While we were living in Australia we became very caught up in “life.” Between soccer , Nippers and just being a somewhat social family we found ourselves rarely leaving town.  When our two years came to an end I had very few regrets, but I did wish that we had seen more of the country.

There are a few other factors that make travel in Australia a bit more complicated than I would have liked. The first is the extremely long distances from one place to another. The second factor is the cost. For example, one weekend  my friend Stephanie and I traveled a few hours up the cost and after looking around for a place to have dinner, it seemed our options were to pay $40 a meal each or eat at a greasy poor quality fish & chips shop. We opted for the cheap fish and chips. It was memorable, because I was with one of my best friends, but the meal was nothing to write home about. The last factor was lack of availability of accommodations. Since most of the country was on the same school schedule, you needed to book a holiday months in advance or you were left with the option of a $250 a night for a 3 star dingy motel. We tried that option once and let’s just say, it didn’t work out so well.

Upon arriving in New Zealand, I promised myself that I would do anything in my power to make sure we saw more of the country. This being the Queen’s Birthday weekend I planned a getaway for me and the family to Wellington. It did involve Nuno missing a soccer game, but I figure he’s 5. His team would cope. My darling husband did a fair amount of wingeing at the prospect of driving to Wellington for the weekend, but I told him I’d go with or without him. I am glad to report he joined us.

Before I post about our trip, let me share with you a sculpture Nuno created in honor of the Queen’s birthday.

Just came upstairs to give both my kids a quick good-night kiss and found them both secretly reading. Lana was reading with only the hall light. I told her that she could have another 10 minutes with her lights on, to which she responded with a ‘Yes!’ that included a fist pump. Then I went to check on Nuno who was covered from head to toe with his blankets. As I dug through his blankets to get my kiss I heard a click. To which I quickly surmised that he was reading under the covers. He admitted to it, saying that it was the only way he could read since we insisted it was time for lights out. I allowed him to turn on his battery powered lantern and ‘read’ for 10 more minutes.

They return to school tomorrow after a two week break, but what more could I wish for than two kids who enjoy books.

This past Sunday I went to watch Lana play Flippa Ball. When I arrived I recognized the mother on the opposing team and we got to talking. The opposition was co-ed, and according to this mother they had some pretty strong players on their team. This got me thinking that this game might be a blowout.

It had been a couple weeks since I had seen Lana play. She was sick the previous week and I had not attended the game prior to that. Well holy camoly! As soon as the game started I could not believe my eyes. Lana was playing the forward position along with another, stronger girl. Well, when this little girl passed the ball to my daughter and Lana CAUGHT IT with one hand and then proceeded to throw it at the goal, I could not believe my eyes. My daughter catch a ball? With one hand? UNBELIEVABLE! Although she missed that shot, I was still so excited that I texted her father.

I know the quality of the shot is horrible, but I am still blown away looking at this picture of my daughter. Dare I say, she looks like an athlete?

Well the next shot came & I thought I’d try to get a picture with my good camera. I missed her first ever GOAL, but I got this picture of the goalie throwing HER ball out & if you look closely, you can see my daughter beaming. I was so excited I almost screamed out Go Team Portugal! (Long story there, but we ask her which nation she’ll swim for in the Olympics. She always says America, but I think she should swim for Portugal. She’d be guaranteed a spot on the team.)

Lana’s team did lose the game 3:1, but who cares, we had cause for celebrating, which we did. After the game she told me that now she understands what her friend TW feels like after a game & Lana liked the feeling.

Although I was extremely proud of Lana, I did need to thank her coaches. These two women, a mother and a teacher who volunteer year round, gave my daughter a chance. They played her in a variety of positions whether they thought she’d play well or not. They gave her a chance to grow and grow she did. They too have something to be proud of.

Although the weather has been just gorgeous since we arrived in late January. I have no doubt that we will have our fair share of rain for the next six , okay maybe nine months. With that in mind, I ordered my first pair of Wellies and a cool matching rain jacket.

Note: I wanted to get this jacket in green, but green is a different school house color than my kids’ (& my husband’s – the kids inherited their dad’s house color at his alma mater). So no green, but the blue is the school color so I was ‘allowed’ to get it.

*I wrote this post on February 17th, but thought I had erased it before posting it. Just found it…

A couple of days ago, something strange happened as I dropped Nuno off at school. Just like most days, after I pulled up to the curb, the prefects opened the car door and Nuno wrangled his backpack on before jumping out of the car. Just as he got his backpack on and was about to get out of the car I told him I loved him. In that instant my darling boy looked at me and then at the prefects as if to say, “Who she talkin’ to? I don’t know this lady.” And out he jumped unto the curb without looking back at me or replying that he loved me.

Now, “I love you” is something I tell the people I love. If they are the last words that I utter to somone, then there is some peace in my world. I asked Nuno once if he knew I loved him and his response was, “Of course, you’ve told me like a thousand million times!!!”

Well, it’s good that he knows I love him, but this Portuguese mother was not about to stop telling her son she loved him, so we struck up a compromise. I asked Nuno to come up with a coded phrase that will mean I love you when we say it to each other. My darling little boy came up with “Ni hao” to which I replied, “We’re going to say hello in Japanese as our I love you?!?!” Looking at me as if I was an absolute moron, he says, “It’s Chinese mom!”

So day one went well. But it’s just wasn’t enough. So yesterday I asked if I could tell him a million times before we arrived at the drop-off point. Fortunately he agreed. And like music to my ears, his response was, “I love you too mom.”

I just could not resist sharing the pictures I took picture day. Although he was looking happy in the pictures he was not at all pleased with the buttoned collar. I love the look, but I too am thrilled that I do not have to iron that shirt every day.

Every morning I drop off Nuno at the curb in front of his building. He is very pleased to do this on his own, but the school has set up a system where prefects await the younger boys and help them out of the car. If ever I confuse school drop-off with leaving him at a country club it is the mornings. The prefects are so polite. They open the door for the younger boys, help them get their backpacks on and then wish the parents a good day. It is really so lovely!

And here is a picture of him in his class. I love his teacher and love what she has done with this room. Nuno is a lucky boy to have such a great start to school.

It’s hard to believe that we are in week three of school. What’s even harder to believe is how nicely Lana has settled in. Yes, she still loves America & misses her family and friends, and yes, she would still love to be teleported back to her old school to be with her ‘girls.’ But she is doing well. Very well, actually.

We decided to come over to NZ at the last possible moment so that the kids (&I) could maximize on our time with our friends before we left Sydney. This decision is something I will never regret. We had just the most fantastic month EVAH! It did however make our arrival in NZ pretty manic. In a week I had to find us a home, buy two children their uniforms, get everything labeled, purchase all the right shoes and even get some things embroidered!

In the middle of that week I received an email from Lana’s teacher introducing herself and informing me that she had shared my email with a mother from our class whose daughter she had chosen to be Lana’s buddy. This little girl was new to the school last year so she felt she’d understand what Lana was going through. I was contacted immediately after by this mother, a Canadian, who invited Lana for a play date that weekend  before school started. My daughter was taken for tea, a movie and then over to their house for a play! It was perfect. Three days later when Lana went in for her first day in her new school her ‘buddy’ was awaiting her. This little girl made sure Lana was cared for until Lana got her bearings. Here we were worried about Lana’s transition and she was the one who hit the ground running.

So far we are quite pleased with the school. Because I did not come over to look at schools I did my research by speaking to principals here from Sydney last year. I absolutely LOVE the principal of this school. It was after speaking to her that I was left in tears. I am not a huge supporter of private schools, but I knew that Lana deserved to be in this school, if even for a year.

Besides a strong curriculum and a very good learning environment there is also a focus on sport. If you know my daughter, you know she will do just about anything to avoid physical activity. Well, I have to smile when I write that as this new and improved Lana Banana has taken to surfing and has now joined her school Flippa Ball team!!!

Flippa Ball is a children’s water polo. The kids can actually stand in the pool, but if they get the ball they must either throw it or they have to swim with it. I tell you, that is an impressive skill. Even though we did not want to give up our weekends for the kids’ sports as we did in Sydney, we just could not deny our daughter since this is her first time expressing an interest in a team sport.

Most of the girls in her class are on the team, so it’s a lovely way for her to further connect with her friends. But more than anything I am proud of her for trying something new. This risk taking is something she has always shied away from. I am not sure if it was Australia, or this new school or maybe she just would have gotten here on her own. But regardless, I couldn’t be happier for her.

Today both of my children started at a new school. For Nuno, it was his first ever day of “Big Boy School.” He is not, however going into Kindergarten because in New Zealand children starting school go to Year 1. With the timing of our move to Australia and now to New Zealand that’s two kids who skipped Kindergarten in this family!

My husband & I have always considered him a very resilient and easy going kid. That is why we were caught off guard last night when he got nervous about his first day. Lana has already had two plays with her friends (more on that later) and got to spend a few days with her ‘girl’ cousin. Because Nuno is all about his ‘mates’ this move has hit him harder than we expected.

Last night, as I went to check on him in bed, he told me that he didn’t have any friends in his class. I assured him he’d have heaps by the end of the day to which he replied, “I don’t remember how to make friends.” His sister overheard and came into his room saying the sweetest things to him. She told him how great he is and how easily he makes friends. She and I both then told him about The Kissing Hand.  As I kissed his right hand I saw what I thought was Lana laughing at us. When I asked her what was so funny she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I am thinking of when I was sad or nervous at school and I would want you and you were not there so I would hold MY hand to my cheek.” We all had a good cry and cuddle before going off to bed to rest up for their big day.

This morning I woke up early to pack their lunches and make sure we were all ready for our day. The reason we have selected the schools we have is because my husband is an “Old Boy.” For Americans that is pretty meaningless, but for Aussies, Kiwis & Poms it’s a big deal. So with that, I present my Old Boy & New Boy.

I am right midst of packing.  We are about to embark on another leg of our adventure. This one taking us a little closer to my darling husband’s family, but a bit further from my own.

Each move we have made has been different than the last. Our first move from our enormous home in CT had us giving things we obviously did not need. This wasn’t easy, but not at all emotional. Then, when we decided to move to OZ I had to really consider what was important to me. For my darling husband, a couple bags of clothes, his golf clubs and digital copies of every picture from his life would be all he needed. For myself and Lana, leaving things behind was a bit more difficult.

Having to really narrow down what we could fit into 14 suitcases was a challenge. For Lana it meant leaving boxes of her most precious things behind. For me it meant taking up my entire old bedroom and more with furniture, framed pictures, wedding gifts, winter clothes, etc.

Since arriving in OZ we have come to live very comfortably with less. Yet, there are some things we chose to carry with us here, and we will bring with us to NZ. The first is the picture above. I will not send it with the packers, but rather will carry it in my suitcase so as soon as we arrive in our new house I can place in special spot. I miss the people pictured so much and having that picture makes them feel not so far away.

This picture of my dad is one of my favorites of him. It was taken in Portugal when he joined me and my friends at the World Expo. It was a great day & he just looks so great.

I have another frame that I already packed that includes the picture of my mother holding Alison, the last granbaby she met, in her arms. I think it’s the last picture taken of my mother.

The kids also have precious things that they would never consider getting rid of. Two of them are a frog Andrea made for Nuno, and a flower pot Auntie Diane made for Lana.

There is a jewlery box, filled with baubles, special trucks, (one that weighs as much as the real thing Maria!) stuffed animals that have been with us for 8 years, and a few other special items already packed away.

I know my husband has a hard time understanding the connection Lana and I have to these things. But you see it is not the item, but the expression of love that they remind us of. Little reminders of BIG LOVE.