Day 45  |  And just like that, the holidays have come to an end.  It has been a wet, quiet last week of holidays, and although the sun has returned this weekend, it was a pretty quiet one for us.  The boys do love hanging out at home, and today was one of those days again.  Puzzles with Austin this morning, and this afternoon it was getting everything ready for the first day back at school tomorrow, which included naming pens, pencils and books!

I did consider trying to get a photo of the boys together for the last day, but it was clear this morning that they weren't in the mood, so I decided not to push my luck after 45 days!  So it's one of each to finish off Photo A Day 2015 - 2016 - both with heads down as neither wanted their photo taken!

I really can't believe it's back to school tomorrow!!

Day 44  |  It's not very often that we get to have a sleep in - like most parents!  It's either weekend sport, activities or simply kids getting up early!  But, occasionally now as the boys get older, we're not woken at the crack of dawn, and with a little technology involved we can get that extra hour in bed - even if it is whilst listening to Paw Patrol on You Tube!

Day 43  |  Bath time, complete with fingers in ears to stop the water!

Day 42  |  Austin had Preschool today, but for Hayden and I, it was a "Home Day" on yet another wet day!  Hayden and I pretty much just pottered around for the day, doing our own things.  '

But after we picked up Austin, we all played one of our favourites games together before dinner!  Once school goes back, you don't seem to have time to play board games after school with homework and sports etc, so making the most of the last few days!

Day 41  |  Today ended up being a busy one!  Austin was a Preschool, so I dragged Hayden along to the Mall with me to do some shopping!  I don't go shopping very often, so when I do, there's usually a long list of things I need to get!  Hayden did very well though considering he hates shopping (unless there's a toy shop involved!), and it was nice to have a little helper along with me : )  

It ended up being one of those days really where my mind has been bursting with things I needed to do, and yes, I nearly forgot to take my photo today!  It wasn't until I got home from a Norwex Demonstration at 11.00pm that I realised!

Luckily, I always love to sneak in a take a photo of the boys sleeping each year as part of my Photo A Day, so here's the 2016 addition!

Day 40  |  And after a 29 degree day yesterday, the rain is back!  When I asked what the boys wanted to do today, their unanimous response was "the movies"!

The movie started right on lunch time, and since we are still pretty much in holiday mode and hadn't actually had breakfast after a relatively slow start to the day, we decided on pancakes and bananas for brunch before we went!  (And yes, boys are still in their pyjamas, hair not done!)

Day 39  |  Austin ended up coming down with a high temperature last night, so it was quiet day at home today for the most part.  We did go to Karate this afternoon though still.  Hayden has been going to Proactive Martial Arts now since he was 5, and has worked his way up to an Orange Belt.  He still really enjoys going, and is now asking when Austin is going to start!

Hayden was practising some of his sequences before class today, so here's the 2016 installment of our Karate photo for the summer  : )

Day 38  |  If you have been following for a while now, you'll know that Hayden is a massive Star Wars fan!  He has watched all the movies, has the DVDS, and has a great collections of books.  And of course, he loves his Star Wars lego too!  So he thought all his dreams had come true when he got this lego set for Christmas from his Aunty Tracy and cousins.

Because we were up in Auckland for Christmas, and then down in Clyde for a week, he had to wait to build it, so pretty much as soon as we arrived home, out of the box it came!  It took six evenings (one for each bag of pieces!) to build, and he is now very proud of the finished product, and requested this to be in our Summer Photos photo a day : )

Day 37  |  For literally months now, Hayden has been asking to have a sleepover with his absolute best friend, Jacob!  These two boys have been best buddies since they started at their Preschool practically on the same day when they were 4.  Although they've only been in the same class at school one year, they've played rugby in the same team every year, and basically just have that special friend thing that keeps bringing them back together again.

So, today, we finally managed to arrange the long-awaited sleep-over, much to both boy's excitement - it's a first sleepover for both of them!  They've had a great afternoon together, and as I type this we are attempting sleep, but there's still a lot of chatter coming out of Hayden's bedroom - pretty standard for a sleepover really!

I took a 'nice' photo of the boys together this afternoon, but when I downloaded this tonight, I couldn't help but choose if for my photo today - FUN!

Day 36  |  The forecast was for HOT, so first thing this morning (well 9am) we headed into the Margaret Mahy Family Playground that has just opened up in the centre of Christchurch.  The kids were keen and the temperature was already getting close to 30 degrees by the time we arrived.

The boys loved the big slides, the flying fox, and I had to drag them out of the water play area with bribes of icecreams!  It certainly was hot, and like many people have been commenting, unfortunately, there just isn't any shade there.  

We will definitely make a visit another day - maybe when it's just a little cooler!

Day 35  |  And it's back to 30 degrees today!  This must be the craziest summer for weather!  Austin was at preschool today, and it was a housework morning for me.  Hayden headed off to a play date this afternoon, so it was one of those days that just kind of disappeared and not too much seemed to happen :)

However, with the hot weather, it's turned into a late night to bed for the boys, and a late photo for today too.  Every night Dad reads Austin stories at bedtime; it's like a special time for them to hang out together.  So most nights this is the scene in Austin's bedroom for usually well over half an hour!

Day 34  |  It's all about this boy today!  He's been to the vets and has ear infections in both ears, and some dermatitis on his front paws.  So he's not too happy - just look at those eyes <3

On a brighter note, I'm now all caught up with my Photo A Day, and the sun is finally out after 4 days of rain!  So it might just be time for a walk!!

Day 33  |  And it is yet another very rainy day today!  So time to jump in the car and head to the local swimming pool with the boys - along with most other people in town too I think!  But the boys had a great time and it was nice to just get out of the house for a while when there's not much else you can do!

And when you've had a busy morning swimming and playing in the pools, sometimes you just need to have a lie on the couch after lunch and watch a DVD!

Day 32  |  It is our third day home from our holiday and the third day of rain!  So it's probably a good thing that Austin started back at Pre-school today - which he was very excited about!

As for Hayden, he decided last night that he was going to dress up as a Storm Trooper today.  Dressing up as Star Wars characters and playing is quite a regular occurrence in our house for our Star Wars loving boy!

After I took this photo, he also asked me to take one on the iPad for him, which he then accidentally shared on FB with everyone!  (He thought he was sending a message to his grandparents, but clicked on the wrong button!)  So if this photo suddenly looks familiar, that's why!

Day 31  |  It's my birthday!  And another rainy day!  Outdoor plans for the day were out, so we took the boys to the movies instead, and saw "The Good Dinosaur".  Hayden wasn't too keen to go and see it (being a 'big' 8 year old now, he considers himself too old for 'little kids' movies!), but Austin was very excited, and announced in a very loud voice at the end, "That was great!"  So I guess you could call it a success overall!

It was a pretty quiet day overall, but I did manage to get a very rare photo of me with the boys this morning - even if we were huddled together next to the house to get out of the rain!  Still trying to work on a family photo!!

Day 30  |  So it's a rainy, cool Saturday morning.  Someone doesn't seem to mind though, and is quite enjoying his bed!

For the record though, he did spend most of the rest of the day outside with me after this in the rain and mud gardening - so much easier to dig holes when the ground is wet!

Day 29 | Today we made the long trip home from Clyde. The boys are pretty good considering we're in the car for over 5 hours; of course the portable DVD players do help a lot, lol! We drove through to Geraldine, where we stopped for lunch. The temperature dropped from 27 to 17 in about 10 minutes between Fairlie and Geraldine, so we abandoned our picnic and headed for a cafe!

Once home it was the big unpack after being away for 3 weeks! The boys managed to get outside and let of some energy with their light sabers just before the rain started - literally as I was taking this! Looking at this photo though, the next job on the list is to mow the lawns!

Day 28 | I couldn't let the holidays pass without our 'Photo under the Tree' photo! Admittedly with a little bit of bribing required, I grabbed a quick photo of the boys this afternoon on the old seat that is a favourite photo spot of mine!

This is the last day of our holiday away, so it's kind of bittersweet. Looking forward to getting back home, but not looking forward to the gardening we'll have to catch up on when we get back - or having to get back into more of a 'work routine' next week!

Day 27 | Following in the fashion of what seems to be summer this year, after a 30 degree day yesterday, today it was a mere 15 degrees! So it was time for one of our favourite summer time holiday activities, Mini Golf : ) It was actually our first game these holidays, but the competition was definitely pretty fierce! Hayden was in full fighting spirit, and Austin was just super excited for everyone, but pretty pleased that he got to play with a 'big boy' golf club (instead of a plastic one) for the first time!

Day 26 | It was a gorgeous 30 degree day, so time to pack the picnic and head to our favourite picnic spot from last summer, down at the Manuherikia River. We had Alfie with us this time, and he had a great time in the water too! Although the photo today is one very similar to the one I took there last year!

Day 25 | We had our first trip to the Alexandra swimming pools today for these holidays. Always a favourite for the boys, and a great way to cool off on a hot day. Because I can't take my camera into the pools, a quick photo before we went all ready to go!

Day 24 | A super quiet day today. I think we're all still recovering from our busy holiday up in Auckland! It was a cooler day, so it was just some bike riding and backyard cricket for the boys and I took Alfie for a walk this morning. Even the camera didn't come out much, but I did snap this photo of Austin ringing the 'door bell' at the crib - something he likes to do on a regular basis!!

Day 23 | Today was a great hang-out-at-home day. The weather was gorgeous Central Otago summer weather, and it was a day filled with walking the dog, bike riding, kite flying (although that was abandoned after not too long due to lack of wind!), back yard cricket, board games, sprinklers, water bombs, and more water play, including digging in very muddy holes for a particular puppy! I think I've covered most of what we did!

Alfie got a little paddling pool for Christmas to cool down in, and he loves to drink the water when you're filling in it, and just standing in it. It's also very good for washing off muddy paws and noses - and for four year olds!

I took lots of photos of all our adventures today, but this is a favourite : )

Day 22 | After a really long day travelling yesterday, and a very late night last night, today was always going to be a quiet day at home as we are all feeling a little tired! But the boys were excited and up a little earlier than hoped this morning, as it was time to do Granma's Christmas treasure hunt! Each year at Christmas, Granma sets up a little treasure hunt for the boys to find their presents. Because we were in Auckland for Christmas this year, today was the day, and the boys were excited!

Day 21 | Well after a fantastic two weeks, our Auckland holiday is over. We have really packed a lot into our two weeks, along with spending lots of family times with the 'cousins' and all the extended family. I know that this will definitely be a holiday that the boys talk about for a long time! This morning it was time to head to the airport. Then we made the decision to travel down to Clyde today, rather than wait a couple of days. So it was a quick trip home to drop off some things and pick up some others, and then jump in the car for the trip down to Central. We left at 9.30am this morning, and arrived in Clyde at 10.00pm tonight, so a super long day traveling, but we are here now, all ready for the smaller Part 2 of our summer holiday! Today's photo is of the boys with Nea and Poppa before we left Auckland this morning : )

Day 20 | Today was movie day for the kids and the dads. Hayden and Austin were very excited to go and see the new "Star Wars" movie, and this has been high on Hayden's "Wish List" for these holidays! While the boys were off at the movies, it was cleaning and packing time for me since our holidays are fast coming to an end! As for today's photo, Imogen stayed over again last night, and this is what I woke up to this morning. You've definitely got to love technology when it means you get an extra hour in bed!

Day 19 | Wow, what a day! We left home this morning at 9.20am and headed down to Rainbow's End for a day of adventure! We were there for the opening of the Park at 10.00am, and were straight into it! Imogen came with us, and first stop was the Pirate Ship, which Austin wasn't too keen on! Imogen and Hayden decided they wanted to go on the Fearful next, which Steve kindly volunteered me for too! I had been on one overseas many years ago, so kind of knew what to expect, although was still a very scary ride down, lol! Luckily the kids weren't keen on doing that one again! The rest of the day was spent on heaps of the other rides - the Family Karts, Gold Rush, Log Flume (three times) and the Roller Coaster (two times!) Austin had a fantastic time in the Kid's Kingdom too, which was absolutely perfect for his age!

We ended up staying for the entire day - all 7 hours the Park was open! It was well after 5.00pm when we finally made it back to the car with three very tired children and two exhausted adults! I think this will definitely be one of the highlights of the trip though! We all had the best day :)

Day 18 | Time to hit the water again today, but this time at the Waiwera Hot Pools. The last time we went there Hayden was 19 months old; this time it was straight to the hydro slides for the big kids! We went with the cousins, and the kids all had a fantastic time, testing out all the different pools. It was a great day for it, and the pools are so lovely and warm. So easy to stay for a few hours - and they have HUGE ice creams too!

Afterwards, we headed back home with everyone for Eden's early birthday celebrations. She will be 6 on 9 January, but we all will have headed our separate ways home by then, so today was birthday present, and cake too of course! It was another super late night for all the kids, but that's what holidays are all about when you don't see your cousins very often! This is certainly a holiday that the boys will look back on fondly for a very long time!

Day 17 | Today was the much anticipated trip up the Auckland Sky Tower! Hayden has wanted to do this since we started talking about what we were going to do on our trip to Auckland this year. None of us had ever been up the Tower before, so it was a bit of an adventure for all of us! Both of the boys loved leaning out to the glass and looking down, whereas I preferred to stay inside the rail!! Although I did manage to walk across the glass floor, which was strangely freaky, lol! Austin wasn't really in the 'photo-taking' mood today, but a photo for the album anyway!

Day 16 | It was another really windy and wet day! Outdoor activities were definitely out, so we decided to head to Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium - along with half of Auckland I think! But the queue was worth it, and the boys had a great time. All the 'cousins' went too, so afterwards we all headed to Mission Bay for an early dinner of fish and chips. A great way to end the afternoon!

I've left today's photo to the 'professionals' at Kelly Tarlton's as it's not very often get a family photo!!

Day 15 | Happy New Year 2016! It is a really rainy, wet and windy day here, so it has definitely been an inside day - or 'home day' as the boys call it. It's probably an understatement too to say it's been a very quiet start to the New Year too. After very late nights for the boys last night (Hayden nearly made it to midnight!), it was cuddles with Dad and TV this morning.