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.