Day 46 | Yes it's time for the unofficial "Day 46" photo - the first day back at school! My Photo-A-Day always starts with a photo after school on the last day, so I feel like it seems fitting to finish with a photo of the first day of school for the new year. This year, of course, for the first time, there's two boys in the photo!

And of course, that's the end of Photo-A-Day for another year! Not sure if I'll make it back again for another year - will wait and see ;)

Day 45 | Somehow day 45 has crept up and it really doesn't feel like the school is starting tomorrow, but it is! In the tradition of my Photo-A-Day, I have to have at least one photo of the boys asleep. The problem is as they get older, I'm having to wait longer and longer to sneak in and take it!

So, here is that sweet, special moment of the day, when you tiptoe into the room late at night for the last tuck in and kiss, and always wonder how you could have ever lost patience with them during the day! Very special boys X

PS: They don't normally sleep in exactly the same position, facing the same way, lol!

Day 44 | This summer Hayden started playing Saturday cricket for the first time. If you've ever followed this blog, you'll know summer has always included quite a lot of backyard cricket, so this year we made a change from summer soccer to cricket! He's really been loving it, and it's actually pretty fun to watch as well! (Even though it does meaning early Saturday morning starts!)

Today was the first game back for the new year. So it was a quick practice (and a photo!) in the backyard before we headed off to the game!

Day 43 | Sometimes I think I'd like to go back to school just so I had an excuse to buy lots of new stationery at the start of the year! I used to love all those new books and pens and pencils! It may not be so much of a surprise to hear that the boys haven't quite inherited my stationery obsession, and couldn't really care less about the box of brand new exercise books and pens sitting in the corner, waiting to be packed for school.

However, Hayden has been very keen to get his iPad set up for school with a new cover and get all the new Apps he needs set up on it! And yes, we finally did it today! At least that's ready for school. Unfortunately all the new books still need covered - maybe technology is the way to go after all, lol!

Day 42 | Today started off with great plans, went well, needed a change to Plan B part way through, but ended up with lots of fun and was all well worth it! That's the short version - if you want the long version, read on ;)

The boys had haircuts across town at lunchtime today, so since the forecast was HOT, we decided that we'd take a picnic lunch, and the dog(!), and head to the beach afterwards. It's not very often that we are on the 'beach' side of town, so the boys were really looking forward to it. We headed to Sumner for our picnic and sat on the grass down the far end of town. The tide was right in, so there wasn't a lot of 'beach' down there to walk on. So we got back in the car and drove down to the other end of town so we could take Alfie for a run on the beach and the boys could play. We were all out of the car again when the boys spotted the "No dogs on the beach" sign. It was a little confusing as there were definitely people further along with dogs on the beach. But not being 'locals' and not knowing how we were meant to get there other than walking on the main beach, we jumped back in the car. By this stage it was 2 o'clock and I was really aware that we actually had to be home by 4.30pm for a last minute planned cricket practice for Hayden! And we all really wanted to go to the beach!

So, we took a slight 'detour' on our way home (ie: we drove in the complete opposite direction) and headed over to New Brighton Beach - we weren't going to have come this far and not get to the beach at all! Well, it turned out to be a great decision, as we could pull right up in the car park, walk a couple of metres and we were on the beach! AND, there were dogs on the beach! Alfie started going crazy the second we got out of the car, and the boys and I ended up having to absolutely run across the hot sand and straight into the water!

I took this photo not long after we arrived and we were all relatively dry. It wasn't too much longer after this that the boys were completely soaked through, the dog was drenched, and we were all feeling some what cooler! The boys had the absolute best time (as did Alfie!) We ended up staying about an hour, and, just for the record, made it home in time for cricket practice - just!! We will definitely be back to New Brighton Beach - but with togs on next time!

Day 41 | I have promised the boys all holidays that we would go to the movies one day, and now all of a sudden, time is running out! So today, it was Movie Day! We saw "Sing", which we all really enjoyed! A quick photo of the boys before the movie : )

Day 40 | Wow, can't believe we are at day 40!! It was another quick photo before running out the door today! Swimming this morning, and since you can't really take photos at the pool, we took one before we left home. We are currently landscaping out the back (it's been a year-long process), and with tiles getting laid at the moment, our backyard movements are somewhat limited!

Day 39 | It was a very quick stop for a pretty serious photo as we ran out the door to Karate this afternoon! Hayden is coming up to 5 years now with the club, and is a blue belt. So pleased with him that he has carried it on so far! Austin is just one term in - and loving it! He was very excited today to get his first blue tip on his white belt (after the photo was taken!) It true form, there's no slowing this one down, broken arm or not!

Day 38 | Something a little different and a little abstract today. It's a photo that actually looks best large on a full screen, but hopefully you'll get the idea!

Simply, shower time.

Day 37 | Austin had a birthday party to go to today, which he has been very excited about. Because we only had to go around the corner, he rode his scooter there and back (yes, with his broken arm!) When we got home we came inside, and he was straight into drawing. It wasn't til I actually stopped and looked at him properly a little while later I realised he still had his bike helmet on! I asked him if he wanted to take it off, but no, he was quite happy to leave it on! Got to love him!

Day 36 | We haven't gone far or done too much today, but at the same time it's been a busy day! One of the fun jobs today was unwrapping the new squabs and cushions for the seating area of our new deck. It's nearly a year since the project was started, but we are getting there slowly! It's starting to look really good now, with just the tiling and a few smaller jobs to finish off. Hayden and Alfie were the first to try the new seating out!

Day 35 | This cheeky monkey got his new cast on today! He's pretty pleased with it - and it's waterproof! Yah!! He gave me one chance to take a photo, and this was it! Luckily it was a good one - it shows his personality perfectly and I love it!

Day 34 | Another really quiet day today. They boys have just spent most of the day playing around, and then it was board games this afternoon! Hayden first choice was Cluedo, and then Austin's choice of Chuggington 'Snakes and Ladders' was pulled from the back of the cupboard!

Day 33 | Thank you everyone for my birthday wishes! It has been a very hot, and very windy day here, so we haven't done a lot! We went into the City and met Steve for 'birthday' lunch, which was lovely. And other than a trip to the dog park with Alfie so he could have a run around and cool down in the stream, that has been our day : )

Today's photo was a matter of finding a shady spot a little out of the wind, so I grabbed a quick photo of the boys on the front doorstep just before we went to the dog park. It's so hard to get a natural photo of Austin in particular (he's at the age of the 'strange' smile), let alone the two boys together, so I have fallen in love with this one. Another new favourite of the holidays <3.

Day 32 | Steve was back to work today, and it was a well needed 'home day' for the rest of us! I think we were all ready for a bit of a quieter day hanging out. The boys have enjoyed playing with their lego and toys, watching a little TV, and playing soccer in the reserve with Alfie. Then I even had two very keen helpers putting stickers on my new 2017 Norwex Catalogues, all ready for my first Party back in a couple of days : )

Day 31 | He's looking a lot better today, and is pretty proud of his "plaster cast" and sling! And it's definitely not going to slow him down. Fingers crossed for a water proof sling when we go back for his check up and cast change on Thursday!!

It has been 2 years, but we've finally made it back to Hanmer Springs! We decided to come up for a couple of days as a fun way to spend our last days of Steve being on holiday. However, it did turn out to be a little more of an adventure than first planned! But more about that at the end! I've decided to make our 'weekend' into one big post, so lots of photos to come!

Day 28 | We arrived about lunch time on Thursday, and of course we headed straight to the Thermal Pools! We had our picnic lunch, and then the rest of the afternoon was spent in the pools - and the hydro slides for Hayden and Steve! Austin also had lots of fun in the kids' AquaPlay area! The kids are at a great age now too. Hayden likes his little bit of independence as he can go and do the slides or play in the pool. And Austin is so confident in the water, so it's more a case of following him around now, and watching him play on the 'Lizard Slide'!

Our first day was perfectly finished with fish and chips and ice cream for dinner!!

Lots of photos today as I took my camera to the pools. So I've chose a few to share with you : )

Day 29 | It was a cooler start to the morning, quite typical of a lot of days this summer! But we had a wander through town, picking up more supplies for another pool picnic lunch! Then it was back to the pools!

We discovered yesterday that Austin could actually go on the Super Bowl ride on the double raft with an adult. He was so, so excited to get one of the paper bands on his wrist to say he was allowed on the slide! So our first stop of the day was the Super Bowl for the four of us! Between the Hydro Slides, Kids' Pool and the Hot Pools, the afternoon was again lots of fun!

We had an early 'birthday' dinner out this evening, and ended up catching up with friends from home, so it turned out to be a really fun night with great company! It was well after 9pm by the time we got home, so a 'big' day for everyone!

A photo of the boys in Hanmer this morning before we went to the Pools : )







Day 30 | Well, this is the day the didn't turn out quite as planned!! We checked out of our motel this morning and wandered up town for a game of mini golf since it was our last morning away. We headed to Alpine Crazy Putt, a brand new course since we were last in Hanmer.

All was going well until we were on the 17th Hole, and Austin decided to trip over one of the obstacles as he was trying to get from the start to the end of the green! He came down on his arm, kind of head first down a little drop. You could tell he was in a lot of pain, and even lots of cuddles weren't helping very much!!

When it wasn't starting to improve after a while, we decided to head to the Medical Centre, which was closed as it was Saturday morning. We rang the After Hours number, and spoke to a nurse who reassured us that they doubted it would be broken, and since there was no on-call doctor in the town, we'd be best to ice, take Pamol, and then head back to Christchurch and then just seek medical advice within 12 hours.

Poor wee Austin was so, so brave! We headed home and seeing Austin had calmed down, we put it down more to just a sprain as was suspected. But the more we thought about it, the more I couldn't leave him all night, and although there was no visible swelling, there was a slight 'lump' on his arm. And more than anything, I had broken my arm at a very similar age and there had been no swelling or bruising to it either!

So off to After Hours we headed! We were straight into see the Nurse, who sent us straight down to X-Ray. Within seconds of the first X-Ray, coming through, we knew his wrist was broken :( Austin wasn't phased at all, and was actually quite excited to think he was going to get a "plaster cast", and even more excited when he got a sling too!!

Thankfully, as soon as his arm was in the cast, he was in a lot less pain, and couldn't wait to get home and show Dad and Hayden! As kids are, he's pretty pleased with it all, lol! So I guess we can't complain too much! Now just to keep him out of water and three very hot days ahead forecasted!

So, some photos today from 'Before' the event, and I've added a couple below too just taken on my phone tonight of Austin getting his cast.



Before:



And After :(

Day 27 | Some days you just want to have a bit of a lie in : ) Austin often hops into our bed for a cuddle in the morning (or the middle of the night!) And since it's the holidays, sometimes a mid-week sleep in is the best of all!! Of course, an iPad is required for full enjoyment when you're 5!

Day 26 | One exciting thing about coming home from our holidays was that a box of brand new, just released, Norwex products was waiting for me! And the boys were the first to try out the extra fluffy kids' microfibre towels in the new colours! The feedback was great and they've already put their requests in, so I think their bathroom might be getting a little makeover in the next couple of weeks!

Day 25 | A quick, fun photo tonight! Especially considering most of the day for me was spent in the garden! I'm sure all the weeds get together the minute we go away and decide it's time to grow!!

For Christmas this year, the boys got a "Crazy Catch" from Granma and Dea, and it has been the best present! They boys (Steve and Alfie included) have had so much fun with it! In fact, as soon as the ball comes out, Alfie is there to play! Although I think he must have been getting a bit tired by this point as he's given up jumping and has all four paws on the ground!

Hayden thought this was such a funny photo, so he picked this one to be our photo today. Oh, and for the record, this one was a catch to Hayden!

Day 24 | And the time for us has come to return home! So this morning was the last morning to find the boys curled up on the couch with Granma's blankets first thing in the morning watching TV. This has definitely been the 'usual' routine every morning that we've been here! Of course, I'm not complaining as it has also meant a few little extra "lie-ins" for Mum and Dad ;) So nice not to be getting up at 6am every morning!

And now we've made the long drive back home, and I'm pleased to say that the bags are unpacked, washing is done, and the boys are in bed (although typically Austin is still wide awake at 9.30pm!) Gardening and lawns tomorrow, then time to enjoy another last few days before Steve goes back to work. Austin was most upset at bedtime though as he thought he was going back to school tomorrow, lol! Poor wee thing!

Day 23 | Well, just over half way through the holidays, but our last day of holidays down in Central! So today was more a day of enjoying my daily routine of getting up a little later than usual, taking Alfie for a walk, then a late relaxing breakfast! The boys choice of activity for our last day was a swim at the pool this afternoon, then it was home to start packing up!

As for today's photo, it has become a bit of a tradition to take the boys' photo on an old seat down the back of the section at Clyde each year. So today was the day for this year's photo. I got a great one of the boys together, but then we had to take another one with Alfie included : )

Day 22  |  Making the most of our last couple of days of holidays!  This afternoon we headed through to Cromwell for another game of Mini Golf, and then this evening, we all went out to the Post Office (the old Clyde Post Office that has been converted into a Restaurant) for dinner.

I wanted to get a photo of the boys with Granma and Dea before we headed out, but quickly gave up on anything too serious!  Love this one though : )

Day 21  |  The sun was back out today, so time to get out and about.

Back before Austin was born, we took Hayden to Puzzling World in Wanaka, and prior to these holidays, he had asked when we could go back again.  So today we headed through to Wanaka to test our puzzling powers!!

We started off with the maze, and managed to tick the four coloured corners off (although not quite in the right order!) without loosing either of the boys!  After lunch we went through the Illusion Rooms, which the boys loved!  We also tried our hands (and feet - literally) at a few of the more 'creative' photos outside!

Then we headed into Wanaka township for a quick wander around and a Gelato before heading back to Clyde.  It was a fun day!

Day 20  |  It was cold today!!  In fact it was more like a winter's day than the middle of summer!  The snow was even down to 800m on the top of the ranges around us.  So when I came back from walking Alfie this morning, I found the boys playing Monopoly with Granma and Dea.  Needless to say, the Monopoly pro and negotiator, Hayden, was the winner!

Day 19  |  It was a pretty quiet day at home today, and I had taken some photos of the boys this morning, but Alfie kind of stole the show this afternoon, so he has made Photo of the day today!

Alfie has been loving playing backyard cricket with the boys this summer, chasing and trying to catch the ball.  So this afternoon I grabbed my camera to try and catch some 'action' shots!  This one makes me laugh every time I look at it - I think it's the ears, lol!

Day 18  |  Bit of a quieter day, and a 'home' day today.  The boys have mainly been hanging around the house, but we did go for a walk through town after lunch and ended up at the primary school for a play in the play ground : )

Day 17  |  Happy New Year!!  What a gorgeous day to start the new year!  The sun was shining and it was hot early!

So it was time to revisit another Douglass family holiday favourite - a bike ride along the rail trail between Clyde and Alexandra to the swimming pool!  And this year, it was a first for Austin, as he also rode his own bike.  Up until now he's always been on the seat on the back of my bike.  It's probably safe to say it was a pretty slow trip in, with quite a few water stops, but he did it - 8 kilometres on a 30 degree day!

After our swim, Steve, Hayden and I also biked back to Clyde through our favourite bike track - the Millenium Trail along the river.  24 kilometres of biking for the day for us.  Definitely a well deserved drink when we got home close to 5.30pm tonight!

A great way to start the New Year, and now wishing you all the best for 2017!