Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Hello, Hello! Goodbye, Goodbye!

 Hi Friends!  Look who found a hiding spot?!  One day I told Addi it was time to go get Destiny from school and this is where I found her...under the computer desk!  She closed her eyes...that way mommy can most certainly not see her! 
 Last week, I had to say goodbye to a good friend!  Old Blue had to take a hike!  She'll be happier with her new family and I think they will be happier with her than I was. ha! 
 It's time for our family to upgrade (or downgrade...depends on how ya look at it). 
 Destiny took it the hardest of all.  She has a real LOVE for her THINGS! 
Bye-bye Blue...Hello....MINIVAN!  I never thought I would say that I drive a minivan, however, it is the best ride for us right now and it's TEMPORARY; we'll only live in Australia a couple more years!
 I actually haven't taken pics of the outside yet, but it's gray...this is the first pic that Matt sent me of my new beauty. 
 The girls' favorite part is the DVD player!  Lucky ducks, in the back seat!  So far, we are very happy with our new vehicle and I look forward to spending a couple of years with her {and then ditching her for an SUV when we move back to the USA}.
 The weather has been a bit spotty lately...rain...sun...fog...I guess that means it's Autumn, right!?!  Destiny loves putting on her boots and taking her umbrella outside for a little walk in the rain.  She was hoping for some puddles to jump in, but it hadn't rained enough. 

It's swim day over here; time to get in our swimmers and put on our swim caps!

Enjoy today!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Mamma Mia Pizzaria

 Hey Friends!  It seems that our family has had a series of "traditions" that stick around for a while and then fade away.  Right now our "tradition" is PIZZA FRIDAY!  For the past couple of months, each Friday we make pizza.  It all started when I found a fabulous pizza crust recipe...the rest is history!  Last week, the girls got involved!
 Rollin' out the dough. (That really is a chef's hat on Destiny's head; not a Little House on the Prairie bonnet.)
 Saucing the pizza, and her tongue!
 I didn't say this was a "clean" tradition...the kitchen got quite messy and I think I may have finally swept up the last bit of flour this morning!
 Ready to go in the oven.  Cheesy pizza!
 mmmmmm.  Good!
I've been trying out different types of pizza for me and Matt.  This week I rolled with one of his favorites from a restaurant in Silverdale, Wa.  I made a thicker herb crust with parmesan cheese baked on it.  Toppings were: home made white sauce, prosciutto, black olives, spinach, pine nuts and mozzarella.  YUM! 

A special thanks to WEBE pizza in Williston, ND for teaching me how to make delish pizza!  Now it's become a family tradition (at least for this season in our life!)

Enjoy today!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Charitable Pup!

 Hey Friends!  How was your weekend?  We are celebrating Memorial Day here today!  It's so nice to have Matt home.  My morning chores went doubly quick so now I am able to waste a little more of my day away on the computer. ha!  Destiny loved showing her school off to her daddy too.  It was so much fun to bike there as a family!

Last weekend, our dog Dusty was fortunate to participate in RSPCA's walk-a-thon with Matt's boss and his wife and her BFF Boomer.  We were spending a bit of time in the Blue Mountains while Dusty had this little adventure of her own!  She even got a bandanna to prove that she walked the 5K!  The RSPCA is a rescue group for animals here in Oz.

In other news:
I'm 33 weeks along.  I'm feeling quite "large" these days.  This boy might be a bit bigger than my girlies were.  It's fun to watch my bump grow :)  I love all of the comments that the girls make about my growing belly too!  Things are still going pretty well.  So far he is a bit "all over the place".  He has been both breech and transverse at our latest appointments.  We are hoping for a "head down" baby the next time we go in.  As far as me, I'm still feeling great. 

Well, off we go to Costco!  Addi is beyond excited.  Every day she says, "Mommy, I have a secret for you...I want to go to Costco!" haha!

Enjoy today!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Blue Mountains : Part 3

 Hello Friends!  This Part 3 of our day trip to the Blue Mountains!  We headed out early one morning and packed a picnic lunch!  The girls really enjoyed making our own sandwiches at a park near the trail we hiked.
 One happy little girl!
 This was a lovely memorial that we had a picnic near.  The train station was in the back ground so it was all around a beautiful spot to stop for lunch.
 After lunch, we found some pastries at a nearby bakery and enjoyed them as the sun began to set. 
 After a short drive down the road, we stopped off to see the Three Sisters during sunset.  It was quite spectacular!  Maybe next time we can hike to the Three Sisters instead of just viewing them.
 There were some amazing sights. 

 Both of the girls were happy that we didn't have to do any  more hiking to see these sights!  They were tired after 4 hours on the trail!
 They really enjoyed playing in a "cave" near the viewing area. 
 As the sun came down, it was time for us to head home!
Apparently Addi wasn't too happy about heading home.  haha!  Just kidding.  This is the face she makes when she is "fake" crying!  She puts on a pretty good act!  I was happy to catch it on camera because it's pretty funny.

The girls and I are off on some fun adventures today! 

Enjoy today!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Mountain Folk

 Hey Friends!  Last weekend, our little family became "mountain folk" for a day ;)  We enjoyed a day trip to the Blue Mountains and a 4 hour hike.  Really a walk, but when you are 8.5 months pregnant and 4 hours sure seems like a HIKE!  haha!  The scenery was amazing!
 We even had a couple of family photo ops because the trail was so busy with nice people willing to take pictures of us.
 Explorer Matt; binoculars and all!
 31 weeks pregnant; feeling well enough to hike 4 hours.  :)  Still running, spinning, and all around feeling pretty healthy!  No weird cravings, just chocolate!  Baby is kicking and we have a doctor appointment this afternoon.  I'm looking forward to seeing our little bub on the ultrasound. 
 Beautiful flowers.  I was told by someone at the National Botanic Gardens that the aboriginal people of Australia used these flowers as hair brushes!
 There were so many lovely spots to take photos.
 The only "wild life" we saw were a few birds.  Including hearing a kookaburra laugh.
 Beautiful waterfalls.
 The end of our hike!  The views were amazing!
 We were pretty high up!
 Destiny loved using daddy's binoculars.
The highlight of the day for the girls was seeing 2 fuzzy caterpillars!  What fun!

I have more pictures of our day trip for tomorrow!

Enjoy today!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Blue Mountain Tease

 Hey Friends!  How was your weekend?  Ours was fantastic!  We took a little day trip to the Blue Mountains!  The girls call them the blueberry mountains :)  This is just a little tease of our trip because I am having difficulty uploading pictures to the blog.
 We traveled to the lovely Wentworth Falls.
 The girls loved walking and hiking!  Both of them did so well.
 We started out on the Charles Darwin Walk.
 There were tons of beautiful waterfalls, babbling brooks and lovely scenery.
 The girls loved walking across the old bridges.
So, there is the tease for you!  Tomorrow I'll be back with some spectacular views!

Enjoy today!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Doin' the Splits!

 Hey ya'll!  It was dance day yesterday and we still love it.  Addi snacks on the sidelines wearing a tutu and takes it all in while Destiny dances her little heart out!  I loved Addi's outfit choice: tutu, stripes, sneaks! 
 Destiny was looking pretty cute too in her pink tutu and fancy socks paired with her awesome boots.

Destiny was SO proud that she could put her head down while she was doing her splits.  {Unfortunately, her knees popped up!} ha! 

Happy Friday!
Enjoy today!