Brisbane - Part 2

Our final day in Brisbane and we had lots to do! We started the morning at the planetarium. A is always asking to go to a planetarium movie so this was the perfect opportunity. We all started in the movie but it did not take long before the darkness and noise was more than C could handle. I took the two little ones out. Lucky for, the planetarium is next door to the Mt. Coot-tha botanic gardens. As it was another beautiful day, I took the girls for a little walk through the gardens. They were lovely and I certainly enjoyed the sunshine and the fresh air. The big kids came out of the planetarium having learned loads about the solar system and really seemed to enjoy the movie.

Then, it was time for lunch. We headed up the mountain to the Mt. Coot-tha lookout. We had lunch at the cafe there and then enjoyed the lookout. There were lovely views of Brisbane.

A checking out the smoke we could see in the distance.

After lunch - time for a bushwalk. We drove to the JC Slaughter Falls picnic area and went for a little walk from there. The falls was dry but it was still a fun walk. We spent a little time on the Aboriginal Art trail which was neat as well. As usual, the kids most enjoyed running free, climbing rocks, and just being kids!

Climbing rocks and flashing that lovely smile - with one less tooth!

Daddy and his girl...

By the end of our walk, both of the little girls were beat and wanted to be carried. Thank goodness for the Boba Carriers. They are the best!

Brisbane - Part 1

After leaving Coffs Harbour, we drove up to Brisbane. We stopped for lunch in the famous Byron Bay on our way. In Brisbane we stayed in a "holiday village." It was really just a caravan park. Our trailer was decked out in stainless steel and granite and was very nice. There was also a great pool , playgrounds and mini golf on site. The other half of the park seemed to be permanent residents and not nearly as nice. I am not sure if we would stay there again but it turned out to be okay as it allowed the little ones naps while the big kids were entertained.

Our first day in Brisbane took us to Daisy Hill Koala Park. It is a reserve for koalas just outside the city. On site there is a koala centre that had lots of information about koalas including movies about the rescue hospital. Of course they had a few koalas inside the centre as well. After spending some time there, we headed outside for a walk through the gum trees. We worked hard searching for koalas in the wild - in fact all that looking up left me with a sore neck! Luckily, as we were leaving we spotted one koala up in a tree. We were thrilled to see it. Looking at a koala in a zoo atmosphere is neat, but spotting it in the wild was a real treat!

I think I see a "ko-la-la"

After a morning of koala spotting, we headed to lunch at Koorong - a local Christian book store. They had a cafe and a playground for the kids. It was perfect. I felt like I was walking through Family Christian in Appleton. Okay, so the prices were much higher but it was great to be back in a "big" bookstore and browse while the kids played. After that, nap time and then dinner at Lonestar Steakhouse. Nothing like a bit of Texas in Brisbane.

Day 2 in Brisbane took us into the city and to the Queensland Museum. We spent a little time in the dinoland. Little C was hesitant at first. She has a bit of a fear of dinosaurs but usually rationalizes with herself that there are no dinosaurs because they are "stinked." She warmed up the statues and even tested out the teeth on one of them.


After the dinos, we went into the Sciencentre. This was a fantastic part of the museum filled with hands on activities for the kids. They loved it! They experimented with gears and pulleys, learned about gravity and light, tested the limits of their speed and strength, and more. It was lots of fun.


After the sciencentre, we had lunch at an outdoor cafe and then took a spin on the Wheel of Brisbane. Finally, we finished the afternoon with icecream. What more could you ask for?!

Brrrr! This ice cream is cold!

Coffs Harbour - Part 2

If day 1 in Coffs Harbour was not enough, day 2 was packed full of fun! We made a long awaited visit to the Pet Porpoise Pool. The kids had been looking forward to the dolphins for quite some time. What they did not know, was that they were going to get to actually swim with them! We surprised the big two with a junior dolphin encounter where they got to get in the water with two other kids and a trainer for their very own dolphin fun. The weather was great but the water was still very cold. So our first stop of the day was at the dive shop to pick up wetsuits for the kids. Then it was off to the pool. We had seal and dolphin kisses and then a great show with the animals. After that, it was time to swim!


The dolphin experience was great for the kids and very educational. The place we went to has all rescue animals and they did a great job educating the kids about the animals as well as about the environment and how our actions are affecting sea life. One of the two dolphins the kids swam with was a new mom. I was very impressed with the staff and how they handled the situation. It was her first time back swimming with kids and they made sure she was comfortable away from her new dolphin. When her baby started crying, Calamity took off to the other pool to be with him. I was glad that the staff allowed her to call the shots and did not force her to be with the kids. It really showed how this place cares more for the animals than for their tourism business.

Getting ready to get in the water

Getting to know Calamity

Kisses from Bella

Splashing around with Bella

All done... What a blast!

Coffs Harbour - Part 1

This past weekend we returned from our first vacation since moving to Sydney. We had a fabulous time and saw some amazing (and certainly Australian) sites. We started our holiday with a 6 hour drive to Coffs Harbour. This is up the Eastern coast of Australia from Sydney. We stayed in an apartment right on the beach. It was beautiful. Even though it is winter, we had great weather and wore our flip flops and short sleeves for most of the trip!The kids all had fun on the beach. The first morning we were there, we went and just enjoyed the scenery and the sound of the waves. Little W had a blast and we could barely keep her out of the water. She had quite a challenge walking through all that sand.


Our first "touristy" destination of the day was the Butterfly house. We had never been inside one before and it was an experience. While a little strange to have so many things flitty in front of your face, the butterflies were neat to see. They all loved M's white hat and she had many that took up residence there.


Our next stop was The BIG BANANA. An Aussie icon for sure, this huge yellow banana made for a fun outing. We had lunch, did a little bungie trampolining, had a go on the luge, and finished it off with banana crepes and ice cream.


After such a big morning, the little one needed a nap. It was back off to the hotel for a rest while the big kids splashed around in the water. As the sun started to drop, it got a little cold but of course, the kids still had a blast.


After nap time, we decided to take the kids and their scooters to the Look at me Headland. There was a fantastic paved path all the way along the headland and the views were spectacular. Even better though were all the kangaroos we saw. This is an area where they come to eat around dusk and we must have seen at least 100 kangaroos. At one point we had a whole gang of them come bouncing right past us. What a thrill for this family!

If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the two big kids zooming around on their scooters. What a gorgeous place!

Uh-oh. I think we are in the way of these kangaroos!

4th of July

Happy Independence Day America! We celebrated the 4th of July in fine style here in Australia. We started the day by wearing our red, white, and blue to church to show our American pride! I even helped out with the children's sermon that made the connection between the freedom Americans were celebrating and the freedom we have in Christ.

Then, we prepared for a BBQ, 4th of July style. We had hot dogs and watermelon. Thanks to a tip from a fellow American expat, I even able to find some sparklers for our evening celebration. Unfortunately J was out of town so it was just me and the kids. We had a fun time though. I grilled up dinner and after, we brought out the sparklers. Thank goodness for youtube because I was able to play the Star Spangled Banner and Proud to be an American as the kids were playing with fire! While it might seem a shame to be in the Southern hemisphere and in the middle of winter for the 4th, in reality it is was pretty great. We had beautiful weather AND it was dark at 5 pm. So, there was no waiting around for fireworks while the kids got overtired. We had dinner, did our thing, and the kids were in bed by 7:30. Now that is the way to celebrate the 4th! It was sad to be so far away from family and friends, but I am glad that the kids and I could still celebrate our heritage and have a great family night!

4th of July afternoon... playing in the backyard

Dinner time!

Time for fireworks...

When the sparklers ran out, we had glow sticks. They may have provided just as much excitement as the sparklers in the end.

Winter wonderland

In the meadow we will build a snowman... or maybe we should sing

In the water we will wear a wet suit...

It is officially winter. Did you know it got cold in Australia? It is nothing like Wisconsin in Sydney but it is certainly a change in seasons. We have had some pretty cool nights - in the low 40's. But, most days, the sun comes out and it is nearly 60. The strangest thing about winter is that Christmas is not even close. In a few days it will be July 4th. It is so strange to think that we are getting "rugged up" for the cold weather with jackets when everyone back home is preparing to celebrate Independence Day - complete with watermelon and bbq's. This past week we even had to deal with a broken heater. I am not sure if I will ever get used to this living on the other side of the world bit with the seasons backwards to me. It is strange when you go to write the date and start to write October when it is July. It just feels like October to me! None the less, we have been having some winter time fun.

We went up the Blue Mountains a few weeks ago. It was much colder there so it certainly felt like winter. We enjoyed seeing the amazing Three Sisters. A rock formation down in the valley. Our three sisters sure enjoyed posing in front of it!

Here you can see a bit more of the Three Sisters behind us.

After we saw the Three Sisters, we went on to a place called Scenicworld. A tourist attraction for sure but it was a fun outing. We rode a very steep train down into the valley where we walked around the rainforest. It was very dark down under the canopy. Then we took the cable car back to the top. Despite the tourist trap feel, it was a great way to have a little bushwalk through some rainforest and fun ride up and down the valley.

Just goofing around down in the valley!

The kids are now on winter school holidays for three weeks. We have been very happy to see the sun and the kids have been playing outside like crazy. Alex got a new ripstik which has provided many hours of entertainment over the last few days. The kids have also been pogo sticking and jump roping (err.. skipping rope) like crazy!



When they get bored of those things, or it is cold outside, they always manage to find a way to entertain themselves. What a bunch of crazy worms! Happy Winter!