NATALIE COLE

So my awesome friend Anna, got tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Presentation this December and took me with her, the guest singer was non other than NATALIE COLE, I totally loved it she was amazing. I fully slipped over in the snow that night and bent my fingers back, oh my gosh it was totally embarrassing lol, and I was being soooooo careful.
Here are a few pics that I took on the night.

THESE ARE THE ONLY GIFTS I NEED

I think in my old age (of 30) hahahaha I have come to realize that I have not really wanted or asked for anything at Christmas time for the last
maybe 6 -7yrs.
Cam and I don't buy each other presents.


I think I love seeing my kids happy and enjoy Christmas through the eyes of my Children,
In light of the worlds turmoil I am definitely grateful to have a home, to have a family near and far to give my life meaning, to have food and clothing to meet my needs, to have the Gospel to enrich my life, to have friends that bring joy and fun in my life, to have Children to bring a smile on my face and warm my heart and to have a husband to love me back even when I don't deserve it. I do have my own Christmas list which is so much more than money and gifts and shopping and Santa, That I will still have my Mum and my Dad this time next year, My family friends and myself will stay healthy and strong, that we will have peace and that everyone will have a friend and not be lonely, No more war and right will always prevail.
I hope you all are blessed with the things I have on my Christmas list

Merry Christmas Everyone.

SNOWY SUNSET IN THE VILLAGE

YELLOW BELT EXAM

Congratulations Hayden and Karenza Karamea on passing your
Yellow Belt Exam and doing so well in Karate,
Here is a Picture of Hayden and Karenza with Dillan Hatch their Teacher!
He is an awesome Black belt!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING!!

I just wanted to blog for Terina's 30th Birthday. She wasn't very well the last two weeks with the Swine Flu. It went through the whole family except I think i managed to escape without too much harm. Her friend Cher, decided she needed a fun trip to Vegas to see the Lion King Concert at Mandalay Bay Casino, so she paid for her to go there and they had a great time, even though Terina was still exhausted. It's amazing when the body is out of bed doing something fun, the adrenaline kicks in and takes over and she forgot all about being sick. Don't worry she was no longer contagious at this point. We had cake and she loved her flowers and electric blanket for the bed with Winter coming up. I earned some brownie points for that one. The kids were all excited for her too and made cards for her one morning when she was asleep when they saw that it was her b'day on the calender.

P.S Terina strightened Tyla Jade's hair the same day as she was getting ready to go to Vegas. TJ loved it and was showing it off in the photos. Strange seeing her without her gollywog locks!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE !!!!

This has got to be the best chocolate in the world. Jen and Dave bought me dinner tonight and they bought me this Birthday Present from New Zealand only My Favourite Chocolate in the whole wide world CADBURY COCONUT ROUGH CHOCOLATE.
Also my awesome Visiting Teachings bought me this Chocolate Tree for my birthday too. I just love them to bits!

Thanks for making my birthday one of the best!!!

NEW MOON

Eclipse Movie and Breaking Dawn

HALLOWEEN PJ'S

I love that you have PJ's here for nearly every occasion, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get the kids some Halloween PJ's when they had all grown out of their PJ's they have now!


PS: Winnie the Pooh has inherited Tyla Jades Costume from last year!

NEW MOON - TWILIGHT

So needless to say that I cant wait till the next movie comes out. November is such a long time to wait. I guess I will just read the book again and hopefully that will kill the twilight bug. Oh I bought this amazing candle from
http://kmkhome.com/twilight.html
in their Twilight collection i bought their Bella Candle and it is so yummy.

PURIRI BOYS DOING THE HAKA

Our nephews and Hayden doing the Haka after Alpine Days.

LOOK WHAT I WAS GIVEN!

This is sooooooooooo precious to me a pic of my Nanny,
Michelle gave me these pictures of my beautiful Nanny and so I had to blog them.
We miss you Nanny. Every day of our lives we wish you were here still.

GOODBYE TO SUSHI

Today Hayden's speckled African frog SUSHI died. Hayden had no school today and after sleeping in this morning he decided to go check on his frog and noticed that he was floating on the top. He moved his container and Sushi wasnt moving. Hayden was trying to be brave, and not cry, Karenza came to tell me and as soon as I asked Hayden "are you ok son? he just sobbed. It made him feel better to call his Dad who was in class at the time. I feel bad because just 2 nights ago I said to him "shall we cook him up and you can eat his legs?" I know terrible aye! Cam asked him if he would like to get another one and he said "no because he doesnt want that one to die too" so we are going to bury him outside our apartment window tomorrow because Hayden wants to see him every time we go out of the house and he can see him through the window. Here are pictures of my sad son after he dried his tears trying to be brave and little Sushi.


PS: We are sitting here with Hayden and he is reading what I wrote and he has started balling his eyes out saying " I'm so sad mum" and he is trying to convince me that frog legs are yucky. He cried especially hard when he read the part about me cooking the frogs legs! Oh my poor son. Now I'm having tears roll down my cheeks seeing him cry! What the freak is going on! My Goodness!

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Well apart from the obvious that I am black and my husband is white, he's an Aussie and I'm a Kiwi, he loves Rootbeer when I think it tastes like toothpaste and the list goes on, there happens to be a major divide in our home, that is that the line drawn on the court, or field continues on into our home. Cam and I are sparring partners when it comes to Sport! I love my All blacks and he loves his Wallabies. It so happens that I am a Cougar fan and my lovely husband goes for the enemy. Its pure fun and we both love our sports like most, its just that if we loose I don't think I take it as hard as he does, so in a way I was grateful that the Utes won because I had a happy husband, which = happy wife, which = happy home!
Well we didn't go to the game but we watched it at the West Community Village by our house, there was pizza and popcorn. My girls are followers with their dad and Hayden I were the only ones in BYU gear and man if looks could kill we would have died instantly!! I remember a few kids kind of gasped as I walked in and one little boy covered his mouth as I found my seat, and I was like "whose kids are these, and what are their parents teaching them" Last time I checked this was a free country I'm sure!!!! The kids and I lasted for a very lengthy 15mins before we got up and started walking off and doing our own thing. This is so ancient (last year) but I'm just doing a few random blogs. Thanks Son for taking awesome photos!

WE MISS SYDNEY, WE MISSED THE RED CLOUD STORM, BUT NOT THE MESS ITS MAKING!

So the Spectacular sight that Sydney woke up to is now clearing, we were told it made such a mess, its all up the halls and in the garage at my inlaws and that's just from opening the door and closing it. The Airport had delays and canceled flights as well as many people missing work due to allergies and asthma Well it would have been awesome to see but a terrible mess to clean up.
I CANT STAND MESS! LOL
I hope our Butchy is alright, I wonder if he was left outside overnight and his coat turned red?
I hope not!!!!!
Here are some incredible photos!

KANESVILLE TABERNACLE

Make a Smilebox slideshow We went to the Tabernacle which was our first stop on the trip. It was such a lovely building and I love the Gardens as you can tell from my pictures.

CRAZY CAR ART IN OMAHA NEBRASKA

We have been on a cross country trip with our Kapahaka (Maori Culture) Group NGATI HIONA and we have been really lucky to have done alot of different new things for our family on this trip, so there will be a lot of blogging in the next few days. Here is the first wacky thing we came across when picking up Traci from the Hotel in Omaha, this is what we stumbled over in the Car park!!!

MY LONELY DAY WITHOUT MY BIG SISSY!

Tyla Jade was missing her big sister alot on her first day at home all alone with mum! She would ask me " Wheres my kwenza mamma?" So Strawberries and Chocolate Chip cookies seemed to occupy the lonely for a short time!

KARENZAS 1ST DAY AT SCHOOL

It was our big girls 1st day at school today. She was so excited to go to Kindergarden today,
Tyla Jade missed her big sister all day she was asking me " mama where my kwenza".
I am so proud of my girl she is getting so big and is very smart.
Here are some pics of her doing Kapahaka.

KARENZA KARAMEA BAILEY

MAX BRENNAN NIGHT OUT

I LOVE MAX BRENNAN

http://www.maxbrenner.com

So My Girls and I went out to Max Brennan when I went back to Sydney Australia. Its only the yummiest Chocolate / Dessert Cafe in the world! lol Ok not the world but in my world!!!!!! Banana Waffles
( Hina, Me, Chris & Naomi)
I loved the food and had the best time with my girls, I miss you all!!!!!!! and I am so sorry for those of you who couldn't come and indulge that night I did miss yous!!!
I had a fondue for 2 and I love love love the Lychee and Coconut shake It is the bomb! (Kris, Me & Mish) (Celeste, Michelle, Kris, Naomi, Chris, Hina and of course me)

MY BEAUTIFUL MUM AND I

MY TRIP TO AOTEAROA

KIA ORA

Its been a while since I had a chance to blog, with so much happening in our lives.
I was fortunate enough to make a trip back to NZ and to Australia ALL BY MYSELF!
I had the best time, but I did miss my family while I was gone, but had all my family and friends and the amazing food to keep me company while I was gone so here are some pics to show what I was up to.


Ko tenei te Marae o Waiariki
TANGATARUA

PURIRI FAMILY IN ALPINE

This is Uncle Ra Puriri's Son's Collin, Michael and Ra and their families with Terina, Sarangi, Hayden and Tyla Jade - don't ask me where Karenza was, probably on a jumping Castle!!

We had lots of fun down in Alpine for a family Reunion which happened to be at the same time as Alpine Days, with all the Puriri Whanau and Cousins./span>

Hayden flying down Slide Rock, bumping and bouncing more like it! Said it was freezing and all the water shot up his nose!!