First Adventure in Oz

It is a 3-day weekend here in Australia because of the Queen's birthday. We thought it would be a great time to get out of town and see some of the coastline north of the city. We packed up the rover first thing Saturday morning and started driving. We stopped for lunch in Lancelin, let the boys play a while in the picnic area, then crossed the dunes to see the beach.

I was totally unprepared for this! It was breathtaking.

This has to be one of the prettiest beaches we've ever seen. Too bad the water hadn't warmed up yet because I was dying to run in.

Ben was having more fun sliding down the dunes and (thankfully) didn't notice the water. Not sure we wanted wet little boys in the car because we still had a long drive to get to our hotel.

We didn't see as much wildlife as I'd hoped but did run across a lot of these lizards. Kind of creepy, in my opinion, but a few less in the world now since they weren't too quick to run out of the road.

We saw lots of sand dunes and in this area there were cars and 4-wheelers having all kinds of fun. We opted to try that another day without the kids!

A few hours north of Perth and beyond Lancelin, the coast highway ends but they're constructing a new road. We saw several other cars driving on it so we just followed them to see if we could stick to the coast and off the beaten track. Check out the lovely bugs on the windshield. In some places it was so bad it sounded like rain.

Our little passengers were very well behaved. As long as we could keep Alex's mouth plugged he was pretty good. He would watch a little TV or play with toys but both days he got very impatient to get out of his carseat and we'd step on the gas to get to our destination.

Ben was loving the DVD player and was pretty quiet the entire trip. He's such a good traveler.

Our trek down the newly constructed road let us to a shanty town. We encountered a couple of these and I have to say they're a bit creepy...they don't appear to have electricity or water and don't seem to like the outside world. We only stopped at this "convenience store" to buy a map (handdrawn) of the dirt roads so we could decide whether to head back to the main highway inland or follow the coast. After talking to several people along the way, we finally decided to test out the land rover and take the tracks. Turns out the dirt roads were all in good condition and we were more than equipped to handle them.

This was an interesting house - never seen a place with whale bones in the front yard.

We followed our hand-drawn map and drove right on the beach for several miles. It was such a perfect day and there weren't even many people out. Granted, only a handful of people could be living within 50 miles of this place but it was really amazing.

We kept getting these views as we went up and down hills along the coast.

And here's Matt's new toy. These things really are made for challenging drives and it did great in the sand, rocks, and dirt.

After seeing lots of roadkill, we finally spotted a wild (and living!) kangaroo! We saw several more on the trip home.

The main stop we wanted to make was at Pinnacles Desert. One small area tucked away in the endless bush is an orange sandy desert filled with limestone pillars. It's almost invisible until you drive right into it but it was beautiful. This area reminded me of a cemetery.

The boys were excited to get out of the car and run around all the rocks.

Pretty fun for a 3-year old to run and climb on everything and not get told "no"!

Ahhh, little tiny footprints!

And little tiny hands! Alex left two perfect sets of prints when he stood up.

Daddy with his boys in front of one of the biggest rocks.

Ben thought this one was a toilet. Pretty funny to pretend except he won't use the toilet at home. Maybe we should go out here every day until he's trained.

Looking over the desert to the sea.

We drove a few more hours to Geraldton, the last major city along the Western Australian coast for hours, to spend the night. And by major I mean it had a grocery store and Target. It was actually a really charming little town with a main street, a few hotels, a nice beach, and this beautiful playground right on the water. The weather was terrific - nice and warm and very low humidity, so we had a great time outdoors.

Alex and I went down the slide together.

Mama and my boys. It was great letting them run and play outside because after a good lunch they both passed out in the car on the way home. Nothing like an hour and a half of peace and quiet!

It was a great weekend and a fun trip for us all. We've never gotten to take a road trip together because it's not exactly an option living on a small island, so it was fun for us to explore without a plan or a timeline. Even better, today was the actual holiday so we still had a day at home to relax and play.

My camera has pretty much died so I'm using Matt's rarely-used camera now. When I was uploading the pictures today I found this old video. I'm guessing Ben was about Alex's age now of 15 months (adjusted, of course) and I thought this was so precious! Enjoy the flashback...

Boys Will Be Boys

I'm a pretty laid-back mom, I think. I don't get worked up over bumps and bruises and I tolerate blood pretty well, thanks to my previous life in the mouse lab, but I have to admit this goose-egg made me feel terrible! It's the kind strangers stare at and think "how could you let that happen?".
The boys had been playing for about 3 minutes at a playground on a little suspension bridge and the minute I let go of Alex's hand to grab his other, Ben jumped, Alex launched into the air, and then I head the heavy thump of skull on wood. Poor baby! It was swollen immediately and kept growing all the way home. I stopped for ice but it just made Alex mad so I figured as long as he wasn't crying anymore it wouldn't be too bad to stop for a picture. (can't blame him for frowning, though!)

Ben enjoyed all the drama and loved posing in the flowers. I couldn't convince him to take off his hood but it was pretty smart because the wind was strong and chilly. It's "springtime" here and the flowers are blooming but I can't tell that it's gotten any warmer!

But thankfully Alex is a tough guy and it wasn't the first and won't be the last blow to the head. In fact, he's added several more bruises and scrapes to his face this week, some with Ben's help and some all by himself.

I don't think it's bothering him much, do you?

Meanwhile, Ben has been busy sending messages on his computer. I guess I need to quit telling him that we can go do something after I finish a message because now he's telling me the same thing.

The boys love playing on the porch upstairs and have been hauling all their toys out there lately. We are finally getting a nice dining set to enjoy the spring weather (if it ever arrives) so soon their playground will shrink.

Even Alex is getting in on the car action these days. Pretty soon they'll be zooming around together.

Another benefit of the porch - we get to point and laugh when the golf course workers drive into the sand pit.

In other news, Ben got a hold of my camera at dinner last night and took 37 pictures in a matter of minutes. He was particularly proud of this one because he could see both Alex and Mama.

And here's the conversation that brought out the camera in the first place. I had told Ben at the grocery store yesterday to stop squealing because it was making Alex scream. I guess he was listening....and twisting my logic just a bit.

translation:
B: *blaughghghgh* Alex, you don't do that again...
A: BLAUAGHGHGHGH
B: ...because that makes Ben scream... ahhhhhh!!
A: (thinking) "why are you looking at me?"

Now, tell me you wouldn't love to be behind us in line at the grocery store!

And now I'd like you to meet the newest little dancer in the family!

House Tour, Take 3

For those of you following the blog since its start in 2006, you'll know that this is the third house we've moved into in as many years. Both Matt and I lived in the same house respectively from birth to college, then each of our parents moved a short distance and built the houses they still call home. We weren't exactly raised as nomads. Our kids, on the other hand, have lived on 3 different continents already (I'm counting Alex's two months in the US last year because that's still a big chunk of his little life) and Ben is on his fourth house already. That's just counting the places we've gotten mail, not all the time we've spent living at my parents' place or in temporary accommodations.

So, please, join our tour guide Alex for a look at the newest place we're calling home.

Upstairs is the family room with the dining, living, and kitchen and a great view of the golf course and ocean. It's where we spend the most time because I can gate the kids in with me while we play or I cook.

Or while Ben catches up on his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The living room is all at angles to the wall (pretty daring decor for the plain jane Kirkhams) but it was the best way to accommodate all the windows and make the most of the view.

The kitchen looks deceptively small but actually has a ton of storage. Or maybe it's just that our last kitchen was so small this feels huge. It even has a walk-in pantry...never had one of those before.

Down the stairs (one of the hundred times a day) to the middle floor, or all the way to the bottom and the kids' area.

Alex's room, which is the biggest he's ever had. I couldn't get the whole thing in the picture because the boys share a wall turned at an angle which really makes the most of the space.

Ben's room, also the biggest of his life. They each have a sliding glass door (with locks, thank goodness) that opens out into the little garden.

Back up on the middle floor is the playroom/study. Obviously still needing some seating and organization. I'm also trying to sell some of the younger toys that the kids don't use anymore to minimize the clutter.

Next stop down the hall is the master bedroom. Definitely one of the smallest we've had so the furniture is pretty cramped!

We can't even open our door all the way but at least we didn't have to remove a window to bring in the armoire.

His and hers closets lead to the master bath. Gotta love having your own closet.
Opposite our room is the guest room and bathroom but it's still too much of a mess to share pictures. But have no fear - we will get it straightened up very soon to welcome visitors! Lucky for us Singapore is only a 5 hour flight so we're looking for friends to take advantage free room and board.

At the end of the hall is the laundry room. So nice to have it inside again. Front loaders are endless entertainment for these two. And if you notice out the window, our neighbor's lemon tree hangs into our yard so we'll be helping ourselves to fresh lemons whenever we need them. We also have mint growing in the front so I'm going to try my hand at mint lamb chops this week.

Out the back door is the 2-car garage and separate storage room. It's really nice to keep all the junk locked up in a room so we have plenty of space for the cars. And did I mention we now have two cars? Matt became the proud owner of a 2003 Land Rover last week so we'll be able to see Australia now with 4-wheel drive. Next weekend is a 3-day weekend so we'll be on the road somewhere...just haven't decided where yet. I'm driving the Aussie version of the Picnic we had in Singapore, only this time in white and with a massive tow hitch. Not sure what I'll be hauling in my mom-mobile, but I guess it's good to know I can drag a trailer or boat if the mood strikes.

So welcome (again) to our home, a place we hope to make many happy memories and watch our boys grow. Alex may not ever remember his Australian adventures but hopefully Ben is old enough to remember this place one day.

God bless this home with peace - Luke 10:5

Forces of Nature

I have to admit that full-time motherhood and full-time housewife and mother of two are not exactly the same thing. I knew I was very spoiled in Singapore to have such a wonderful maid and I made it a point to appreciate every meal I didn't have to cook and all the laundry that magically appeared back in the drawers and closets. Meanwhile, I had so much time to spend playing the the kids, taking them to parks and playgrounds and playdates, and pretty much doing everything fun with them. Now it's a little different trying to manage to keep the house clean, food in the pantry, meals on the table, and these little monkeys entertained. I have the feeling my standards of cleanliness are going to slowly drop as I spend less time worrying about the messes and more time with my two favorite little people in the world. Lucky for me at the moment, quality time with Ben is vacuuming, "wapping" (mopping), using the washing machine, or cleaning glass together. His constant requests to clean definitely keep the house in better order! Then a few minutes later Hurricane Alex blows through and obliterates all the work we've done. But, ahhh, how I love the chaos they bring.

Just look at this face! Ben has endless energy these days, I think because he hasn't been in school for 6 weeks now and hasn't had a good outlet to blow off extra steam. Hopefully once the spring weather truly arrives we'll be outdoors a lot more and let this boy run around all he wants, instead of romping through the grocery store like a madman.

And this little guy is into EVERYTHING. Turn your back for a minute and he's emptied your wallet. Set a cup or food down and it's gone. He's fast and quiet and loves squeezing into small spaces so I think of him as my little ninja.

And these were the faces I saw when I got out of the shower today.....GUILTY.

Ben was in my makeup and hair gel.

He was quite happy with his personal style and protested greatly when I washed it off before we went out of the house.

Alex took it upon himself to completely rearrange the cabinet. I think he was trying to clear a shelf to crawl in but didn't get enough time to finish his project. No worries, though...I'm sure he'll find another opportunity soon.

I think this is a tough age for both of them at the moment because Ben is really advancing mentally, asking why, challenging authority, and testing limits. Alex needs constant supervision in his exploring and can be a little barbarian when it comes to sharing, waiting for food, or being carried when every object in a store needs touching. He has really perfected the ear-piercing scream. It's easy to forget their individual challenges when they're beginning to play so well together, though. Every day I see them laughing, running, exploring (read: making trouble), and chasing one another more and more and I hope they grow to be deep and lifelong friends.

We did manage to enjoy a chilly afternoon at the park last weekend and Alex went across this bridge dozens of times. He's a pretty athletic little guy and I've been amazed at how quickly he's running, going up and down the stairs very well, and managing slopes like this. Fightin' Texas Aggie football...watch out for this one in about 17 years...

Ben was a little more fascinated by the roped-off area. To each his own.

Alex is really working on his language these days. He's imitating words and songs and will sing along to the ABC song, Twinkle Twinkle, or Battlefield (by Jordin Sparks, Ben's current favorite) even though all the words are "da". I was trying to teach him "duck" and he said it a few times but then decided it would be more fun to join them than just to talk about them. Baby leash, here we come.

And one random picture that makes me so happy:
This is the Australian version of Wal-Mart. It's apparently a Woolworth's chain but uses the entire structure of Wal-Mart and looks so familiar when you walk in the doors. Coming from a country where I had to hit a dozen stores looking for a nightlight or scotch tape, it's so satisfying to go to Big W and get all the things on my list again. The simple things make a big difference.