McCarthys in Oz

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T14:17:00.003+10:00

Dancin' our way into 2010!

Halloween

2009-11-01T12:26:00.003+10:00

Halloween is kind of a non-event around here. A lot of kids are getting more interested in the holiday (probably because of all the American shows on TV), but nobody really decorates their houses and the grocery store is the only place to get a carving pumpkin ($20 for a very small one that rotted in 2 days!). Matt likes to tell the story of how his brother Josh went trick-or-treating once when they were younger and came back with fruit, canned goods & even a pair of shoes.Not only do people not decorate though, but many houses don't even allow trick-or-treaters to knock on their doors! Ours was one of about 4 houses on our whole street that didn't have a big sign on the door, saying, "NO TRICK-OR-TREATING! DO NOT KNOCK!" Instead, we (Liam & I) dressed up as Americans ;-) and answered the door with a big bowl of candy bars (which Liam then attempted to drop into each person's bag), wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.Matt was off studying that night (yes, on a Saturday...we're both so ready for exams to be over!) and Julia was at Gran & Pop's (Matt's parents) house for the weekend, so earlier in the week we did a mini Halloween trick-or-treat through our house. Julia's friend Caydence was over here, and the girls picked out their favorite princess/ballerina outfits. Liam was not game to dress-up (can't blame him when most of his options are either covered in feathers or bright pink or both), but he did let the girls put a big hat on his head. I'd made simple little Halloween bags (about the limit of my craftiness and creativity), and I'd hidden little treats behind each of the closed doors in our house. They all thought it was great fun, and as much as I always loved Halloween, our version was probably much more appropriate for 2 pre-schoolers and a toddler (and far easier to control the sugar intake as every other door had something non-edible like bubbles or stickers).

Watergun Take Down

2009-11-01T07:09:00.004+10:00

*Note: Julia was not injured and the rest of the video (too long to post) is of her laughing hysterically for about 45 seconds and then getting up to do it all over again (and again and again).

Big Boy Bed

2009-10-31T13:38:00.000+10:00

Liam has struggled with his transition to the "big boy bed" in the past few months. He liked being free from the crib (and I liked that he couldn't catapult himself over the crib railing anymore), but he spent about 3 weeks sleeping on the floor (we did put a small mattress there for cushioning) right in the doorway. Anyway, he's now sleeping in the bed, and usually snuggles in the normal way -- head on a pillow, covers pulled up. Last night, however, we went to check on him, and this is how he was sleeping....

Mt Tamborine

2009-10-28T06:12:00.000+10:00

One of our favorite weekend excursions is Mt Tamborine. The drive is not too long and has gorgeous views of the Gold Coast, and at the top, there are some easy hiking trails for the kids, quirky shops to explore and yummy pies (Matt's favorite reason to go). We headed up a couple of weekends ago, intending to hike and window shop and, of course, eat pies, but the weather turned on us when we were already on the mountain. Our clear blue skies turned grey and the hot spring day turned cold. No worries! We ate our pies, took refuge in the funny shops, and the children still had a great time.

My little girl, looking like a true Aussie....

Sleep Update: Adenoids, Tonsils & Asthma - Oh My!

2009-10-28T05:56:00.001+10:00

A few people have commented or e-mailed to ask whatever happened with Julia's sleep problems and all, so here's a post to follow up with that. As many of you know. Julia didn't sleep through the night for nearly 3 years despite trying everything (controlled crying, massage, nightlights, sleeping with us, nasal sprays, vaporisors, etc.) Even on the nights when I thought she'd slept pretty well, she was incredibly tired (and cranky) the next day. She drooled profusely even after all her teeth had come in, and her speech was delayed. She did not like eating meet or crunchy fruits like apples. The ENT and speech therapist both suggested removing the tonsils and adenoids, but that option scared me. She just seemed so little for invasive surgery.

In May of this year, however, I gave in. We visited our Mississippi ENT, Dr. Sneed (it helped comfort me that he's a family friend), and 6 months later I am still very happy with our decision to have the surgery. Julia is sleeping through the night, and even though she still wakes early with the sun, she generally wakes up refreshed and happy. The drooling has stopped (although occasionally I have to remind her to close her mouth when she's concentrating hard and has it open out of habit), and she is eating so many more foods (especially all the meats that she wouldn't before). When she gets colds now, they are generally very short lived, and she looks peaceful now when she sleeps. And, of course, she talks all the time-- very clearly!

But just a warning for those moms who said they're considering the surgery for their children, the recovery may not be all popsicles and milkshakes. Julia had a very hard recovery and ended up back in the hospital for a week after the surgery to get IV fluids and different pain medications because she refused to eat or drink anything and got dehydrated. That said, I still don't regret it. In fact, I wish we'd done it earlier, but as Dr. Sneed pointed out, the mother has to be ready, and for my own peace of mind, I had to rule out all the non-surgical options first.

**Note: Little Liam fortunately does not seem to have any of the problems with tonsils and adenoids, but we have found out that he does have asthma. The pediatrician is pretty certain it can be managed with Singulair (non-steroidal tablets, not inhalers), so we are hoping this will finally rid him of the persistent cough he's had for about 6 months and stop his recent trend of interrupted nights.

Spotlight on Julia

2009-09-21T14:51:00.004+10:00

My Pig-Tailed Princess

The blog spotlight has certainly been on Liam for the last few posts, but my little drama queen sure still steals (demands) the spotlight at home. At age 3, Julia is becoming wonderfully self-sufficient...not only does she insist on doing most things by herself, but she's now actually capable of doing them unassisted! Just this morning I came back from a run at 6:30am to find Julia happily awake, fully dressed and ready for school with her little sheet set for naptime and an extra set of clothes. She had already helped herself to a banana from the fruit bowl and didn't mind entertaining herself while I showered before fixing her breakfast. Of course not every morning goes so brilliantly, but it's nice to brag whenever it does happen!

In many ways Julia is a girly girl. She loves all things pink, carries her baby dolls everywhere and loves playing dress-up. One of her favorite games right now is to play mommy to Liam, especially putting him to bed (amazingly, he loves this game too...maybe I should let her have a go at putting him down for the night cause whatever we're doing isn't working!). She tucks him in, "reads" him a book, and even sings songs to him. Her other favorite game is hide-n-seek, though her version of it is actually count-n-find-me-where-I-told-you-I-was-gonna-hide. She is very interested in cooking, and she's actually becoming very helpful in the kitchen, helping to stir or sift or measure out ingredients. She told me that breaking the eggs is the best part of cooking, so making a quiche (with 5 eggs) was a huge hit the other night.

For all the girliness, though, Julia sure can keep up with the boys (even the big boys) when it comes to running and climbing and jumping. She races up play structures and climbs rope ladders with such speed and confidence (but fortunately has a healthy notion of danger too, unlike her little brother). She's already telling everyone excitedly about starting gymnastics again (in January).

I think my favorite of her interests is singing. She loves music of all kinds and has a really good memory for song lyrics (can't get her to do memory picture games at all and I've experimented with telling her grocery items to remember, but it seems to only apply to music). It keeps us really amused too because her song repertoire is really diverse. My iPod has a lot of children's music that we listen to often, but Julia also likes for me to just scroll through a couple of seconds of each song in the playlist (from Van Morrison to Counting Crows, Metallica to Bach) until she decides what she's in the mood for (Keb Mo singing "Better Man" is a current favorite). Matt has a very limited repertoire, but it ranges from "The Purple-People Eater" to the Dirty Dancing classic, "I've Had the Time of My Life" and even an Australian jingle from the 80's for the shampoo Decore (which Julia just calls "The Shampoo Song"). And Julia has learned at least the chorus to pretty much all of them. Since that seems to be the best medium to get her to listen, we sing A LOT around our house. Now when she gets annoyed with Liam invading her space, we all sing Sting and the Police "Don't Stand So Close to Me."

Pneumonia

2009-09-19T10:56:00.003+10:00

As you can probably tell from the tired, sick eyes in the picture, our little man has not been well. We'd been having a really active week with new outings and a new playgroup, and the kids had been having a wonderful time. Liam has had a mild cough that he just can't seem to shake, but the doctor had said he was still getting over his cold and not to worry. So I didn't...until we were on our way home from the grocery store on Wednesday afternoon, and Liam started making a sort of grunting noise. Not to be crass, but at first I thought he was just "working on his diaper" (as my grandmother called it). We were only a few minutes from home, but it was clear pretty quickly that that wasn't it, and when I took him inside he just lay down on the floor looking really limp and pitiful. I called the doctor, put the kids straight back in the car and headed to the doctor's office (fortunately it's only a few blocks away!).

By that point it was obvious to me that he was having trouble breathing (breathing troubles and head injuries are my two major fears when it comes to childhood accidents and illnesses...2 weeks ago it was a mild concussion and then this?!? seriously, this boy is going to give me a heart attack!). While we waited with the nurse for the doctor, Liam's temperature spiked. The doctor said it could either be a "simple" respiratory infection or pneumonia. We were sent away with antibiotics and orders to go to the hospital if he got worse, come back in the morning he stayed the same, or say a prayer of thanks and continue the antibiotic for a week if he got better.

No sleep that night (or the next 4 and counting...) as I watched him and listened to his ragged breathing. No worse but certainly no better, so back to the doc the next morning where the doctor confirmed pneumonia. I'm a bit paranoid about hospitals (as in, I think you're just as likely to get sick as to get well there), and our doctor actually shares those feelings, so he upped the dose of antibiotic, added in a second one and got us on a strict routine of fever-reducers and sent us home (again with orders to go to the ER for any change). By Friday morning, his breathing sounded MUCH better and he actually started to perk up & play with some toys for a bit (I knew he was feeling better when he put on Julia's high-heeled princess dress-up shoes).

The doctor was very pleased with his progress and we were able to drop the meds down a bit (good news since they were not making his tummy happy), and we had a pretty good day on Friday. But as with most illnesses, we had a bit of a backslide on Saturday (see pictures above and below)...
Since he didn't want to be more than 2 inches away from me all day, I sat him on the kitchen counter and stood next to him while I fixed lunch. Within a few minutes he had stretched out and fallen asleep, ragged breathing and fever again. Not good. I called the doctor and gave a rare thanks for the Aussie medical system that lets doctors make house calls! Of course, the doctor then took nearly 5 hours to arrive and by that time (and 2 doses of antibiotics and a dose of Tylenol later), Liam was up and playing and breathing like a champ! Guess the bug just needed to raise its ugly head for one last hoorah (let's hope that's the end of it).

As an aside-- Liam has refused to sleep in his own bed since Thursday. I know I should just be thankful for his relatively speedy recovery, but I am really really hoping this is not a permanent side effect of the illness!

Spotlight on Liam

2009-08-22T11:32:00.007+10:00

Liam at 18 months

This little man is a ball of energy! Liam is tall for his age--he usually stands at least a head taller than the other children his age-- and any child even an inch smaller, he immediately declares "Baby." Liam walks and runs (though still in a drunken-sailor fashion as he gets ahead of his feet at times), and he climbs EVERYTHING -- jungle gyms, slides, furniture, the curtains (before pulling them out of the wall...), the bookshelves, and me.

Liam is still a very happy-go-lucky boy. He wakes up smiling and can keep himself entertained very well. He loves looking at books (though will rarely sit still long enough for me to read one to him), he's great with puzzles, and he is obsessed with trucks. He absolutely loves nature too -- trees, birds, the sky -- he can sit outside for hours just looking in awe (at something as spectacular as a sky full of stars or something as mundane as a single brown leaf on the ground). He laughs a lot (he's even got a great fake laugh for when he's missed the joke that has everyone else cracking up), and he's even a little comedian himself too. Mostly slapstick -- pretending to bang into a wall, smearing food on his face, putting strange objects on his head as hats, etc.

He's also very affectionate! He'll come running with arms outstretched, saying, "Cuddles!" and give a big hug. He also give lots of kisses-- he makes the sound, "mmm-ma" and then bumps his face into yours. He's can be really persistent with his kisses too. He's had a cold most of the winter (yes, it's been winter here), and I must say we all shied away from his snotty kisses, offering a cheek instead. But Liam wouldn't settle for that. He'd take your face in his hands and pull you around till he could plant a slimey kiss right on your lips (no wonder we all caught his cold!).

But that's not to say that he hasn't also figured out how to get his point across when he's frustrated or upset. He's got a grip better than a badger when you go to take something away from him (you know, the butcher's knife or China teapot that he's managed to get hold of after circumventing the house's child-proofing). And most times instead of just screaming in upset, he growls at you, as if in warning..."You may think you're teaching me cause and effect, but just you wait to see the consequences of taking away my beloved bludgeoning stick."

And he talks...a lot! His favorite words are "truck" and "water" and "cuddles" but he has quite a repertoire. I can understand most of his single words, but he also tells whole stories at times and that just becomes a blur. He's a good imitator as well, and he is forever trying to copy Julia -- in speaking, in their play, in how he eats (he will only eat a banana if Julia is eating one too).

Liam and I are about to have two days a week together-- just us while Julia's at pre-school-- and I'm looking forward to my one-on-one time with my little man.

Julia's 3rd Birthday

2009-08-14T20:42:00.017+10:00

My 3-year-old!

Julia had a great birthday! She woke up to find her new dollhouse waiting for her, and then after breakfast we headed to Rocks Riverside Park for her party. Since we are always hearing so much about her little pre-school friends, we decided to invite her whole class this year. It was so fun to see all the littlies running around together, and I enjoyed getting to know some of the parents better. Of course, we also had a great turnout from the extended family and friends as well, and with fantastic weather, lots of food, and lots of space to play, we had a fabulous day! Here are some of the pictures (in no real order):

"Yesterday, I was this many"

"But now I'm this many"

Uncle Michael, Auntie Di & Cousin Scott

All eyes on Julia as she prepared to blow out her candles

Julia took too long to blow them out, so Elana stepped in and helped her

"Hip hip hooray!"

Close-up on the cake:
Julia chose a butterfly and was very particular about the colors as I iced the cake

Liam did his part to help the men with the tent

Then he tried to make off with someone's bike...
Hard to steal a bike when your feet don't reach the pedals!

Relaxed and contemplative.
I think Simon's blowing bubbles.
(Note: all the children were actually distracted elsewhere so this was purely for his own amusement)

Shyly opening her many wonderful presents

These next two pictures are my favorites:

Dirt-smeared and tuckered out

More presents

Cousins Melia and Cooper

Biker dude

Liam waited till he thought no one was watching then made of with one of the presents

Liam & Julia's friend, Indiana took off across the park...we found them in these bushes playing hide-n-seek -- very cute!

Kickin' back with seconds of cake

Cousins Connor, Maverick, Quinn, & Drew playing footy

School friends Emily & Monica

Cousin Tracey & son Cooper with Aunt Julia

Unwrapping her butterfly cupcake (round one of cakes)

Busy, busy

2009-08-13T13:47:00.006+10:00

We have been very busy ever since Nana arrived. In just the first week we went to the Train Museum, the Children's Library, Downfall Creek Bushland Reserve (not to mention all the local playgrounds and 2 days at their pre-school!).

Our new discovery, Downfall Creek Bushland Reserve, has a great playground (nice and shady in the middle of the bushlands) and miles and miles of walking trails. I had an appointment close by and Liam was at home with our nanny-in-training, so Julia and Nana explored the reserve. They got really lucky because a young school group arrived when they did, and they were able to follow the children on their nature walk and learn about some of the Australian flora and fauna. When I joined them later, Julia had retained a lot of the information and told me about the different plants and even the snake skin they had found!

Sleepy eyes and dirt-covered knees....signs of a fun outing!

I am so glad that Julia loves books! The library is always a fun excursion for us (despite having to stop The Destructor, a.k.a. Liam, from pulling down every book on the shelf), and this time was even better because Nana and Daddy got to join us!

The giant books are always a hit!

Proud of her book selections

The Ipswich Rail Museum is also always a fun outing, and Liam is now old enough to really enjoy it too. We went for the Little Nippers Activity Time, but both children decided that they didn't want to be confined to structured play, so we just wandered through the museum instead and found plenty of fun things to see and do!

Climbing down from the steam engine

Tea time in the dining car....

Liam discovered the perfect seat to stop and have a snack

Liam was more than happy to hitch a ride from Julia

Science lesson: How trains move along the tracks

A Liam-sized train track

And a Julia-sized train

The simulator where you learn to drive the train --
I pretend Julia's the one interested, but really it's MY favorite toy at the museum!

Bridge climb

And the fun continues....more pictures soon!

Matt's 31st Birthday

2009-08-13T12:29:00.007+10:00

Another late post, but Matt turned 31 on July 26th. We had a fun gathering with his parents and brothers down at the Gold Coast on the weekend of his birthday, and then last week he and I went to see David Copperfield (the magician) as his big birthday present. The show was amazing, and it was such a treat to have a true date night!

Before the show

Family photo attempt #3,672

After brunch at the Sheraton Hotel....
Liam wanted to stick his face in the water, of course!

Like father, like son

The boys
(from L: Jon, Shane, Josh, Liam & Matt)

Julia reminded us many times that day that her birthday was next!

Happy Birthday, Matt! We love you!

Nana Arrives!

2009-08-13T13:28:00.003+10:00

We were all very excited when my mom called me one Thursday morning and said, "I'm coming to visit." When? The following Monday!! Even better...no waiting around in anxious anticipation, just make the decision, hop on a plane, and come! Julia decided that we needed to make Nana a welcome banner, so that weekend we had a family art project...

Liam was more interested in drawing on himself than the paper.
He decided most of the stickers belonged on him too.

Julia pulled out a little foam cut-outs project we'd gotten months ago and with only minimal assistance created a beautiful butterfly for the banner.

Welcome to Australia, Nana!!

Liam & The Roo

2009-08-09T04:17:00.005+10:00

I know, I know...I can't just post a picture of Liam post-kangaroo fight and then disappear from the blogging world for weeks. Sorry! So first to update:

Liam's scratches were not too deep, and his face has healed well
That's right, roos. Don't mess with me.
I'm one tough little guy!

And now for the back story:

I've posted quite a few times about Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We have an annual pass and now go at least once a month to visit the animals. The children love it, and it's great for me too because they run around so much that a good nap is pretty much guaranteed afterward.

Just as an aside, the girl in the pictures with the children is not some random stranger but our nanny-in-training. She is from Thailand and goes by 'Apple'. We signed up to be a practice family for a local nanny agency, so for 2-3 days each week for 7 weeks she has been helping out with the children (for free!) and on the other days she attends classes on childcare and child development.

Anyway, we headed out to Lone Pine and had a wonderful few hours of seeing all the animals. We watched the sheep dog show and then stayed for the sheep shearing. We saw tons of koalas. We fed the lorikeets....

And then we headed over to feed the kangaroos just like we've done the last 10 times we've been to Lone Pine. These are the same kangaroos who are so docile and well-fed that sometimes they don't even bother to get up from their lounging when you put the food right under their noses and instead just offer a belly to rub just like a pet dog.

These two huge roos were sweet as can be

Then along came this little guy...
seeming all sweet and innocent...

My best guess is that it got spooked, not by Liam but by the other animals lurking around us --
a duck, a pigeon and a very pushy bush turkey (like the one in the background). Because about one second after I took this photo, the kangaroo swiped at Liam's face with both front paws and made a hissing sound like a cat.

Liam cried briefly and then wanted to get back down and pat the other roos. Julia wanted to leave immediately, although later she said, "Maybe he was trying to give Liam a cuddle." Yeah, we can settle on that. Cute cuddly kangaroo wasn't trying to hurt Liam (all hissing aside). He just went in for a hug and got his claws caught in Liam's cheek!

Only in Australia...

2009-07-24T17:46:00.000+10:00

Liam's war wounds (3 days later) from his run-in with a KANGAROO!

Caydence Turns Three

2009-07-11T07:40:00.003+10:00

The countdown to Julia's 3rd birthday is upon us. Her best friend, Caydence, turned three at the end of June, and we celebrated with a fun party at Rowdy Rascals (Julia has been not-so-subtly hinting that she should have her party there too).

Julia and the birthday girl, Caydence

While the girls were off playing on the big climbing structures, Liam tried on all of their shoes

A Tale of Three Flights

2009-06-06T13:26:00.012+10:00

Just in case you were already wondering how the tale ends, we did make it back home safely (about 27 hours later). If you want to still have any faith in airline personnel, perhaps you should stop reading now and instead just scan the photos (all random ones from our time in MS, not from the flights).

It all began pretty well at the Jackson airport. Of my 5 check-in bags, only 2 were over the weight limit (easily remedied by some creative rearranging, which I did while the SkyCap guy laughed at my odd assortment...6 boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, a container of wooden fruit, Spray 'n Wash, etc).

My mom & Liam were happily playing, and Julia returned from an excursion through the airport with G-Da with a giant chocolate chip cookie and equally giant grin (just what you want to give a toddler before confining her to an airplane seat for hours on end!).

We loaded the children and luggage into our newly acquired sit-n-stand double stroller...a great fit that let me avoid becoming a pack mule with kids, bags, and a carseat on my back for the duration of the trip (or so I thought), and waving goodbye to Nana and G-da, away we went.

The flight to Dallas was wonderfully uneventful, and we got off the plane and waited patiently by the door for our stroller. It was delivered promptly by one of the luggage handlers who so delicately threw it at our feet. As the baggage handler walked away, so did the wheels of our stroller...or rather, away they rolled down the skybridge like rats abandoning a sinking ship.

As the stroller was still new to us, I thought for a brief moment that perhaps the wheels were meant to be removeable, and I could simply click them back into place. But that was not the case. Strollers are built to take such an incredible beating from the children who ride in them and the parents who lug them in and out of car trunks, but somehow the airline had actually managed to break through plastic and metal, detaching the wheels so thoroughly that no amount of duck tape (which they offered me) was going to hold it together (and I've known duck tape to hold car doors in place!) well enough to support the weight of two children and our bags safely (or otherwise).

I'll skip the next two hours of arguing with the airline staff and laughing at their ridiculous suggestions (e.g. the proffered loaner stroller to which Julia said, "I have one of those"....for her doll!). We were eventually put on one of those carts that takes the handicapped people, and I even convinced the driver to stop at the food court and wait for us while I got dinner for the kids. With all of 6 minutes to spare before our flight departed, we were situated on the plane bound for LA.

Our seatmate was a godsend! She played peek-a-boo with Liam while I took Julia to the bathroom, helped Julia dress her dolls while I took Liam to change his diaper, provided me with such much-needed adult conversation while the children briefly slept, and even carried all our luggage off the plane when we landed in LA!

Of course, in LA we still had no stroller. I had firmly told the airline that they needed to have someone meet us at the airplane to provide assistance, and amazingly someone was indeed waiting for us...with a wheelchair. Now I was prepared to simply use the wheelchair to hold our bags (or the children even, had they been willing), but the man in control of said wheelchair took one look at us, proclaimed, "But you don't need a wheelchair" and promptly abandoned us. A few more firm "conversations" with the airline supervisors and the man reappeared sans wheelchair.

We both became pack mules then as I carried both children and a backpack while he shouldered the other carry-on bags and carseat, and we got quiet a few stares making slow progress to the next gate (which, thankfully, was in the same terminal). But again we had a problem. Liam didn't have a ticket.

For some bizarre reason, infant tickets on international flights are still issued only as paper tickets. Since we had extended our trip by two weeks and due to yet another airline incompetency, his new ticket had not been mailed to us in time for our flights. We had been told that we couldn't just go to the gate but had to go all the way to the international check-in desk for Qantas to be re-issued the new ticket.

Again cutting short the story of the next two hours, I did manage to track down a very disgruntled Qantas supervisor who allowed us to complete that process over the phone while our very jumpy luggage handler threatened at any second to abandon us again (I actually resorted to dog commands, "Sir, stay....no, stay" since polite pleading had previously failed).

Finally, the time to board was nearing (nearly midnight Jackson time), and all we had to do was wait for the overly cheery Qantas lady to issue our actual boarding passes. Liam was in my arms, but Julia was standing down at my side, out of this lady's view. She handed over our boarding passes and chirped, "Now we've gotten you a bassinet for the infant" (fantastic) "so you'll be in 47J...and Julia is 53F. Have a great flight."

I just stared at her, smiled, picked up Julia, sat her up on the counter in front of the lady and said, "Alright, so that's 47J and 53F." Then I stared calmly at her again. It took her a full minute to register. "Oh, now that's not going to work, is it?" the lady said. Well, ma'am, it sure would make MY life a lot easier to sit a few rows away from the 2-year-old, but I'm not sure how the person in 53G will feel!

An hour later we settled ourselves into 47J & 47K next to yet another wonderfully helpful and extraordinarily patient person who provided just enough help and support to make the flight bearable.

Since those of you who are still reading this are beginning to feel as if you too have been dragged through 14 or more hours of travel, I'll wrap this up. 14 hours later we arrived in Brisbane. 2 hours after that we were released from health quarantine. 1 hour more and we were released from agricultural quarantine and finally allowed to walk beyond the nearly impenetrable barrier that is Australian customs. Matt greeted us and our entourage (the carry-ons, the carseat, stray dolls and toys, a flight attendant and two trolleys piled high with luggage), and finally we went home.

Rain Boots

2009-05-26T22:41:00.004+10:00

Nana has some rain boots that she wears around the yard for gardening, and ever since we arrived, Julia has been saying she wants some too. When it started raining and the yard filled with some great puddles, we decided it was high time to fulfill that request. Julia and I went on a shopping excursion to find the perfect rain boots, and about 6 pairs and much debating later we left with a very cute pair with flowers on them for Julia and (on Julia's recommendation) frog boots for Liam. Back at my parents' house, we had a rare moment of happy sibling playtime, stomping around in their boots and playing catch (or rather throw-and-find)!

Liam had to abandon his boots for the walk down the long driveway since he's still not too steady on his feet

Hattiesburg, MS

2009-05-26T09:40:00.005+10:00

Our first weekend back in Mississippi, we drove down to Hattiesburg. We always like visiting Grandma, and it was a treat this time to also get to see my Aunt Carol, Aunt Cathy & Uncle Vance. The children enjoyed our outing to Camper Park Zoo and lots of playtime in the backyard.

Colorado Girls' Trip

2009-05-24T09:05:00.010+10:00

At the LA airport, we all parted ways. Nana, G-Da, & Liam headed back to Mississippi while Julia & I hopped on a plane to Boulder, Colorado. Liam looked slightly stunned, and my parents looked way too comfortable with this arrangement (they had not yet had the pleasure of flying with Sir Squirms-A-Lot). After flying with both children, our short flight to Denver with just Julia was an absolute breeze!

The mountains were still covered in snow when we first arrived, and Julia was thrilled to find that there was some still left on the ground in the parking lot even for her to stomp through (pretty much just sludge, but she didn't mind). We had perfect weather though cause the next day it was sunny and just warm enough to be out without coats.

It was so great to be back in Boulder! I told Matt it was lucky my parents had taken Liam with them or else I probably would've just told Matt that we were staying in Colorado for good and for him to just hurry up and join us! In addition to just soaking up the wonderful mountain air and showing Julia around my favorite city, I got to catch up with some good friends and meet their children. Julia was in heaven-- time as an only child again and lots of playmates too!!

Julia & Fiona at Chatauqua Park

Eamonn & Sarah's daughter, Fiona -- she was so precious, and once she and Julia had gotten over their initial shyness, they had a ball playing together!

Flying child!

This is why I love Boulder, CO... not many places have a playground right at the base of the mountains!

Emily and two of her children, Rosie & Lily

Lily and Julia are only a couple of months apart, and Rosie (a bit older than Liam) worked hard to keep up with the big girls!

Playing tag

Hide-n-seek

Queens of the Mountain

Julia loved their playhouse and told me very matter-of-factly, "Mama, we have to get one of these"

Tulips in full bloom on Pearl Street....have I mentioned how much I love Boulder?

More from Pearl Street (for those of you who don't know Boulder, it's a great pedestrian street with cute shops and restaurants. Plus there are all these little child-friendly features, like the animal statues to climb on and a water play area in the summer)....

Jack (Emily's oldest child) with Lily & Julia

We also got to go to Lily's 3rd birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, and Julia had a blast!

Ski-ball champions

Julia & Jack in a heated air-hockey match

"1, 2...I think we're missing a few kids"

While we were all distracted with the older children, Rosie snuck over to the tables and stuck her face in the side of the chocolate cake

Birthday girl, Lily

Just making sure she gets every last crumb!

We had a great trip, and if I have my way we'll be back very soon (at least for another visit)!

Disneyland - Part III

2009-05-22T07:25:00.007+10:00

Last pics from Disneyland...

Nana and Julia on the Winnie-the -Pooh ride (for the second time!)

Descending into Ariel's Grotto for the Princess Breakfast

Seated with our slightly overwhelmed little princess

"Seriously, guys, what's with the chick in the funny hat?"

Julia loved the parade of princesses....

And now on to the rest of our trip...photos to follow soon!

Disneyland - Part II

2009-05-18T01:38:00.011+10:00

In no particular order, here are some photos from our wonderful few days at Disneyland! I have to admit, I was skeptical about the Disney experience, thinking it would be gaudy, in-your-face marketing, but I was wrong. Yes, there are a million places to buy Disney paraphernalia, but the whole concept of Disneyland is just so impressive, appealing to adults and children alike. I was won over immediately (and not just by the Pirates Suite!).

Nana & Julia in the princess outfit that G-da got her (you can tell which photos are from the first day because that was the only day she didn't wear her princess dress)

"Hey, Mickey? Yep, I'm here in Disneyland. Where are you?"
(Liam's new favorite past time...talking on the 'phone')

Playing the steel drums in Tarzan's Treehouse

"But mom, it's a lot quicker if you just crawl under this pesky ole rope"
Liam didn't understand the concept of waiting in line

The lines weren't actually all that bad, and with lots to look at Julia didn't usually mind the wait

Waiting with sleeping Liam

Except for the scary tunnel filled with giant dinosaurs, the train that went around the whole perimeter of the park was great fun!

Skipping down Main Street

Watching a parade

Mesmerized by Playhouse Disney- Live .... best thing we did! Both children absolutely loved the show!

Dancing along to Handy Manny

Nana's favorite character meet-and-greet

The children weren't the only ones excited by the candy shop!

Relaxing during a parade

Tired princess with her giant baloon

Hanging out on Main Street

If you look closely enough you can see Nana, G-da, & Liam on the Alice in Wonderland ride

Relaxing at our banquet table after a long day at Disney

Disneyland - Part I

2009-05-11T04:08:00.008+10:00

As usual, this post is long overdue... The children and (more importantly) I survived the 13-hour flight from Brisbane to LA. Although they only slept for about 3 hours total, they did as well as could be expected. Julia thought it was such a treat to get virtually unlimited TV-viewing time, which left me free to wrangle monkey-man Liam as he tried to crawl over the seats and out of the plane. Liam is a little ham though when he's got an audience, so once he discovered that he could stand up in the carseat facing the back of his seat and "perform" (i.e. crowing and squealing) for row upon row of people behind him, he was pretty content. He also got some good walking practice as he and Julia and I did laps around the plane...walking down a narrow aisle on a slope in the middle of turbulence is a great way for a 1-yr-old to improve his balance!

No matter how well a flight goes, when you're traveling by yourself with 2 toddlers on a 13-hour flight, you're gonna be completely exhausted by the time you actually get off the plane. It was such a joy to finally clear customs with 2 tired littlies and a lot of luggage and be greeted by my parents who were well-rested (for perhaps the last time on this visit) and ready to help! We somehow managed to get us all on the Disneyland Express and headed straight to the Disneyland Hotel. Julia excitedly chatted with Nana & G-da about seeing Mickey Mouse and Cinderella.

Checking-in

When we got to the hotel (around 10am) they told us our rooms wouldn't be ready till 3pm. I was so ready for a shower and a chance to unload all our stuff, and I must have just looked and sounded incredibly pitiful when I said to the lady, "Is there ANY other room that might be ready now?" She said to wait a minute and then disappeared into the back. When she came back, the manager was with her, and they were both grinning. "I think you'll like this room," she said, and she told us to come with her to just "check and see if it'll work for us."

They ushered us into the elevator and up to the top floor of the hotel. Down at the end of one hall, beyond all of the ordinary hotel-room doors was a set of dark wooden double doors and a doorbell. She pressed the doorbell, opened the door, and as "A Pirate's Life for Me" played on the doorbell, she showed us into the Pirates of the Carribean Suite. As we all stared wide-eyed and grinning, they gave us the tour of the penthouse suite.

Our entry hall

Looking from the entry hall into the living area with banquet table, chandelier, fireplace, bar...oh yeah, and a lot of the actual props from the Pirates of the Carribean movie (e.g. Jack Sparrow's gun). Basically the only thing missing was Johnny Depp himself!

The living room

Part of the view from mine and Julia's bedroom (looking down you could see the pool). From our living room we could see the fireworks each night, and the balcony went around the whole place. I didn't get any photos of the master bedroom but it was massive!

As we walked around we kept waiting for the "catch", but there wasn't one. I never win anything, and suddenly we'd been upgraded from the most basic room to the nicest suite in the hotel (which we were told normally rents for $7000/night!) at no extra charge! When we asked why we were so lucky, the manager said. "We just like to make a little magic!" Welcome to Disneyland!!!!

After we got over the awe and shock of the suite, we headed to Downtown Disneyland for lunch at Brennan's. Julia slept through a delicious meal, but Liam enjoyed his lunch and lots of people-watching from our patio seats.

Sharing his grilled cheese with G-da

By the time we actually entered the Disneyland park, though, both children were sound asleep...
It actually worked out well though, because we walked all around while they slept, getting our bearings and scoping out the best toddler-friendly rides for when they woke up. More on that soon....

Easter at Wivenhoe

2009-05-06T22:17:00.005+10:00

Every Easter Matt's family gathers at Wivenhoe Dam. Peter (Matt's dad's cousin) and his wife Jennie have a house there with lots of land and horses -- perfect for camping out while still having access to all the amenities, including a lot of good food! This year my exams started the week after Easter, so Matt took the children to Wivenhoe on Friday, and I stayed home studying till Sunday then went to join them. Julia and Liam had a fabulous time with lots of cousins to dote on them and keep them busy (I think Matt even got a bit of a break despite my absence).

A small slice of the view of Wivenhoe Dam

Not sure what Matt was going for with the first few of these posed pictures, but here are some glimpses of the family...

Taylor

Jennie & Greg (family friend)Connor, Jessie-Claire, Tobias

Happy Liam playing with the pebbles by the BBQ grill --
'Hey Mom, look at these great snacks I found!'

Peter (Jon's cousin) with Jon & Liam -- Julia calls Matt's dad 'Pop' and when she saw Peter with similar features (including a moustache), she began calling him 'Uncle Pop'

This year for our big Easter dinner, we had a traditional New Zealand 'Hungi'. I'd never heard of a Hungi (traditional or non-traditional), so I was interested to see the process which began with digging a huge pit in the ground. It's a lot more involved than your average pig roast (not that I'm entirely clear on the process there either), and the preparations took nearly 3 days! Rocks are placed in the pit and then the food is prepared...

Pound after pound of meats (lamb, chicken, pork) were placed into these foil-lined crates. Potatoes, cabbage, and corn went into other crates, and then the crates were placed on top of the pit on sticks (I think) with a fire over the top. They poured ice onto the hot rocks below to create steam and halfway through the cooking process, the crates then drop down onto the hot rocks. I'm sure there was a lot more to it than that, but the result was some incredibly tender meat and delicious veggies! Quite an experience!

**Pictures from our USA trip coming soon***

Okay, here goes...

2008-01-30T11:01:00.001+10:00

After spending ages reading the blogs of family and friends, I am finally ready to give it a go myself.

We are in a flurry of activity here as we get ready for a visit from Nana & Grandaddy (my mom and dad) and Great-Grandma (my grandmother) and also as we prepare for the arrival of Liam James McCarthy (due Feb 29). We have been painting rooms, clearing out closets, cleaning the garage, and much much more. Julia has enjoyed all the hubbub, especially having found the stash of her old baby items -- bath seat, car seat, toys, etc. Not sure what she'll think when she has to relinquish control of those things to her new little brother, but we'll see how we go.

Nana & Grandadddy went to Hawaii recently and sent Julia the cutest hula outfit (complete with a coconut bikini-- although Julia has decided that works better as cymbals)! She loves the skirt and shell necklace now though, and she's a pretty amazing little dancer, moving her hips and everything!!

Julia absolutely loves playing outside. She really likes the water, but we're still in the middle of a really severe drought here and can't have a hose or sprinkler on (we can't even wash our cars or take showers longer than 4 minutes, in fact). Since she's constantly at the tap asking for water to play in, though, we've made a compromise. I fill a big party ice bucket with water and drag it into the middle of the yard, fill it with cups and toys, and let her splash in it all she wants-- within minutes she's usually soaking wet!

Julia found Matt's ski hat in a drawer a couple of weeks ago and now wears it for at least part of each day. As if just having on her dad's hat isn't funny enough, picture that it is well over 90 degrees and sunny outside. Needless to say, we get some very bizarre looks on the few occasions I've let her wear it out of the house (some days it's just not worth the fight). The big ole grin is her "camera smile."

I have to make sure not to mention a trip to the park until everything is packed up and I'm ready to walk out the door because at the first mention of swings or a playground, Julia has grabbed my keys and pokes them into the screen door (her way of "opening" it) until I go out to the car with her. We have a great little park nearby that is close to a lake. Lately, Julia wants to walk around the lake after playing. She's got some stamina and can make it almost all the way around by herself (usually at a run) -- 1/2 mile maybe?, but it's always nice to stop for a snack break halfway around!