Long Weekend in Sydney

We are home from a fantastic weekend in Sydney, Australia. What an amazing place! It wasn't a relaxing get-away, more of run-yourself-ragged kind of a trip. But the 4 of us had so much fun! We had to run in order to see all the sights of Sydney. We left Thursday, after lunch on a single, direct flight from Perth to Sydney. D was very excited to take only 1 airplane - not 4 - like the journey to the mid-west United States.

We were glad C has finally taken to toy cars, they successfully entertained him when nothing else would do. Of course, his idea of play was letting them roll off the tray-table and laughing while I bent into the aisle to pick them up. This lasted longer than I would have liked.We arrived later in the evening, quickly settled in to our hotel room, and hit the hay.

Friday morning we took the train to Circular Quay where we boarded a ferry to Sydney's Taronga Zoo. The ferry ride offered great views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. Really big, beautiful sights.

This was a nice zoo. It had some animals that we don't have here at Perth Zoo. It's been awhile since we've seen chimpanzees and hippopotamus. The zoo was a great way to spend the morning. The rest of the day, we spent wandering around the city and parts of the harbor.

Just before heading to the airport I had to run to a nearby baby store to pick up a rain cover for our buggy (the weather forecast for the weekend was all rain, luckily, we only had 1 afternoon of rain). While at the shop, I found a tiny backpack with a strap and parent rein. Perfect for C, who has recently decided he likes to be on foot more and more. He loved the backpack and quickly got used to the rein. For Saturday, we booked advance early bird tickets to tour the Sydney Opera House. This was a great tour! The story of the building of the opera house was amazing and our tour guide was great. It was just an hour which was perfect since we had the kids with us. Not sure they could have handled much more. C enjoyed the video told how the design for the SOH was chosen.Unfortunately, we forgot the camera as we parked the buggy in the cloak room, but we did have our mobile phones with us. The photos aren't as good- but we do have photos. This photo shows the beams that support the roof and windows that look out over beautiful Sydney Harbour.Photography is not allowed in most of the theatres within the opera house but we got lucky in the largest of the theatres. The guide said that this was the only theatre where photography was allowed and only when no one is on stage performing or rehearsing.

It was breathtaking, even D was impressed. She really wanted to go do some ballet on the stage, but that was not allowed. She eventually got over it and we all watched as she did a few of her moves out in the entry.

We left the opera house and jumped on the City Sightseeing Tour- the double-decker bus. These are great and they are in cities all over the world. Pay, ride for the next 24 hours, get off and get back on as many times as you like. It is also great for lulling tired toddlers to sleep. I remember D snoozing on the bus in London and Rome. C's turn! Right in the middle of snack time.

We rode the bus to Sydney Aquarium at Darling Harbour. Wow! What an aquarium! We snapped this photo at the cool, shark mouth entry! And then D laughing at the penguins.

They do an amazing job of showing the sharks, rays, dugong, all kinds of stuff. And wow do they make the most of the popularity of Nemo! I've never heard so many children shriek, "NEMO! DORY! NEMO! DORY!" D was no exception. She is very sure that Nemo, Marlin, and Dory live in numerous tanks at the Sydney Aquarium. Lots of displays of clownfish and sea anemones. See them in there? Nemo and Marlin in the anemone, Dory off to the right?

Also fun to see my first real-life platypus. We missed them at the zoo so I was glad to view them at the aquarium. Fascinating! Forgive the poor quality of the photo, they are quick and it was dark in there. D loved getting the chance to get her hands wet and touch a starfish. I think she was disappointed though, that they don't actually have a face, like they do in all the cartoons she sees!

Loved the Royal Botanic Gardens! Well timed as the whole family needed some time to run. Well, dad and kids did. I found a park bench to lay down on!

Easter morning was great fun! The Easter bunny visited us in our hotel room, hiding 2 dozen eggs in the most clever of places! Both kids loved the hunt. D started it off and C quickly caught on to the concept, declaring, "YEAH!!!" for himself each time he found one.
We found beautiful St. Patrick's church near our hotel and actually made it to a 9 o'clock mass. I am lacking the usual Easter pictures but there are snaps below taken on Easter, just not the formal poses at the church, in the Easter outfits. :(

After mass, we were back on the bus, and off again at the Australian Museum. This is a natural history museum with some great exhibits and crafts for kids on Sundays. Delaney learned about and made a woolly mammoth. He's not so woolly now, she gave him a haircut when we got home.

They had a super fun area called the Kidspot with all kinds of hands-on science stuff. We could have spent all day in there! Although, all this science, history, and architectural adventure is causing D to ask a lot more questions than usual. I have a whole list of the things to Google tonight!

Awesome dinosaur exhibit! :) Lots to explain :( One of my favorite places was The Rocks Market. Open only on Saturdays and Sundays, people set up their tables and tents and sell all sorts of things. Paintings, clothing, jewelry, food, body glitter. Yes, body glitter. And lucky us, the ladies liked D so much, they gave her some free! I've since swiped it from her suitcase and placed it out of sight. I picked up some lovely jewelry and a hand-painted dress for D. Excited for her birthday to come!

T couldn't argue with my stroll through the market, there was a pub just beside it.

The Rocks is the area of Sydney first settled by the English when they arrived. Lots of beautiful historic buildings and the The Rocks Discovery Museum (which we didn't have time to visit). Would love to spend more time there if we get the chance to go back. Below is C, laughing at Dad's jokes.

After the market we strolled down along the harbor and decided to take the ferry to Darling Harbor. We just missed a ferry and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. Of course, a crowd built up while we waited and when it cam time to board, T and D were able to slip on, but C and I with the buggy couldn't squeak through the crowd so well, and we were left behind. 30 minutes later, we were first ones on but our ferry made more frequent stops. I wasn't entirely sure where T got off and his phone battery was dead so we ended up returning to Circular Quay and walking, first to our hotel, and then down to Darling Harbor. I thought I might spot them having dinner at one of the many restaurants, but no luck.

The idea of being upset with T did cross my mind. For not charging his phone, for taking off without C and I. But, instead, I declared it "Date Night" for all of us. T and D would have a lovely dinner together. And C and I would do the same.

T and D found a Thai restaurant and shared a meal. C and I went for Italian and ate ourselves silly. The evening ended up being extremely pleasant for all. C and I found a very cool fountain and I let him hop in for just a minute to get his feet wet. He would have preferred to stay in a bit longer, but as you can see, it was getting late and I needed to find our way back to the hotel after a glass of wine or two.

For Monday's activities we chose a train ride to Sydney Olympic Park where The Sydney Royal Easter Show was on. We thought it was a good day to wear the ISU t-shirts, everyone looked pretty sharp!

I blogged (back in October, I think) about the Perth Royal Show. Same thing- but much bigger. It's a lot like the Iowa State Fair. Exhibits, livestock, rides, games, shows. Lots of fun. And what's a royal show (or state fair) without scenes where you poke your head through and have your photo taken? Below are my two bananas in pajamas.

While C napped, D enjoyed great kids entertainment from ABC Kids. On a small stage she saw The Bananas in Pajamas, Postman Pat, and The Koala Brothers. Lots of drama (appropriate for 3-year-olds), music, and dancing. Hooray! Funny pose of her below, she is in the middle of a bouncing, swaying, shaking type dance move.

C is crazy about animals right now and live ones are the bees knees! They had a large petting zoo with calves, lambs, goats, bunnies, etc. I guarantee you, he managed to wiggle in, pet, and have a short conversation with every single baby farm animal, despite the crowds and the backpack with the rein. And amazingly enough, no poo on the shoes!

It was an absolute requirement that we get D's face painted while at the Easter Show. It was offered on Saturday at the aquarium, with a crazy-long line to wait in, that we talked her out of. Darling Harbour offered tons of kids' entertainment on Easter Sunday, including face-painting. We told D she had to finish her lunch before she could go line up, and right as she finished her last bite of chicken, the ladies packed up their paints and left. We owed the girl some face paint on Monday! The lady at the booth didn't disappoint.

We saved the rides for last. D chose the little ferris wheel and made a new friend to ride with.

We used up the last of the ride tickets on the carousel and Mommy and C got a ride on the little train. Lucky us, it started to rain, but was fun anyway.

Also really impressed by another feature at the Easter Show. Displays made entirely of fruit and vegetables! This fish was huge and made of apples!

I recommend Sydney as a top travel destination. I could have stayed a bit longer and taken in more museums, galleries, and, of course, shopping. Maybe we'll get to go back.

Mommy's Day "On Roster"

That means I volunteered to spend the morning in D's classroom. Each family takes a turn once each term. I stayed all morning, until about 11:30.

I wasn't sure what I would be doing while visiting, but I just joined in where ever it looked like some extra hands were needed. I ended up tracing crosses onto paper for the cutting activity and then helping with cutting. I stayed very busy and enjoyed the class very much.

I wasn't sure if D would want me to hang around with her and her friends, or just hang out. She was excited that I was on roster but she seemed to just do her own thing, waving and smiling at me from time to time.

It was fun to be in a classroom again, especially since it was D's classroom. I promised to stay for lunch next term, or maybe I'll send Daddy next time!

Song of the Month

For those of you who have not heard D's new song on Skype, prepare youselves for the following video and subsequent playing of the song in your head for the next couple of days.
I know it's playing in your head too, Mrs. McHardie!

I also tacked on the next short video since the kids were playing so nicely together. In case you haven't noticed, C thinks his big sister is pretty fantastic.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I feel like holidays like this always creep up on me and I'm not prepared to celebrate properly. Truly, St. Patrick's Day should be LOADS of fun, especially after our 12-month stay in Dublin. Today though, I was semi-prepared and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Of course, I would be giving myself a bigger pat on the back if I had served green beer at dinner (to T, myself, and our dinner guest, green milk for the kids) and thought in advance to make shamrock-shaped cookies, but I'm letting it go.

I am pleased that the kids were dressed in their St. Paddy's Day green, I wore my Irish boa for a few minutes (around the house), and Delaney waved our Irish flag at the gym daycare, the grocery store, and the playground. I feel we did the holiday justice. We celebrated with our usual Tuesday routine, adding the fun Irish bits. The lady at the daycare asked me if we are Irish. I had to tell her, "Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!"

Also wanted to mention some great airfares from the US to Australia that Qantas is offering right now. The prices are half of what they were a year ago. It's fantastic! So book now! We would be thrilled to have some visitors!!! http://www.qantas.com/ Really! You'd love it here!

Big Helper

I remember when we were in Dublin and D started the "helper" stage. She loved to unload the dishwasher and pull the laundry off the line and place it in the basket. Now, C has entered this stage. He is a fabulous helper with the dishwasher, sweeping floors, setting the table, and helping me make my bed.

Our playgroup is also full of opportunities for C to help out. Everything is kid-sized so he loves to wipe down the tables, pack away toys, and move all the plastic stools to the closet when it is time to clean up.

Table setting came about has C loudly demanded dinner one night while I was in the kitchen working on it as fast as I could. I handed him 2 plastic plates and told him to put them on the table. I figured he scurry off and play with them on the rug. But, he smiled and toddled over to the dinner table. He put one at his place and the other at D's. He then came back, motioning to the silverware. I handed him a fork and spoon for each of them and he finished the job. I was so impressed!

C can't really make my bed- but he does love to drag all the pillows to me as I pull the covers up. His proud grin is just adorable. They are large, square European pillows that we keep at the head of our bed. They are too big for him to manage easily so when he carries them, he often trips and falls. But, they make for a soft landing and he lays there awhile and has a little rest before getting back up to try again.

C seemed to love the dustpan and brush- which totally grossed me out. So I tracked down a kids dustpan and brush that I keep beside my own in the kitchen. C has really gotten the hang of cleaning the floor under his seat at the table. It's almost automatic on nights when we have rice. I clean him up, let him out of his seat, and heads straight for his cleaning supplies.

He also puts his own diapers in the trash bin, as well as anything else that might resemble rubbish. Watch out if you wanted to keep that crumpled bit of paper! C likes the place tidy!

I will mention that D remains a big helper. A new favorite family activity is to make homemade pizza together. She is a superb sauce spreader! And you should see how evenly she places the pepperoni, baby spinach leaves, and pineapple tidbits.

And she does a fine job teaching C cool dance moves like the dancing train around the living room. There are few times that C laughs harder!

Australian Wildlife Up Close

Still catching up with the blog. One day, probably just before our adventures abroad come to an end, I will get to the point where I run home from an outing and blog immediately. Until then, expect a 2-3 week delay!

Toward the end of January we took a short drive north of Perth to Caversham Wildlife Park. Our great friends the Taskers joined us and we set out to see some Australian wildlife. We've been to this park before but it was a year or so ago. That was before I was blogging and before C was old enough to appreciate it. He loves the animals now and points and grunts.

So fun to see C enjoy the experiences. It was also the first time T, D, and myelf were able to get so close to a wombat. They are amazing! I just felt sorry for the poor zoo keeper with that load on her lap!
C took several turns petting the koalas. Loved that! And the lizard was very popular too!

D Starts Kindy

Here's my big "Schoolie."

Friday was the big day- D's first day of 4 year old kindergarten. School is different here. In Australia, kids can start, what they call kindergarten, when they are nearing their 4th birthday. D goes 2 full days per week. Next year, approaching her 5th birthday, she will start Pre-primary. That will be 5 days per week. The following year would be Year 1, starting before she turns 6.

C had daycare so we dropped him off and then went on to Sacred Heart, D's primary school. Drop off went very well. I went in with her, we sorted out her sparkly new school supplies, tucked her wide-brimmed hat, book bag, and lunch box into her "pigeon hole," (I love that), and said hello to Mrs. McHardie. D took off for the doll and house as I snapped a few photos. That was about it for drop off! It went beautifully!

The day went well overall. Mrs. McHardie did have to sit down with me at pick up and tell me about some mishaps. A flying Lego caught D just under the eye at one point in the day. And later a foot found it's way between her eyes as she climbed the ladder to the slide. But, after some ice packs and cuddles, D was all better.

We are so proud of our big girl. D is very excited to go back next week. She wasn't feeling very positive about the owner of the foot that landed between her eyes, but she's planning to go to school next week and pay her a compliment in hopes that they can become good friends.

No doubt it is all a big change for me too! Had my first taste of lunch packing, lunchbox cleaning, and newsletter reading. Oh the excitement of starting school!