Crossing over

So we crossed that ocean again. Saying it like that makes it sound rather un-dramatic. Which in some ways it is I guess. But I really did enjoy having 3 kids who could manage themselves so well on a 14-hour flight. But it's still so long. 

As we land, no joke, Laura says, "I kind of want to land and I kind of don't." [what, you kind of don't?!!] "Yeah, well I like all the movies." [duh.]

This was them after the flight, racing down the escalator. Stellar travellers!

Nick said he wasn't going to sleep on the flight, 

so when he was the first to succumb, we had to prove it!! 

This nephew pretended to be too grown up for a hug. Not likely!

First day in America and we went fishing and watched baseball games. Of course.

That's my nephew Nathan up to bat!

Next game, next nephew Ryan batting!

Making daisy chains at the park was totally Jake's idea of a good time!

Way better than Skype!

Must.Get.Aunt.Jenn.To.Do.A.Heart.Braid.

My grandpa. Love him.

Met up with this lovely lifelong friend for dinner, and we showed up 

in such similar shirts. Kinda funny/creepy, hey Jenn?! 

What a gramma's gotta do, a gramma's gotta do.

Caught: 2 boys enjoying Sleeping Beauty with Laura, hehe...

With my parents, my sister Jill, and her fiance John

With my sister Jenn on my birthday. Can't remember the last time I had

my birthday with her. Such a great time.

Unaccompanied minor

I just booked this 8 year old kid:

On his first solo flight. 

What?!! 

That's crazy, I'm sure he's too young! 

He's been saving to pay his portion of the fare (the 'unaccompanied minor' fee), and he has enough now. 

It's only a 1 hour flight, and he has flown a few times before, so no biggie. 

But it is big! 

He's going to see this friend:

Oh, but whoops, that's not them now, this is them now:

The days can drag, but the years always fly by!

Skype-saver

How good is it that these kids can be goofy 

and loud with their cousins on Skype! 

Sypke the lifesaver. 

Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but look at those 7 cousins - on the other 

side of the world and they could all put their silly faces into 

the same screen and mess around with my three on this side of the world, showing their exchanged Christmas pressies, pulling monkey faces, smiling cutely, and whatever else could fit in the screen.

And so for a few precious [crazy] minutes, 10 cousins were staying in touch. 

Bang, Skype-saver.

2 adults, 8 kids

All these people stayed at our house a few weekends ago!

Well... minus the dads [mostly] because they had a boys weekend... 

...so that makes 2 adults and 8 kids.

And thanks to

- a treehouse

- great weather

- sprinklers

- junk food

- 4 pairs of same-age kids

These 2 adults actually had quality time together! 

Amazing, isn't it. :)

School x3

How fun to have Grandma and Grandpa here for the first week of school.
Not sure why we didn't get a picture with them and the kids to prove they were here!!!

Dad making pancakes on the first day of school. Go Andrew!

Nick looking too grown up, off to his first year of school. 

3 full days a week. Sheesh.

No Nick isn't a midget, just a goofball!

He's taken to carrying backpacks for the others.

Here he has all three.

Such an enthusiastic smile, gotta love him being the big kinder kid.

Nick said to me today, "Now that I"m at school I have to follow all the rules cause it's my school too." Like which ones? "Like no shouting or spitting." Yep, that'd be a good start!

Grandpastreehouseisawesome

Yes it's awesome. Awesome the way Americans say it [aaaahhh-some], not the way Aussies say it [or-some], because Grandpa built it of course!

Before the kids cut their windows.

Inside

Windows being cut

Love the branch coming out

Complete with little mushroom-picnic table out the front

Do you think they love it?!!

Thank you Grandpa for all your hard work and 43 trips to the hardware store to buy things we should've had and communicate with Australians who didn't understand you and tie things to the roof of the van with the cool knots that I really should have learned to do too. :)

And thank you Mom for all your help around the house and taking care of C for me so much and watching the kids while Dad and I made another trip to the hardware store. It was a lovely break and I miss making you more cups of tea than you could drink!

Mom and Dad I loved having you here and wish you could hang out here and do life with us more. But then I'm the one who moved away and you're the ones who have to come all this way, and you do it more often than I would have ever thought you would. So thank you.

Hello!

Hi, long time no see! 

We're just enjoying the end of summer, 

too much sun to come inside and blog... :)

Well, too much laundry and all the rest as well, 

but let's just say it's the summer sun that's responsible!

Grandparents and the last of school holidays

Little C wriggles till she gets on her tummy. Then sleeps really well!

The kids' school holiday games around the house have been fun to watch

How could I have thought that all those stuffed animals didn't have a purpose...

 Dad's been commissioned to build a treehouse. So far the best quote has been Nick's. When some of us were going to town, Nick chose to stay with Grandpa, saying very seriously, "I'm staying because otherwise Grandpa will have to do all the work!" 

Stay tuned for the final pics cause Dad doesn't build stuff halfway!

I'd like to say I've been cooking gourmet for my parents (best of intentions not followed through), but I got out a bunch of everything and Mom made a gourmet Asian crunchy noodle chicken salad. Yum!

 Our bird Bella loves having more people around who like her.

As we drove to Bruny Island yesterday it was pouring, then bright and sunny when we got there, so gotta go for a walk on the beach!

Holidays.Are.Fun.

Australia Day on the Gold Coast

Girls getting toenails painted

Dreamworld theme park fun (fun for kids, grandparents mostly looked after the baby!)

Waiting at the airport, kids perused the books in the bookstore and sat in high chairs! 

Shh, don't tell the bookstore! :)

Opening Christmas presents from cousins and grandparents. 

The anticipation is oozing from Laura!

Yay for orange Lego!

Littlest is very proud of having something very grown up that no one else has!

How can we make the time slow down? 

Small things

Sometimes it's the small things that make our two countries different. 

Like the average car size. 

Or the size of the drinks here. 

It's pretty hard for them to accept that they paid the same amount 

for half the quantity as in America and no free refills here!

Welcome to Australia Mom and Dad! 

Lunch at the beach to welcome them here...

To the 3 weeks ahead, please go oh-so-slowly!!