Day Four on Kangaroo Island

This was our last day on KI, so consequently we ended up checking out of the hotel right after breakfast and running by the grocery store to re-stock up on water and lunch items. After that we headed to the middle of the island to see what we could see. We had seen the east, the west, the south and part of the north. So we decided to try to hit the middle and if time permitted more of the north coast.

We made it to the "Parndana Wildlife Park" where we're pleasantly surprised at how cheap it was. Only $12 for adults and $6 for kids. Then we saw why. It was really run down. It was still very fun and I don't think the kids even noticed, but many of the animals looked really sad. I felt badly for a lot of them too. There was a big beautiful eagle in a much to small cage and he would fly up to the top and litterally try to rip the bars off to get out. There were quite a few other animals who wanted out as well. There was a sign on the main building that said "this business is for sale". We figure the people are just tired of running it. Their full page colored add in the brochure we got made it look like it was going to be in great shape.

There were some cockatoos who could talk and that was really fun. One of them wouldnt say a word to you until you walked off and then every time you left it would call out "hello"! Lol! We were also able to feed and pet and interact with some more koalas. One koala actually climbed out of his tree and ran around and that was the first time we had seen that. None of the others we have seen have come out of their trees. I got it on video so you can check that out in the future. Garrett also got some great photos of Enoch and Ethne with him when he was sitting on the ground with them. He was really a friendly little guy.

This was the day that Ezra got scratched by the kangaroo and we rubbed tee tree oil on the scratches. It took out the red almost immediately. Now they are healed without infection.

Ethne has become way too comfortable with all of the wildlife. She walks up to every animal and pets it and cuddles it. She went up to a kangaroo and put her arms around it and layed her head on its back. It didn't see her coming because it was eating out of Ezra's hand. It cracks me up even now thinking about it. It was so so funny! Try to imagine it. Kangaroo eating from Ezra's hand. Ethne overcome with love for the cute furry animal wraps her little arms around it and lays down her head on it till she is laying on its back. Kangaroo pops it's head up, is frightened and hops off as quickly as it can. Ethne nearly falls over as her resting spot has been so rudely ripped out from under her and Ezra is totally miffed that he nearly got ran over by a roo and lost his pet to feed due to his little sister accosting it.

Hysterical! I will have to go back and see if I got it on video. Garrett and I couldn't stop laughing. It really was so funny.

We are seriously concerned though about how comfortable she is with all the wild animals. There were several with signs up that said "I Bite". We had to talk to her about it and tell her that she needed to be careful and not put her hands in because they would bite her.

Ezra was squatting near the ground looking at one of the "I Bite" parrots and his face was really close to the bars where the parrot was climbing. That little bird tried to attack Ezra in a big way. It slammed into the bars and tried to get him with his beak and claws. Ezra was startled over backwards into the dirt.

We got to see an albino Kangaroo with her Joey. He was a big Joey too. You can see from the size of his feet hanging out of her pouch here that he is almost too big for it and will not be in there much longer. They were such a novelty to us. We also saw 5 completely white peacocks which I thought where albinos but thinking back to how they were roaming around freely I wonder if they are. I will have to look into that. Usually albinos have to be protected completely from the sun to avoid skin cancer. Maybe that doesn't apply to birds covered in feathers. I don't actually know.

While we were out we discovered we had in our possession two of the hotels towels-arg!!! We decided that we should drive all the way back to return them so we didn't go up to the north coast after all. Instead we stopped at "Duck Lagoon" and "Island Pure Sheep Dairy" on the way back to Kingscote. It was time for dinner when we got back to Kingscote and we were lucky enough to find the fish and chips/fresh seafood shop open. We had been told that it was the best fish and chips in the southern hemisphere and I wouldn't be surprised it they were right. It was fantastic. The fish was amazingly fresh. I think I can safely say that it was better fish than even the best fish and chips we had in NZ. And I would add to that that the lobster, prawns, and fish we ate on kangaroo island were the best I have ever had in my life.

The man at the hotel thanked me for my honesty and I felt really funny because I got the impression as I was walking away that he thought we took the towels on purpose and our consciences got the better of us so we came back to return them. That caused some not too pleasant emotions inside of me to be thought a thief. But whatever! I will never see the guy again and God knows I had NO INTENTION of stealing crummy towels from a crummy motel :)

With bellies full of fish we headed out on the long drive to Penshaw to pick up the ferry back to Cape Jervis on the mainland. We were early so we went to the beach there and the kids played in the sand while Garrett and I took it all in and felt sentimental about the thought that we would probably NEVER be in this place again. We decided there are too many other places on the earth we want to see to come back here again. Unless of course I can't ever satisfy my lobster craving again without coming back :)

All in all a wonderful trip where we are choosing to mostly forget all the hard times we had in the first two days. We want to be accurate in our account of the vacation for posterity or i wouldnt even bring it up. It was difficult, we had been and were still a little sick, the kids were pretty ungrateful and aweful for part of it, BUT all in all we were all so glad we went. We had a lot of good times too and the last two days were especially wonderful and we would all live them over again :) I love my family and I am so grateful that even though we are all far from perfect, we love each other, and we work hard to repent quickly and be friends again when we arent being charitable.

Garrett perched on this log just to irritate Ethne. She was trying as hard to get him off the stump as he was to ignore her efforts. Pretty funny!

Enoch feeding Kangaroos. He is really good with the animals. They all seem to inherently trust him. They never trust the rest of us the way they trust him.

Ezra feeding a wallaby through the fence. This one was not in the open area for some reason. Probably supposed to be getting a break from people :)

Oh darn you cant see the Roos face :( not sure how to fix that. I am using the blogger app on my iPod to put in the pictures. That is why there aren't very many. Anyone know how to fix this problem?

Just A Quick Appology

I was just reading back through a few posts catching typos and correcting them. I just wanted to say: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT ALL THE TYPOS!!!

I know it must be brutal for some of you to read through these Posts and see all the mistakes. It was for me. I tried to correct as much as I had time for though so that should help those of you who go back and read them again(if anyone ever does that). I just don't always have time to LIVE history AND write it down properly.

BUT, it should improve significantly when I have spell check and am not typing on an auto correct that frequently puts in the wrong words-Apple!!!take that Steve!!!

Love to all of our readers and hope you enjoy the posts enough to forgive us when we write cherrie instead of cherries and cherrie instead of cherry :)
Don't worry I fixed those among other things.

The Forever Growing Up Fry's

Day Three on Kangaroo Island

Today was wonderful as I mentioned in the last post. It helped that people were finally feeling a little better, the sun was finally shining, the kids were infinitely happier, and we all slept like koalas Sunday night.

We went for the longest drive today. All the way from one end of KI to the other. We went by the grocery store to get water and lunch stuff then headed out toward Flinders Chase National Park. We took a slight detour to go see a bird show at "Raptor Domain". It was supposed to be free(or so we thought) but it ended up costing us $45 for the family. It turns out it wasn't a free, flying bird show, but a free-flying, bird show. It was really fun though. We were there 45 min early so we paid 1$ each for the kids to play an animal finding game. They were each given a laminated sheet with things like 2 large spiders, 4 small spiders, 2 enchidnas etc... Written on them, and a marker. Then they were supposed to find all the birds and bugs and animals and cross them off on the sheet. It took them the whole 45min. we were waiting for the show to start and kept them busy and out of mischief, which made it worth the $3.

The raptor show was great and we learned a lot and got some great photos and video of the boys wearing a glove and holding cool birds. Ethne said "no I not want to hold that bird" and hid her face in my chest so that maybe the guy with the bird would go away and leave her alone :) Later though she fell in love with the barn owl, Shaddow, who sat on everyone's knee. She wanted him to sit on her knee and she kept yelling out durring the show "shaaaaaaddddooooow, come sit on mines knee" over and over as she patted her knee. Shaddow never made his way back to us a second time though, so she missed that opportunity.

After the show, we went out to our car and had Sandwiches, carrots, apples and chips for lunch out of the back of the car. Then we headed out on our long journey. We played game after game after game of "I-spy"and "guess what animal I am thinking of" :)

Just as Ezra and Enoch had fallen asleep we reached Flinders Chase National Park. Garrett paid the $27 entry fee for us while I sat in the car with the "sleeping" children. Ezra had woken right up and said "I'm not going in, I am so tired I just want to sleep". I said shhh you don't have to go in. Just go back to sleep. He said "what is dad doing?" I said don't worry about it just go back to sleep. He insisted on knowing, I told him, he was wide awake, woke Enoch up on purpose and there we were :)

We drove on down to remarkable rocks which was super cool. Ezra got in some trouble there and scared us when we couldn't find him. He was in a time out on a rock, Garrett left him to walk around the corner and take some pictures. When he came back Ezra was gone. Ezra had panicked because he found himself alone and had run off looking for a family member. While we were frantically looking for him Enoch hid in a rock and scared me to death when I couldn't find him. The thing is, remarkable rocks is a dangerous place. It is right on the edge of a clif (actually it IS the cliff). There are warning signs telling you to stay away from the edge and to WATCH YOUR CHILDREN because people have drowned by slipping and falling into the ocean or getting caught by a large wave and swept away.
Ezra and Garrett spent the next 15 min. in each others arms while walking and recovering from their shock. I grumbled at G under my breath for leaving him in the first place. I knew Ezra would never sit there alone he would freak out. Why didn't G also know this? What was he thinking? *grumble grumble**

The next stop in the park was at the lighthouse. It is really a nice looking lighthouse, but you can't climb up in it or anything so there isn't much to see.

After that we headed down to Admirals arch where the colony of NZ fur Seals were hanging out. It is breeding season right now so all of the males are aggressive and very active. Both days that we saw the different groups of seals we saw a lot of activity. It was a fun time to be around them since the young males were so active and playful. They dont actually get to breed because they are the low males on the totem pole so to speak. The females don't even pay attention to the young males attempts, thinking them unworthy of even a notice. Only the really big strong males get to breed.

We were in awe of the beauty here. It was astounding. The ocean, the seals, the rocks, the hills, the lighthouse, everything was picture perfect. Ask Garrett he took hundreds of photos and has passed the 10,000 photo mark on his camera :)
We walked a long way down to see all the seals and then just as we walked around a corner, on a man made wooden walkway, we stoped and gasped and stared with open mouths as it clicked in our brain why it is called Admirals Arch. There infront of us was a huge arch in the hill through which you can see ocean splashing up on the rocks, beach, seals playing, and green hills. It is breathtakingly beautiful. We didn't want to leave. That is a place I would say is a must see on KI.Ethne cried when we took her away but not because she was overcome with the beauty of the scene around her. She cried because there was a beautiful little Indian baby about 18-19 months old who was trying to climb up the stairs and run from his daddy. She thought this was great fun.

It was getting late as we headed out of there but we didn't end the day. We went to Hanson Bay Animal Sanctuary for a Koala walk. It was only $2.50 per person to go for a walk in the sanctuary and spot koalas sleeping in the trees. It was a great time of day to go. By the time we left the animals were all awake and out of their hiding places. There were kangaroos, joeys and wallabys everywhere. We spotted 7 koalas in different trees along our walk and two of those were a mother and her baby. It was so sweet to see them clinging to each other as they slept in the tree. They woke up a few times while we we're there and we got to see them hug and rub faces with each other. I told Ethne that she was like MY koala and she was very pleased. She wanted me to hold her in front of me instead of on my hip so that she could put her arms around my neck and be a baby koala.

I am going to brag and tell you that I spotted 6 of the seven koalas we found :) Enoch tried hard to find one, after it became important to him, but Garrett and Ezra couldn't stop messing around enough to look, and Ethne straggled behind trying to catch Roos or play in the dirt.

We experienced for the first time the most amazing sound. It sounded just like a dirt bike starting and stopping, but it was made by something living. It was SO loud! Garrett followed the sound and cautiously approached the tree it was coming out of. It was a Koala snoring or something like snoring. Lol, we couldn't believe it. Enoch and I had heard the noise first, but were afraid to approach the bush area. It seriously sounded like maybe a wild boar would come charging out of the bush. It was quite an amazing experience to hear it. We heard it again the next day at a wildlife park from a different sleeping koala, and this time we were lucky enough to get it on video. As soon as I have a strong enough Internet connection to upload video I will out it on here for you to hear.

By the time we were done there everyone was starving somwe drove back looking for some place to eat dinner, but nothing was open. When we got back to Kingscote there was one place still open to get food from. It was a gyro place and we waisted $30 getting the kids gyros which they ate three bites of and refused afterwards. They tasted ok, but they didn't sit well in your stomach afterwards, so I am guessing the kids had a sixth sense that they weren't good for the belly.

A great day for all. We saw beautiful things and experienced wildlife up close and personal. This was Enoch and Ezra's favorite day of the trip. In some ways this was a dream come true for Enoch, because fornthe last year he has been asking me to take him to AU so that he could see a koala. He saw 7 p in the trees tonday. He saw 5-6 at the Cleland Wildlife park the week before and the 4 at the Wildlife park the day after. He has even been able to pet them and take pictures with them as well. Very fun!

It was a really fun day for Garrett and I because the boys weren't fighting and they were very obedient and respectful for the most part. Both boys noticed how much happier they were when obedient but Ezra was keenly aware inside that Enoch had been practically perfect and that he had not, which made him sad despite our telling him how wonderful he was.

A Little Taste of Having A Car

When we were on KI we had a car that we had rented so that we could see the island. It was the first time we have had a car since we got here several weeks ago.

The kids thought those 4 days were bliss, and I was hoping we would get to buy groceries before we dropped it back off at the rental company, but no dice. Early the morning after we got back, Garrett returned it on his way to work.

Today we went to buy groceries and even though we were armed with an umbrella stroller and a little hand held wheeling grocery bin the boys were very mad we had to walk. They demanded to know WHERE the car had gone. It was very hot and overwhelming to them to have to walk all the way there. Enoch whined and complained about pulling the little grocery bin even though it was empty and he would periodically drop it on the ground and walk off and leave it promising he wouldn't pull it another step. Then after he started pulling it again he would purposely walk 100 meters behind us just so that we had to wait for him every time we needed to cross a street. He was being as big a pain in the neck as he could possibly be, just to punish me for making him pull the EMPTY shopping bin.

To make the walk home a little more pleasant I bought some juice popcycles and told them that whomever didn't complain on the way home would get one after lunch. It helped a lot.

After we did the shopping I put as many of the heavy things as possible in bags on the stroller and strapped Ethne in the front of the stroller. Then I had Enoch and Ezra pull the shopping bin together so that it wouldn't be too hard. They were drooping and walking very slowly so We stopped and I fed them a banana. After that they were a lot more pleasant(especially Enoch) and they said they now had the strength to go on. We stopped one more time to let them rest and then I told them I was worried the Popsicles would melt if we didn't hurry and they made it the rest of the way without problems.

It is times like this that they are curssing me for not having a car, and I am saying thank heavens we don't have a car because I would NEVER put myself through this if we did. And honestly, they need to learn to be tough and handle hard things in their life.

I was horribly disappointed though when we got home and I realized we lugged home 4 liters of "sparkling" water instead of regular water :( all that work for nothing. The water here tastes nasty so I finally decided to buy some bottled water now that a friend lent us her little shopping troley/bin thingy.

It did make it worse though that we got part way home and had to turn around and go back to see if I had dropped my sunglasses in the grocery store (which we didn't find). They weren't happy about that and neither was I. I was ready to say goodbye to $30 and brand new ugly sunglasses but I felt too irresponsible so we went back to look for them anyway. Very disappointing they weren't there.

What a day. It took us three hours to do that round trip. If we were in the states with proper car parks and a car it would have taken me an hour. But I still think it is a good experience for the kids and good exercise for me. I can walk and sweat off a few pounds :)

Day Two on Kangaroo Island

Today was Christmas and Sunday and everyone felt yucky and sick and crabby. Garrett and I were a little irritated with each other and the kids were naughty and irritated with both of us. We had a tiny fridge in our hotel room but not enough room for food for three meals and no way to cook anything, so we went to a restaurant for Christmas lunch and had breakfast and dinner in the hotel (although truthfully I think no one really ate more than some yoghurt and toast for dinner).

We slept in as long as we could then got up and I got everyone ready while Garrett got ready. Then he took them out for a walk while I got ready and read scriptures. It was a nice focus for me since there was no branch we could find on the island for sacrament meeting. We asked around and got the number of someone that the lady thought was associated with "the Mormons", but when we called the day before we only got an answering machine. So no church on Christmas :(

When Garrett and the kids were out walking they went down by the pier and saw TWO SHARKS about 5-6 feet long, right there in the shallow water by the boats that were docked. My fears are feeling more justified all the time. This isn't good!!

Garrett had high ideals about us going to find a secluded spot on the beach and reading the Christmas story etc... Which I thought was no more than a pipe dream really. The boys had done nothing except be grouchy and contrary and Garrett had been nothing but irritated with them and me. Not our brightest moment :), but history should be accurate right? Anyway, we ended up going to eat lunch instead. The meal was very expensive and very good but the place was overbooked and understaffed and we had to wait a very long time between courses. Garrett and I didn't mind because it was enjoyable to sit there and be together (once people got a little food inside them and started acting nice again).

Santa came durring our meal and He brought (gross) lollies for the kids and they got a picture with him. No one was smiling.

We had a fantastic lunch that consisted of:
ENTREE- prawn, lobster and avocado cocktail (the lobster on KI is SO GOOD AND SO FRESH. I could have eaten just lobster and been very very happy) i went in a seafood shop and the lobster was retailing for about 77$ per KG. The prawns were almost as good and were also very fresh and yummy!

MAIN-Medley of fig and orange glazed ham, roasted turkey breast with apricot and cashew nut stuffing(which I didn't get any of because it wasn't on any of our plates), roasted duck breast with port wine cherries(never saw a cherry either), slow roasted rosemary potatoes and pumpkin, honey glazed carrots and pecans, buttered green beans and drizzled with a rich red wine jus.

DESSERT- individual strawberries, cream and amaretti trifle

COFEE, TEA, AND CHRISTMAS MINCE TARTS

The food was wonderful, but no one finished it and Ethne wouldn't eat a single bite of her main. She loved the entree and the roll, but as soon as the table next to us was served their strawberries and cream triffle she wouldn't touch a bite until hers came. She just kept saying "no! berries".
Since she was sick I just let it go and she ate her leftovers two days later.

We went back to the hotel to have naps because the kids said they were really tired and wanted a nap. That turned out to be a disaster. When we got home they all decided they didn't want a nap and weren't going to take naps and the boys purposely were loud and kept each other, Ethne and us awake. Things got nasty at that point between Garrett and the kids. I suggested we take a scenic drive up to EMU BAY and that turned out to be soothing to everyone for a few hours. Unfortunately on the drive home Enoch pushed G over the edge again and when we got home the day ended in a lot of tears, repentance, forgiveness, hugs, kisses and promises that tomorrow would be better. I am so pleased to announce our HUGE SUCCESS with that. Monday was a lovely day full of love and tenderness, obedience and respect. Enoch said he wished everyday could be as good as Monday was!

Inspiration is a Funny Thing

Inspiration is a funny thing sometimes. It comes in all diffent ways that are sometimes very simple, but surprising at the same time.

Last night while Garrett and I were praying together before bed, I became keenly aware of my little girl downstairs in her own room and bed. I felt strong feelings about her and that I needed to pray specifically for her. I had just prayed for my kids each by name so the prompting was a bit of a surprise. I felt a little anxious about her immediately, and wondered what might happen that she would need specific and extra prayers. I listened and the words that were spoken were for her protection but mostly for he sleep deprivation. I prayed that she would be able to catch up on some of the sleep she had been deprived of on Kangaroo Island so that she might be happy and rested.

After the prayer Garrett was surprised and asked me if I thought she was sleep deprived. I answered honestly that yes, i did. I told him I was feeling a little anxious about her. I went downstairs and opened her door to make sure I could hear her if she woke up and also to make sure there was enough cool air in there as her room gets very warm at night. I arraigned her in the bed and moved her water bottle out of the bed :) she likes to snuggle the water bottle like some kids do a stuffed animal. Enoch and Ezra were the same way at her age. :)

This morning Garrett was up at 6am and made a lot of racket getting out the door to work. I expected Ethne to wake up but she didn't. Then at 7am the boys woke up and started making a lot of noise with their playmobile and still, she didn't wake up. Then they were fighting and STILL no Ethne. I started feeling nervous and wondering if I should check on her but I was comforted by remembering that I had felt prompted to pray for her to get her sleep, so I waited patiently for her to wake up. I heard her moving around in bed when I listened outside the door, and my relief was complete.

At a little after 8am I heard the little voice that said "mommy, I'n awake! Mommy, I'n awake. Open my doouh(door)".
When I went in she was SO HAPPY. I climbed in bed with her and we snuggled. I said Ethne did you miss me? She said "mommy you go somewhere I can't see you?" I said, I was just sleeping in my bed. She grinned and giggled and hugged and kissed.

It was clear she was well rested and feeling great and happy.

I said brothers are fighting you should go tell them not to fight. She came with me to their room and she walked in and said "brothers, no fighting!" Then she walked up to them and started tickling them all over and saying "naughty naughty" over and over. She was so funny they couldnt stop giggling and their fighting stopped. It was really quite a scene. Since then they have been sitting on either side of her for breakfast and playing to make sure they BOTH get to be with her.

The thing that struck me through all of this is that I have prayed for my kids to sleep in on many occasions, or prayed that they might get the sleep they needed etc... And sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didnt. But this, to my knowledge, was the first time I had been PROMPTED to pray those things for a specific child and it was a testimony builder for me in two ways.

First, I was reminded of the little sparrow and how, as Benjamin Franklin out it, even the sparrow cannot fall from his nest without God's notice. My Ethne is certainly a little sparrow in a huge world. And her getting sleep is even more insignificant, Yet He was concerned for her.

And Second I was able to see how when we stay close to the spirit and listen for those little tidbits that come, even when they are seemingly common or insignificant, there is a power to our prayers that comes when the words come from a source higher than ourselves. I felt it and experienced it and I feel I learned something important for me. Something I have learned before, but needed to be reminded of again.

I can write this down, but the spirit and the power I felt through the experience isn't something that can be conveyed through words. It is a power and a glory that is my Heavenly Father's, and that we each feel durring those moments where the Holy Spirit speaks to us and we obey.

Who can deny the power of God after such an experience? I certainly cannot.

First Day on Kangaroo Island

This trip was so last minute and so unplanned that we had to decide what to do after we woke up and ate the cereal that had been left for us in the hotel room. Some continental breakfast I'll tell you what. 
Cereal, bread for toast, juice, milk for the cereal, butter, jam and Vegemite. Wow!

We decided to hit one of the "you must see's" and we went to seal bay.  On the way we hit "Clifford's Honey Farm", and the "Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery" which were both simple but fun. At Cliffords we learned about making honey and about the Luguaria bees that are the only bees found on Kangaroo Island and were brought over from Italy. This particular bee has cross bred so much that the ones on KI are the only pure L.  Bees found in the world anymore.  I was struck again at how far a bee has to travel(a distance of several times around the world)and how hard they work for only 500g of honey. Garrett and the kids had honey ice cream and I had the chocolate covered honeycomb.

We saw bees hard at work in a glass hive and we taught the kids about honey. They weren't really wild about the way bees digest and regurgitate etc... to make the honey, but they still wanted to eat it afterwards. They tried some very different kinds of honey. Some we're really floral and one was really woody. I didn't like the woody one. It seemed like I was sucking on the forest floor, but it was actually Garrett's favorite. The sugar honey from the sugar flowers was my favorite. 

We bought the boys some lip balm made from beeswax and honey and we bought Ethne a bracelet she really wanted with little flower beads. She broke it a day later trying to fit it over her head for a necklace :) lol funny but also very sad since she cried and said "I need another flower blace-let. I boke mine flower blace-let"

At the eucalyptus distillery we tried eucalyptus lozenges and watched a video on how they distill it. Then we bought a patch for the backpack, some eucalyptus oil and some tea tree oil, and boy were we glad we did. It worked wonders on our mosquito bites and sunburns at the end of the day. 

Also, we used it to clean the scratches Ezra got from the kangaroo he was feeding. It is a natural antiseptic. Boy that kid can hold a grudge too. At the end of the day he said "I just don't want to ever see that kangaroo again. It was so mean!" he couldn't forgive it or get past it even though the kangaroo meant him no ill will. Then he took it a step further and said he never wanted to feed another kangaroo again, even though he had already fed several more that day.

After these fun adventures we made it down for the last tour of the day to see the AU Sea Lions. We took the beach tour and it was, as the ranger put it, outrageously expensive. $85 AUD for the family. We were surprised how expensive some things on the island were and then at the same time how cheap others were. 

I was struck by how different these sea lions looked from the ones in San Francisco and the NZ Fur Seals. I asked the ranger about them and the differences and she said that they are all seals (sea lions and seals) but that these were different from proper seals that don't walk on both flippers or have external ears and such. This hardly satisfied me as an answer and the kids and I will be looking into it further to satiate our curiosity. 

After the sea lions we went over to bales beach and took in the beauty. We were the only people on the whole beach and it was magical. We wadded in deep but didn't go for a swim because we were warned that this side of the island was very dangerous for swimming. The rip tides are super strong. I have to admit too that I was glad the water was crystal clear because for the first time in my life I am worried about sharks. They have SO MANY here. Plus with all the seals being so close and the great white shark being there biggest predator I felt extra nervous.

This day was full of good things but also quite hard. Ethne cried so easily and the boys were SO NAUGHTY! Plus no one felt good so we didn't feel like eating and then were low energy the whole day. Garrett and I weren't as patient as normal so we had a hard time dealing with the boys naughtiness.

We did have fun though and while it was hard it was far better than sitting at home. It was a great day for learning new things and playing in the sand.

Leaving for Kangaroo island

Friday the 23rd Garrett worked all day and picked up the rental car. He came back here and we loaded everything I had packed durring the day and drove the 1hr. 45 min to the ferry at Cape Jervis. We got on the boat with our car and rode the painful 45 min ride to the other side where we landed at Penshaw, Kangaroo Island or as they call it there KI.

The boat ride was terrible for all of our still very upset stomachs. Ethne and I kept thinking we would throw up at any moment and Ezra had to lay down. It was a rough time to go with the kids too because we didn't get on the ferry until 9pm which was two hours after their normal bedtime.

When we got to Penshaw we still had a 45min drive to Kingscote, the town we stayed in. I was starting to wonder as the kids, whined and cried and fought, what I was thinking when I put this trip together. But as we were driving we almost hit two kangaroos in the middle of the road and oddly enough that lifted my spirits. I was suddenly excited about all that was ahead and the magic of a counrtry and now an island where even the mice hop. The wildlife here truly is a wonder to behold in its natural habitat.

We saw lots and lots of wallabys and several kangaroos on our drive.

We got to the hotel and crashed in our one tiny room with a desk, a table, a queen bed, a bunk bed with a trundle, and another twin bed :)

Wish you were here Camilla we could have slept one more.

We went to bed and slept in in the morning until 7:30

Our Attempt At An Early Christmas

We decided days ago that since we were going to kangaroo island for Christmas we would have an early Christmas here and open all the presents and have our fancy breakfast and cook a great meal etc... here. We won't have a kitchen in our hotel there so it was just easier. WELL...we went to all the trouble to talk to our elf on the shelf, Freddie, and have him arainge it with Santa. He said that Santa would be in AU on Wed. anyway and could deliver that night after the kids had gone to bed. We were pretty excited about this especially the kids.

So then Monday night was when Ethne got sick but then we werent worried because she was better after throwing up for 6.5 hours. Everything seemed ok on Tuesday so all was on schedule. Then at 4am as you may have read Ezra and I were terribly ill and an hour later Enoch was throwing up. But we thought-hey maybe we will all get better as fast as Ethne had. But by really late on Wed. night the kids had put out their pjs to be filled (in place of stockings which aren't here) and so we were kind of stuck to our early Christmas plan even though we were all still terribly Sick. By this point Garrett was in bed sick and I was left on my own to put out Christmas. I was so sick I almost cried as I half heatedly placed the ugly mangled packages under the tree. Everything must have been smashed in the sleigh that night because you would think they had been wrapped and then placed in suitcases and flown half way around the world...oh wait...

Anyway, I usually love to have beautifully wrapped packages with bows and tags etc...under the tree. I like to have everything look as perfect as possible for a magical experience. This year we have no tree, no lights, no anything around that looks like Christmas or feels like Chrismas. No nativity or picture of Christ-nothing. So I put blankets on our gross couches in this hotel/apartment so we could actually sit on them (we don't sit on them cause they are yucky)and I placed the ugly mangled packages on them for the kids to find. I hadn't wrapped Garrett's main gift but I was too sick to care so I went to bed hoping we would all magically be better in the morning.

We all slept in late from the sickness and then the kids came to get us up and were chattering about the stockings and gifts. Garrett was a total grinch from his head hurting so badly and he had me get him some ear plugs so he could roll over and be present while the kids each opened one gift. They picked one out and came up to his bed and he endured them for a short period and then we all went downstairs and left him to go back to sleep. I was actually able to get out of bed and Enoch was feeling much better. Ezra was still pale and sickly. He kept saying the smell of the chocolate and cookies in his stocking made him sick so I put it all away. He also didn't want to walk anywhere or do anything. He was a foot away from his Christmas packages and had to have each one handed to him so he didn't have to move :(

We didn't have our Christmas breakfast or lunch or dinner since no one could eat and it just didn't feel much like Christmas. These are the kinds of stories you read about in the Ensign magazine where they talk about how spiritual and wonderful the Chrismas was because they focused on the things that were spiritual and the real purpose of the holiday. I wish I had a story like at for each of you but unfortunately that isn't what happened. We opened the gifts when G was finally able to come down but we didn't read the Christmas story and we didn't do anything except clean up throw-up, lay around and sleep :(

We just prayed that by the 25th when it was really Christmas we would be able to focus on Christ and have a wonderful day.

But if not, there's always next year right?

It's Good To Be Young-er

This post is about my big sister. My Briney Marlin- There have been so many times in my life that I have been grateful for having a big sister. Someone who has been there and done that. And usually so recently that not only she remembers it but I remember it too. Frequently when hard times come along I have perspective from remembering that only a year or two beck my big sister went through something very similar if not the exact same thing.

I am lucky too that she is a good example to me and handles these hard times with energy and determination. It has brought me hope as I have thought to myself that if Amber can do it then so can I. We are the same blood, and should therefore be able to rise to the same challenges and, with each others help, succeed.

I am also blessed that my big sister has many of the qualities I want to posses and so I have a close roll model to keep my eye on to see how she grows in those and other qualities.
Some of those qualities are below:

My big sister is Strong/determined- every year that goes by is another year that Amber grows and accomplishes her list of things to do and master and become. This strength and determination has gotten her through countless challenges and allowed her to make a beautiful and wonderful life for her family.

My big sister is-Creative. She has just recently decorated her daughters room on a tiny budget but through her creativity and ingenuity she came up with a beautiful araingement that was ALL homemade/handmade. She does EVERYTHING by hand from her baking and sewing to her gifts for friends and family. Every year she makes by hand her children's AMAZING Halloween costumes. I wish I could put up pictures here and show you the amazing things she has transformed them into.likewise every Christmas she has made a homemade ornament for everyone in the family. They aree tresures we love and look forward to hanging up on our tree every year. I also have many handmade decorations she has lovingly made me for birthdays and other occasions as well. I treasure them all.

My big sister is Frugal-Amber is one of those people who can make a $ last a month of Sundays as they say :) she and my mom have taught me all I know about being frugal and doing without things you don't need. This skill has blessed her life and the life of all of her family immediate and extended. She has taught countless Relief Society lessons on hands on ways of doing things and doing them to enrich your families life and save money in the process.

My big sister is a very-Thoughtful gift giver. This is a quality that I think most people appreciate. People like to be given gifts that mean something for them personally. I know I do. I love getting packages from Amber because they are always thoughtful and handmade with lots of love.

My big sister has taught me lots of things from the very complex and spiritual to the simple and practical like "Always watch out for little girls short leggings. They are hard to find so when you do find them buy them. They are good for them to wear under dresses in the summer". Or "you have to be caful when buying little girl panties. Most of them are bikini cuts and other cuts little girls don't need." that little token of advice came to late :) I bought a bunch for Ethne for potty training and never thought to look and see how they were cut. I just expected that since they were for a three year old they would be regular brief coverage. Lesson learned.

Thank you big sister for all the things you do and for being the amazing mother to almost 6 kids that you are. I watch you and learn from you. Even your failures have been good for me to learn from. Thank you for going first and pioneering the way for the rest of us. I love you and wish you a very happy late birthday.
Love your little sis,
Ash

Three Victims and two awaiting

4:00. In the morning. Ezra has thrown up a few times and I am leaning over a bucket as I writ trying to distract myself from the active volcano in my stomach. Not good. Everyone has a bucket by them now just incase. Enoch and Garrett are the only ones left now! I hope we are done with this before Frday when we are supposed to leave for kangaroo island :(

December 20, 2011 Adelaide Ethne is SUPER SICK!

Last night was a really rough night for our poor sweet Ethne Girl. Garrett is working late every night this week so after I got all the kids in bed I ate my dinner and folded laundry. I had a lot of things to be ironed as well so I started on that and went downstairs to fill up the iron with water. When I was heading back upstairs Ethne started screaming as if she were terrified. It scared me and I rushed into her room to find her trying to untangle herself from her bedding while throwing up everywhere.

I was bummed to say the least. I got Ethne in a warm bath and cleaned up all the chunks and put the bedding in the utility sink to rinse out when I could. I got Ethne washed and out and in some clean pjs, there arent any extra sheets or towels or pillow cases here. They come to change the bedding once a week and we each get one towel, one hand towel and one wash cloth. SO, I used the top sheet that was still clean and pieced together enough bedding for her. As soon as I got her settled and went to rinse the other bedding I heard the screams again.

She And her bed wer'nt as covered as before since her stomach was mostly empty, but I neglected to give her a bucket or a hair tie so back to the bath we went. This time I only had a towel for her to sleep on- not good. I managed to get her a blanket for the top and another pillow. This time as soon as I got her out of the bath I was prepared with a bucket for her to throw up in, and a good thing it was too, because from then till a little after midnight she was throwing up bile every 3-5 minutes. Poor girl. I held her on her bed and kept the bucket close. She got more and more tired and weak until she couldn't hold her head over the bucket anymore. Instead her head would tilt upward and I would have to force her head down and over the bucket so that she wouldnt choke. She looked just exactly like me when I am pregnant. Her face would turn purple from dry heaving and not being able to breathe. I was worried she would end up like me and start popping blood vessels in her face. I felt so sorry for her knowing just exactly how scary and horrible it is to be dry heaving so violently that you can't breathe long enough to make you panic and start trying to gasp for breath. Watching her reminded me how much I HATE being pregnant. I love those babies so much, but being pregnant(except for the 6th month when I am no long throwing up and not big enough to be miserable) does not agree with my body.

I couldn't get a hold of Garrett at work. It was too late for someone to be answering the phones there, he doesn't have a cell phone, and he doesn't have a phone at his desk. I can only get ahold of him through email which sometimes takes hours for him to get. When he finally got my email he called and I asked him to pick up some coke and come home which he did.

He rinsed out the bedding while I was on bucket duty and when he was done we decided that we should bring Ethne's mattress upstairs in our room so we could be right there if she needed us. Once we got her settled Garrett gave her a blessing and she started throwing up less frequently. We were able to leave her side and get ready for bed. She finally fell asleep and only woke up about once an hour from 2am to 4 am and then I think she was ok after that but I don't know if G was up with her. She was awake bright and early this morning and SO THIRSTY. poor baby I couldn't get any water or coke or anything in her last night and it wouldnt have helped since she couldn't keep it down anyway. She was happy and so I gave her some coke and a little water. After she did ok with that she was begging for water so I let her drink as much as she wanted but tried to keep it slow. She kept that down and asked for food so we did some crackers next. She hasn't thrown up at all yet and it is after 2pm now. she had chips and bread with peanut butter and 1 1/2 carrots that she insisted on having. She also ate some apple slices and drank her "berry juice" (E-mergency). Now she is taking a nap.

Poor Garrett is at work and so tired :( I didn't want him to be up with her but he insisted. what a good man!
I am hoping and praying no one else ends up with thIs because it wasn't any normal stomach flu. It was horrible. Thank goodness for priesthood blessings and men who are worthy to give them. She startd throwing up much less frequently as soon as the blessing was bestowed. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers we offer in behalf of our loved ones. And grateful that I know his is there and can come to him in times of need.

Saturday December 17th Adelaide, AU Cleland Wildlife Park

Today started out as one of those days where you ask yourself-Am I doing something wrong? Cause clearly things are not working out the way I had planned.

I had asked Garrett to check for the bus times and stops for us to go to the wildlife park the day before. He assured me he would, but then didn't thinking he would be coming in to work in the morning for a few hours and would check then. BAD IDEA HUSBAND!!!
So we wake up that morning and G tells me his really great plan and I try not to get upset and he decides to check right then. Well as it turned out the bus was coming in 30 min and if we wernt on that bus we would have to rent a car or get there only a few hours before the park closed. I hadn't showered dressed or ANYTHING Garrett was ready so he got the kids ready and I somehow managed to shower, dry my hair, fix my hair, put on some make up, get dressed and run to the bus stop in 30 min. No one had had breakfast but we figured we would feed them at some point.

While standing at the bus stop I looked at the sky and said I don't think the weather is going to be very good. I think it is going to rain. Should we really be going? G says "ah it will be ok".
So we get on the bus for 30-45 min and stop to wait for the next bus to Cleland. There was a nice lady on the bus who heard Ezra complaining of an empty tummy and she told me there was a little place right there to pick up a bite to eat before the next bus. We ran over there and ordered some breakfast burritos and watched the mist coming down. The kids and I ran back to the bus stop because we were starting to get more wet and because it was cutting it close to the time of the next bus. Garrett waited for the food and was going to run to meet us. The bus showed up and no Garrett. I asked the driver if he was going to wait a few minutes because I was waiting on my husband. He said yes he had to wait for the bus from the city and told us to go ahead and get on even though G wasn't there and had our tickets.

The bus came from the city and still no Garrett. Then we waited a little longer and finally Garrett came running over the hill and across the freeway and onto the bus. I was starting to get really worried but the bus driver was really nice. We rode the next 15 min to the park and got off in the poring rain. We huddled under an awning and ate our breakfast and talked about what to do. We were stuck there until at least 1:30 when the next bus came but we weren't sure we should pay all that money for the park and then have it be raining the whole time. We weren't at all dressed for rain. In our hurry for the bus stop no one had so much as a sweater or jacket much less an umbrella which we don't even own.

We went in and purchased a family pass into the park for $85AUD, 5 ponchos for $20, 3 bags of animal food for $9, and the bus ticket for all of us for a day pass was $17.60. I was feeling a little humbug ish by this point and it only got worse when I realized all the animals were hiding under the bushes and trees to get out of the rain and were apparently well fed because when we approached them they didn't want our food in the slightest.

We were wet, cold, uncomfortable and I was grouchy but we did get to pet a koala and that improved things a little. The first part of the day was sort of miserable but later in the day things warmed up, the rain stopped, the wind died down a little, and the animals started coming out of hiding. We watched the dingos be fed, petted another koala, fed some kangaroos at last, petted the kangaroos (when Ethne wasn't scaring them off) and saw the Tasmanian devils be fed as well. We saw the cutest little bilby which might just be my new favorite animal. It was adorable and super friendly. If I had thought it was alowed I would have petted it. It wanted our attention and didn't act at all like a wild animal. It seemed tame and social. We saw jumping mice with hind legs and feet like a kangaroo and we decided from our experience at the park that everything in Australia must hop a little even if it doesn't full on jump. There were so many jumping/hopping animals there. Their rats were more like big cute rodents than our nasty USA rats which I hate. There were so many unique animals there as well and most you could walk right up and pet and/or feed (if they were hungry-which they werent).

I was really annoyed at one point with my kids although truth be told it was somewhat comical. We were in a big open field and there were kangaroos and joeys everywhere. We all got some food and tried to walk up and feed them. There were probably 30 in sight and every single one I approached Ezra, Enoch and/or Ethne would come running up behind me just as they were sniffing my hand and scare them away. I told the boys over and over-go get your own kangaroo and stop scaring off mine. Eoch listened and had great success feeding them while I tried one another another after another and had Ezra and Ethne ruin it each time. I finally told Ezra to go to a different set and I thought I had eluded Ethne but she came running as fast as she could yelling "Ana feed a tangaroo" and scared my newest encounter away. This went on for a long time and I would say Ethne you are scaring the kangaroos you have to be quiet and not yell and not run. I would hold her hand and do what I could but she just couldn't help herself. She started saying over and over as she walked with me "I not scare the tangaroos. I not scare dem mommy". Then at one point I was coaxing one and telling it how great the food was and Ethne pipes up "it's wrilly dood! I tied it-SEE" and she points to her mouth and shakes her head up and down trying to convince the kangaroo that she had tried it and it was "DOOD". I couldn't help but crack up. She was so funny.

Later that day at the dingo feeding she wasnt really interested in what the keeper had to say about the dingos. In true Ethne fashion she was more concerned with the people that were standing around watching. Ethne or "miss congeniality" as she is sometimes called, was talking people's ear off while they were trying to listen.  She met Bob, and she kept talking to Bob and calling out his name over and over to get his attention. Bob was an older gentleman and a little hard of hearing so she had to yell his name several times before he noticed she was talking to him. I had to keep asking her to be quiet as she kept asking loudly what's hims name? Of everybody she could see. She met Bob's wife and another lady who wanted her picture. She asked for everyone's names and gave them hers. She was far more interested in the people who came to watch the dingos being fed than she was in the dingos. She was telling everyone "I see DINGOS, I feed TANGAROOS," etc... She did as always succeed in wining all of their hearts and they had to take pictures and say good bye at parting.

After we had watched so many animal "encounters" where they fed the different animals Garrett told the boys the next one was going to have to be a Garrett encounter" where we watched Garrett eat. He was not happy when he realized that I had lost him his last chance at some lunch by insisting he wait until after the second koala petting. Whoops! He did have a muffin and 1/2 an apricot bar though so he was ok. Next we bought each of the kids a Christmas present of one stuffed animal each of their picking from the gift shop. Enoch got a really cute wombat, Ezra a koala, and Ethne a tangaroo.

We made it just a few minutes before the bus came and there was a lady smoking at the bus stop. I motioned for G to walk away with me so the kids weren't breathing in the smoke. Ezra said, as we walked away, "I can't get any fresh air because that lady is SMOKING!"then he walked far away, sat down and starting breathing really heavy like he was hyperventilating. He was all drama. LOL! Funny!

We made it home but were totally soaked by the time we got inside. It was pouring buckets when we got off the bus and we ran in it all the way to the apartment.

It was 5:30 by the time we got home and all the grocery stores were closed, so we had to buy a few things from a convenience store and G picked up enough Indian food for dinner and leftovers the next day. We didn't want to have to shop on Sunday so we just got what we had to have to make it through until Monday.

Crazy, by the skin of our teeth, sort of day but all in all a good day together as a family.

Day 9 in Adelaide, AU Wednesday

So today we had an appointment for a tour of the Haighs Chocolate Factory with some new friends here in the ward. We met them on Sunday at church. Kathryn, Joe, and their son Shadrack. Joe works at RSP with Garrett and they are both from the states just here on a Contract like we are. Joe has been here a Lot longer than Garrett though. Garrett has been here almost two months and Joe got here sometime in June or July I think. They are really cool people and Kathryn and I decided to get together this week and take the kids to the chocolate factory for an outing. They took the bus here and we walked there together. After the first part of the tour the men (Garrett and Joe) met us and came on the rest of the tour with us.

The tour was fun but a bit of a disappointment. We thought it would last longer and we would see more, but it was a twenty minute tour designed to lure you in, give you just enough chocolate to make you want to buy more and then set you loose in their store to spend money. We must have really let them down though because neither of us bought anything.

The highlight of it for me was to watch the women hand making the chocolates. It gave me new ideas for different textures and ways to "dip" them to make them pretty.

After the tour we headed to the park to let the kids play and eat sandwiches we brought for lunch. Ezra was again annoyed at me (seems to be happening a lot lately)because he said he "HATES SANDWHICHES". Sorry my boy, but that was all we had left to eat for lunch. The grocery store is a long walk and hard haul to get food so we don't go often which is good. I like to eat everything we have in the fridge and not let things go to waste and now I have an easy out to tell G and the kids-sorry that is all there is.

Ezra found an iPod touch on the playground and Garrett took it to work with him and changed the owners Facebook status to say __________ needs to come pick up his iPod and then emailed the guy his email address to come and get it. The guy came and got it the next day. Hurray for Garrett in being proactive in getting it back to the kid.

Speaking of iPods the day before he found this kids iPod touch he dropped his own iPod touch and shattered the screen. He was going to buy a kit to fix the screen himself but now the headphone jack isn't working anymore :( it is more expensive to get it all fixed than to buy a new one unfortunately :( so sad. Good thing he is an honest person or he might have seen this as a good opportunity to pick up a new one for free.

We came home and had naps and then did school, made dinner and had our evening together. All in all a pretty good day.

Day 6 in Adelaide Sunday December 11th

Today we walked to church and it took much longer than we had anticipated. The plan had been to walk 20 min to a bus stop and then to ride a bus the rest of the way to make sure we werent late for church. Things didn't go as planned and we decided to walk the rest of the way to church. It took almost two hours to get there and the kids were really whiny and put out by the time we finally go there. We were late for church which always annoys me but we finally managed to get in there and sit down in time for a talk on deep doctrine that seemed a little out of place for a Sacrament meeting.

The kids went to the new classes with no hesitation at all. Ethne had been begging for "her friends" through all of sacrament meeting. Meaning she wanted to go to nursery and play with "her friends" because as we all know all people are Ethne's friends even the ones who don't now her yet.

The ward was really small and ok friendly but not super friendly. I did get the loud and clear message from the High Priests and the bishop though that they REALLY like Garrett and want him to stay longer so that they can give him callings. They all liked me immediately because as they said "he is so Wonderful" that we know you must be too :) too bad the RS wasn't as welcoming.

On the way home from church the kids had been sitting for two hours and 20 min, they had had snacks and an ice block and an apple zoo we figured walking hom would be the best thing. The boys were wild as they always are after church and we were fglad we had made that decision. The walk was just as long though for them on the way home and they got ticked at us for not taking the bus. Ezra especially got mad at me for not allowing him to play too rough with me. He got a little over the top and was hitting and kicking and hurting me even though he was playing. After that he started sulking and walking a little behind us etc... To show his displeasure. Garrett tried to help him out by playing with him but ran into the same problem and ended up offending Ezra as well.

Just about the time I thought Ezra was coming out of it all and feeling a little better I got knocked in the side of the head with something hard and heavy. It hit me just above the right temple and it hurt so badly. A goose egg began forming immediately and before long it was HUGE. Enoch saw it and came running to me and was startled to see tears forming. He said "mom, I don't think I have ever seen you cry". This isn't true of course but I think what he meant was that he hadn't ever seen me cry from getting hurt. He told Garrett "dad, I think I taught mom how to cry" lol

Garrett was really harsh with Ezra but I could see that he had had no idea what the consequences were going to be from his actions and that he needed a hug. I pulled him to me and hugged him. He immediately burst into tears. He sobbed and sobbed with remorse. He just couldnt seem to apologize enough. He held my hand the whole way home and kept asking if I was ok and saying "mom, I just wish I hadn't thrown that at you. I wish i could stop thinking about it. It makes me feel so yucky inside."

It was a really good lesson for him though I thought until that night at bedtime. He got mad at me again and he said "mom, you are making me more glader that I threw that thing at you"

Great!

Anything But Math

Ethne is walking around the apartment taunting Enoch to play when he is supposed to be doing his math. She is walking around saying "hahahaha you can't catch me. Ha ha ha ha you can't catch me". He can't focus because he doesn't want to be doing math he wants to be doing anything BUT math.

Day Five In Adelaide- Saturday December 10th

This was an exciting day for us because Garrett only worked for part of the day so that we could spend some more time with him. Besides the first day we were here we haven't spent a whole lot of time together so this was a great day. This was the second day we went to T2 and we went to look for Internet options and cell phone plans. We ended up going to the market and to the grocery store and having a huge load of things to carry back with us. The boys were tired and hungry after all of that and so we stopped to take a break and eat a banana and some black pepper and lime chips. That gave them the energy to walk home. We made nachos for dinner per Garrett's request and the kids were singing my praises for being such a great mom. You know boys- the way to their hearts really is through their stomachs-at least for my three.
Sure love them

I haven't noticed until tonight but sitting here in my kitchen late at night hearing every person who comes through the gate for the fourth floor is kind of creepy. They all pass right outside the window I am sitting by. They all pass by my front door which is so flimsy it actually moves like an inside door when there is a draft. It makes me wish the Internet signal was better upstairs in my bedroom. Someone goes by about every three minutes. Why are there so many people here? Also I find myself wondering which one will rattle the door knob and freak me out trying to come in? In other words which one will be Garrett finally coming home tonight?

Day three in Adelaide

I am tired so will keep the next few posts short. I just want to get them down since all the days are starting to melt into one for us.

This day I took the kids to see Santa. We left here early in the morning and walked to Rundall mall where they had a huge outdoor sleigh and decorations that were supposed to open at 10am that morning.We were an hour early so we spent some time in a book store, a shoe store and having a small morning tea where I purchase two little cakes so I could use the cafe Internet. Almost the entire 1/2hour we were in the book store Ethne was looking at the inside cover of a ballerina book and was trying to do all of the poses of the ballerinas inside. She was so so cute trying to do them all, and I was surprised at her determination and her stamina for the whole thing. She has been doing "ballerina dancing" ever since.

We were really disappointed to find out that the sleigh was actually empty though and Santa was not coming. We still took pictures in it and stayed for the other activities. The kids got coloring pages and made crowns and got their faces painted all for free. I will try to get some pictures posted one day of their cute faces. They really looked quite cute. The ladies who did the face painting were kind of sour but they were also very talented-as face painters go. Ethne was of course a ballerina princess :) and Ezra was a bat. Not Batman just a regular bat. The one lady said she could only do batman not a Rgular bat and she was grouchy with him but the other lady said she could do it and she did a good job. Enoch was a tiger and he had bronze metallic lips that were quite cool.

After this was all done we walked back towards the apartment and stopped in Garrett's work to see if maybe he wanted to go to an early lunch or something. He was surprised to see the kids faces and they felt special that everyone at RSP thought they were super cool. The secretary suggested Garrett take us back and show us the building and we were introduced to all the other matte painters and supervisors. It was too early for G to leave for lunch as he hadn't been at work long. He had spent the morning traipsing around the city going from one parking garage to the next. He was taking pictures of the city from the top of each parking garage because he needed new photos of buildings for the matte painting shots he is working on for "The Hunger Games".

Speaking of "The Hunger Games", the first movie will have shots of Mt. Timpanogos in UT. That will be one of Garrett's shots. He is using pictures he took there for the background for at least one shot :) Also Garrett said there are parts of several LSD temples in the movie (not so much that you will recognize them when you see them in the final shots. Just parts of the temples.) that another guy, who knows Garrett is LDS, mentioned to Garrett that he was using. He said "thank goodness for The LDS temples" because they were apparently just the sort of things he needed for his shots in the movie. Garrett said it was weird to be in daily's meeting and see the shots with the temples in them. They were very noticeable in the unfinished shots. Another LDS guy who works at RSP dropped his jaw when he saw them and asked Garrett if he had done them. He was a little annoyed thinking G had gone too far. But G told him that it wasn't actually him.

Just an interesting little tidbit for you. All in all a tiring but good day and so much for a short post :)

T2

I am really in love with T2. I have never been in anything like it yet. It is a tea shop full of wonderful smells and engaging surroundings. It is a mix of modern and traditional styles and sheik but classy as well. There are bright colored tea pots in chunky styles and dainty china tea cups with softly painted flowers on them, Asian style tea cups without handles and Traditnal English style china cups to be tipped up with pinkies flaring. And somehow it all works together in the dark spacious space all painted blak.

Probably about a third of the teas are herbal and drinkable for a Later-day Saint, and all of the teas were out in little white cups for you to smell and take in their aroma to see which ones were pleasing to you. I was so tired the first time we went in this store that I had a hard time taking it all in. I also had a hard time keeping Ethne away from the shelves and shelves of breakable items, so we cut the trip short before I could smell everything and really take it all in. We went back two days later and I got to smell all the teas and make up a long Christmas list for Garrett :)

Originally I told him to please not give me anything for Christmas, but it didn't take me long in the tea shop to realize I actually had quite a list developing.

One of the things on my list are the adorable little metal containers to store your tea in. All the teas are loose- not in tea bags so you need a good container to keep them fresh. The containers come in all different colors and sizes. They even have some that stack tightly on top of each other to keep multiple kinds in. I think those are the ones I want. The second time we went in there it was really hot outside and they had two different iced teas in jugs with a stack of paper cups ready for you to quench your thirst. Enoch spotted them right away and wanted a drink. I checked out the teas and both were herbal and in-line with our standards so I poured us each a glass.

Ahh...that was the begining of my new love affair with Turkish Apple tea-iced with added fresh mint and limes. It was the best thing I have ever tasted and the perfect beverage for a hot sticky day. Enoch thought so too! It does have sugar in it and was quite sweet but it just hit the spot like few things can.

The next kind was unsweetened strawberry vanilla and although it was quite good it just couldn't live up to the sweet apple and minty flavor of the Turkish Apple tea. Both made it on my Christmas list though. I have been on the look out for good herbal infusions that are tasty cold. It makes you feel so indulgent in the summer. Must be my southern roots where no one sits on the front porch durring the summer without a nice cold glass of sweet tea (except of course the Later-day saints).

T2 also held a new love for Ethne girl as well in the form of a child's colorful tea set that went on her Christmas list. She didn't want to part either time from the pink tea cup that she informed me was "her" tea cup. The biggest problem with the tea sets is that they all come in boxes all wrapped up in a red and white checkered cloth and each on is a mixture of colors. You get what you get and you can't pick. Ethne would most assuredly be upset if there were no pink pieces in her set, so I am not sure if it is even worth getting it. Bummer!!!

Well I have been a very good girl this year so am expecting a nice sampling from T2 this
Christmas. I will let you all know how I come out :)

Santa Baby did you read this???

Day Two in Adelaide

This day Garrett went to work and we met him at lunch time to go for a walk and be introduced to a different part of the city. 

We walked to Garretts work and then walked to a large outdoor shopping area called Rundall Mall. It is a street that cars can't drive through that is full of shopping.  Garrett showed us where it was and then took us down to a chocolate shop in the other direction. They had some beautiful things in there and we each had one chocolate which I thought tasted just ok. 

The highlight of the walk was a place called T2 which I will talk about later. It is worth it's own post.

We parted with Garrett and then walked to Target to see how it compared to the ones in the states and I let the kids look at toys for a while. Ethne was really into all the girly toys and the baby toys that make noise. Ezra was lamenting that he hadn't told Santa that he wanted "Pirate's of the Caribbean"Legos and Enoch was really wishing he could buy some "alien" Legos.  

I didn't really think that the target was all that similar to the ones in the states but yet it wasn't all that different either. Kinda weird. I actually got stopped on the way out the door and they searched my stroller. That was also kinda weird. They don't do that in any of the Targets I shop at in the states, but I later saw on tv that night there was a whole show dedicated to shoplifting. 

After all of that we walked down to the Rundall mall section. Most of the shops weren't really kid friendly so we mostly window shopped. We found a "jamba juice" kind of place and I was pleasantly surprised that none of the smoothies were made with extra sugar or ice cream of any kind. I bought them a smoothie to drink and put them in the entrance of a shop while I looked at things right inside the door. They did a great job staying quiet until the end of the drink when they started fighting over it and opened the lid. Before I knew  it they had spilled the drink on the shop floor :( I got some cleaner and paper towels and got it all cleaned up and the shop worker showed us to the back of the shop where the kids could color pictures while I shopped. I found a cool gift for Garrett and had it wrapped up while we did some more shopping. 

After that we headed back to our apartment. Garrett brought in some dinner from an Indian restaurant and I found it lacking. It really made me miss our favorite Indian restaurant in Wellington "A taste of India". 

Overall we had a great day. I walked the kids around for hours and hours and they were tired and hungry and crashed into bed after dinner and baths that night. Just what I needed them to do! They have complained a lot about having to walk every where and say they want to buy a car :) but they are getting used to it I THINK!

Our First Day In Adelaide

We went straight from the airport to our apartment and just enjoyed each others company for a few hours. It was so nice just to be together as a family for a little while. After we were rested we went for a long walk to the market to get our fresh food for the week. Garrett showed us the local market and shops which was fun. I found a great health food type store where you can buy great honey of all different kinds and fresh herbs and spices in bulk as well.

Then we walked and saw a little bit more of the city and looked for a place to eat dinner. We found a little Thai restaurant and took the outdoor seating, but by the time we ordered Ezra had fallen asleep on the table :( poor little guy. Then before the food came Enoch was out- asleep on the table. Somehow Ethne was wide awake and ate the "bicey" (spicy) soup and the pad Thai and fried rice until she couldn't eat any more. She was so cute and cracking us up. Then we had a very very long walk home while Garrett carried EZra asleep and I pushed Enoch asleep in the umbrella stroller with Ethne sitting awake and wiggly on his lap. It was truly a sight to behold. I wish you could all have seen it. People on the streets were laughing and pointing as we walked by. Garrett heard one person say. "I only saw one kid" and then another reply "no there were TWO kids in there"! Funny!

We came home and the boys woke up and we fed them their food we brought home from the restaurant and they ate a few bites and crashed poor things. Ethne fell asleep right away even though she had been lively the whole time. It was approx. midnight CA time when the kids went to bed but it got them on the right schedule right away. They woke up the next morning at 6:30am local time and they have done the same every morning since.

Plane Ride

We left SF on Sunday the 4th of December and arrived in Aukland, NZ airport at 5am on Tuesday the 21st having lost a day in travel to the time difference. We had three hours in the airport before leaving for Adelaide,  AU at 8:30 am local time. We arrived in Adelaide at 10:30 local time where we went through customs and met Garrett when we were done. There he was with a full beard and beaming smile. We were all so excited to see him and I watched the kids all light up when their eyes set upon him. It makes me smile even now to think of each of them as they saw him for the first time. Enoch abandoned the stroller and walked reservedly forward smiling but unsure. Ezra ran to him and threw himself on him and wouldn't let go. Ethne squirmed in the stroller trying to be set free until I went and saved her :) Garrett got to Enoch last since the other two were so forward with their attention and he was too shy and reserved to advance on his own.  He was so happy though to have Garrett's arms around him and to hug him. It was really a sweet reunion and one that I look back on with fondness already.  Garrett brought lunch for us but no one was really hungry since air NZ had fed us so often.  We had dinner on the plane then breakfast. Then hours later we had another breakfast on the next flight and then little tiny sandwiches for morning tea before we got off. Although truth be told the kids sandwiches were actually larger than the adults but they were yucky so none of my kids would eat them. 

On Sunday night the 4th we waited in a long long line to check in. The kids were mostly good but towards the end Ezra was getting restless and wild and Enoch was getting contrary as he had been on the drive to the airport. Ethne was wanting out of the stroller and I was fighting to stay calm and not be frazzled. It is hard for me to be the kind of parent I am when alone with my kids when there are others watching my every move. People in line had been watching us for a long time and that makes me so uncomfortable and stresses me out further than the naughty kids and makes me a worse mother. On this occasion I was blessed to be able to manage the stress of being stared at and not make matters worse by being short with my children.  We made it through the line and then I took them to the bathroom and filled up water bottles before taking the elevator downstairs to our gate. When we were there I double checked everything to make sure all passports boarding passes etc ... We're in their proper places and all was ready for boarding the plane.   

I gave the kids a granola bar to help them make it until the late dinner on the plane and that helped contain Miss Congeniality from sitting by all of her new "friends" she was making at the airport. I wanted to keep her safe and close.
I was supposed to have help to get from the check in to boarding the plane but I forgot to ask in the stress of the moment so I asked for some help to board the plane with three kids a heavy carry on three personal items, a stroller to fold up and a large heavy carseat to bring on the plane for Ethne to sit in.  They assured me there'd would be help but no one helped until I got on the plane and a stewardess saw my plight and took the carseat and boarding passes and led us to our seats. That was really what I needed anyway so it worked out well.

The kids were hounding me immediately for movies and opening the kids packs from the plane and scattering things everywhere, but before too long I got everything and everyone settled in, pajamas on, and movies on for each child on their own seat-backs before we ever took off. Not bad for one person with three kids. I helped them with their dinners and then gave them their meds to help them sleep a little while later. They didn't fall asleep very quickly though and I was wishing I had given them to them earlier.  I finally fell asleep after midnight and can I just say thank heavens for ear plugs. They sure make the overnight flights more pleasant. 

I was woken up four hours later and saw that my kids were all sleeping and Enoch and Ezra had their trays down with their breakfast in front of them. Ethne was out for a long long time. She woke up barely in enough time for me to feed her before they needed to throw away her tray.  It was a semi-stressful flight but not too bad considering.  I was a little concerned about the lady across from us hacking up a lung all night. She was really sick and I was worried about all the germs but the ear plugs helped a lot for being able to sleep through her noise poor thing.

At the airport we were all tired and grouchy and we all had a hard time. The kids were melty and I was crabby and easily annoyed with them. Before the kids got super bad I bought them each an angry bird back pack clip to play with (because I wanted them to be happy and they wanted these so I said yes). It didn't help though. They were still badly behaved. Let me re-phrase that. Ethne was happy and quite good- the boys were the hard ones.  Ethne cried about not getting candy and about a few other things but mostly she was happy.  

When we were dragging our tired bodies onto the last flight one of the pilots looked at me and said "how many do you have? Three? Where is the person responsible for this and why did he leave you on your own to do the dirty work?" it sounds nasty but was said good humoredly and made me laugh. That was the question I had been asking in my head earlier lol JK.

The kids were really good on the flight but then once again melted when anything was asked of them when we got off of the plane. They didn't want to carry or pull anything, they didn't want to push Ethne's stroller etc... But we made it through customs and made it to Garrett in the end.  All in all it worked out with very little trauma, and yet we are very glad it is all over. But you know as hard as it was I did it and now I know I CAN DO IT! And that is empowering.

Surrogate Fathers

This is something I was thinking a lot about while reflecting on my experiences in the states without Garrett. I was thinking of all the men who stepped in and helped to fill the void for my children even though their separation from their father was only temporary. I have had plenty of experience with me watching how my kids change when they are away from their father for long periods of time. The same effects happen when Garrett is working a lot of overtime as well. They dont see him very much and all the same symptoms start showing up. They are:

Disobedient
Sullen
Physically aggressive
Emotional on a big scale- crying very easily over minor things
Major meltdowns on a scale that is outside of their normal range of fits
Just to name a few...

In addition to watching my own kids deteriorate durring the 5 weeks apart from their dad I talked with a good friend about her experiences as a single mom when she did have good men step in to fill the void for her child and the time when she did not have them investing in her child. She said it makes all the difference in the world and on a HUGE SCALE. Her child is older now not 2, 5, or 6 and the consequences are much greater as the stakes are so much higher at this age.

This post is a call to all good men to look around them and see where their father skills could be useful to the young men and women around them who are in need of a good father figure. Someone who they can look up to, emulate, and give them time and attention. Maybe if these fatherless boys can see what a good man looks/acts like they will become one themselves.
My heart goes out to all of you single mothers and if I can ever be of any service to you just let me know. Love to you all-And thank you to the grandpas and uncles for letting my children sit on your laps and wrestle and enjoy your company.

Thoughts From Ezra

As you all know Ezra is our deep thinker. He frequently comes to me Fter his quiet reflections and either tells me everything or informs me he can't tell me anything.

The other day out of the blue he walked up to me and said "mom I have figured out that people don't always NEED the things they WANT. sometimes they just WANT something but they don't actually NEED IT!

Wow, seriously not bad for a 5 year old.

Enoch came in and was asked about the conversation. I had Ezra tell him and Enoch was saying yeah and making connections with food. Ezra was a little out out though trying to explain it on a deeper level that was really impressive. He wasn't thinking small scale like Enoch. He was thinking about everything in life not just commodities. I for one was really impressed with his thoughts and his conclusions.

"I want tell you a secret mommy"

Ethne frequently leans over and says "I want tell you a sect mommy" then she either whispers so quietly in my ear thA I can't hear what she is saying or she YELLS IN MY EAR MAKING ME QUICKLY SHRINK AWAY. Lol
Today she said "I want tell you a secret mommy," then she yelled in my ear "Enoch said he doesn't need Geen mommy"
Meaning while they Ae coloring
Enoch had said I NEED GREEN!

Our Trip To The USA

It has been a long time since I have posted on our blog because it has been a long time since I have had any time to myself. There's too much to write to get caught up so I will just briefly summarize our 5 week trip.  

Fist we went to CA where we stayed for 4 days with Garrett's dad and step mom.  We were then planning to go to UT as a family for a few weeks before Garrett left for Adelaide, AU and the kids and I went back to CA to have Thanksgiving with a lot of Garrett's family and then head to our new home in AU. 

From the moment we got to the states things were busy and difficult and they got progressively worse for the first 3 weeks we were there.  After being in the states for 2 days we found out that Garrett would have to leave us and we would be without him for the next 5 weeks. We were sad. Then we went to UT and on the way home from the airport there we received very bad news about my grandpa being unexpectedly in the hospital for surgery with only a 25% chance of living.  He made it through the surgery but died in the night.  So the first few days of my being there with my family were spent figuring out araingements for who was going to the memorial service and who wasn't and what needed to be done. I was very blessed though to have been somewhat prepared for everything before we left NZ. I had a premonition that something like this would happen and I felt very blessed to have been able to be there to love and support my family during this hard time. 

I spent two days in TX for the service and an entire day trying to get back to my kids in UT on a buddy pass from my cousin who was so wonderful to help my mom and I out last minute to get there.  Tickets that last minute would have cost us $400+ each person each way and she hooked us up with the buddy passes for free. Thank you cuz! When in TX we stayed at the home of a dear dear friend whom I hadn't seen in a year and a half and that was really wonderful.  I also saw my wonderful big sister and her five almost six kids that I wouldn't have seen if I hadn't been able to come.  I saw aunts and uncles and cousins and my sweet Grandma who was a pillar of strength through it all.  she really is the glue to my family and everyone adores her so much because she is one of the kindest and most unselfish people we have ever met. 

Back in UT I got  to spend time with my siblings before going to spend four days with my mother-in-law. My sister Dorothy is pregnant with her first baby and it was so fun to see her pregnant and spend time with her and her husband Craig. Craig was such a great help with my boys. He stepped in and filled Garrett's shoes very nicely with my children. They wrestled him and played fun games with him, and he even reminded them to behave and to obey their mother.   They adored being with him and it helped them to miss their own dad less.  

We had a wonderful but busy and stressful time with my mother-in-law.  I found out that the company in Sydney wanted me to get Enoch and Ezra new passports since theirs would expire six moths after we got to AU.  Sounds easy right? NOPE! Guess again-
I had to have Garrett fill out paperwork and have it Notarized in AU and then send it ASAP to the states with their birth certificates (at a premium cost of course), then I had to fill out the paperwork and get their pictures taken. There were some issues with Garrett Not being there because you are to have both parents to get passports for minor. And the minors have to be there in person. So we went in and turned in a stack of stuff for each child and paid all the fees including expediting fees and overnighting fees.  Then we relaxed just a little and prayed it would all come through quickly so that we could be with Garrett after the 5 weeks and not longer.  Ideally love my MIL and we had a great time with her when we weren't stressing over passport stuff. Sorry Edwina that we spent so much time on all of that. We really enjoyed you though.

While we were at my mother-in-laws we got to see my dear friend Mandi and her kiddos whom we became friends with in NZ. They now live in UT but had been living in NZ when we moved there. We had missed them so so much and really enjoyed seeing them again. Mandi is one of those kindred spirits that are rare and that you don't want to loose when you find them.  I am blessed with several of those in my life and I thank my Father in Heaven for them.

Next we went back to my parents when my mom returned home from TX and spent time with her and my siblings and friends. We had a lovely time sewing and playing games and visiting between running errands and trying to do things that needed to be done before we left. I really enjoyed my sibling time and sewing with my mom. We made a nightgown and some PJs for Ethne and embroidered two shirts for each child-6 in total. Not bad for the week we did it in while doing all of our other responsibilities. I learned some about sewing buttons and button holes and using the embroidery machine. Thanks mom!

We went back to CA on the 19th of Nov. and spent the rest of our time there at Garrett's dads. We got to see Aunts and Uncles and cousins that we hadn't seen in a long long time and it was wonderful.  The passports came back and I had to go through the process of notarization and copying and scanning and faxing etc... To get the new passports connected to the visas to AU instead of  the old passports. This all had to be done twice since the first time things didn't work out. Anyway it all worked out and we made it through all the stress and hard times and we had a great time in spite of them which I would say made the whole thing a huge success :)

We are tremendously grateful to everyone who came to see us or who housed us and fed us and helped us. You are all wonderful and we love you and miss you and wish we could repay you for all you have done.  Every time I think about the people in my life both family and friends I feel so so blessed.  Some of you that came to visit us aren't mentioned specifically here and I want you to know that I  love you too :) and was so happy to spend time with you.  We look forward to our AU adventures,UT also to being reunited with all of you again at some point in then future. Remember us, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we will do the same for you. 

"God be with you till we meet again"
Love Garrett, Ashley, Enoch, Ezra and Ethne