A huge part of our journey to NZ has been to help the kids understand that not only are they Canadians, but they are also Kiwi kids too. That's in fact why I named the blog "Raising Kiwis". I didn't know what I could do to help support the development of their identity as Kiwi Kids from waaaayyyy back in Canada. Yes, we had shown them the All Blacks Haka on youtube. Yes, they have a cricket bat and rugby balls at home (but no one to play with except lovely Gabriel in Ottawa!). Yes, we have story books and t-shirts. Posters on the wall, artwork, Christmas Tree ornaments and stuffed sheep. But did they relate? I'm hoping the answer to that question is no longer a muffled "no".
They've breathed the air, built dams in the rivers, fished in the ocean, ran on the beaches, drove around the country, looked up at the mountains, tramped through the forests, read the books, learned Kapa Haka, studied at school, played with their cousins and slept at their grandparents. Will they be able now to relate to all of those momentos? I hope the answer is a resounding "yes".
It's our gift to them.
One big thing remained on our agenda. Rugby. It's a winter sport here so it didn't start until May. It's been quite an adventure. They actually have a St. John's ambulance positioned at the park on Saturday mornings just in case. I keep band-aids in my pockets. I bite my fingernails. It turns out that I actually haven't needed any of that - no serious injuries that I've seen at all. But I couldn't use some better laundry detergent. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
They are playing for Nelson Rugby Club. Blue and white. Yes, their club makes the boy wear white shorts. They only stay white until the warm-up. The under 8's division where Jackson plays starts tackling this year, while the under 6's for Xavier just do Ripper Rugby, where they use velcro belts and tags. They have to wear mouth guards, but head gear is optional. (At $60-$100 dollars we skipped it as we're only here for half of the season. )
Jackson won player of the game at his 2nd game and we actually took him straight to McDonald's for his free sundae. Don't know if you can see his muddy legs in the photo, but we have to shower the boys BEFORE they have a bath or the water just turns brown.
Mother's Day involved a very low key picnic at a riverside a wee way out of town. I enjoyed quite a nice rest while the boys played with rocks, mud, sticks, mud, and rode their bikes through the mud. Luckily there was a river to wash off in. It involved stripping right off, so I've omitted the photos!
Yet another trip to Rabbit Island involved a great challenge for the boys: Someone had left this log embedded in the sand. The boys made it their mission to dismantle it.
After a whole lot of digging and pushing and pulling, they were actually successful!
Evenings here lately have comprised of cooking experimentation (yorkshire puddings!), first teeth falling out and peaceful sunsets. The boys are geared up to stay up late tomorrow night to watch an All-Blacks rugby game on TV. It kind of completes the process of indoctrination for them. I'll probably write another blog for you. And maybe be a bit likely the book character, Scaredy Squirrell. Eat a nut. Look at the view. Eat a nut. Look at the view. I'm seriously going to miss the view.
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