A much needed break!

Dean and I went away to Martinborough this past weekend. It was the first time we had been away on our own since our honeymoon back in February 2000 and I got pregnant that time! No worries about that happening again thanks to Dean's vasectomy hahaha! As much as I love my girls I also love my husband very much and it was fantastic to spend some time together like that. It also helped to know that the girls were with their Nan who they love so much. It is so easy as a mother to devote all of your time to your children and while that is not a bad thing you do need to remember you are also a wife/partner and owe it to yourself and your partner to put being a mother on the backburner for a while.

If you are heading over to the Wairarapa I can recommend staying at the Pinot Villas in Martinborough and dining at Saluté in Greytown.

Remembering Sept 11 2001 and Capt. Thomas Moody

It was actually the morning of September 12th in New Zealand when the world seemed to change. Dean and I woke up and on the radio they were talking about the deaths of JFK and Princess Diana and various other sad moments in history. We immediately wondered what on earth had happened and turned on the television to see the most shocking thing we have ever seen - planes crashing in to the World Trade Center towers. Erin was less than a year old at the time and I was glad she was not old enough to understand or ask me questions - how could you explain that?

This year 2996 bloggers are each remembering one victim from this awful day in history.

I wish to remember Capt. Thomas Moody. A man I never met or knew of until a few weeks ago but whose face will now never leave my mind. Capt. Moody lived in Stony Brook, NY and was 45 years old. He was a fire fighter and died in the World Trade Center doing his job. Here is a tribute someone gave about him:

Captain Thomas Moody loved to give people "the elbow." He would be telling a joke, kidding someone, and if they didn't get it right away, "he would give you the elbow in the ribs," said his wife, Maureen. "He loved to tease."Captain Moody also had a certain way with names. His daughter Deirdre's first-grade teacher, Mrs. Fear, became Mrs. Afraid. Mr. McDonald became Mr. Arby's. And when he was growing up in Brentwood, on Long Island, his younger sister, Lorraine, became "the secret helper.'' "Whenever he wanted to get my sister to do something, he'd call her his secret helper, and he would con her into doing these little favors for him," recalled Frank Moody, an older brother.But for all his teasing, and (literal) ribbing, Captain Moody, 45, was quiet at heart. An 18-year veteran of the Fire Department, he was working to be transferred to the hazardous materials team, so he could make full use of his degree in chemical engineering; he started his career as a chemical engineer. He still got consulting work as an engineer, but his adventurous side was most fulfilled working in the Fire Department. "He was in probie school when we met," said Mrs. Moody. "He was so excited about it, so content."

Spring Has Sprung!

Okay the experts say technically spring isn't until 23 September but as far as I am concerned it is the 1st of September today, it hasn't rained for 5 whole days and it is warm enough not to have the heater on and to have a window open so it IS spring! I love spring probably even more than summer. It is nice to see flowers starting to bloom and it is warm enough to sit in the sun but not get too hot.

Erin was very excited today when I told her it was September as it means her birthday is getting ever closer (2 months to be exact). Of course Lauren had to pipe up "And then me!!!". My kids are growing up too fast. Erin will be 6 soon and then Lauren will be 3 not long after that. Both girls already have big plans for their birthdays - how can a 2 year old be old enough to plan a birthday I ask you??!! Thankfully being the bargain shopper that I am I have already bought a lot of the presents so the wallet won't be hit too hard.

Check out this giraffe we saw at Wellington Zoo last week. Have you ever been so close to an amazing animal like this! Lauren loved it and was trying to feed it a leaf (that's the top of her head you can see on the bottom right of the photo). Of course the giraffe made me think of wee Allie Scott who passed away almost 2 years ago. She loved giraffes. She should be the same age as Lauren now. This pic is for you Allie!