Pop!

Finn discovers bubble wrap:

Makin' music

Finn decided to perform for us the other night:

Wiggly in Wellington

This past weekend, we all flew up to Wellington. Other than passing through Auckland, none of us had ever spent any time on the North Island. And Te Papa, the National Museum, has the only colossal squid on display anywhere in the world. The colossal squid is by far Caden's favorite animal and has been for several years now. To Caden, therefore, the opportunity to see a colossal squid in the (albeit preserved) flesh was one of the things he most eagerly anticipated about our time in New Zealand. Mama was invited to present a seminar at Victoria University in Wellington, and we all tagged along for a weekend in the city. In addition to Te Papa and the squid, highlights included the many props and models from Peter Jackson's movies, riding the cable car up to the Botanical Garden and meandering our way back down to the waterfront past an amazing playground, walks along the water, and enjoying the restaurants and cafés. Caden and Finn even flew back with new shoes; Caden's had been literally falling apart on his feet. Nana and Boopa came along, and everyone had a great time, though Finn is becoming more wiggly and opinionated every day, so even the 40-minute flights there and back were quite an experience.

Gollum greeted us at the airport

At Te Papa

The colossal squid

Wow, a blue whale's heart is really huge!

Learning about Maori culture

Waiting for the cable car

What a view!

Awesome playgrounds

Fountains

And Smaug

Motorcycle

Finn learned another new word today. Vroom!

A mugwug baby with a mugwug face

Finn and Caden are great travelers, and it's especially neat and gratifying to see Caden helping his brother cope with the long drives and flights on our trip. For example, a few days ago, while we were driving north along the east coast of the South Island, Caden made up a rhyming story to entertain Finn. It was based on the story "The Pout Pout Fish," but Caden modified it to be about Finn, who we often refer to as a "mugwug," especially when he is being particularly mischievous. Here is the refrain of Caden's rhyme:

I'm a mugwug baby with a mugwug face,

And I'm spreading funny funnies all over the place.

Cute.

Cuuuute.

Cuuuuuuute.

The verses described our reactions to Finn's mischief, including Dada being annoyed at having to clean up a mess and Mama enjoying the cuteness.

It has been great fun to share some of Mama and Dada's favorite spots - and discover some new ones - with Caden, Finn, Nana, and Boopa. Nana and Boopa flew into Christchurch a day or so after we did and have been hugely helpful with Finn and Caden while Mama and Dada have been taking measurements at research sites around the island.

Now, we are back in Christchurch, where we will spend the next week. Today we went to the local farmers' market, which was fantastic and only a short walk from the house where we are staying.

At LAX watching the jets

Arrived in Auckland

Stacking games in our Christchurch flat

Checking out the tide pools in Kaikoura

Pancakes in Punakaiki

On a helicopter tour of Fox Glacier

Swing bridge at the Blue Pools near Haast Pass

Playground in Portobello

Little Blue Penguin

Overlooking Sandfly Bay

Helping collect mussels

Yellow-Eyed Penguins

Moeraki Boulders

Passion fruit ice cream

Farmers' market

Finn's new word

We are in New Zealand for six weeks, where Mama and Dada are teaching, giving seminars, and doing research. Caden has been blogging about our trip at http://cadensnzadventure.blogspot.com/. We just finished a nine-day research circuit of the South Island. Along the way, Finn learned a new word to describe what we are working on: