Our North Island New Zealand Adventure: Part 1

We have just returned from a fantastic two week vacation in New Zealand.  Not only was this tops on our list to visit but some of our best friends live there. There were many reasons why I was so looking forward to this trip, I couldn't wait to see our friends, feel cold weather, eat good food, be outdoors, be together as a family, etc.  I also felt like we were going home, home to a place we had never been, home to a place where we were looked after and home to a place full of great adventures.  Lucky for us, Eric was able to get a full two weeks off of work, thank you Chinese New Year, and after a quick 12 hour flight we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand. 

We spent our first day relaxing and catching up with Nikki, Leon and Ellie.  We enjoyed our time playing in the grass, sipping wine and beer, eating sausages, fish and chips and avocados and catching up with our friends. 

A perfect day for a picnic lunch at a nearby vineyard

We are definitely not in Malaysia anymore!

Adi and Ellie chillin

On our second day, we met up with the Foxes and Shearers and ventured to famous Waiheke Island, for a day of sun, sand, wine and good friends.  We traveled from Auckland to Waiheke by ferry, which allowed us some time to enjoy the gorgeous Auckland scenery and some of bluest and cleanest water we have ever seen. 

 

Once we arrived in Waiheke, we boarded a bus and traveled across the island for some time at the beach.  It was a picture perfect day and my only regret is that we did not bring our bathing suits.  At least the girls had some fun splashing in the waves!

So clean, clear and beautiful!

 

We couldn't keep this water baby out of the ocean

Swimming in her birthday suit!  So cute!

 

After our playtime on the beach, we hiked up to a fabulous restaurant and enjoyed a meal full of delicious tapas and wine.

A great and happy bunch of Hartners, Foxes and Shearers

Lunch with a view

After lunch we returned to Auckland wishing we had more time in Waiheke, a theme that would be played out during our entire time in this great country. 

We hit the road after two full days in Auckland to continue exploring the North Island, (more to come on those adventures soon) but returned at the end of our trip for some more quality time with the Foxes and to have some fun in downtown Auckland.  Eric had been pondering jumping off of the Sky Tower the entire trip and decided after we flew back from Wellington to do it!  Before he plunged 192m, we spent the day having lunch at an ocean side cafe and visiting the amazing Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium.

Eric contemplating his jump.

Adi loved the aquarium and seeing all of the penguins! 

 

After a full afternoon, we headed to the Sky Tower, where Eric signed his life away and I made sure he had life insurance, to jump from Auckland's tallest building. 

All suited up!

Adi giving her daddy a kiss goodbye

Ready, Set, Go!

Here he comes! 

So happy! 

 Eric was lucky enough to visit on a day when they weren't busy and was offered a second jump for free!  So up he went for another leap!

Here he comes again!

Yep, he loved it!

We spent our last full day hanging out with the Foxes and letting the girls play and play.  It was so cute to see Ellie and Adi play together and hard to believe that Ellie is walking (running) and that will be Adi soon.

Sharing Chips!

Getting ready to crawl very soon! 

Stay tuned for more on our trip around the North Island!

Borneo Part II: Kota Kinabalu

One month after our first visit to Borneo, we were back, this time to Kota Kinabalu and with our friends Jeb and Andrea.  I should be forthcoming with this post, that we spent four fabulous days relaxing and enjoying Kinabalu...from our resort.  We never, not even to go to 7-11, left the Shangri-La Rasa Ria resort.  It was that good.  Yes folks, I am saying, it was THAT good.  The best resort we have been to, best food (best Indian food I have ever eaten), best pool, nice beach, relaxing and luxurious, a highly recommended resort and kid friendly!  We were certain that our friends would want to explore the city of Kinabalu or check out SE Asia's highest peak, but our like minded traveling friends, were more interested in laying in our beach chairs and pressing the call button to ask for another Mai Tai.  We visited the resident orangutans but were pretty quickly rained out, as the "rain forest" really lived up to it's name.  Lucky for us Adalyn loves the water and had a good time playing in the rain while her mommy and daddy walked back to their room splashing in puddles.   We really had a fantastic time and hope to go back.  Maybe next time we will venture into the city and get a bit closer to the peak of Kinabalu.  All in all, not a bad way to kick of 2014, in fact, a pretty spectacular couple of days. Enjoy a few pics!

The view from our room!  See why we didn't leave

Beautiful Big Sandy Beach

Our Beach Baby

 

The view from our beach chairs...and yes, there was a "call" button for service

Happy Baby...

Chillin in the pool

 

Dr. Dunn & Dr. White....

 

 We had such a great time.  I hope Jeb and Andrea will make another trip to SE Asia before we leave! 

Adalyn: Eight Months

It's hard to believe, but this precious face is 8 months old!  Adalyn continues to be such a joy and happy baby.  This month she has mastered sitting and can scoot backwards on her tummy.  It won't be long and she will be crawling!  Yikes.  Adi is eating 3 solid meals a day.  Her favorite foods are bread (especially nann), prunes, mango, sweet potatoes and salmon.  She hasn't met a food that she doesn't like.  She continues to grow and is a healthy 8.45kg (18.5 lbs).  Adi loves to "talk" saying ba ba, da da, momma, nom nom.  I know it won't be long until she's talking and on the move.  Here are a few pictures from our sweet girl's eighth month.  Enjoy.

Borneo Part 1: Kuching

In November, we traveled to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak on the island of Borneo with our friends Eli and Robin who were visiting from the states.  We enjoyed a long weekend swimming in the ocean, hiking, watching orangutangs, visiting the infamous Cat Museum and relaxing.  Here are a few pictures of our time in Kuching.  Enjoy!

Playtime on the balcony with Eli & Robin

Adi was certainly happy to hike with her daddy

There was a fantastically cool natural pool at our hotel, we all enjoyed a swim in the natural water

Adalyn's first trip to the beach and ocean.  She loved it

First time in the ocean....

Momma forgot about the waves.....

This was followed by a large smile.  She's a natural in the water and held her breath when the wave splashed her!

Happy, happy girls!

The view from our balcony

Also, not a bad view for Adi's playtime.  Notice the curious lizard who wanted to play as well

After our time at the beach, we took a trip to visit the famous Semonggoh Wildlife Center  to visit the Orangutangs that live at the sanctuary.  It was an amazing hour, watching the "man of the forest" swing on the trees, eat, play and be in their "natural" environment. 

We spent our last evening in Borneo enjoying Kuching.  We checked out the famous Cat Museum, which was a creepy collection of cat memorabilia.  The best part of the whole museum was the picture below and the building that the museum is in. Someone really, really loves cats...

 We had a lovely mini-vacation to Kuching and it was great to share our trip with our friends.  I hope we can venture back, even for a long weekend, as the city is clean, there's a direct flight from Penang and the beaches were nice.

Our JennEric 2013

This year we decided to go "Eco-friendly" with our Christmas cards and end of the year letter so here is our 2013 JennEric Recap in Bullet Points. (What I really want to say is, I've been too busy playing with Adalyn and hanging out with Eric and our blog, Christmas cards and our year end letter have become lower on the priority list.) Enjoy!

• We welcomed Adalyn Mutiara Hartner on May 27, 2013 at 6:58pm into our loving family.  Our lives have not been the same since.  She has filled our lives with so much joy and fun, that the first months of sleep deprivation are a distant memory.
• We have extended our contract in Penang and our here at least until December 2014
• Jenn & Eric traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand and Luang Prabang, Laos to play with elephants and visit gorgeous temples
• We had many visitors to Penang this year; Eli & Robin, Jeb & Andrea, Aunt Jo & Uncle Alasdair and Emily made trips to hang with the Hartners
• Adalyn has taken 19 flights in her 7 months of life.  She has visited Singapore, Borneo (2 times), Hong Kong, Michigan, Texas and California.  She is a natural jet setter! 
• In October, Jenn spoke at the Luscious Ladies in Pink Breast Cancer Fundraiser in Penang.  She shared her story of Loss, Resilience & Hope to a ballroom full of 275 people.
• Eric, Jenn & Adalyn love spending time at home, in the pool and with their friends and family around the world

We feel incredibly grateful for the love and changes that 2013 brought to our family.   We wish you all a wonderful 2014 and hope we will see you soon!

Lots of love,
Jenn, Eric & Adalyn