What a great year this has been for you, sometimes to hear you talk I feel like I am talking to a mini adult and other times I'm very much reminded that you are still a kid - please don't grow up too fast!
Here's a few highlights of your 9th year:
- In September you went on your first cub camp and slept in a tent - it was freezing cold and there was a lot of homesickness in the camp, not from you but you did shed a few tears on the Saturday night at dinner when a lot of your other group were feeling low and their vibe rubbed off on you. You stuck it out till the Sunday morning when Dad and Mylo came to collect you so you could make it home in time for Mylo's LEGO movie party
- During our summer holiday you absolutely loved jumping off the high diving boards at the aquatic centre in New Plymouth - so much so that you made Dad take you there 3 days in a row. You also made great use of the body boards at the beach, and mask and snorkel sets at the pool and the water slide (while it lasted) over the summer in our back garden - you would spend your life in the water if you could I think!
- You completed your first ever Weetbix triathlon with a friend from school (you did the swim/run). Mylo and I watched watched you in the pool but then in all the chaos of thousands of people we missed your run and ended up having to find you and your friend in the 'lost children' area - whoops! But you were not perturbed, just thrilled to have completed it.
- You came 4th in your Year 4 school cross country in Wellington and would have gone onto Western Zones had we still been living there - and you are certainly going to try very hard at your school cross country here in Cambridge too in a couple of weeks' time
- After a bit of a battle getting you to find something you really enjoyed enough to read - you then managed to read 5 Harry Potter books earlier this year and are now loving 'The Floods' series by Colin Thompson
- You got right into the cricket world cup and stayed up with mum to watch that amazing semi final when NZ won and screamed as loud as I did when Grant Elliott hit the winning runs. You also enjoyed going to a cricket holiday programme in the April school holidays to build on the fun you had playing cricket over the summer. You might even consider playing this summer if it works out here in Cambridge.
- You loved playing Friday football with your school mates over the summer and have now played winter football both for Karori and Cambridge. As there was no space in the 9th grade, you're playing up a grade and have had a storming first few weeks getting player of the day 2 weeks running and scoring the only goals in two games to help your team win.
- Along with your cub group you were fortunate to be a part of the 100 year Anzac celebration dawn parade and stood very close to the front near Willy Apiata (our only living Victoria Cross recipient)
- Somehow in the short space of moving here, within a few weeks you suddenly know ALL your times tables and have become an 'oompah-loompah' - that special title reserved for when you can do a 10x10 grid of times tables in less than 10 minutes. You're also enjoying being in a maths extension class to challenge you a bit more.
- Your class is doing a couple of songs from the movie Hairspray for your school production - you're thrilled to have been given the role of Seaweed (one of the 6 major roles) and have been practicing your dance moves at every opportunity.
- You made fudgy banana muffins for your special friend George the monkey and unbeknownst to us all it just happened to be on the EXACT day 5 years ago that we dreamed up the idea of monkey having a birthday - we found out when Facebook reminded me on my timeline - what a freaky coincidence!!
- All year you have been super interested in collecting Match Attax football cards and in your folder you have over 150 Premier League cards as well as a whole - your favourite player was Messi and team Barcelona but now it is Aguero and Manchester City - you are desperate to get a shirt for your birthday
- You had a great time farewelling all your Wellington friends at a Mission Impossible inflatable party and we have been so proud of how you have adjusted to your new life here in Cambridge and have fast made friends with some boys in your class - so much so that you wanted to invite 3 over for a 'smash-bros and scooter' party for your 9th birthday
- The night before 'the big move' you and Mylo flew to Hamilton by yourselves on Air NZ and the air stewardess told Poppa you guys were the best unaccompanied minors they'd had - high praise!
- You tried kayaking (and even had a go on your own!) for the first time in Golden Bay during our amazing week away in Nelson and Golden Bay and put up with traipsing around the countryside to various places while I was trying to capture sunsets
- Despite us all being a bit freaked out by it, you singlehandedly conquered a very scary swing bridge in Abel Tasman National park, and also loved feeding the eels at Jesters cafe and discovering the joys of honeydew (bug poo!)
- When we went to Rotorua before Christmas, you found the smell so overpowering you were nearly physically sick but you recovered enough by the afternoon to have a ball on the luge.
- While we were in Lake Rotoiti, you got the chance to drive the speed boat and you were absolutely buzzing after this experience
- Even though it was probably beyond your years, you conquered climbing Paritutu rock in New Plymouth like a boss despite how steep and nerve wracking it was for all of us!
- During the past year, you have gallivanted with us to some amazing places around NZ - Nelson, Lake Rotoiti, Pupu Springs, Golden Bay, Wharariki beach, Farewell Spit, Waihi, Karangahake Tunnel, Baring Head, the 3 Sisters at Tongaporutu, Paritutu, Gisborne, East Cape and Ohope Beach to name a few.
- Our holiday to Rarotonga was one of the great highlights of the year and you not surprisingly spent every spare minute at the pool or at the beach spotting fish with the underwater camera.
- You also were a lovely cousin to your little buddy Maia who thought the world of her big boy cousins while you were all together in Raro on holiday.
This is your life Noah age 8-9 from mnms on Vimeo
It's been another year full of fun, learning and adventure and we are so blessed to be sharing this life journey with you!
