September 2012

Dear friend,

It feels good to be home.  New Zealand was absolutely amazing!  We lucked out with amazing weather, the people were incredibly nice, we loved all our family time, and the views were unbeatable.  Here are a few of the highlights:

Summer took quite a liking to the national kiwi bird! (Any stuffed animal really...she absolutely loves them.)

We lived right downtown and loved our evening strolls along the harbor.

We went to Weta Cave (a production studio) and learned all about the places, costumes, and make-up they used for the "Lord of the Rings" movies.

After going as a family, Elias took frequent runs up Mt. Victoria for amazing views of the city.

Elias enjoyed his internship at Trustees Executors.  The very best part was that he only had to work 9-5 and we got to meet up as a family for an hour lunch each day!

Summer loved riding the bus with her parents.  She took her riding position very seriously (always holding on to the handle on the back of the seat in front of her) and she would flirt with everyone as they walked by.

We attended a Mauri festival where Elias joined the locals for a Haka performance!

We took a weekend trip to Rotorua and hiked around the jungle to view amazing geo-thermal hot spots!

We stopped by Hamilton for a quick visit at the LDS temple - absolutely beautiful!

We took a weekend trip down to Queenstown which was the most beautiful city we have ever been to.

We then took a bus down to Milford Sound and took a cruise through the fiords.

Summer mastered her crawling the second day we were there and I appreciated the daily vacuuming provided by housekeeping.

While Elias was at work, Summer and I took our sight-seeing seriously and visited various museums and government buildings each week.

The month was filled with fun family picnics and beautiful vistas.

The very best part of this month has been watching Summer grow and she learns so many new things.  It's also exciting to see how much she is starting to look like Daddy.

She was an amazing traveler and we can't wait for many more adventures with our little Summer.  Within 4 minutes of arriving home, Summer taught us that she was ready for stairs a long time ago (she was almost to the landing in seconds).

And she was thrilled to be reunited with the stuffed animals she had no recollection of!

All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better kiwi experience.  It was amazing and I am so grateful that the three of us had a chance to experience that together.  That sad, it is so fun to be home.  We were humbled to be so warmly welcomed by friends and we are excited for one more year on the farm before entering the real world again!

Hope all is well for you & yours,
BE&S