Music videos

  DB has discovered music videos. So he will request music on the TV and describe the video he is hoping to see. The US Top 20 was on and we were watching Justin Bieber-If I was your boyfriend. DB likes the cars "smokin wheels." Then Match Box 20 'She's so mean' comes on. DB says, "That girl is being mean! She is breaking their stuff." so I explain it isn't real and more like a short movie. His reply is, "They should call the polices on her." I just had to laugh.

Change in my pocket

  Tonight as I was taking MA up to bed she said, "Mommy, my friend, Sienna, does stuff at her house then gets money for it. Do you think I could do something and get some pocket money?" I smiled and said, "sure! Maybe you could make your bed or take out the trash." MA's response was, "Maybe I could sleep in!" Classic! A child after my own heart! And why didn't I ever think of that?

random beach thoughts

I am sitting here on the beach with my pad of paper writing my blog post. I have nothing on my mind besides how great life is at this very moment. Kids in the water with dad, sound of the waves, & a cool breeze. Oh, my feet are getting softer as I dig them into the sand. This is Australia!

finally a fan

 
  I can honestly say I am finally a fan of winter...Australian winters that is! We tried a new beach, Currumbin Beach, after a friend recommended it. The kids were up ridiculously early on Saturday. Most be something in the air here. They can't sleep past 6:30 most days! I am the 1st person to admit I like and require a good amount of sleep. I am not a morning person.
  So on our way to the beach all 3 kiddos fell asleep. There is a park area that is inland with a beach that is sheltered from the crashing waves of the ocean. We checked it out but opted for the crashing waves. The beach was fairly quiet. Plenty of room to roam, play soccer, and search for shells. This beach had flat beautiful shells. MA loved it and quickly had a large pile of keepers. EL is always on the hunt for purple ones. I even found 2 pieces of sea glass.

  On our way home we stopped at a friend's house that Matt works with. Their house was amazing. Right on a canal. The outdoor space was spectacular. The pool, a tiki hut with great couches, & a dock complete with crab cages and fishing poles. The kids feed the ducks and enjoyed a couple lollies. Their 2 daughters were fun and the kids hit it off. The adults enjoyed the view and a couple drinks as the sun set. Before we realized it, it was dark and past dinner time. So we loaded up in the car. We are looking forward to meeting up with them again!

  We decided the kids would never stay awake on the ride home so we needed to get some dinner before we got too far. The 1st place we saw that was convenient but not fancy was McDonald's (Maccas here). Our 1st official dinner that we all were at a restaurant sitting down since moving into the house- McDs. That means it has been almost 2 months of not going out to dinner. We have grabbed lunch out a couple places. A change for the better I think.

Cant get this type of burger in the States

  Sunday started bright and early again. After lunch, Matt took MA & DB to Southbank while I hung out at home with EL. She napped, I read a book and just enjoyed the quiet. Nicole called and we chatted for a bit. Matt and the kids wandered around, did some splashing, window shopping, and snuck in an afternoon ice cream treat. We ended the weekend with steak and circle potatoes (as DB now calls them) on the grill.

Colmslie Park

  A friend told us about this park that was just down the road from us that they love. Colmslie beach reserve is a great place to take the family and spend the day. There is a bit of everything there. Beach, playgrounds, open grass fields, lots of grills and tables, and it is spread out of a good chunk of land.

Wednesday was a holiday here, EKKA day. I am not positive the whole meaning behind it but EKKA is a big festival that goes on for 2 weeks. Similar to a State fair back in the States. It's a bit of a drive to get there from our house and Matt didn't have the day off so I decided to just take the kids to the park instead. We started off at the beach and had some lunch. The park is right in the flight path of the airport. So the planes fly right over head and it is neat to see them so close but not so close that it bothers you. Then we walked around to the playground. They have several areas. We did the sand pit and the octopus parts. The kids started to get tired so we loaded up and called it a day. The kids and I were talking on our way out how nice of a park it was and we are looking forward to going back soon!

This was the sign that greeted us as we walked to the beach

It is shaped like a pirate ship. Then you hit the 'keys' and it plays different notes.

 

DB down for the count

  DB is rarely still, unless he is sick. And it seems to hit him like a ton of bricks. So, Sunday afternoon and evening he had a fever. How high, who knows because my thermometer is in the shipment, which isn't here yet. Awesome mom, I know. Anyways, we gave him some Tylenol and it seemed to help. Hoping Monday he would be even better but that wasn't the case. He was ok in the the morning but i noticed he had a rash all over. Great, I don't even know where a doctor is in the country or how the health care system works and I need to get him in some place now. Do they have PromptCare? Normally, I would just call up to Dr. Whitford's office and they would get me in ASAP.
  We took Mia to school and I asked a couple of the mums and they gave me a number of the local office they go to. I quick sent a text to Matt and had him call and make an appointment. Lucky for us we got one around lunch. I found the office and it was busy! As a new patient I had to fill out 1 sheet of paper! That's it! and 1/4 of it i skipped because we don't have their medical coverage card.

  The doctor themselves come out to get the patient and take you back to an exam room. She asked a few questions and gave him a thorough look over. That was it. She took his temp and of course it meant nothing to me because I had no idea what the conversion was without doing it on my phone. (38.4 degrees Celsius is about 101.4. My dad made my mom convert it when I was giving them the update.) They couldn't tell exactly what was wrong with him since he had symptoms of both a bacterial and viral virus. But she gave us meds to start in the fever didn't go away in a day. That afternoon, he got worse. Like probably the sickest i have even seen him. I actually had Matt come home from work because i needed to stay with DB while someone got MA from school. He was burning up so I decided to go ahead and start the medicine right away instead of waiting. The doctor told me it wouldn't hurt to give it to him either way. Thankfully, Tuesday morning he was getting back to his regular self. Eating breakfast, arguing with his sisters.

EL is just catching up on some reading while we wait for the doctor.

regular ol' life

  This week was pretty normal. School, work, house duties, & kids. M came home from school sick. She was "flushed" according to the school. DB was worried that it had something to do with the bathroom, ha! They left her in her classroom until i picked her up. She was laying on a little pink pillow, looking all sad and sick, waiting for me. We met up with some friends from the States that had just moved here. The kids burned some energy splashing in the water. I treated myself (and my 2 kiddos) to a chocolate thickshake from New Zealand Natural. YUM!

  A breezy day at the beach then a quiet Sunday at home. DB slept in and that should have been my first clue he wasn't feeling well. He literally did not move off the couch all day long.

Kids pick weekend

  This weekend (which the Aussies put the emphasis on 'end' where as Americans on the 'week' when they say it) was gorgeous. Saturday the kids voted to spend at the zoo. We got there around lunch time and had a nice little picnic next to some of the croc enclosures. Next it was time for the croc show to start. The show was a bit shorter this go around but everyone enjoyed it still. They brought snakes around to the audience that day before the croc did his bit. Next we walked thru the petting zoo and the kangaroo field. On our way out to the Africa exhibit we stopped for the elephant chat. The zoo keepers were checking their eyes, teeth, ears, & feet.  Did you know that the bottoms of their feet have large cracks and grooves that act as traction for elephants? Also they can pick up a coin the size of a 5 cent piece with their trunk. One of the elephants decided to go for a swim and it was so cool to see her play. Finally we made our way out to the Africa area. Along the road (it is a bit of a hike) there were 2 cheetahs out for a walk. I don't think i have ever seen a cheetah before let alone so close! The black stripes that go from their eyes to the bottom of their faces act as sunglasses and reduce the glare! We took the zebra train back to the front of the zoo and headed towards home. Two trips to the Australia Zoo and I don't think we saw the same thing twice (except the croc show). Bet trip #3 we see even more new stuff!

Ahh my sweet Coke! biggest cup i have seen in a while.Miss those large McDonald's $1 drinks.

  Sunday we made our way back to the Gold Coast from more sun & sand. I love that the kids opt for a picnic lunch just about every time we ask them. The tide was going out so we had plenty of space to play, build, & look for shells (I am always on the hunt for sea glass). I even snuck in a bit of quiet time while Matt played in the sand with the kids. I wrote a few more blog posts. Yes, I write them on a pad of paper and then type them up at a later time. Seems like a win-win for me. I can write outside & then later be inside with the kids & interruptions while I type. I am less likely to loss my train of thought that way I guess.

friday funday

  After we got MA off to school, I took DB & EL into the city. We hopped on the bus and headed for the beach at Southbank. The beach was closed! We were all a bit disappointed. Luckily there is a water playground right next to it. The kids were pretty excited and we had the place basically to ourselves. We splashed for a while then walked across the river to meet Matt for lunch at Jimmy's

Gold Coast round 2!

  We are creatures of habit. Find something we like at a restaurant- we tend to order it over and over, find a shirt I like-I need it in several colors. Find a beach that is amazing- you can bet we will be there often too. We tried a beach between Surfer's Paradise and Broadbeach. A hill for the kids to climb, lifeguard on duty, not right in the middle of tourist central--Score!

  Sunday, we hung out at home then explored the Morningside Festival in the afternoon. It was the typical town fair. Food, crafts booths, rides. Free face painting, $3 carnival rides-ouch! Our kids are not big on rides yet. Well, MA isn't, DB likes them, and & EL wants to do them just isn't big enough yet. They all did the teacups with Matt. DB went on the mini Ferris wheel by himself. I think the guy running it forgot about him because he was on there for close to 15 mins! The girls went with me to check out the petting zoo then we ended the trip with a bookmark craft.