The kids have been in 4 different schools this year.
Hayden a Senior at Westlake boys (Yr 12).
Ashton a Junior at Glenfield College (Yr 10).
Noah at Northcross Intermediate (Yr 8).
And Juliet at Pinehill Primary (Yr 3).
It's been quite an accomplishment for me keeping on top of all the emails, notices, field trips, etc. Glad to say the kids did not miss any mufti day, fundraiser, bus trip or early school closing! Although Noah always got to school 2 minutes late and therefore had to sign in about 200 times this year, lol.
Ashton became really dedicated to working out at the gym. Glenfield College has a great gym and Ashton goes religiously everyday after school for a good work out. He has also been dedicated to doing press-ups - in the morning, before bed and sometimes with Juliet on his back. After every workout, he comes home and has a huge protein shake. As a result, he has some very impressive arm muscles!! He's so dedicated to his gym sessions that Mr Bickford (the handsome looking gym teacher with muscles like Popeye) has permanently invited him to an adult Saturday morning boot camp/workout session - it's survival of the fittest during that 7am session!
Juliet has been in Room 8 with Miss Lee and her friends Lily, Sasha and Alexia. Juliet has enjoyed scootering to school this year (I would drop her off along East Coast Road and she would scooter down Spencer Road to her school).
Noah has had Miss Shin as a teacher, who he's liked very much, and his best friends have been Christopher, Adam, Connor and Sihil. Noah got convinced by Adam to attend the Yr 8 graduation dance on the last week of school. It was a little like prom night with some kids turning up in groups, and their parents dropping them off in really fancy, old fashioned cars. All the 12/13 year old girls looked beautiful, and most of the boys looked very handsome. One lunchtime, a girl actually asked Noah to attend the dance with her, but he very politely told her no! He told me; "She only likes me because I'm sporty and I always win the P.E. competitions!" So as I drove Noah to the dance, we had a serious talk about saying yes to any girls who asked him to dance. He was terrified of being asked because he hates dancing. The teachers really freaked the boys out one lunchtime by making all the boys slow dance with a girl, lol. But luckily, on the night, all the boys danced in groups and all the girls danced in groups, so Noah didn't get asked after all.
Christopher, Noah, Connor, Adam and Sihil.
Noah has enjoyed a full year of basketball playing for the Northcross Sonics. His coach has been Mr Geenty. Every Monday night we went to the North Shore Events Centre for a game, every Tuesday morning Noah went to school at 7.15am for training and every Thursday he had more training after school with Josh. (As a mum I loved trainings after school from 3-4pm as that was my nap time while Juliet played on her ipad). Driving Noah to Intermediate on his very last day this year, Dec 13th, was quite emotional for me, I really had to hold back the tears. I've driven Noah to and from school for the last 8 years, but he'll be bussing next year when he starts high school. I'm really going to miss having him in the car and hearing random details about his teacher, his friends and what happened during the day. Northcross is such a great school too, and we were both sad to drive out of the grounds for the last time. But it's onwards and upwards from here.
Noah turned 12 back in February and had his church buddies, Hyrum and Mannaki, over. We took them to KFC and then to youth night.
Ashton has been attending Flow (the academy of motion) for nearly 3 years, but back in April he broke his arm. Ironically, it happened when he was being the most careful. He broke it in a completely safe environment, during a class with an instructor, and while doing a summersault on mats. When we think back to all the super risky parkour Ashton did as a young boy; jumping, rolling and leaping from high concrete walls etc, he could've/should've broken his arm about 300 times already! But this one Friday night in April, he took a run along the mat during one of his classes, jumped in the air, and then all of a sudden changed his mind about what he was doing. That resulted in a terrible landing and two breaks. He had a cast for 3 months which seemed like forever. He didn't have surgery, but should've, which is why the cast had to stay on for so long. We became very well known in the Orthopaedic clinic with all the check up appointments. And if there's one thing we both remember from this experience, it's taping Ashton's whole arm, every night, with a large plastic bag before showering. Boy oh boy, did Ashton appreciate being able to independently step in the shower after 3 months!
Hayden stopped going to seminary and church this year. But he's a good, gentle, conscientious, caring young man, and I love it that he trusts me and we're able to talk openly and honestly. He's started learning to drive. Right now it's going great as he's so cautious and slow - long may it last. His friends from church are Jaydon and Simon, and his friends at school are James, Cody & Tawhiao. Hayden took a business class this year, but unfortunately hated the teacher, and was so glad when the class ended. But he really enjoyed his science and sports leadership classes. Most lunch times this year, Hayden and his friends have all pooled in money to buy noodles every day from the school canteen. I can't begin to imagine the amount of noodles Hayden's eaten for 2019! He still loves basketball and loved being on the B team at school. His favourite hobbies are gaming with his friends, and also meeting up with friends for basketball at Marlborough Park. He often spends half a day playing, and when the boys get tired, they walk to Pizza Hut, fuel up, and then continue to play for a few more hours.
Back to Noah.....Noah went on camp this year with his class to Hunua Falls, got braces, had guitar lessons with Uncle Travis after school on Wednesdays and switched from playing softball to baseball. He is thoroughly enjoying baseball this season since his classmates, Adam and Connor, joined his team. Noah is currently learning how to be the teams pitcher. Meanwhile, I am learning how to score the games (which means I don't get to sit back and take photos).
Hayden went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa in LA for 2 weeks (I don't have any photo's of him actually visiting, only these 2 when he was leaving Akld). He really enjoyed all the American food, and getting to buy lots of new clothes.
He was so happy to quit his Drive Rush job earlier in the year, simply because he found it so boring and unstimulating. Now he has just started doing cruise work during the summer - helping guests/passengers when they are embarking and disembarking their cruise, which he's really enjoying. He likes pushing wheelchairs, especially if he gets a tip.
Juliet turned 8. Juliet celebrated her birthday by inviting her best friend's Lily and Isabella to Subway for lunch and then to the Albany pools for a very long swim and play (no photos). But here is Juliet's best friend Lily and a photo of Juliet at Isabella's manicure party. Lily is Japanese and Isabella is from Macedonia;
And a little more on Juliet; earlier in the year she went to Disney on Ice with Nana and Peter, she was really into making slime this year, for Halloween she dressed up as a very unique skeleton (mostly all her idea) and she was very proud to win the Year 3 cross country race at school - the annual cross country race is always a big deal for every kiwi kid. She didn't do any after school activities this year, not even swimming, but hopefully we'll get her into something for 2020.
Earlier in the year, our neighbours, Rhonda and Paul, introduced Juliet to their grand-daughter Sienna. Actually, Sienna and her mum just moved to NZ in April from England, so Sienna has a strong British accent. The girls have become super great friends and spend a lot of time together. The nice thing for Juliet is that Sienna (a year and a half younger) absolutely ADORES Juliet. Sienna has a very strong, dominant personality, she is an only child, i.e. use to being the centre of attention and never having to share, and for the past 7 years she has been raised in a very wealthy London home, with multiple nannies, private schooling, and has been use to having afternoon tea at The Ritz with her mum, Fleur! So.....it's taken quite a few months for Juliet, and our whole family actually, to get use to Sienna, but we have now, and over the course of time, Juliet has learned how to handle her well - and so have I!! (I've got some good stories to share, wink wink!) The coolest thing is, Juliet has qualities that have been helping Sienna with her personality, and also to adjust to NZ life (obedient, resilient, giving, respectful, honest, polite, thoughtful), and Sienna has qualities that have been helping Juliet in return (confidence, leadership, initiative, brave, driven & social).
These two BFF's have made awesome memories together this year.
And to finally finish off....back to Ashton. He finished the year with getting an award at Junior prize giving. He got one certificate for Year 10 Achievement, and another certificate for Physical Education and Art. His art teacher told us his analysis and thinking skills, participation, effort, determination, and the way he managed himself, was exemplary.
This was huge for Ashton - he continues to struggle hugely with reading and writing due to his dyslexia - but nothing holds him back from having the best attitude, and constantly trying. He loves to learn, and is doing well because of his determination and effort. He doesn't give up, he's very much a determined fighter.
He's figured out that his strength is Physical Education, which is why he's doing so amazing with dedicating himself to the gym.
Below are Ashton's friends - there are a few missing from the group. Most of them are from different countries which we think is pretty awesome. Ashton loves to talk about each of them, and often after school, he is telling me something really funny or interesting he has learned about their cultures. All the boys adore Ashton, and Ashton says he is the group leader. His friends are polite, respectful, kind, innocent 15 year olds, who still think it's really funny to run through the sprinklers on the field at lunchtime, and go back to class with soaking uniforms! The small Filipino boy at the front, Gabe, comes from quite a poor family. Ashton said during winter he was wearing shoes that had lots of holes in them, and he didn't have any shoes for P.E. class. So when I was clearing out the boys shoes in the middle of the year, I suggested to Ashton we give him the really nice pair of basketball shoes, instead of selling them. Ashton was keen, and Gabe has been so grateful for the shoes, wearing them everyday since he got them.
Below;
Liam - South Africa,
Tarkee - Maori,
Shanay - Fijian,
Nathaniel - Maori,
Gabe - Filipino,
Ali - Indian/Muslim,
Ashton
& Neeraj - part Indian
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