Jarrod's 18th Birthday

The little bro turned 18 this year, and several of us decided that was a milestone worth celebrating, so organised a little surprise for him :) 

Alex & Isaac {secretly ;P } came up from Wellington for the event, turning up at our place to surprise him a little before we said we had to leave (destination unknown ;) haha) 

We met a couple of others at Escapade for our first experience with escape rooms. Initially we were at a bit of a loss what to do, and I would by no means call myself an expert now but we did better as we went along, and I think we all had fun in the end. 

Afterwards a couple more friends joined us for dinner and I think a pleasant evening was enjoyed by all :) 

Coromandel Camping Trip

For a few days over Christmas I had the house to myself while the others were camping down in the Coromandel with some other families from church. Thought I'd share a few pics from their trip. :)

: : Bryce turned 7 on the trip so had plenty of people to celebrate with lol :) : :

: : Lots of bushwalking : :

: : Gorgeous : :

: : Dishes . . . yeah I preferred having plenty of hot water lol : :

End-of-Year Homeschool Picnic

At the end of each year, our homeschool group has a picnic to celebrate(!!) Sadly attendance seems to fall each year nowadays :/ So next year -- come!

Perhaps blur the background to give a sense of motion?

About the only group-y photo I'm afraid!
Oops I've exposed for the sky so my subjects are dark!

I LOVE this for a portrait!  (Composition and candid, modern look)
Perhaps if I blur the background a little more, more attention would be placed on my subject?

Love the leaves framing this pic!
Could perhaps adjust the exposure though?