Kiwi XMas

Merry Christmas!

We just had our second Xmas in New Zealand this time with a little baby. Leading up to the big day we spent some time at the beach soaking up the beautiful summer sunshine. The sun is really strong due to a battered ozone layer, so be sure to bring your sunscreen!

Tent for baby.

Nice "Posi" at Bethell's Beach

My man wasn't in the best of moods come Christmas time. Mostly because all 8 of his teeth decided to come on in at what seems like the same time. This led to irritable, cranky baby...

You gots to have teef! (you can just see the bottom two in this blurry pic)

Since Kim and I have been together we have never done a proper Christmas at our place. Not because we are Jewish, but we just always traveled to family's place for Christmas. Ella would not have cared anyways.

But THIS year it was time to get the spirit going. I proudly picked up a nice tree and Kim and I decorated it up....not bad for first timers.

Beau doesn't know what it means either. He DOES know how to start off Xmas at 5AM, however...

Ahhhh. Christmas morning. I've always loved it. And of course we were to follow STRICT Stewart family Christmas morning rules:

• Rule# 1 - NO opening gifts on Christmas Eve....you have to learn to wait..."le pause"
• Rule# 2 - We open gifts ONE at a time from youngest to oldest...oldest looking...so I went last.

Mocka truck. Thanks Pa-Pa

• Rule# 3 - Mimosas for Mom and Dad. Go easy on the OJ....

Fortified on Mimosa at 530AM, presents unwrapped...time for a nap...whole family...

Santa brought us some sweet panoramic prints we have been meaning to get done for a while. Two of our favorites below. Bethell's Beach (the big one) and The 12 Apostles (Australia).

Then it was off to friends house for XMas lunch. It was Ham and Lamb all around....delicious.

Mommy needs a refill....

 The rest of the holiday season so far has been spent House Hunting. Our rental is up in February and we are on the lookout for a new spot....the pic below should give you a hint of what we are after...

Turkey Day in Kiwiland

Last week, Lee says "I will cook the turkey."  Kiwis don't really "do" turkeys until Christmas seeing as how they don't really have Thanksgiving.  Another complication is that it is spring/summer here so your typical Thanksgiving side dishes aren't always available - as in, no brussel sprouts... think strawberry season...  And!  no jellied cranberry sauce in the can.... thank goodness :)

All that being said, we found a 3.5 kilo turkey and made some quick substitutions on the fly for side dishes but kept the traditional sweet potato casserole, stuffing/dressing, and cranberry sauce.  Lee dry brined the turkey for a few days and did a secret under the skin spice rub that I'm pretty sure had some Szechuan peppercorns in it.

What is Thanksgiving without some good college football?  We waited until today to have turkey day so that we could watch the UF vs FSU game which came on at 9:00am here.  It's becoming a Sunday morning tradition for Lee and Beau to get up for ESPN Gameday and then the UF game every Sunday.

beau gators!

Our fellow ex-pat friend, Carlton, came over for the football and feast.  Unfortunately for him, he is (was) a FSU fan!  Great come behind win for the Gators today.  Even our GT Yellowjacket nephew (sorry for your loss Ty!) got behind the Gators!

Dinner was nice to have with friends here, but we miss our family and state-side friends!!  Hope more of you can come for a visit in the near future....

turkey day table

fellow ex-pat carlton

lee requested traditional sweet potato souffle - marshmallow and all....

perfectly juicy turkey

just a little snack for me!

Dessert - had to be pumpkin pie!  Homemade crust and everything.... brandy whipped cream on top.

yum-kin pie

Aftermath....

and then there is always these....

tryptophan doesn't seem to impact ella...

Rainy Day Walkies

"If you don't like the weather in Auckland, 

just wait 5 minutes."

Such an infamous quote and oh so true.  Winter time in Titirangi... reminiscent of Seattle... but warmer... and ALWAYS subject to change :)

Beau had a Plunket (free check-up) visit today at the Titirangi office for the first time instead of at the house.  Weather.com said 70% chance of rain, but they are just guessing from their office in Atlanta!  We (Beau and I) decided to take a chance and walk.  I mean, by the time you load up the truck, find a parking spot, unload the car seat, etc. it's just not worth it for a 1.1km drive.

I only needed to pick up a few items at the grocery for dinner, so Beau and I set out with the Buga-boo in the sun for a nice walk to the village.  Just in case, I made sure we had the rain cover....

Groceries secured... starting to get a bit dark and windy...

Plunket visit went great!  Beau is healthy and steadily gaining weight.  He weighs 5.88kg or 13lbs.  Nurse was very happy with him.  We are in the middle of talking about sleep patterns, teething, etc.  and....

DELUGE!  

It didn't just start drizzling, it started the kind of rain that causes people to leave their attics in kayaks!

Walk back was a bit less pleasant but the rain cover did its job keeping Beau nice and dry and warm :)

rainy buga-beau

nice and dry inside

not so dry mommy

Time to dry off, let Beau take a nap and get to cooking some yummy NZ lamb shanks with a Mexican-American twist - ancho chiles!

braised lamb shanks with ancho chiles and cumin

S'oul-ful Sunday

Today was good.  Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one.

-- Dr. Seuss

S'oul Bar in Viaduct Harbor seemed like a great idea for a late Sunday afternoon lunch.  We were in the mood to enjoy a little seafood, be near the water, and hopefully sit on the patio and soak in the Sunday sunshine.  

Booking = 2.5 people :)

view of viaduct harbor from s'oul patio

Perfect weather.  Perfect patio.  Perfect view. Perfect wine.  Perfect oysters.  Perfect baby.  

Can't ask for a better Sunday afternoon.

chilly chardonnay

bluff oysters and caviar

sunday sunshine

full tummy

All things good for the s'oul...