Our last days of summer...

It's four days until the end of summer break and the return to school for my little Kiwis and I'm amazed at how quickly the weeks have gone by. Summer is such a splendid time in New Zealand. The sun is hot, but the shade lovely. A nice breeze blows across the city most days, taking the sting out of the heat. And the beaches are no more than a 30-minute drive from home for when you really need to cool off.

I love the beach. I've always loved the beach. And I pinch myself now that I can pick up and go to some of the most beautiful coastlines I've ever seen anytime I want (well, anytime I can talk the kids into wanting to go too ;) We've spent a lot of time at the beach this summer, jumping in the waves, practicing our boogie boarding, begging for fro-yo and watching our freckles pop out like little constellations. I love summer in New Zealand, and I'll be sad to see our lazy days come to an end when school starts again.

This summer was a good one for us. The kids have been more patient with each other than they've been in years past, which makes it easier for us all to get through the day. We had a lot of lazy time and also accomplished some big goals I set at the start of the break. One was to teach these American-Kiwis some American history. We did a lesson every morning, starting with colonial times and working through the Civil Rights Movement, and I really enjoyed sharing our rich history with the kids. My little Patriots cheered on General Washington and his army in the fight against British tyranny (something they definitely won't learn about here in the Commonwealth ;) and my Freedom Riders were ready to give up their seats on the bus to Mrs. Parks. One thing I've emphasized is how America doesn't always do the right thing or get it right the first time -- but there's always good people fighting for right in America. That's an American legacy I cherish, and I want my kids to be proud of that, too.

Another big goal we had was getting the boy riding a two-wheeler bike. I did my duty running up and down the path alongside him, holding on to the back of his bike seat until he could steady himself. Three days after his first wobbly ride, he's now confidently cruising along -- with a little push from me at the start. I'll just be sitting back and letting Shane take over this parenting thing now since I've successfully taught both kids to ride a bike. You can retire after that, right?

We've also spent time this summer settling into our new home, our own little patch of New Zealand. In case you missed the news in our Christmas video -- we bought a house! And we absolutely love it. The realtor described it as a "tricked out treehouse," well as "tricked out" as a little three bed/one bath house can be ;) We weren't planning to buy a home, but we had an unfortunate conflict with the landlord/neighbor at our rental, and it became clear we needed to get out of that situation as quickly as possible. Buying made the most sense, and we happened upon a property that could not be more "me" if it tried ;)

Right now I'm sitting (in my bathing suit :) on the private back deck, wind blowing in from across the marsh that runs along our property. I'm listening to the saxophonist who practices in a public park across the way nearly every day and keeping an eye -- through big, open windows -- on the boy who's in the living room watching 101 Dalmatians for the third time this week. Like the rest of us, our dog Moses spends his days inside and out as the mood strikes, with plenty of places to wander and plenty of cats to keep an eye on. We're all really happy to be here and really grateful to have our own piece of New Zealand to call home.

Of course, I couldn't talk about this summer without mentioning our special summer guests. My mom and her husband, Paul, made the long trek from America to Auckland again this year to spend time with all of us (well, mostly with the grandkids :) We had a great time seeing them and we're always grateful for the time and effort they put into getting here and back. It's not an easy trip, but we're glad when they do it -- especially since they come bearing gifts of Little Debbie Cakes and Kraft Parmesan Cheese ;)

Well,that's a quick look at what we've been up to in recent months. I really treasure having these slow, easy days with the kids, something we didn't have before our move to New Zealand. We continue to be so grateful for the way our lives have changed and the opportunities this move abroad has brought us. And even though the end of summer has me feeling a little teary, I'm so excited about the year ahead. :)

I hope this season of life is treating all of you well, too. I'll write more soon!