Happy Belated Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day to Nana, Grandma, Aunty Sachi & Aunty Lagi, Aunty Jojo, Aunty Ake, Aunty Trish & Aunty Brady :). Hope you all had a lovely mother's day yesterday. Thinking of you all, much love, Matthew, Rachel & Madison xox

Happy Valentines Daddy

Maddy made this for you at school today :)

Thanksgiving Dinner

Last Thursday, we spent Thanksgiving with the Palombo Family at their apartment in DC. They cooked up a feast which consisted of turkey, stuffing, green salad, green beans with cheese sauce and mashed potato and gravy. Juice, water and red wine was also served, which made the meal even more delicious lol.

We provided dessert - pumpkin pie, pecan pie and apple pie (yum) with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream lol what a FEAST! Matt couldn't even fit dessert in and had to wait till we got home to enjoy it. I was able to eat one slice of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream, and that was about it.

Maddy and Nikolino spent the entire time laughing and playing x-box games (Madagascar) while we sat around enjoying our wine and each other's company. Nikolino also has a younger brother, Dominico Jnr (1 mth old) but he was fast asleep in the bedroom most of the time.

Trick-O-Treat

Trick O Treat

Smell my feet

Give me something

Good to eat

Maddy, the Red Ninja

Maddy, Danny (Darth Vadar), Michael (Black Ninja) and Danny's Sister

Maddy and Ashley

Halloween Parade

Maddy the Red Ninja

Halloween Parade @ School, Friday, Oct 31st.

BBQ and Birthday

We spent the last day with our visitors at the Mason Neck National Park for a bbq and to celebrate Madison's 6th birthday. We played baseball and tossed his parachute toy around, while Chef Mano'o (Matt) cooked the steak and hamburgers for lunch to go with the potato and green salads.

We want to thank Aunty Sachi, Uncle Mark, Cuzzie Micah, Nana and Papa for the awesome Pokemon game and Kung Fu Panda Playstation game maddy received in the mail.

We also want to thank Grandma and Grandpa Ponini for the All Blacks rugby ball and $$, Aunty Mary for $$ and dinosaur stickers, Aunty Lu and Uncle Steve for the Power Ranger toys, and Aunty Ramona and Uncle Iulio for the Pokemon cards, aloha shirts, snacks and chocolate goodies that he also received in the mail too.




Thanks to Mom and Dad who bought a Pokemon T-shirt, a Dark Knight T-shirt, a Dinosaur Curator set, Blendy Pens, and Naruto PS games.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Nanna, Grandma, Aunty Sachi, Aunty Jojo, Aunty Ake, Aunty Trisha and Aunty Brady and all our other Aunties out there. Hope you all had a lovely day and got spoiled by your families.

We spent the morning at the airport seeing cousin Peta off and then attended the Samoan Church with Matt's friends Vai and Fati. The Army compound where they have church put on a lovely Mother's Day Lunch, 3 course meal with drinks and beautiful roses for all the mother's. Then the kids gave each mother an ula lollie which didn't last long around our necks because as soon as we sat down, the kids wanted to eat them lol.

Maddy and I spent the afternoon with Vai and her kids swimming and playing game, while the men had an afternoon game of golf in the rain. Didn't last more than 5 holes before they returned home, soaked to the bone. We ended the night with a few card games and then headed home.

As for my mother's day present, I get to buy one thing - whatever I want (within reason) so I'm going to hit the mall later on in the week to buy something/s on sale lol.

Making Ula Lollies for Mother's Day

Myra and Maddy @ Vai and Fati's home

Melody, Nona, Maddy, Myra and Sina

And again

Presents Galore

Maddy put himself to bed early last night (8pm) so that he could wake up early to open his Christmas presents. Before he went to bed, he put out a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. Daddy had to do a midnight run to CVS to buy a few more gifts that were wrapped differently to the ones we already had under the tree, as Maddy was expecting gifts from Santa. He had written a letter to Santa asking for a scooter, dinosaur toys and a spongebob squarepants atlantis playstation game . We had already bought them and realised that we should of wrapped them differently to his other presents, hidden them and then placed them underneath the tree after he had gone to bed.

As soon as Maddy got up, he waited until Mummy and Daddy were awake before he started opening his presents and Christmas stocking. He wanted to open them "as a family" he said. Isn't that cute?

Maddy made this snow flake and the pumpkin ceramic pot at school -

A present for Mummy and Daddy

A big Thank You to all our family and friends that sent us presents.

Enjoy your Christmas holidays and keep safe.

Happy Holidays

Here's wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Love Matthew, Rachel and Madison xxox

Pressies Have Arrived

Thanks Nana, Papa, Aunty Ling and Uncle Tolly for our Christmas pressies. The box arrived safely. To my surprise I told Madison that he can't open them up until Christmas day, so guess what he did with them? he put them under our Christmas tree. Excuse the fuzzy picture as I had to use my cell phone to take this one - Daddy has our digital camera in Thailand. We still have a little bit more Christmas shopping to do when Daddy gets back so I'm sure the space underneath the tree will be full.

Today Arjit, Maddys friend and neighbor is coming to spend the afternoon with us - he can't wait to have some fun with his friend. Yesteryday we had a visit from Dr. Fati, Vai and her two girls Myra (6 yrs) and Melody (8 yrs) and boy did they have fun playing games in Maddy's room. As soon as they arrived, they stayed there until it was time to go. It was a lovely visit and Maddy will be spending this coming weekend with them attending a Christmas festival and then bowling Sunday afternoon while Mommy has to work.

Happy Holidays everyone :)

Happy Father's Day

To all the Daddies (and SOON-TO-BE Daddies :)) out there in New Zealand and Australia, Happy Father's Day.

Happy Mother's Day Nanna and Grandma :)

Just wanting to wish Nanna and Grandma a Happy Mother's Day today :)

Hope Papa and Grandpa spoil you both :)

Love Maddy, Mommy and Daddy xxoxx