Possum Kingdom Posse

This past weekend we had the opportunity to get away from the city and explore a little of Texas.  We headed to Possum Kingdom with three other families from church.  We had such a fantastic weekend.  Our children played the weekend away, exploring the woods and being silly with their new buddies while we sipped coffee in the cold.  And yes, it was cold!  I know, I have been complaining about the heat all summer - finally the cold hit us and we had temps in the 40's and 50's all weekend.  A welcome change, if you ask me.  It almost made me feel like I was in the mountains of Colorado again.  (Or maybe at Port Hacking for a chilly church weekend away in Australia.)

Check out the cactus!  I did not expect to see these on our hike.

The closest thing to a family portrait...

The view from the top.

She thinks she is a koala bear!

Brrrr....  it was cold on the water!

This weekend held many things for me.  For the extrovert in me, there was non-stop social activity.  For the nature lover, there was a morning hike and a boat ride.  For the rest of me, there was great fellowship with new friends.  What a blessing these guys have already been in our lives just by including us in their group and making us feel at home with them.  Weekends like this make me feel like Texas is almost "home." 

A 5 year old ballerina...

Yesterday was C's birthday.  These days, she is all about being a ballerina.  So, for her birthday, we celebrated ballerina style.  It was so much fun preparing all things ballerina themed.  The party was lots of fun.  We had a house full of giggling little girls ready to plie the day away.  It is hard to believe this little girl is 5!

I am pretty proud of the cupcakes I made.

Yum!  Little sis enjoyed it too!

"Ballerina Says" Arabesque!

Decorating ballerina cookies

Back to School!

We have had a wonderful (hot) summer here in Texas!  I wasn't sure what to expect this summer.  I was sort of dreading three long months with the kids home.  My thoughts were... no school, no friends, no activities = no sanity for mom.  I was wrong.  There were certainly plenty of moments of insanity (but what family with 4 kids doesn't have moments like that?!).  Overall, we had a great summer.  The kids have made fast friends with lots of kids in the neighborhood and spent plenty of time playing with each other.  They past the days fishing at the neighborhood pond, riding bikes and scooters and swimming.  Did I mention swimming?  We swam almost every day and put our pool to very good use. 

That brings me to today.  The first day of school.  As always, bittersweet.  I am happy to return to the routine of school and the kids are happy to be going back to see their friends daily.  But, I am sad to enter the whirlwind that will be our life for the next 9 months.  And yes, they grow up too fast.  W and C don't start preschool until next week so at least this week I can savor those last days of summer and spend unlimited moments of insanity with them!  For now, here are  a few pictures of A and M on their first day of 6th and 3rd grade!

Texas.

We made it. We have been in Texas for almost three weeks now and in our house for almost two weeks. There have been many rough days with lots of tears for everyone. Jet lag is hard. Leaving friends is hard. New schools are hard. Arranging a new life is hard. But TODAY has been a great day.

Today, the littlest two played dolls without crying, and without fighting, for two hours. This was a first since we have moved. Today, the swingset got set up. Today, the balance bike arrived. And today, I got to see my Aussie bestie face to face thanks to modern technology. TODAY has been a great day!

We will continue to adjust, little by little, back to our American life that was nearly forgotten. While so many things are the same, I had forgotten how much was different. My two little ones, who have no memory of America, remind me daily of the things that amaze them. Here are a few of my favorites...

"The chemist has a drive thru. It is just like Maccas!" (That is McD's to you Americans - and the only drive thru we know in Sydney.)

In response to seeing the swingset... "Mummy! We have our OWN park now in our OWN backyard. Can we go there whenever we want? We don't even have to drive!"

Goodbye Sydney

Don't cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.

- Dr Seuss

I saw this quote on pinterest the other day and it struck a cord with me. I am trying very hard to smile but mostly it is just tears. Today I said goodbye to my very best Aussie friends. While we laugh a lot together, we sure do turn to blubbering idiots fast. I love them and I will miss them with all my heart.

Homeward Bound

It is official. Our repatriation is inevitable and we are headed back to the great state of Texas. My mom cried tears of joy, my Aussie friends cried tears of sadness, and I have yet to cry. I am devastated to leave this amazing place we call home. I am heartbroken to say goodbye to the dear friends I have made here. And yet, I am thrilled to be returning to America. It is hard to put a finger on how I really feel at any given moment. Part of me has not yet accepted the work that lies ahead. Part of me is in denial about how long it may be before I see my Aussie friends again - but I know I will see them again. Part of me is just really excited to eat good Mexican food.

I am excited about the new adventure that is ahead. I am apprehensive about settling in Texas knowing what will be expected of J in his new job, while I am left to pick up the pieces at home. I know there are long nights of unpacking, comforting children, paperwork to be done, applications to be filled out. The list goes on. But, there are also new parks to be explored and new friends to be made. In the end, I know that God is in control of our lives and I pray for peace as he guides us in this next step.

So for now, I will just start my goodbyes. There are so many things we will miss in this land down under.

Happy Birthday!

This weekend we celebrated M's birthday. She turned 8 and it was great! We had 12 little friends flip flop on over to our house for a pool party. How fabulous to live in the Southern Hemisphere where a February birthday is a summer birthday!