Two kinds of valentines...

To celebrate Valentines Day the boys' class held a card swap. This involved each child taking 18 (yes 18!) handmade, or purchased cards to school. Both boys were adamant they would make the 18 cards, but were equally adamant they

a. did not need (or want) any help

b. had no need for fancy supplies

and perhaps most importantly

c. there would be "no lovey-dovey-girly-whirly hearts and stuff"

So come the weekend mass production began. The end results are rather different to say the least...

Exhibit A:

Individually designed and drawn 'postcards', personalised with fonts, colours and flourishes that Mu thought most appropriate for each child...

Exhibit B:

A more shall we say minimal, modernist approach. Clearly the ummm...simplicity of the hearts ensures they don't register on the "lovey-dovey-girly-whirly" scale.

Off-road power pick-up...

Latest lego creation by Turtle - the Off-road Power Pick-up Truck - complete with farm bike and trailer!

Holiday doings...

After a crazy-mad departure due to delayed connections we finally landed in New Zealand. First off it was a relaxing week with family at the farm before...

...driving north to historic Kerikeri (where it was kinda drizzly)...

...we stayed on an organic farm on the beautiful Takou river...

...and explored the Far North...battling the crowds (and seagulls) at Cape Reinga...

...but the breathtaking view more than made up for the mad crowds...

In between exploring lots of kayaking was had, with Takou Bay being a favourite destination...

...and because there was no public road access we always the only people there...

...we took the boys to Waitangi, and wandered the grounds and gardens...then it was time to head south to...

...Raglan where we stayed in the most idyllic bush-clad spot overlooking the harbour...

Before long we were travelling further south to The Lake to stay with Grandma and Grandad...and after a wonderfully relaxing week, followed by a few wildly windy days in Wellington...

...we were "home" again in Portland...just in time for the boys' 11th birthday!

Summer holidays...

We're having a utterly blissful time in New Zealand - spending Christmas with family and catching up with friends has been great. The past week we've been staying at Takou Bay in Northland - a really lovely spot - 5kms down a gravel road, tucked away amongst lush gardens next to the river. We've done Cape Reinga, been over to the Hokianga, caught up with C and R and their lovely girls, visited Waitangi and the Treaty House, and kayaked down the river to the beach where there is no.one.else.what.so.ever. Tomorrow we're off to Raglan, then on to Taupo for a wee bit before heading back to Wellington, and finally the long haul back to Portland...

The great unwrapping...

The elusive present was unwrapped and lo and behold it was a brand spanking new computer - I don't think I've ever seen two boys look more stunned and delighted!

The elusive present...

If you look closely at the image above, you will see a large red present near the back. So large in fact two types of paper have been used to wrap it. What can it be? Hints have been dropped, but which hints are "honest", and which are "decoys"? We're pretty sure it's not a pet, as there's no "air-holes"...even if Daddy keeps saying he can hear meowing...!?! Turtle thinks he "knows what it is" (this said in a high-pitched sing-songy voice). Confoundingly there's another smaller, but still pretty big, present on the other side of the tree. This "kinda destroys" Turtle's theory. We shall just have to wait and see "what can possibly be in that box". And as we are unable to take the "elusive present" to New Zealand for Christmas, we are having a "pre-Christmas Christmas" this Saturday morning. Which means only "two sleeps" to go! 

Christmas is coming...

...and the boys and counting down the days. We have "festooned" the apartment with the meagre decorations we have on hand (the rest being in storage in NZ). Mu took it upon himself to create decorations for each room, right down to and including the toothbrush holder in his bathroom. And this afternoon Turtle announced that he's so excited he's having trouble concentrating at school!?! Crikey and there's still 19 sleeps to go...

Latest offerings...

A "revised" boat drawing, complete with fishing net, and...

...an iPhoto book about a family of mice who live in a forest.

OMSI Camp...

Bright and early Tuesday morning, equipped with enough gear for a polar expedition, the boys departed for OMSI Camp. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology we received regular updates and photos via the teacher's iPhone. Come Friday afternoon two very tired, rather damp, and somewhat grubby boys arrived home, complete with enough sand to fill a bath tub. Aside from the "rustic" cabins, and somewhat "primitive facilities", both boys appear to have enjoyed themselves. And really, who wouldn't? Especially when you get to eat "french toast with peanut butter and jam" for lunch, and lie on your back "cracking open Oreo's to get to the cream, so you know what it's like for an otter to crack open a shell to get to the soft stuff".

Image from here.

Picasso & Oregon...

A little bit of Picasso inspired artwork, and an another map of Oregon, from Turtle.

A mouse called...

...Apple Tree. Why he has been given this name I'm not sure. He likes to spend his days exploring, but come nightfall you'll find him tucked up in Mu's bed all snug and sound.

A mouse in progress...

Mu's sock mouse is slowly coming together....tomorrow the nose, whiskers, feet and tail will be attached.

Fall festival...

The boy's school held their annual Fall Festival this afternoon. Organised by the elementary students to help raise money for OMSI camp, the festival was a roaring success. We headed along with our offering of brownies for the bake sale...

...and helped set up. There were lots of fun activities on offer including...

...scarecrow making, face painting, pumpkin painting, bat making, tee shirt printing, and pine cone crafts to name a few.

After a fun afternoon we returned home with two slightly manic looking pinecone birds, one painted pumpkin, a pinecone and pompom hamster, plus a pinecone hedgehog. (Note: the hedgehog wasn't available for photographs according to it's 'agent').

Fifth grade...

A fairly impressive Leaf poster (click to enlarge), along with trinomials and fractions....

A Lego street car...

...plus station, complete with pet monkey (visible near right), built from the remains of a 'destroyed' lego aeroplane.

A new subway map...

Summer holidays snapshot...

Here's a quick snapshot of some of the fun things we got up to during the summer hols.

We read an awful lot of books, and visited the pool quite.a.few.times...

...tried out the Canby car ferry, and took in a few 3D movies...

 ...drew heaps and heaps, and walked to the park, inspecting things along the way... 

...went to the beach, and ate yummy pastries... 

...walked here and there, and climbed a giant sandhill... 

...went to the coast with Grandma, Granddad, N and K, and tried out our funky school sunglasses... 

 ...visited Oaks Amusement Park, and rode just about all the rides...

...zipped down a giant slide, and did a spot of fruit picking on Sauvie Island.

A trip to spain...

Albeit a bit later than planned, here's a whistle-stop of our recent trip. First stop the Costa Brava, and...

...our villa, complete with bougainvillea and swimming pool. Our days were spent swimming, lying in the sun, reading, lying in the sun, swimming, and...

...exploring the region's incredibly ancient villages and towns...

The very pretty Besalu even had an impressive miniatures museum. After a wonderful week exploring, and doing lots of nothing-much-at-all, it was time to drive to...

...Barcelona, where we successfully negotiated the downtown traffic and made it to our fab hotel with only one wrong turn! A new town meant copious map-reading for Mu, and copious photographing for Turtle.

We took a bus tour of the city (in the scorching heat), and viewed the Sagrada Familia complete with cranes...

...strolled Park Guell (in increasingly searing heat)...

...we spent hours exploring the narrow streets, and viewed art installations...

...discovered many a shop with wonderfully intricate interiors, and found (according to the boys) the world's largest meringues...

...we viewed Gaudi's buildings, discovered ornate entrances...

...embraced the concept of siestas and tapas, and...

...the boys waited patiently while we shopped. We visited the..

...L'aquarium Barcelona, complete with an underwater walk-way and impressive hands-on displays. Then before we knew it... 

...it was time to say adiós and head back to Portland.

For more photos hop over here or here.