New Zealand. The End.

I still can't get over the fact that we went to New Zealand. And with two kiddos!!! I have to give all the credit to the Lord. It was only by His grace that every thing went so smoothly. We covered that trip in prayer constantly, and He was faithful to answer. The last day in NZ we spent doing laundry and packing.




We said our good byes and then headed to a last minute lunch before going to the airport. Our 13 flight back to LA took off at 7pm. The kiddos did amazing again. C slept more on this long flight then on the one over to NZ. W didn't sleep as much, but she didn't fuss either!! Once we landed in LA time FLEW BY! We were so rushed to make the connecting flight to Houston that we didn't even eat dinner. Then once we landed in Houston we were so rushed to make our flight to Memphis that we had to grab dinner on the run and eat it on the plane. I don't know if I was glad or not that we were so rushed. On one hand it was super stressful and exhausting and on the other it made the day fly by and before we knew it we were home. It was also the shortest day we've ever lived because of time change ha!




Once we were home (around 11pm), both babies passed out and we all slept in the next morning. C & W adjusted back pretty easily. Hubs and I , however, seemed to take weeks to get adjusted to the time change.

There are so many memories that didn't get recorded on these blog posts. Josh and I agreed once we got home that it seemed as if C grew into a big boy over that trip. He learned so many new words and phrases. He was so resilient and overall so well behaved. It was seriously a dream of a trip. We really debated over taking him with us or leaving him with family for those two weeks and I can't say enough how GLADDDD I am that we took him. If you are debating traveling with little ones, do it do it do it!! It's hard and exhausting a times, but so rewarding and joyful the rest. Thank you momma Kubler for taking us. For giving us the most amazing gift and adventure. It is one we will remember for the rest of our lives.

New Zealand. Day Eight & Nine.

On Day EIGHT we took things slow and packed a little that morning. That afternoon we headed to the location of Daniel and Bri's wedding. It was a beautiful garden... like seriously beautiful. We wanted to tour it and really see it all since we knew the next day would be so hectic.






Erin & Syd
We couldn't get over how beautiful everything was. C loved exploring and getting dirty.

It was calling for rain the morning of the wedding, but thankfully it held off and was absolutely perfect weather. I helped Bri get ready that morning and then we all headed to the gardens. She looked picture perfect, and the ceremony was very laid back. We had a delicious lunch afterward. Josh and I left a little early to get the kids down for a nap. After the reception, everyone and several other guests came back to the house for a BBQ, games, and relaxation. It couldn't have been a more perfect wedding day for the new Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Kubler. I didn't take many photos because I was busy trying to keep the littles quiet. haha. But, I also knew their photographer would capture every single moment. I did snap just a few for memory sake.


The whole crew minus Bri. Josh's cousin, Derek, just happened to already be in NZ doing raft guides. He was able to come to the wedding and hang out at the BBQ after. So crazy to catch up with him on the other side of the world.

New Zealand. Day Seven.

I think it would be safe to say that DAY SEVEN of NZ was C's favorite. We played around the house that morning and then went to ride an old Steam engine. It was about a 15 minute ride to the next town over, the historic Waiuku. We explored the town, ate some yummy food, and then rode the train back. On the ride over, they stopped halfway to let you explore the train yard. There happened to be a Thomas the Train in one of the work shops. C was a little star struck and did not, under any circumstance, want to touch Thomas. He just wanted to look in awe. It was hilarious how still and concentrated he was looking at Thomas. He was so fascinated by the entire experience. He loved watching the train pull in and pull out of the station. He made the cutest faces every time it blew it whistle. Sweet boy talked about it the rest of the trip. This day may have been my favorite too just because of how happy it made him.

 
 
This was an old Hotel now turned bar/pub. It used to sit right on the river and was built in the early 1900s I believe.
All he wanted was to go back to the train, could you tell by his face? ha!

 ^this was taken as we were leaving the train. He was not real happy about having to get off. We ended up letting him play on a train playground while I nursed willow. It was an old train turned into a jungle gym. Little man was in heaven.

 
 Just a little worn out from his long day.