May Days....

We were so excited to turn the calendar page this month!  

When we got to New Zealand, this calendar seemed soooooo big, thick, and full of pages!

We seriously cried when we turned the calendar from January to February in 2011...when we realized how many months we had left! Lexie made us this cute calendar with pictures of all the grand kids on each page.  Notice Malia in the picture...she was a BABY when we left!  

She is now the funniest little girl who talks our ears off when we call and skype with her!  

I never knew turning the calendar could be such an event!

 (warning! ugly hair alert!)

We have been having lessons with Aroha...she as decided she is ready to be baptized! We are so happy! We didn't think she was going to make the decision while we were here!  

We had the French family over for a barbecue last week.  We always have a great time with them! Peter loves my baked beans, so I had to make another batch just for him.  I always try to make a real "American" meal for people when they come over for dinner at our house.  

 Hoani, Pinina, and Kingston

 Ready...set...smile!

Gotta love those pictures taken with the camera timer!

We met a guy the other day at our apartment.  He came to fix some electrical problems we were having. He asked us if we had been out on Lake Taupo yet...He has a nice boat and offered to take us to see the Maori carvings on the cliffs across the lake.  It was so nice of him...he called us two days later and asked us to meet him at the dock! We didn't have any appointments, so we quickly changed our clothes and headed to the dock! We went on a little boat ride with him up the lake.  It was a beautiful day..no wind (rare) and just a clear, cool, crisp day.  Lonne and Martin tried fishing but didn't catch anything.  I just thoroughly enjoyed myself cruising up the lake.  It's been a long time! 

The Maori Carvings were amazing! I'm so glad he offered to take us up to see them.  There are tour boats that take tours up there, but we weren't about to pay $100 each for a little 30 minute boat ride!

Martin was a way better tour guide, and he had a really nice boat.  

Hopefully, we planted a good missionary seed for him.  

We're planting a lot of seeds here in Taupo...I hope they grow into something some day!

This is looking back at the town of Taupo from the boat.  

This is on the side of a big cliff.  You can't tell how big it is in the picture.  

It's probably about three stories high.

 I wish you could see the detail in the carvings on the rocks....everything from lizards to sheep, to maori gods.  It's was amazing! The more I looked, the more I saw...there were carvings everywhere!

Enjoying the afternoon off!

I always love an excuse to put on a pair of jeans and UGG boots!

On our P-Day, we met the Burt's from Gisborne in Roturua.  Frances took me to see a few sites while the men went fishing.  Did they catch anything??? Nope!  Seriously, if this is suppose to be the capitol of the world for trout fishing....I'd like to see where they all are, cuz we don't ever see anyone catching any fish.  My poor Lon, he has tried fishing in every river, lake, stream...etc...every P-day, and he has hardly caught a thing!  People come from all over the world to fish here...I just don't get it!

This is a Marae right on Lake Rotorua.

This is the church next to the Marae. It's the oldest church in Rotorua.

Built in 1831.

Inside the church, there is an etched glass window of Jesus and it looks like he is walking on water because the lake is right outside the window.  Kinda unique...

Rotorua is full of hot springs...everywhere! The whole town smells like sulpher.

I just had to take a picture of this gutter next to the church...it is boiling! You should have heard it!

There are houses built right on top of boiling hot pools!! Crazy!

This house as it's own private hot pool!

 There's steam coming out of the ground everywhere! It freaks me out! It just seems like this place is going to explode sooner or later!!

This pretty tree is right outside our back window.  I have enjoyed the Autumn here like never before!

The leaves are amazing!! The lake is on the left...it's right down the street from us.

Jamen and Destiny 

We have been teaching these girls, and we just love them!!!

They were both baptized as children, but have never been to church. They have lots of questions,

so we get together with them and teach them lessons, and answer all of their questions!

(Well we TRY to answer all of their questions!)

They are cousins, and their grandma has just become re-activated into the church.

Random....

Ok, so I have loved this cereal the whole time I have been here.  I have also gained weight while I've been here.  I eat this cereal pretty much every day for breakfast.  It looks healthy, right?  Granola with corn flakes and almonds....They don't have calories on their boxes here.  It just has something listed as energy. If you know me, you know I love my cereal...dry, with milk, whatever.  It's my favorite snack, so I go through boxes of this stuff like it's going out of style! The other day I decided to google the conversion of "energy" to calories.  Oh my gosh!!! No wonder I have gained weight!!! 

Seriously there are over 400 calories in a bowl of this cereal! I could eat 2 egg McMuffins at Mcdonalds for less calories! Lonne was having a bowl of it the other night...I asked him what he was eating...he answered, "Calorie Crunch!"  

I guess I'm done eating Calorie Crunch...So sad cuz I love the stuff!