather here has been fab ... I did ... sorry!!! Last week we took a picnic and went off to our local animal park - Orana. We have another years pass which allows us to go in and out as many times as we want throughout the year ... a bargain considering how many times we usually end up going!!!! It was lovely to see Finn more into the animals and really curious as to what was going on especially watching the spider monkeys ... funny really all the boys seemed to have quite an interest in watching them get up to mischief ... learning new tricks most likely!!!!!!

Other highlights of the day were Peggy the gibbon .....

the new Kea enclosure (Kea's are the worlds largest parrots only found in NZ) .......

the farmyard (always a favourite of Cameron's) ...

and of course a visit to Orana wouldn't be complete without feeding the giraffes!!!!

Getting to work in the garden ....

2009-11-14T21:31:00.005+13:00

With the arrival of spring the garden has sprung into action, so with the aid of our new lawnmower Ewan and Dad have been hard at work .............

Ewan is turning out to be a big help!!! Our latest project is our veggie patch, so far we have radishes, beans, cucumbers, courgettes and corn planted out with broccoli, carrots, onions and lettuce waiting to go in. Also tomatoes in pots. Fingers crossed we will soon have a bounty of new veggies fresh from the garden!!! No pictures as of yet but hopefully will get some soon.

It's so nice to have the longer days and more often than not sunny weekends ... next BIG job for us will be painting the exterior of the house ......paint bought just need to get started!!!!

Apologies ..........

2009-11-14T21:29:00.001+13:00

...........for the long delay in blogging ... where does time go to?!?!?!? Hard to believe we're fast heading towards the end of the year. The bonus is that we are well into spring and fast approaching summer here!!

I will attempt to fill you in on what we've been up to ......

A Weekend Away

2009-10-22T21:30:00.006+13:00

As Spring has arrived (ok, I'm typing this with the heaters on, the fire blazing and the rain pelting against the window but it is spring!) we decided to have a weekend in Hamner, a village up in the mountains famous for its thermal pools. We rented a house for a couple of nights and set off. Despite the rain on the Friday night and a foggy drizzly start to Saturday it brightened up and was really sunny for the rest of the weekend which was great (even better when we got back to Christchurch and found they'd had rubbish weather).

Riding round the village on our 5-seater

Walking up Conical Hill

Tired at the end of the day

2009-10-22T20:36:00.003+13:00

We're really pleased that Finlay is growing well. Sadly this isn't the case with his hair which started to look like a mop. So a few weeks ago we bit the bullet and gave him his first haircut.

Before

And after

A Sad Farewell

2009-09-20T23:42:00.003+13:00

This week we said goodbye to a good family friend after 2 years. Admittedly the relationship has been strained at times and she has needed a little more care and attention than we might have hoped but we were all sad to see her go.

OK, here's one of the view without the car!

2009-09-20T22:37:00.003+13:00

Spring has well and truly arrived now so last weekend we spent the afternoon in the sun at Orana Wildlife Park just outside Christchurch. We had the sunblock out for the first time since the autumn!

Cameron and Mr Bojangles, the class bear, have a go at feeding the giraffes.

The giraffe takes a closer look at the bear!

Some native geckos looking cuteA cheetah cub enjoying the sun

Reaching for the Skies

2009-08-27T22:50:00.003+13:00

It's amazing what hidden talents people have. Over a well-earned beer after work a few weeks ago, Andrew, who works beside me, happened to mention he had a pilot's licence.

"oh, really"

"Yeah, I do a bit of aerobatics"

"Oh really!"

"We can go up for a quick flight one day if you want."

"OH REALLY!!!"

So on Tuesday we skipped lunch (in hindsight a good move considering what was to come) and headed to the airport.
After a quick check of the plane we were off.

Sometimes he heads over to the mountains where the scenery is fantastic but we were a bit pushed for time and the mountains looked a bit cloudy so we headed over the city to the coast at New Brighton.

The Avon below us with the estuary, coast and Port Hills in the distance

Once there he climbed a bit and then launched straight into a loop. I don't have any pictures of the manouevres or, sadly, my facial muscles during the trip. It was impressive how much the forces threw me about and made my face do Jim Carrey impressions!

After a few more moves that I can't remember the names of but mainly involved fast, unexpected turns, spinning around a lot and quite a bit of being upside down, he talked me through a roll (amazing!) then we headed back. Actually he gave me the option of staying out a bit longer but by now I was happy to head home. Again, no pictures of my face so I'm not sure exactly what colour I was but I doubt I was very rosy-cheeked. So I just sat back, breathed deeply and enjoyed the scenery.

A fantastic day and one more thing to tick off the list.

The Port Hills looking South

Banks Peninsula

Sumner with Lyttleton Harbour in the background

A Rather Long Hospital Visit

2009-07-21T22:43:00.004+13:00

Our lives have been on hold a bit for the last 3 weeks as Finlay has been in hospital with a chest infection that has proved difficult to treat. He is starting to improve and hopefully will be back home with us soon. In the meantime we've been split between home, hospital and dealing with the other two boys. They are getting a little too used to trips to the hospital.

Here's the patient with Cameron and Elliot the school elephant.

Still grinning behind all the tubes

Err...Finlay's $7000 teething toy!

On the plus side, outside the hospital the spring flowers are starting to come up. Hopefully warmer weather on the way. Winter doesn't seem to agree with Finlay!

A Beautiful weekend ....

2009-06-07T21:08:00.011+13:00

After all the rain that we've had recently it was fantastic to see the sun out this weekend, especially as the forecast was for sleet and snow!! It was as a good Christchurch winter's day should be ... chilly but with beautiful blue skies. In fact in the sun it was actually nice and warm. So on Saturday we spent the morning at home - sorting a few things out .. one of which was our second delivery of wood which had to be shifted from the drive to the wood shed. All the boys pulled together and with a bit of teamwork got it all under cover by the end of the afternoon.

Today after a morning at the library we headed off to the Gondola. We have an annual pass so quite often go up there as the boys love it. Today was no exception. After a ride up in the gondola we had a wee look at the spectacular views then inside for a hot choc before a short walk outside and the return down and back home.

Scotland's 2026 World Cup strike partnership

2009-06-04T21:26:00.003+13:00

Today the boys came home to find a parcel in the letterbox from their Aunty Flea who is now definitely one of my favourite sisters-in-law. For inside was their birthday presents (or was it Christmas?!!). Two Scotland tops to get them used to playing in the shirt and to strike fear into the opposition.

So the future of Scottish football should be safe with Cameron being the tall target man up front and Ewan being more of the silky ball player terrorising the opposition defence. Realistically Finlay will be the goalie!

2009-06-02T23:05:00.003+13:00

Yesterday was a holiday here so I took the boys into town and met up with Liz, Sharon, a couple of Pauls and loads of kids at the museum. There was an exhibition on the body which was quite good 'cos the boys could run around and enjoy themselves which isn't always appreciated by other museum patrons! After that we jumped on a tram using our very well-worn family pass (they'll being greeting us by name soon) then went for an ice cream and a walk through the botanics and a quick (well it was a tad chilly!) play in the park before heading home. Thanks to everyone there for a great day.Cameron in the museum
The kids outside
Cameron sporting his new toothless grin
Ewan burning off energy

More things to do in the rain

2009-06-02T21:55:00.003+13:00

I remember netball as being this daft wee game that girls played at school while the rest of us were playing football. But in NZ it's huge. The top players are household names with advertising contracts and one of them picked up something in the Queen's birthday honours yesterday.

So a week or two ago when it was raining (again!) we went along to a game between the Canterbury Tactix and the Central Pulse in the trans-tasman championship.

Canterbury won but other than that I couldn't tell you much about the game but it was a good atmosphere and more importantly the boys were able to shout as loud as they wanted and no-one cared!

Err....the blog? Oh yeah...forgot about that!

2009-05-27T22:39:00.003+13:00

Haven't posted for a month now. So to bring you up to date May has been....well....wet!

It's rained most days for the last few weeks, with a small lake appearing in the back garden every few days.

So while the weather has been rubbish we've been finding things to do inside. May in New Zealand is Music Month, when there is heavy publicising of NZ music through concerts and gigs, a lot of which is free. At the weekends there have been performances at some of the local libraries, so a couple of weeks ago we went to New Brighton library, which is on the pier.

The music was pretty good but what really got us was the surfers. It was horrible weather with the temperatures in single figures yet there were more than a dozen black figures bobbing up and down in the surf waiting for the big waves. Absolutely mad! Although with the weather being so terrible there were some pretty big waves.

After that we went inside to a kids play area where the boys could run around and make as much noise as they liked. Finlay didn't do much running obviously but seemed to enjoy it.

A lovely day for a walk ......

2009-04-25T17:29:00.006+13:00

Today we decided was just the day for a nice walk with the boys. It was my first time out with the boys for a while and it was lovely to be out and about again, although I'm exhausted now!!

There are so many fantastic walks around Christchurch but we choose to go on a short track just a short drive from us called the Gorge Track Circuit. It was lovely ... within minutes from our car we were within bush walking up the gorge ... you wouldn't have guessed that we were only minutes away from the city. The track rose steeply through some woods then out onto the hills at the top. To top it off the boys found a cave to explore ... perfect!!

Lets start at the very beginning .....

............a very good place to start!

Gypsy Glen Caves

A deserved break with 2 of the many eggs that Cameron won (see previous post!!!)

The walk proved too much for Finlay who took the opportunity to have a nap!

I would also like to say a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my nephew Callum who is 7 today!!!!!!

A lucky guess .........

2009-04-25T14:56:00.003+13:00

Whilst Alan and the boys were at Ferrymead over the Easter holidays Cameron entered a competition to guess how many Easter Eggs were in the pram: his guess was 330. Last week we got a phone call to say that he had got the nearest guess so last weekend we went back to Ferrymead to pick up the prize ............... all the eggs!!!!

Shortly after we dropped one of the boxes to the South Island branch of Ronald McDonald House as Cameron very kindly wanted to donate some of his eggs to the children who are currently being treated at Christchurch Hospital and are far from home. Well done Cameron ... we are very proud of you :o)

A delivery for winter .......

2009-04-25T14:44:00.003+13:00

Our new house has a log burner so in preparation for the winter months ahead we ordered our first load of firewood. Our order was delivered and ceremoniously dumped in our drive leaving the boys with the fantastic job of moving it all to our wood shelter!!

The recent days have been lovely but definately a little more chilly ... so we have had the chance to give the log burner a try ................

Mmmm, nice and toasty ............:o)

The boys ........

2009-04-12T22:53:00.003+13:00

Some recent piccies of the boys :o) Ewan and Finlay .......

.....the cheeky monkey's!!!!

Just to prove that they can get on!!!

Cameron chilling on the couch.

Ewan and his big blue eyes...........

Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T22:33:00.005+13:00

All the boys were off from Friday for the long weekend. The weather has just been fantastic although with the clocks going back last weekend the change into Autumn is already noticeable in the cold mornings and darker evenings!! However the sun has still been shining during the day and the boys have been out and about - at Ferrymead yesterday for the day and then out to Victoria Park today but I'll let let Alan fill you in on their activities whilst there. This morning we woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had visited and the boys had a tremendous time running round the garden looking for chocolate treats that had been left behind.

We then spent a chilled morning around home inside .............

.............and out!!

before the boys headed out for a few hours whilst I put my feet up for a while before making a traditional Easter treat. Chocolate cake topped with chocolate with a few more chocolate treats on the top!!! Happy Easter everyone!

8th April 2009 - Happy Birthday Finlay ...

2009-04-12T22:17:00.004+13:00

It’s hard to think of that tiny parcel of skin and bone from intensive care a year ago when we see our son sitting on the floor playing with his toys with a huge grin on his face. The difference really is quite remarkable :o)

We’ve had a hell of a year. We’ve learnt an incredible amount: we’ve learnt more than we ever wanted to about hearts and pancreases and a little bit about gall bladders; we’ve pretty much learnt a new language in medical jargon; we’ve learnt that diabetes is near impossible to control and are learning to just run with it; we’ve learnt how lucky we are to live in a country with such a fantastic health service; we’ve learnt how much stress we’re able to put up with and still keep going; and most of all we’ve learnt just how many fantastic people there are willing to lend a hand when needed.

As for Finlay he is doing really well. He’s had his setbacks but always seems to come through strongly and despite all he has endured in his short life is one of the most chilled, smiley kids we’ve seen. Although he’s got some hurdles to overcome in the coming months and years the outlook seems good: a world away from where we were this time a year ago.

This last year would have been so much harder for Finlay and us without the knowledge, experience, support, warmth and help of so many people from medical staff to charities to friends and family. It’s impossible to express how grateful we are to everyone who has touched our lives during this time but we’d like to say a big thank you from us all.

Latest update

2009-04-12T21:59:00.004+13:00

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you ... best start with an update. As said before we've moved into our new house ... it is so nice to be in our own place again. Pictures to follow soon I promise once we've got rid of a few more boxes!!!! I've been at home for the last couple of weeks after my op (all went well!) and have become increasingly frustrated at not being able to do much of anything at all .......not easy doing very little when there is so much I can be doing. However, I know it's for the best in the long run if I do as I'm told so I've been catching up on dvd's, reading and playing the piano which in itself has been rather nice I guess. Have resigned myself to relax and enjoy it since I won't be getting a chance like it again for some time!!!!

In the meantime the boys are all doing really well. Cameron has started a new school since the move and now goes to Somerfield School. He loves it and hasn't looked back which is just fantastic. He really is doing very well and has settled in and started making new friends. Ewan is much the same ... still a cheeky little monkey but I don't expect that to change for a while .. if ever! Finlay also continues to do really well. He has reached 8kg which apparently is quite a milestone for children who are born smaller. His sugars are still all over the place but we don't see that changing for a while so continue to chase them as best we can. Have had a couple of sleepless nights with him falling very low and us being afraid to sleep in case he went into a diabetic coma .... but he is fine ..... Alan and I on the otherhand are exhausted so fingers crossed for a better night tonight please.

The next steps for him are an echo, early May, followed by an appointment with his cardiologist who will be down from Starship Hospital. This will give us an indicator of how his heart is coping and whether the diaretics that he is on are doing their job and holding further heart failure at bay. A decision has also been made about his feeding. Because he will need assisted feeding long-term (likely to be 2 years at least) we have decided for him to have a gastrostomy. This is an opening in the skin for a tube to go through the stomach wall into the stomach. The only downside that we can see at the moment is that he will have to have a general anaesthetic which gives him extra complications because of the diabetes. But it is a standard procedure which will be easier in the long-run. We will keep you posted.

Back on-line

2009-03-24T20:42:00.002+13:00

Well on Sunday 8th March we finally moved into our new home .... our first owned in NZ ... must have settled in ... only took us 3 1/2 years!!! We have just got back on-line so promise to update with piccies soon. I am going into hospital on Thursday and then will be at home recovering for 6 weeks after that so plenty of time to sit and blog!!

Will catch up soon!!!

Ice cream

2009-03-03T21:47:00.003+13:00

Just to show it has been sunny in the last few weeks here's Ewan enjoying ice cream in Akaroa. He was getting himself covered in chocolate ice cream so had a helping hand from Dad.

2009-03-02T22:41:00.005+13:00

This summer has been really hot with temperatures hitting 40 degrees in Christchurch in January. Of course, that was until Mum and Dot stepped off the plane. It rained most of the time they were here but in the dry bits in between we managed to get them out to see a few of the sights. Up the Port Hills...

then down to the beach at Sumnereven catching the end of the Coast to Coast race (I'll tell you all about that in a year or two once I've done it (really!)

The day after we went to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula

Chinese Lanterns

2009-03-02T21:58:00.004+13:00

Victoria Square turned into China for a weekend. Vicky, Mum, Dot and the boys went during the day...and back at night...

Captain Cook enjoying the festivities

and of course the traditional chinese penguin!?!

Visitors!!

2009-02-21T22:15:00.005+13:00

Alan's mum and her friend Dot arrived on 12 February for a visit from Scotland. We picked them up from the airport and took them off for lunch before picking up the boys and going home for dinner. The next day I met up with them again to show them around Christchurch. We met Alan for lunch at the Boat Shed then I took them around the Botanics.

That evening we all went out for a meal at Viaduct on the strip.

Alan's mum, Cameron and Dot.

Finishing off with an ice-cream sundae :o)

The boys were very happy!

A picnic at the Ashley Gorge ........... Sunday 8 February

2009-02-21T21:59:00.004+13:00

Sorry to rub it in but it was another fantastically hot day. So we met up with our friends again for a picnic at the Ashley Gorge. The boys had a fantastic time playing in the river ... a great way to cool down on a hot day.

Baby got wet!!

All too much for the wee man who slept the excitement off!

Waitangi Day - February 6th

2009-02-21T21:38:00.005+13:00

We had a holiday for Waitangi Day on 6th February so we headed off for a picnic at The Groynes with some friends. It was a lovely hot day, high in the 30's and the kids had a fab time running around the park before we headed off to feed the ducks and go on the boating lake.

Feeding the ducks ...

All the kids ...........

Cameron and I cooling down in our canoe .......

Alan and Ewan enjoying the ride ....

Georgie and Evie before setting off ........

2009-02-16T21:48:00.006+13:00

OK, been slacking on the blogging, so bit of a catch up...

A couple of weeks ago I took the boys to a morning out at Steam Scene. Been there a few times now so the boys know exactly what they want when they get in so it's "Daddy, I want to go on the train" as soon as we pull up to the gate.

One of the trains

Action shot of Cameron on the castle

Mmmmm...ice-cream beard!
After lunch we picked up Vicky and headed to the beach to see the kites at the kite festival. We've never seen New Brighton beach so busy! Some pretty impressive kites.

Ewan had fun on the beach

And even Finlay found it exciting!

Finlay's first tooth ......

2009-01-25T20:13:00.002+13:00

..... put in an appearance today :o) Very exciting!!

Hot, Hot, Hot .....

2009-01-25T20:08:00.002+13:00

Today must have been well into the 30's again .... phew. Whilst Cameron was off at a friends birthday party Ewan helped out watering in the garden.

Cameron's Birthday Party

2009-01-24T21:19:00.005+13:00

Although it was Cameron's birthday a couple of weeks ago because it's the school holidays we postponed his party until today. We met up with a few of Cameron's friends at the Discovery Zone at the museum for a dinosaur party. The Discovery Zone is the Museum’s natural history centre for children, and is bursting with weird and wonderful things to explore including fossils and the new tarantulas. They party was excellent, really well run by the museum with lots of games and activities followed by lunch in the cafe and of course birthday cake.

Opening the presents .....

Making masks ......

Playing with the toys .........

Finished mask.

Musical cushions ....

Watching the fun ....

Just how many children can you fit in a dinosaurs foot print .......... 6 it turns out!!

The really big dinosaur ....

Lunch.....

and of course cake!

After the party we stayed into town to check out the World Buskers Festival. This is a fantastic week or so when buskers from around the world decend on Christchurch from all around the world ... there are some really amazing acts and the majority of it is free. We jumped on a tram from the park and headed around the city. We headed home with three very tired but happy boys :o)

2009-01-17T22:28:00.003+13:00

Today the boys went to the beach while Mum recharged the batteries at home. We went to North New Brighton there were free surf lessons, boogie boarding , sandcastles and beach volleyball. The boys got their faces painted:

A not-so-fierce tiger...

and a slightly jaundiced looking spiderman...
Tiger and Bear not too sure about the ocean...

After lunch at the park, we headed into town, jumped on a tram and went to the Arts Centre for a spot of chilling out on the lawn to some free music.

Didn't manage to get a picture of Ewan there but he was the best dancing tiger I've ever seen!

A long day, lots of sea air and all three boys straight to sleep tonight. Maybe even get a lie-in tomorrow!!....maybe

Cicadas and Elephants!

2009-01-17T19:29:00.003+13:00

Yesterday we were in the park and Cameron came across this Cicada which had just come out of it's shell .... a bit further along we came across the elephant ... yes really!!!!

Update on Finlay

2009-01-16T18:25:00.002+13:00

Today we had an appointment at the hospital for a check up with Finlay's Dr's. He is continuing to put on good weight - weighing in today at 7.13kg (15.7lbs). His Dr had the results from his Echo on Monday. She had been on the phone with his Cardiologists up in Auckland and they agreed with her putting his heart meds up. Apparently he has a diastolic dysfunction which means that he will now need to stay on the extra heart meds for at least 6 months. If things do not improve the Cardiologist wants to see him at their clinic. Apart from that we'll continue to manage his Diabetes as normal ... a few tweaks here or there on the pump etc

We go back to clinic in two weeks. Will keep you posted.

The Gondola

2009-01-15T17:38:00.005+13:00

Today has been another beautiful day so Cameron, Finlay and I took a trip up the hill on the gondola. The views were just stunning .... doesn't it just make you wish you were here?!?

Gorgeous Boys

2009-01-15T17:35:00.002+13:00

Cameron's fab dinosaur puzzle ....

2009-01-15T17:31:00.003+13:00

Cameron got this fabulous puzzle for his birthday and finished it all by himself today ...... needless to say he was very proud of himself :o)

Lunch with the girlies .....

2009-01-13T20:28:00.003+13:00

Had a lovely day out at Loburn with my mates Karen, Rachel and Claire and all the kids. We had a very yummy lunch and a really good catch up whilst the kids had a fab time running riot. A good day had by all. Thanks girls :o)

Finlay ... the latest

2009-01-12T22:43:00.003+13:00

As you may have read we were at the hospital today for a review. He has certainly become much less 'rattly' and his breathing has improved since Friday. Even so his breathing is still a little laboured so our Dr has upped his heart meds again with a review on Friday at the Diabetes clinic. Today he also had a full echo ... it was interesting to see the pictures, we haven't had an echo since he had his heart op in September. Things looked ok but we will have the full report on Friday after it has been sent up to Starship for the cardiologists to look at. We will keep you posted. Fingers crossed that the drugs will do the job and stop him from going into heart failure again so soon. Now the pneumonia is clearing hopefully all will be back to relative normality .......

Happy Birthday Cameron!!!!

2009-01-12T19:50:00.006+13:00

Though neither Alan or I can quite believe it, Cameron turned 6 today :o) The day started with opening his presents, a puzzle from Mum & Dad, a fab Dr Who game from Grandma & Grandpa, a game from Granny & Grandad and (Alan's favourite!) a Scotland Rugby Shirt (thanks Lisa & Graham)!!! We had also bought a new bike for Cameron at the weekend as he was starting to get a bit big for his old one!!!

Unfortunately we had to take Finlay into hospital for a check up after last week but we thought that we would combine that with a birthday lunch with Dad by the river. We then went onto the park whilst I fed Finlay then back to the hospital for an echo for Finlay. Then home for some games, a yummy tea and of course a birthday cake. Not quite the day we had planned as we ended up spending most of the day at the hospital but Cameron was fantastic throughout ... really patient and enjoyed playing his new Dr Who game (thanks Grandma!). What a star!!

Birthday boy!!!!

Chilling by the river with a hot choc!

Speedy boy .....!!

Our big boy .......

Everyone enjoyed the cake ... especially Ewan!!!!

Brotherly Love .....

2009-01-12T19:45:00.003+13:00

Helping Dad on a Sunday afternoon .....

2009-01-12T19:41:00.001+13:00

Need I say more .............