Driving into the sunset

New Year’s Eve itself was a quiet one for us, but we did enjoy a little countdown and fireworks with the girls. Our dear neighbour was home alone, so we joined her (or at least I did for a few chick flicks – Sound of Music and Runaway Bride!). Dan joined us at midnight and then we stayed up to watch the fireworks at 2am as Australia saw in the New Year (New Zealand television doesn’t even do a countdown!). I always miss the chimes of Big Ben on New Year’s Eve and singing along to Auld Lang Syne – but perhaps we’ll have to be more adventurous in 2009 and join the Dawes Family and company on a camping trip – as they certainly saw the New Year in with a bang (complete with Auld Lang Syne on the radio and lots of singing, la, la, te, da!).

The day itself started with A LOT of excitement. After ten year’s driving around in our trusty old motor we decided it was finally time to go for it and invest in a new motor, complete with much needed air-conditioning. The girls were SO excited when Dan drove home in our sparkling new motor and have spent hours playing in it! They are most pleased with their own little drink holders in the back and the ‘magic windows’ – the novelty has still not worn off and they are constantly opening and closing them, whilst shouting out, ‘We’ve got magic windows’ to all passers by! I have to say it’s taken me a while to blog about it as I’ve been in a state of shock and disbelief.

Anyway, out with the old (with much nostalgia and happy memories; road trips round New Zealand, brining our babes home from hospital, driving them round the bays to sleep…) and in with the new (which will hopefully last us till the girls are full grown!):

In the afternoon we drove up to our friends Kathy and Mark’s place to celebrate their oldest sons 3rd Birthday. We had a fabulous time and would have loved to stay longer, but Sophie had stayed up way too late the previous night and was tired… nevertheless she still ended up staying up till close to 9pm!

Here’s a little collage of the Birthday fun (Dan showing off his incredible multi-tasking skills in building the marble contraption, whilst entertaining and including a number of excited children and making sure Hawk didn’t eat any marbles!):

And here’s a little video clip of our girls seeing in the New Year with a few sparklers and bangs, followed by us driving into numerous sunsets and sunrises of now and yesteryear!