All Hail the Grillmaster

We are officially Australians and even before the end of the year. Hooray for Jim. We built the grill today AND got a propane tank so the grill is up and running before the end of 2006. YIPEE!
So in order to inaugurate it, Jim had to be the Aussie man and do the grilling of burgers. We ran to Woolies and got the last package of burgers and buns. Let me tell you, the store was picked clean of food. No sausages, no fruit, hardly any veggies. It's like the world is going to collapse on New Years Day since the grocery store will be closed for one day. WOW!
Anyway, back to the grillmaster himself. Beer in hand, he took control and grilled up tasty burgers for dinner. You should have seen the kids. Actually you can... :) Andrew even said it was the bestest burgers he ever had. Go figure. Fickle kids.

Missing Chicago

Tonight as I was trying to get Andrew to go to sleep, I was snuggling with him on his bed. He was telling me how much he missed his blue house in Chicago. 'Mom, I miss my blue house'. I want to go home tonight.' It broke my heart to tell him that this is his home now. He asks when we are going back to Chicago and we'll tell him in July, which is when we are planning our home visit. At 4, I am not sure how much of this concept he truly grasps.
Then he tells me that he misses his friends and his blue house 'one hundred eighty nine sixty seven', which for him is a whole lot. I told him that he'll find new friends here too, when he goes to school next month and the smart little man next to me replied "I don't want new friends, I like my friends that I have just fine."
So to all of you out there. Andrew misses you... One hundred eighty nine sixty seven...

It's Wild Out There!!

Today the family decided to pile into the car and head off into the wilds of the outback. OK, not really the wilds, but Featherdale Wildlife Park. It's this very neat park situated kinda in the middle of a suburban area. We weren't even sure we were going to the right place when the navigation sent us there, but when we turned the corner, there were the signs and the buses. So, on went the sunscreen and the hats and off we went.
It was a very rustic looking place. Nothing fancy, no big fences or lights or fancy signs. Just the animals and their habitats. You could just about walk around anywhere it was safe. Unless the animals were caged for safety reasons. We were able to walk right up to koalas and pet them on their backs and take photos. We could fill ice cream cones with feed and then offer them to wallabies and emus and red kangaroos. The red kangaroo much preferred the eucalyptus leaves, though.
You should have seen the kids faces when they realized that they could just walk up and touch the animals or just feed them. I don't know how many times they fed each animal, But, its a miracle those animals there aren't HUGE based on the number of people that come through and the amount of food that the kids and adults offer these animals.
There was a nice picnic area that we ate lunch at. We sat near the albino kangaroo, which we had never seen before and is evidently quite rare (see photo). We were able to sit and enjoy a quiet lunch before it got too busy. Jim packed the whole thing -- this week off has been nice -- I have pretty much taken the week off and let him take care of everything!!! Next week reality will set in for all of us.
After that, we got to go see the 4 meter long crocodile. It was amazing. It almost didn't even look real. UNTIL you saw its eyes open and shut. Then all of a sudden, it just slid into the water. WHOOSH. That is something I wouldn't want to run into out here in Australia. That and the 10 deadliest snakes in the world that seem to have residency in this country. And four spiders that like to have a nasty reputation, too. Yeah, it's just so fun. They had all of those nice little creatures on exhibit at the park behind ALOT of glass. Not enough for me, but the kids thought it was neat. As long as they stay there...and no where else...

Another BBQ

We went to another bbq with the kids tonight. This time it was to meet a family we had never met before. Jamie is the niece of the photographer who did our wedding photos and our family photos last month. When we said where we were moving, the McDermotts gave us their contact information. So, I got in touch with Jamie and she invited us to their home in St. Ives for a bbq with another American couple.
Of course, it has to be a thunderstorm when a bbq is planned. Such is our luck! We headed out to St. Ives in the pouring rain. Made it there with no problems. In fact, we were even on time!
The Schive's have a beautiful house with an inground pool, tennis court, trampoline and even a mother-in-law suite off the pool. (Don't tell my parents -- we didn't get the house like that!)
Dinner was a more traditional American meal -- burgers, hot dogs, sausages, salads, fruit salad (dressed with passion fruit for an aussie touch) and grilled potatoes. The company was fun. We had all moved here from the states in the last 18 months. So we shared stories. They told us theirs, we listened... hoping we won't have as many horror stories with customs/quarantine as they did.
The kids had a blast. They jumped on the trampoline, ran and ran and ended the night watching Mary Kate and Ashley in Australia! All in all it was a super fun night. Better hop off to bed. Its way past MY bedtime. Cheers...

The Thunder Rolls

As we packed for our move here, Jim informed me that Australia was in the worst drought in over 100 years. In fact, it almost never rains. There is almost no reason for me to bring an umbrella at all. Despite that fact, I did pack an umbrella. In fact, I brought two with me.
Thank goodness, too. It has rained at least a half dozen days since we moved here. This afternoon we had a rolling thunderstorm. Clapping thunder, sheet lightning and really wet down pours. So, needless to say... the umbrellas were a good idea.

It was a beach day

We decided to take it easy today and just head over to the beach. Yeah, I know. We shouldn't rub it in, but it was BEAUTIFUL today. Sunny with just a few puffy clouds. Very nice day. So after a few minor mishaps at home, which included a nice little goose-egg on Emme's forehead, we headed off to Balmoral beach to meet up with the Young family and their friends' boys. Andrew was very keen on playing with Connor and Austin again.

The drive there was terrible -- what should have been a 20 minute drive took an hour. Then parking was horrendous. So bad that Jim even ponied up the cash to pay in a paid parking lot. Now how often does he do that??

Once we got to the beach we thought it would be smooth sailing. Kids were happy and all. Unfortunately, Austin (the older of the two friends' boys) stepped on a barnacle on a rock and got it lodged in his foot. Kathy had to immediately take him off to the doctor. So we kept Ali, Sara and Connor. Good company for our kids. Lunch and beach time. Tons of fun. (Eventually Kathy made it back with Austin -- good news -- barnacle is out -- bad news, they don't use any numbing stuff, so they had to DIG IT OUT of his foot with no pain killers. So that is the end of the beach run for him. Sara went home with her mom and Austin then.

We brought Ali and Connor back for a play here for the rest of the afternoon. They were having so much fun that when Ali's dad came for pick-up time, I guess Connor threw quite a fit about not leaving! Nice to know that Andrew is still a good playdate.

We are cookin'

Well, almost. We hit the Boxing Day Sales -- or after Christmas Sales. And we are going to be the proud owners of an Australian BBQ as of Friday when they deliver it between 11 and 2 (or whenever they get here). Plus, I got my kitchen appliances, so I am ready to cook! YIPEE!!!!!

It Was a Ferry Busy Day

Today we decided to be adventurous and take the kids downtown to see the bridge and the Opera House. So, we piled in the car and drove to Neutral Bay to catch the 8:45am Ferry Ride into the city. The kids were so excited. This would be their very first ferry/boat ride in Oz! We even found un-metered parking, so we didn't have to worry about rushing back to avoid a parking ticket.

A mere 13 minutes later we were docking at Circular Quay (pronounced Key). We had decided on brekkie at Pancakes on the Rocks, a supposedly famous 24 hour pancake restaurant right in the Rocks. So, we wandered up there and feasted away. It was like the kids had never seen food...
From there we proceeded to take a few touristy photos and then walked to the Sydney Opera House. Andrew kept asking where the Opera Ogre was (from his Scooby Doo book) on the walk. No luck finding him. But we did find the opera house. The kids said it was as big as they thought it would be. I am not sure if they really knew what they meant. I think it is bigger in person that the pictures ever make it look!

The attention span quickly dissapated, so we decided to hop a ferry back over to Darling Harbour and enjoy it during nice weather. A ferry ride under the Sydney Bridge and a few short minutes later -- we are there. We walked over to the park and the kids played and played. They sure enjoy the sunshine (and warm weather!). They played a little in the circular reflecting pool as seen in this last photo, too.

We hopped a cab and headed back to the Neutral Bay Ferry stop mid afternoon since the timing of the ferries would make for a long ride back from Darling Harbour. We would have had to go all the way back to Circular Quay and then take a 2nd ferry back to Neutral Bay. The kids were excited to take the taxi anyway!

and the Walls Came Tumblin' Down

The kids had been begging and begging to eat the gingerbread house we had built. I kept repeating the same mantra. After Christmas. After Christmas. Well, today is now after Christmas. So, true to my word -- for dessert they got to dismantle what they built and enjoy the sweets of their labors!

Boxing Day

Today is December 26th. So here in Australia that means it is another holiday. Most stores are closed. People set out for the beaches to watch a huge sailing race. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. We unfortunately didn't make it out there this year to watch. I woke up with a migraine. Too many nights of disturbed sleep/up early probably. Its much better now. Jim took the kids out to Centennial Park down by Bondi to make the house a little quieter. That helped too.
They came home and Jim wanted to take the family to a Koala Sanctuary -- but Andrew much preferred to stay at home and play with his new Christmas toys. Definitely liked his presents. We'll probably go there on Thursday or Friday when we have a full day to enjoy it. And when the kids aren't so tired.

Christmas Morning

Well, we sure didn't need an alarm this morning. Bright and early, actually very bright and early. 5:40am Sydney time to be exact, Emme bounded into our room to inform us that Santa did indeed get our change of address and had brought her a Barbie Laptop Computer. Then she asked if she could wake up Andrew to cuddle for a minute and then to open presents. Was someone maybe a little bit excited???
After bribing her with TV, a movie, food and as many distractions as possible which didn't work at all, her little brother finally woke up just before 8am, much to her dismay. I can't imagine how long that felt to her. So, she grabbed him and dragged him into the front room where the tree and the gifts were. IT WAS TIME.
Gifts were divided into piles and the present opening began. It was very organized. The kids even waited their turns. They let me take pictures so I could keep track of who gave them what. It was funny -- three different sets of people used the same wrapping paper, so I really needed to know who was on the label. Usually I know who gave what by the paper, but not this year.
It seemed like the kids liked every gift better than the last. They really enjoyed it all. The lack of snow or change of venue sure doesn't seem to faze them. Me on the otherhand still hasn't gotten used to it all. Hopefully soon it will all fall into place.
The next 3 hours were spent assembling toys, games and other presents (mine included) so that we could all enjoy what we received. Thank you to our friends and family who sent things along in the air shipment. It was wonderful to have things to open Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas to all! Love, Nikki

Christmas Day

In case anyone wondered how the Rhombergs spend Christmas Day. Here it is...

In the words of daddy "The Spidey Game ROCKS!"

And what our Christmas Day Lunch consisted of on the kids' new patio set from their Grammy and Grampy...

Chrissy Part II

After arriving home we showered up the kids (didn't thing the rain was quite clean enough!). Jim ran off to the bottle shop to pick up some wines for the Christmas Feast we were going to have. And I set about preparing it. Since we didn't get a BBQ yet, we decided to go by way of a snacky/appetizer route. When Emme saw me setting the cheese and crackers and salami on a plate, she said 'YIPEE! A Wedding Supper!' Jim came home and said the bottle shop said today was their busiest day of the year. Go figure...
The grown-up enjoyed cold shrimp and home-made cocktail sauce (the aussie cocktail sauce is made with their sweetened mayo and is more like thousand island dressing -eewwww) along with the crackers, sausage rolls, salami, tasty cheese (yes, that is its name) and olives. It was quite a feast.

After dinner we scurried out to door to make it to Philip-Neri Catholic Church right up Sailor's Bay Rd. Its a nice 8 minute walk from the house. On the way we saw the most beautiful green parrot munching on a yellowish flower tree. I wish I would have brought the camera for that! When we got to the church at 6:10 (for 6:30 carols), we got just about the last 3 seats in the house. Instead of having it outside in the ampitheatre, they moved it back indoors because of the rain. It was a PACKED HOUSE.

Carols started promptly at 6:30 with the traditional signing of "Do They Know it's Christmas" followed by "Jingle Bells" then "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Not the normal Christmas carols we are used to singing prior to a Christmas Eve mass. The choir was good, the music was good. It just felt different -- like the twilight zone.
Then when we got to the gospel part of mass and the children acted out the Nativity, 'Mary' came riding in on a live donkey. The shepherds actually brought their flocks to the stable so there were sheep and goats up by the altar. 'Mary' held a live baby 'Jesus' for the whole homily -- it was quite a production. Definitely wished I had my camera. Luckily the kids were up in front of the altar, so they were able to get a much better view of all that was going on.

After mass we walked home, just barely missing the next splattering of rain. Opened two presents each of the kids choosing. Then we had them open one from mom and dad -- the story of the "Aussie Night Before Christmas" It was a great way to end the evening.

A Happy Christmas To All and GoodOnYa Mates!

Christmas Eve Part I

Since this is our first Australian Christmas, we decided to throw tradition out the window and take in the culture of the city. We decided to take the kids downtown to Darling Harbour to the Sydney Aquarium for a special treat. (Also because we didn't have family in town to spend the day with!) Evidently so did about a few hundred other people because when we got there, the lines were HUGE. So... change of plans. Hmmm.... Lunch and then maybe catch a movie at the I-MAX? Let's go see.

Knowing our bubbly kids, we threw on the Santa hats before we got to the Harbour and you should have seen them run around in them. And the smiles that popped up when people saw them. Hopefully we spread a little extra Christmas cheer around. For all the talk of HOT SUNNY Australian Christmases, today has been quite drab and dreary. I would say it never got over 70 degrees F and even spent the better part of the day raining.

Lunch was at Chinta Ria, a place Jim and I went to when we were house hunting, so we knew what to expect. Again, not the traditional Christmas fare. Chinese food -- who would have guessed, but the kids loved it and a great meal was had by all! The Budda and Christmas -- something just doesn't seem right! Afterwards we even got a treat at the Lindt Chocolate store - mini ice cream cones. Then off to the I-MAX to watch Under Sea 3-D.

The movie was quite spectacular. I would have to say the ocean is amazing, if not calming. If you ever get a chance you should ask Andrew about the calming properties the oceans have on him...

After the movie we got our second wind and went to the play area to play a bit. Got hit by a downpour so the kids played in the rain for a while on the playset. Definitely not your traditional way to spend Christmas Eve!

Hooley Dooley Chrissy

We got to experience a true Sydney Friday night. We went out looking for a place for dinner close to home, not to fancy or expensive since we had the kids trapped in the car all afternoon while we did the running for the car pick-up.

As we passed down Miller Street I noticed a sign for a Noodle Market with a hilly area behind it. That looked good, so we stopped and parked. They had lots of booths of noodles and food. The kids went crazy for the steamed dumplings and Pad Thai. We sat on the hill and enjoyed the evening breeze. There was a fountain that they splashed their feet in. There was even music to entertain everyone with. They also kept talking about this Hooley Dooley thing. So we stayed around to find out what that was all about.

Right around 6:30 this group of six characters came out and entertained the kids for a while. Was very cute. They sang all about Christmas "Crissy". I caught a couple of their names -- Captain Catastrophe, a Kangaroo, a girl with pink hair, a purple koala and two other guys. The whole evening -- the noodle market -- was BYO, and part was through, Jim and I looked through the crowd and saw all the adults drinking up and could definitely tell why that is so popular in Sydney. Helps the music go down!

I am the Woman!

Friday was the day for alot of firsts. Jim left work early -- he came home at 2pm. Then I walked into the bank and withdrew a bank cheque for a sum of about 3/4 of the amount of Australian money we had in our account at this time to buy a car. Then we drove 26.5 km through TERRIBLE traffic to buy a car for ME! I am officially an Australian car owner.
THEN, on the drive back, I had to drive back by MYSELF, with no navigation, over not one large bridge, but TWO. The Anzac Bridge. Then the Sydney Bridge. Luckily I was following Jim, so he drove in the middle lane for the Sydney Bridge or I may have had more issue than I would care to discuss on this blog due to the height fears!
Later on last night after we got home I even braved the roads once more to return our cordless phone to get a model with speaker-phone so the kids can talk to people a little easier. Thought it might be better to hit the stores prior to after Christmas Return chaos. Jim thought I was NUTS. Actually the roads, malls and parking structures were suprisingly almost empty.

They Say Things Happen In Threes

So, if that is true, I hate to see what is going to happen next.

Yesterday afternoon, Andrew was playing on the playset while I was making dinner. All of a sudden I hear a piercing scream. Worse than normal. I look out and see him hanging by his waist through the ladder of the playhouse. Evidently he was taking things down and slipped through the first step. Thankfully all he did was bruise his pride, scrape his shin a little and his right wrist hurts some today.

Now, after sending the kids out to scooter on their Razor scooters in appropriate safety gear -- no flip flops, helmets on. I go in to start dinner again. (Maybe I just should stop cooking???)(But these two are hungry like they have never eaten before in their lives). Next thing I know I hear a piercing scream again. I look down to see a scooter crashed into the laundry room counter. This time he was using the driveway ramp into the laundry room as a trick ramp. And crashed his MOUTH into the counter. So this time we have a cracked corner of a tooth, but not wiggly, bitten tounge and a scrape on the other shin. At least the legs will be matching.

So what can I expect tomorrow?????

Welcome to Are Club House

The kids have been making good use of the moving boxes that were used for our air shipment. We have had dog houses, castles and most recently, a new club house on the deck. As you can see, Emmalee has been showcasing her writing skills on the boxes so that no one has any doubt as to what these are. "Are Club House"

Playtime in the house

Yesterday we had our first play-over. Grace from across the street came over to play for a while. Evidently the kids arranged it while I was in making dinner. Next thing I know Emme comes in to ask if the girl across the street can come over and play.

Kids are kids everywhere. Bounced right over and they were all running around. Chasing each other. First Andrew after the girls, then vice versa. And of course, the girls had to take time to play dollies and Grace taught Emmalee that here the babies don't have diapers, they have 'nappies'!

Checking the list...

Well, when we got here, I made a list of all the things we needed to get. All the things we needed to do...
1. Phones so we can use Vonage (Check)
2. Cell phone for me (Check)
3. Lamps(Check)
4. Rugs (Check)
5. Christmas Tree (Check)
6. DVD player (Check)
7. Car for me (Jim is still working on it!)
8. BBQ
9. All the electricals I need for the kitchen which I can't get until after Christmas when they go on sale! (ugh! I am dying without making Christmas cookies this year!)

We are doing pretty good. After much searching, we finally found a Christmas tree. In fact, it was one of the LAST Christmas trees to be found in the Sydney area that fit my picky standards. We had to have the salesman dismantle the floor model and pack it up for us! Then when we got it to Jim's car, it wouldn't fit. Try as we might, the box just wouldn't fit. So, we had to take it all out and stuff the pieces in the trunk. Then we drove it home.

Monday night the family decorated the tree and even though this is the first year without a real live tree, I would say it looks pretty good. As we put on each ornament, we were reminded of when we got them, who gave them to us and where we were at those points in our lives. It sure reminded us of home. And made it feel a little more 'homey'. Feels like you all are with us a little bit more...

You Can Take the Kids Out of the US

But you can't take the US out of the kids I guess...

He came back with friends

Our Kookaburra bird came back with a friend today. So now I have to name him. I think Mike is going to be appropriate. And his friend is Ike. I also saw another little friend waiting for them on the fence behind the play cubby. So, that one will have to have a name too. Still thinking on that one...

It's amazing to see all these birds up close. I could walk up to within 10 feet of them to get this photo!

Building Houses

Today we took a huge task upon ourselves. We shipped over our gingerbread house. We crossed our fingers it would: 1) make it in the proper pieces we shipped it in and not be shattered and 2) make it through customs without being detained (or eaten!). We got our wish. It arrived safe and sound on Saturday morning. So I promised the kids we could make this masterpiece of holiday fun on Monday. Figured we needed something to keep ourselves occupied once Jim went back to work.

Well, after lunch we sat down to do this. We divided candy up. The kids took turns deciding which candy would have 'leftovers' when we were done so they could eat it afterwards. Then the real building started. Emmalee decided that I had the not so fun job. She said she was glad she was a kid so that she could work with the candy and have fun. And wasn't I sad that I was the grown up who just had to build and work with the frosting glue. Hmmmm... isn't that poetic?

Per usual, she became the foreman on the job. Telling Andrew how to organize the candy, what goes where and how to keep it looking pretty. I think they did a great job. Happy Candy Holidays!

Our First Aussie BBQ

We went to our first Aussie BBQ today. Funny thing is the hosts are a friend of Jim's who used to work at Abbott, who is Columbian. He met his wife during the Australian audit 8 years ago. So this is an Aussie BBQ with a Columbian twist.

Oscar and Eveline are super nice. They have Lucas (2) and Alejandra (4 mo) so their kids are a little younger. But our kids did just fine. Their house is totally kid friendly with tons for our kids to do. Emmalee and Andrew just played and played. And of course Emmalee just loved smiling at Alejandra. Their kids are so well behaved... not fussy or clingy. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Evelyn made chicken and beef for the bbq. She even bought buns because she assumed that Americans like bread (how did she know Jim liked bread?). Then the coup de gras was homemade Strawberry cheesecake. It was divine. You should have seen the kids eat it up, too. Not too sweet, not too dry. Very nice. Said her secret ingredient was marscapone cheese. Will have to get that recipe for sure.

We hated to leave but we HAD to get a Christmas tree before the stores closed at 5pm. One week before Christmas and we didn't even have a tree up yet! It is awful. Went to David Jones and bought THE LAST TREE. In fact, we had to have them take down the floor model to get the one we wanted. Then after getting to the car, the box wouldn't fit. No way were we going home without a tree. So, we took all the pieces out of the box, shoved it in the trunk and folded the box up. Off we drove with a tree in the trunk. Its our first year with an artificial tree, but with the heat here, there is no reason to get a real one. Might as well do as the locals do!

An Aussie birthday party

We were invited to a birthday party of the son of one of Jim's co-workers. Adam had just turned four and was celebrating his birthday. They had his party at a park near his home. So we plugged in the address and took off for the 10:30 party. Kids were very excited. Got there and saw and enormous park. Off they ran!

Parties are parties no matter where they are. Isn't that the truth. Kids will play all the same. One thing that was different is they played a game called 'pass the parcel' which is similar to musical chairs. You play music and pass two packages. When the music stops, the child with the package gets to unwrap one layer of paper and finds a prize in that layer. The music then continues on and off, around and around and everyone gets a chance to win something. A very cute game.

Its so nice to see Emmalee and Andrew fitting in well. They knew no one and yet off they run and play and play.

It has arrived!

The shipment has arrived. All 31 boxes/packages have arrived. Safe and sound. They have cleared customs and quarantine and the Movers International have carried in and deposited 31 boxes for me to unpack.

The mounds of paper that we now have left is just unbelievable. Nothing has broken that I can tell. Although half of what came over in this shipment was Christmas presents, so we won't know for sure for a week!

BUT, we got our sheets and towels. No more rental towels and sheets. We have smooth sheets to sleep on. No more sandpaper nights. I can't wait to go to bed tonight. Hopefully the kids will sleep better tonight, too.

More later after I find my way out from under all the paper....

A Night on the Town

Last night was Jim's Holiday Party for Abbott. It was at the Four Seasons downtown Sydney. WOW... what a party! We cabbed it into the city after leaving the kids with Kay the babysitter. They were so excited for her... how many more minutes? How many more minutes? YEA!! KAY IS HERE!!!

Let me tell you about this party. The drinks were flowing, the appetizers (spring rolls, chicken samosas and fish balls) were awesome and there had to be a 150+ people there to celebrate the end of the year for the affiliate that Jim just joined. What a great way to start off a new place. Dinner was different. Instead of the way I am used to food being presented with all the starters/meals being served the same, they alternated by seating. So, of course I got the oysters and HR director next to me got the mushroom ravioli I really wanted. The waiters said "Switch". Hmmm. That's different. Then came the main course--- Salmon or fillet. Guess what I got... Salmon. Time to switch again. Food was excellent. Wine glasses never got emptied. Right after dinner an Aussie comedian came on and really cracked us up. Then came this awesome 8 piece band that ended up doing the YMCA in full costume part way thought the night! All in all a super party. Met alot of people that Jim will be working with and had a nice night out on the town.

Bursting at the Seams

Whew... We just got back from a trip to IKEA. Needed to get some of the basics to get us by so Jim took the day off and we drove down to the local IKEA, which is part of a huge mall. We knew we had to get there at the beginning of the day or we wouldn't get a parking spot since it was so close to Christmas.

First things first, dropped the kids off at the playland there. Had 1 hour to run furiously through the store and find all we needed. Ah, but not that simple. Work called Jim and I had to start without him. Found the computer desk for Andrew's room (white for Emme was out of stock), stool for the kitchen computer desk, chairs for the desks, lamps for kids rooms, our room, rug for Andrew's floor and found a rack for the bathroom we needed (which upon pickup we found out was out of stock). Off to the other store for a DVD player, curling iron (so I can be pretty for the party tonite!), alarm clocks and cords to hook up the computers when they come.

Got a call that the air shipment should actually arrive tomorrow (Saturday) morning. YIPEE! We will have Christmas presents after all. Now we just have to hope that it arrives before the birthday party we have to go to. Wonder what made customs hurry up and get through that one week back up. Actually, nevermind. Don't want to know!

I did it!!!!!

After my disastrous driving experience in Ireland, I said I would never drive again on the other side of the road.... Well, made a liar of myself today. After Jim came home from work and we had dinner I just HAD to get out so I decided to be brave and venture out to Woolies for some Christmas cookie fixings. Since we have no decorations around here I figured we needed to do something festive soon.

Walking to the car, getting in on the WRONG SIDE and then backing out in front of two waving children and a hubby desperately trying not to cringe as I drive the company vehicle out of his sight is not the most confidence inspiring thing I could have done. But I did it. And I made it to the store and back. Not a scratch or ding on the car or my confidence to speak of either. YIPEEE for me!!!!!

Anyone remember the sound "ooh ooh AHH AHH AHH AHH AHH" in all the classic or cheesey jungle movies? Well, I always thought it was a monkey that made that noise. Nope. We have the bugger that does it and he lives right in our back yard. Any guesses...

It's a Kookaburra bird. This guy likes to hang out on our playset. The kids like to watch him. He is totally loud. We haven't named him yet, but are open to suggestions. I think he looks like a Mike, but that's not too Aussie.

Kookaburras are best known for their unmistakable call which is uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter — good-natured, if rather hysterical, merriment in the case of the well-known Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae); and maniacal, almost insane, cackling in the case of the slightly smaller Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii). The call has been immortalized as the "ooh ooh AHH AHH AHH AHH AHH" cry that is part of the background audio in countless jungle movies, regardless of where the jungle in the movie is located.

So this is what house arrest feels like?

We didn't even leave the house. The temps dropped to a brisk 60 degrees F. Or somewhere in the 17 degrees C. Still trying to figure out the metric system. I figure I might have it mastered sometime right around when we decide to move back. Why is it that the States are the only place in the world (ok almost only place) that doesn't use the metric system??? Counting by 10's would seem to be easier for the kids, too.

Our bit of excitement today was the countdown to meet the new babysitter. You see, J. has a holiday party on Friday at the Four Seasons downtown in Sydney. No way were we going to miss that. The only people we knew in the area are going to New Zealand for a short weekend holiday trip, so they suggested Kay as an option. She is a lovely year 12 student from the next town over. So, from 8am on, the countdown began... "How many hours... How many minutes... until Kay gets here?" And they hadn't even met her yet. Luckily she didn't dissapoint. So, we have a sitter all set for Friday night and J. and I can have a few hours of just adult company! YIPEE!!!

Spent the afternoon doing Christmas crafts because we still haven't gotten the air shipment so we have NO new toys yet other than what we lugged over on the plane. And no real Christmas decorations for the house. So E & A have been coloring up a storm. They did a great job. I think they may have my talent for art--- what do you think?

Wonder what we can think up for tomorrow. Plan to go our for a look-see with Kathy who moved here last year from Libertyville. She has two girls, so hopefully that will entertain the kids a little! Kathy said she will take me around and show me some of the places to get things done around here. Definitely need that. Plus a little adult interaction is also a plus!

J. also is looking into a used fleet car from his office... so hopefully I will get something soon. This not being able to go anywhere is starting to get old. Haven't been tied down to one location for this long since I can remember. So this must be what house arrest feels like... except that is was a pretty good day all in all with the kids. House arrest must be what is coming in the future when both throw the tantrums...