Loving School and Other Stuff

I wanted to start off my Loving post with something pretty.
So here I am loving these spring beauties, picked from my confused garden.
Yes. Its still winter.
Not that my garden has got the message.
Sweet.

To accompany that lovely bunch, I'm also loving this jasmine in a jam jar, plucked from a fence where it called to me as I walked past...

...pushing an empty stroller. You gotta love a boy who can push his own pram.

But what i was really loving today was School Assembly.

A note came home, signed by the Principal. Dash is getting a Certificate at Assembly. I am invited to come and witness the occasion.

Whenever I go to assembly I get goosebumps when the whole school stands to sing the New Zealand National Anthem. They sing it in Maori and English. They also do it in sign language.

Goosebumps. Every time. I love our national anthem. The words are incredible.

{I just wish I could find the version the kids sing, on YouTube - it leaves this version in the dust.}

With pride I watched my boyo get a certificate for "an enthusiastic attitude and increased independence".
Love that.

{Which if you knew what we had been through with this boy earlier in the year, you would be bursting with pride too.}

As an added bonus I got to watch Dash and his class practise their "folk dancing" for a festival next week.

I mean, he says he doesn't like it...

...but it looks like he's having fun to me, dontcha think?

Sure, his teacher had to call out his name and tell him to stop talking to his pals...

But I reckon they were into it.

I love seeing boys dancing. *grin*

You just can't beat that olde timey folk dancing, I reckon.

So this week I am feeling all patriotic and warm'n'fuzzy about school and parent help and seeing my kids doing well at school and feeling grateful that we live in an amazing country, and my kids go to a fabulous school, and are blessed with great teachers etc etc.
Really. I am just so grateful.

My brother Someone I have been trying to convince to settle in my town says that "Auckland doesn't feel like Real New Zealand" to him.
Ouch. I can't say I understand his point.
Auckland is one of those places people get the wrong idea about, without really knowing it at all.
People-not-from-here think Auckland is a great big smelly city, full of money-grabbers and foreigners.

But Auckland is really just a bunch of villages conveniently located next to each other, full of ordinary Kiwis trying to get on.
We wear bare feet and go camping and say "Good onya mate" as much as the next bloke.
Aucklanders are real Kiwis too.

Ahem. I got a bit carried away there.

So, as to my Bloggy Makeover Giveaway...
The winner is... Elizabeth.
{Cos she's the only one who said she really needed one and she said please please please.}
So congrats Elizabeth! I will get in touch with you next week so you can tell me what you want.

I hope you are finding lots of things to love and be grateful for in your world.
If you do, write a post about it and link up here...