December in the sun

I am trying to get back at writing again after taking a little time off.  December has been a month of a lot of ups and downs.  We have experienced some great times in the last month and it has been busy with holiday festivities.  But, it is not quite like a Northern Hemisphere Christmas.  I have been trying to go with the flow and enjoy the holiday season here.  And, I have appreciated many things about an Aussie Christmas.  However, there is still that little kid buried deep in my subconscious that is yelling "This is NOT right and I want MY Christmas traditions!".  So, I have kind of been at battle with myself.  I think my torn feelings are actually getting a bit better now that Christmas is upon us.  I have come to terms with a few things:  1. It is a beautiful holiday no matter where in the world we are.  2. Our family is still close to us in our hearts.  3.  It is hard not to feel happy when you have two kids that are so excited it is almost oozing out of their pores.  Excitement like that is contagious.  

Since I am so behind in my blogging, I am going to play catch-up a little bit. I'll give you a quick tour of our month.  Sean caught a nasty flu for the first weekend of the month and Taronga Zoo has a dinosaur exhibit up for the summer that Carter had been dying to go to.  So, Carter, Aubrey, and I set off for the zoo on a hot December day and left Sean at home to rest.  It was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  We did get a little sweaty, but we had a great day. 

Carter and Aubrey posing in front of one of the dinosaurs.  Throughout the zoo there are life-size dinosaurs that are automated and make sounds.  

Carter and Aubrey in front of yet another amazing view from the zoo.

Can you find the kids?

Since we didn't ship very many Christmas decorations, we had to get a new tree and ornaments here.  The kids and I decorated the apartment during the middle of the next week.  It is really nice that the kids are now getting old enough to be a big help in the decorating process.  

Carter and Aubrey decorating the tree

The end result!!

My favorite Aussie Christmas decoration; a koala nativity set

On December 9th, Aubrey and Carter got up in front of church with all the kids and gave a little Christmas concert.  

During the following week, my friend, Diane, taught a class on chocolate making.  In the picture below we were learning how to temper chocolate.  It was a fun evening and we got to come home with lots of treats to share with family and friends.

   

We had a few holiday parties to attend.  One of which was Aubrey's playgroup Christmas party on the 13th.  It was an awesome time of festive food, music, face painting, a gift exchange, and a visit from Santa. 

We also had to get some exploring in for the month.  So, on the 16th, we went driving on the south side of Sydney.  We did not have a specific destination in mind when we went driving in that direction.  So, we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered we were near the original landing place of Captain Cook when he discovered Australia for England in 1770.  

The blue dot is where we live and the red dot is Captain Cook's landing place on the south side of Botany Bay.

An obelisk erected in Captain Cook's honor

Closeup of the plaque

This is a photo of Botany Bay when standing in front of the obelisk.  

Carter finished Year 2 at Middle Harbour Public School on December 19th.  All reports were good and he has had a great time at Middle Harbour.  We are looking forward to 6 weeks off and then Year 3 will begin on January 30th. Carter is anticipating his sister joining him at school next year.  

We went down to Balmoral Beach after school.  There is a tradition of the Year 6 "graduates" from the local primary schools to jump off the dock in their school uniforms.  We got down there to catch the end of the excitement as the kids were jumping in.  It was a great afternoon to relax at the beach on the official start of summer vacation.  

The kids in the yellow shirts and black shorts on the dock are from Middle Harbour.

Aubrey after playing in the water.  She absolutely loves the beach.

This is the kids' photo with Santa.  As usual, Carter got on Santa's lap with no qualms whatsoever.  Aubrey, on the other hand, is forcing herself to stand next to him.  She could only get that close by having a tight grip on Carter's hand.  We are making progress.  At least she isn't crying.

  

Merry Christmas!!!

                      The Thoe Family