Big Brown Eyes

 “Can I lay next to you?” Is the standard question from Thijs at around 6.30am each morning. He then clambers into bed between us and snuggles up to me as close as possible. I just love looking into those big brown eyes over his sucking thumb ❤️, his lovely long eyelashes framing those gorgeous eyes. “I love you Mummy”.  “I love you too honey, you’re my bestest boy”……and he snuggles that little bit closer.  Usually he then hands me Gold Power Ranger, so that I have a teddy to cuddle.  Thijs has Mr Monkey (a gift from my friend Lou back home) and Gold Power Ranger (you can’t just say Power Ranger or god forbid Mr Power Ranger, it has to be Gold Power Ranger).  Anyway he usually gives me GPR and he has Mr M.  “There you go Mummy”….my heart melts every time.  So there we lay, staring into eachothers eyes, him sucking away on his thumb and stroking Mr M’s worn out arm.  I usually prop GPR under my chin and we lay there for a bit….please please don’t grow up too quickly Thijs!!  I love my Thijs cuddles ❤️.

Roll back 6 months and when he used to do that at home I was usually jumping out of bed to start the morning rush to get up and out the door to school/work….there wasn’t much time for cuddles (except on Sundays 😊)….so I’m enjoying it that little bit extra these days 🙂

Having said all that, since we have been at Susie and Wayne’s house, the kids don’t even come in  each morning because they love their very comfy beds and the black out curtains mean they don’t know its morning yet.  But more on that later 😀.

We had a really nice 2 weeks at Ben and Chiara’s sheep farm in Methven, in our cozy little hut and helping out where we could with the sheep.  TJ did most of the work but me and the kids were able to help driving the sheep between paddocks and sorting the wool on sheering day(s) was a family affair….especially Rose loved that (Thijs didn’t like getting his hands dirty ha ha).    

Of course there were pets for the kids to give attention to and yet again we had to say goodbye to them too (Blu, Flint, Sky and Rocky) and move on to our next adventure.  

We had 2 weeks to fill between leaving Methven and our next House Sitting stint lined up for early June.  We were considering camping and then my NZ BFF Sue got in contact with her friend Susie to see if she would like to have us come and stay and help out with the horses, and so that’s where we are!  It was only a short drive from Methven and we arrived at the farm in Barrhill on Sunday 26th May.  WOW what a beautiful house and stables and arena and HORSES!  Yet again we have been welcomed with open arms into their house and made to feel very much at home.   Susie had an unfortunate fall from one of the horses a couple of months ago and luckily for me she is happy for me to ride her beautiful warmblood horses, including her gorgeous stallion Andretti who she imported from Germany 9 years ago.  So I am happy happy happy, riding the 2 young horses (also out of Andretti) and lunging a very nice 2 year old.    If I was a horse I would have my ears pricked all day long 😊😊😊.

TJ has trimmed/shod the horses (he’s happy too!) and been helping me with the others, we are loving it.

The kids of course have made themselves right at home, lounging around in the mornings in the beautiful house while we are doing the horses, then afternoons is school time or a trip into town.  This time there are 2 very cuddly German Shepherds to fall in love with, Murphy and 10 week old Freddy…. 

Time is going fast, and we are making the most of it!  Still 5 and a half months to go which is aaaaages but every day counts before we are back to reality.  A nice milestone tomorrow, my 44th Birthday will be the first of our family celebrations in New Zealand, I’m looking forward to making some more memories <3.

Laters…..Kelly