sunday check-in

first entry for a couple of weeks - life is a bit hectic to say the least! we are all fit and well, though mia has had a cough for over a week but it seems to be on its way out. several disturbed nights unfortunately. happy birthday to hannah - hope you had a fab time and liked your present. mia tucked up in bed after a nice but humid day. we have started a list of likes and dislikes of nz and are relieved that there are more dislikes at the moment. been doing lots of trademe selling, not much left in the house now. also sold our mazda demio so we are back to one (borrowed) car which takes some adjusting. toby went off surfing this morning leaving me at home with mia. those of you who have visited know there isn't a fat lot within easy walking distance but we quite easily filled our time playing - well mia jumping on top of me and "helping" me hang out the washing. really can't call her a baby any more. she now understands the word no and shakes her head vehemently and says no when we ask her if she is ready for bed. she now stands by the front door if we put her shoes on and gets rather upset if we don't go out straightaway. she is also a wriggle monster and hates being carried. she loves laying pieces of cloth (see picture) down on the floor and arranging her things on them plus sitting on the cloth. i have had a lovely few days away in christchurch where i also managed to see mum and dad for a few hours. unfortunately mum had a bug and wasn't 100% so i took dad out for a japanese meal before meeting up with my work colleagues. conference was quite good, some interesting stuff around negotiation and presenting skills. highlight for me was the kindness of my colleagues. we had a fun casino night on thursday playing with monopoly money. aim was to win as much money as possible then bid for prizes ranging from flights to oz to mobile phones to chocolates. my selfless colleagues put all their money in one pot and bid for 2 nights accommodation in a luxury hotel in takapuna. they won. and then they stood up in front of all the delegates and presented it to me. wow! so toby, mia and i are spending our last 2 nz nights in the spencer on byron hotel in a deluxe suite with views! got back sat afternoon after a delayed journey due to fog at christchurch. humidity is back but nowhere near as bad as a few weeks ago. only 9 days of work/daycare left. mum and dad arrive on good friday and home not long after that. will try and blog again next weekend but it all rests on me remembering to take photos! lots of love.