Saturday, March 31, 2012

Spiders as big as your HEAD!

Hello Friends! While in Cairns, we had a Rain Forest adventure. It all started with an hour and a half gondola ride along a sky rail.

Maybe the spider isn't as big as his head, but is sure is close to the size of his hand! eek! We saw a bigger one later in our adventure too.
At a restaurant, Addi took the opportunity to pose in front of a mirror and asked for her picture to be taken. So, here it is!
Petting a shingle back lizard. (At least I think that is what they are called)
An ode to Steve! The King of Crocs! (Apparently not the King of Stingrays...bad joke!)
Playing with a snake!
Addi at the butterfly sanctuary! She wanted so badly for one to land on her, but as soon as one would she would squirm all over the place and it would fly away.
Destiny with a koala in the background.
Destiny feeding a roo.

Koala cuddles.
The family cuddling a Koala. What a special moment!
This is a picture of us with our friends that traveled to Cairns the same time we did! It was a blessing to have them there. We were able to exchange babysitting for each other! It was kind of like a princess party; 4 little girls and 2 pregnant mommas! Super fun!
Addi feeding a wallaby (I think...it was smaller than a roo and red...so I'm not quite certain what it was!)
Addi and a roo.

Matt saying "hello" to a cockatoo.
After our time in the rain forest, we took a train back to town.
There were amazing views.
waterfalls.
twists and turns.



Our family on the train.
What a fun and eventful day! This was a fantastic family adventure!
Enjoy today!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Night Zoo

Hey Friends! Happy Friday, over here! (Friday is just around the corner for my friends in the U.S.!) Today I get to blog about my absolute favorite part of our vacation to Cairns. Matt and I chose a special night to go out {just the two of us} to celebrate our 7th anniversary! We decided to go to a special Night Zoo activity. A cockatoo was there to greet us saying, "hello" and whistling!
Cheers to all you can eat and drink all night! Lemon Squash for me, please!

This sign showed the evening's activities. We really were on the move when we were there. Dinner started with some lovely music.
Matt had two steaks (I let him have mine, because I'm nice like that :)
Shortly after dinner, we got to cuddle a koala named "Buster". I think he liked my baby bump as a seat!
He sure was a stinky fella (yes, I'm talking about the koala, not Matt. haha!), but he certainly was cuddly!
Evenings are when koalas are most active {supposedly}. Most of them were sleeping when we saw them! They are pretty lazy guys.
After our cuddle, we were brought to an area with seating so we could take a close up look at some night creatures. This owl was lovely.
Matt got to have a little cuddle with a snake. I was having more fun looking at the albino crocodile that was in the spot next to this.
Why, hello crocs! Boy were they hungry! One of them even ripped the feeding stick right out of the zookeepers hand! (this makes my fear even more legit!)
Hand-feeding some lovely roos.

Damper and Billy Tea. Yum!
Matt was a roo charmer too!
What a cutie!

The night ended with the completion of one of my goals that I set before moving here. I got to "cuddle" a wombat! I loved the moment so much, but was a bit afraid because the man told me that wombats love to bite. The wombat was just as lovely as I thought it would be, but I kept my distance from his face!
Seven years of marriage, and a special trip to a zoo! What a deal!
Enjoy today!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Finding Nemo

Hello, again! We are back in Cairns and about to embark on our adventure to "Find Nemo". From the start of our vacation, I told the girls that we were on a mission to find Nemo. If you have never heard of Nemo, he is a clown fish that was created by Disney in an animated flick that they like! "Finding Nemo" was my term for our "Great Barrier Reef Adventure".
There's Nemo on the sign! Unfortunately, he was not to be found in the water! {= two disappointed girls!}
We were trying to pass the time on the boat ride. 2.5 hours didn't go so well for me! Seasickness hit in the second hour and made my time on the reef miserable.
Destiny trying on my sunglasses!

Upon our arrival, we settled in with a buffet lunch and then got busy with activities!
We started our sea-searching adventure peering out the glass and into the water. A few fish passed by!

Next, it was Matt's turn to get ready to do his scuba diving. {This was his favorite part of the trip; he even had an under water camera and he can't wait to develope those photos. As he was lowering himself down a HUGE fish swam right up near his face! He loved it!}
The girls and I embarked on a semi-submersible boat with windows throughout. We were able to see so much!
The girls enjoyed the semi-sub ride, but unfortunately it made me even more sea sick!
Here are a few pictures of the reef.


After Matt's diving adventure and our submarine ride, we went for a swim as a family.


Even baby boy joined in on the swim!
It was a fun and adventurous day!
Join me tomorrow for more pictures from our trip!
Enjoy today!