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!

Christmas 2008

We travelled home to the United States again this year for Christmas, but before departing Perth, we were able to participate in some Aussie Christmas celebrations. I learn new things about the Aussies all the time. The first celbration was D's daycare Christmas Party. The invite give date and time and, at the bottom said, "No BYO." My thought was, "How sad they have to tell parents not to bring booze to the daycare Christmas party." We arrived and learned that they tell the parents that, because the daycare provides the booze! Seriously, the daycare provides the beer. I took a photo as one dad helped himself. Glass bottles, on the playground.
We also attended the 2008 Perth Christmas Pageant, which is a parade. It was lots of fun. The Wiggles made an appearance as well as old St. Nick. Here are the kids enjoying a quick snack before the show.
Our month away in the US was terrific. It was really, really cold outside, -50 F wind chill in some places, but the homes of our family and friends were toasty warm and everyone made us feel so comfortable and welcome. Thanks everybody!

We flew in to Rapid City, South Dakota just in time for my mom's 50th birthday. It was so nice to visit her at her home. We were able to recuperate from the 30+ hour journey and spend some quality time. Since we don't really spend much of Christmas time in our own house, we don't put up a tree. It was really nice to choose a real tree (from the Wal-Mart parking lot) so that D could hang the lights and the ornaments. We all laughed while she hung at least 15 from the bottom branch, all crowded together. And then sat back and exclaimed over and over how beautiful it was. Thanks for putting up with the needle mess mom! It was a great experience for D!

C was taking steps prior to our trip, but he really got the hang of walking while we were back home. It was really fun that he timed it so well!

Next stop was Iowa. We drove to Ankeny to visit my brother and sister-in-law. They announced the marvelous news that they are expecting their first baby in August. We are excited about the new little addition to the family. After a couple of days, it was time to travel south to Creston to visit my dad and stepmom and T's parents.

So much to do and there's never enough time to do it all. But we sure gave it our best effort. We were back and forth to Ankeny, Des Moines, and Creston. Meeting up with family and friends was so much fun. Above, the kids are both happy as they sit and the laps of Santa and Mrs. Claus. What a treat to have them visit the family Christmas each year!

D remains a big fan of Santa Claus and couldn't wait to prepare him a plate of cookies on Christmas Eve. Alongside the cookies is a bag of reindeer food (Oats and glitter, I think).It was also really nice to spend Christmas mass at Holy Spirit Church in Creston. This is the beautiful old church where I was baptized, T and I were married, and C was baptized. What fun it is to put the kids in their Christmas outfits, all festive and beautiful, sing Christmas carols and visit baby Jesus in the nativity on the altar. It was a great morning.
All of Christmas day was fun. The kids enjoyed the gifts Santa Claus brought, lunch with my dad and step-mom was lovely, and the afternoon with T's family was really nice. D recieved a new digital camera. She's used to my LCD screen showing her the image. Her's does not have a screen but shows the number of images instead. She took a photo of her great-grandfather and said, "Hey Great Grandpa! I took your number!"Christmas night, once all the activity slowed, we drove down to Kansas City, where more family was gathering. My uncle Kevin and his fiance Sherri were hosting us all. It was another marvelous stay. 4 nights, great food, and lots of laughs. The above photo shows my brother Nick practicing his baby feeding skills. He's a natural. Of course, C is a total chow-hound. We were able to spend some time with friends in Overland Park, Olathe, and Lee's Summit. Thanks Susie and Charlie, Brenda and Tim, Glenda and Dave, and Joe and Rebecca! We miss you all!

As a special treat, T and I handed the kids off to my dad and stepmom and we stayed in KC for New Year's Eve and News Year's Day, just the 2 of us. We stayed on The Country Club Plaza and went out for great food, shopped, and made (tentative) plans for our eventual return to KC. What fun! Of course, we failed to get a photo of ourselves all dressed up for New Years. I swear I'll do a better job with photos next year!

Another drive up to Des Moines took us to see our great friends the Hunt and Dukes families. No kids this time either! We were able to make our annual stop at Outback Steakhouse and play some card games until late into the night. Always wish we could stay longer- but there was yet another family gathering to attend!

We spent Sunday with several of my siblings, eating great food and exchanging gifts. So fun to see my nephew Q take to walking while grinning with pride! What a sweetie!

T's parents had us to dinner and playtime several times throughout the trip. Thanks for the yummy eats!

Returning to Creston, it was time to get ready for the journey back to Perth. It's quite a task getting all that stuff: new clothes for the coming year, Christmas presents, enough diapers to last 30+ hours, our fav US foods that we can't get in Oz, all into our luggage allowance. But we did it. 8 checked bags and 3 carry-ons later, it all made it on the plane. 4 planes, in fact!

Thanks for the great memories everybody! Our trip home was fantastic and we are already looking forward to US trip 2009! Just 10 months to go!

1st Day of Daycare

Yes, C had his first day of daycare. And his first taste of Vegemite! The day has turned out to be bigger than I had even planned!

Now that we are back from our US trip and D will be beginning kindy soon, I saw the opportunity for C to have a day of socializing and play with others- and for me to have a day off!

So, last Friday he began at the same center where D went for several months. She always enjoyed going there and the staff were very good so we stuck with them.

Arrival went well and C had smiles for Jane, the caregiver in the room, and the other little ones. I'm never sure how long I should talk about what C does and doesn't do. Do I inform them of all his words, signs, likes, dislikes, entire routine, down to the minute? Nope. Probably unneccesary.

D and I departed and there were tears from C (not me, luckily). She and I were off to the salon and lunch. I called around 11 and C was down for a nap. The morning had gone well and they would wake him soon for lunch.

We went back for pick up around 3:45 and upon walking in, found C in a high chair devouring Vegemite on a rice cake. He grinned a large, brown grin when he saw us and dropped the half-eaten rice cake. He didn't have much to say but after a big hug, wanted back down to play with a toy that had just come out. A great sign that he wasn't hollering and clinging to me! Jane had a great report. He had eaten well, slept well, played well, and smiled much. He'd had a great day!

So, he will return next Friday for another day of play, and eating, and smiling. D begins kindy on the 6th. I'm very glad to have started C at daycare before D started kindy. Not sure I could handle both of them moving on to the next big phase on the same day!

Also had to stick in a photo I took while blogging. There is a family photo on the shelf in the living room and C has picked T out of it. He stands there and has a long conversation with the photo, frequently say, "Da Da Da" and laughing at his own jokes.

Thanksgiving in Perth 2008

Everyone wants to know, "Where do you get turkeys here?" It's natural to wonder because, back at home, turkeys are plentiful in November and you find the size you want in the freezer and place it in your cart (trolley) and take it home and thaw it out and roast it. But here, since Thanksgiving is not an Australian holiday, you go to the butcher and special order. They ask what size, I say "How big do they get here?" He tells me 11-12 kilos, and I say, "Get me one of those." He raises his eyebrows, makes a note on a piece of paper, and on the day before Thanksgiving I go get it, causing quite a scene at the butcher shop. I guess it is rare that a bird of that size is seen in our part of the world. Other than emus.

We had a great time hosting for our 2nd year. The food was delicious and we had gorgeous weather. Each guest brought a dish to share and everything was really nice. We don't have a ton of space but by rearranging the furniture, we were able to make room for our 6-seater dining set, 8 more indoors and then use the table outside to seat 8 more. So we sat 22 adults and put kids on a table cloth in the yard (where they are happiest anyway!). It was fun to introduce people to a few of our traditional family dishes that they hadn't tried before, like pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, and guy salad!

It was also a joy to have several of the American guys who are working here in Perth while their families are back in the US. No doubt they still missed their own group, but I hope we were a nice, temporary substitute.

This was a first Thanksgiving for many of our UK friends. We'll see how many are repeat customers there are next year! Ya'll come back now!

This was C's first Thanksgiving on solids and he's a Thanksgiving boy! I was thrilled that he loved the dinner. He and I enjoyed turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce for days after the celebration.

Back to Perth

After approximately 3.5 weeks in the USA we are back in Perth and enjoying the summer! So sorry to everyone back home who is likely dealing with more snow and ice. Stay safe and warm!

We arrived in Perth on Friday with all 8 of our suitcases and duffel bags. A miracle I tell you! And we've unpacked them and pretty much found a place for everything. T returned to work on Monday and the kids and I have been running errands and trying to get ourselves on Perth time. Unfortunately, C and I have come down with colds that are making fun and productivity really difficult to achieve- but we're doing our best.

C really seems to have changed from baby to kid over the last month. He mastered walking and is even letting out a few words. Recently, we've made out "shoes" and "car." Very exciting! Yesterday, when D asked to paint, I thought it may be time C try it out too. He didn't really like getting messy, but he loved painting and doing what his big sister was doing!

I have some serious catching up to do on the blog. Coming soon are Thanksgiving 2008 and the time spent in the US. I hope I haven't lost any followers due to my absence!