Sunday, June 30, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 10 and 11





 Hey Friends!  I hope you enjoyed the dance video.  Destiny had her dance concert at the Playhouse in Canberra 2 weekends ago!  She was super excited to perform.  One of our greatest memories from Canberra is dance class.  Destiny has had the same teacher since she started as a 3 year old!  Lucky her.  She will truly miss Cassie and Olivia from Play the Dance Agency.  The above pic is of her when she was just starting out at Play!
 Addi had fun dancing too, but suddenly turned a bit shy and might try dance again when we move to Washington.
 Destiny with last year's concert flyer!

 Dancing!
 Time to spin!
The final pose!  She did so great and after her concert we enjoyed an amazing dinner at the Pancake Parlour, one of our all time faves in Canberra!
Memory number 11 is swimming!  The girls love swimming.  They love it in our backyard or at the ocean or in a hotel or at their swimming lessons at Aquatots!  They are my little mermaids!
Destiny has been blessed with amazing swim teachers who have taught her so much.  She loves to swim and has learned so many strokes!  I think she's a better swimmer than her mommy :)
 
Enjoy today!
 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 9

 It's that time of year to remember the 2 birthday parties the girls have celebrated in Australia so far.  Turning 2 and 4, the girls enjoyed breakfast in bed and then a Disney themed birthday party because we were traveling to Disneyland shortly after their birthdays! 
Turning 3 and 5 we celebrated with a special Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party! 

Today we are celebrating the girls with a Disco party at a local kid's play facility.  The girls are so excited to dance their way into ages 4 and 6. 

We have such fond memories of our special Aussie birthdays.  Fairy bread, Hip-hip hoorays, and so much more!  We love our new birthday traditions that have started here in Oz. 

If you see a special six year old today, make sure you wish her a happy birthday!  Can you believe our baby girls is six?!

Enjoy today! 

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 7 and 8


  Hey Friends!  Doing another 2-a-day for the memories!  Aussie memory number 7 is our trip to the beach and getting to literally swim with dolphins!  We enjoyed our time with the dolphins so much that we weren't able to get a great photo, but it's a memory that we will cherish forever! 
 
 Aussie memory number 8 is all of the wonderful times we had with the three lovely ladies who came to visit us while living here.  My mom came here twice!  We had so many fun outings around Canberra and in Sydney. One of my favourite times was seeing kangaroos and emus at Tidbinbilla with her.  The girls always talk about playing on the beach at Manly with Grandma too!  They were in their winter coats playing in the sand!
 My sister came out for a little trip to Oz.  We spent lots of time shopping at Canberra Centre, DFO and in Sydney.  We also went up into the Eye Of Sydney and saw amazing views of the city!
My bestie cousin Lili came out after Oliver was born.  We spent a bit of time in Canberra and then headed off to Sydney to enjoy some of the nightlife, good food, and shopping! 

It's been a blessing to have some of my loved ones travel this far to see me.  I am lucky to have these amazing memories with these three lovely ladies.

Enjoy today!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 5 and 6

Hello Friends!  My Aussie Memories 5 and 6 are family vacations to both Sydney and Melbourne.  Our family has enjoyed SO many fun times in Sydney.  We have brought everyone who has come to visit us to this great city.  There is so much to love about it!  I love the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Toronga Zoo, Darling Harbour, Paddy's Market, The Rocks Market, Starbucks, IKEA and so much more.  This city will always have a special place in my heart! 
 
 Recently we headed down to Melbourne for Easter.  Seeing Melbourne first hand was amazing.  It's a beautifully artistic city. 
 Even the skyline is colourful. 
This kids especially loved playing with this fun water feature.  Although we visited Sydney more often than Melbourne.  I will hold onto the memories of the Great Ocean Road, Federation Square, Fitzroy, the American-style Diner we ate at, and seeing Koalas just hanging out in trees!

We have been blessed to travel a bit while living here and we certainly enjoyed seeing each of these lovely cities!
Enjoy today!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 4

 Hey Friends!  One of my favourite things about Australia is the wildlife.  I love all of the animals and it has been a blast discovering them in nature parks, zoos, aviaries, and even in the wild!  I will never forget my special experiences with the wildlife here in Oz. 
 Our trip to Cairns brought many opportunities to meet and hold wildlife.  We held a couple of Koalas.  I got awfully close to a wombat. We saw a couple of snake-eating spiders in the rain forest and had a cockatoo greet us with a "hello" at a dinner we went to. 
 We have taken a few trips to a nature park called Tidbinbilla and we have really enjoyed watching the kangaroos, emus, platypus, and a variety of lizards.  Maybe even a snake or two...but I would like to forget about those!
 I love taking the kids to the aviary.  We feed the birds and they land on our shoulders, heads, or anywhere else they can land! 
 Although these photos are taken at the aviary, these birds follow me on my path as I run in the Summer.  With their bright colors, they bring cheer all over Canberra.
 Maybe she's not wild life, but I couldn't imagine Australia without or sweet Dusty girl!  It's unbelievable that she has been with Matt and I for 8 years now!  I love my daily walks with her.
 Feeding kangaroos at the Night Zoo in Cairns.
 Chooks (chickens) at a petting paddock in Batlow.  Destiny loved picking up the chickens there.  The kids have gotten to see so many animals here and I bet they will wonder where all the roos are when we move back to Washington.
This is one of my favourite pictures.  Kissing roos at Weston Park right here in Canberra.  Other animals that we have spotted in Canberra are possums, echidnas, bilbies, goannas, blue tongue lizards and shingle back lizards, spiders of all varieties (most could kill-ya!), pelicans, rabbits that life under our deck, and so much more!

Enjoy today!

 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 3

 Hey Friends!  My next greatest memory and my absolute favourite souvenir is my sweet baby Oliver.  Being pregnant and having a baby in Australia was so different from in the U.S. but I am very happy with my experience here.  Olli will forever be our little "Aussie" boy.   

 No cricket for this boy...it's baseball all the way ;)
 Baby boom at the U.S. Embassy!
 Baby shower with play group friends!

 Henna by my friend Carly.

Thanks, Oz, for the best souvenir ever! 

Enjoy today!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 2

 Hey Friends!  My Aussie memory for the day today is our special time spent at the U.S. Embassy here is Australia.  Above is a picture of Matt receiving an award for his work with the Presidential visit to Canberra. 
 The Embassy hosts many fun events that we have participated it including Easter parties, cuddle-a-baby-wombat event, Halloween Parties, Fourth of July Parties, Movies and we can't forget about morning tea events at the Ambassador's residence. 
 We have been so lucky to have the support of the U.S. Embassy as we live here in Australia.  What a wonderful community!  Below are a few more photos taken at events at the Embassy.


 
We will truly miss the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, especially all of the people who have worked here while we have been stationed here. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another memory!
Enjoy today!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Aussie Memory Number 1

 Hey Friends!  We are walking down Aussie Memory Lane for the next 30 days.  Can you believe we only  have one month left in Australia!?!?  One of my favourite memories of the  land down under is visiting Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.  Although the trip out to the reef made me very sick; I really enjoyed my vacation there in general.  Family time was awesome!  We were blessed to be able to hold koala bears twice.
 The girls LOVED some beach time and I even let them swim despite the crocodile signs everywhere!
 Sunnies on the trip to the reef.
 Matty in his diving gear.  He saw amazing fish and a large clam when we was diving.
 Destiny feeding a roo.
Coconut water in it's purest form!  Yum! 

We had such a wonderful time on our vacation and it is one of my fondest memories of Oz. 

Check out my facebook page for my 30 day challenge to do something "totally Aussie" each day that I have left here.  Today I had one of my favourite Aussie breakies of weet-bix and black tea!  Yum!
What would you do if you have 30 days left in Oz?  I'm open to suggestions :)

Enjoy today!