We constantly try to keep our family active and outside as much as possible.
A frequent visit to the field next to our house helps to keep this activity alive.
I do love watching Aaron and Josh playing soccer together.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
30 April 2015
25 February 2015
Family Organization
Time is moving so quickly here in the Presbury home. I rarely have 'spare' time to do the things on my 'extra's lists but it's ok. Things are going very well.
My ambition for blogging is far beyond my reach at the moment. Its merely a thought in the back of my mind. However with a bit of free time i have tonight I wanted to document our every busy lives in a post.
Since school started back up we have had an increasing need for more organization as a family. I never realized how important organization skills would be as a mom to have a functioning family.
My morning starts at 6am when I get up to get my own tasks done. Exercise, scripture study and preparing myself for the day take place in those 30 minutes. It is some of the only time I have on my own. However I am not always able to get up, sometimes I am SO exhausted I hit the snooze button a couple times.
6:30am Aaron begins his piano practice. He has started his fourth year of diligent practice and we decided it was best for him to do that in the morning. It works great as the 'wake up call' first thing in the morning.
In the 15 minutes as he practices the kids begin to emerge from their beds (keeping in mind that they were always up around 7 am on their own ). They begin to get ready for the day, with specific tasks such as making bed, putting clothes away, getting dressed in school uniform and doing hair. I obviously engage and help where I am needed.
By 7am we gather at the kitchen table for scripture study. This new change has made it SO much easier. Trying to make scripture study happen at night was so much more challenging.
Afterwards we have family prayer and then the kids watch from the kitchen window as Aaron catches the bus.
We now have an hour before leaving for school. We prepare lunches, eat breakfast and the kids work on their 'chores'. Josh and Rachael unload the dishwasher together every morning. I LOVE it!
They have certain responsibilities each and every day and then a different assigned 'chore' to each day. Taking out the trash, vacuuming the stairs, cleaning bathroom mirrors, dusting tv, tidy bedrooms....
Their chores coincide with my house cleaning. Mondays are my main laundry days, Tuesday I focus on dusting and bathrooms, Wednesdays the house gets thoroughly vacuumed, Thursday is a deep kitchen clean and mopping and Fridays we each focus on our own bedrooms. I like a clean house and this is how I do it without going crazy. It works for me.
I have a time limit on the cleaning each day, I could spend all day every day cleaning but have to limit myself and stay organized.
We have different weekly activities that we have to carefully plan in. Schooling is quite different here to Utah and preschool for Joseph was going to cost a fortune. Joseph is so incredibly athletic and energetic we thought it better to enroll him in some more physical activities and instead of preschool. I would dedicate 1-2 hours a day 'homeschooling' joseph instead. Not really homeschool but rather in house preschool.
Right now Joseph attends a Playball class tuesday mornings where he engages with other boys his age and learns a different sport each week. He loves it.
Thursday mornings he has tennis lessons and loves that too. He is quite fond of his Roger Federer racket.
He can count into the teens, knows his colors and shapes and has been writing his name the past month. He writes his name on everything. He has taken to drawing too and occasionally creates some pieces for me. Joseph learned last week how to ride his peddle bike all by himself. He gets so excited to have a ride around our neighborhood lake (about 2.75km) and has been exhausted at the end of each day.
Josh is adjusting well, he doesn't speak about 'America' as much and is really loving school this year. He has a good group of friends and has a friend within a 10 minute bike ride from our house he likes to play with. He is obsessed with becoming a Pilot and loves watching these air crash investigation shows. Josh attends tennis lessons on Mondays, Piano lessons on Tuesdays, Kenpo Karate on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. Tennis has become a new passion since the Australian Open and he keeps asking about taking a second lesson. He too has scored a nice Roger Federer racket.
I still can't believe he is 9 years old, he is growing up so fast. I have to remind myself that he isn't a baby anymore and he has different needs to the younger ones. Its really fun to have one on ones with him. He looks forward to the times he can read aloud his books to me and share funny jokes or cool things he learned from school.
Rachael is quite the social butterfly at school. It is adorable to watch her friends come running to her just to say hi and give her a hug every morning at school. Rachael is a very happy person and LOVES school. She will put on a brave face when she is feeling sick in hopes that she won't have to miss school. Her artistic skills were scored two grade levels higher last year. She is always creating or drawing some new masterpiece. Her latest project was a 3d house she made out of construction paper.
Rachael's character is still blooming, she has the tendency to easily shut down if she's feeling discouraged or inadequate, yet she is always trying to please you. She is very clingy to me in situations that are new. Once she is comfortable with her surroundings and the people she is fine but anything new we have to be careful at the way we present it or she will completely shut it down. I think part of this comes from her scary nut allergy issue. She won't go play at a friends house unless I were to be there with her. Fair enough, it is a scary thing and will take time to get used to.
Rachael was very interested in tennis as well but refuses to take lessons. It scares her too much as she doesn't know anyone but she also fears disappointment.
She speaks about playing the piano though and will soon start taking lessons with Josh.
Both Josh and Rach are engaged in other activities at school such as learning Mandrin Chinese, a Kitchen and Garden program (where they plant and help grow fruits and veg and then learn to cook different things with them in their kitchen class). They both have a couple weeks of required swimming lessons through the school, art classes, sport classes (Josh's teacher has asked him about joining the Badminton Club that meet at lunch). It really is a great school full of different activities and learning experiences.
Rebecca has bloomed into quite a little diva. She communicates very well and understands exactly what we are saying. She gets easily frustrated and will scream when she is. She is a sweetheart that sure does bring more character to our family. She LOVES shoes, teddy bears, dolls and jewelry.
Just tonight we went out for a family bike ride and as we were preparing our helmets and drink she took initiative and climbed into the bike trailer with her helmet and drink ready to go.
She LOVES to be outdoors and to dance.
Her dairy allergy is still an ongoing process but her health is much better now. Baby steps to improvement and awareness I guess. We will be seeing a specialist the end of March to determine exactly how bad her allergy is and establish a more permanent nutritional diet.
Aaron is working very hard to support us and does a fantastic job. He stays busy with work and church calling but still finds time to make sure we are all taken care of. He takes Josh to kenpo twice a week and stays to support him. Our children love and adore him and get so excited when daddy comes home from work. He is a good example to us all and keeps us all on track and in line. I am very grateful for him.
I visit the local markets every Saturday morning and get all the fresh food I need for the week. In order to do this I have to be prepared and organized and have a meal plan for the upcoming week. Each of the kids have a night where they are assigned to cook dinner with me, they all get SO excited to be in the kitchen and help me with this task. Apart of that is helping to plan out the meals in advance, it makes it much more enjoyable for me too just takes much more planning.
Since we started doing this the kids have become more aware of the kitchen, more helpful and understanding with food and the preparation that goes into it. On top of all that they are learning skills in the kitchen that they will have for the rest of their lives.
Just this week I was very ill, sickest i've been since living in Australia. To the point I was fevering and couldn't move off the couch. Joseph at his tender age of 3 took the skills he had learned and made himself some toast putting the butter and jam on himself. He also helped Becca by pouring her a bowl of cheerios and washing some grapes.
Bedtime routine is another organized process. Because we have such an early morning the kids are obviously tired earlier. After showers/baths and brushing teeth Rebecca and Joseph are our first task while Rachael and Josh work on homework or read to each other. It's obviously much easier if Aaron is home and we can share the load but in cases where he may be out I tuck the younger two in bed first. They are usually so exhausted, easy to put down and in their beds around 7:30. The next hour is so cherished by Josh and Rachael as this is 'their' time. I sit with Rachael first and we chat about her day and anything else she wants to talk about. Tonight we worked on her spelling words and read a book together. She shared her fears about swimming lessons that start next week at school.
After our time I tuck her into bed. Last but not least is Josh, he looks forward to this time and LOVES to read to me. We first chat about school, about games he's played or something new he learned. Tonight he earned a stripe at kenpo and told me all about it. He read 3 chapters in his book to me and we laughed together at the humor. This time together is so important, especially at his age. He speaks more like a maturing boy and not a child.
In my 9 years of being a mother I have learned how important it is to have a schedule and to be organized. We all run better that way and children especially need some sort of structure. It is really the only way we can make it work and eliminate the 'chaos' associated with being unorganized and scheduled. The end of last year I was feeling down about how I was mothering and new that I needed a better system and wanted to be more structured. I knew I could be doing more but needed help to get there. Aaron helped me establish a plan to make sure I could find that one on one time with each child and it's made a HUGE difference since doing so. We are all much happier and we are seeing the blessings from the dedication.
Life is busy making sure the needs of a family of 6 are met but I try to enjoy every moment. As they get older it only seems to get busier but my life feels fuller. Its never easy, most days have their breaking points but I really would not change it for the world. Our children bring our lives so much more meaning and watching them grow and learn is priceless.
It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives and drama that we forget the ever moving world and friendships around us. I have been working hard to organize family life and now need to organize and fit in time to connect with friends and family and also do my calling. It brings such great blessings when I do and helps me to be a better mother because I am learning from others.
If you feel I have forgotten you I haven't, promise. I think of family and friends often actually and need to reach out more.
Thanks to all of you that still message me from time to time. Thank you for all the prayers and support. Life is wonderful and even more so because of all those who have been apart of ours!
My ambition for blogging is far beyond my reach at the moment. Its merely a thought in the back of my mind. However with a bit of free time i have tonight I wanted to document our every busy lives in a post.
Since school started back up we have had an increasing need for more organization as a family. I never realized how important organization skills would be as a mom to have a functioning family.
My morning starts at 6am when I get up to get my own tasks done. Exercise, scripture study and preparing myself for the day take place in those 30 minutes. It is some of the only time I have on my own. However I am not always able to get up, sometimes I am SO exhausted I hit the snooze button a couple times.
6:30am Aaron begins his piano practice. He has started his fourth year of diligent practice and we decided it was best for him to do that in the morning. It works great as the 'wake up call' first thing in the morning.
In the 15 minutes as he practices the kids begin to emerge from their beds (keeping in mind that they were always up around 7 am on their own ). They begin to get ready for the day, with specific tasks such as making bed, putting clothes away, getting dressed in school uniform and doing hair. I obviously engage and help where I am needed.
By 7am we gather at the kitchen table for scripture study. This new change has made it SO much easier. Trying to make scripture study happen at night was so much more challenging.
Afterwards we have family prayer and then the kids watch from the kitchen window as Aaron catches the bus.
We now have an hour before leaving for school. We prepare lunches, eat breakfast and the kids work on their 'chores'. Josh and Rachael unload the dishwasher together every morning. I LOVE it!
They have certain responsibilities each and every day and then a different assigned 'chore' to each day. Taking out the trash, vacuuming the stairs, cleaning bathroom mirrors, dusting tv, tidy bedrooms....
Their chores coincide with my house cleaning. Mondays are my main laundry days, Tuesday I focus on dusting and bathrooms, Wednesdays the house gets thoroughly vacuumed, Thursday is a deep kitchen clean and mopping and Fridays we each focus on our own bedrooms. I like a clean house and this is how I do it without going crazy. It works for me.
I have a time limit on the cleaning each day, I could spend all day every day cleaning but have to limit myself and stay organized.
We have different weekly activities that we have to carefully plan in. Schooling is quite different here to Utah and preschool for Joseph was going to cost a fortune. Joseph is so incredibly athletic and energetic we thought it better to enroll him in some more physical activities and instead of preschool. I would dedicate 1-2 hours a day 'homeschooling' joseph instead. Not really homeschool but rather in house preschool.
Right now Joseph attends a Playball class tuesday mornings where he engages with other boys his age and learns a different sport each week. He loves it.
Thursday mornings he has tennis lessons and loves that too. He is quite fond of his Roger Federer racket.
He can count into the teens, knows his colors and shapes and has been writing his name the past month. He writes his name on everything. He has taken to drawing too and occasionally creates some pieces for me. Joseph learned last week how to ride his peddle bike all by himself. He gets so excited to have a ride around our neighborhood lake (about 2.75km) and has been exhausted at the end of each day.
Josh is adjusting well, he doesn't speak about 'America' as much and is really loving school this year. He has a good group of friends and has a friend within a 10 minute bike ride from our house he likes to play with. He is obsessed with becoming a Pilot and loves watching these air crash investigation shows. Josh attends tennis lessons on Mondays, Piano lessons on Tuesdays, Kenpo Karate on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. Tennis has become a new passion since the Australian Open and he keeps asking about taking a second lesson. He too has scored a nice Roger Federer racket.
I still can't believe he is 9 years old, he is growing up so fast. I have to remind myself that he isn't a baby anymore and he has different needs to the younger ones. Its really fun to have one on ones with him. He looks forward to the times he can read aloud his books to me and share funny jokes or cool things he learned from school.
Rachael is quite the social butterfly at school. It is adorable to watch her friends come running to her just to say hi and give her a hug every morning at school. Rachael is a very happy person and LOVES school. She will put on a brave face when she is feeling sick in hopes that she won't have to miss school. Her artistic skills were scored two grade levels higher last year. She is always creating or drawing some new masterpiece. Her latest project was a 3d house she made out of construction paper.
Rachael's character is still blooming, she has the tendency to easily shut down if she's feeling discouraged or inadequate, yet she is always trying to please you. She is very clingy to me in situations that are new. Once she is comfortable with her surroundings and the people she is fine but anything new we have to be careful at the way we present it or she will completely shut it down. I think part of this comes from her scary nut allergy issue. She won't go play at a friends house unless I were to be there with her. Fair enough, it is a scary thing and will take time to get used to.
Rachael was very interested in tennis as well but refuses to take lessons. It scares her too much as she doesn't know anyone but she also fears disappointment.
She speaks about playing the piano though and will soon start taking lessons with Josh.
Both Josh and Rach are engaged in other activities at school such as learning Mandrin Chinese, a Kitchen and Garden program (where they plant and help grow fruits and veg and then learn to cook different things with them in their kitchen class). They both have a couple weeks of required swimming lessons through the school, art classes, sport classes (Josh's teacher has asked him about joining the Badminton Club that meet at lunch). It really is a great school full of different activities and learning experiences.
Rebecca has bloomed into quite a little diva. She communicates very well and understands exactly what we are saying. She gets easily frustrated and will scream when she is. She is a sweetheart that sure does bring more character to our family. She LOVES shoes, teddy bears, dolls and jewelry.
Just tonight we went out for a family bike ride and as we were preparing our helmets and drink she took initiative and climbed into the bike trailer with her helmet and drink ready to go.
She LOVES to be outdoors and to dance.
Her dairy allergy is still an ongoing process but her health is much better now. Baby steps to improvement and awareness I guess. We will be seeing a specialist the end of March to determine exactly how bad her allergy is and establish a more permanent nutritional diet.
Aaron is working very hard to support us and does a fantastic job. He stays busy with work and church calling but still finds time to make sure we are all taken care of. He takes Josh to kenpo twice a week and stays to support him. Our children love and adore him and get so excited when daddy comes home from work. He is a good example to us all and keeps us all on track and in line. I am very grateful for him.
I visit the local markets every Saturday morning and get all the fresh food I need for the week. In order to do this I have to be prepared and organized and have a meal plan for the upcoming week. Each of the kids have a night where they are assigned to cook dinner with me, they all get SO excited to be in the kitchen and help me with this task. Apart of that is helping to plan out the meals in advance, it makes it much more enjoyable for me too just takes much more planning.
Since we started doing this the kids have become more aware of the kitchen, more helpful and understanding with food and the preparation that goes into it. On top of all that they are learning skills in the kitchen that they will have for the rest of their lives.
Just this week I was very ill, sickest i've been since living in Australia. To the point I was fevering and couldn't move off the couch. Joseph at his tender age of 3 took the skills he had learned and made himself some toast putting the butter and jam on himself. He also helped Becca by pouring her a bowl of cheerios and washing some grapes.
Bedtime routine is another organized process. Because we have such an early morning the kids are obviously tired earlier. After showers/baths and brushing teeth Rebecca and Joseph are our first task while Rachael and Josh work on homework or read to each other. It's obviously much easier if Aaron is home and we can share the load but in cases where he may be out I tuck the younger two in bed first. They are usually so exhausted, easy to put down and in their beds around 7:30. The next hour is so cherished by Josh and Rachael as this is 'their' time. I sit with Rachael first and we chat about her day and anything else she wants to talk about. Tonight we worked on her spelling words and read a book together. She shared her fears about swimming lessons that start next week at school.
After our time I tuck her into bed. Last but not least is Josh, he looks forward to this time and LOVES to read to me. We first chat about school, about games he's played or something new he learned. Tonight he earned a stripe at kenpo and told me all about it. He read 3 chapters in his book to me and we laughed together at the humor. This time together is so important, especially at his age. He speaks more like a maturing boy and not a child.
In my 9 years of being a mother I have learned how important it is to have a schedule and to be organized. We all run better that way and children especially need some sort of structure. It is really the only way we can make it work and eliminate the 'chaos' associated with being unorganized and scheduled. The end of last year I was feeling down about how I was mothering and new that I needed a better system and wanted to be more structured. I knew I could be doing more but needed help to get there. Aaron helped me establish a plan to make sure I could find that one on one time with each child and it's made a HUGE difference since doing so. We are all much happier and we are seeing the blessings from the dedication.
Life is busy making sure the needs of a family of 6 are met but I try to enjoy every moment. As they get older it only seems to get busier but my life feels fuller. Its never easy, most days have their breaking points but I really would not change it for the world. Our children bring our lives so much more meaning and watching them grow and learn is priceless.
It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives and drama that we forget the ever moving world and friendships around us. I have been working hard to organize family life and now need to organize and fit in time to connect with friends and family and also do my calling. It brings such great blessings when I do and helps me to be a better mother because I am learning from others.
If you feel I have forgotten you I haven't, promise. I think of family and friends often actually and need to reach out more.
Thanks to all of you that still message me from time to time. Thank you for all the prayers and support. Life is wonderful and even more so because of all those who have been apart of ours!
12 February 2015
February 2014 Recap
*In an effort to remember our first year in Australia I will recap each month. January has already been done so I will begin with February 2014*
February was a great month filled with a lot of new adventures.
We visited the Melbourne Aquarium in the city.
It was fun to see advertisements downtown for the Super Bowl and still amazes me how expensive parking is.
The picture where the kids are standing on glass above a massive Croc still creeps me out.
The aquarium sits right next to the Yarra River with a lovely view.
Beaches were a frequent occurrence in February as it's one of the hotter months. This beach was Mordialloc Beach right near where Aaron catches the train into the city every day. There is nice shaded park near the beach, a beautiful pier and shops within walking distance.
Rachael had just started school for the first time the beginning of February. She was struggling and cried a bit at first. One day in particular I went to the market after school drop off and Joseph wanted to buy some flowers for Rachael to make her happy. He specifically picked these ones out. It was the sweetest thing that day as he presented them to her after school. She was happy!
Looking back at these pictures is such a bitter sweet feeling, Rebecca was so small.
I loved seeing Josh interact with her, they have a special connection.
One day just before Valentines Day we picked Aaron up from the train station after work and he presented Rach with some beautiful gerber daisies. I think she was feeling extra loved and knew we all supported her starting school.
The picture just below on the right is Joseph watching the washing machine while sitting on the toilet. We began potty training the beginning of 2014, I am so glad that is over and can't believe it has already been a year. He was sitting on his little toilet waiting for his monkey to finish washing. He sat there through the entire cycle.
Sandra invited us over for dinner one evening, she really does spoil us. It was fun sitting outside together chatting and eating some of the best food.
We played a lot of games. Rachael is our Uno champion and Josh won his first game of Settlers (with some help;).
I delighted in simple pleasures such as .60 cent watermelon and lunch at the shopping center while Rebecca and Seppe napped in the stroller. That doesn't happen anymore.
Pearls and Lillies from Aaron. I felt extra loved that day.
These two became very close friends and Josh was excited to have her at the same school as him. He does a good job of taking care of her.
We were invited to an Aussie Engagement Party and a Kiwi (Kiwis are what we call the New Zealanders) birthday celebration. The Kiwi's cook their food in the ground, it's spectacular. Both were new and fun experiences.
Josh and Rach rode their bikes to school a couple times while I ran pushing Becca and Seppe in the stroller. It is much easier riding to school since Rachael is on two wheels and I have my own bike and trailer.
Super Bowl Sunday (Monday for us), Aaron took work off and we watched the game at home. For lunch (at half time) we walked down to the end of our street to dine at The Nest Cafe over looking the lake. After lunch we resumed the game and Joseph went missing, we found him asleep under Rachael's bed.
We had a great time taking a day trip down to Queenscliff and celebrating Valentines Day in the city.
I also had a fun little photo shoot with Rebecca at 5 months old.
04 February 2015
New Zealand - Auckland
This was our last day in New Zealand. I woke up to some seriously burnt feet, ouch!
While we packed up ready to make our journey to the airport the children had a nice time out in the sun with Pops.
Josh and Rachael headed out with Mama and Pops while Aaron and I took Joseph and Rebecca. The entire trip we spent following each other but today we were taking separate journeys on our 3.5 hour drive back down to Auckland. It was so nice for Josh and Rachael to have their own time with Mama and Pops. They checked out the local book store, visited a chocolate factory(i think) and had some delicious authentic New Zealand Ice Cream in Orewa.
We first loaded up on all the recommended goodies. Throughout our trip we made sure to try all of the recommended foods from our New Zealand friends. Thinks such as the good 'real' cream and jam donuts, kumara chips, steak and cheese pies, Perky Nana's, Cookie Time cookies.... It was all great!
Before leaving KeriKeri I wanted to visit the Bay of Island Honey Shop. They have the largest beehive in New Zealand, possibly in the whole world, that people can actually have a guided tour inside. I still wish that I would have done it however bees were swarming everywhere.
There was a big shop inside and factory where we could watch them with the honey comb. I could have spent loads of money on different product but I settled for some honey skin care products and lip balms. I have been moisturizing my face with the bee balm and I love it.
This trip was so crazy and fast past as there was so much we wanted to see and do in such little time. We definitely had our ups and downs, including a police infringement from making an illegal u-turn we had no idea wasn't allowed. Oops.
A couple more random photos of the money in NZ and mango white chocolate logs. Those were a new experience!
We too stopped in Orewa like Mama and Pops but somehow we missed the awesome ice cream place. Instead we found the park on the beach and spent some time there while having lunch.
I think the birds have been fed too often by humans, they were very friendly.
Views of the Auckland skyline from the freeway back into the city
Both Aaron and I really wanted to visit Mt. Eden. It is the highest volcano in Auckland city at 196 meters high. At the top you have a stunning 360 degree view of the city, harbour and suburbs.
These pictures do not even begin to show the true depth of field here but looking down into the 50+ meter deep crater had my stomach turning a bit. If you look closely at the pictures below you can spot people walking around the top of the volcano. They look like ants right?
We only let Joseph exit the car briefly as there were no railings and he was glued to Aaron the entire time. We were all feeling a bit uneasy but it was such an incredible sight to see.
Later that evening we met back up with Mama and Pops at our hotel and walked to some local shops for dinner before retiring for the night. We were up and off to the airport at 4 am the next morning to catch our early flight back home.
The picture below sums up how our flight back home went, everyone was exhausted.
What a wonderful experience we will always remember.
03 February 2015
New Zealand - Hokianga
Our itinerary this day was to first find the small branch in Opononi. With the 8 of us we helped to boost their numbers to 45 in attendance that day. Everyone was very welcoming and loving.
Just down the road were these gorgeous poppies with swarms of bees around. I don't think they were impressed with my nosing around but I had to get a couple pictures.
The Hokianga sand dunes were our next stop. We took a small tin boat ride across the bay to the gorgeous sand. The colors were so incredibly vibrant here. Bright blue skies, green and turquoise waters and bright yellow sand dunes.
Loading onto the boat and a view of the dunes from across the bay
On our ride over
On arrival we hiked straight to the top of the steep dunes.
It wasn't long before everyone was up and down the hill over and over again. It was so much fun to see Joseph and Rachael take to the steep hill. What a blast!
Mama even had a go.
After a few hours secluded on the dunes we took the boat back to the mainland and partook of some of the best fish, chips and crab sticks ever. They had everything going for them, food, location and view. It was asked which fish they use and we were told the Blue Wharehou. Yum!
On our way to Waipoua Forest we quickly stopped off at the lookout viewing Hokianga bay and sand dunes.
The Waipoua Forest was a beautiful drive.
The pictures below are of an ancient tree called Tane Mahuta. It's age is estimated from between 1250 and 2500 years. It is the largest known Kauri tree still standing today and the most famous tree in New Zealand. These pictures do not do it's size justice.
If you look closely at the picture below you can see the tiny figures standing at the base of the tree. That's Aaron, Pops and the kids. It gives a bit more perspective to the actual size of the tree.
The trunk girth is 45 feet and total height is 168 feet. Such an amazing thing to see.
Another small hike through the rainforest to the 4 sisters. These 4 trees have all grown from 4 seeds from the same tree and have coexisted for 500 years.
Our last stop before the day was over was at the Ngawha Springs (mud pools). The sulfur smell was quite strong but the baths were very relaxing.
Literally 'mud pools', we had a good laugh when we first spotted Aaron and Pop's in the first pool. It looked like their heads were floating as the pools are so thick and dark. Sounds gross but it was really quite nice. Each pool had a different temperature and different natural healing components.
The kids loved it, even Rebecca.
It really was a fantastic day, everyone remarked at some point saying this was their favorite day in New Zealand.
It sure did top the charts.
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