Enjoying the US of A

We've had lots of fun in Texas and Alabama, so much in fact that I've been forgetting to take pictures and have gotten lazy about blogging. I usually keep up with the pictures and blog to make sure all the grandparents can see what the kids are doing so when we're all together in person I have a tendency to forget about documenting the fun. I need to make sure I get lots of pictures of the kids playing WITH their grandparents, too!

While Matt and Ben were in Alabama, Alex and I enjoyed a stormy morning in Houston and he was excited to wear his rain boots.

We were in Wal-mart (hallelujah! one of many trips) during a downpour and Alex was thrilled to find a massive "puddle" (more of a lake, if you ask me) to splash in afterward. Naturally he was soaked up to his hips but he loved every minute of it. He got to go Australian to the next store and run around barefoot since he boots were holding gallons of water.

Our prize buy at Wal-mart - a kid sized air mattress and sleeping bag combo. Alex was immediately in love. He even wanted to use it to watch TV.

We also had a playdate with Riley, who would have been our neighbor if we hadn't moved four years ago.

These boys had a great time at the park throwing sweetgum balls into the fountain and watching them float away. Surprisingly, only one of the boys ended up in the fountain himself. And for once it wasn't Alex!

Alex, Reid, Riley, and Mandy. It was so much fun to see one of my childhood friends and watch our kids play together!

Alex and I joined the rest of the Kirkhams in Alabama for several days of fun in the woods.

The boys had a great time playing and rocking on the porch.

We even got to see Matt's cousin's son John Wallace, who came down from Tuscaloosa with his grandmother one day. He's nine and despite the age difference the boys all played wonderfully together. I guess no matter their ages, all boys love to play with balls, run, and build rocketships.

By far the boys' favorite activity was riding on the 4-wheelers. Grandpa got a new once recently (not the one in the picture) and it's big enough for all 4 of us to ride together. The kids couldn't get enough of it!

Back in Texas, Ben found a new addiction - a bike! My parents' neighbor generously passed down this little bike years ago and we finally pulled it out of the attic to let Ben try it out and we haven't gotten him off it since. The helmet took a little convincing but I want him to get used to wearing it because it's the law in Australia.

Alex took one try at the bike and realized it was too tall for him, so he's happily scooting around Grandma and Grandpa's driveway on this trike instead.

The azaleas are in full bloom here and the spring weather has been gorgeous. It's absolutely the best time to be in Houston, with the exception of the pine pollen (which I'd forgotten, not having seen it in four years) but thankfully that's pretty much gone now and all our allergies have cleared up. The boys are riding outside every possible minute and we're all loving being outdoors.

But maybe someone should tell Ben it's okay to take his helmet off when he comes inside for breakfast!

We're all enjoying the family time and great food in Texas. I'm heading out for the weekend to meet up with some of my best college girlfriends since we managed to find a few days when we're all in the state together, so the happy reunions continue!

Practice Makes Perfect

We've survived another trip halfway around the planet and I have to admit it's getting easier every time. A lot has to do with the age of the boys and how well they travel but I think we're all getting better at the marathon trips every year. An added bonus is that we've had minimal jetlag, which I still can't believe since we've flipped our nights and days again, but we've all slept through the night nearly every night.

Here's a glimpse of our trip, with the countdown starting the minute we left the house in a taxi.
+1 hour - we arrived at the airport and realized that the boys were already tired. I think Ben got so excited telling everyone at school he was heading to Texas that he just wore himself out.


+5 hours - well on our way on the 5 hours flight to Singapore, watching movies and eating the first of many, many airplane meals

+5.5 hours - halfway through a book of stickers (thanks Melanie, for that last minute addition!)

+8 hours - loving the Singapore airport and all its ways to keep kids entertained

It was great to let the boys run around a while because they were just about to crash.

+9 hours - CRASH!

+10 hours - my sweaty sleeper kept changing positions while I got sweaty over a steaming bowl of spicy laksa

+11 hours - this guy looked uncomfortable but stayed like this for hours

+15 hours - on the 11-hour flight to Moscow loving some Wiggles and cookies

+18 hours - Ben was crazy about all his juices and lemonades. Have to enjoy the little things in life while you're on a metal tube speeding through the air. His hair was beginning to go crazy.

+22 hours - after watching the sun rise over Afghanistan, we finally began seeing the frozen wonders of Russia

+23 hours - Ben (with more crazy hair) watching our approach into Moscow

Alex getting very excited to get off the plane.

+25 hours - playing in the lounge in Moscow during our transit time, just 1 1/2 hours to clear security then get back on the same plane.

+32 hours - well into the 12-hour flight to Houston and getting some great sleep. We were SO fortunate to have two rows of 3 seats all to ourselves. Matt and I each sat with a kid and got space to stretch out, freedom to go to the bathroom, and an extra TV to keep the kids entertained.

I could barely even find Ben under all his blankets!

+37 hours - We made it to Houston!! Happy faces all around! I watched 4 movies, an entire season of Modern Family, lots of sitcoms, two documentaries, finished a book, slept half a dozen times, and ate 8 meals, just to give you an idea of how much time passed.

Ben's hair went from crazy to flat, a good sign that it was time to get out of the air and walk around on real ground.

+39 hours - After some tearful hugs (joyful tears!) with Grammy and Grumpy at the airport (without pictures, unfortunately) we got our rental car, stopped by the bank, and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Two little boys couldn't quite stay awake for the drive.


+40 hours - HOME. God bless Texas. We love this place and it always feels so good to be back. We had more hugs, great Mexican food, then flat beds for a wonderful night's sleep. I could do this more often if the trip always went so well!!

On Friday, we caught up with Grandpa before he and Grandma left for spring break in Alabama.


Matt and Ben left for Alabama on Saturday and Alex and I headed to Grammy and Grumpy's to catch up with Aunt Stacey and cousin Reid during their spring break before we leave for Alabama on Wednesday.

Playing with the boys at the park. Alex looks like a giant next to his cute little cousin!

Yep, you knew this was going to happen. He jumped the river several times then had to see what happened when he jumped in the middle.

It's so good to be home!

Busselton and Margaret River

We just enjoyed a wonderful 4-day weekend. It was Matt's Friday off and Monday was a Western Australia public holiday, so we met up with the Carl family in Margaret River for some good, relaxing fun. On the drive down, we stopped in Busselton at the newly re-opened jetty, the longest in the southern hemisphere at 1.8km. It was pretty cool to be over a mile out at sea at the end.

Thank goodness we didn't have to walk the entire length! This cute little train did all the work for us and the boys loved it.

All aboard!

Kind of interesting riding a train straight out into the ocean.

At the end, we got to see the main event - the underwater observatory that went about 30 feet below the surface.

The kids were pretty thrilled for about 5 minutes, then spent the rest of the hour running around like crazy. Sometimes it's hard to impress these two.

Matt and I were pretty enthralled with the views and the number and variety of fish swimming past the viewing windows.



Even saw a few interesting jellyfish floating around.

What a great experience!

After catching the train back to the coast, we got back on the road towards Margaret River and the big farmhouse called Breakaway that we'd rented for the weekend.

It was a lovely place with 5 bedrooms on 25 acres so it was more than enough for 4 adults and 4 kids.

We loved all the stone work and architecture. We could only guess at the age of the house but it had to be many decades old with lots of character.

Sunrise on Saturday morning was beautiful and peaceful, with lots of birds in the trees and kids in the yard.

The boys couldn't wait to try out the tire swing.

Alex was working hard to hold on...

...so he quickly decided this was an easier option.

Ben and Brynn were inseparable the entire weekend. It had to be some kind of record because he barely said two sentences to me over 3 days since he and Brynn were talking nonstop. They are such a cute pair.

Alex and Ansley were also great buddies, but more because of a common passion for TV and Elmo in particular. That's what made the weekend such a success - the kids all played so well together that they were almost always entertained and didn't fight at all. Even Ben and Alex were too distracted to bother annoying one another.

We adults found the best place in the house to be the back porch, watching all kinds of wildlife and relaxing in the warm sunshine. The weather was fantastic (warm days, chilly nights) and a welcomed change from our still un-airconditioned house in Perth.

We spotted kangaroos, emus, kookaburras, parrots, owls, blue wrens, and lots of these black cockatoos.

Of course we ventured out to enjoy all that Margaret River had to offer, including the Berry Farm, where we tasted lots of jellies and dips. Surprisingly enough, Ben chose to write his name on the chalkboard instead of tasting!

And I love this picture. A little background - Ben obviously runs faster than Alex but suddenly Alex is determined to catch up and throws an absolute fit when he loses. Which is all the time. So that's why he's crying and Ben is enjoying the pretty purple flowers.

The adults took turns enjoying a few hours without kids and Matt and I chose to have lunch at Leeuwin Estate. Hard to beat a tasting flight at a nice winery!


On Sunday morning we all went for a little walk hoping to see some more kangaroos. Instead, I saw two sweet kids holding hands way down the road :)

Alex spotted a brilliant rainbow.

It was a perfect double rainbow all the way to the ground. And since it was so brilliant, obviously the shower was pretty close and we got a little wet but it was totally worth it.

We also took all the kids to an outdoor maze, which was a lot more fun than I would have thought. It was just challenging enough to keep the big kids guessing and short enough that the little ones still enjoyed it.

They had several other types of mazes and puzzles and we all had a great time working them out. This was a step stone maze.

Ben and Brynn finished!

These two are so adorable. Ben absolutely loves Brynn and she's such a doll. It's a sweet and innocent first love.

The funny kids all lined up their chairs and then sat patiently while the paparazzi got pictures.

The boys gave the girls goodbye hugs when we all had to go our separate ways back to Perth. We actually only live a couple of miles apart but it was great spending an entire weekend together with such a wonderful family.

Now that we're back the fun is really beginning - we're on our way to Houston tomorrow! We got most of the trip worked out on Matt's blackberry in the car on the way down south so this has come together extremely fast. It was a sudden opportunity to head home for a few weeks and we jumped on it. Can't wait to spend some time in Texas with our loved ones and catch up with old friends. Now if only we could fast forward the 30 hours of flying and 14 hours of jetlag!