Travelling to New Hampshire

We got up at 5:30 or 6:00, and got ready for our flights. Monica and Michael drove us to the Airport and we said goodbye. It was hard to say goodbye though, VERY hard. First we had to go to New York so we got on that plane. On the way down, we saw the Statue of Liberty on an island. Then we got on our flight to Boston where Kerryellen would meet us. 

When we found Kerryellen at the airport we were very, very glad to see her. Then we piled into her car with all our suitcases so we could drive to New Hampshire where she lives. On the way Callum and I got thirsty so we stopped at Trader Joes, which is like a grocery store. We parked in a big car park and got out and saw a car smoking from its front. Mum went inside and told staff there was a car on fire, and Kerryellen called the fire brigade. Then we chose our drinks (but mum chose for me and I didn't like it so I only got a sip of a drink which was annoying).  Then we saw some flames coming out and the two cars on each side were almost catching fire too. Kerryellen rang the fire brigade again and soon a fire engine arrived. They smashed the windscreen and put the fire out, and a young woman came and said 'this is my car'. Then in the car Callum said we were heroes. The car could have blown up if the flames had got to the petrol tank. Good thing Kerryellen had moved her car away.  

Finally we got to Kerryellen's after a long drive (about an hour). Her house is awesome and she said they were going to get a dog soon, and they were going to put a fence up soon so we could see some of the fence going up. We got to meet Neil and he was really nice and funny, and he was cooking us dinner on the deck on a big BBQ cooker thing. It was great!

Staying at Graham's

On Wednesday Chris and Kasey (Graham's parents) took Callum and I and Graham to the movies because the adults were going to a Thai restaurant. We went to see despicable me 2. I got a small sized drink which is like a large in New Zealand. It was awesome and A LOT of fun. When the movie was over Chris and Kasey took us all to Toys Are Us to spend our money.

Then we went to Chris and Kasey's to have tea. We had pizza and watched TV while we were eating. We played Mario Kart til Mum and Dad and Monica came to pick us up. Chris and Kasey asked if we would like to stay the night cos we were so well-behaved, so we stayed the night which was cool. 

We played Mario Kart for the rest of the night, and we had brownie for dessert which was SCRUMPTIOUS! 

The next morning we played Mario kart and golf, and then we swam in the pool because it was hot and we were having a pool party to celebrate the 4th of July. Lots of people came over, Kasey's family and Mum and Dad, and then later Monica and Michael. We had lots of fun, I had two hotdogs for tea. Then we all played more on the Wii and we had to go back to Monica's to get up early and get to the airport to fly up to New York and then to Boston.  

Dot's garden

On Wednesday everybody but Michael went down the road to visit Monica's friend/half-neighbour Dot. She has an awesome garden. When we first got there Tassie her dog came up and licked us. She was super friendly. In Dot's back garden it was awesome as well and it had a swing that was wood with a long rope hanging from a high tree branch. We wondered how she got the rope in the tree up so high. Callum swung on it first but then I swung on it for ages, it was a lot of fun cos you went really high and then sometimes it came really close to the garden and the tree, and you could pick something if you wanted, but we didn't.

There was a hammock as well and I went on that as well, but then Dot said we could go and see her chickens so Tassie tried to get me off the hammock by trying to flip me off! There was a big chicken cage and we opened the gate and let the big chickens out and they ran around the garden. Some started looking for worms. Then we checked for eggs and we found two just-laid ones and one that had been there for a while. They were different colours.  Then we saw the younger chickens in a side bit that were goldeny brown. We picked them up and two sat on mine and Callum's laps. They felt soft but their claws felt sharp. Then I fed the big chickens out of my hand, and it kind of hurt when one chicken pecked, but the others didn't hurt when they pecked at my hand.

I went on the hammock, swing and trampoline til Mum called me to see Tassie do some tricks. She was cool, and she did what Dot said - she could do a high five, beg, roll over, wave goodbye, and once she played dead. I got to give her commands and I got her to do play dead the one time, but she did roll over and beg instead. I had treats to give her every time she did something. We put a treat on her nose and then she tried to flick it up in the air and eat it, but she only managed to do that a couple of times, but otherwise we just gave her a treat for trying. It was on the ground then. Tassie is beautiful. I want a dog more than anybody. Thanks Dot!

The children's museum

On Tuesday we were going to go up the mountain to Sliding Rock to swim in the river, but it was half raining half spitting, so we went to the children's museum in Greenville instead. That was good cos then there were thunderstorms in the afternoon. Chris and Kasey and Graham picked us up and took us to the museum.

It was lots of fun. We drove in some racing cars and then chased each other on the kaleidoscope climber, which is a big rope and plastic thing that you climb around.

We went on lots of things and explored a lot, but one of the things I enjoyed a lot was pulling myself up this thing where you sit in a seat and you pull yourself up with the rope. After I did all three of those pulley things (some were harder than others), I had rope burn on my hands and my legs!

After playing tic-tac-toe with a robot, and playing with some laser light patterns, and doing this magnetic crane thing where you pick up bricks with a crane with a big magnet on it (which is really hard but each of us succeeded), we made a gigantic fort. We were having so much fun and building such an awesome thing that half-way through another kid told us it was incredible and asked if he could help build, so we let him, and this is what it ended up like:

Then I did magic with a ball:

And I went underwater which was really fun as I didn't get wet:

It was really fun and I enjoyed it very much and so did Callum and Graham. Thank you Chris and Kasey for taking us there, and Monica for the good idea!

The flaming restaurant

We hung out at home on Monday til it finally came to the bit I wanted to do, go out to the Kan Pai restaurant. It was lots and lots of fun. We sat around a big table with a big cooking thing in the middle, and the chef cooked all the food in front of us. 

I ordered rice and hibachi vegetables. It took a while for the chef to come but it was exciting when he did. First of all he made fire and it was right in front of me cos I was in the middle. 

About half way through he started throwing shrimps off a spatula into people's mouths. I can see why it's Graham's favorite restaurant. 

Reedy River Falls Park in Greenville

On Sunday we had a fun time playing with Graham and he stayed the night with us. I played and Monica gave me some beautiful old jewellery  (Monica has had some of it for a long time) and I have been wearing my necklace ever since. I kept my bracelets in a pretty little bag. I also tried on an amazing sparkly purple dress that Monica wore for mardi gras,  which I thought fit me but it only kind of fit me!

In the afternoon we all went for a walk downtown by the Reedy River Falls Park to see the falls and enjoy the scenery. Near the Reedy river was a cool kids play area with the three little bears and a gingerbread house. 

We saw a turtle on a rock in the Reedy river. We wondered if it was real cos it was so still but then it moved!

We walked on the path along the river and crossed a bridge and we saw two teenagers in big huge puffy dresses. They were having a celebration for their 16th birthdays. 

Then we went home and had hotdogs and cupcakes for tea on the side porch - that was DELICIOUS!

Meeting Monica

On Saturday we drove for over an hour into South Carolina. We were meeting Aunt Monica, Kasey and Graham in Gaffney outlet mall. When we took an exit off the highway, we took a wrong turn which led us right back onto the same highway so we had to carry on driving til we found another exit and could turn around and go back, and do it all again!

When we got to the Gaffney outlet mall we met Monica quickly in the car park because we parked nearly next to each other at the same time. That was lucky! I was so happy to see Monica.

There were lots of shops but none (except one) for kids. We got a bit bored and it was hot so Monica bought us an Italian icey drink which was all cotton candy flavoured. Mum bought me some cool clothes and then we saw a cool green spotted lizard on a post.

On the way back to Monica's house we stopped at the Copper River Grill, a cool restaurant near Greenville. We were all starving and I ate half a hamburger. It was nice to get back to Monica's and see Michael. And it was nice to sleep in the bed at Monica's and Michael's.