Michael, Katrina and Family

Susanna's First Christmas, Dec 25

Susanna attended her first Christmas Day celebration today. Here she is sampling the products of the day.

Edna (Katrina's mum) made a dress for the little lady. Here she is playing with some new toys from the Sampson grandparents and Aunty.

Lords of the Degrees, Extended Edition, Dec 15

Five members of the Lord family graduated from the University of Canterbury yesterday. Father Ken (BA in Russian and English Literature), eldest daughter Anna (BA honours in American studies), Tim (BSc, in absentia), Vicki (BA in psychology), and Katie (BA in American studies).

For the 18 months prior to marrying Katrina in August 1994, I boarded at the Lord's house ... so it feels like some of my extended family achieved a significant milestone yesterday. Ken's also my lawyer, so we've had a bit to do with him since 1994 with respect to buying three houses and selling two. Well done all round!

Full story at www.stuff.co.nz (I'm not sure when it will disappear from the site however).

We Didn't Pay, So Sicon Takes it Back, Nov 18

... well, that's not really the reason Sicon is digging up the driveway. Our new driveway has been pooling water in a couple of places, so Sicon came back to fix it.

Daniel Pulls a Face, Nov 11

Daniel's a master at pulling a funny face. Here's a particularly toothy attempt.

Matthew and Susanna, Nov 11

The boys are great with Susanna ... they do funny jumping to make her laugh, pretend they are going to catch her, and generally take a good and appropriate interest in what she is learning. Here's Matthew with Susanna.

Susanna at 5 Months, Nov 9

The little lady of our house is growing well, sleeping well (but not at night!), and interacting more with her world. Here she is at 5 months.

Granbar with Susanna, Nov 7

Michael's mum, Barbara, held Susanna during the violin concert. The little lady shows her concentration in this shot.

David & Matthew on violin, Nov 7

Matthew (7) and David (8) played their violins at the Malvern School of Music concert on November 7. This was the first time Matthew played in one of the concerts. Well done boy!

Just a Boy & His Pa, Oct 25

Tim shows his utter delight at sharing a canoe ride with Pa, Katrina's dad.

David Floats His Raft, Oct 25

We went to Pigeon Bay on October 25, for NZ's Labour Day holiday. David made a raft out of wood, and is shown here with Daniel trying to get it to float. David is closest to the raft ... and no, it didn't float. Back to the drawing board ...