Lancelin and Rotto

Amanda couldn't come to Perth without a trip to our favorite beach at Lancelin.

We made the 2-hour drive up the coast and across the sand to the best place where we got all the sun and waves to ourselves for miles. It was a perfect day for sandcastles.

I should have taken more pictures, as usual, but loved this one of Alex's cheesy grin.

We buried Ben into a shorter version of himself.

The finished product with custom designs from each of us.
And naturally, once it was done the little destructor came in to do the demolishing. By then the wind and sun were getting to us so it was time to head home anyway.

On the way back we drove through the sand dunes a little and had some fun.

The most fun was watching these crazy cars trying to drive to the top of the sandboarding hill. We were trying to guess if it was just for the sake of accomplishment or to save the trouble of climbing it on foot, and our question was finally answered when a jeep made it up and the entire family piled out with their boards. Guess they didn't want to walk!

The next day we took the ferry to Rottnest Island, just Rotto to the locals, and finally discovered why people here like it so much. The beaches were gorgeous and the snorkeling, especially here at Salmon Bay, was outstanding. I've never seen such clear water.

Hard to see in this picture, but there are five osprey families on the island and we got to watch a pair in flight.

Our next wildlife encounter was at Parakeet bay in the rocks near where we were sitting. A very poisonous dugite snake slithered about six feet away from us through the rocks and disappeared. Needless to say, we quickly relocated a safe distance away! Most of the highly venomous snakes in the world are in Australia and I'm glad it's taken so long to spot one firsthand. His tail is just hanging out behind the brush in this picture.

But before all that excitement, Ben got his first snorkeling lesson with his new gear. I wish I could say it was successful but between getting his hair pulled in the mask and the freezing cold water, it didn't go over well.

Alex didn't seem to mind the cold water at all and was in and out at his leisure.

This bay was protected from the wind and waves and was a perfect place to play and relax.

Our last wildlife encounter was with the quokkas, little marsupials that look like a cross between a mouse and kangaroo.

These little guys are only found on a handful of islands in Western Australia and it was fun to get to see them in person.

After a great day at the beach, we had a late lunch by the harbor then all got a nice nap on the ferry ride home.

To end our wonderful day, we got ice cream on Cottesloe beach and watched this amazing sunset. What a way to end 2010!

Marapana Wildlife World

We had to take Amanda somewhere to get up close and personal with kangaroos for her first trip to Australia and we chose Marapana because it's also one of the few places to cuddle a koala as well. It's about an hour south of Perth near Mandurah.

The galah parrots greeted us on the way in.

We all got a bucket of food and quickly made friends with the first kangaroos we met.

Our family with a roo family



We all fell in love with this joey who refused to get out of his mom's pouch.

Ben pet the little guy and even offered him some food.

We saw this joey bouncing around later and couldn't believe he somehow managed to fit back in his mom's pouch, too! Look at those big feet!

We fed the ostriches and emus as well and laughed at how they maneuvered their long necks through the fence.

Don't feed the camels there...turns out they've figured out the system! This one stole the bucket and dumped all the food in his mouth.


We made some new friends when we spread out our picnic lunch...lots of ringneck parrots looking for crumbs...

...and this sweet one-armed kangaroo looking for friends.

Speaking of friends, this snake did NOT find one in Ben! He was not thrilled about this close encounter, although he did go back to pet it a little later.

Finally we moved on to the main event and it didn't disappoint....the koala exhibit was terrific.

This little baby was running around on the ground for a while and I just about jumped the fence to take her home.

Are they not the cutest little pair in the world?

Koalas really know how to relax!

We each got to take turns holding the biggest koala, Crystal. She was sweet and soft and so cuddly!



Ben asked for a turn to hold her but I said he was too small. Then he asked to hold the baby instead because she was just the right size. I wish, Ben....that would have been a priceless picture!

Instead, the boys had to settle for petting the ones within reach and that seemed to do the trick.


Such a fun day!

Christmas Down Under

This was our first Christmas overseas and it was definitely fun to spend it in Australia. We haven't had many Christmas eves like this:

We spent the morning at Leighton beach with several other families watching all the boys enjoy the warm sun and cool water. It was a postcard perfect day! Here is Ben hanging with his buddy Malcolm.

Later that evening we were so excited to pick up Aunt Amanda at the airport (no pictures, unfortunately) so she could spend a week with us here. When we got home, all attention turned toward Santa's big visit that night. The boys left some cookies, M&Ms, and a carrot for Rudolph. After answering some serious questions about the size of our chimney, we put the boys to bed and got busy playing Santa ourselves!

All the loot!! It was so exciting going to bed knowing how much they'd love all the surprises in the morning.

Hooray!! Santa was here! And this is the sunlight at 6am on an Australian Christmas morning.

The big surprise was downstairs...

The kids jumped their little hearts out but had to get back upstairs to all the exciting new toys.
It was really great having Amanda here to share in the Christmas joy with us but we also got to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa Kirkham, Grammy and Grumpy Shepherd, and Jason, Stacey and little Reid. The boys opened the rest of their gifts with the family watching, so we all got to spend some time "together" on Christmas.

We had a lazy Boxing Day (26th of December) and lounged around at the beach on hot, perfect day. There was not a wave in sight and the ocean was as calm as a swimming pool.

Happy faces!

The boys got to swim out as far as they wanted for the first time since there were no waves, but I learned the hard way that there were jellyfish out there!

Today we started taking Amanda around to some of our favorite places. First stop - Margaret River Chocolate Factory. It's easy to find Ben and Alex there....they'll always be right next to the sample bowls!

We did some wine and cheese tastings at several vineyards in Swan Valley. Also did a little buying :)

The vineyards look beautiful right now and they're just bursting with grapes.

We're having so much fun with Amanda and look forward to all the other activities we have planned this week.

Kowloon Park

We visited Kowloon Park which was a terrific place with koi ponds, playground, an aviary, fountains, and even a big swimming pool. We all enjoyed the koi pond and its ducks and swans.

Even a big flock of flamingos in their own pond.

The roots from this tree were pretty impressive climbing down the wall.

The aviary was pretty interesting as well with macaws, hornbills, cockatoos, parrots, and several other birds.

We spent most of our time on the playground letting the kids burn off some energy. It made me feel like I was back in Singapore watching an auntie sweep each leaf into her tray. It was also fun watching people up the hill doing their tai chi.

We picked up McDonald's for lunch and I couldn't resist getting a picture. Never thought I'd see twisty pasta as a choice there and it sure did not look good.

It was a great getaway for the family but we're happy to be home and getting ready for Christmas and Aunt Amanda's arrival tomorrow!