Who We Are...

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.