Who We Are...

2012-02-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

I dont know if I will ever get used to this lovely view. On this particular eveing I caught a glimpse outside as the sun was making the skyline look like it was on fire. It was beautiful and the picture can never do these things justice. Its awesome. And this is perfect time of night also to see the ginormous bats fly around as they wake up. One of our family's favorite evening activities. We will miss many of these things one day when it's time to leave.

Toilet Talk

2012-02-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Some people call it the toilet, loo, and even the porcelain throne

Dont worry this post will have nothing gross to see or be squirmish about. Just thought I would take some time to share some of the things that are different round these parts of the world that are every day things. Lo and behold the Aussie toilet. And random bit, when you need to go the bathroom or restroom as we most commonly call it in America, it is always called the toilet here (I have every once in a great while seen a sign say "restroom") It's always toilet. It was a bit odd to me at first not quite seeming proper enough but quickly learned that Aussies have a completely different style of communicating (they shoot from the hip and no one takes offence, it just is what it is) and so it makes sense. Now looking at the above picture you might not notice anything different from any other toilet........let me point out a few things.....

This is the way you flush the toilet. Its almost always on top of the toilet or in some public toilets on the wall directly behind where its pictured above. Some have the flush styled a bit differently but there is one thing that remains the same. A half flush and a whole flush (ours happens to be the small moon or big moon, ah how fitting). I absolutely love this concept and think it is something that would be great to integrate back in America. It is environmentally "greener" and just is practical. Cause really when you make a 'wee' as the littles call it here you don't need a big flush and other times a big flush will do just the trick.

The one thing I dont like about the flush is in public bathrooms the buttons are still up at waist height and you cant flush with your foot like you usually can in America, yuck!!!!! And yes many times their public facilities are just as nasty as ours as far as parks and big places. The shopping centers are not as bad and usually have a family bathroom which makes it a bit easier but that is one thing I hate about this flush system. I dont know if it has to be that way or not, but me no likey.

This is the toilet bowl, who notices the difference...................barely any water. Yep initially I thought smart cookies you aussie's and well I guess it is smart. The country had been in drought for so many years that all these changes including the flush had been made to help with water use. Showers were limited to 4 minutes a day and you could be fined or get in trouble somehow if you were using too much, and you could only water your garden or yard if you collected the rain water and used that. So yes, this was a great change to their system to help. Unfortunately Queensland had major flooding last year but since then the drought is over.

Back to the toilet, that little amount of water means lots of phantom skid marks and washing to toilet way more often than any homemaker would ever love to do. I mean I dont know about you but cleaning the toilet is not my favorite chore of the house, but that may just be me. Toilet brushes are usually kept in every bathroom er toilet, and must be thrown out more often. So all in all there are things I absolutely love about these here aussie toilets and things I very much dislike. Every time some one comes over I have to run into the toilet and make sure there are no marks that need scrubbing because that little amount of water even my 3 year leaves phantom marks.

Something is better than nothing

2012-01-30T03:10:00.000-08:00

I am not one to make resolutions at the new year. But each year I do reflect on how I am doing in life. I do make goals, sometimes at the new year and sometimes at different points in the year. When we moved to Oz I really wanted to focus on being a better parent, in the avenue of focus and structure. I realized pretty quickly after the move that I would spend a lot more time alone with Erik here than I did previously, we are not as close to our friends like we had been in Claifornia where we could just walk to someone's house. And so I know that for both him and I it would be good, not to mention I knew some parts of my life NEEDED some organization and a specific direction to aim toward to help me grow and be better.

Back in the states January marks the middle of winter, holidays are over and sales kick up knockdown prices on organizational things of all shapes and sizes to help people kickstart their resolutions. I know its summer here and the school year just started. Our school supplies sales just went on, not nearly like what you find back home but I was impressed for what I normally see here.

So with a few rainy weeks where it seemed you could literally take a bite out of the air it was so thick with humidity and not wanting to step out into it, my natural mindset of organization time, and just some projects I have had in the back of my mind I got going. Many of these things I have wanted to do for a long time but of course in my mind my visions are intricate and perfectly cute and decorative and of course I dont have time or resources necessarily to do that. I kept putting things off waiting for that perfect day when the stars would align......and of course that didnt happen.

I wanted to make a really cool potty chart for when Erik was ready to help him be motivated. Well he blew that fish out of the water, he surprised us one day by deciding he wanted to potty train, I was stopped dead in my tracks and didnt have anything prepared, and you know what that sweet little man of mine taught me something.............something is better than nothing in a lot of circumstances and that snowballed into many other projects to just get something done. I feel weight lifting and freedom from my guilt and happiness. Thank you Erik for teaching me I dont have to be perfect, I dont have to be super mommy, I dont have to do everything like they show on pinterest, I can just do something that will work well for us.

This is our little board we use for preschool stuff. In my perfect world, it will be modpodged with cute paper, there will be a weather section, a scripture, and other things to incorporate into a morning circle time type routine. For now its perfect to hang a gospel picture, some family faces, and day of the week. It sits behind his table where we often do some school stuff.

THis is where all of this beauty started, I made this potty chart on a when we decided that we didnt want to load Erik with tons of sugar for going potty. And actually the chart motivated him better than candy because he could see his progress. His goal was to fill out the chart and if he had it filled out by friday at lunch we would go to the shop and he could pick out a car to buy. Worked like a charm. If he filled up that day and still went potty more then he got candy. Not fancy like I had invisioned, not complex, just a 30 second draw it up, slap it on the back of our front door kind of thing. He loved running to it and picking out a monster sticker(luckily I had those on hand), and putting it in the box. SUCCESS.....oh how sweet it is sometimes to be simplistic.

This is something I made over the weekend. This is another thing I have in my mind pictured and although I dont see it clearly, it should be cute and fun. The product I made is cute and fun, not anything like I invision but the program is now in place and I can tweak or change things as we go. I figure it is better that we have this in motion now than waiting forever for the right time to make a perfect chart/program and never getting it off the ground. So we started a chore system with Erik. He has grown so much lately we felt he could handle this extra concept. He already has jobs he helps out with and so I just structured it around those and this will evolve as he gets used to the program and gains more responsibility in the family. I simply printed a blank chore chart from many options here and downloaded this font to print out the pieces. I chose super heroes that I knew he loved and recognized. Well ok he didnt know the flash, but we told him about his Uncle Alex being fast and liking the flash and showed him some you tube clips. The "x" pieces are just markered pieces I colored and put up because he doesnt have that chore on those days.

The program we have in place right now is to put up "stickers" velcro pieces up upon completion of the chore. I also made the jobs velcro pieces so I can easily change them up. Each day when his chores are done he earns a little bit of money to put in his bank. Eventually I dont want his chores tied to money, I want him to know he has responsibility in the family regardless of pay, and he can earn money for extra chores to save, spend etc. But for now they are linked. He has already asked if he can buy a few things and we told him he needs to save his money, so I know this will be great. And now we can start showing him tithing in action. I cant believe he is old enough to learn these things, but he is such a sponge that I want to take advantage of while I can.

Here is the front of our fridge, I have major images in my head of how I want this to look, right now it displays art and work Erik wants to show his daddy when he gets home from work, a calendar, pictures, shopping list. This is something to be organized soon, but at least I have some key things on there to have an idea of spacing.

These are frames I have had sitting around and wanted to do something with, finally figured out how I wanted them hung but obviously need to fill a couple of them.....but now they are at least on the wall and not cluttering up my floor or precious storage space.

This is a constant work in progress. This is our linen closet, and no you will not see any linens in there other than our beach towels. This is a bit overwhelming space but honestly I just organized part of it last week and was amazed at what I could fit in there, get rid of, etc. It feels good. Eventually I would like some linens, toiletries in there. But really it is the perfect closet for all our extra stuff that we dont need out but need to store.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a family counsel and Lindsay set up this bulletin board, we filled it out with each member having a different color marker, family events in its own color. Our family goals and to do lists. Also our saturday chores are listed and honestly this board has been amazing. It sits on top of the book case in our master bedroom and Lindsay and I just write, change things as needed. LOVE it!

so all in all I have been doing small projects here and there, nothing major but we are getting more structure and routine which we need. In turn our house is becoming a house of order, we are all happier, we are all more productive and it just feels good. So this month and hopefully throughout the year I am learning.....sometimes something is better than nothing, just put that first foot forward and take the step. I am not a perfectionist really but I still have to remind myself sometimes that I dont have to be the professional interior designer I dream to be or see on the web, I can do simple things that will work awesome for my family.

2012-01-29T04:50:00.000-08:00

Uploading the video og christmas morning was workng but taking for.....ev.....er so that was a no go. Sorry! I even tried uploading to another site and it was the same.

But thats all right we will just move foward, it is nearly february after all. So Erik and I are doing school more and more. I would like to pick specific days and times, but I havent pinned that down yet. We do it when I take the time to prepare things or when we are really restless I pull some things together. He LOVES it which has helped me try to stay on top of keeping things planned. This day he really surprised me with a multiple step project. First we dot stamped strips, then he cut the strips - his favorite part by far. Then he glued them onto a paper....that is where he started to lose interest, we didnt get that many glued onto paper, and admittedly I ushed him a bit more than normal because I really wanted to get at least some down to send to grandparents. All in all I call it a success though.

Very attentively cutting

One night I walked into the bathroom to find this scene. I asked Erik to tell me about it and he told me that his cars were protecting the shower for the night. He had done this on his own....I love how his imagination is growing, its so thrilling for me. I often find his cars lined up these days, he is getting to be quite a little organized little man and is so helpful with chores and things.

Erik helping defend the shower

This is his posing and flexing his arms stance. So funny! We definitely have a ball with this kid.

I am so excited that I get to teach him at home for preschool like things. I have gotten all sorts of ideas, and while we will work on academic things, my goal is not to make him the smartest kid or reading before he heads to kindergarten. My goal is to simply aid him in his discovery of the world, take advantage of his curiosity and help to instill good habits and values. I know he is young but why not show him how things can be done and be fun or interesting and instill a love of learning to help him get through his educational years.

I am really excited. We will do other social activities like play groups and we are looking into doing a gym class. He is a very social kid and he gets lots of compliments of how well mannered and behaved he his. Yes I am tooting my little man's horn, he deserves it....he has been working hard at this experience called life and doing it well. He has adopted many good things. THats not to say he doesnt throw fits, ask us why a billion times a day, or disobey, he does, but in the grand scheme he is doing mighty awesome. Some days I take things hour by hour and some days I dont want to end, thats life with a kid who is learning emotions and how to cope, what things are or how they work. I have been entrusted to be his nurturing guide and I want to do it to the best of my capacity. I will not be perfect, but I will keep at it and try better each day.

christmas part III

2012-01-25T01:53:00.000-08:00

Heres to hoping we can get christmas all covered in this post so I can move on to other things going on. I know I could interject other thoughts in between but I really just want to get the holiday on here and move forward. Seeing as we do have a rather fun birthday coming up next week!

So while down in Surfers they had a santa set up and you could take your own pics and there was no charge or anything, it was quite cool actually. Santa sat in a boat pulled by Kangaroos. Erik has entered a phase where he decides to be ultra shy at times and sometimes a bit anxious when attention is directed to him by a stranger. He had already gotten official pictures taken with santa this season so it wasnt his first encounter but for some reason he was really hesitant to say hello. We told him we would go up as a family. He decided to cuddle as close in to my neck as he could while in line.....can't really say I was minding, I love it when he cuddles up into and makes me feel needed and nurturing.

So we went up as a family. Mind you this was on a whim, we didnt plan this outing, we were walking back from the beach to our rental, thus the togs (or swim attire for you americans). Erik was still not having it, trying to squirm away.

And then we stopped posing and started talking, this is him explaining what he wanted Santa to bring him...at the very moment the picture was taken he was saying, "um...golden eggs." Yep my son was asking for golden eggs from this year, that is all he wanted and would respond with that every time. Might have something to do with the fact that Jack and the beanstalk is his favorite story, Easter this last year was his first holiday he understood and got excited about (easter eggs anyone) and his favorite candy is a chocolate kinder egg. He love eggs! So a golden one....duh mom and dad that would be the cherry on top.

Christmas eve we arrived back home from vacation. I ran to the shops to get food for the next few days (mass chaos, not something I will ever plan to do again), then we went swimming, and came in to open an ornament and pajamas. It might have been only 4 pm but come on Christmas is exciting! I think I was more excited this year than anyone, well until Erik realized it had arrived. He got an ornament with a "cocky" on it, he loves those birds. We even had one on top of our tree (it was a golf head cover) and now we have a new permanent tree topper that suits our family just right.

placing the ornament on the tree....every time he placed one, it went in the.exact.same.spot. I didnt move them but there are about 10 ornaments within a three branch radius, mostly his favorites, like the airplanes and things. I also found cars and planes hidden in the tree when I took it down, such a boy!

Awe, our tree. I added the bird and ribbon this year. I wanted to make our tree look just a bit fancy this year since we didnt have much space to put out decorations and that would be the major thing. But I dont have space to store things either, thus ribbon was perfect....fancied things up a bit, stores easy and small. This was christmas morning after Santa dropped off his goods

Our stockings filled with Christmas crackers and yes Erik was blessed, he did receive 3 golden eggs as a matter of fact. What a good little boy!

We left tim tams out for santa with some milk. Santa was nice enough to leave a thank you note and a bit of biscuit. Erik thought that was the coolest to get the note and to finish off Santa's treat!

And like I said as parents we were stoked this year. The magic really came alive for us again. We woke before Erik and then went in and actually woke him up to record his

reaction. Normally I probably would have let him sleep but we needed to be done and ready to go to church by 9 so we woke him up around 6.

I am going to try to upload the video we took of him waking up Christmas morning...cross your fingers.

holiday part II

2012-01-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

So movie world...Erik's two favorite rides are the kids bumper cars (he would literally ride it all day if I let him, he just gets off and gets back in line) and the regular drive cars....do we have a little boy on our hands or what? Waiting in line this time was hard for him, the first time we came every one was in school and it wasnt busy but this day was summer break and although they moved quite quickly he had a hard time not wanting to cut because he wasnt quite understanding the concept of waiting behind people for something so exciting. But he did well. There was another older girl at one point, she was probably 8 or 9 and totally old enough to know what she was doing who was trying to cut in front of EJ on a ride and both Lindsay and I had told her that our little guy was in front of her and she needed to stand behind him (EJ was a bit clueless to be able to stand up for himself), and yet when it came time to get on she jumped in front and he happened to have the last slot for the ride, so she got on and he had to wait for the next group to go. HOnestly I wanted to tell her off, I tried to watch where her parents were debating to say something-nicely of course like next time you really should let the little ones go first, but she ran off to another ride, no parents in sight..mmmm.

Waiting in line again, while eating a snack. He just looked over and realized I was snapping up pics of his cute little face.

he was hanging all around I just thought this shot was cute....ignore my mommy mushiness.

Bumper cars...ready-steady-GO! He did much better at handling the cars this trip than before and maybe next time he will have grasped the hand and foot at the same time coordination.

Driving his car around the track...in hog heaven!

I know the drill kiddos, hands up, latch down, soar into the air and rock it to the music with mom down below!

Erik really loves swimming and in the last month has really advanced in his skills. He does NOT take lessons (yet at least) but we just work with him on different things we think would be fun or beneficial for when he does take lessons. Water wings really gave him confidence in the water, sometimes I wondered if it was a little too much confidence, fearing he would jump in without them or without an adult present. He did pretty well. During this trip he started jumping in to where Lindsay didn't have to catch him, he would completely submerge and pop up with Lin right there and then swim back. We worked on really kicking hands and feet to move and the boys would race. Upon return Erik realized that since going under was ok and he could hold his breath for a couple seconds he could do other cool stuff. Now he doesnt use water wings, he gets torpedos off the pool floor on his own where he can stand, dives for them in a bit deeper water with Lin pushing on his back to get him down and then EJ popping off the bottom to come up, he also tries to swim on his own where he can stand under the water and will jump in without water wings and then we guide him back (he doesnt move fast enough to keep himself bouyant). He has become a little fish!

to be continued....

Christmas Holiday Part 1

2012-01-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

I preface this post with telling you that I am not trying to drage our christmas a month late and into 50 posts, no blogger didnt want to keep uploading our pics. So I will put this in a few different posts highlighting our holiday leading up to Christmas day and the "BIG" event. It will make me want to pull my hair out a bit less. Sorry if this drags on. I realize that sometimes reading every detail of my life isnt always the most entertaining but we do live quite far from family and this is a way we get to stay in touch so sometimes posts are more for them and some are more journalings of my thoughts....which may or may not be entertaining....you decide that and keep it to your self!

We were lucky enough to score one of the Australian rental apartments down on the Gold Coast at Surfers Paradise for the week leading up to Christmas, we got to leave on Christmas Eve and that was great. I didnt have to plan a bunch of activities while we eagerly anticipated celebrating such a fun holiday (some days I think I was the most excited this year), although spending a week at the beach doesnt exactly make it feel more festive....oh well! We invited along another family to stay with us and we had heaps of fun!

The first full day there, our guests hadnt arrived and we were anxious to explore the area. We found an awesome park (Honestly I havent really found one I didnt like) that had a man made lake in the center you could swim in with exercise gear along the path going around so you could circuit train along with playground equipment = Awesome! Well towards the end our walk, Erik tooka spill...not uncommon...he is quite a clumsly little fella. But he was un-con-sol-a-ble for TWO HOURS! Oh my goodness, we thought we were missing an injury like a broken foot or leg or something the way he was carrying on. But no just a totally skinned knee and the sight of his own blood. We finally forced a band aid and then laughed hysterically as he walked with a limp because he had a band aid on. If the band aid was off or covered to where he forgot about it he walked fine, as soon as one went on or someone asked him about the owie, back to whimpering and limping. I am hoping we can help him cope better as he gets older.

Showing his owie

we have a park hopper pass to a water park, theme park, and sea world down here and they are close to surfers so we tried to get in some visits during the week. It was nice to go with friends too so that we could take turns watching kids to go on the big rides. Here EJ is wolfing down a sausage sizzler (hot dog)

His favorites were the wave pool and the lazy river! Other than his traumatic skinned knee he really is quite a happy boy.

We took a little break towards the end of the day to let the other couple go on a ride with their oldest daughter, the little one was anxious about his parents leaving him so I was holding him and rocking him. Erik was unsure of that at first but then happily played near me.

We had a great picnic at the park that evening for dinner. Most the parks around have electric grills and so we had taco bar...mmmm...I miss mexican food....like the REAL deal. We are too far from mexico to have anything really good here, but there are a couple of places to do all right in a pinch.

One morning we took off to the theme park named Movie world. This wasn't Erik's and mine first time, the first time we came is where Ej's interest was sparked for Batman. He we are watching a car show where they do all sorts of stunts and cool things. There was a little old woman of a different nationality who kept standing at the cool parts to take pictures and honestly it was ticking me off. We would miss it, cause she would stand. Myself and others kept yelling over and asking her to sit so everyone could see but she wouldnt listen. Of course my husband who is the calmest man on earth didnt really care but man we were literally packed in there like sardines. They kept asking us to squeeze in and make room, it was a hot day, add humidity, add more hotness because of all the concrete and the practising cars (*totally off side note, if I start spelling my words differently, especially replacing s with c and vice versa it because that is how aussie's spell things and my brain doesnt remember which is the correct version anymore, somethings up there are starting to go to mush and I am sick of trying to keep the two cultures seperated). It was HOT! But the show was fantastic.

They even drove three cars on two wheels for a bit.....way cool!

And that is where blogger/our Oz internet left me hanging on uploading photos. And so we will continue this together in part II. See ya then

A morning at Southbank

2012-01-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am guessing that over the next couple of years you will hear a lot about Southbank. It is by far one of our favorite places aroudn these parts. It is super easy to get to from our house. Oftentimes when Erik and I are sick of each other (did I just say that? well I would be lieing if didnt admit to that, sometimes we just start to push each others buttons couped up in our little house), or on the weekends when we are bored we seem to find our way here. The pictures below are not all of what southbank entails, there is also a man made beach, a different pool area when people can swim with cool rocks around it, a playground, bbq's to cook, different little gardens, food court, and a multitude of other things.

One morning, when I knew it was going to be hot and I didnt have much planned for the day I decided early on to head there before the crowds and before the heat got to be too much. This is part of the kids splash pad type area, but way cooler than any that I have seen.

Below you can see there are little humps that sprout water, it's on a slant that runs into kiddie type pool that gets deeper in some spots but mostly Erik can walk across it. On the other side are dumping buckets overhead and stairs. (to the left...off the picture). Erik is in the hat and his friend that happened to be there at the same time is in front of him.

The water that spits out of the bumps changes and moves which keeps it exciting. Then below shows Erik standing in big yellow circle. Its a map of the river system of the area with different sprouting water. Behind Erik and to the left a bit is a concrete walrus (you can only see the tail) that kids can sit on, but watch out because at some point in the cycle it spits water onto you!

The boys fascinated by all the ants (they are EVERYWHERE here)

A happy little man

We LOVE Southbank and it will definitely be a place that we hold dearly in our heart and will miss when we leave Oz.

Remember this was december....CRAZY but so nice to have a summer after so long without one due to our moves.

Christmas time?

2012-01-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

We knew this last Christmas would be weird and weird it was. Not because the meaning of the holiday changed or anything, nope it was wrapping our head around the fact that it was christmas time. So weird to have Christmas in the middle of summer!

This is a rnadom pic that really has nothing to do with Christmas but it shows just how Erik is at this point in his life. Sometimes we wonder if we should just take his bed completely out of his room to give him more play space. We always put him to bed in it and we ALWAYS find him laying like this or on the floor. And if you ask him why he wont sleep in his bed....the response is one that will melt your heart. Grandma's are you ready for this little nougat of sweetness?

Erik's response is that he sleeps on the floor like Daddy. Now to most of you I realize that this doesn't sound oh so cute, but for those who have had the pleasure of Lindsay hanging out for a duration of time to watch a movie or when he is tired know that he always prefers the floor, no pillow, and sleeps best that way.....odd but true. Erik looks up to Lindsay sooooo much and wants to do everything exactly like him. When Lindsay is around he prefers daddy to do everything from change him, hold his hand, bath him, feed him, whatever he would need an adult help with...daddy it is. This is another way he feels like his daddy. And thus he prefers the floor to his mattress.

This partciular picture was after we went in one night to put him back into bed (we do every night when we go to bed), he often turns his lamp back on and plays for a bit and then falls asleep....noting the hand on his car.

So back to Christmas.....since it was hot, sunny, and not seeming like Christmas at all, I put up Christmas decorations and things EARLY to have them around as reminders.

Below is an activity advent that we did. We werent great about doing it every single day but Erik loved picking out activities on the date and following through with them. Some were really simple like send out christmas mail to grandparents, picures with santa, watch a christmas movie, have a family sleepover, and we had a blast. We didn't have to think of 25 things either because one whole week we were going to be on holiday on the coast and so that made it more doable, next year hopefully we will be a bit better.

WE also did a christmas book advent. I also didnt have 25 books but was completely fine with that, I will continue to gather a few each year. So in theory he should open a new christmas book each day to be read and enjoyed but since we had 8 I think, we opened one every few days which was great because then we could enjoy reading the new one for a while before the next one came along. It was a blast and so fun, Erik loves books and it was a fun way to continue to instill that reading can be fun. Sometimes people are amazed that Erik does so well at sleeping while we travel and I honestly think that part of it is because of books. Sounds strange, but I ALWAYS pack 2-3 books and we read them before nap and bed everyday and its a trigger for him and no it doesnt trigger him to sleep because books make him fall asleep, he often asks for more. But its something that is easy to pack and keep consistent through the chaos of traveling.

This was the night we had our family sleepover as our activity. We didnt actually end up sleeping out in the living room but we enjoyed popcorn, a movie, and some fun family time. Erik loves it when we pull out the hide-a-bed so he thought it was spectacular!

Other than that we talked a lot about christmas, we had the little people nativity set out on the coffee table to be played with at will and talk about the story of Christ. We went to a Christmas party at church and Lindsay played his guitar and sang, it was awesome! The one thing that found odd, other than not needing to dress in layers, and the ability to breath without seeing our breath, and all the winter smells (that was really odd) was that we noticed that we didnt hear as much christmas music as we would back home. The stores and shops usually played it as it got closer but we hardly if ever heard it on the radio and it was just weird.

But all in all our first christmas here in Oz was major success. I was worried about being really homesick but I was ok. The trip back in november was great for that and I was excited that since we wouldn't have lots of family things to attend that we got to make up our own agenda and start some new traditions. And while I wouldnt want to be alone every single year, it was good this year. Going back home I hope to find a new balance of things for our little nuclear family mixed in with all the family activities.

More December happenings coming soon!

Random rant

2011-12-30T03:26:00.000-08:00

I interrupt the regular report on news and events and ongoings of our families to rant a bit about Oz....now honestly there are so many days where I think someone needs to pinch because I can't believe we live in such a beautiful and awesome place. We get to see so many things and are just in aplace where some people only dream about. But some days some things just get to me....our area is quite behind the times with some things compared to the states.....one thing that just chaps my hide sometimes....the internet. It is slower and when everyone is on it it slows even more or doesn't work. Like on christmas day when we were trying to call on the computer back to our families. I will not sit and complain more because we could all complain about a lot of things. But there is so much more to be thankful for....just had to rant a bit. And thus it might explain why I hesititate to update more often. Although if I really stayed up on the happenings it probably wouldn't cause such a problem.

Rant done...thank you

Washington trip

2011-12-29T03:16:00.000-08:00

So getting back to our hometown was quite the ride. We had an awesome couple days flying. When we landed in Seattle we still had a 6 hour drived ahead of us. We were debating staying overnight and driving in the next morning or driving through the night. We decided on the latter. My throat felt a bit scratchy but just thought that maybe it was because of all the recycled airplane air and going from a humid climate to dry. we drove through the night, arrived at my parents house and all slept in late the next day. My throat was killing me. I was disapointed that maybe I was getting a cold. As the day wore on I was freezing and sitting by the fire my dad had made, everyone else was warm and super cozy....I had a fever.....blah! I was bummed...there were so few days we were going to be with family and I didn't want to be laying on the couch like a potato for those few days. Through the night I got more sick, vomiting, and the next morning my throat worse than I have ever felt. I went to the doctor and lucky me.....I had strep throat. Then I was worried Erik and Lindsay were going to get it, that would be bad news. But luckily I got antibiotics and some good nurturing from my mom and I was well on my way to recovery. Well to be honest it still really hurt to eat, talk, swallow, but I didnt want to let that hold me back.

So onward and upward....Erik and his grandma made cookies

I sat with my dad and went through some family history documents

Erik was a bit of a goof

Then we went to Lindsay's family's house and Erik reunited with his bestie and cousin Zoey. They played the piano and she tried to sing but got very frustrated that Erik was loud and obnoxious while she was singing sweet church songs.

This is her scholding him for his boyishness....how cute!

Lindsay got to meet a nephew that Erik and I got to meet earlier in the year when we were here. Landon is exactly what I imagine a son of ours would look like if we had a biological child. Is it not blaringly obvious to everyone else that these two look alike? Even Landon looks like Lindsay did as a baby. It was fun to see him interact this trip.

The two after a long day of playing and craziness settled in for a movie. These two were so comatose sitting there and Erik was obviously very relaxed.

Lindsay enjoyed a game of Jenga with his youngest brother and they got it all the way until they basically won. There were no more levels to build or take away from....pretty impressive

We had a thanksgiving celebration with both sides of our family which was so nice even thoguh it was early. Haley did the turkey and was a bit unsure about pulling things out of the carcass.

The twins again

It wouldn't be a thanksgiving celebration without some relaxing

Wendy and Isaac.....and we met her newest baby Summer for the first time this trip, unfortunately we didnt take pictures of her sweet face.

The adult table feasting! It was so much fun. These are the major pictures from the trip but we also did some shopping and lots of hanging out. We spent some time with Lindsay's fmaily and even got to visit with his sister and her family one night. Ahhhh, it was such a nice trip. Well then Erik got sick vomiting one night which wasn't very fun but no strep throat...well until we got home...Lindsay got it then which is a whole other story...

To get home we it took us more days than we anticipated. To make a long story short.....we spent a few days waiting in Seattle....flew to Hawaii....spent a day there....flew to Sydney...stayed a night there in a historic bed and breakfast that was over a hundred years old.....flew home. It was one big awesome adventure. And I am only saying that because now it is over and I dont have to worry about how many more nights we will have to pay for a hotel or where we are going to sleep or how to get a ride where we need to go. Hindsight is always 20-20 so they say.

Best flight ever

2011-12-06T12:29:00.001-08:00

So back in October Lindsay came home one day and told me that he had a trip coming up. No big deal this is a normal occurrence. I was a bit surprised he was telling me so early because normally he wouldn't know that far out (3 weeks), well ok sometimes he does but it always seems like I find out last minute. I like to prepare mentally for all these things so I was glad to have the insight early. He recieved a few phonecalls from people about the trip through the week when he was home from work for the day that I thought was a bit odd, but still didn't think anything of. Then about a week later I got a sweet message from my sister-in-law that spilled the beans (to her credit......she did NOT realize it was a surprise for me). And Lindsay could have easily covered up the slip up but decided to explain. He was setting up a trip for our family to fly back to the states for 10 days! And not only the states but the plane was supposed to be landing in Washington...all we would have to do is drive from Seattle to Spokane and we were home free (and pretty much literally).

That is where the true adventure began

This story in entirity will be done over a few because it was a long fun jam packed trip with lots of twists and turns...er..adventure!

Just in prep for the trip which we wanted to keep as a surprise for our families (other than Lindsay's brother and his family who knew) we ended up telling everyone due to trying to gather everyone together and some people were on trips that we wanted to give the opportunity to come home to see us, etc. Anyhow... we finally packed our stuff, had our shopping lists of what we wanted to bring back from the states, lists of the things Lindsay's co-workers had already been sending to his parent's house for us to pick up afterall there are perks to flying on a military flight. Such as the weight limit for you baggage is more lenient than commercial and for this particular flight we could pretty much bring back whatever we wanted on the plane. Our only holdback was fitting us and the stuff back in the car to get it to the plane. But we were excited.

We woke up super early one fine saturday morning in Australia and drove to the base. Everything was in order and good, we even took off on time. We were stoked that we would be free to roam the plane to play and had heard they would bring cots out to sleep on partway to the flight. The plan was to stop in Hawaii and stay a night and then continue on to Seattle. Fair enough.

We took off, and about an hour later we heard over the intercom that we had a "bird strike" and needed to turn around land, have the jet checked out and then re-evaluate take off. We were fortunate at this point that the bird that we obliterated hit the side of the plane. and not an engine. The base took care of all they needed to for the bird strike and we were allowed to re-take off without too long of a delay.

I was still a bit nervous about all the flying with a two year old...did I have enough toys...kid friendly snacks....entertainment....battery life on our electronics...etc,etc.

The flight was the best I have ever been on. Turns out they did set upthe medic cots for us and we all took turns sleeping. Erik slept a good amount in his car seat and then I moved him to an open cot to extend his rest out some more. The food was better than any plane fare I have had, we could stretch way more, lay out, and Erik is obsessed with planes anyway and so he was in heaven. He played, slept, and played some more....such an awesome traveler-totally made up for some of his crazy days at home :) My whole plan for the trip since it wasn't going to be a real long trip was to just let our bodies adjust how they wanted...no fighting jet lag or too much adjustment....I just wanted to enjoy family and feel rested with all the days of travel I knew we would have (little did I know how many travel days)

And finally we ended in Hawaii, landing just after midnight. That was hard just because nothing was open and we weren't renting a car to drive anywhere where things would be open. We got a taxi to finally come and get us-he took forever....took an hour and half to get to our hotel room.......should have taken 20 minutes-maybe.....drove to the room which was a 5 minute drive (luckily the cab driver was a very nice man, just slow and confused) only to have our keys not work. Lindsay saw another passenger we flew with in his room and ran out real quick to use his room phone to call the front desk. So then we waited another half an hour for someone to give us a key that worked.

And you know the first words I heard out her mouth (I do know it was late, and it looked like she had been awakened for this service call but still-hospitality please?) were "Don't you have a car to come get the keys?" in her young crabby voice. I replied calmly and sincerely..."no, we just flew in and came in a cab, we do not have a car parked here." Although in my head I was thinking " dont you think if we had a car we would have driven right over so that we could have had the key in less than half the time it took you to get here...I do have a two year and its now 2 in the morning? But I was nice, which took her aback and she changed immediately into her nice sweet self which I am sure she is most of the time and let us in. We settled in the best we could and slept for a few hours before waking and needing to get up to catch the next flight.

We walked with Erik riding one suitcase down a ways to a McDonald's or Makka's as they call it in Oz that we had seen the night before so we could use their wi-fi to call my parents via skype to update them and let them know we arrived and tell them what the next leg should look like.

***TIP**** when traveling into a foreign country where you don't have a cell phone plan...buy a PREPAID PHONE as soon as you can, that would have saved us a lot of stress early on. Eventually we did buy one on our trip to help out with travels home but it should have been one of the FIRST things we did.

We made it to the base and onto to the next flight with a few hours delay (and no way to tell the rents) and landed at 12 am Sunday morning. There was a bit of drama once we landed at the base in Seattle because their passenger terminal was closed on the base for a few days and there was no way for us to get from the flight line to the front gate where my parents had been patiently waiting for us in the dark info wise. We talked a young airman that drove the crew to take us there (He will receive blessings) and we reunited with family. So our saturday was lived two days in a row and we continued to drove through the night to get back to Spokane 6 am Sunday morning. Crazy and exciting! We had made it!

Quick home tour...

2011-12-04T18:33:00.001-08:00

So there is nothing ultra fancy about our little unit....other than the fact that we call it home and we are in love with it. Yes, it is cramped...yes, one more room would be nice just to store things.....BUT we know from experience it is a rare occassion to find a perfect home even when you are looking to buy. We all know we can't have our cake and eat it too, there is always compromise. We are lucky to have secure parking that is covered with visitor parking. So everything that we would store in a garage has had to find a spot in our unit...well ok, mostly out on the balcony. Our home is still a work in progress, we have purged a lot, continue to purge, and are so much more thoughtful to what we purchase, it's been quite nice actually...in more ways than one!

Below is the balcony. I need to figure out how to take better pictures of it. Our dining room set is out there, a day bed, our huge metal shelving with most of the clutter (I "forgot" to take a picture of that so you won't see the major clutter), and stroller, bikes, and other modes of transportation...a la ttrike and scooter. It is big enough for Erik to ride in a circle around but also we have pathways in our common area of the complex to take him down to as well.

The day bed (with crap stored beneath). I will say that just since these pics have been taken things look different. But those pics will have to wait for another day. The bed is large enough that if you took off the cushions its like a twin size bed but longer. Totally comfy and awesome in the beautiful weather.

The kitchen, we love the countertops (aka.."benchtops" in Oz) and overall like the kitchen. We do have a lovely pantry next to the fridge that is really deep and I am actually having a hard time figuring out how to fill it correctly because I hate pulling things out from behind, but I will figure it out. The oven is small...couldn't fit my largest baking sheets in there nor my pizza pan...so got rid of some of my large cooking items (we are getting to that point anyways, with most our stuff being almost 10 years old and wearing out, so we will treat ourselves when we move back...IF we need it. It's been amazing how much we realized we could live without. Our fridge is small as well but there is a larger spot for it. If I had the hindsight I had now I would choose a larger fridge just due to the fact that the humidity makes everything moldy so FAST, I mean SO FAST! I keep nearly everything I can in there. Especially bread! But we lucked out with buying it off the guy who moved out of our unit and we didnt have to move it, so I am NOT complaining....what's the saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"....yeah I really like that saying.

The view of our main living area from our bedroom doorway. You can see we have bar stools at the counter. The three doors you see are from left....laundry, entry, and small broom closet. OUt of the picture on the left is the main bath and Erik's room. We have amazingly big and beautiful windows but they all sit on the same side of the unit so back in the kitchen can seem a bit like a cave on some days. I am just glad our windows are so huge and beautiful!

Opposite the couch

The couche and entry into our room, a linen closet, and the balcony..Sweet thing....each room has their own sliding door to the balcony....well ok, if I could keep Erik from trying to come through his when he doesnt want to nap :)

Our serene master bedroom, with a little maniac bouncing around

To the left of the above picture is the walkway to our "walk through" closet. On one side is a "built-in robe" as they call them here...or as most of you would know- a closet with sliding doors. On the other side is our new dresser that I absolutely love from IKEA. and then you walk through to our bathroom or "ensuite." There I just taught you some more Aussie lingo without realizing I was going to.

Our laundry room. I can't tell you how stoked I was to have not only our own laundry room, but have it in our unit. I hated having it in our garage in our last house. The complex provided the dryer, we bought the washer from the previous tenant. I will tell you that majority of washers/dryers here are about half the capacity of a typical american appliance. You can pay top dollar for larger capacity but it's not common. Plus our unit would fit one anway....what does that mean you ask? Double the laundry. But I would rather it be how I have it now, than a large capacity in my garage...is that crazy? I LOVE having laundry in my house and it helps me stay up on it better. Plus there is a door I can shut....DOUBLE BONUS!

Erik's room, he doesn't always keep his toys in his room, but he DOES help clean up quite well. Since we have paired down he knows that each toy has a home and where it belongs, he knows how to put his books away and where most of his clothes go. He is such a good helper. It's hard to tell in the pic but behind where his fan is, his room is really deep. There is a cut out alcove that has been great for storage and things. Ideally I would love to set it up more as a structured play area, but we are ways from that, so for now it's great storage.

across from Erik's bed is his dresser and his books have actually moved in front of the closed shade by his sliding door to help block his mind from trying to go there...plus Santa may be bringing something that needs the spot next to his dresser...but we will have to see what the leves have up their sleeves.

At the end of his bed are the toys that we have out at any given time. I have been really good about rotating toys here. And I really got choosy with which ones I kept and which ones I thought he has grown out of. Those we donated to friends, sold, or to donation centers. It's been hard to get rid of so much knowing we may have another child. But we have really taken on the mantra of only keeping what is absolutely necessary. In the event of another child we have a car seat, pack n play with bassinet and our bottles, the nice burp clothes and few other basic needs items. Luckily our new nephew has most of Erik's old clothes in rotation in his closet and will be kept in strage at his house, but toys and young books will have to be rebought along with a few other things. Oh well, we are happy as clams without the clutter.

All in all, I have realized this little unit is perfect for me as a homemaker. Yes one more room would be nice for space. But I am not a fantastic housekeeper and this unit has helped me get better and better because its easier to clean and quicker. I am hoping that I will train myself so well that when we go back to a larger dwelling I will keep on with my new habits. And I have also learned, I don't think I ever want a really big house. I think I am happy with a small home. We can make do when visitors come, no doubt about that, so this unit has taught me quite a lot...Thank you to our little happy home!

slow and steady wins the race

2011-12-01T19:31:00.001-08:00

I am obviously way behind on updates with our family. We have had a lot of sickness and trips and just overall life happening lately. Instead of trying to take the time to do one post with all the updates (which I will never get the time to sit and do in one setting) and overwhelm myself. I am going to start just posting a few pics with brief updates until I catch up until present days.

So Halloween was a blast. We had a few different parties to attend. We weren't sure what to dress Erik up as, he loves his dog costume and pretends to be Simba from the Lion King, but I was leary that it would be far too hot for our weather. Plus the biggest party we went to was going to have a bouncy castle and trampoline among other things, so I knew he was going to get hot and sweaty on top of the warm weather.

Luckily a few days prior to Halloween we went to an amusement park we have passes for and found a great batman mask and cape. Erik is starting to get into super heroes and I thought perfect, he can keep the stuff for pretend long after the holiday ends. We added rain boots (which he demanded to wear every day for at least a week following Halloween deeming them his batman boots) and I quickly made a batman shirt out of hot glue and felt on a white Hanes tee. Voila, our little crime fighting hero.

The night was beautiful and since Halloween isn't typically celebrated here the family who set up the party had a route of 7 houses of willing participants to hand out candy. Perfect number for Erik!

at the shindig. Lots and lots of people, lots of un, and yummy food.

Need I say more. Erik actually wore his cape and mask one day (over his eyes even) on our walk to the shops and I am pretty sure he made at least a dozen people's day. Nearly every car that drove by smiled, well ok the drivers. And he got lots of comments, and he just added his funny personality to the mix by singing the batman theme song and walking with his arms a little bit back to make his cape fly better. What cutie. This one has a lot of personality I tell ya

In the thick of things

2011-10-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

So we all feel like we are "in the trenches of life" right? Life just keeps getting busier and crazier with more things to do in a day than are realistically possible, not to mention the crazy expectations that most often we put on ourselves. Going back to the basics is hard but so refreshing. Right now I feel like I am in a really good and happy place in life. It's really chaotic and crazy at times, I am often tested to my limits but I also know that my role as a stay at home mom to my young son is the absolute best possible thing for him and our family. It's pushing me way beyond my comfort zone in some areas but I know that is good and keeps me from feeling stagnant. In today's world with the technology at our fingertips it's hard not to compare myself to other "super-moms" out there who appear to get it all done and well at that. I have to remind myself that we all have different strengths and I don't see the whole picture.

As I navigate through this time in my life I sometimes have to unplug and remind myself that I am creative and crafty, that I am doing a good job in my roles in our family. That although I am not perfectly patient with Erik all the time....I am perfectly his mom. I could handle to improve in many areas but I am learning as I am going. I am learning about him just as he is learning about our world and about himself. I often feel at a loss but also know that he is turning out to be a fine young boy and that I am working at it the best I know how.

I will admit that having a little boy in our house gives me a run for my money. So much energy, so little attention span, so much rough and tumble, but so many smiles and belly laughing. This is but a small moment.................I really REALLY really want to cherish it, and have to remind myself of that when my patience all but ran out by 9 am on some days. My mind is definitely not wired the same as a his and I just dont know how to get through to him sometimes. Which is why I am so grateful that Lindsay and I make such a great team because when he gets home from work, the baton passes and he who makes the coolest games, forts, and anything boyminded walks in the door....I am all but forgotten unless a drink or food is desired. I love it, absolutely. Although I wish I could delve into their brains better for the day time. I wish I was the one with the attention span for the boy minded fun stuff. Playing boy things to me is just hard and really stretches me, if I must be completely honest. I just dont quite grasp it. I understand that it's important and good to explore with him and do all the things that boys love, but sometimes it's " push comes to shove" type of thing. I do it and hope I do it well enough to give him the outlet he needs.

But I am excited that I get to teach Erik preschool for the next couple of years. I think it will help me give more purpose and structure to our days, it will help Erik in obvious academic and attention span levels (have I mentioned that our little guy has so much energy its amazing....not so much hyperactivity as just pure energy). One academic year of preschool here is more than I paid for college tuition....thus I will be homeschooling Erik until he reaches school age. We will supplement social skills and things with some sort of fun classes like gymnastics, swimming, etc. I am quite excited as I mentioned and have been having fun gathering ideas and sorting things out in my mind.

So hand/foot disease is gone. I have been busy filling my small pockets of time looking up information and thus have left the blog a bit lacking. I apologize....Erik would love to sell you some of his toys in his market and scan it through his register if you are interested. He is a great business man!

As I prepare for teaching him at home....I asked on facebook already but if any of you have ideas on how I can increase his attention span or the best way to teach a highly active child..... I am all ears. Maybe he is not so active as an only child = I am sole entertainer and he doesnt want to do much on his own. That may a more appropriate statement.

Squirmy eyes BEWARE

2011-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Now before you look at these pictures be warned that they are gross and I am quite embarrassed to share them but it is life and thus it brings interest right? Or maybe since I am in quarantine I have nothing else to share with you.

SoI am guessing a good number have heard of the common childhood illness called..."hand foot and mouth disease." And if you have experienced this in your house your children were absolutely miserable and wouldn't eat and cranky. Now this is as I mentioned a childhood illness....most of the time adults don't contract it because they are already immune.

Now let me share my story...we have just moved (ok we have been hear nearly half a year now-CRAZY!) to Australia. My brother who is a pharmacist warned me that when we moved we would probably get sick quite a bit in the beginning even with all the shots the military mandated on us due to the foreign country having different strains of viruses and bacteria. --- well the good news, we always need to look at the silver lining right. While usually I prefer Erik to be sick rather than me, just due to the fact that I can take care of him easier than if I am sick and trying to entertain a two year old...I am so glad I GOT SICK this time. I got the hand foot and mouth disease and I am glad. It is PAINFUL! I have new empathy for all little ones who have it. I dont want to eat although I am starving.....due to this monster sore (among other ones not pictured)

I don't want to utter another word by the end of the day because it hurts to talk, and drink, and swallow, BUT at least I understand what is going on and can force myself to do what I need to.

These are not great pictures but these are pics of what the little blisters on my fingers and feet look like. They started out as red dots and are now turning into small blisters. They itch a little but are sore to touch. I am hoping they dont pop-that is one way the virus spreads and thus will keep Erik from getting this nasty bug.

There is nothing I can do for it, but just wait it out at home so I don't infect anyone else. Funny thing is, there are a number of nursery kids from Erik's church class with it, he managed to escape it and I got it. NOT complaining this time, I can't imagine taking care of him in this much pain. Especially since I otherwise feel fine, I have full energy and would eat a horse if it didn't hurt so much. So this time around although I am really suffering, I am so glad I got sick. Hoping the symptims will go away soon so we can get back into play dates and the normal fun we participate in. And just so you all know this disease is NOT the one linked to livestock. Has a similar name but is different.

Hoping none of you ever has to experience this virus...or your poor little ones.

Tips for those who inevidably will..

-Don't force the food, it hurts and there is nothing more your child wants than food...It's like being teased.

-Don't pop the blisters

-Popsicles although not healthy feel really good on the mouth sores

-As does yogurt, although Swallowing hurts

-Don't force any talking

-lots of hand washing can help keep it from spreading and keeping blisters covered if they do pop

-excuse the crankiness, they really dont want to be cranky

So you all enjoy a nice outing while we chill out here in the apartment waiting for the day we can explore again!

oh where oh where does the time go?

2011-10-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

(this pic has nothing to do with this post but is the logo on Lindsay's new jet)

Seriously people I don't know where the time goes. Each day I wake up and by the end of the day I feel like I am exhausted and ready for bed but there is still so much to accomplish. Maybe that is because as I am working on becoming the woman that I want to be, I am more aware of things that need attention as well as goals that I have set for myself.

Life is so much faster paced here, and while I love it....I am learning a new balancing act. I often feel like I am walking a tight rope trying to figure out what I want to do, what I need to do, what my family wants and needs, etc. Erik is constantly growing into new phases and stages and trying to figure out the best way possible to parent him is always on my mind. I know there is no right way to parent....but I am really trying to figure out his personality and his needs so that I can be the mom that will help him reach his potential the best. Being a parent has such a greater scope than I ever imagined. I love to see him thrive and achieve and when he is proud of himself it makes my day (even if sometimes he is so cleverly naughty and I have to walk out of the room and gain composure before I head back in to discipline). He has the ability to go so far and I want to help him see his potential and give him the necessary tools and skills to get there.

We are constantly on the move whether we are leaving the house or not. Our little man is not one to stay too focused (I am working on it) and he loves imaginary things so we are constantly acting out stories, pretending to be different people, and perform different tasks with objects other than what they were intended for. I love that he is willing to do short arts and crafts projects and gets so excited to show linds his work when linds walks in the door.

I am happy that our little apartment is starting to really feel like a home and a place where our family likes to be. I love that Erik has been laid back enough to go with the flow when I drag him all around town on public transport or walking around running errands. He knows the bank girls by face and asks to go there sometimes (more on that later). I love that our family is spending more time together doing simple things in the evenings.

And I am really starting to find that I am enjoying time in the kitchen. when dinner time rolls around I am not always fond to get going but I am starting to bake and reaching out into avenues of cooking I was previously too scared to try. Maybe it's because just moving here I have to constantly convert measurements into the metric system, and there are many more diverse cuisines here, and just different items available or not available.

Speaking of diversity I take Erik to a nursery rhyme class at the library when i can and about a month ago, the woman leading the class had us all introduce ourselves and our child. Turns out in that room we had families from Norway, Japan, China, India, America (that was us!), Denmark, and of course Australian. Erik is definitely used to seeing people who look way different from him here and it's great! Although a lot of the asians in the touristy parts of town have never seen blonde hair, let alone as blonde as he is. They always want to take pictures and while Erik is a rather outgoing kid, once he realizes all eyes are on him he clams up and so we have to be careful about what we call his "paparazzi."

So that is a basic post, hoping to catch you up a bit. More to come soon!

winter rolls into spring

2011-09-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

This wouldn't be the first time we saw a balloon fill with air and take off over the city at sunrise here. And yes, we get up at sunrise nearly every day. I don't especially like getting out of bed that early but I do enjoy feeling like I have the whole day ahead. If only I could get up at that time and little man would oblige us by sleeping in a little bit later. Ah, well I guess we cant have our cake and eat it too. Erik loves it on the mornings when we see the balloons or "boonas" as he calls them in his sweet toddler language. His vocab is expanding all the time and it is fun to here him experiment with his words. On sunday morning we were waiting for the elevator (lift) so that we could head to chuch and he was saying one of these new words. It tooks us a few tries and realized he was asking for chapstick "chatick" for his lips. So cute. And speaking of elevators it was such a weird thing to go from riding one every few months if I was lucky to mulitple times a day to get to our unit. The not so fun thing about it, we have had to fire alarms go off where we had to evacuate our building. Mind you they were not drills (the alarm system in the other tower of our complex has been having issues), and they were at very inconvenient times of course. But the hardest part is carrying a 30 pound child up and down all those flights of fire stairs. Lets just say I got a great workout!

Father's day was this last sunday here in oz, and we celebrated with the best of them this year. It was going to be a busy weekend and so I got everything ready earlier in the week. I had asked Erik what he wanted to get his daddy for a gift. He thoughtfully put his fingers to his lips, tilted his head to the side and took a moment before saying...."TimTams." Perfect I thought...a favorite family treat, a great price tag, and so thoughtful from his little heart. So on thursday we went to the shops and bought things we would need for the weekend as well as the timtams. We also headed to the craft shop so that Erik could pick out some things to make a cute card. He decided on a foam space ship and alien stickers. Awesome! So on the car ride home I was trying to explain to him that we needed to wait until sunday to eat the treats, that they were daddy's and that it was a secret. No telling daddy about what we got. Erik is a smart little cookie, he understood most of it and even knows what a secret is........his downfall............being too excited and telling his secret. So Lindsay gets home from work and some of the first words out of Erik's mouth......"Daddy timtams!" We couldn't help but laugh. The next morning we made the card. Afterward I put everything including the card away with the hope that by the end of the day he would forget about it and it could be a surprise. While I was fixing dinner that night, I looked over to Erik whispering in Lindsay's ear, I asked what he was telling him and lindsay asked if his card had anything to do with spaceships. To Erik's credit he was secretive in telling his Dad about his gifts. Not sure what the plan of attack will be for Christmas.

Saturday as part of the Brisbane festival, there was the annual River Fire. This is an event that happens in the evening along the Brisbane river. Fireworks are shots from three main locations downtown on the river whilst (while) also shooting from the skyrises, a laserlight show happening simultaneous along with the music and fireworks. We staked out a spot early on and throroughly enjoyed the experience. At first I thought.........this won't beat the fireworks in Bayview, ID where we always go at home where the land makes a natural canyon and they have the coolest unique fireworks. But with the lasers, music, and high rise it really was better. During the day there were various entertainers walking around and these two ladies were blowing massive bubbles. As you can see Erik was a bit timid at first, but soon he was running all around chasing them.

Out staked out spot among the masses, we got prime property at south bank. And the nice thing was there was absolutely no alcohol allowed on that day at the festivities, and there were people checking bags as you entered, and if you have water bottles that were unsealed you had to throw them out. It was nice knowing we wouldn't be dealing with drunk people at such a large public gathering. However some people obviously watched from other place downtown or partied afterward and there were a couple of deaths from people falling off their balconies. So sad...

The huge ferris wheel at south bank. Erik loves this even though he has only ridden it once. We can see the top half from our balcony at home and he knows there is the manmade beach and playground near the big wheel. He often asks to go "sowbank"

Yours truly anxiously waiting the show while trying to stay warm with erik's blanket. It was colder than we expected it would be.

And the little man looking seriously older than his age. He has such a mature look to him, people often assume he is much older than he is. He is only two! And I even agree he looks like he is years older in this picture. He has hit huge growth spurt since being here and is quickly growing out of lots of his clothes.

And for the special occassion lindsay walked across the bridge into the big shopping area of the city to get us KFC for lunch. It was so yummy and one of the only few american restaurants that tastes like the american version. Totally hit the spot. The other american part of our day, a couple hours before the show they had fly overs with their military helicpoters and then a F-18. It was great like most of those things are....but immediately after the F-18 flew over they play "Born in the USA." I about died laughing. It made it feel like we were home but weird because obviously we are in Australia and it was with an Australian jet. It was great....truly!

All in all our weekend was eventful, full of fun, and some exercise tucked its way in there. We ended up walking home from south bank (a few kilometers away) because the public transport options were packed to the max. It was a beautiful night though and other than the fact that I had to use the bathroom it was an enjoyable walk!

And now it is officially spring, yay we are headed into swimming season!

Aussie-isms part II

2011-08-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

(fairy bread as mentioned below)

So I had a lot of feedback saying that everyone is liking hearing about fun things about Oz. So here goes another list of different words. And I will post about family life soon.

So one of my first experiences of different lingo was within a day or so of arriving. We were hungry and wanted something fresh and healthy after the long flights we took to get here. We stopped at a wrap shop and Lindsay and I were going to split something. I was reading the menu and it said choose a wrap and get 2 salads with it. I was thinking sweetness, we will each get a salad and split the wrap. Wrong. A salad here means the typical salad but it also means toppings for sandwiches and wraps. So in other words out of all the yummy toppings, we could only choose two to go on our wrap. It seems I have lots of learning experiences like that. That actually reminds me as well of the first time I went to subway here....I was planning on getting a meal, when I asked what chips I could choose from (because I could not see where they were) I was told a meal just meant that I got a drink with my sandwich. And that is pretty common other than the big american chains like McDonalds or HUngry Jack's (Burger King).

At restraunts we also got confused because in America you can order and appetizer, entree, and desserts right? And little nibblies are Or'derves if I spelled that right. Here Or'derves are canapes and and appetizer is an entree and an entree is called a main and dessert is still delicious dessert. If that confused you I am sorry, it took us a while to get right as well.

Some other food variations....

chips.........french fries

crisps..........potato chips

silverbeet..........chard lettuce

rocket..........arrugala

rockmelon...................cantaloupe

sultanas...........raisins

lolly/lollies.........any candy, not just a lollipop

-which reminds me we bought the game candy land to help teach erik his colors and give him a fun game. He loves it and asks to play the "lollie game" all the time. Yes he is slowly starting to turn Aussie. He says daddy with an accent and sometimes mummy. Its really cute!

-fairy bread.....a traditional treat at birthdays....it's really just butter spread on white bread with the little round sprinkles packed on top

-hundreds and thousands.............those little round multi-colored sprinkles just mentioned

-fairy floss.........also a special occassion treat.....cotton candy!

Other sayings we dont have in America.....

jumper........sweater/long sleeve shirt/sometimes just a word for top

-well done..........used much more than good job. A family that spent time in America on exchange with our military told us that when they arrived in America they couldnt believe how much we use the term good job and were laughing. After that Lindsay and I now laugh because we really do use that term sooooo much! Watch yourself now, americans use it heaps (the common term for lots).

-Aussies also say "good on you" a lot. This is a fairly new one I have learned about. It it used genuinely to tell someone that they did something well or something good for someone. But they also use it sarcastically like when we would say "smooth move" or something similar.

-"Fair Dinkum"...........Truthfully is the most similar translation we have for this expression. So for example somebody tells you they just ate a 10 pound burger and you reply - Fair dinkum? ...like seriously? or they tell you they ate a 10 pound burger and somebody else replies no way, then you pipe up and say fair dinkum....like..truthfully/honestly/etc.

-Upsey Daisy is common term you will hear from mothers when their child has fallen and they are trying to encourage them to get up and brush it off without crying.

-whinge/whinging............whining

And just various strange variations....

-Daggies..........grandma panties, old clothes.etc. but commonly referred to I have seen as grandma panties....totally cracks me up.

-Buck and Hen's parties..............bachelor and bachelorette parties or you will hear they are having a hen's day at the horse races where ladies get discount drinks or whatever.

-trolley...........shopping cart. which by the way some stores you have to pay for carts (yes even some grocery stores)/and yes I know I couldn't believe it either. Especially when you have a lot to purchase or kids. And not always cheap either. They have coins for 1 and 2 dollar amounts and some require those coins. Also that reminds me....kiddy rides you see at malls and grocery stores here are all nearly 2 dollar coins. I gasped the first time I saw that and am grateful that Erik is completely happy to just climb on the rides and pretend to ride them because this mommy isnt willing to shell out dollars for a 30 second ride.

-car park..........any parking lot/garage. They dont differentiate between the two

-teetotaller......no I am not 100 percent about this one. I know it means someone who doesn't drink but I am not sure if it means someone who used to and has decided to stop or just anybody in general who doesn't drink.

-togs..............swimwear/bathing suit/trunks....like go get your togs and lets go

-budgee smuggler........speedo swimsuit.....a funny term used jokingly in our home.

-cot...........I can't remember if I had this on my last list but it's a crib or childrens bed

Hope you enjoy. I am really starting to feel adjusted and am enjoying life more as I settle into my own new creature habits and routines. Now that our house is coming together and friendships are being really established. I can now get around on all public transport easily most of the time and feel comfortable driving as well. I can now say I am an ambidextrous driver! Yay for me.

confirmation

2011-08-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

I just experienced something that confirmed my station as a mother and woman. You know those moments when you are young and dreaming of your future. The moments when you imagine sweet times with the children you dream of raising. The images are so vivid it's like you can see the snapshots in your mind of what is to come? I just made one of those snapshots come true to life and I couldn't feel more blessed or happy.

It was quite a simple moment (the best ones really!).....Erik has been sick the last few days with a fever and chest cold. His fever finally broke yesterday but he is still feeling very under the weather. His little motor body has been so ill he has been laying on the couch for two whole days with little motivation to do much more. Every time he tries he just comes right back to the couch and asks for me to sit with him. I have been happily obliging him, giving him all the snuggles and love I can manage knowing this span of time is so short. Well this morning he thought he was feeling better. He had been playing with toys a bit, we even got dressed today in the event of a possible outing to the park if energy levels stayed up (he has been asking to go out since he has been down) and then it all crashed. He started whining about everything but nothing was soothing him. I didn't want to get frustrated knowing that he was only acting that way because he didn't feel well...........so I did what I thought would help most even though he said no to me. I picked up on my lap, snuggled him in good and tight, turned all the distractions off and just sang to him. He calmed down immediately, relaxed, and we bathed in each others warmth and security. It was absolutely BLISSFUL! Brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. I sang for about a half hour and finally laid him in his bed to get a good rest. I could have held him forever.

It brought on thoughts and confirmation that I am doing exactly what I should be doing right now in my life, attending to my son and raising him and showing him that I love him unconditionally. Sometimes I wish I would have held him even more as a baby. I was so afraid of him being spoiled and then only wanting to be held when he got older. He is a well balanced child but I only had that opportunity once, I wish I would have taken it more. My favorite times were the middle of the night feedings. Yes I hated getting woken up, and the exhaustion that comes with an infant but in those still and quiet moments were when our spirits connected the most. I felt that again today and I am so grateful! I need to try to remember these moments more in those heated moments when whining for no reason is neverending and tantrums are flaring, my patience is all but gone and I want to escape to a desert island just for a brief moment. Because these moments make it ALL worth it.

Dear Erik,
Today your little busy body calmed down enough to let me hold you and love you for more than a nanosecond. Today you let me sing to you even when it wasn't "sleep time." Today you reminded me of just how precious your life is. You are the most amazing little boy and I am so proud that I get to be your momma. Your dad has set a great example of what a respectful man and provider should be and I can't wait to see you grow and develop into one yourself.
All my love,
Mom

Aussie-isms

2011-07-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

So living in Oz is so similar and sooo different. We speak the same language and yet we use such different vocabulary. I am just now starting to understand the accent on the phone without having to have the other person repeat themselves five times. Oh the joys of learning. I think my brain has made more new connections coming here than I have in the years combined since going to college (and that's been a while).

So some fun phrases and terms they use.....

- they do say g'day and often but not teamed up with mate like Americans always think.

-they don't say throw another shrimp on the barbie, although I do think they say barbie (I don't know if I am spelling that right).

-they shorten nearly everything they can in speech even though sometimes is just doesn't make since to Lindsay and me. Sometimes the word will still have the same amount of syllables. For example Brisbane is sometimes referred to as Brissy...same amount of syllables so technically not really shortened.

-they do however write out a ton of syllables in some words and pronounce them much differently. For example a couple suburbs over (basically a neighborhood is the closest things I can use to describe that) is named Indooroopilly. As americans when we got here we pronounced it phonetically (In-door-roo-pill-y), at church when I mentioned this suburb the woman I was talking with laughed at loud and had me say it over a few times because she thought it was funny. I humored her and then asked her to teach me the correct way (In-dra-pilly or In-drip-lee) Still not sure of the correct way as I have now heard Aussies say it both ways. But had she not taught me I don't even think I would have known what someone said if they mentioned it. Another is Mt. Omaney (I see that as said exactly as spelled Mt. Om-a-knee. Nope it's Mt. Om-knee.

-In a casual everyday setting most people say "ta" instead of thank you or thanks. That one blew by me until it was pointed out. I didnt even notice the word probably because it didn't register as a word in my mind until pointed out.

-McDonald's is called Macca's (not sure on that spelling either)

-Breakfast is brekky (just like in cars the movie)

-rubbish = trash, garbage

-op shop = thrift shop, although people will know what you mean if you say thrift shop

-fringe = bangs

- cheers = good bye

-nappie = diaper

-dummy = pacifier, binky

-morning or afternoon tea = morning or afternoon snack

- they tend to use this saying "____ as" like "big as" when they are describing some cool or really big, really cheap...."cheap as" they will put any description in. And the funny thing about this saying is still lindsay and I always do a double take because with the Aussie accent to us in sounds like swearing. So when the missionaries come over or something as use it I always chuckle to myself because it is a slang term I am still getting used to. But let me be clear, it's not swearing, it would be like saying "cheap as dirt" they just leave off the end, because they shorten everything.

-no worries is a common saying

-instead of saying "your welcome" they say "that's ok" most often although I have heard "no worries" as well. At first it threw me off because if I say thank you and you say that's ok it seemed like I was putting someone out a bit. But it's becoming more comfortable now and I realize it's a cultural thing.

The list is endless and I am sure I will think of a billion more as time goes on but for now, another glimpse into Oz

2011-07-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, all I have to give for not updating more is excuses so I will spare you other than to say that time is flying and it seems there are never enough minutes in the day lately. Busy bees we are and that is how we love it but it makes it hard for me to take the time to blog. I constantly have ideas in my head I just need to sit down and do it. Our house finally is starting to feel like a home. And after asking many other apartment dwellers here how they deal with storage issues I have come to realize that we really dont have way more stuff than other people we just actually have it all at our house. Everyone else I know stores stuff at parents houses, left stuff back in the states, etc. So basically our being self sufficient just leads to being more creative with storage. We will be using every nook and cranny we can I will tell you that. And we will also probably have a few clutter spots because of it. Yuck! RIght now we have precious space above our kitchen cabinets holding lots of stuff and it looks so bad. I hate it but not sure how to conceal it. I thought about a curtain on a tension rod but don't think they make a tension rod long enough for what I would need (around 10 feet). But we actually have a couch to sit on and have purged quite a few unnessary things. It feels great. Now I have to figure out how to decorate and make everything look cute. Hard part is my style is very unique and not the same as many people's let alone Lindsay's so finding a balance is throwing me for a complete loop. If anyone has any websites they like to visit for inspiration throw them at me! Also creative storage solutions is appreciated. We have a large wire shelving unit on our balcony but it looks cluttered too.

Some sample things of extra storage things are....our camping gear, backpacking gear, sporting gear, military gear, baby gear (basics in the prayed for event that we have another child), memorabalia, you know all that stuff that usually gets put into a garage. I need ideas for that kind of stuff and please do not suggest a storage unit, it would cost the price of small apartment back home. We have put a lot of thought into every piece of furniture we have bought and have been careful not to buy things on a whim here so that we are making smart purchases. We bought sofa sleeper couch to save space for when guests come and so that Erik can have more room to play in his room once we get him a children's bed (his loft bed is proving handy as storage right now though). This is just a small picture of a recent co-op that I joined and am loving. The picture shows a partial alotment of two full baskets. There is a big marketplace for wholesale produce that is only open to the pulic two mornings a week after the retailers come through. A group of women that I just so happened to join put in $30 every two weeks (Aussies use the term "fortnight") and we all meet at one girls house. Some stay behind to watch kiddos while some go to the markets and buy lots of yummy fresh produce. Then they come back we split among everyone's baskets and voila you have lots of cheap, good produce. One basket is far too much for our little family so we split a basket with someone and it works out perfect. Each time the variety is little different although we usually always get 3 types of fruit and the rest is seasonal veggies. I love it! It's fun. There are usually a thing or two I wouldn't buy but it has pushed me to work on expanding my horizon. And for $15 for my half basket I dont feel too bad if some goes bad or if I have to buy something at the store. It's been a true blessing.

Off the beaten path but interesting is Aussies cook a lot with pumpkin and where in the states we really only see it in the fall and first part of winter and usually in things like pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice in cocoa/coffee, and yummy sweet dishes often paired with cinnamon here it is way different. Here it is a pantry staple, you put in soups, roasts, salads (although salads often go undressed here-another interesting thing), and pastas, pretty much anything. One friend says she would be really scared to try pumpkin pie because it sounds so foreign to her to be a dessert. Interesting huh, you learn something new everyday! I do like pumpkin used as a vegetable now, but was nervous at first!

And oh this little man is growing before my very eyes! Seriously the Aussie air and all the fun activities and parks and play that we get to do here has really let us see Erik blossom. I wouldn't say that Cali stunted him or held him back but I can see developmentally he has learned so much here. His motor skills are so much better due to all the different park equipment, all the walking and jumping off cool ledges, and sand play. It has really opened my eyes as a mother just how important free play is for them. We have really encouraged imaginative play as well and now playgrounds are seen as pirate ships with slide that lets you "splash" into the water and then we "swim" back to the ladder and look out at the top. We sing sea shanties like " yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me" and jack climbs up quite a lot of beanstalks at our house where the giant falls after chasing jack with a golden egg. Maybe it was me being stagnant as a parent and now spending even more one on one time with Erik since we don't live close to friends that has spurred me to be a bit more creative and of course Lindsay is the one who started all the Jack and the beanstalk storytelling. Basically our little family is really thriving here. Erik and Lindsay built a treasure chest a couple of weeks ago and Erik loved every bit of it. We told him he can only work with his tools if he wears safety goggles (mostly because we think he is so stinkin cute in them and to help him get used to wearing them so when we go swimming this summer he will be willing to wear swim goggles).

These two are peas in a pod and his treasure box is perfect for all his so called treasures that he insists on keeping a hold of while out on walks. His favorite place to find them is where "Daddy's game" is played........a rugby field just down the street. There are these weird nut things that fall out of the trees there that he hoards. We are always gathering piles of perfectly chosen pebbles in the bottom of the stroller and sometimes we have to limit to the one in one out rule.

Erik is counting easily to 10 now and recognizes most his shapes. I have really been trying to figure out his learning style since being here so that I can prepare him for school and just give me some focus in our play together. He detests anything in a sitting position, no drawing, worksheets, although he does like books. So we do most our learning out and about. We draw shapes in the sand at the playground, we stand on a chair at the counter and make things out of playdough snakes. We throw the ball five times, anything that is active he will engage and thrive in. It makes me a bit nervous to think about sitting at a desk in school, but as a parent I find comfort in knowing how I can help him learn at home.

Erik loves to have tasks and do things that have a purpose. He is a star helper in the kitchen especially if it involves preparing a meal and gets upset if you dont let him help send the rubbish down the chute or take recycling down to the big bins. He loves to fix things with tools and will do anything for a laugh. Such a sweet boy.

I have learned a lot about myself moving here, realised how just how much I relied on my social network in California, realized I can do things on my own and do it well. I have realized I really have to talk to myself in a positive way otherwise the negative self talk affects my mood and home life too much. It is so true that the Mother sets the tone of the home. I have realized I can quite easily list off many things I am thankful for when I focus on those and not the "I wish..." thoughts. And while I am still sorely missing summer and have homesickness now and again I am happy right where I am. I have a calling in church (visiting teaching supervisor) that is important and yet not as taxing as previous calling. Lindsay is a ward missionary and we love attending gospel principles and meeting with the new members (we had one nearly every week this month). Erik has great little friends, although his heart still belongs to a sweet little girl named Karlee. They better get married one day! Ok I know realistically that may not happen but I can hope and dream. He loves to talk to family on the phone and skype and we can't wait to visit next year.

Can you believe we have lived in Australia for 3 months already! I can't and sometimes Linds and I have to pinch ourselves to believe that we actually live in this amazing part of the world.

I am proud to be an American

2011-07-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July a little differently this year. Last year we spent the weekend at our towns big festival watching the parade, walking around central park eating yummy food and seeing nothing but red, white, and blue, going to the base to eat more, go on carnival rides and then watch a big firework show while patriotic music filled the air at the air force base. This year we debated about what to do. Obviously it's not a holiday Australia celebrates and so Lindsay had to work and there would be no fireworks. There are two sets of missionary companions in our ward and they had no where to eat so we thought we would invite them over and get us motivated to put on an american shindig to the best of our abilities. Sunday we gathered our ideas and yesterday morning I ran aroudn the city trying to find what I would need.

We wore our Fourth of july tee shirts all day and found sparklers and root beer even. It was a score! I paid an arm and a leg for the root beer only then to have an Aussie friend tell me there are places I could have gotten it cheaper. Good to know for next time we want root beer floats. Only one set of missionaries ended up coming to dinner and neither are American. So it was fun to introduce some of our traditions with them. One is british and the other fijian and they got in the spirit by bringing wigs to wear to bring out some American spirit! I hadn't thought of it but as we asked them about their opinion of our traditions and the flavors of our foods we realized that root beer has a medecine taste to some people. I can see it now that it has been brought to my attention but had never thought of that. Interesting....I am ok with that. Here in Oz they have Ginger beer (sort of like Ginger ale but way different at the same time), I don't think it tastes like medicine but I am not a huge fan either, the ginger in it is very strong and I could see a newcomer to root beer feeling the same about our root beer.

I made chocolate covered strawberries with white chocolate and blue icing (I couldnt find blue sugar where I was shopping).

We used our nice chargers and you can't see it too much but I had small pieces of red vines wrapped with blue curlies. Red vines are my favorite treat and is a treat not sold here either. Luckily my birthday was a couple weeks ago and my mom shipped me some. I did find some at the specialty store here but will be treated as a delicacy along with the root beer.

Just some decor I put up to make the balcony seem festive (that's where our dining room is set up). Overall it was a lot of fun. I will admit I was a bit homesick during the day but it was fun that we got to start our own traditions and share them with others. We had chicken kebabs and baked chicken, pasta salad, corn on the cob, fruit salad (I actually bought the $10 small thing of blueberries for the occassion....yikes I know), and sparkling cider. Dessert was the strawberries and Root Beer Floats............Yumm!

Most of all I am proud to be an American. I am grateful that I come from a free country where I can worship any way I please, where I can raise my family any way I please and have rights. I am soooooo proud of those who fight for our freedom. Being a military wife I know how much social support is being a part of the military and can imagine that it is even more important for those fighting whether near or far that they need fellow American support as well. The military has opened many doors for our family and for that I am grateful but those doors haven't always opened easy and for other military families they don't get off nearly as easy as Lindsay and I have. My brother is just coming off his month long leave from his one year tour in Afghanistan. He had a wife waiting for him at home. The longest I have been apart from Lindsay is 3 months....I can't imagine doing that four times over. My heart goes out to both sides.

As a military wife you find yourself becoming very independant very quickly. You have to transition to being alone once they leave and then transition all over again when they come home and hand over some of the reigns again and adjust your routines. With a child it's a constant explaining knowing they dont have a clue and hoping they will respond warmly once the parent arrives back home. Erik has done well considering but there was one trip that he turned his head away from Lindsay and wouldn't look at him after Lin came home. I think it broke both our hearts. Luckily he warmed up quickly but it takes a toll.

On the flip side experiencing the military our entire marriage I have become much more patriotic than I ever imagined. I tear up often when I hear the national anthem and see videos of soldiers. I wish I could say I did more for our troops, I know they need it. But my heart goes out to them. I think of them often and am so grateful for them and their families.

I hope that as Erik gets older and starts to understand this world that he lives in that he will be as proud of his Dad as I am. Lindsay is already Erik's hero.....he mimicks EVERYTHING that Linds does and chooses him nearly every time over me. I am ok with that, I am proud that I have such an amazing man in my life to set the best example for our child of what it means to honor your country, your family, and your beliefs.

I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN (even when it's not always easy)

words of wisdom

2011-06-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

So here we are in Oz. Our goods came and it has been like christmas! I love opening the boxes and seeing all my things. BUT we have way TOO MUCH! We got rid of sooooo much before coming here knowing that we were going to be living in an apartment and we still have too much. I wish I could throw stuff over the balcony into a waste bin and be done with it. Trucks are not usual here except for city maintenance vehicles and thus borrowing a truck is not an option. YOu can rent trailers from some petrol stations and then you tow them behind your car. Also as far as we have heard there are not city dumps where you can go dump your trash, so making wise purchases is key (our heads seem to be dense these days).

The biggest lesson we have learned this weekend would be stuff is just stuff. We have actually come to that conclusion over the last couple of months living with less than a weeks worth of outfits each, a pot, a pan and a few plates. Now seeing things as we open makes me just want to hurl it. Quite frankly the simple life is a happy life. Of course I am glad to have more clothes, more cookware so that I can use the oven, etc. But next move we are just taking bare essentials. And slowly here we are going to be getting rid of things.

Turns out our couch that we bought the week before moving here would not fit into our apartment, like they couldn't get it through the door. It is too long and the angle of coming around the corner into the apartment made it impossible. So the couch we never enjoyed is now sitting in the car park (parking garage) awaiting us to sell it and now we must buy a new smaller one. Lesson learned, smaller is better. Even our car that we got which is a sedan is large it seems. Parking here is tight, lanes are not as wide and its harder to manuever around. We bought a toyota camry and it is a big car for here. Think suzuki swift and ford focus, and VW Golf as the most commonly size cars seen here. Everything is just smaller and more compact. I am glad for these lessons, but sometimes I wonder why we always seem to have to learn the hard way. But we will definitely keep our wisdom for the future andventures we encounter and hopefully we can pass the word on to others who move overseas or even downsize in their dwelling. Just get rid of it, you dont need much. And there are few things of sentimental value that can be kept but when you dont have much space just be picky.

So you live and learn, hindsight is 20/20, and it would have been nice if we could have had someone here to kind of let us in on what city living would be like here. Ikea dimensions are truly what it's like here, so I am sure they may be our saving grace. The bed we originally bought used here for Erik as well will be replaced, it wasn't too big but we think we got worked over and it seems so unsteady and unsafe even with everything being all tight that even when he is ready to have his mattress off the ground we won't feel safe. Luckily there is no hurry for that we just slowly throw it out piece by piece and wait to get something different.

Oh the things you learn in life. I had to laugh today, the irony of some of our experiences here. I don't want to think too hard about it all otherwise that smile might turn to grimace.

If anyone knows anyone in Oz that wants to buy a brand new leather sofa off us, let us know!

Fun Weekend...Kind Of

2011-06-25T03:02:00.001-07:00

We set out to complete a 5K race this weekend, which Lindsay set as a goal on his way to completing a 10K race later in the year. The race was held in Mooloolaba which is a little over an hour North of Brizzy. It started at 7:30am so we found a hotel deal online. One of the Aussie websites has "Mystery Hotels" where you pick a general area but don't know the actual hotel until you pay. We ended up at a 5 star hotel in Twin Lakes which was amazing. We only wish we had more time available to enjoy it. Since we had the race, and other obligations later in the weekend, we only enjoyed the sea food buffet and Jacuzzi. The biggest shock was when we were walking to our room in the dark and a Kangaroo came hopping down the walkway, then turned into the bushes. Here is an aerial shot of the resort. It had rained overnight but the weather was great for a race that morning. Lindsay ran the race hard, trying to set a personal best and I pushed Erik in a jogging stroller that we borrowed from some friends. We didn't get to see the course before hand, but figured that it couldn't be to rough since it followed the ocean. When we stood at the starting line, and no one else had strollers, we found it strange but weren't worried. When people started asking which route to follow uphill to the lighthouse, we started to worry.
Nearly one third of the race was uphill. It took everything I had just to finish. Here is a picture of the beach we followed before running up the grassy hill, to the lighthouse in the distance. We descended the back and then climbed it again. An insane run with a stroller by any means. We all felt accomplished at the end and Lindsay set his best time of the year, 23:57. He has made great improvements since last year. Next stop is the Brisbane 10K in August. Lindsay can have the stroller for that one ;-)

A new Season

2011-06-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

For most of you who read this blog, you just celebrated your first official day of Summer. Part of me is completely jealous, by the time our winter is over we have been living in almost an entire year of winter. Not that the winters here are horrible or shut you in, so I am not complaining too much. But the fact of the matter is we have not had summer activities for almost a year! It is too cold here to go swimming and have bbqs and lay outside all day. We are blessed that it is warm enough here that we can still go outside and play, but its cold enough Erik's gets a runny nose. And you need some type of jacket. Well ok, so Lindsay can still wear shorts with a long sleeve shirt. I need pants and a jacket. So I am missing having yummy cherries, and berries, and missing the lake (although I have missed that since we left Spokane), and camping. I am just hoping that when we leave Oz that we get the reverse.....a year of summer......ahh that would be nice. Although to be quite honest I am a little nervous about the summer here, the hot, sticky, and super humid weather. I have never lived in humidity so it will be new and I am pretty sure my hair is going to hate it, I already tend to have a bit of frizz in my hair but its going to be a lions mane. It is humid right now, but not much. We noticed when we first arrived, but are used to it now luckily.

This last weekend we visited a local koala sanctuary. It was amazing, we bought annual passes (two visits was the same price) and spent a few hours seeing koalas, emus, wombats, bats (they are huge!), snakes, birds of prey, sheep herding, and of course kangaroos and wallabys. We got to feed the kangaroos and it was an amazing thing. Erik loved that they would eat out of our hands and how it tickled. The roos are very gentle and would let us pet them while we fed. Once the whole herd of them got up and ran away and that was cool to watch. It was like a stampede of them bouncing into an area where visitors werent allowed. Wallaby's look like a kangaroo but are smaller and have slightly different color to them. We didn't even visit the whole park. We figured with it being so close and having passes that we would come again to see the rest. Also our passes get guests in for a discount so if anyone does make it down here or any of my Oz friends want to go, we will get you in for cheaper!

Also recently I took my hand at cutting Erik's hair. I did a little more the next day after this picture was taken to even some things out but I think I did ok. It definitely wasn't anything like a pro, but he's two and will never know. Plus if others notice we could just pretend he got a hold of the scissors ;) He loves the clippers and think they tickle so the back neckline was where it looked the most choppy. Every time I got the clippers on his neck he would squirm and giggle thus making it hard. But I am excited to try more and get it right so that when he is old enough to have it matter more, it will look great. He loves to put mousse into his hair too so we like to style it.

The picture below from a really silly morning. We were all playing in Erik's room and Erik was taking pictures so I made a silly face. When Linds played the pictures back for him Erik laughed hysterically at my silly face one. So they would rotate through to regular ones and then hit the funny one and Erik would belly laugh. So then he started trying to make the face and so we took pictures of all of us doing it. What a goof. Soon after that I put a mud mask on my face before jumping into the shower, linds had left for a workout and Erik called me the lion king. What a goof ball. Good thing he has a sense of humor!

Erik has also gotten into a phase where when he is not sure if he is allowed or knows he shouldn't be doing something he goes into his room and shuts the door. Usually its not really anything, he has something he thinks is forbidden like a cord that is unplugged that he drags around like a snake or something but every once in a while he is doing something naughty.

This weekend Lindsay and I are going to run in a 5k race. I haven't run in months but luckily since we are so active here I surprisingly was able to run still so I have been training in the last few days and I am sore but it feels good. I am such a happier person when I am exercising regularly. It's hard to get out the door and it is hard sometimes during the workout but it feels soooo amazing afterward. Mostly I just feel empowered that my body can do such a thing and proud that I am healthy enough to do it as well. Running is not a strong suit of mine. I will never be fast or be able to run as far as lots of other people but it works and it takes me where I need to go. My heart is getting a good workout and same with my bones and muscles, it helps with digestion, and lifts my mood. So even it may be one of my least favorite exercises I am learning to love it.

A few days after we arrived in Oz my Dad had a huge heart attack..emergency heart surgery and all. A couple of weeks later he had another surgery, and there will be yet another one after he is healed and ready for the third. My mom's side has heart disease mixed in as well as Diabetes and so I want to prevent/prolong those things as long as I can. One specialist has already told me it's not a matter of if but when I get diabetes because of my family medical history and pcos. So I want to not only keep myself as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I also want to set a good example for Erik of a healthy lifestyle so that as he grows and creates habits that he is healthy. I understand that he has free agency to make his own choices but if I can give him a one up then I will. So are running in a race this weekend on the beach and hopefully it will be the first of many here. Lindsay starting really getting into a healthier lifestyle at the new year. He looks great and feels so much better than he did prior to that. He wants to eventually do a triathlon but is training smart. Just building small steps at a time. He is racing this weekend to see how fast he can go. I jumped into the bandwagon too late this time, so I will be pushing Erik and just hoping to get a similar time to my first 5k last november.

It's nice here because healthy lifestyle and food are abundant. It's common to exercise regulary there are tons of parks and playgrounds and sports available to all ages to get your heart rate up. Food is mostly healthy here, or at least much more available and affordable than in the states. Most of the beef is hormone and antibiotic free. Free range eggs and chicken are available just as easily as the others. And there are many more options of everything else. And the healthy options are usually the same price as the non healthy options, so while its expensive in general to buy food here, its not more to eat healthy. For that I am grateful. Beef is super expensive though and so lamb and chicken and pork are more common meats eaten. Linds and I have eaten even less meat here than in California and love it. THere is much more yummy seafood and sushi is cheap! You can find it as kiosks all over shopping areas for about 2.50 a roll. You order quickly and then eat the roll whole, they dont slice it for you here you just take bites slowly eating your way down the roll. So for 10 bucks Linds and I can get 2 rolls each and call it lunch. Erik usually tries it but hasnt aquired the taste for it yet. Plus their sushi choices are different which makes it fun. They offer the same typical ones but also will do different veggie ones, or mix eel with a veggie in it or something, it is really yummy. mmm, makes me want some right now.

HOpe you all enjoy your summer and please do lots of fun things for me since I am still in winter mode.

House Tour

2011-06-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ok So I know many have been patiently waiting to see our new digs and while we hardly have anything in our new place and hopefully will have our home goods here next week I thought I would share pics. I will share better ones later once we have it looking like a home but this will suffice. We finally have internet hooked up at our place with more data so I was able to use data to load the pics (you wouldn't believe how much it takes). This is in our bedroom. We have one full wall of windows (on the right) and a half wall (left) and its amazing. We pretty much leave the shades open all the time. We are high enough that we dont have to worry about people seeing in. Plus you can kind of see our balcony which is huge. It is where our dining area is going to be.

Our bedroom. To the left is a walkthrough closet that leads into our master bath. And guess what, there has only been 2 days that I have not made the bed since living here. I am pretty proud of that fact, compared to my old habits! It's part of my transformation into becoming a more prepared and organized person with more routines. I am working on it.

This is a view standing in the kitchen looking into the living space. Eriks room is on the right. Our bedroom is the cracked door on the left. There is a closet just outside our door. There is a bathroom next to erik's room and a laundry room to the right of the kitchen that you can't see.

Erik's room with his new big boy bed. We wanted a loft bed from ikea originally, the one with the cool little tunnel thing on it. We ended up buying this one used and wish we had stuck to our original plan. This one is nice, has a desk underneath and shelf which will be nice storage space since we can't put holes in the walls but it's much higher than the ones for younger kids. oh well. Erik also has floor to ceiling windows/slider out to the balcony. He thinks his new digs are great!

Erik's /guest bath. Nothing fancy but it's nice.

The kitchen with a view of our front door and into the laundry. We now have red bar stools for the island that we love. I just wish it didn't have carpet right there because food always ends up on the floor.

This is how you typically see us hanging out. Erik always has full posession of the back pillow and will try to kick you out if you sit there first. Luckily he doesn't run the house so he doesn't always get his way ; )

This is one part of our view from the balcony. This is downtown brisbane. If you look to the blue light on the right, right below is a half circle. That is the huge ferris wheel at South Bank that is pretty well known here. South bank is one of our favorite places to visit. And we usually get there by ferry. But seriously the pictures dont do this view justice.

Crazy thing is if you were to buy our apartment...you can rent or buy here...you would pay almost half a million dollars, yep you can pick your jaw off the floor and be thankful that you most likely live in an area that is not as expensive as Australia. Granted we could have gotten a much bigger place out in a suburb away from everything but after living in the middle of the desert for 3 years we were so ready to live in the city. Plus we wanted to really be able to experience living in Australia with the culture and everthing. We love love love our little place. It suits us!

It's been interesting living in an apartment complex again. Our front door is actually inside a building which is nice for heating but took a bit of getting used to. We love how secure our place is. You have to be buzzed in and have to have a swipe key to use the elevator among other things. The other cool thing is just because I have a swipe card I cant use it to get to into the other tower of apartments, only to get to the pool deck, and managers office, otherwise I have to be buzzed in as well to other people's apartments and levels in our tower. So although crime here isnt like most places in the states its nice to know that we are safe when Lindsay is out of town (yes he went on three trips the first month we were here, short luckily).

Now that things are continously settling for us I am hoping to get back on the blog bandwagon.

2011-05-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

So I am on the internet and thought I would quickly pop my head in and give everyone an update of things going on. We are finally in our home and it feels wonderful. I unpacked the luggage and put it out on the balcony not to be packed up again for a while...yay! We love our new place. It is small but amazing. It's the most updated place we have lived in and so open and naturally bright. We need to upload pics on the computer so stay tuned for those. We have beds and just yesterday our bar stools and dining room set arrived that will go on the patio. Erik loves sitting at the counter up with the adults. He still sits over carpet which drives me bonkers but what can you do, you win some you lose some. We have nice granite counters and stainless steel appliances (well the ones that stay with the place). We have a tv and tv stand and we heard that our home goods are in australia. They are just awaiting their turn to go through customs. So hopefully in a couple of weeks we will actually have all our stuff and then the fun really begins making this place our cozy home.

Lindsay and I feel like we are on vacation in our new place with the view of the city and beautiful walls of windows. We are grateful we found it and are so close to the markets (shopping). We have to walk about 3 blocks to get the shopping center with the grocery store, fruit market, meat shop, etc. We are one block from the city cat dock and a block from the bus line we take to get into the city. Erik most days go out for one thing or another but that is starting to get old so I am trying to figure out a new routine with specific days of going out and days staying in. But I need ideas of fun things to do with a 2 year old at home with limited resources at the moment. We do have access to the gardens (grass and flowers) that the complex shares, so we have somewhere to play. But any ideas are great.

For those wanting lots and lots of pictures, if you are not only mine and lindsay's friends on facebook...find us. I post pics I take on my phone often and Lindsay uploads most of our camera pics. Facebook uploads quicker and easier than the blog. Plus we save some pics for B and sometimes those go up on lin's facebook page. So there you have it.

I am doing much better than I was a week or so ago. Lindsay was out of town for those few days and I was just struggling. I am in a much happier state and am excited to get things in a normal daily grind and find homes for things in our house. Although I am not fond of figuring out finances I can't wait for us to get our budget figured out and know how much we have to spend to where each month. Our paychack has been different each time and our bills haven't really started so we have that weird limbo feeling of not knowing how much we can spend and how much we need to put aside. Utilities here are only billed once a quarter so we wont even know that one for a few months which is a bit nerve racking but we will get it figured out.

Weather here is great. We dont use heat or a/c right now. Its usually fluctuating right around 70 during the day and a bit cooler in the morning and evening. It's sunny most days but often have small bursts where it will rain and be overcast for a few hours.

All right until next time....have a great day!

2011-05-21T02:22:00.000-07:00

It seems that this is all the pictures that the internet will allow for right now. The internet seems to be different here. When you pay for internet in a residence you pay for a certain amount of data per month. It is not unlimited like the states. And it can get quite confusing. We were using a lot of our time looking at homes and getting documents scanned and processed the first few weeks of being here and so I couldn't do that much blogging and other fun stuff. I do have facebook on my new cell phone so I can do that. Anyhow..............these pics are some of the things we have been doing upon arrival in Oz. A couple of days after we got here we went to chinatown with the family of one of Lindsay's co-workers for lunch. Erik got tired and grabbed his blanket and layed down on the floor. Poor guy, his body adjusted the quickest I think, but he is an extra early riser since moving here.

This is us waiting for the ferry to go to a cool place called New Farm Park. It had the coolest playground equipment ever. I wanted to take a picture of every piece just to post and show people but that will have to wait. But honestly, it will definitely be a favorite spot to visit. The ferry is just for people, it is not one where you can drive a car onto. It basically looks like a big yacht that rich people rent out.

At new farm park on a spinny something or other, they had a cool modern merry go round, teeter totters, a crazy spider web of cables that was massive for older kids and lots of treehouse like playstuff among other things.

on the teeter totter with daddy, and a music area behind.

chasing the birds (Ibis birds). Probably his favorite activity at the park. This is lindsay's favorite bird here. It is white with a skinny black neck, head and long black beak. We also saw wild cockatiels the other day near our lodging. That was sweet!

This was also just after we got here, before Erik got a hair cut. We ventured to a popular place to shop and play along the river named South bank. There is a man made beach with a lazy river and pool. We thought it was all shut down due to the floods but the pool was open with the life guards and Erik was dieing to get in, so we bought him a little speedo and let him do his thing. I thought it was adorable and he fit right in. I loved seeing his little bum in it without the diaper, so cute!

We mostly exlore different parts of the city when we can and have found a fun rhyme time story time at the local library. There are lots of fun free things to do with kids here which is nice. But I think we will set him up with a gym tots class a the YMCA (yep they have some here) to help him direct his energy. Seriously I think he has a motor in his little body that has a hard time shutting off. Since we have been here his energy has doubled I Swear. Probably because there is a lot more stimulation but it definitely needs some focus.

Church is good and while the gospel and teaching are the same it is different. I can't quite put my finger on it, but its not necessarily a bad thing just different. Erik does loves nursery so that is great, although he is still hesitant getting into there, he has a blast. We get to bring our own snack and sippy cup for our child, so I get to pick and know exactly what and how much he is getting each week. I stay in the chapel all three hours, due to sunday school being there, and also relief society for the women, it's a little odd but nice. The bishop is american and there are more than a handful of either american or canadian families which is nice. We get to attend church basically on temple grounds. You park under it all and the meetinghouse and temple just have a small walkway between the two. The temple I think is a bit smaller than the Spokane temple. Definitely not bigger. But I am happy that it is so close!

Well kids, I think I need to save some data for next time. I am hoping that once we actually move and figure out how much data we use on average and get the right plan to be on track with updating regularly. Thanks for being patient. Also I know a ton of you keep asking what it's like here. I try to think of things as they come and have been making lists too for "bits of Oz" entries but questions are easier so please anytime you think of anything specific that you want to know about email me or comment or something and it will help me to explain things better. Man I have so much in my mind I want to share but don't want to write a book for one post, especially when I just posted a long post. So until next time, enjoy!

Anyhow

I need some blog therapy

2011-05-18T03:27:00.000-07:00

So where to start. Things are finally starting to wind down from our travels although we are far from having everything all together. I really just need to get some thoughts out and I know most people have millions of questions and are dieing to know what our experience has been like. I will get through as much as I can tonight but have to continue later.

First off though, I have to admit I am struggling a bit right now. I know I will be fine and pushing through will get me to where I want to be, but it's a bit more of a transition than I expected quite frankly. I was so confident that since there would be no language barrier and Aussies seem to be such a friendly people, and the military moving us that pieces would just magically fall into place and we would be good. Reality is pieces are falling into places, just not in my time table (you would think by now I would have learned that lesson) but when they do fit into place, it feels right which keeps me trucking along. I thought that since the church would be the same here I would meet people quickly and start doing things with other moms and women right off. I forgot that sometimes ward boundaries span an entire large urban city where it's hard to get together on a whim and meet up. So while Erik and I and sometimes Lin have been busy exploring and checking out cool sights and places and had a blast, I am missing the outlet of talking with other women on a regular basis. I literally feel like I have mounds and heaps of conversation drumming around in my mind waiting to chat with some one. I will get there, we went to a mum's group (playgroup) today for our ward which was great and hopefully that will help.

Not all aussie's like americans and so I find out in public I try not to speak and give myself away before I can tell or guess what someone will think of me. I talk quieter to Erik and it's kind of silly actually but honestly I stand out like a sore thumb. I came with Cali wear a.k.a Jeans and t-shirts. And while I thought exercise clothes were the norm. I was wrong, it just so happens there is a gym in the shopping center we frequent. So norm for women here is more formal....think business casual kind of....lots of european influence....lots of black....lots of dark and muted colors. Now imagine me in my ripped jeans, bright t-shirts, and american accent. Now do you understand why I stick out? Luckily we live in an area with lots of young Uni students (college kids) and they usually seem to be a bit more open minded and wide eyed. So around the neighborhood I am more comfortable than out in the city. And now not everyone dislikes us, just some and they are not rude or mean, they just are short, curt, and you can just tell they are not the most fond. We actually started realizing it as we dealt with real estate agents who were showing us apartments. I am pretty sure we missed out on some because we were american, but luckily we ended up finding what will suit us best in the end anyways.

Lots of you want to know our new place looks like and the area we live. Well the above picture is our complex and the awesome pool that is there. There is also a fully equipped gym so I am stoked about that. There are tiled pathways so Erik can ride a trike around our balcony is big enough that we plan on it being our dining room/more lounge space. We are lucky to have a space to put three bar stools across so inside we can eat as well. There is actually enough room inside that we could put a table in there, but it will be less crowded and most of the year you can eat outside. Lindsay's co-worker has a large balcony and they actually mounted their tv out there and that is their family room. We got a two bedroom two bath place. We really wanted three bedrooms but just couldn't find what we were looking for. Our building is on the river basically. There is one building in between our and the river but you can see downtown and the river from our balcony. Some people might think we are crazy after the floods that just happened to live on the river, but honestly I think we will be ok. If it were to flood again, I am sure that we would probably be evacuated (so 72 hour kits will be made and ready quickly after we actually get the keys to move in next week) but our apartment is high enough that I don't think we will have to worry. And realistically its all just stuff. It really sunk in with this move that our posessions are just material and we can do without if needed. Not to say it's not fun to fancy up things or shop but in the end we don't take it with us.

We will definitely take pics next week once we get there. On the river where we will live is a city cat stop (ferry) so it will still be super easy for little man and I to get around and he loves all the city transit, mostly I think because he doesn't have to be in a car seat and he likes swiping my pass on the way in and out.

I was a little disappointed when we moved here to find out that the discount store in our shopping center was k-mart. I thought I was rid of that place in T-town California, but oh no, it has come back to haunt me. Lindsay's and my joke is to sing a little jingle whenever we had to head to kmart "kmart fall apart, had to poop but could only fart." I know not the most appropriate but pretty much summed up our feelings toward the place. Now I have to admit, I did shop there when needed, but in t-town where prices were already high, kmart boosted them up even higher. And sorry to say ladies that are still in T-town but the prices that are here are about the same here. I wish there were a different store, but at least I know that I can still get my basic needs by the place and its close.

Wonderful weekend

2011-05-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so amazingly great. I spent the weekend of course with my men, one big and one little and they treated me so well. As we have been trying to get our feet on the ground here they still managed to take time to spoil me. Erik picked out flowers for me and helped sign a card with his handprint. Lindsay got me a willow tree figurine and a great chocolate bar. I was able to get in some quick calls back to the states. And an extra surprise highlight was an email from S. Oh how it made me smile. We havent heard from her in a long time and to hear her accomplishments and updates was just amazing. Total icing on the cake! We are so proud of her and who she is and the path she is headed, seriously we are the luckiest people to have both our birth parents be so seriously awesome!!!!

Hope that all the women out there had a great mothers day because believe you me that even if you don't have children yet I am sure that you "mother" in some other way and that helps nurture all the children and people around you. As women we divinely were designed to be mothers, and I know that even before Erik came along I mothered as much as I could. I didn't discipline or take over for friends, but I loved to spend time with other people and nurture in any way possible, still do. It just feels good and natural.

Tidbits in Oz

2011-05-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Quickly I wanted to share some interesting things that I am learning and experiencing here in my new corner of the world.

-3 grocery bags is the max I can handle with the walk, Erik, and the stroller.

-you go to the grocery store average of every other day to pick up what you need.

-one must carry an umbrella on them at all times because when it rains....it downpours like crazy and it's not just a few minutes like it is Hawaii, it lasts for a half an hour or so.

-bananas cost over $6 a pound...thus Erik is being weaned from his daily alotment. Our kid is a monkey when it comes to bananas. Ask any one who has them sitting out on their counter, he will always ask if he can have one.

-while it is expensive to live here, things that break the bank in the states are free here, a la pools, science museums, and other fun attractions, also newspapers seem to be free. Or at least some of them.

-Lindsay and I have both seperately been asked if we are canadian, no one seems to know where our "accent" comes from. Interesting Eh? :)

-The ward we attended on Sunday had many more americans and canadians than I ever expected. I would say around 4 families!

-Instead of having one dollar bills, they have 1 and 2 dollar coins, so there is a ton more change, but they don't have pennies, the smallest coin is 5 cents.

-The toilet water doesn't flush in the opposite direction, it doesnt even flush in a circle. There are 2 different flushes depending on what "duty" you do, a half and full. When you flush a certain amount of water just splashes into the bowl and it all goes down. Very interesting.

-Also the toilets are commonly in a seperate room than the shower and sink. Thus making it take up two rooms of space.

So for those curious about this new culture we are in.............there you have some tidbits. I will try to continue to let in on the Oz world.

Hello Mate

2011-05-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

We made it through all the craziness of emptying our house of tons of junk and garbage and old furniture. We made it through a week of crazy travels and long flights. We enjoyed a few days in Hawaii, and have arrived in Oz. So far its beautiful. It's stressful to be in the car with the opposite driving, it's fun to be able to walk everywhere and to see so many people out exercising. Seriously workout clothes are pretty much what everyone here wears it seems like. I am getting used to the humidity........a little. But mostly I am so relieved that we have made it this far and Erik is sleeping well, and adjusting. Nothing is perfect, he is testing his boundaries to see if we will be consistent but overall he is happy and well, which in turn helps me be happy and well.

Many more pics to come soon.

The whirlwind is picking up speed

2011-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

(Don't ask me why but I love this pic)

So lately things have been getting super busy and I am not really complaining. Luckily things have been going decently and I am not super stressed out so that is a good thing. ERik has had a weird stomach bug for about a week now and can't seem to shake it. We took him to the doc today and he said that there is really nothing to do and nothing to worry about as long as he isn't losing weight or getting dehydrated. Spry little guy doesn't let anything get him down. Other than no appetite, he is as spunky as ever, and we love his humorous personality.

Linds and the little man get to spend the weekend together without me this weekend as I take a girls night out for Time Out for Women. I am so looking forward to it and no doubt they will have fun. We have been trying to sell most of our belongings and doing fairly well. The biggest worry was the car but we are getting that to the new owner this weekend, and we were able to sell without losing any money which was a relief.

Last week we took Erik to the happiest place on earth and enjoyed spending the day with my aunt and cousin who were down for a trip. It was so fun to see them and get a taste of disneyland. We were there for a day and barely touched the surface but it was great. Erik loved the buzz lightyear ride and the rocket ride where he could go up and down.

Lately Erik is obsessed with "queena" aka lightning mcqueen and rubber duckies. Airplanes I think will always be a fascination and lucky for him today was a special day. Since we were on the base for the doctors appointment with his oh so quirky doctor (linds got to experience the quirky yet amazing pediatrician for the first time today)we also went to visit Lin at work. He was set to fly today and so lucky for us, we got to go out to the jet while the crew did their pre-flight and Erik was absolute heaven. I wish I would have had the camera. He got to turn some of the switches for the pilots and wear Lindsay's headset and listen to radio calls, it was great. He threw a fit when Lin tried to take him to the back of the plane where all of his action takes place in the boom pod. Erik just wanted to be up in the cockpit.

Seriously I think it may have been his best. day. ever. He loves to sing with us at night and give lots of cuddles lately. He is just pure joy....really. Hopefully he will remain the same as his world gets turned upside down going down under.

2011-03-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is the big day. I feel like I am a newlywed all over again! It is a small perk for having to be seperated from my husband for so long. The excitement and butterflies to see him come back. Wanting to make everything perfect and making sure that all my primping needs are taken care of, I just can't wait for lindsay to come home! Tomorrow night our family will be reunited and I can not wait.

Now to all of you saying dont you always want to be perfect for your husband? Why of course yes, but after many years of marriage, and the ins and outs or everydays things....come on now be realistic. In my perfect world I will have the energy and drive to be perfect everyday but I dont live in my perfect world....yet. But this weekend will come darn close.

I've already got streamers up, signs up, laundry most of the way done, special gifts layed out on his side of the bed, nails done, tomorrow we continue and finish it all. Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Just A Reminder

2011-03-23T04:21:00.000-07:00

I Love You The MOST SomBum!!!

Training in Madrid

2011-03-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

It has been tough and exciting to be in Spain, completing training for our assignment to Australia. When the weather was nice, it was beautiful outside, as you can see from the hotel room I stayed in for a short while, near Gran Via. The streets were chaotic and claustrophobic compared to the States, and no one believed in any kind of personal space. The language barrier was difficult at first, but if you put in effort to speak a little Spanish, it went a long way.

Skype has been a great tool to stay in touch with family, but you can see that Erik could quickly tell it wasn't the real thing. This was a shot with my camera while we were chatting. This was a great opportunity for Erik to spend time with family before our move.

Here are a few shots from my last walk around town. These first few shots were taken at Plaza Espania, where there are beautiful grounds, statues/fountains, and shopping vendors ready to fill all your tourist needs. Be careful to watch out for pick-pockets though. I was weary to venture out much at first, but my Brother-in-Law (who spent two years in Spain) gave me some good pointers & ideas, which encouraged me to go out.

The photo above is a 2,200 year old Egyptian Temple that was relocated to Madrid in the 60's. Egypt had to build a damn that was going to flood the temple, so they gave it to Spain for help that they had previously given Egypt. The temple was moved to Madrid and set up in the same orientation as it was in Egypt. It's amazing to see a structure that was built before Christ even walked the Earth....even if it's a refurb.

More pictures from Plaza Espania. There was a lot to look at and do, but I am excited to be on my way home to my family. Nothing beats the warmth of your home and love of your family, no matter how exciting the adventure.

There's a first time for everything

2011-03-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

well I hope for some things, we never have a first. Quite honestly I am surprised with how rambunctious Erik can get that we havent had an emergency room visit yet. Although I probably just jinxed myself. Today however, the mischievious little booger created a first. You see, I learned long ago that whenever I have to seperated from Erik for any duration to keep my cell phone on me, like literally in my pocket. And I don't do this because of something he did but rather what I did...oh about a year ago. When our car was new to us and I didnt know all the safety features I quickly learned that the doors will automatically lock sometimes after a certain amount of time. I still haven't figured out the pattern to it, but needless to say I had set the keys on the front seat along with all my other stuff, buckled him into his car seat, shut the door, and proceeded to walk around the car to get in the drivers door. Well some time, panicking, and quick thinking later, along with a screaming child because I think he could tell his mother was panicking, I broke into my own car and all was well.

So on to todays fiasco. I ran outside real quick to take the trash can to the curb and shut the door behind me to keep Erik from following me because it's freezing out and was snowing (that's something I don't even want to get into) and he didn't have shoes on. So I ran out fast thinking "If I go fast enough, by the time Erik gets the door open and comes out he won't get nearly as far as if I just leave the door open." Well that sly little guy he locked me out. Now to his credit I don't think he realized that what he was doing, especially since opening doors is a fairly new skill of his. And I never imagined he would lock me out of the front door because our door knob doesn't have a lock - just a deadbolt above. So I thought I was safe because he couldn't reach. Shows how little faith I have in a determined 2 year old.

So I knock on the door and talk to him and ask him to open the door for me, and while he is giggling and trying to turn the knob to let me in.......I am freezing, wanting to laugh at myself for the dumb mommy mistake I just made and at the fact that he is such a silly sly guy, because he is giggling and come on who doesn't laugh when a toddler giggles, and trying not to panic because I know for a fact that all the rest of the doors to the house including windows are locked because I check them at night when we go to bed.

Long story short....after about 2 minutes which felt like 30 Erik was able to reach up and open the deadbolt for me and let me in. I think he was wondering why I wasn't coming in because he went to the front window to look at me. I tried to follow along and tell him to get a stool to bring over to stand on, but no such luck.

Mommy lesson learned....2 year old boys can do anything and thus bring them with you EVERYWHERE and hook them to your belt if you have to because they will find a way to be naughty without even meaning to : )

There's no place like home

2011-03-19T15:18:00.001-07:00

So Erik and I made it back to California on a nice sunny 80 degree day. It was beautiful and my thick socks and boots along with three pieces of luggage, a carryon, and a sleeping toddler in a stroller made me nice and sweaty upon arriving. Luckily I didnt have to go too far from baggage claim to where my sweet friend picked me up. I knew I picked to fly into the small burbank airport for a reason :) Well plus it's the best one to drive to from where we live. Anyhow.

Our trip to Washington was lots of fun spent with lots of family. I am so glad that we made the trip. Especially for Erik's sake who now knows his grandparents individually and even one set of great grandparents. He knows cousins and aunts and uncles and had a tendency to yell out whoever he could think of or who he knew was home and continuously say their name. I get it all the time and it was nice to share that with them. He was constantly yelling our Bri Bri for his auntie Brittany who stayed with my parents part time as well and has a new found love for he Papa Moon. Ok maybe not a newfound love as much as an obsession. I couldn't ask for anything more precious. He loved going on errands and doing manly things with Grampa Spinelli and playing silly games with Grammy Spinelli. With Nana it was watching videos and talking about what was happening. Each did something unique with the little man that bonded him and their relationships. That was the main purpose of the trip and I was so glad for that. PLus we weren't as lonely always being with other people.

Towards the end of the trip Erik's sleep schedule was way off the rocker and I pretty much gave up on the usual plan of action. NOt because I was lazy and tired although I will admit to being both of those, but because we had moved houses and he is still young enough he doesnt fully understand that just because daddy left for a time and that he will come back or that mommy will stay and not leave he was deathly afraid of me leaving him. For example the last weekend there we were at Lindsay's brother and his family's house for a birthday and baby blessing. On the first night Haley and I were going to run to the store real quick to grab some groceries for dinner. Erik, his cousin Zoey, and Papa were all outside playing and having fun. We rolled down the window said good bye and Erik said bye and then started whining. Haley asked if I wanted to just zip out of there so that he didnt dwell on the fact that I was leaving him for a short period of time (which normally he would be happy to go along with friends). I replied, yeah just pull forward and lets go. So she did and holy moly guacamole I have never seen that child run as fast and as hard as he did. I was watching backward and he ran out of their driveway and was running down the middle of the street faster than papa could catch him after the car with the most panicked look on his face. So we stopped and I got out and picked him up. His heart was beating so fast and hard and my heart broke a little so we threw him in Zoey's car seat and brought him with us. Poor little man. I think the only time I have felt someone's heart racing like that was when Lindsay proposed to me....that must have been where Erik got it from :)

So being in Washington was great but being back in our own beds and Erik's familiar environment has proved to be comforting. He almost immediately went back to his normal sleep schedule and sleeping in his own bed rather than mine. He still wakes up once a night and wants me to come in to make sure I am there. I just have to tell him that I am here and that I need to sleep in my bed down the hall and he rolls over and sleeps until morning. I am a lucky girl.

Since being home it has been a mad dash to clean the house for our initial walk through with our landlord today. It has felt good to be motivated and get things done around the house. IT would have been better if she would not have come a half an hour early before I could finish cleaning up some last minute stuff to make the place look more aesthetically pleasing but it is what it is. You can't always win I guess.

Now we continue to clean, sell, dejunk, and get projects done, until Linds joins us and we all work towards the big move to Oz. I am already dreaming up what our new banner will say on the blog once we move.

For those who are asking about Lin.........he is still in Spain, still not loving nor hating it, and cant wait to wrestle with the little man. A favorite pasttime over the last two months on skype has been singing the itsy bitsy spider and Erik "sneezing" while Lindsay "gets blown across the room."

Just like Grandpa

2011-02-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

Innocent enough right? Just sitting at the breakfast table with his favorite food, a banana.....

And then comes a slight lean and a mischievious grin.........and then an all out belly laugh because he is proud of his FART. What a knucklehead, this kid cracks me up everyday

Our Family of Three

2011-02-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

So this last week has had me thinking about adding to our family. Well ok, so I feel like I am always thinking about bringing another child into our family. One...because even though conception has yet to happen for me, each month I wonder..."will this be the miracle month?"....and then of course every notion comes crashing down and bam we start the cycle over. Another, I often wonder if Erik will be an only child and if so what is the best way I can parent him to turn out to be a well rounded and balanced person.

Over the weekend we got to spend time with Lindsay's family and Erik got to spend time with his cousins, one being a month old. Seeing him with that little one made my heart warm and yet break at the same time. Here he was offering kisses on a whim, trying to cover the infant with a blanket and asking to hold him. I couldn't have been happier to see him excited about a baby and yet it almost broke my heart to know that he may never get to do that with a sibling. That we may never bring home a little one explaining that he is the new big brother. With the addition of my adorable new nephew of course brought on conversation about Linds and I adding to our family. And since we are very open with anyone and everyone about our situation I spoke about how we would love to have more children but at this point we are planning on just Erik and if more come to us it would be an extra special bonus. We are not going to stop trying to add to our family yet (although we will most likely need to take a break while away because we can't adopt in Australia).

The truth is while its fun to imagine more kids, and we can hope, it's just too hard on my heart to expect or keep thinking something may be around the corner. A little while after our conversation my sister in-law told me that it was hard for her to here that we are just planning for Erik. I understand that and I know wholeheartedly that she understands us as well. I learned before Erik came along that when I could accept my future as it is, everything falls into perspective and is easier to handle. So for now I just imagine the three of us in the years to come.

But if another spirit finds their way into our arms of course we are prepared and willing to raise them with the same love we have for Erik.

A quote from Mrs. R from the R house sums it up fantastically...

Before we even started to entertain the idea that we would want to add more children to our family, I had to make sure I was okay with my family being the size that it is and not getting any bigger. If I didn’t, I think I would go crazy with all the emails and phone calls I get about possible adoption situations. It’s easy to write that down, but when I really stop and think about the fact that there are two women in this world that carried and had a baby and chose to place that baby in our home and the trust they have in us ...it seems totally unlikely that there would seriously be more women out there that would choose us. How could we be so lucky and so blessed more than two times? It blows my mind. But, maybe there is. And if there is, I will be thrilled. We would all be thrilled and overjoyed. But, if there isn’t, I adore my boys to the core of my soul and feel honored to be chosen to be their mama. I can’t emotionally spend their childhood thinking about another child that may or may not arrive into our home and hearts. I can hope, but I can’t be obsessed. For me, that meant being okay with where we are at and hoping for the best.

posted on therhouse.blogspot.com on Jan.13, 2011

Time flies

2011-02-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

All right so you probably won't see many actual pictures on the blog for a short time. We only have one camera and Lindsay took ours with him when he left for his training for the move, so we are without and while yes I could take pics with my parents camera and everyone else's........well I have been lazy. So I will give you updates on happenings but you probably won't see too many pics. Although I did just remember we bought Erik a childrens digital camera for his birthday and so maybe you will see some pics from his perspective.

Can you believe our little magoo is 2 already! Holy cow...not me. We are celebrating his birthday in an upcoming weekend. He is in full swing tantrum modes and likes to run away from me every single, I mean every single time I ask him to get his coat or shoes on so that we can go out the door. I hate to run after him every time because he thinks its a funny game, and so I try my hardest to let him make the decision to come to me, but by golly we have places to go with time restraints sometimes and it is frustrating. And we are slowly approaching the "I can do everything by myself" phase which is so totally awesome (read that in a sarcastic manner please).

I love our little man, he is goofy and will do anything for a laugh, he is sweet and likes to cuddle, he is obsessed with airplanes and Thomas the train. He wants to feed and watch for deer outside all the time here at Grandma's house. Erik has started to say prayers, which warms my little mama heart but he loves the deer so much that when we start a prayer, now that he is saying them, he can't continue past the "dear Heavenly Father" because he thinks we are saying deer and he points out the window and say's "where go" or "dees (deers), trees" and then giggles.

Erik recently had to be evaluated by a physical and occupational therapist for our move. He has always been slightly behind his peers, but never enough where I thought he needed therapy. Well we have to go through a medical review process (please don't get me started at how annoyed I am with the whole system), and the doc thought he should be evaluated to make sure he doesn't need treatment before we leave. So he was evaluated and the occupational therapist said he is good to go, showed me some things I could work on, and gave me some great insight just about parenting routines. etc. She was way cool and a great therapist. The physical therapist was equally nice and although she did recommend some therapy just for the next month or so to catch him up to where he should be (right now he is at a 25-30% delay for gross motor skills) she said he wouldn't need continued help once we move. Wahoo! So I am glad that he will get help to catch up and I am eager to glean whatever info she has about helping him in the future. Seriously therapists have the best and most creative ideas for helping kids and not only that but all the ideas they both gave me are fun and things I can do just to help keep him busy during the day. The extra perk is just that he unknowingly is working on his motor skills. Genius!

Lindsay is doing well to those who are curious. He is enjoying the warm weather and sun that Australia has to offer and is looking forward to finishing up training so that we can all be together again. Luckily we have skype so we get to see each other but being together in person is the best. This will have actually been the longest stint of us being apart by the time we reunite, which is crazy. It's hard to be away, and it's hard to parent alone, but I am thankful to be around family that can help out, especially on those days, you know those days, we all have them whether we are parents or not. It helps to have an amazing husband who has helped me learn to keep a big picture perspective on life so that I can remind myself, that this too shall be but a small moment in time.

Welcome Mate

2011-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

If any of you have been watching world news updates, you know that part of Australia is flooding. That is where we will be living in the near future. That is where Lindsay is currently supposed to be starting his training for our new adventure.............we are lucky he made it there before the airport shut down. That is why we feel blessed we weren't sent to live there when they had originally wanted us there last fall. Truly a blessing.

While Lindsay is waiting for down under to come out from under the water, Erik and I are having a great time with family. My brother is on his two week leave from a deployment in Afghanistan. It has been nice talking with him and seeing him with his sweet wife.

So spokanites if you want to see us let me know.

things i love about spokane

2010-12-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

1. when a snowstorm rolls in it is beautiful and looks like a winter wonderland, at least when you don't have to drive in it too much.

2. you can use your back porch as extra refrigerator space because its cold enough outside.

3. In the summer it's so green and beautiful and you are never far from water to play around in.

4. There are plenty of places to take your kids or family for fun. Lots are cheap and inexpensive.

5. Our families are there and our hearts also.

We hope to one day return there to live but for now we are preparing for our next adventure.

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday ours was fantastic!

it's a holly jolly christmas

2010-12-13T19:41:00.000-08:00

These were some super cute reindeer cupcakes that some friends dropped by last night along with a christmas card. I couldn't help but take a picture because they were so cute. Erik scarfed his down and tried to eat Lindsay's too.

For Family Night tonight we made a gingerbread house and used the LA temple as inspiration. It was fun especially since today we also are celebrating 7 years of marriage that have been wonderful! And although we were married in the Spokane temple, the temple is where our family started.

Here is our temple, complete with the reflection pool. And Moroni is not smoking I promise....Linds tried making a trumpet for him and this was how it turned out. Also we didn't have white icing so brown it was :)

This weekend we opened gifts as a family for christmas so that we didnt have to tote everything up to Washington and back. Erik got a big baseball thing and he loves it. It's funny how he gets so excited about things these days.

But you know the absolute best "toy" has been a dishwasher box that the plumber cut into a house for Erik. He loves knocking it over, using the windows as a basketball net, popping his head through said window, watching movies, crawling in and out, etc. etc. all time best entertainment for him and it was free! If you need ideas seriously go to home depot or whereever and ask for a large box to cut up. It will provide hours of the best fun!

And last but not least I thought I would mention that all these little ones were in my care today, two for half the day and the rest for the whole day. It was a mad house and I think only one child made it out alive without a bonk or blood, the rest fended for themselves nicely. It was fun and chaotic and I was glad when it dwindled down to just Erik.

Ahhh family!

Random bits

2010-12-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Recently Lindsay and I were able to get away for an evening and attend his wing's Christmas party. It was an enjoyable night with live music and we even won a gift certificate to Lindsay's favorite local restaurant.

This was a pic of us on Turkey day and while yes I have a huge scowl on my face I could not get rid of it because the sun was glaring right in my eyes. It was an interesting experience eating Turkey dinner outside but fun. We were able to spend time with my parents and our dear friends from Arizona.

On a side note: We thought we were going to have the opportunity to see S over the holiday weekend and I was so stoked. Unfortunately things wouldn't end up working out and let me tell you how bummed I was. I understand that she is at a point where she is moving forward with her life but I feel so spiritually connected to her and wish there were a way for me to have my cake and eat it too. She actually did want to see us and our schedules just didn't line up but oh how I wish we could see her more. I never in a million years thought that I would feel that way towards our birth mother before we experienced the adoption but I really feel something deep inside that we go way back before this life together. I hope she enjoyed her holiday and spent it with important people close to her heart.

Erik played with Grandma in an ikea bag. He didn't want to get out and I ended up toting him around on my shoulder for a while. I carried him in a sling a lot when he was small and I think it reminded him of it because his eyes were getting all heavy and he was super relaxed.

Erik also got to meet and play with this little guy. They are a month apart and after the initial jealousy of toys and such they got along great. They played in dirt, played with trains, and loved chasing each other up and down a hallway!

I am succumbing to the monster

2010-12-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

you all know that crazy popular social website named facebook......well I have purposely avoided that thing like the plague. I have been asked plenty of times to join and just didn't want to be tied into the computer any more than I needed, it already is hard for me to keep up on the blog sometimes.

Well with the upcoming move I think it will only make some things easier if I actually cave to the trend. My man and I will be seperated for some time before we head down under and although we plan on skyping and talking I keep thinking the instant messaging would be nice. I also know it is a great way to stay in the loop with others,etc.

So now with a drudging sense to join I am going to do it. But I will have you know that I do not plan on going crazy with it

To the outback mate!

2010-11-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

It's official. Today was a magical day in that we learned we just received orders to move to

AUSTRALIA

yep you heard me right. we are moving to the outback just as our winter is ending and theirs is beginning. i am so stoked i can hardly believe it! i am sure little man will pick up the accent and who knows we may come back with a little bit too. i am sure that we will at least be picking up some of their lingo.

so if any of you want to go on a foreign vacation and want to see friends and have a free place to stay........we would love to host you!

Honestly i feel so blessed that we get this opportunity. We heard about it originally way back in early spring of this year and have just been keeping quiet as we wait to hear official words afraid we would jinx ourselves.

It's funny how we felt cali (as much as i hate it here) was the place for us to be to have our family expand. and although australia wont be able to offer us adoption or fertility services which means erik may not have a sibling or at least for a few more years, i feel like this is the path for us.

New Dining room set

2010-11-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

so i took on a project that i think was much bigger than i bargained for and i don't think i will be another such project anytime soon. but i finished and am pleased with the results. the picture below is showing the old fabric and the new fabric with a little touch from the little mans help. he wanted to help so bad when i was screwing the seats onto the chairs and would pretend in the middle hole.

I didn't get any really good before pics because i didn't think about it until i had the table apart and had started sanding. but this is what the finish looked like before. and you see the light circular spot in the middle, yeah that was from a gun cleaning escapade a couple of years ago.

And the finished product! i love it! i am definitely no pro and will not be showing you close up pictures of the chairs. The table turned out exactly how i wanted but i had a hard time with painting and finishing the chairs those boogers. but unless you inspect they will suit us just fine. this dining set was the one that i grew up with at my parents house. it is pine and pretty soft so the black glaze shows the flaws in the wood from different dents and things, but i thought it added great character!

I am so glad to be done with this project and am glad i had some friends to help me out.

2010-11-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

we are all alive and well. blogger is being a booger and not uploading my pictures. is it just me or is blogger out to get me?

i would have been updating a lot seeing as halloween actually came and went with our fun party, and i refinished our dining room table and chairs......the set i grew up with as a kid.

but lindsay has been gone since just a few days after halloween and just returned. he had the computer with him because he had a big annual report due while he was away and thus i have been out of the cyber world for nearly a month. to tell you the truth part of me loved it, and yet part of me felt so weird and out of the loop. but it was a nice reprieve. i think i could do without the computer if it wasnt so necessary for todays world.

when blogger starts cooperating i will post pics

Halloween full speed ahead!

2010-10-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend Lindsay and I are hosting a halloween party for some of erik's little friends. I am super excited about it. First because Lindsay is actually in town this year to celebrate with us (the second ever since we have been married) and second because hosting this party has helped make me feel like I am fulfilling lifelong motherhood dreams. These types of activities are things I have dreamed about planning and putting on since I can remember.

This is an activity where the kids will bob for bat rings. They will get bendy straws and hook them on the rings and then enjoy the prize!

This is just what is up in our entry way

Some Halloween books out on Erik's table that I will read aloud as children are gathering to help keep their excitement focused into one area and really could I do something without a book involved? I don't think so!

skulls in candle holders

favor bags and gloves filled with popcorn and gumdrops.........mmmm so fun!

the table before all the food

a fun festive banner I made out of scrapbook paper. I did get the templates off of a blog and of course I cant find the website to give propercredit. But I did a google image search of Halloween banners and it came up.

I loved getting reaady for halloween this year. WE have some inflatable halloween shapes that we are going to play around with and if I can find out parachute then we will bounce it off that but at the moment I put it away somewhere and can't find it. My luck of course. We will also be doing a pumpkin search and an artwork piece.

But you know what I really can't wait for and am trying my hardest not to pull out, is my CHRISTMAS stuff. I am so excited for this year. The other morning erik woke up at an insane hour and so we had a party in our bed until breakfast and we sang lots of christmas carols to him and had a blast. It got both Lindsay and I in the mood for all the joy and spirit of Christmas. We will be going home for Christmas so I am trying to figure out what to do here and what we can do there and I am soooooo excited. Maybe even be doing some christmas crafts soon so that when the time comes they can go up.

maybe maybe not

2010-10-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

photo found here.... http://ulovebeth.blogspot.com

The above picture is what I am trying to imagine myself as. I have never enjoyed running, I have never been a fast runner (I quit in elementary when I realized I couldn't even place in any races), and overall running has never been a part of my life other than attending meets and races for my brothers and sister in law.

I have always wanted to like running and experience the so called high that comes with it. But every time I have ever tried to get into a habit, it lasts about two weeks before I put my shoes away for a while. This time however I am determined. I am nearing 30 and I can feel my body changing. My metabolism is slowing, my clothes are fitting differently as my body shape is changing a bit, I feel like I am getting to know a new body lately and I haven't even had the pleasure of delivering a child. So since running is good for you and cheap I am committed. I have a running buddy who is also very committed which is good since I usually wake up and want to cancel. But we have yet to cancel! Lindsay's brother Alex is a physical therapist and him and his wife are amazing athletes. They gave us an awesome running program that starts out super easy (5 minutes of running time the first two weeks, easy huh?) and slowly works up to whatever amount of time you want to be running. My partner and I are up to 15 minutes of consecutive running.

For some of you that may sound like the easiest thing in the world, but I must say I don't know when the last time was that I could do that. Honestly it was probably junior high. That's not to say i am not an active person, but running is not natural to me. I am so proud of myself! We are looking to do a race of some sort in the next few months to keep us looking towards a goal as the weather cools down.

Basically I am tell you all this 1....to make you feel good about yourself because you could probably walk faster than I can run, as well as farther 2.......to help keep myself accountable until this new thing becomes more habit.

I am enjoying that a slow build up because all the other times I have tried I always got nauseated after a run and just hated it. But with this program I feel good about myself and accomplished each time I up how many minutes I can run. Now I just wish there more fun places to run with a stroller.

fit for a king

2010-09-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

So little man is growing faster than i can conceive it and so his needs are changing. Earlier this summer Lindsay decided to have a yard sale last second. I was all about it, I had stuff waiting to be purged and taken out of the house. We also decided to sell the couches that were in our front room. i know that is kind of weird. But we didn't use them that much, really only when we had visitors which honestly isn't that often. Plus we have couches in our family room where the tv is anyway, that is where we mostly hang out. So we sold them and I have been trying to figure out what to do with the empty room. We noticed right away that Erik loved having the big open space the play, so that got my mind turning and although not super asthetic to see as you walk in the house, I decided to turn it into a play room area. Slowly I have been getting things in there and I think it is complete. Only half his toys are out so it is not overwhelming to pick something to play with. And easier for me to rotate when he gets bored with them.

Since organizing the toys he has actually been playing with them! I just got him a little table and chairs, and he loves them. He climbs onto the little set many times and day and even uses them as toys as he stacks the furniture and toys on the furniture. He likes eating a snack there. It is great! I am hoping it will help ease boredom this winter and create an area that will foster learning as he is starting to really progress in language and labeling body parts, etc.

Just this morning he sat in his high chair pointing to things he could see and half jibber jabbering and half saying his words. He would point and label using the correct word and then continue in his own language and describe what it was. At one point he pointed to the ceiling, made the airplane sign and talked about that and then made the choo choo sound and followed suit. What a crack up.

His vocab, went from about 3-4 words to the following list in about a week or so

-mama

-dada

-bo bo (boomer)

-shoe

-taco

-bubble

-choo choo (high pitched like a train)

-hot (in a whispered voice)

he blows when he sees a candle or lighter

-yes

-no no no (if he is repeating me when he gets in trouble)

-jesus

-na na (banana-his favorite food)

-duck

and when he wants to listen to music or watch a video he talks in a little sing songy voice and opens his eyes wide. Most adorable.

He will follow vocal sounds i make (like going going low to high or vice versa) in a singy voice and it is fun game we play in the car and on walks. this age is hard in its own way but I am starting to enjoy it too. Especially because he is starting to entertain himself a bit more and communicate more

more vegas fun

2010-09-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Erik was laying with his uncle Alex one day and Alex was combing Erik's hair, he was so relaxed and loving the attention.

Naps were actually better than I thought they were going to be while there. Erik took his naps in the bathroom and Zoey slept in the bedroom. I love how his little booty sticks up in the air.

Zoey having a little fun with some nasty poo. Don't worry it was fake

One day we went to the Hoover dam. It was really hot but a sight to see!

Just a fun picture of all of our feet!

while there Linds and Alex took the opportunity to jump off the top of the stratosphere. They said the rush was crazy, especially as you take to initial step off the platform. Overall vacation was lots of fun. We enjoyed just being with Alex and Haley and letting the cousins get to know each other better. People asked every day if they were twins and they played like siblings and fought like them as well. It was awesome!

livin' it up

2010-09-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

This last week we actually went on vacation and partied it up with these crazies!

Well ok, we didn't party it up in the traditional way but we did lots of shopping, swimming, and relaxing like we did in the old days.

This group shot was taken at the flamingo and literally a few minutes later they shooed us away because they were going to perform a wedding.

playing in the laundry basket at the hotel. These two munchkins were asked about a million times if they were twins while out and about and they played like they were and fought like they were, it was pretty funny. Definitely interesting to see the difference between boy and girl toddlers too. Erik was aggressive and very physical in playing, zoey would play nice and get into all the girly cosmetic stuff.

most of all I think Haley and I enjoyed watching the men together. They turn into kids around each other and do all sorts of crazy things. And no erik did not have on a bikini he had a swim shirt and a washable swim diaper. Trunks are overrated if you ask me.

more to come....

The sibling question

2010-08-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I know I had mentioned earlier this year that we were going to try to start the adoption process this last spring with a desire to bring Erik a sibling. Well plans have changed.......we definitely want to bring another little one into our family and in a time frame that is natural. But things in our lives are not necessarily as planned. Lindsay has found out there may be a chance that we may be getting orders somewhere in another country where we couldn't adopt and thus we are on hold until we hear further notice. We didn't want to put the work into the process and the money to have to put it on hold and do it all over when we get back to the states if we go.

Without giving it too much detail because like I said nothing is official, we would be gone somewhere for 3 years, in another country and we are not sure when we would leave. My guess is sometime early next year but who knows.

So just for those of you who were wondering yes we want another but we are not sure when or how.

Greetings Earthlings

2010-08-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

So I honestly feel like I have been on a different planet this summer. A planet where time goes by five times faster than earth and nothing on the homefront gets accomplished. But we have had lots of fun nonetheless.

Erik and I just returned from a trip to Washington to help my mom recover from a major surgery. For those who know her and are wondering........the first week and a half was really rough for her, but finally things seemed to slowly get better and hopefully she will gain some of her freedom back as she continues to progress towards healing. Erik and I had a lot of fun seeing family, but like always it seems there is never quite enough time to visit friends. We need to go for a month and get in everything. Although in our defense we pretty much stayed with my mom to help her with anything we could.

A favorite activity of Erik's this trip was................ was going through the doggie door. He also loved playing baseball and playing with any stick he could find. Basically anything that is not a toy is what he will play with.

There was a toy wagon and a decorative wooden one that was in my parents backyard. He thought he would be sneaky and took the toy one to where the wooden one sits, switched them like we wouldn't notice and played with the wooden one. Where does he come up with this stuff?

School started here but summer is not over for the moon family! I got enough grief over our blog while away that I will try to keep you up to speed more. On to the next adventure!

we are still around......

2010-07-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

....just uber busy. that is all.

For those of you who are concerned about the fires near our house. We are ok. The fire is moving in the opposite direction and we should be safe. The first day of the fire we were not sure but please keep the families that have lost their homes in your thoughts and prayers.

-k so I realize all these pics looks like we have just been relaxin'. Well we have been trying to get in as much summer fun as we can but have been busy with the youth in our ward. I went to girls camp and Lindsay took the scouts on a high adventure. Busy busy!

can't get enough

2010-06-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

so, Erik does some the funniest and cutest things. Recently he started to put his mouth on the guitar tuning buttons while linds plays and will stop whatever activity he is doing to walk over and put his mouth on it. We are not sure why, we assume he likes feeling the vibration on his mouth, but it's funny!

And he has become the cutest little helper. He always helps unload the silverware (after I have removed the knives of course) from the dishwasher and like to help out with the yard work too! Shoveling, mowing, weeding, hosing, you name it he wants to take over! Bring it on brother cause in a few years, you will be expected to do some of those things.............any ideas on how to encourage it enough to keep the desire up when chores come around?

Just can't get enough of him!

Today is a day of Remembrance

2010-05-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate those who have risked and lost their lives for our freedoms and protection. Without these brave men and women we would not have the priveleges we have today.

As a military wife I am very patriotic about soldiers. My husband corrects me when I call him a soldier because technically he is an "airman" but anyone who serves in any branch of the military is a soldier in my eyes. Lindsay and I both have many family members who have or are serving in our military and my heart bursts with pride for them! Even Erik's birth families are linked into branches of the military, it encompasses us.

Sometimes I have friends and family tell me that they could never do it, that would not be as strong as I am to have my husband gone so much, etc. Well I am not saying it easy or that I am overjoyed to have him leave me......sometimes I grumble, but what an honor to be married to a hero. What an example he sets for our family in his loyalty and honor in his mission. I know Erik does and will continue to view him as his personal hero. Whenever I see Lindsay in his uniform (okay so that is everyday) and especially when we go out in public, I feel so proud. He is such a humble man and does not like to go out in uniform or draw that attention to himself in any regard. He has more than a box full of awards with more that he wasn't given plaques or statues for that he will not let me put up in the house. When we first moved I thought I was being a sweet wife by putting up all the plaques on our guest room wall, oh no.......he had me take it all down the same day. He may not be on the front lines, but he is in a critical position to help the Air force.

(as a marine)

My younger brother Ryan was a marine and is now in the army. He leaves this week for a LONG deployment to Afghanistan leaving a wife at home. This is his longest and 3rd tour over to the "sandbox." I pray for him. I have seen the immediate effects war has on the front line soldiers. I have seen him go from fun seeking 18 year old to fun loving but yet deeply changed man. You know what his number one request is in his care packages? Baby wipes. These men rarely get showers, they have to burn their own waste and they risk their lives every second they are over there. It's no wonder PTSD is so common. But the sad thing is so few get treatment for it because it can affect their career.

I hope and pray for his safe return home with a heart beat........please pray for our service men and women. They need the comfort and support, no matter what they do in the military! Today Lindsay and I hosted a bbq and it was fun. I wanted to sneak in Lindsay's awards all over, but knew he would have nothing of it. Instead I made sure to make festive decorations to go along and we said a prayer that was in memory of those who have lost their lives in service. Did you know Red Poppy flowers are a symbol for Memorial Day? Just thought I would let you know!

Love,

Som

all grown up

2010-05-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

I took this picture a couple of weekends ago when we were headed out for a day of fun. He looks like such a big boy now and I feel like he is quickly losing his baby face. I know he is still young but he is growing so quickly.

Earlier this week I took him to play at a friends house. Erik and his 3 year old play mate were actually wrestling (or what they thought to be wrestling) on his friend's bed. It was fun to watch, it wore Erik out and he had a blast. But I couldn't believe how he naturally knew how to wrestle and wanted to at almost 16 months.

Nothing new has really happened lately which I am not complaining about. I would much rather have it quiet than have lots of bad things happening. What are you all up to this holiday weekend?

he has my heart wrapped around his little finger

2010-05-11T22:36:00.001-07:00

(jammin to the radio)

I feel an urge to voice some of my feelings for my little man. Erik is the light of my life, he knows just how to make us laugh and smile. He will do anything to make us laugh, especially when he is being naughty.......he is smart and tries to distract us from his bad behavior and I can't say he fails either. Half the time Lindsay and I can't look at each other or him when that happens because we will bust up laughing.

Erik is very active and although it's tiring, I love to foster his activity so that he will grow to love being outside, running around, or doing fun activities. Music will always be a passion in his life I believe. He even went and turned on the radio the other day and layed down next to it listening. Watching Michael Jackson he busted out some new dance moves and couldn't peel his eyes off the screen.

I love having handprints on my windows and extra laundry with miniature clothing to sort through. I love Erik's birth parents and think the world of them. I hope to instill their love into Erik as he grows and starts to understand how special he is. I hope that I am the Mom that they would want me to be for him. Erik is such a sweet spirit and his pontential is far beyond what I ever would have thought I would have seen in any of my children. Honestly, not trying to be cheesy, I think he is destined for great things. I don't think he will be the president of the United states, but I do know that he will posess amazing leadership qualities, I think he was given a gift to make others feel good and loved and am excited to see that expound as he grows.

I feel blessed to be his mom and hope that I will be guided to know how to help him be the best he can be. I feel blessed to have a husband and a great marriage to provide that example to our son and hopefully more children to come.

Let me praise S and B a little more. They are such examples to me. They are both individuals that I would hang out with anytime. Being the adoptive mother of their child I feel honored to have been chosen with Lindsay to take on parentingof Erik. Erik may take on our mannerisms but their are still qualities that I can tell he has inherited from them. S claims she is stubborn and Erik follows right after her. I think it's quite comical at this moment in his life. Both S and B are laid back people and fun to be around, Erik was born with a laid back personality. I hope they will know and never doubt that we love them and will never hide anything from Erik. That when he has questions we will answer to the best of our ability and if he ever wants answers from them, we will contact them and let him ask them directly. I truly feel that they were selfless and able to put their personal desires and feelings aside to think about the life they wanted their child to have...........I will forever be grateful!

Mother

2010-05-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Although this is late, both Lindsay and I wouldn't be the people we are without the wonderful way we were raised by our mothers! We love you moms!

I am the luckiest girl alive. My husband rocks my world and feel so lucky that he chose to spend eternity with ME! And I am also so lucky that S and B chose me to be the cutest little boys Mother. Motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever experienced but it has also brought me a joy and fulfillment I could never imagine. Our small family is perfect to me. I am honored to be a part.

Highly recommend!

2010-05-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

i just got this book and it is amazing. If you are or have been curious about organic eating or eating in a really healthy manner, or just want to know more about sprouting whole grains and using them for baking this book is the one. It recommends using raw milk and grass fed beef, free range chicken, etc. While this may sound like a fad or just an expensive way to eat, well more expensive yes, but highly nutritious......you bet! If we could afford to live completely according to the real food diet, our family would. However with our nation how it is, healthy food is much more expensive so we will be picking and choosing what things to get really healthy and which processed foods we will still need to buy to sustain our family.

After reading this book I shared it with a friend who I knew was into healthy food as well and she recommended I watch the documentary "Food, Inc.". I did and it totally informed me and was a bit upsetting but I loved it. The film made me really want to change our family eats not only for health but to help the farmers who are doing things the right way. If you have netflix, you can watch it instantly.

waste

2010-05-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

yesterday i appeared in court hoping to get a little sympathy and have my ticket reduced. Turns out there was no sympathy for anyone. I didn't even get to say anything other than "here" for a roll call and then my plea. Once I pleaded I was dismissed to go pay my fine. I was not the exception. I saw no one get a chance to explain themselves.

And the other weird thing was having everyone on the docket be in the courtroom at the same time so we all watched each other. Very weird and uncomfortable. I found their system to be inefficient and none of the court workers other than the cop escorting us in the be on time. What a joke..............as you can tell I am not thrilled with my current state of residence. They nickel and dime people so bad it's no wonder we have so much debt (they can't not spend our money) and poverty.

California is a land of dreams.......smoke dreams if you ask me. It seems to me all the pretty and fun things like the beach, ocean, and palm trees are so minor compared to the rest of what is happening. HOnestly the only thing keeping me sane and ok with being here is that I love the people I have met and those that live around me. If not for them I would be miserable

there i said it and will be done for now.

far too long.......

2010-05-04T20:54:00.001-07:00

First I apologize for the inconsistency in posting. This year I think that we are being pushed to our limits with trials and I am starting to believe the Heavenly Father must really think we are special and great to keep throwing us for such loops.

I have purposely failed to let you all in on some of our endeavors because I didn't want to sound like I was complaining or continue with the down and out stuff, so I have mostly posted about the little man who keeps us in laughs and on our toes.

Earlier this year we were the victims of a money laundering scams and lost a lot of money. Then we got that taken care of (and I am so glad that we have been heeding the advice to save money even if it's a few coins a week) and had put money aside for some specific goals and lo and behold a little over a week ago we got in a car wreck in LA. It was not our fault but our car is totaled and we are looking for a new car before the other insurance stops paying for the rental (we are a one car family).

Yes, we are all ok. Erik had a scratch on his cheek from a book he was looking at, Linds and I were both sore from mild whip lash I would guess. But unfortunately my mom who was in the car with us didn't make out so well. She injured her neck and was whisked away by the ambulance. They thought for a time she broke her neck, but luckily she didn't. The other driver had no injuries and her car (a brand new prius) was barely battered. Luckily she told the cop it was her fault.

Now not only were we blessed to have an emergency cash fund, we were blessed with no major injuries, and an at fault driver who will admit it, but our insurance company has been great (check out usaa, it's no longer strictly military and they are AWESOME). Just today they called and said that we needed to buy a new car seat today and cut the straps on our old one. We were to fax in the receipt once purchased and they would reimburse the funds. Wow, thank you USAA. Our other seat was great, but once in an accident you shouldnt continue to use them.

All right so car trouble seems to follow us lately, so not only were we in a wreck but I have gotten 2 tickets in the last month and Lindsay got 1 as well. What?! None of them were speeding. Lindsay got caught on camera running a red light......oops! But mine I feel like were dumb, actually I am headed to the court house tomorrow to ask for a reduction on my first one. I came out of the carpool lane before there was an exit., the second I was on my phone..........aand in my defense it was two days after the accident and the number was an 800 number, and i thought it was the insurance company, but ole mister cop didn't care.

You want to know how lovely California is to me right now? REally? I want to move asap. those stinking tickets........... half a grand each! you may now pick your jaw off the floor and cry with me.

oh the trials!

Fun With Water

2010-04-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Erik playing at the squid water fountain at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. He loved all the exibits but I think this was his favorite activity of the day. He is such a water boy...and a cute one at that.

i lied apparently

2010-04-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

so blogger hates our videos and it has taken me hours of trying to upload and i am finished. so i can't promise any more videos this week. sorry!

i will post normally tomorrow

2010-04-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

some of you probably got a bit worried watching this video. Just know that we never leave boomer and erik alone together when there is food involved. We are always supervising. But luckily Boomer learned early on that erik is higher in the pack than himself and therefore let's erik do pretty much whatever he pleases. Now we are trying to teach Erik that he doesn't have to throw things at boomer to play.

a week of videos

2010-04-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

There a few different videos that I would love to post over this week. I would do them all in one post but they take forever to upload so I will take it a day at a time. In this one Erik had been belly laughing with every tickle up until I got the camera of course, so just imagine him doing the big laugh every time. And we are so proud that he knows where his belly button is and will find yours for you too if you let him!

2010-03-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

I realized that none of our family has seen Erik actually walking since his first steps video. So here he is in all his glory........with a near mishap with Boomer. Luckily Boomer does pretty well about avoiding crashes, but sometimes they are inevitable

.

ta da

2010-03-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

you can kind of see his two front teeth in the one below! His gap is adorable!

my apologies

2010-03-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

i know i have been super bad about posting lately. Our lives have been so busy and with Erik growing I don't think it will slow down for a while. There is too much to catch up on in the last month but I will post some pics of recent happenings so everyone can see a few things we have been up to.

riding on dad's shoulders and using his ears as a harness

playing at the beach, it was a bit chilly but erik LOVED the sand. He is definitely going to be an outside get your hands dirty little man. Actually as the days warm up we spend a lot more time outdoors playing and he loves it. He will even dip his face into his water table.

so now I am on the hunt for used and decently priced outside toys. or ideas of homemade things.

we made a sensory box with beans and small toys and so far Erik loves dumping out the toys and his friend Hannah who is a year older played with it for about an hour the other morning.

sorry mom....for some reason blogger isn't uploading my pictures. will try again later

The big one!

2010-03-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

Thirty years ago today a beautiful woman risked her life to give birth to one handsome baby. that baby was my amazing husband and although he gave his mom a run for her money during birth and shortly after, they both came out on top and I am the luckiest of all to have the blessing of marrying the man.

Lindsay had the big 3-0 birthday today. Unfortunately he had to work and I didnt plan anything bg but have some fun stuff that will be waiting for him when he gets home. WE did however got to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday, more for ERik's sake but it was fun.

Hapy birthday love!

kansas part 2

2010-03-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

Since we got to Kansas things have gone well and we have had a blast. Everything is much cheaper here than in California (for both places we visited it was $30 total!) and we have been able to enjoy some fun places, one of them being an indoor water park that is centered for kids. There were some adult things but mostly kids. And let me tell you it rocked, mostly because the entire room was super warm and the water was even warmer, it was almost bath water warm. The toddler pool was the warmest and so the kids could stay in longer without their lips turning blue. Erik had fun standing in fountains, putting his hands into them, and riding on the lazy river. He is obsessed with water now when he sees it and if he has access to the bath tub he will try to dive in.

the picture below is sideways but there was a huge 100 gallon bucket that would fill up and once full would tip and blast anybody in the vicinity. Lindsay got blasted by it by surprise and it was hilarious, luckily he was able to cover the camera and keep it safe when it happened so that we could take more pictures.

Erik mowed down on some corn dog during a break and here he is checking out the goods. He is supposed to gain weight before his next doc appointment so nothing like some good ol grease. I wish restaurants offered better kids menus.

We also went out to eat at an asian restaurant where they do a fnacy cooking show with fire in front of you. Erik didnt like it too much it scared him, but he was happy once it was done. And yes, I chopped my hair and colored it dark. Trust me it's cute and you can't really see it in this pic. it has a lot of warm reddish tone to it, and is cut in an A-line. not to sure how I will keep it up but i love short hair. I am much more confident and feel more attractive with short hair.

Our family also had a chance to go to a science museum that was for kids with lots of hands on exhibits. Erik's two favorites were of course the water one, and the dinosaur one because you could dig and uncover fossils. Of course he was too little to understand about the dinosaurs but he loved digging in the little rubber pellets and threw the biggest tantrum when we took him away to move on.

And last but not least Erik has recently been into showing love for things and people other than Lindsay or I. When we were walking through the gift store for the science museum I help up this critter to his ear (it coos) and he loved it. We couldnt take it away without him throwing a fit and while we usually dont just cave like that we thought it would be a great souvenire so we bought and the charm still hasn't worn off. He still cuddles it and sleeps with it. He also walks up to other kids at play areas and lays his head on their shoulder or backs or whatever and shows them love. they usually look at him like he is crazy but it is adorable.

at the end of the day..............this is what happens! Actually I wish, this is what happens in the car usually but he doesnt sleep well in the hotel with us very well. You win some you lose some.

trip part 1

2010-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

sooooo.....

it's been a while since i have blogged. i have been trying the past few days to upload different videos of the little man with no success, so i will just post some pics.

this past week has brought our family to kansas. it's been great to be in a new environment and seek out new adventures. not to mention that i dont have to clean the house or make big meals. can't complain about that.

let me tell you about erik and me and our day of travel over here. it was supposed to go smooth sailing, a drive to the airport with our friends, a nonstop flight, linds would pick us up and we would be on our way. That is NOT how the day went. Luckily I must have had some major stars aligning because the whole day I had major calm mommy emotions that helped me stay in a good frame of mind and take it all in stride. Yes, i am patting myself on the back.

here were the events of the day........

1. get to the airport safe and sound and on time--check-no problem there

2. get through security-check

3. get to the gate to realize the flight has been delayed two hours-gulp, that sucks but nothing i can't handle.

4. 45 minutes later the flight is delayed an extra two hours on top of that. YIKES, go to the counter ask to be put on another carriers flight. told no........give the "i am traveling with a young child, i only have so many diapers, etc." spiel and still told no. all they could tell me was that they would let me get into my checked baggage to get more if i needed them. good thing i put extra in there cause my plan was to buy diapers once we got to kansas.

5. after spending over 50 bucks for food and things for the little man and myself over the 6 hours we waited just to board. we were doing well. little man was loving walking around, being strolled around and watching people. FINALLY we board.....and find out that it wasn't weather but the plane had broke and needed fixing before we could leave.

6. a three hour flight, erik does great........sleeps, wiggles in my lap, plays prince charming with surrounding passengers.

7. last 45 minutes of the flight 2 MAJOR things happen

1- erik blows out his diaper to the poin the only thing i can put back on him is his tee shirt. luckily his blanket remained unscathed. we were landing in below freezing weather mind you. i couldn't even put his socks back on him. the flight attendant didnt want to let me in the bathroom because of turbulance but i am pretty sure that she would not want to clean up that nastiness off her upholstered seats. of course i dont have a change of clothes on me, he never blows out anymore. after we landed i changed him into pj's from our suitcase.

2. withing ten minutes of that escapade my whole section of the plane start looking at each other beacuse we all started to smell smoke. now let me tell you, i don't easily panic. i don't easily freak out and actually tend to get more calm in crisis mode. a gift i think and also some ingrained training from my days as a crisis response worker in a call center that dealt with mentally ill people, suicide callers, etc. in that moment i remained calm on the outside, held erik a little tighter, and started thinking about what would happen to lindsay if we both passed away. I said a prayer and hoped that we could make a good landing. Turns out the flight attendants were not worried and didn't do much. The only thing they thought it was was that someone had lit a match in the plane but found no evidence. great.......................we did land safely and i am now very worried to fly back on that airline.

thumbs down for midwest airlines!

on a better note the moon fam is livin it up in kansas and erik loved the science museum we went to yesterday. pictures of that to follow soon.

(first haircut-done by handsome daddy)

*pics in this post are random from recent weeks

News Flash!

2010-02-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

birthday bash!

2010-02-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

oh we celebrated in style for the little man's special day. he even took it upon himself to disregard his naps.........who needs'em when its your birthday right? well considering he did do fantastic. Lindsay and i didn't want to go all and spend a bunch of money for his first birthday knowing that he won't remember it, but we still wanted to make the day known.

so instead i decided to have a themed day. i dressed him in his airplane sweater that grandpa chuck and grandma noni sent to him for christmas. we read plane books all day at our usual reading times.

then for dinner he got a plane cake all to himself. don't look too closely......i am not a baker. baking is too detailed and scientific, i like cooking where you can pretty much change anything and it wont ruin it.
oh and i forgot to tell you that we made (yes, lindsay is the artist of our family so he both cut the cake and drew the plane for the crown) him a special birthday crown with supplies on hand.........which lasted about a half a second. and the cake was devoured in less than that i think.

i tried to upload the video we took of him getting into the cake, but it is too big of a file and would have taken all day, so pictures will have to suffice. he loved throwing it, double fisting it into his mouth, and mashing it in his chubby little fingers, oh he loved it! he was even feeding it to lindsay and i. boomer had a hay day as well.mmmmm cake, you want some?

oh our little man and us as well had a grand day. it was so fun! nothing beats fun times with the fam. i haven't taken erik in his for his one year appointment yet, but he was in the doctor last week for his bronchitis and he is in the 41% for his weight and i didn't catch the height, although he is usually above average. see i am telling you he is not as chubby as you think. everyone always talks about how he is big for his age. he is tall for sure, but he is not fat, although if you saw how well he eats- i guess you would think he is overweight.

he is our little star

more thoughts on this weekend

2010-01-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

so this weekend was so wonderful, and very similar to our experience in germany parts are hard to put into words how things were. so i will share a few things with you. first of all i know that this weekend would not have gone as smooth without the help of Heavenly Father paving the way because we had nasty snowy weather up where we live, it was fine everywhere but to get out of town was interesting.

You see when the weather gets bad here they shut down the main highway and back roads, so basically people cant get into town or leave. some people cant come home from work when this happens or leave for work in the morning. but somehow, someway we managed to get to every city we were headed to and on time (or miraculously early to the temple). We had so much support from people this weekend it was amazing, we are so thankful for everyone in our lives who helped make our weekend special.

all right so the run down.....

tuesday and wednesday last week-

-find out for sure that our court hearing would be held on friday afternoon.

-set up things and finalize details with our attorney and court clerk

-call the temple to make sure there will be openings on saturday because i know i can't schedule our sealing until friday after the hearing.

-weather is snowy and lindsay has short days at work to make sure he beats the snow home.

thursday-

-my parents come in that day. we are concerned they will be shut out of our town and have to stay overnight in another city.

-parents make it well after a long exhausting day, eat dinner, go to bed

friday-

-the first BIG day

-we head to the courthouse, meet our attorney in person for the first time, file one last document with the clerk, who knows us by name at this point, and head up to where the court rooms are

-there is one adoption before us-how wonderful!

-we go into the court room and sit down where the judge has told us. we are sworn in, my parents are told they can sit in the jury box if they want for better viewing, also were allowed permission to get up and move wherever they wanted to take pics.........yeah our judge was that cool! we are asked a series of yes or no questions regarding our understanding that we are completely responsible for our little man, sign the official agreement, keep the commemorative pen that we signed it with permission of the court

- take pics witht the judge..........interesting other tidbit, our attorney's first name is James, erik's middle name is James, and the judge's son is named James. Also the attorney referred to Erik as Erik Moon in the hearing before he made it official ;)

- go out delighted and ecstatic. stop by costco, call the temple and schedule our sealing, and rock n roll home!

saturday- the next BIG day-

- we leave early for the temple and make it passed the closed portion of the highway

- arrive at the temple and are escorted to the childrens care area where we drop off erik and are told how they will handle his part of the activities.

- talk with the records person to make sure the adoption has been finalized and record things for church records.

- change into appropriate attire and wait together in the celestial room until sealing is to begin. it was beautiful, glorious, and wonderful

-go into the sealing where erik giggled the entire time, he totally knew where we were from the time he got into that room.

- we pick up erik from the childrens area once we are done and the workers say they have never seen a child act in such a way during a sealing

-we head home

- i look exhausted and not very cute in all the pics because erik didnt sleep hardly at all that night before and i had zero energy to get myself dolled up, plus i knew that it didnt truly matter what i looked like, just a little self conscious that's all.

sunday-the last BIG day-

- we head to church with erik in his white suit once again and lindsay gives him the most amazing blessing. i dont remember all of it, my friend took notes but i forgot to get them from her yet. but i do remember he was blessed to be brave and courageous. that he would always remember the love and sacrifice that went into his adoption, an understanding desire for the scriptures, and something about when he was a man. honestly though it was awesome! and when lindsay held him up when it was over he laughed and waved his hands, such the charmer!

the big day(s)

2010-01-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

first it involved this sweet and special boy

this great lawyer who has been heaven sent is currently on a church service mission to help lds adoptive couples

this awesome judge who happened to attend BYU but is not lds

and this beautiful building where all the magic took place. erik giggled the entire time while we were being sealed together as a family for eternity. he definitely knew what was going on and got excited the second he was being taken to the altar. he kept grabbing lindsay's hand also. it was AMAZING! I dont remember anything our sealer said because i couldn't take my attention away from little man.(i chose to post this picture so you could see his little suit better. i am scowling because it was so bright outside. his suit was made from my wedding dress and had lots of sentimental value...we also had hankerchiefs with s and b's initials that lindsay and i carried with us through the temple to honor them out o fmy dress as well)

we couldnt have asked for more

sooner or later...

2010-01-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

first off erik has this amazing ability to reach for things because he doesnt want to crawl. the other morning i had set him down by the fridge to play with magnets while i took care of something and all of a sudden i heard a splash. i looked over and sure enough he had grabbed boomer's water bowl and was playing in it. i figured since he was already half wet to let him continue in the frenzy since we are hoping to keep that from happening again. he loved it!
we went home for christmas and erik's favorite spot was standing at grandma's coffee table watching what was going on, playing with things, throwing things, and slamming his hands!
erik and zoey were so fun and enjoyed taking toys from one another, taking baths together, waking one another up, and made us realize how much we wish we lived closer to let them grow up together.
right before our trip home lindsay went backpacking with matty and this shows how silly we all get out in the woods!
boomer was extremely spoiled when we went home and sometimes forgot that he isn't a lap dog.

erik thoroughly enjoyed all the attention he got as different people played with him. here is happy to play with his great grandma and grandpa

erik and zoey are only weeks apart in age and got along great. it was so fun to see them "play" together and get along....even if erik did teach zoey how to grunt, growl, and throw things!

while away we had a small snow fall and thus took the opportunity to go sledding. erik had a great time being pulled behind a sled or going down the hill for about 30 minutes and then he was done and we played in the car while everyone coninued. it was definitely fun though!

overall our holiday was fantastic, we got spoiled more than we deserved and loved being with family. there is never enough time when we go home to see everyone so i am sorry that we didnt really call people or get together. with both families in the same town and limited time in the year to see them we take all we can get.

erik's first christmas was fun. he had no idea what was going on but loved ripping wrapping paper and playing with anything he could get his hands on. he wants to walk so bad and much of our trip we walked around the house until he decided he wanted to stand somewhere or someone would want to hold and play with him. we got the least amount of sleep i have had in a long time staying up till midnight most nights and getting up early with little man, but we knew we were only there for a short time.

also sooner or later.............we found out that we will be taking little man here........
(the temple!!!)

by the end of month! that makes it all come full circle and we could not feel more blessed!

I'm in the army now mom

2009-12-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

we got our cord and thus we have a couple of pictures from our trip to tennessee. erik liked ryan's army beret although he kept taking it off and just wanted to play with it.
and erik's cuteness with uncle ryry and auntie brittany! i wish we had taken more pictures but i felt like there wasn't much to take pictures of, mostly we relaxed and didn't do much which was nice but didnt create much for fun pics. we feel lucky we will get to see them again next week!

Erik has a new development which is quite fun for us. he is learning to pull himself up on things. since he still doesnt crawl he hadnt much opportunity, but lindsay actually taught him this weekend how to stand up in his crib. needless to say the armrail has been highered.

family pictures

2009-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

holy cow there is so much to catch up on.....earlier in november we had our family pictures taken and we just got them back! we are so excited to have nice ones. and my hair looks great thanks to my friend kim who did it for me!
over the holiday we traveled to tennessee to visit with my younger brother and his wife. it was a lovely visit and it was fun to see them being all grown up. i still have a hard time imagining my younger brother being an adult. i still think of him as the baby who wipes off the game board when he isnt winning in tantrum fashion and talking him out of his toy to switch with mine (always of course claiming that the one he will get is better), or just getting him to do things for me. ok so the last one, i am pretty sure i can still get him to do things for me........i don't know maybe that is a big sister thing, but i am good about these days, i don't abuse the privelige like i did when we were growing up. his wife is gorgeous and so sweet, we were lucky to be able to crash in their apartment with them for a bit. we got a new camera but accidentally left the cable at their house so no pictures until we get that.
now we are planning christmas stuff and it's so fun! today we played christmas music and did some gift shopping, i put up decorations, it has been great!

anxious with emotions

2009-11-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

today i am anxious. partly because i have a doctors appointment, partly because i am taking erik with me to my doctors appointment and mostly because i will be discussing issues with my doctor that are a part of my infertility. every time i visit with the doctor to discuss my infertility, medication, how everything is looking i get all nervous. sometimes more than others but my emotions are running high today.

adoption and infertility surround me everywhere. i love it and hate it. i love being a part of adoption, i love all the knowledge and insight i have gained, i am not fond of the roller coaster of emotions, or getting blindsided by them. i feel like this journey we are on has been great, ugly, miraculous, frustrating, and am coming to learn that i dont always feel like this journey has been a trial. sometimes........most definitely but other times i wish others could feel the miracle that has, is, and continues to happen in our home and family.

so today as i talk with her i am praying that i will feel a calm assurance and get my questions answered, that i will walk away with peace of mind and then as i drive home i will ponder on all of this and hopefully gain some perspective.

sweetness

2009-11-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

these are a picture of some beautiful roses that the best man on earth gave to me last week. and these were taken five days later........i know these roses are seriously so great! it's been a week now and aside from a few petals that i have pulled off they still look good on our table. lindsay and i declared that monday to be "mushy monday" i told him on sunday that if we were really going to do it that there needed to be flowers and chocolate involved, and he pulled through! yes mushy monday is extremely corny but it was fun and every once in a while we get corny like that.

in other moon household updates......

many have asked me about dance- it is going awesome, every week I have more fun and can feel my body remembering things. i am no where near the best in class, but i think it may be safe to say that now i am not the utmost worst either. i have been working on my flexibility and am so close to have my splits on the right side! it feels good to be back in the studio and doing what i love! and my wonderful teacher has even said that my leaps look better. can't beat a great complinment!

adoption-looks like we will be waiting until early next year for the finalization to take place. it still is frustrating but i have found peace with it all. in the end we know erik will end up with us and that is what matters. he is such a sweet spirit and definitely has found his family through serious miracles. adoption has been such a blessing in our lives and i feel like i have gained some serious big picture prospective throughout the past five years.

linds and i - fabulous! i mostly mention this because my dad still asks me questions when i talk to him on the phone one on one like a fathers interview when i was growing up. and yes dad don't ever stop.......i love talking with you and getting that personal time with you whether in person or not. i love your perspective and knowing that you still care about me and look out for me even though i am married.

not much else has been going on, just prepping for the holidays.

last year on thanksgiving lindsay and i did not go home but went backpacking with one of our close friends to some hot springs.................it was great. it was totally untraditional which i think made it easy to not really compare to the traditional feast. it was our last turkey day without a child. it was fun times with matt and you couldn't beat the views, hot springs, the beatiful nature, and not to mention we didn't have to worry about black friday crowds or consumer chaos that ensues around the holidays. don't get me wrong i love shopping and doing those things, but last year was unique and one that can't be beat. i most definitely missed spending time with family but dont regret our decision in the least.

this year will be a bit different than normal but not like last year. i will indulge you after the holiday to share the details.

erik- i almost forgot to tell you........the little man has received his first tooth and the second one is breaking through, so cute!

nana's visit and so forth

2009-11-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

As i said in that last post lindsay's mom has been down here helping me out and spending lots of great time with erik. it has been wonderful, help with chores, help with erik, and just can anything beat having family around? she has read lots of books and...............
on sunday she sunbathed while crocheting in the back yard which i thought was quite cute! up in washington temps have been low and we even heard of snow one day while she was down here. but here we have been having weather in the 70's which is perfect!

earlier this week we took erik to his 9 month well baby check and also had the doctor check out his cold and see what we could do to help him. he has bronchitis i think is what the doc said and said that he will most likely catch all the viruses this winter and have to be on a nebulizer throughout the winter until spring......yuck! he doesnt mind it for a bit but he doesnt like to sit there the entire time. he is 20 pounds (which i could of swore he was more) and a stinkin' 28 3/4 inches.....holy cow! he is average for weight but 78th percentile for height.
lindsay is home now...........thank goodness and erik wasn't quite sure what to think when linds came home. it has been about 3 weeks and when linds first walked in erik looked at me with a confused look on his face and wanted to see my reaction and of course i was happy. then when lindsay went over to get erik out of his high chair erik turned away from lindsay and hid his face in the side of the high chair. but after just a couple of minutes he remembered and realized who lindsay was and things have been happy since!

also this month is national adoption month. more posts to come on all that soon!

the itsy bitsy spider

2009-11-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

erik was such a trooper for halloween. he is really sick with a chest cold and so we didnt actually go out, but he had the cutest costume so we dressed him up for a few minutes and took some pictures. i feel so bad for the little man........his voice is hoarse and he whimpers after he coughs every time like his throat is sore. poor little man. i am so glad that nana is in town though because otherwise i don't know what i would do, she has been our saving grace! she does what grandma does best and has been taking care of me and erik. she gives me breaks and is taking time to bond with little man which i am thankful for. she is a great example of time management.

i will let you in on a little secret. i am not the best housekeeper. i can keep things picked up but i have clutter tendencies and a serious lack of motivation to deep clean. i clean enough to not have our house be filthy gross but i am not as good as i could or should be but miss nana is a busy worker bee and helps me to see how to do everything.