Sunday marked mom and dad's last day in New Zealand. We had plenty of time in the morning to play, visit the market and shop at the Sheep Warehouse for last minute souvenirs and goodies. It was a great day and we were so sad to see them go. The last 2 weeks were wonderful and made us a little homesick but we were so happy to be with family. We did so many fun things and had so much fun with lots of memories made forever.
Thank you mom and dad for your love, generosity, kindness, patience and support!
Oh, mom and dad did babysit one night for us and Ben and I saw 2 movies at the theater! We enjoyed "Red" and "The Town" at our movie marathon. We haven't done that in years!
Climbing the tree in our garden. 2 little monkeys peeking through the trees!
Our deck view.
I see you!
Packin' it up.
1st stop - the Harbourside Market. The kids enjoyed paying for the vege themselves.
Eating an apple, her usual snack...this one she ate completely (minus a tiny bit of core I bit off for her) and I mean until it was totally gone...seeds, skin and all.
It was so windy that morning but we managed to get some good shots of the ol' parentals by the water.
At the airport...I hate good-byes. We did get to hang out a while with them at the airport, grabbing a snack and shopping around. They have some great shops at this airport, believe it or not.
One last pose. :(
Mom and dad used to (and still do) watch us leave, whether it was pulling out of the driveway in St. Matthews or walking out the door to go to school, they were always making sure we got off ok. This time was no different. They watched as we left and we watched them as far as we could. I find myself doing the same thing with my children and they too like to watch us as we leave. Anytime Ben leaves for work, Calvin and MaeMae wave out the door then run to his office to watch him pull away. When I drop Calvin off at school he wants to watch me leave the school yard. What a beautiful gesture of love my parents started with me and Kimberly that I can and have now passed on to their grandchildren.
Final wave good-bye. Calvin then turned around and said "I love them". I held myself together until we stepped out of the airport. It was all over after that until we got home and I got myself settled from having my dear parents here with us. It's so hard being away from home but yet it's been a wonderful experience for us, thus far, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity. I know the time will pass quickly, as it has so far and knowing that comforts me. We will certainly miss the wonderful friends we've made here but as Dorothy says in the Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home".
Too pooped to party any more...the girls slept the entire way home. They snuggled with the baby lambs grandma and grandpa bought for them at the Sheep Warehouse.
What a blessing family is! I thank God every day for our wonderful support of family and friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment