It’s been a minute since our last blog post, but it’s hard to find the time to write when we’ve been so busy settling into our new home – (cue the Hallelujah chorus!) Since our last update, we’ve officially moved into our house in Milford, a friendly-neighborhood nestled in the central part of the North Shore, a large suburban area across the harbor and north of downtown Auckland. On Oct 17^th, we loaded and unloaded three carloads of luggage and furniture, saying goodbye to our temporary Airbnb and hello to the place we would now call home.

Though our beds laid on the carpet without frames, our Wi-Fi was yet to be installed, and our boxes from the States still in transit, our joy could not be contained at the prospect of finally having a space to call our own. After a busy first day of settling in, we wasted no time testing out the backyard hot tub and enjoying local Indian take-out on the floor of the living room – our first official meal at home. We spent the weekend running errands, welcoming delivery trucks, and putting together furniture, slowly but surely turning our empty house into a cozy space that felt like “us.”

In addition to the big move, Austin started his job at BNZ the following Monday. We quickly established a new routine, with Austin and I waking up and enjoying some quiet time together before he was off the catch the bus downtown. Larsen and I ease into each day, me enjoying coffee and a book, her FaceTiming her cousin Juniper or friends back home. Each afternoon we try to get out of the house and do something together to pass the time, exploring the zoo, running errands to fill in the empty spaces of our home, or breaking in the new kitchen by making brownies and banana bread. By the time Austin gets off work and completes the 45-min bus ride home, we’re eating a quick dinner, updating him on our day (and usually how much money we spent…) and listening to his stories about his new co-workers, the open-concept office space he works in, and the deliciously affordable coffee he’s tempted to get at the office café. Life is feeling a bit more normal and less like the most stressful vacation we’ve ever been on.

As I often find in life, things tend to come in threes. The house and new job were two great changes to embrace, but finally welcoming our cat, Nico, to New Zealand might just be the best of all. Austin’s first day at BNZ was also Nico’s first day out of quarantine. I nearly cried on our way to pick him up, something I never imagined I would say about a cat. I was worried over whether he would remember us and how hard it might be for him to adjust to his new home after so much time apart. Though he seemed quite scared on the ride, it didn’t take him long to begin exploring the house, curiously following us around, meowing loudly, nuzzling us for snuggles and pets. It has become clear that yes, he does remember us, and more importantly, he seems to have missed us as much as we missed him. Cats are traditionally masters of playing hard to get, but Nico has unabashedly expressed his contentment and relief at being reunited.

Unfortunately, all the snuggles and treats in the world can’t keep Nico from wanting to explore further. The wilderness is always calling to him, and the lack of screens on windows in New Zealand make it far too easy for him to escape. Not realizing the crack in our windows was big enough for him to fit through, we awoke on our second morning of him here to discover him lying in the grass in the backyard staring up at us as if to say, “Good morning, can I help you? Is there something you need?” How long was he outside? Likely all night. Did he seem ashamed or repentant? Absolutely not. Has he continued to try to climb out windows and escape this beautiful new home we’ve created for him? Every. Single. Day. Oh to be a cat owner…

Larsen and I continue to wait for news on our visas, which we’re assured we should be hearing back soon. I’m trying to remind myself that Larsen missing a few months of school and being bored by my inability to entertain her 24/7 will not damage her intellectually.  I do believe that us allowing her this time to adjust to constant change at a slower pace is helpful and gives her some breathing room to digest how drastically our lives have changed. But it’s clearer with each passing week that I am not built to be a stay-at-home mom and she is definitely built to have much more engagement and stimulation than I am able to muster. Thankfully, we are faring quite well and I have yet to lose my marbles completely over the incredible task of entertaining my 8-year-old twelve hours a day, every day. All I can say is thank goodness for Minecraft and the warming, Spring weather.

We continue to explore opportunities to engage with our new community, including attending Auckland’s Diwali Festival, exploring Auckland’s enormous and spectacular botanical gardens, touring the Auckland Art Museum, visiting an adorable, local Kiwi farm, testing out the Odyssey Sensory Museum and picking fresh strawberries at Good Planet Farm.

As the weather continues to warm and summer inches closer, we grow eager to explore more of the outdoors, testing out the many beaches and hiking trails across the North Island. Until then, we’ll embrace the sunny days and give ourselves the grace to slow down and ease into this new life of ours.