Carter's writing- The 1st day of school in Australia

The walk to school

The whole family came!

One day I started school! It was really, really fun! First we played till nine o clock then we went into our lines! Then we went up to our classroom! Then our teacher Mrs. Dane said we had a new class mate that was me! Then every one at once said hi Carter, good morning Carter! Why I said Carter is because of my name is Carter! Then we started  reading my naughty little sister! Then we started making are own my naughty little sister books! Then it was time for recess! I play with my friend Maurits! Then it was time to line up! Then we went into our classroom again!

When we got there we got a morning snack! Then me and Maurits went to the bathroom! The bathroom is out side! Then maurits said we don't have  a lot of time! Then when I got out of the bathroom we ran to our class! Then we started a game! A maths game! I won vs my partner! Then it was time for the next recess! Then Maurits said his friends are secret spying on us! So we started spying on them! Then it was time to go to science! We learned about shell creatures and water creatures! Then it was time to go home!

Carter on his first day of Year 2

Moving

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post.  To say that we have been busy would be an understatement.  Moving is one of my least favorite things to do.  I thought this would be a piece of cake since we don't even really have anything to move.  All we had to bring to our new apartment in Mosman (suburb of Sydney on the Lower North Shore) were the bags from the airport and a few items we bought beforehand (linens, dishes, and a few other things).  Plus, I have gotten to go shopping to buy a whole bunch of new things.  It sounds like the easiest move ever, right?  But, there are a few other factors in play: 2 crazy children who have not had structure in their lives for over a month and have spent WAY too much time together; stores that like to close by 6:00 pm; no family members around to help with some of the "little" things; I'm still not driving because I'm a chicken so I have to take the bus when Sean is at work and then you can only buy what you can carry while wrangling the 2 before mentioned crazy children.  

The beauty of moving

Mosman is circled in yellow.  Sean is working in North Sydney (less than 5 km away).

I should not complain.  Everything is falling into place.  We love the apartment and the area of the city we have chosen to live.  I have met a very nice neighbor that is also an American expat that is showing me the ropes.  She even invited me to her book club of American expats!  She has teenage daughters that the kids already love. Carter is currently getting enrolled in school and should be able to start Friday (the 27th).  Carter has even met a future classmate through our new neighbor.  Luckily, he and his new classmate got along great and Carter is excited to have a new friend.  We have a bed to sleep in, a TV with cable to watch, and food in the fridge.  I think Sean officially felt at home when he was able to get live Royals baseball through Apple TV on Sunday.  This isn't too bad for only living in Mosman less than a week.  The rest will fall into place.

I do think this move to Mosman has been the most stressful part of this journey for me.  The entire time we have been in Sydney so far, all I could think about was finding our "home" and getting settled.  But, then when the time came, I got very nervous.  We were anonymous travelers in a large city while we were living in our temporary apartment.  No one knew us and we could do as we wanted as though on vacation.  When we moved to Mosman, it became time to begin the process of reconstructing our lives.  Now comes the time that I have to create my Australian support network.  It is not as easy for adults to make new friends as it is for kids.  But, I know it is going to be crucial for me, especially since I will not be going out of the house to work.  I know it is all going to be fine though.  I'm actually off to a better start than I thought I would be.  

A rainbow we caught going over "The Spit" bridge

I will talk a little about this process of getting Carter into school.  Now that we are getting settled in our apartment, this is going to be my next big challenge.  I had to go to the local school with our relocation agent on Monday and fill out a bunch of forms and hand over passports, visas, lease agreements, etc., etc.  Filling out the forms takes longer than it normally would when I don't even know my own phone number and I have to consciously think about it every time I write the date.  (Aussies write day/month/year instead of month/day/year.)  Then, I have to make sure we have the money to pay the very large fee to go to public school here for the year.  Then, I have to go to the uniform shop at the school to pick out all the essentials for Carter's school uniform.  When I had completed all that at the school, I had to bring a form home and have Sean sign it so that I could overnight it today to the Australian government education department.  

Now, I have to start thinking about everything else for Carter to go to school here.  We went to the mall today and bought all black New Balance tennis shoes and a lunchbox.  Australian schools do not really do a hot lunch sitting in a cafeteria.  There is a canteen where kids can buy a cold lunch or hot finger foods for about $5-6 and then they sit outdoors to eat, or in their classroom if the weather does not allow them to sit outside.  Most people pack their kids' lunches.  Packed lunches have always been a hard thing between Carter and I as we rarely agree on what he should eat.  This could be interesting.....

It also seems like the school puts quite a bit of emphasis on sports.  Carter has even been put into a "house group" for sporting activities.  The entire school is split into 4 different house groups.  In fact, when we figured out he could start on Friday, the lady made a comment that it was just going to be a sporting day anyway.  I'm not quite sure what this is all going to mean to my creative boy that has not taken much interest in competitive sports to this point.  This could also be very interesting.....

One last note about the school.  I promise this is a public school.  They have 30 minutes of scripture on Thursday mornings.  You get to pick what you want your child to attend.  They offer Catholic, Anglican, Baha'i, Jewish, and ethics.  And if you do not want your child to attend any of these, they are in a supervised in a non-scripture group.  Yes, this could be very, very interesting.....

There haven't been very many funny moments over the past week.  We did have one occurrence that we did not think was funny at the time, but I see more humor in it after the fact.  The beginning of the story was actually last Tuesday night (April 17th).  Sean and I were running through Ikea trying to pick out all of our furniture before it closed so that it could be shipped to our apartment the next day.  It was kind of a stressful situation.  Sean had sweat rolling down his face afterwards, but we got it accomplished.  Well, fast forward to Saturday night.  It was our first night in the apartment.  Sean had been building our furniture from Ikea all day (since it comes in flat boxes).  He got around to making our bed at 9:00 that night.  When he finally got it all made, he went to put the wooden slats in the bottom.  They fell through the frame.  We had picked up wooden slats for a single bed, not a queen size bed.  We were so tired, we put the mattress on the floor in the living room and slept there.  We made a return trip to Ikea the next day and fixed the problem.  We love our bed now!!!

Sean putting together the bed before we knew we couldn't sleep in it that night.

The completed bed!

Picture of Aubrey in her favorite outfit.  Yep, pink goggles, Chiefs shirt, and Spiderman socks.  No girly girl here!

Another week in paradise

The past week has been pretty quiet for the Thoe family.  The weather was not very nice for most of the week. The temperature was low 60's (Fahrenheit), but it was mostly cloudy and had winds up to 22 miles per hour.  Sydneysiders were calling it a "blast of winter".  But, I wouldn't quite get my parka out over that.  The funny thing is, Sean and I both saw people in parkas with the full-on fur around the hood.  Yet, if my house/apartment did not have heat, like a lot of houses/apartments here, I would probably feel pretty chilled also when the low was in the 50's.

The kids and I have found a few cool things in very close walking distance to our temporary apartment.  There is a really nice public library just a couple of blocks away and we have went to a couple of story times.  And, right down the road from the library is an awesome park where we spent some time (when the weather cooperated).  We found out the time ti see movies is on Discount Ticket Tuesday, so we finally went to the movie theater in the mall across the street and saw The Lorax.  Carter and I loved the movie.  Aubrey thought it was kind of scary.  But, it is only the second movie she has ever seen in a theater.  We also went to see a puppet show of the Jungle Book.  The kids really enjoyed that.

Carter at the park near our apartment

Aubrey pretending to be a dog at the park

Carter "the actor" pretending to be upset he is in the pelican's mouth

Aubrey "the actor" is screaming for someone to save her

Waiting for the puppet show to begin

We have been trying to prepare for "The Big Move".  We will be signing the lease and getting the keys on Tuesday, April 17th.  We won't actually be spending the night there until later in the week.  We have the temporary apartment until the next weekend (April 21st).  We finally have all our bed linen, some towels to get us through until our crate arrives, and some dishes and silverware.  We are still trying to think of anything else we may need to buy to survive until our crate comes from the States.  The crate is also currently scheduled to get to Sydney on April 17th.  Then, we have from 5 days to 3 weeks for the crate to go through customs.  We are certainly hoping for 5 days!!!    

Yesterday, April 13th, was my birthday.  I have now doubled my age from when I was 18 years old.  How is that even possible?  Didn't I just turn 25 last year?  Friday was nicer weather outside, but the kids and I still had a pretty quiet day.  We spent 2 hours playing at our favorite park and then just chilled in the afternoon.  Aubrey took a nice long nap while Carter and I read.  Carter was engrossed in a Phinneus and Ferb book while I was re-reading the first book of The Hunger Games.  I almost enjoyed the book more the second time around.  I have not read the next 2 books yet, but I bought the whole trilogy for my Kindle.  I am very excited to continue the saga.  

Sean got home from work that night and was changing clothes so that we could go out for dinner.  I got a call from the front desk that a package had come for me.  I went down to the front desk to collect a beautiful bouquet of flowers and 6 cupcakes that Sean had left down there.  He always has to surprise me!  Then, we headed out on a mission to eat pizza somewhere near Bondi Beach.  We ended up finding Bondi Pizza.  I love how so many places have open air seating here.  Nothing quite like enjoying a nice glass of shiraz while feeling the ocean breezes.  Then, Sean was nice enough to take over putting the kids to bed while I enjoyed reading in my room with the door shut.  I know, I know, turning 36 is way more exciting than turning 21!!  Haha!!

The flowers from my wonderful husband

Carter and Aubrey posing near the restaurant; Carter "the actor" was the king of the pedestal.

Today, Saturday, was another beautiful, mostly sunny, mid-70 day.  We began the day at the Paddington Markets.  They are very cool, but we thought it would be a farmer's market.  Instead, it mainly was jewelry, clothing, and home decor. Fun to look at for adults, but not really for kids.  So, we didn't spend too long there.  We then headed up to Watson's Bay to explore.  This is the opening to the Sydney Harbour on the south side.  We could not get all the way to the peak of the peninsula because that land is a Royal Australian Navy base. But, what we did get to see did not disappoint.  We have now been surrounded by Sydney's beauty for 3 weeks.  Can beauty like this become commonplace when it is ALWAYS there?  This was a conversation Sean and I had today.  I mean this is the view from his office that he sees EVERY day during the week....

SERIOUSLY!!!  This is the view Sean sees EVERY weekday.  (Sorry that you see me in the reflection of the window.)

Anyway, these are some pictures from around Watson's Bay.  I also included a picture from the maps app on my phone that points out where we were.

The red pin is where we were this afternoon.  The blue dot is where our temporary apartment is.  The purple pin is where we went to the Paddingtion Markets this morning. 

I like to end posts with funny observations.  Today when we were in the car next to a bus we noticed this sticker.....

This begs to question, "Who tried to get on a bus through the window?" and "If someone was trying to get on the bus through the window, would they really stop because they read the sticker?"    

Carter post written 12/4/12

On Saturday we bought a car! The car was a ford car! We got a ford car because we really, really love ford! Our first trip was Bondi junction to mosman! It was really fun! The next day we went to a playground it was really, really, really, really, really, really, really fun! After we played at the playground Aubrey felt like she could throw up! So we went to a log and sat down with mum. Then me and dad went up a path then we went up a hill! There were a lot of really big rocks at the top of the hill! 

Then I walked on the rocks for a little bit then dad called my name: Carter! And we went to Aubrey and mum! Then me and dad Went on a drive around the park! Then we picked Aubrey and mum up and drove home.

Happy Easter!!

We survived our first holiday out of the States.  We did not celebrate quite in the style I was hoping, but it was a great holiday, none the less.  Saturday we got to pick up our new car.  A Ford Fiesta!!  I know, that doesn't sound like the MOST exciting car ever.  It doesn't have a huge motor, it's not a convertible, it's not 4 wheel drive.  But, we are so excited to have some freedom to go as we please instead of only relying on public transport.  It gets great gas mileage, it has more storage area than you would think, it's super safe, and it has that new car smell. Most people drive relatively small cars here, partly due to the fact that the gas price is around $6/gallon.  We have been having so much fun seeing Sydney from our own car.  I have also heard the word "recalculating" from our Garmin more times than I can count.  Sean has done pretty well getting used to driving on the left side; he has only went through one roundabout the wrong direction.  I haven't gotten the nerve up to drive yet.  

Here is it is!

We are so excited to have a car!!

Sean sitting on the right side.  

Saturday was not one of the best days we have had since being in Sydney.  We were excited about getting the car, but the rest of the day was not good.  I lost Carter at the mall and had to have security find him (because he just kept walking when Aubrey and I stopped to look at something).  Sean thought he lost his wallet.  We had to rush to the store to get groceries and Easter egg baskets because we put it off too late and the stores were going to close at 6:00 pm Saturday.  We got the groceries, but the Easter egg baskets are another story.  We have not gotten the hang of the shopping here yet.  There just aren't many places to get ALL your essentials.  I'm sure most Aussies go into a little shock when they go into a SuperWalmart or SuperTarget for the first time.  So far, Kmart has been our best all around store.  Unfortunately, though, it did not carry Easter baskets.  So, we had to just get normal weaved baskets.  Plus, we had no little gifts to put in the baskets because the kids are ALWAYS with me during the day and the stores do not stay open very late in the evening.  I did sneak out one evening to pick up some candy.  All the Easter candy is chocolate.  Cadbury is huge here.  But, I didn't see any Twizzlers, Starburst, Skittles, etc.  I didn't even really see many jelly beans.  We did try some Turkish Delight.  I remember reading about it in the book "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".  I didn't know that it really existed.  It was chocolate covered gelatin of some sort.  I can understand why it has not really taken off in the States.  Half of the bar we bought ended up in the trash (or I should say, rubbish).    
  

Carter and Aubrey's Easter baskets.  We will do better next year!

Aubrey on Easter morning

Of course, they were still excited Easter morning.  Carter woke up at 6:00 a.m.  By the time Sean got up at 7:30 a.m., Carter had eaten all of his candy except the big bunny.  He was pretty hyper for a a couple of hours.  We found a great church to go to Sunday morning, a Uniting church called Church on the Market Place.  It was just a few minutes walk from our apartment.  The Uniting Church is a denomination unique to Australia.  It has its roots in the Methodist religion, but then it joined with a couple of other Christian churches.  It was such a nice, little church.  It only has 100 to 150 members.  Everyone wears a name badge and every person we came in contact with was extremely welcoming.  We showed up early in order to get a seat.  That was not a problem at all and most people showed up just in time for the service.  After church, we headed to an Easter Picnic at an Anglican Church in Paddington.  There was free gourmet coffee for the grownups and the kids got to play in a bounce house, make crowns, and have their face painted.  We then grabbed lunch, played at a park, and went on a long drive along the coast. We saw many areas we want to go back and explore when the kids are not asleep in the back seat.  It was a great day all around!!

Carter after eating way too much sugar on Easter morning

The Leprechaun King and The Beautiful Princess

This is the largest spider I have seen yet.  It was in the park on Easter.  The web didn't really come out in the picture.  I would call the leaf next to it "medium size".  The spider with the legs is probably about the size of my palm.  I "think" it is a harmless garden spider.

I missed everyone at home, but when I got up the next morning I saw a message on my phone that my family tried to FaceTime (Apple's version of Skype) while I was still sleeping.  So, as soon as I got out of bed, I was passed around on my sister and brother-in-law's iPad at the my family's Easter celebration. I love to see everyone, but sometimes I wish the Face option could be taken out of this equation.  I don't think my family members will actually remember what I look like showered and with makeup on if I have to talk to them that early in the morning.  

As Sean was still off on Easter Monday, and the shops were back open, we decided to go furniture shopping.  After all, we would like to have a bed to sleep on when we move into our new apartment.  First, we headed up to the North Shore to a place my husband's co-worker recommended as the "home furniture mecca".  We looked there for a little bit before realizing that a normal furniture store just could not compete with Ikea.  Especially when we found out that a mattress could not be delivered for over 2 weeks.  We really are trying to avoid sleeping on the cold, hard floor.  So, off to Ikea we went.

Driving across the Harbour Bridge in our car.

We spent over 3 hours at Ikea.  They do have the play area for the kids, but unfortunately, an hour is the maximum time they can stay in it.  We picked out a bedroom set, looked at appliances, dreamed a lot, got some practical items, and the kids picked out a million different things they wanted.  We even did a little grocery shopping.  By the end of the 3 hours, we were pretty Ikea'd out.  We did not leave without injuries.  Carter stepped on some hammock chair thing and the top part of it hit him in the eye.  Luckily, it hit the outside corner of the eyelid or it could have been really ugly.  We headed back to "home" after another long, busy weekend. Have we really only been here a little over 2 weeks?

Aubrey writing down her shopping list at Ikea

Carter's injury at Ikea.  He is doing much better now, he just looks like he has purple eyeliner at the edge of his eye.

 This post is going to end on a fashion trend Sean and I have noticed here in Australia.  Yes, Sydney has a beachy, laid back vibe.  People walk around completely barefoot, even in a shopping mall or in the middle of Ikea.  They are not carrying shoes that have been removed because they were uncomfortable; there are no shoes in sight.  (I guess there is no such thing as no shirt, no shoes, no service.)  We have also noticed that Australians, as a general rule, are not very modest.  But, the most interesting trend to Sean and I are the women that look like they are dressed pretty conservatively, but have their bras and/or underwear showing through.  This does not happen accidently.  I'm talking about a polka dot bra under a white shirt, or something along those lines.  And it is not always young girls.  I see it mainly on women my age or older walking around with kids.  I could not resist taking a picture of this lady at Ikea that is a perfect example of what we are talking about.

Can you see what I see?

Okay, I can't leave the post on that note.  One more funny Aubrey story.  Last night she had a little scratch on her hand for which she demanded a band-aid.  So, I ended up putting a Dora band-aid on her.  However, when I went in to check on her after she went to bed this is what I saw..... 

Aubrey with her Dora "breathe-right" strip

Carter's 4-pack story

There are four stories to read! Yaaaa!    One time we went to manly beach! It was really, really, really, really, really fun! I was building a really, really big fort! The fort was so tall no water could get in it! It tock a long, long, long, long time to make the fort! One big wave knocked a lot of the front of the fort off! But... No water got in the fort! Then a little kid sat in the fort! But the fort did not break! The way the little kid got out of the fort with out breaking it is his dad took him out! Then I made friends with his big sister! Then her mum and dad started making a fort that water came in! Then my friend had an idea! We started throwing sand in to there fort in stead of water!


Then my friend's mum tried to tear our fort  apart but... my friend blocked her mum so her mum would not tear it apart! And her mum did not tear it apart! Then we started building it up more! It was getting so, so, so tall no water could ever, ever get in it! Then we messed theres up! Then me and my friends little brother both messed the fort up! Last it was time for lunch!

Next story!

One time we went to a big, big, big trail park! We started walking the trail! Then we found a playground! We played there for a long time it was really, really fun at the playground! My favorite thing at the playground was was spinning the little girls on the spinning circle! Then we ate! We ate sandwiches! It was tummy yummy! Then we went to find another park! Then we found a pond with a lot of black swans! We fed a lot, lot of bread to the swans! Then  we went on walking! Finally we cot a bus uhome! 

Next story!

One time we went swimming in our apartment! When I started swimming under water I saw a little black thing going to the bottom of the pool! I thought it was a funnel web spider! Then I ran out of the pool as fast as I could! I told mum I saw a black thing going to the bottom of the pool as fast as I could! Then I went swimming again! I was still really scared! 

Then mum came in!  She did not swim with us. Then later I got out of the pool! Later mom got out. That means Aubrey loves to swim! Then finally she got out! Then we went to our room and got our shirt, shorts, socks, and hat! 

Next story!

The funnel web spider! The funnel web spider can stay under water for a week and it will not come out till the week is over! How a funnel web spider can stay under water for a week is its hair forms a circle around it for a week! It has a stinger that stings you with a poisonous sting! But you will not die for hours so you really have time to get to the doctor! So whack your shoes before you put them on!      

Four minus one

Sean started work this week, so the kids and I are now on our own during the weekdays.  We laid pretty low Monday.  However, it is hard to just stay in a hotel room all day. Because, really that is what our temporary apartment feels like.  A large hotel room, but still a hotel room, none the less.  So, we headed out to the mall to walk around.  Suddenly, I thought, I'll take the kids to see "The Lorax".  Carter had already seen it before we left the States, but I really wanted to see it myself.  Since it was going to be a matinee, I thought it wouldn't be too pricey, right?  That is when I learned how expensive it is to go to the movies in Australia.  Each kid is $13.50 and I would have to pay $18.50 for myself.  So, to go to a matinee on a weekday was going to cost us $45.  No snacks, no 3D, just for 2 kids and 1 adult to watch a movie.  We opted to go back to apartment and watch some free television.

We have also tried to have a little bit of "school" in our downtime.  This usually consists of Aubrey writing letters of the alphabet and working on her Bob Books app on the iPad and Carter doing math apps on his iPod touch and writing about our adventures.  He has quite a long section that he is writing right now.  It will be included in the blog later when he feels he has completed it.  Carter has also tried to be Aubrey's "teacher" at times.  This actually works out pretty well.  As much as they normally fight and irritate each other, he loves to teach her things and she wants to follow his lead.  It is during those moments that make me feel like our parenting is not completely failing.  However, it probably really has nothing to do with our parenting.  But, I'm going to just pretend it does because it makes me feel good.  :-)

While the kids were doing school, I spent WAY too much time looking up poisonous spiders and focusing on the funnel-web spider.  I have learned that is one spider you don't want to mess with.  Unfortunately, Carter saw what I was looking at and is now deathly afraid of it, along with anything blackish in color that slightly moves. I know I am just an easily frightened American coming to Australia, but I am scared enough that I have decided we should probably live in an apartment/condo off of the ground floor when we move.  See, the funnel-web spider is a ground dweller and doesn't really crawl up on walls and such.  However, the males do go hunting for females at night and sometimes they come into houses during this hunt.  And, they have fangs that can perforate a fingernail or a soft sole shoe.  The good news is that no one has actually DIED from their bite since anti-venom was discovered in 1980.  But, you have to be rushed to the hospital and you are usually admitted for several days.  Yeah, I want NOTHING to do with that.  There is also the red-back spider that is pretty nasty, but it does not seem quite as ferocious as the funnel-web.  There are a few other less poisonous spiders and then there is also the Huntsman spider that is harmless, but as big as your hand.  Carter and I are still trying to get over our phobia of these spiders at the present moment.  We'll let you know how that is going at a later time.

On to lighter subjects.....I felt the kids and I were up for our first true adventure together without Dad on Tuesday.  So, I looked up Centennial Park since it is very close to where we are currently staying.  We headed out there and found out that it truly is amazing.  It is around 545 acres and has trails, ponds, a cafe, play grounds, etc, etc,.  It is absolutely beautiful.  After we had walked quite a little distance, played at a playground, and had lunch, I was thinking about heading home.  Then I saw a visitor information booth.  So, I asked the man working at the booth what else there was in the park that may spark our interest.  He said "The kids would probably love to see the black swans."  So, off we went to find the black swans.  I was not prepared for how cool it was really going to be.  Plus, one man there was feeding the swans some bread.  He was so nice and gave the kids several slices of bread to feed the birds.  Carter now claims this is his favorite thing that he has done in Australia.  The following 6 pictures are all in Centennial Park.  It doesn't look like we are in the middle of a large city.

Carter and the black swans

Aubrey, Carter, and the black swans

Wednesday was the house hunting day.  I was so nervous since I knew that we were on a pretty tight schedule to find a house/apartment.  Plus, Sean couldn't go because he had to work.  So, it was going to be me, the kids, and some relocation lady that I didn't really know.  The first few places were not anything that I was interested in.  It made me even more nervous.  They were all in the Balgowlah/Fairlight area.  This is an area we thought we would like because it is pretty quiet, has some nice areas, and is in walking distance of Manly Beach.  However, it would be a little tougher commute for Sean since you have to pass over a bridge called "The Spit" that can serve as a bottleneck out of this area.  From here we went on to look at properties in Mosman.  Mosman is a really nice area that is known to be very family friendly. It is closer to Sean's work, but also seems busier with traffic and such.  The properties there were more what we were looking for.  There was one apartment in particular that I fell in love with.  It is a nice, clean, modern apartment.  Plus, we would be able to walk to Carter's school, as well as the grocery store and the mall.  We put offers in on 2 houses and the 1 apartment.  I would love to show pictures of these properties, but I didn't really get many good ones.  I did include the link to the apartment on Facebook, but now that link is probably gone.

Thursday was spent with Sean and I on pins and needles.  We found out immediately that we lost out on one house, but we expected this since we underbid it by quite a bit.  We found out that we very possibly may be out on the other house.  So, all our eggs were in one basket.  Luckily, that one basket was the apartment that I loved.  We spent all day waiting.  Finally, at 4:30 in the afternoon we found out that we got it!!!  We were so happy!  So...move in date is April 18th!!!  Now, I hope Sean likes it as much as I do since he has never actually seen it.  

Today is Good Friday.  Easter is a big deal in the States, but NOTHING like it is in Australia.  Earlier this week Sean found out that he got Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off of work.  The kids and I were excited that we would have him around those days, but we did not think about what else would be closed (like stores).  This morning he tried to run over to the mall to grab us some coffees.  The entire mall is closed.  The grocery stores are closed.  Almost everything but a few restaurants are closed.  They open up for Saturday, and then everything is closed up again on Sunday.  The thing to do on Good Friday is go to an Easter show (a big carnival).  We decided to go to the Sydney Family Show, one of 2 large Easter shows in town this weekend.  The day was perfect; sunny, 79 degrees, with a light breeze.  After enjoying the show, we walked back home (probably about 2 miles) so that Sean could walk through Centennial Park.  The kids were pretty tired by the time we got home, but they were troopers.  We had a great day.

                                 

                                                                                              

Carter belted into the bungee jumper at the Easter Show

He went high!

Aubrey in the bungee jumper

Aubrey eating a new Easter favorite: hot cross buns!

Now, we have the rest of Easter weekend to look forward to.  We will miss seeing our family this weekend, but we will create our new traditions here.  We are looking forward to picking up our car tomorrow.  I found a church for us to go to on Sunday to celebrate Easter morning.  I will end the post with a little story about Aubrey.  I was talking to the kids about the meaning of Easter this morning and how Jesus died on Good Friday.  Aubrey looked at me in shock and cried, "Why did Jesus die?  He is my favorite!"  I love that girl.   

What a week

Where to start......

This has been a very busy week.  My brain is overloaded.  We have definitely had our ups and downs this week.  I've had some of the best Asian food I have ever eaten.  I may become a sushi convert yet!  I have found a store that I would love to spend a very large amount of money in once we get settled in a more permanent residence (Bed, Bath, and Table).  I already bought a few items there that I could not resist.  I also love Ikea, but that was a given.  We finally made it out to Ikea Friday afternoon.  Sean and I found out that Ikea has an area to drop your children off for an hour while you shop at the store.  AN ENTIRE HOUR!!!  We were almost giddy from the excitement of actually getting an hour to ourselves.  It was a win/win situation because the kids played hard and got some serious energy out.  We bought a car that will be delivered in about a week.  Carter celebrated his 7th birthday in a cool, new place.  We have traveled many miles on buses, trains, and ferries.  I am figuring out Sydney's public transportation.  I will admit that I am getting a little tired of using public transportation, but I am figuring it out.  And the beaches.....there are no words to adequately describe them.  

We were all crabby on Saturday.  We woke up that morning and headed to the Rocks.  It is a historic area close to the Sydney Opera House that has a large market on Saturday mornings.  It was a gorgeous day.  There was no excuse to be crabby. Yet, we all were.  Perhaps too much time together?  So, after lunch, Sean and I grabbed some coffee and got on the bus back to Bondi Junction.  However, Aubrey was asleep when we hit Bondi Junction, so we decided to just keep riding.  We ended up at Bondi Beach.  We found a little playground looking out over the water.  All of our moods immediately lifted.  The scenery, the smells, the overall laid back vibe.  It was exactly what we needed after a stressful week.  

It felt so good that we decided to get up first thing Sunday morning and head to Manly Beach.  We had a fantastic time at Manly Beach.  We found a great place for the kids to swim with a shark net around the area and small waves since it was in the harbour (instead of directly in the ocean).  Other families gathered in this area.  Carter found a girl to play with and Aubrey loved showing off her swimming skills.  After a week of swimming almost every day in the pool at our temporary apartment, she can now swim by herself with just floaties on her arms.  It was awesome.  

Then, we started the long journey back home.  We opted to take buses back to where we are staying instead of the ferry.  We wanted to stop in a couple of areas and do research for our search for a home.  To make a long story short, after 3 buses, 1 train, and 4 hours later, we made it back to our temporary apartment.  It ended up being a very long day.  We are all feeling very tired tonight, as we do most nights.  We have had some really long days.  It was the end of daylight savings time here in Sydney this weekend, so we fell back an hour.  We have now underwent our third time change in less than a month.  

Sean begins work tomorrow.  I feel it is really the beginning of my days as a stay-at-home mom.  I feel I should cook something really good for dinner tomorrow.  Maybe now I will finally start cooking for real.

Carter with one of his birthday presents; an interactive globe

Carter blowing out the candles on his birthday cake

Aubrey swinging (her favorite thing to do); Bondi Beach in the background

Carter on the ferry to Manly

Carter and Aubrey at Manly Wharf

Carter with his first Australian "girlfriend"

Aubrey showing off her new swimming skills

Just something for my friends and family in the States to think about- If you ever wake up in the middle of the night and you feel as though you are the only one awake in the world; you can text me. You can send me a message on Facebook or iMessage me.  These are free from the States to Australia.  I will be awake.  If you wonder what time it is here, just add 3 hours (from Central time) and switch am for pm (for example, 7:00 am Sunday morning in Missouri is 10:00 pm Sunday night Sydney).  This conversion only works until Daylight Savings times change again, but it works for now.  As I know no one in Sydney yet, except my little family, my Facebook goes dead around 2:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon.  It starts to perk up again about the time I am getting ready to go to bed (10:00 at night) as my friends/family at home start waking up.  I love Facebook and the ability to keep track of people, but I kind of miss you guys during those hours.  And, of course, it is always the evening hours I want to hear from my loved ones.  Yes, we are having a good time, but I miss you all.