9 years in the making...

9 years ago, God blessed Dustin and I with a beautiful little girl.  I remember on so many occasions my mother telling me "Just wait until you are a mother, and then you will understand why I worry".  This usually got a "whatever" response from me and I am sure a roll of the eyes.  But as she usually is, my mother was right.  They say your life changes after you have a child, and yes it does....yes it does.  Dustin and I learned that quickly when Morgan was born...actually we learned that nine months earlier when we found out I was pregnant.  And everyday of those nine years since, Morgan has added to our life.  

While I was pregnant, we were showered with gifts and love from family and friends.  I can admit that I did enjoy the attention a pregnant lady receives, even from total strangers.  It is as if everyone feels the need to be nicer, of course it could be in fear of being on the wrong side of the hormonal pregnant lady ;)  However, to say that my pregnancy with Morgan was pleasant would be a lie.  I had high blood pressure, a limited diet, and serious swelling.  When someone asks if you are having twins at 5 months pregnant, you know you are big! And boy was I BIG!

At 30 weeks I was put on bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy.  At first I thought getting told to lie around all day would be my dream come true.  After about the 2nd day, I was over it.  Quickly my boredom turned into a slight OCD, and I made birth announcements, menus and shopping lists for after the baby was born, and even a phone tree of who was to call who when the big day arrived.  I knew I needed help when I broke down into tears after my mother in law told me that she had lost not only my grocery list, but my COUPONS as well.  (she eventually found them).

AFTER the baby was born, it was a whole different ball game, I did not do a very good job of keeping a baby book for either of my children, so hopefully this post will serve as a memory lane of sorts (for ALL of us!)

After 2 days in the hospital, and 13 hours of labor and other complications, this precious little girl was welcomed into the world.  All 6 lbs and 21 inches of her:

Morgan Paige Collier

Because of my high blood pressure, Morgan and I stayed in the hospital for the week.  It was probably a good thing, because there were a lot of nurses around to help!  

Morgan really was a good baby, she slept and ate when she was supposed to.  She was happy and always smiling.  Of course we thought she was the absolute smartest because she achieved all of her first year milestones ahead of schedule!  She also fit in quite well with our other "babies"...

When it was time for solid food, she was more than eager.  I however was not ready for the major mess that ensued.  It was at this point that I decided spaghetti sauce was something they could enjoy later in life.  I was so against this red stain enemy, that I washed all and any sauce from the baby food.  I need help....  She was however able to enjoy Mac n Cheese....a better choice in my opinion anyway :)

The first year was filled obviously with firsts of everything and when November 4th, 2004 came around we celebrated that we all survived =)

It is crazy to think how much she has changed in the 9 years.  Along the way more of her personality shines each day.  She is a kid who knows what she wants and makes sure it is done her way :)  

From the day she was born, Morgan has looked like Dustin.  So much so, that people often thought she was a boy.  DESPITE the fact that she was dressed in pink with a bow in her hair.  At 18 months old, I did the only rational thing...got her ears pierced.  Hmmm, Dustin was not pleased at first ;)

She sure does look PRECIOUS though!

As Morgan grew, she quickly became a little athlete.  She was good at whatever sport or activity we put her in.  Of course I wanted her to try ballet at first.  Every little girl should huh?  

Morgan - age 3

Three was a big year for Morgan.  She got a new house and a new sister.  I think she might have enjoyed the new house a bit more ;)  

Visiting with Daddy as our house was being built.

Helping Daddy build the swing set

See what I mean?

We were glad that Addie's head did not pop off ;)

Around this age, Mo's fashion sense emerged.  I must say to this day, she is still unique in this area:

As time went on though, Morgan and Addie learned to get along and love one another...

Around age 5 Mo quickly lost interest in all things princess, and instead became Daddy's "best buddy". She traded in her crown for a fishing pole ;)  

It was at age 5 that she attended her first Aggie football tailgate and game.  Our seats were on the 3rd deck and I thought I was going to have to peel Morgan off of me. She REFUSED to go to our seats because of how high up we were. (she still does not like heights).  Luckily she was distracted with popcorn and skittles, so we could enjoy the game.  By halftime she was standing on her seat with the rest of the 12th man cheering on the band.

Our good friends Stacey and Derek

Soon she was ready to start Kindergarten and boy was she ready!  She learned so much in pre-school, that she was one of the smartest in her class.  She became quite the reader and constantly questioned things.  

She was also one of the tallest in the class.

However THE.MOST.MEMORABLE time in Kindergarten was this...

This was only a small glimpse of her self inflicted hair cut

Luckily the hairdresser works miracles and Mo rocked the short look

We learned to LOVE headbands

First grade was a year full of friends and fun. Mo joined Daisy Scouts and was able to make wonderful friends and memories.  That is also the year she started to swim.  She joined the neighborhood swim team and fell in love with the water.  For someone that gave me a bloody nose trying to get OUT of the water when she was two, it was a quite a change!

Keeping true to our Aggie Spirit, we took Morgan to her first baseball game.  She became a member of the Junior Aggie club and joined the players on the field.  She was on cloud 9!

Baseball

Girl Scouts

When Morgan was starting 2nd grade, we were planning for our move to Perth.  Everything she did that Fall created cherished memories.  By this time, she was still swimming and becoming more and more athletic.  In fact, there are a few stories of Mo playing football with the boys and being able to tackle each and everyone of them.  She made every father in the neighborhood proud with those moves, not just her Daddy =)

Morgan's love for animals also became evident.  Anything with 4 legs and fur has a special place in Morgan's heart.  In fact, really any creature...

From snakes in Houston...

To Kangaroos in Perth

As I was planning Morgan's 9th birthday party, it suddenly occurred to me how much has happened in her nine years.  Not only as a family, but Morgan herself has grown so much.  Through all of it, she has  become such a young lady.  She is goofy, brave, sarcastic, kind, funny, stubborn, inquisitive, and above all unique.  She will always be Daddy's "best buddy" and my "baby girl".  

Morgan we love you to the infinity power PLUS 1!

XOXO
Mom and Dad

A "stitch" in time....

Well thanks to Dustin, we came across some more differences between Australia and the United States.   This Tuesday, Dustin had varicose vein stripping surgery.  This surgery is NOT because he is old and out of shape, in fact just the opposite.  Had he not started running again, and lost all the weight he has, he might never have realized how bad his veins were.

So let's start at the beginning....

Since we have private insurance, we are able to go to the private hospital in the area, St. John's of God in Subiaco.  It is about a 10 - 15 minute drive from the house.  Unlike doctor visits, we did not have to pay out of pocket, but instead the hospital files directly with our insurance (BUPA).  To get to this point however we did have to:
-see a GP ($70 out of pocket)
-go to a Vascular ultrasound ($500 out of pocket)
-back to the GP to get another referral ($70 out of pocket)
-see a specialist and decide on surgery ($190 out of pocket)
* It was the going to the GP twice rather than just the specialist that was most frustrating and different.

On the day of surgery we had to arrive at the hospital at 7 am for admissions.  Dustin did not have to go to any pre-op testing so this was the first time we had seen the hospital.  However admissions did call to confirm details and ask medication, overall health questions, etc.

Initially we were moved through the process rather quickly, and it seemed to be smooth sailing.  We were asked to wait in two different waiting rooms, before Dustin was brought to his "room".  This is where his bed was and where he had to change into the hospital gown.  I say room, but it was just a big area with about 8 or so bays.  Each bed was separated by curtains, so we could hear everyone around us and by the time we left, knew what each one was there for that day!

At this point it was about 7:30...again, I thought we were doing great on time and Dustin would surely be going into surgery soon.  WRONG....he was not scheduled for surgery until about 10 or so, IF the case before him ran on time.  Regardless of what time your surgery is, you have to arrive at 7 and wait your turn.  When I found that out, I was thankful that Dustin was the 2nd surgery of the day, and we would not have to wait for 6 hours before he was even taken back.

So we waited....and waited.  Now, I am basing all of these comparisons on my surgery from last August, so I figured at some point they would have come and put in his IV and started him on some sort of relaxing drug.  Again, I was wrong.  Dustin had to lie and wait until about 10 am when they came to bring him to the "holding bay".  I was not allowed to go with him at this point, so the next bit is from his recall ;)

In the holding bay, he had to wait about another 20 minutes until he was finally brought in the operating room or theatre as they call it.  It was here that they inserted his IV.  He said that he was prepared to count backwards as soon as they inserted the first medication, but he got to 1 and the next thing he remembers is waking up in recovery.  All he had time to think to himself was "Elvis has left the building"

When he was brought back, I was told that I could go to another waiting room close to where his overnight room would be.  When I got to his "ward"  I noticed another big difference.  Security.  I was pretty much able to walk where ever I wanted and not one person asked what I was doing there.  The only time I was questioned was while I was sitting and waiting.  They were wondering why I was waiting so long instead of having left and come back. As if I would leave while my husband was in surgery....however,  I did go and get a coffee and find a comfortable couch to sit and read.

Initially the surgery was supposed to take no longer than 90 minutes, so at 11:30 when I first bothered the nurses as to where Dustin was, I was told still in surgery.  They were delayed.  So I sat back down and waited...and waited...and pestered the nurse two more times until 2 pm when they finally brought him to his room.

Even though we asked for a private room, those are reserved for people staying longer bits of time.  Dustin was sharing a room with an older gentlemen who was apparently hard of hearing.  During the night this old man kept Dustin up with his coughing and incessant "expulsion of gas".

I won't go into ALL the details, but suffice to say that the medication made Dustin loopy and much of what he said the first few hours after the surgery did not make much sense.  Nor does he remember much.  He did have a good time joking around with the nurses =)  For the most part the nurses were knowledgable and attentive.  DIFFERENCE: Dustin asked one of the nurses for the device that he was to blow into to clear his lungs to prevent fluid build up.  We were told that those had to be ordered by a specialist who would then have to show him how to use it.  Of course this would be billed as a separate expense...plus the machine was expensive.  Bottom line, they cost money and are not given unless absolutely necessary. So Dustin did not get his machine.  Instead he was told to cough and breathe deeply. As he says, all of the advances that have been made with modern medicine and he is told to breathe deeply.

A great friend offered to pick the girls up from school and bring them back to their house (THANK YOU Marie!!!).  So I stayed until about 4:30 and left to go get the girls.  We then all came back to visit before having to leave for the night.  The girls did a fantastic job of being careful with Daddy's legs and NOT being too loud in the room.  (This was no small feat for Addie).  As expected, both of them are not big on hospitals and did not like seeing Daddy like he was.  Because Morgan had a big day on Wednesday, we said our good byes and headed home.  Plus, Dusty needed his sleep....he was still not feeling well from the anesthesia and medications.

The plan for the next day was to drop the girls off at school and then head to the hospital to wait for Dustin to be discharged.  We were told that he would be discharged close to 10 am, but it could be early if we needed to leave sooner.  (which we needed to, so we could make it to Morgan's race).  On my way from dropping off the girls I got a text from Dustin asking when I would be back because I had to learn how to give him a shot in the stomach.  I thought he was kidding....he was not. When I got to his room, he looked a lot better than the day before...but the pain was starting to kick in.

So I was shown how to change his bandages, given instructions on his medicine, and then taught how to give him a shot....in the stomach.  I am not sure who was more nervous, Dustin or myself.  Luckily I only have to give him 4 shots in total at home.   After that, we were free to leave.  I asked Dustin if the doctor had been by.  Nope...not once after the surgery.  His resident came by to check on Dustin, but that was it.  We thought we would have to sign papers for the discharge....again nope.  We were handed our supplies and Dustin WALKED out of the hospital.  A wheelchair was offered, but not mandatory.

Now overall, I cannot say that the care Dustin received was bad.  In fact, the nurses handled him very well.  However, no one went out of their way to make him comfortable.  Everything was very matter of fact and basic.  No extras, because that would have cost money.  I think the biggest difference was the process of how things worked.

So now Dustin is at home for 2 weeks recovering.  It is day one and he is already bored....at least we have the shot in the mornings to keep things interesting ;)

Hugs to you all,
Amy

Where has the time gone?

I cannot believe that it has been almost 2 months since my last post.  Looking back at my iCalendar, one would certainly understand why!!  We have been on the go with everything from birthday parties to surgery. So in similar fashion to a Christmas letter, I will write a little about everything =)

July was actually pretty low key.  The girls had two week vacation in early July and we decided to take it easy.  They had officially finished HALF of their first school year in Perth.  At the end of the 1st semester, the school distributes reports.  Up until this point, the only report card or grade we have received was at the end of the first term.  It was a portfolio of the girls work, and did not include numerical or letter grades.  In fact they will not be graded on the scale that we are used to ever.  So the report was a written report on the girls progress thus far.  For Morgan it was a 4 page document, and every teacher (classroom, music, pe, French, etc) had to evaluate Morgan.  For Addison, her classroom teacher had to assess her in 8 different areas using 180 words for each area.  All I can say is WOW...the amount of time spent on these reports is incredible.  Overall, we are pleased with both girls' reports.  Morgan is right where she needs to be and skipping half of 2nd grade has not put her behind at all.  She is excelling in Language arts and Music.  Addie...well Addie surprised us all.  Apparently she is a rather smart little girl and has learned so much in a short period of time.  She is one of the top readers in her class and is close to being able to read chapter books on her own.  According to her teacher, she is logical and inquisitive.  Oh and she also enjoys being in charge ;)

Once Term 3 started, we were off and running!  The girls started swim 2 days a week, and Morgan continued with Netball.  Addie LOVES swim and does not complain one bit that the water is cold...remember we are swimming in Winter right now.  Often it is cold, rainy, and windy. They have a wetsuit and are quite the troopers.  Morgan is continuing to improve on her strokes...we just need to get her breaststroke kick down.

Netball for Morgan was a huge success.  Her team worked so well together and was undefeated for the season.  It was awesome to see how much they improved over the season!  Morgan really took to the sport and I think she will continue to play during our time here.  She is quite the athlete!

Also starting in Term 3 were piano lessons for the girls.  They are learning using the Suzuki method, which means that I join them during their lessons.  So for an hour on Wednesdays I am up at school learning piano with the girls =)  They are offered through the school and are during the school day.  Right now we are still learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but hopefully we move on quickly to another song!

Within a two week period the girls both went on two excursions.  Clearly field trips are not cost prohibitive at a private school ;)  The first field trip Addie took was to the Zoo.  I of course volunteered to chaperone, only to find out that Addie did not want me to.  When her teacher asked her why...her response was "I really just feel that my mom is at school too much.  I am a big girl now, and I really need to start doing this thing on my own."  Uh really????  She is FIVE...lord help me now.  SO after a few days of thinking about it, Addie said I could help out (the teacher needed moms), but she did not want to be in my group.  When it finally came down to it, she changed her mind and decided I was cool enough after all, and she was in my group.  She even had a smile as we walked around the Zoo.  Even if Addie did not want me there, one of the little boys I walked around with did.  His mom told me that he went home that night all excited I went to the zoo with them.  Morgan went on a "walkabout" of the neighborhood surrounding their school, sketching and discussing different architecture. Another day, they took the train and went to the local shops to again discuss and view the different styles of architecture.

The other field trip for Addie was local and less exciting, so I did not go...instead I decorated the door for their Book Week.

One of the things that PLC is good at is balancing academics and arts.  For a week the entire school celebrated Book Week and Arts Day.  Each day was full of different activities centered around books and the arts.  On Tuesday, the girls dressed up as they favorite book character.  Morgan decided to dress up as Paulina from an Australian book series.  Addie dressed up as Fancy Nancy.  Both looked awesome in their costumes.  Addie's included a wig that she did NOT like....it came off an hour after she got to school.  She said she did not like that she looked so different in the wig.  Morgan had to make her entire costume, so we made her a wig out of yarn....that she kept on all day ;)

The highlight of Book Week for our family, was Morgan's performances.  On Friday, she sang two songs with her Petit Chorale, as well as performed a song with her house group.  But what made us the most proud, was her INDIVIDUAL performance in front of a library full of people.  The girls were able to sign up to "busk".  Basically this is performing for donations.  Morgan signed up to sing "Bare Necessities" SOLO.  Can I just tell you how amazed I am at her singing talent?  I truly had no idea she could sing like she can.  She amazes us everyday.

As if ALL that was not enough, Morgan was asked to run in a cross country race for school. Based on her running time in PE, they asked her to run a 1K.  And of course as if our schedule could ever be anything but crazy, her race started an HOUR after Dustin was discharged from the hospital.  Dustin was bound and determined to be there for Morgan, and so he was.  And of course, she was thrilled he was there =) While she did great, sprinting might be more her speed.  When it was all over, she said she liked it and would think about continuing training.  We'll see how that goes.

FINALLY, as a family we participated in the "City to Surf" race.  The girls and I completed a 4k along with several friends, while Dustin ran the half marathon.  It was a good family day, and we all had a successful race.  The event was HUGE with over 42,000 participants.

WHEW....in all of that, throw in 4 birthday parties, a Smashing Pumpkins Concert, a beach BBQ, playdates, volunteering at school, and all of life's daily chores.  Now I know how our 8 months here has gone by so quickly!

We think of home often, and miss you all!
Hugs
Amy

Stars and Stripes forever....

Spending the 4th of July in another country is a bit odd.  There were the obvious differences:

1.  Not a National Holiday, so the kids were in school and Dustin was at work =(
2.  No fireworks...and you cannot shoot off your own, so no sparklers even.
3.  I was in long sleeves and jeans instead of sweating my bottom off.

Now just because there were differences does not mean the day went uncelebrated.  In fact, many moms told me Happy 4th of July....I thought that was nice.  In fact I was asked by Addie's teacher to come in that day and make something "American" for the kids.  I was a bit stuck as to what to make because anything that was truly American I could not make in 25 minutes, i could not get the ingredients here, or contained Peanut Butter...which is not allowed in school.  I really wanted to make Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for the kids cut out in star shapes, however I did not want to get the teacher in trouble for me bringing a banned item to school ;)  So took my mother's advice (as I always should!), and made a white cake decorated as the American flag with strawberries and blueberries.  Turns out my version of white cake was a bit different than they are used too, so they really enjoyed helping decorate the stars and stripes of the cake.

While they were eating their cake, I told them about PB&J sandwiches....there were intrigued that we eat "jam" with our peanut butter on bread.  They usually eat PB with honey if not plain.

Morgan's class did not even really talk about the 4th.  She knew what the day was, and we decided to start our day off by singing the "Star Spangled Banner" on the way to school....twice.  We then recited the Pledge of Allegiance just to make sure we did not forget it!

Instead of celebrating that day, the previous Sunday, we attended a picnic hosted by the American's Women Club.  Not knowing what to expect, everyone was pleasantly surprised and had a great day.  It was held at a local park and had hotdogs, hamburgers, COKE, Budweiser, ice cream, activities for the kids, and more.  They also had several choices of American candy....hubba bubba, Reece's Peanut Butter cups, and the elusive Krispy Kremes.  It was incredible how many people love those doughnuts.  I was not a huge fan of glazed doughnuts back home so I could not see spending $25 for a dozen here.

We spent the day with two other families from Houston.  Their kids and our kids ran around jumping, playing, running....just being kids enjoying the gorgeous weather.

While we were not in the country to celebrate the Independence of our country, we did remember the day and how lucky we are to be AMERICANS.  Next year though I am smuggling in some sparklers....

What is more American than baseball?

Yummy cake =)

Big Band....

Morgan and Teagan

The Ferriers and the Colliers

Eating a hot dog

Old fashioned cars

Tug O War

Group 1 for cake decoration

Group 2 and their cake

Say Cheese?

I love pictures...always have, always will.  Not only do I love being in pictures ;)  but, I love taking them and seeing all the memories they capture.  My pictures however have always been amateur at best.  While my pictures served their purpose to capture the moment, they was certainly room for improvement.  After moving to Perth, I quickly started looking for photography classes.  Just as quick, I realized how expensive classes could be. So being the avid couponer that I am, I was super pumped when I found a Groupon for a photography course.  "Protrack 1 and 2"  was being held at the Freemantle Prison and promised an interesting background to learn basics of my SLR camera.  

Of course I hate doing things by myself, so I was even more excited to find out that my friend, Marie, was also interested in taking a class.  So the two of us signed up and were surely on our way to becoming the "next big thing" in photography!  

After several attempts and scheduling mishaps the day had finally arrived to attend our class.  This Friday I packed my bag with everything I thought I would need and was ready to go.  Did I mention I forgot to charge my battery?  Yeah that would have been a good choice do to the night before.  Hmmm, now some of you might be worried at this point that the class would be ruined for me because I would not get to use my camera due to no battery.  HOWEVER, I once again lucked out and was able to charge my battery onsite before we started shooting some pictures. And since we did not even start taking pictures until FIVE hours after the class started, my camera battery was plenty charged.   

Yes, you read that correctly....a photography class that boasted an interactive site with excellent photo opportunities gave us a total of 60 minutes of practical hands on picture taking time.   Hmmm...not what I was expecting.

Now don't get me wrong, I really did learn more about my camera than I would have on my own.  And I know I need to understand the theory behind taking pictures before I can become good at taking pictures...but really FIVE hours?????  One thing I did discover is that I am not cut out to be a student that has to listen to lectures.  My ADD kicked in big time and I had to work really hard at not talking to Maria the whole time.  I suppose I should understand where Addie gets it from huh?

Back to the topic at hand however.  So when we finally did start taking pictures, they were of this 20 year old model whose dress would probably have been too big on Addison.  I felt like the paparazzi, and it was a bit uncomfortable to be honest.  

What did I get out of the course?  Well it did make me want to be a better photographer and figure out how to "design" a better picture.  But I can assure you I will not be attending Protrack 3 - 6 at a cost of $1500.  Instead I signed up (with Marie) for a 6 week CREATIVE photography course with a local art center for $187.  I do think this will be a better fit and I cannot wait to see the pictures that Marie and I learn to take.  Thanks Marie for "giving it a go" with me again =)

Hopefully this time I will actually have pictures worth posting on Facebook and my blog!  

XOXOX

Amy

Has it really been a month????

So in my last post, I said I was going to write every Friday about what that week.  Welllllll, as you can clearly see from the date of this post, that DID NOT happen.  I honestly did not realize how busy we have become.  On a normal week for us goes like this:

Monday- Swim for Addie at 4:10
Tuesday - Swim for Morgan t 5:00
Wednesday - Netball for Morgan until 4:30
Thursday - play dates with the girls friends
Friday - Garage and outside time
Saturday - 8:00 am Netball, and more outside time with the girls
Sunday - whatever floats our boat for the day =)

It does not seem like a lot of things, but it certainly does add up!  Dustin's group moved to a new building, still downtown but it now affects his commute.  He used to be able to catch the bus about 50 yards from our house and it would drop him off right in front of his office.  Now he can still catch the same bus and then get on another bus to his office.  Not too bad, but does add considerable amount of time.  PLUS the other issue is that he can not get home the same way because the downtown bus only runs one way....uh, that makes sense????  He tried taking the train home one day and that worked really well, as did riding the train into work.  So I can drop him off on the way to taking the girls to school...  If he does not like any of those options, then he runs home from work now.  It is 6 or 7 miles and since it gets darker right now he gets his run for the day.  He bought a special backpack just to run with =)

Both girls were assessed with their swimming and have been moved up to the next level of instruction.  Addie is SO proud that she can swim and no longer has to use floats.  She can really swim!  Morgan was told that her freestyle and backstroke are perfect, but she does need to work on her breaststroke kick.  They will not move her up if that is not down.  They do not want her DQing when she competes.   Both girls have asked to continue with swim, so I signed them up for two days a week both.  Hopefully we can coordinate so they can swim at the same time both days....otherwise that will be a no go!

Morgan received the Coach's award this past netball game for her defense and leading skills.  She is doing awesome and really is becoming a great athlete.  She can anticipate what is going to happen on the court as well as realizing what is going on at the moment.  Her reactions are getting great! Best of all, she is LOVING the game and wants to continue.  She has made really good friends who are also on the team...several have been over to the house and they are just as crazy as Mo.  Secret handshakes and all ;)

Addie continues to entertain her class and I am constantly being told the American sayings that other children are coming home with.  Ya'll seems to be a popular one.  It is funny to hear an Australian say ya'll =)

As for me, I am still trying to go to my Body Pump class on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Two out of the other three days of the week, I try to walk the beach with a friend.  We usually do about 4 or 5 miles a day.  For someone that really never worked out, I am pretty proud that I am doing this much!  I also found an Art Center that offers classes for things like drawing, painting, jewelry making, and photography.  I am hoping to find something to sign up for.

Slowly but surely we are staring to get the hang of their "language", but every once in a while they change it up and I get confused all over again.  For instance they call cookie a biscuit...okay got that, but then someone asked if I wanted a bickey, and I had that blank look.  I have made an art of that quizzical "huh?" look.  It's ok, I just smile and tell them I am American ;)

Still trying to plan our family vacation somewhere within Australia, and our trip back home.  Hopefully we can figure something out soon!  Time and money....both factors (aren't they always?)

HUGS to all!
XOXOX

This IS the adventure....

When we started telling people about our move to Australia, the word ADVENTURE usually popped up.  "What an ADVENTURE", "Make the most of your ADVENTURE", and so on.  Because I have never been out of the United States let alone lived outside of the United States, the idea of Australia was an adventure.  However when I hear that word, I conjure up images of grandeur, thrill, and excitement...you know BIG things.  So when I decided to write a blog to chronicle our ADVENTURES, I thought I could only write about our travels or eating weird foods or seeing HUGE spiders.  And for a while everyday was so new that things were easy to write about, I always had ideas.  But as we settle into life, I was getting worried that our ADVENTURES were being few and far between.  The ideas of what to write were not coming nearly as easy.

....and I then came to the realization that LIFE IS OUR ADVENTURE!  So while we may not be petting Kangeroos or traveling across the ocean or catching gross 8 legged crawly things, our days are adventurous.  So now I feel like I can write about our daily lives and what that means here in Perth.

So this week was busy....

Monday is swim for Addie, so right after school we eat a snack, get dressed and head to the pool.  Lucky for me, two of her friends from school swim at the same time, so I have moms to chat with =)  Addie is doing really well with swim, and does not let the COLD water deter her at all.  We bought her a wetsuit so that helps keep her warm.  She has done really well and is learning a lot.

ALSO on Monday, I went shopping for Dustin's birthday present.  Now this was an adventure because I drove on their freeways for the first time.  I only got lost once and had to one illegal U-turn to get to my destination, but it was worth it.  The navigation on my phone crapped out halfway through the trip, so I had to rely on good old sense of direction....clearly this was when I got lost ;)

Tuesday is swim for Morgan, but because we had to get ready for Dustin's birthday and she was starting to not feel well, we skipped it and went shopping for a homemade cookie cake.  I googled how to make a Great American Cookie cake, but that requires Caro syrup....they do not have that here, nor do they have Great American Cookie Company.  I settled for making a chocolate chip bar cake.  I was lucky enough to find decorative frosting, but the store was out of chocolate chips, so I had to use chocolate buttons....they melt much easier, so the cake was a bit different on consistency.

Also on Tuesday Morgan and Dustin went to the Father / Daughter breakfast for school.  It was at a local restaurant. Dustin said they sat with some really nice dads and that Morgan had a great time.  She seems to be right in the thick of it with friends and being a normal silly 8 year old girl =)

Wednesday was a big day for Morgan and I.  We went to the zoo.  It really was so much fun to see her with her friends.   That silly Morgan that we are used to has finally arrived in Perth.  She was able to be herself and her friends really like her for it.  I was in charge of 8 girls as we walked around and took notes on the Bushland.  Their assignment was to take notes on the habitat's characteristics and make connections with how the habitat suited the animals that lived within it.  They will then create an animal of their own that could survive in the Bushlands.  Pretty impressive what these 8 year olds could do!!!

Many of the girls wanted to see what words we used in American versus their words here in Oz.  The word they are the most enthralled with is "ya'll".  To funny. One little girl asked "Now is that short for you all?"  She then tried to speak American like me...she tried to imitate my "accent".  We had lunch on the lawn and the girls played for a bit.  After walking the zoo for almost 4 hours, I was EXHAUSTED when we got home.  Morgan was too, and actually wound up getting sick =(

Thursday she stayed home and we make a cookie cake for Dusty's birthday.  The one we bought ingredients for on Tuesday ;)

Thursday night we celebrated his birthday because I did not have anywhere to hide the cake....so out of necessity he got his presents early!  The girls also made him a poster for his special day.....

On Friday, Dusty had the day off.  We got his haircut, and then just hung out while the girls were in school.  We went exploring at a new mall for us.  Still unsure of the brands over here and what is our style.  In time....all in time.  

Morgan went to school because she had music camp to get ready for her Winter Concert on Wednesday.  She is in the Petit Chorale and loving it.  When I picked her up at 6 that night though, she was wiped out and had a fever =( Poor thing.   Needless to say she did not do Netball on Saturday.  

Today we are just being lazy and resting!  

Whew, we had a busy week.  I really am going to try and write every Friday about our week, unless something blog worthy pops up earlier in the week =)  

Hope everyone is doing well.  Missing you all like crazy.

All our love and hugs!!!!

She shoots and she SCORES at Netta =)

Every term at school, the girls get to pick a new sport to participate in.  The first term was swim, the second term was either Minkey (hockey), Netta / Netball, and multi-sport training.  None of those are sports that are really played in the States, so we were really surprised when Morgan came home and said she wanted to try Netta.  Sure why not?  

I must say that Dustin and I were just proud that Morgan wanted to try something new!  Netball is a rather big sport here for girls, so I was beginning to get a bit nervous since none of us have any idea how to play or what to expect.  As with everything else, anything can be researched on the internet.  So we went to youtube to at least see how to play the game.  The rules on the other hand, well that will have to be learned along the way.  

So our first Netta experience was this Saturday at 8:15 am.  Let me start from the beginning....Year 3 is the first year that girls can play organized Netball, so it is called Netta.  Every year there after it is called Netball.  The game seems to be a mix between soccer and basketball.  The first piece of advice we received was to arrive at the court EARLY because parking was limited and that fields are BUSY.  Not knowing what to expect, we got to the game at 7:40.  When we arrived, I was shocked to see how many courts there were...OUTSIDE.  Morgan was on court 34. Okay now to explain the game....I am not sure how to start, so please bear with my rambling.

The court is split into three parts with a basketball goal on each end.  The difference is that there is no backboard on the goal.  The court has lines similar to a soccer field.  There are five girls on the court at one time and they are each assigned a specific position...Goal scorerer, goal assist, center, defender, and assist.  Similar to soccer, you must stay in your assigned area as well.  The ball cannot be dribbled, instead it must be passed.  If you have the ball, you cannot run with it....you can pivot on one foot to move around though.  

Morgan played GS (goal scorer), GD (goal defense), and GK (goal keeper).  The only people that can attempt a goal is GS and GA.  So when Morgan was GS, she was able to try MANY times to score....she scored once.  Now that is one more time than I would have scored because there was no backboard.  She did a great job with passing, defending, and catching the ball.  When she went to shoot, she was so excited that she often overshot the goal.  Overall though she did AWESOME, and we cannot wait to see how she progresses this season.  I think she is going to really enjoy it!

Below are some pictures:

They all clustered together...always

No backboard

A couple of the other courts

All the different courts there

Morgan in the front right

She was goal keeper.  Defended the other teams goal

Talking to the coach about what to do as Goal Scorer

Shooting....

She made it!

Shooting again....

After the game getting "lollies" (candy)

Can you hear the music???

Between taking the girls back and forth to school and running errands I spend a lot of time in my car.  I usually have the radio on and have been flipping through channels to find my favorite station.  One station  plays "oldies".  The radio was on this particular station when a song came on that gave me flashbacks to one of MANY nights spent dancing in  my garage with Gretchen ;) ....the song?  "Flo-rida's Low.  I realized that many of my memories could be associated with a certain song or bang.  For example:

"Rolling on the River"...Kelly Kyle and I used to ALWAYS sing this song while riding on her scooter.
"Diddy by Paperboy"....Katie Grothoff and I would listen to that until we got EVERY word right.
Any Pearl Jam song...Kevin Martens, you were obsessed with Pearl Jam.
"Getting' Jiggy with it"...Spring Break when I met Dustin ;) (with LeeAnne and Angela)
"Chicken Fried"....The Breaux Family because I tried to sing that song at the Crawfish Boil...I knew SOME of the words
"Tik Tok" by Kesha...Courtney Terry, sorry Addie taught your daughter the words to that one.
"Stayin Alive"...Andree Falast, it is your favorite!
"Rumpshaker"...Andree Falast, because we shook ours in college!!!
"Temptations"....Lynn Collier, she loves any song by them!
"Old Time Rock and Roll"...this reminds me of my parents because we would listen to their old records and at Camp Goddard in 5th grade I sang this.
"Broken Road by Rascall Flats"....My brother and Michele's wedding song.  I can see them dancing ;)
"Eye of the Tiger"...I have two memories....2nd grade in New Jersey listening to the band play this while sitting on a metal folding chair....AND the halls of Hamilton Middle School.

The list could go on and on...because there are SO many songs and so many moments that I can recall.  That is the beauty of music...no matter how technology changes, music will always be around.  The format may change, but the song does not.

Know that I may not talk to each of you everyday, but rest assured that I do THINK about everyone.  It may be at the most random of times, but it happens.

Oh and do you have a song that reminds you of me?  I would love to know which one.....

Hugs Always

Say Cheese...

Since moving to Perth, I realized that I need to put together a bucket list of things that I would like to do while here. Not only am I in a new country, but since I am staying home, I will have more time.  I need to feel productive while I stay home or I am going to go crazy....Here are a few:

1.  Parasail
2.  See a kangaroo
3.  Visit the BIG rock....not sure the real name
4.  Travel to New Zealand, Singapore, Melbourne
5.  Visit the Sydney Opera House
6.  Become a better baker
7.  Get fit
8.  Whale watching
9.  Visit the Outback
10.  Learn photography

The last thing on my list is to learn how to use my SLR camera.  It is one of those things that you buy that you never really take the time to learn what to do with it beyond the basics.  At least that is what I did.   So since there scenery is here and I want to chronicle all of our adventures, I decided this would a be a good hobby to try.  I signed up for a photography class on May 11th.  It is a full day course where we are taught our cameras, lighting techniques, finding that perfect picture etc.

When I think about it, photography seems like a natural hobby for me.  I love memories and traveling down memory lane.  I want to be able to capture special moments for my girls that tell stories they can remember forever.

Be prepared to see a lot of random, useless photos because I am going to eat up my memory card taking TONS of pictures.  I really am excited.  Hopefully I will learn a lot of new things, become a better photographer and capture amazing memories!

As far as my other items on my bucket list...it is going to be an ongoing list.  I will let you know what I add!!

Hugs
Amy

Its name was Freo, and it's a city by the sea...

So in my mind, that title was sung to the tune "Her name was Rio..." But onto the point of this post.  Addie had a puppet class today in Freemantle (Freo), so instead of driving back home, we decided to explore.

Once we got down there, we were completely surprised by what we found.  Freemantle is a wonderful historic city. Mixed in between with the old buildings were new department stores and quaint shops.  Dustin, Morgan, and I strolled up and down the streets popping into whichever store looked interesting.  It was nice to window shop and just look.

What was even nicer was to spend time with Dustin and Morgan.  Just talking and being with each other.... Morgan had our undivided attention.  I love those times with her.  She asks the best questions...like today "Mom, if you could stay any age forever, what would it be?"  Wow, that made me pause and think....(I am still thinking of my answer).

We spent 6 hours down in Freemantle, shopping, eating, and just sitting and people watching.  I really like Fremantle, and really liked my day.

Next time I am taking the train to Freemantle to explore the city.  Cannot wait =)  

School days

Well the first term is over and the girls do not go back to school until April 26th.  They were rather busy in the classroom, but contrary to public school in Texas, I did not receive a formal report card for either girl.  Instead, they were sent home with a a portfolio of their work over the 9 weeks.  The school is following the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum, which I think we will really enjoy and appreciate in the long run, but right now it seems foreign to me to not receive grades on anything.  The girls are happy and every time I talk to their teachers, I am told how well the girls are doing.  So I suppose I should not worry....yet ;)

I will say though, that they are really doing some neat things in the classroom.  Addie is learning time, and Morgan gave her first self written speech.  Of course the speech teacher in me had to remember that she is ONLY 8....and this was her first major speech.  Seriously she did really well....

One of Morgan's projects was to follow a recipe and make something at home.  We decided on homemade ice cream.   She did a great job with everything except reading the measurement for the salt.  So instead of 1/8 of teaspoon....we had 1tsp.  Oooppps :)  It still was yummy!

The last week of school, I went and cooked with Addie's class for two days.  We made shortbread cookies and decorated "biscuits" to look like bunny rabbits.  It was too cute to see all the kids kneading the dough and using cookie cutters.  I had to explain several times which side of the cookie cutter to use.  I also had to redirect a little boy to put the rolling pins in the sink instead of hitting someone on the head ;) Thank goodness boys have to go to a different school next year!!!!

When we return for Term 2, the girls will start wearing their winter uniform.  This is not much of a change for Addie, she will just wear long sleeves and a cardigan (carrdie) on cold days.  For Morgan we had to purchase a sweater (jumper), blazer, and beret.  She will no longer wear the Panama hat.  I will be sure to take pictures on their first day to wear the winter uniform!!!!!

I am rather thankful for their school, I have met a lot of really nice moms, and it has given me an outlet to volunteer and fill my days.  Next term I am going to go back into the classroom for Addie and teach a small group lesson of my choice.  I am thinking a craft of some sort.

I also have joined their version of PTO/PTA called Auxillary.  When I am not at school helping, the moms and I are either having coffee or walking in the mornings on the beach.  I think I have settled into being a stay at home mom ;)  Dustin hopes I am going to enjoy my 4 year "vacation" =)

Outside of Addie's classroom

All of our ingredients

Measuring

THIS we measured right!

Happy Baker...

Proud of her work

Before going in the freezer

Kneading the butter into the dough

Cuties

Showing us her decorated bunny!

Oh boys....

Helping with the cookie cutters

The group with their bunnies....