Koala Bears, Kangaroos and Flying Foxes - Oh My!

Last weekend we took a trip to the Koala Park Sanctuary. It is a zoo of sorts but much more hands on (and smellier!). The kids had a fantastic time playing with the kangaroos and petting the koalas. Usually you just have to view them from far away so this was a real treat. We even got to feed the kangaroos. Check out what this one did when A tried to feed it!



C and M were a little more hesitant with the kangaroos but after a while they got the hang of it and started to pet them - and in C's case - try to chase them!


It was also pretty amazing to see the kangaroos with a joey in their pouch. I was amazed at the size of the joeys that still would climb on in for a ride. Here is a picture of one mama with her joey.


The koalas were neat to cuddle with too. There was quite a line so it was a quick pat and on we went. Still, it was neat to be able to touch these cuddly bears!

A was happy to see a few flying foxes up close and personal as well. We unfortunately did not see any in the Botanic Gardens last week but there were a few to check out here at the zoo. But, they were behind a fence so we could not take any good photos with them. Here is one I found on the internet (www.anhs.com.au) in case you wondered what they look like! They are really just a big bat!

A Day in Sydney

Over the Easter long weekend, we decided to play tourist. Jason had a few days off work so it was the perfect opportunity. The kids have been begging to go to the Sydney Tower so that was our plan. We parked at Jason's office and took the train to the tower. But, when we came out from the train, the weather had changed and it was dark and raining. Not the best weather for the Tower. So, we switched directions and walked to Darling Harbour instead. We decided to go to the Sydney Aquarium to escape the rain. Us, and the rest of Sydney that is. It was SOOO crowded. But, the kids still enjoyed it and I survived so in the end I guess it was a success.


After the aquarium, we grabbed lunch and decided to hit the town. Fortunately, the rain had stopped and it was perfect for walking. Our next stop, Hyde Park. We walked there and made a break for some ice cream and then enjoyed some huge bubbles and the fountain.


After that, we kept on walking. We headed to the Sydney Botanic Gardens. There we enjoyed their "please walk on the grass" policy and let the kids run around some more. The area is very pretty and has some great views.


Since we were nearly there, we kept on trekking and landed ourselves at the Opera House. The kids had a great time playing on the stairs. Especially the littlest one - she was in heaven crawling up and up and up!


By this time it was nearly dinner time, and the kids had walked - a lot! So, we kept walking... but this time headed back to the train station and headed home. What a fun day we had being tourists and seeing the city!

Happy Easter!

Easter has come and gone this Autumn. That's right - I said Autumn. It was so strange to celebrate Easter and have it not be spring. While the weather was not necessarily that different than a Midwestern Spring day, it certainly felt different. My girls wore their lovely spring dresses from last year and looked very out of place. Since it was a cool morning, it was the perfect time to pull out the tall black boots - I even saw a wool coat on a lady last week. Don't get me wrong, the weather is still beautiful (we just spent the morning at the beach), but you know how it is, the first hint of a change in season and everyone pulls out the new attire.

So, we started our Easter morning with Easter baskets and hunting for eggs that were left by the Easter Bunny. Everyone found their eggs and enjoyed a few jelly beans before breakfast.


Then it was off to church. Later in the afternoon we had a nice Easter meal with our neighbors. They happen to be Americans like us and have kids that are close to our oldest two's ages. There were two other families that joined us as well. We had a huge Easter egg hunt at the park down the street, ate lots of ham and chocolate, and laughed a lot. It was a fun time!

A place to call home...

Well, it has been a few weeks since my last post and in that time we have been unpacking boxes and trying to get this house settled. This move was by far the hardest of our moves to date... then again, this is the first move without my mommy AND with four kids! This was our 8th move in 12 years. That is a lot of cardboard boxes and rearranging furniture. For all of our recent moves - since we have had kids - my mom and dad have been part of the mix. Even with our move to England, my parents were able to come over and lend a hand. Usually the men piddle with the electronics and drill holes in the walls for pictures while my mom and I work like mad to get everything put away and make the new house OUR home. So, this move has been hard partially because I have not had them to help. Really, while the extra set of hands is nice, the best part of having my parents around is that we immediately have a sense of family and a whole new set of memories to start our new life, in our new house. So, we miss you mom and dad and can hardly wait until your first trip "down under!"

A sample of what many of our boxes looked like when they arrived...

Sadly, many of the things in the boxes were not so great either. Yes, that chair is missing a leg and it never did turn up. Perhaps we can find it floating around Sydney's port...

Aside from unpacking and reorganizing, we have also celebrated the littlest one's first birthday! Wow - this year has flown by. It is amazing to me that she is a year already. A lot has happened in this past year. The lucky little one got to celebrate her first in beautiful Australia. While we don't know a lot of people here, we did have a little "party" for her. We have gotten to be friends with one family here that came over for pizza and cake. We'll call that a party!

Look at me!

As we started unpacking boxes, we found the walker... look at what our little one can do now! She is growing up too fast.

Haven't seen this one before!

There are lots of things around here that are new to us but here are a couple of signs that we have NEVER seen in Wisconsin before!




We have also spotted koala crossing signs (but could not stop to take a picture) as well as many parking signs that make me pause. And, in case you were interested, the nude beach is only about 1.5 Km from our house. Who knew?

Furry friends

Well, I have been asked to please update my blog. I have not put anything out lately because I feel like it is more of the same - sunshine, swimming, school... It really is a fabulous life that we are living here so far. But, we have been up to a few things so I will give you a little news and some photos.

Last week, I was lucky enough to meet up with a local Aussie here who is the cousin of a friend's friend... got that? We had a great time meeting in person and enjoying the beautiful zoo.


Speaking of animals, we had a little friend visit us last week at our house. Now, before we moved, many of you were kind enough to share spider horror stories with me - making us feel very comfortable and at peace about moving to Australia! When we arrived, the relocation company gave us a lovely spider chart complete with magnets to easily place it on your fridge. (The kids have become quite the experts. Constantly checking the chart for every spider they see and being sure they can correctly identify it!

I did spend the first few weeks here worried that one of the little ones would get bit by a spider and I would not know it. The outlook for some of those bites is pretty grim... " may cause horrific ulceration to skin" or "one of the world's deadliest spiders" or "enlarged head and fangs, deep painful bite." It really is a wonder we sleep at night! So, when I opened the front door the other night to put my milk cooler out (for our morning delivery), imagine my shock when I was greeted by the HUGEST spider I have ever seen!


Now it may be hard to tell but this baby was about 4 inches across. I quickly slammed the door and ran to my spider chart for identification. Fortunately I found that it was probably just a huntsman and it is "timid, and rarely bites. May wander indoors." PHEW! So I went back out and shooed the spider away- I was not happy to go to bed with it still looming around my front door. True to the chart, I just had to walk near it and it scurried its way right off the porch and back into the bushes. My first spider crisis averted!