Hello From New Zealand!

So we arrived safely to the beautiful country of New Zealand. Ramona has been successfully teaching her class to 20 wonderful BYU students (her classes meet at the local church). I've been home schooling the kids, doing some reading/research and surfing!! (I've realized how much I suppress my love for surfing while living in Utah)

Our new local ward has been amazing-really enjoying getting to know the saints down here. It has rained everyday we've been here-that's been a little bit of a bummer, but not too bad as it rains for a bit, then goes away.

Here's some photos-enjoy!

Here we are at LAX with our luggage and board-getting ready for the 13 hr flight!

We made it! Auckland International Airport

So the first thing we did was go shopping-here's some local cuisine
Atticus getting psyched to go boogie boarding


Home School

Our new backyard
One of our first beach excursions-Omaha Beach

Beautiful Ramona

My Wonderful Trip to Germany!

Sweet Chris surprised me with a ticket to go and visit my half sister Julie and my brother-in-law Al in Heidelberg, Germany for the week of Thanksgiving! It was just me--Chris and the kids went to his sister's house in Dallas.



I had such a wonderful time with Julie and Al. We rode bikes everywhere as they don't have a car. I thought Julie was just not used to the cold because they moved to Germany from Hawaii, well, I was wrong it was cold and oh so beautiful!




This is the only time that I will appear taller than Al (he's kneeling!)

We shopped, talked, ate, slept, and read--all my favorite things! It was great to be able to do these things with Julie and really be sisters.

Al's job is so interesting! He has discovered a satellite that orbits something (eeks I forget what) and designs telescopes. We got to go to a lecture by an astrobiologist--that's someone who looks for life on other planets. I was in heaven--those of you who know my love of sci fi will understand!


Gate to the observatory.


Cool new building designed like a spiral galaxy.


Julie and her bike--see the little basket hanging from the side of the bike--you can't buy more than fits in the basket, but trust me we found ways to cram a lot of purchases in there!


Two of my best purchases! Julie knows the best shoe stores!

Here's Julie in her new hat that she bought at the same shop where I got my coat...



We went to every glasses store in the whole city looking for glasses for me...


Eventually, I decided that I wasn't hip enough for any of them, so I didn't buy any, but boy Julie was patient while I tried them all on!!


She also knows the best chocolate--yum! We bought plenty of it!


Ridiculously thick hot chocolate at this great little chocolate shop--look at the viscosity of it!

Did I mention it was cold--especially when you are riding your bike everywhere even late at night! Here is what we looked like all bundled up...




Here's how we locked up the bikes before we got a second bike lock...

Hee, hee! We must be both trusting people! We got a bike lock for the "guest bike" soon after I arrived. We also got a bike light because riding home at night with no lights especially through the section of the road they call "the Dark Ages" (the part with no lights) is a little sketchy!


Riding over these is bumpy and makes your tires make a funny noise. The first time I heard it I thought that I got a flat tire.

Here's the Old Bridge over which we'd ride into town every day...


The town really is like something out of a fairytale storybook...


Common door knobs shaped like little mushrooms...


View from the Castle...


It was Christmas heaven...


We went to wonderful adventmarts and I bought tons of Christmas ornaments and drank kinderpunch--the kid version of warm wine. You need it to keep warm! Julie and I had so much fun wondering around the adventmarts and eating and shopping. The one at the monastery was right out of the Sound of Music!





We also made a delicious Thanksgiving dinner! It was so spontaneous and low stress and was truly delicious! Preparing it was half the fun!

Fall 2011

Fall is flying by so quickly! Here are some highlights...

Tiare all dressed up for her friend's Harry Potter Birthday Party...




Tiare's fun rec league soccer team...



My big boy Atticus Kai and I on a "mommy and son date" to SLAB pizza...





Atticus and Nico--two of Utah FC's best players! The team made it to the quarter finals of the state cup this year!! (I guess all of that carpooling was worth it)



Here's Atticus' Cody Hoffman haircut...



I agreed to him getting it half thinking that no one in Provo would know how to do it. That wasn't too smart of me since Cody Hoffman lives here!! (he's a BYU football player).

A few weeks later after a soccer game, the boys went to In-N-Out (which has become a total tradition now), and guess who was there...Cody Hoffman!

November 6, 2011

Tiare had real fun with Egyptian Studies this year. She researched Egyptian clothing and make up...



We unexpectedly got tickets to General Conference which was so fun because the kids hadn't been before...





I love this picture...







Tiare turned 12! And in keeping with the Cutri family tradition, birthday gifts and the red plate awaited her upon waking...





Chris and I took Tiare to Ripples for her birthday lunch--getting checked out of school to go to Ripples is one of my kids favorite things to do...





The funny thing about these photos is that Tiare is wearing a U2 concert t-shirt that I got at a concert back in the 80's, and I'm wearing the same shirt I wore when I took Atticus out for his mommy/son date--I do love that shirt!

And Tiare loves my U2 shirt...



Tiare wanted to have a family birthday party, so that is what we planned. Then at the last minute she invited 3 of her cute friends Madeline, Clara, and Storie



I got her an ice cream cake because she always wanted one (and I had a coupon!) It was so good--chocolate peanut butter ice cream with white cake...





Doesn't Sole look cute in this picture! She looks like one of the little girls!

Tiare's favorite present by far were her Toms!



(Thanks Aunt Sole!)

But the best part about Tiare is that she also loves her headlamp that she got too (she is a well rounded girl)...



(Thanks Jared and Mehrsa!)

Chris and I got her a craft box stuffed full of craft goodies like a hot glue gun, glitter, etc.



Steve was in town on the night of Tiare's birthday so it was great to see him and he gave Tiare a Killer Dana Surf Shop sweatshirt that she has worn everyday since then...



(Thanks Steve!)

Steve got Atticus a cool Killer Dana t-shirt!



In classic Tiare style, she took the decorations for her party into her own hands and came up with amazing decorations...





We've loved having the Bybee/Baradarans so close to us...here's Lulu in our favorite toy store here in town...



Here's a holiday wreath that Tiare made using all her supplies from her craftbox...Look out for more adorable wreaths at the Beehive Bizzaar where Tiare will be selling them...



Here's little Tank looking so cute!



Here's Clooney curled up on Chris' pillow in bed (don't worry I wash the sheets really often!)...




Here's a gorgeous sunrise from our house (see the moon still shining from the night before)...



Here's a shot from the opposite view...



The fall colors against the blue sky were so brilliant.



Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I had the decorations out before Oct 1st! (don't worry I put them away Halloween night!). It is really the only holiday that I will get to really decorate for this year as we'll be gone for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.



Here's Cyra, Tiare, and Lulu at my work Halloween party...





That's me dressed as a witch helping Lulu win the sack race. I won best costume and got a free meal at Cafe Rio (ok, let's just admit that winning best costume at a party full of a bunch of academics really isn't that much of an accomplishment, but hey Cafe Rio is my fav so I'm not complaining!)

Atticus was a pirate and wore my boots as part of his costume, but his feet are bigger than mine, so he was a bit uncomfortable...



Here he is slurrping up some grub before hitting the streets...



Pretty Glinda the Good Witch doing the same, but in graceful style...





Tiare's costume went along with her friend Clara's who went as Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz and carried Tank as Toto!

Chris went out of town for a conference, and so the kids and I lived it up big with food that we can never eat when Chris is home...fried hot dogs and mac&cheese...



Atticus had Colonial Days at school...



He wore my boots again for that costume too. I wore them to work a few days later not realizing how scuffed up they hot gotten after a night trick-or-treating and one day at elementary school.



It snowed last night, and Tank and Atticus could not wait to get out into the wild...



We were looking at some skiing pictures from last year and remembering how much we love it. Atticus then said, "Mom, I don't want to go to New Zealand, I want to stay home and ski!" Well, let's just hope we get enough snow to get to go a few times before we leave!