Sydney - Part 6

We drove out of the city toward the beaches north of Sydney....

The rain was alternating between a drizzle and a downpour, so we headed for lunch at a cafe in Manly rather than a walk on the beach.

An afternoon nap in the car as we headed to see Brett (Matt's cousin) and his wife Nicole. Their son Devlin is just one week older than Liam.

"You've got to be kidding, Mom...isn't it enough that I have to put up with ONE little boy and now there are TWO?!"


Liam was thrilled with the assortment of new toys to play with. He didn't even fight me getting into the high chair for dinner that night!


And Julia warmed up once she realized that Liam was occupied with Devlin and that they wouldn't bother her playing with the toys. The boys weren't playing together but they were playing side-by-side in such a similar manner....it was cute.


Liam is so used to having Julia constantly in his space, his toys, his bath that he didn't think it weird at all when we bathed them together. Devlin, on the other hand, kept looking up at his mom with this bewildered look that said, "Who IS this guy in my bathtub?"

After the children went to bed, we had a wonderful dinner that Nic had prepared. It was great to catch up (we usually only get to see them at Easter when we go to Wivenhoe Dam), and we wish that we lived closer so the boys could play together! Thank you again for such a lovely evening!

The next day was Valentine's Day, and we opened cards and the little pressies that I'd gotten for the kids (plastic jewelry for Julia and for both of them those washcloths with their names on them that are in a tiny little square but expand in the water -- it's the little things in life!)

Storytime with Nana while we got ready to go out for the day*

*We spent the whole day at Bondi, but I'll put all those pictures in my final (I promise!) Sydney post

Room service picnic

My mom kindly offered to keep the children while Matt & I went out to celebrate Valentine's Day-- what a treat! Not only did we get a wonderful, romantic break but we opted out of a big dinner and instead went to the Guylian Chocolaterie for the most decadent dessert feast (complete with champagne)! That's how I want to celebrate every holiday/anniversary/birthday from her on! We paid the babysitter in chocolate truffles ;-) Thank you, Nana!

Sydney - Part 5

Our primary reason for going to Sydney was to apply for Liam's U.S. citizenship, which has to be done in person at the U.S. Consulate there. Aside from many formalities (stacks of paperwork, entry through metal detectors and on private elevators), the appointment was much less of an ordeal than I thought it would be. Matt & I signed on the dotted lines and answered the relevant questions, and Liam woke up just long enough for the registrar to check that the passport photo was actually of him.

Our newest U.S. Citizen


Julia stayed with Nana while we were the appointment and had a ball trying on some of Nana's jewelry (she even let Nana do her hair-- amazing!)

Then they met us in Hyde Park, and we headed over to the Australian Museum

Pausing for a family photo op in front of another statue of Captain Cook

Julia always starts by insisting that she wants to walk but somehow always ends up hitching a ride

And then there's the prince in his palanquin...

Hard to get past the gift shop at this museum. Julia loves umbrellas and thought this was a fantastic twist on the standard.

We went to the Australian Museum specifically for a dinosaur exhibit they were advertising, but the whole museum was great for the children as most of the rooms had at least a few hands-on exhibits. The whole front room had stuffed Australian animals that the kids could pet...

Listening to the sounds of the ocean in a conch shell. Julia proclaimed, "It's got waves in it!"

Morning tea break...Julia's favorite treat these days is "pink milk" (strawberry-flavoured milk...is this an Aussie thing cause I don't ever recall seeing it in the States? You can also get banana-flavoured milk...chocolate milk is one thing, but I find this completely bizarre!)

We must have gotten so enthralled with the museum that we completely neglected taking any more photos. We did see the dinosaur exhibit and we spent a long time in a fabulous children's area that had painting stations, animal tails and ears for dress-up, kid-friendly science exhibits and so much more. Definitely a must-do if you're in Sydney with children!

The children slept the whole way back. Matt went to pick up the rental car so we could head out of the city a bit, and my mom and I took the opportunity to wander through Chinatown.

Sydney - Part 4

From the Opera House we walked over to The Rocks district. I really liked this area of the city -- older area with neat little restaurants & shops and dotted with small parks and green spaces (and some random statues). It reminded me a lot of Georgetown. (The pictures don't really show the area, sorry).

Imitating the Captain Cook statue

Afternoon tea break

Apparently, a famous dog once lived in the area.

The only noteworthy rocks that we saw at "The Rocks"--
this was taken just beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Note: the security guard in the back ground is there solely to make sure no one climbs on or grafittis the bridge supports on that one side (I assume there's another on the other shore)-- needless to say, he seemed very relaxed

We walked under the bridge, through the business districts, around one harbour and to the other, Darling Harbour where our hotel was. A long walk but a great way to see a lot of the city. We passed by all of the theaters and museums that I'll have to come back to one day.

"Want a drink, Mommy?"

Just one of the many delicious meals we had in Sydney

Sydney - Part 3

Nana (my mom) arrived in Sydney after well over 30 hours of traveling, and we didn't even give her a chance to rest before we were headed out for more exploring.

Matt & Julia were napping, so Nana, Liam & I enjoyed a late lunch of pizza at one of the harborside cafes

Not sure if Liam really remembered Nana from her last visit, but he certainly warmed to her immediately. Here he was busy showing her his new favorite activity of putting objects in and taking them out of containers (raisins into his plastic snack cups are always entertaining)

Side note: After multiple weeks of hearing in the news about the record high temperatures in New South Wales, I had packed very summery clothes for us all. However, we arrived in Sydney to cool, fall weather & overcast skies -- a great break from scorching Queensland but I had to go out and buy warmer clothes for the children.

The sleepy heads joined us after lunch, and Julia was ecstatic to see Nana (the other pictures are really out of focus but it was so cute to see her catch sight of my mom from a distance and then take of running, full-sprint, to give her a hug)

Girl talk:
Julia was telling Nana about our trip so far while we walked to the ferry


Meanwhile the lack of sleep finally caught up with Liam

On the ferry from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay (the Sydney Harbour that everyone knows from pictures)

Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background

(Last year I gave Matt a plane ticket to Sydney for his birthday to go visit his friend, Edson, and my parents gave him a gift certificate for a bridge climb where you actually go up to the top of the Harbour Bridge. Matt pointed out the people climbing that day as he told Julia all about his bridge climb. She stared intently until she spotted the little figures, and for the rest of the day she talked about the "tiny people" who climb the bridge as if they were all midgets...guess you can't teach a 2 yr old about perspective)

Approaching the Opera House


The rain forced us inside temporarily but Liam (in his 1yr old way) thought the inside of the ferry was far more exciting than the faraway sights we were looking at from the deck

Meanwhile, Julia stayed glued to the window


We walked around Sydney Harbour to the Opera House for a closer look

Liam and Matt waving to us from down below
(there were too many stairs to take Liam up, so we took turns walking all around the outside -- they won't let you see much inside without a long guided tour or a ticket to a show).


I was surprised that the roof wasn't actually smooth like it looks from a distance but was made up of tiny little tiles


Julia much preferred riding on Daddy's shoulders to sitting in the pram

Still more to come: The Rocks, Valentine's Day, Manly, Bondi Beach, & a visit with Matt's cousins

Syndey - Part 2

We arrived early enough on the first day to explore a bit close to our hotel at Darling Harbour. I liked our location because we were an easy walk to the Sydney Aquarium, and the area is very child-friendly with playgrounds, fountains, and oddities like a sculpture of sheep jumping through a pen (see below).

Just another jungle-gym for our little climber

A band was playing at an amphitheater by the water, and the harbor was full of boats of all sizes. Needless to say, the children (and I) were big-eyed just taking in all the sites.

The fountains all over were a real highlight for Julia. She ran around this one pretending to be one of the flying swans like the sculptures.Completely in her element (and in her own world) running all around the harbor

The Maritime Museum was on one side of Darling Harbour and not only did it have some interesting exhibits but it was free, so we spent a long time in there. The children actually paid attention to the exhibit called "Souveniers of Travel"-- everything from the fine china off cruise ships to little plastic toys made in Indonesia.

But since they are only 1yr and 2yrs old, they were most intrigued by the little cutouts beneath one display that made for a great combination game of peek-a-boo/hide-n-seek/tag. Matt & I didn't mind because it meant we could actually look around while they were entertained.

Once the children had tired themselves out for the afternoon (or so we thought), we made our way back to the hotel for room service and an early night. All four of us in the one small hotel room did not create a calming place for sleep, and by about 2am, I'd pretty much just resigned myself to the fact that sleep was not going to happen.

Matt wasn't feeling well the next morning (he's not as used to pulling all-nighters with the kiddos), so he slept in while I took the kids to the Aquarium for the morning. We had a great time, and I was able to let Liam out of the pram a lot to crawl up to the glass tanks and look at the fish. I wasn't able to take many pictures since I was juggling the two of them and a stroller by myself, but here are a few:

Julia and the Dugong (manatee)

This part of the aquarium was my favorite. After looking down into that pool to see the dugongs feeding (on lettuce, by the way), you walked down a long ramp and ended up below that pool in these glass tunnels. These weird-looking animals were just inches away from us (along with all the other fish)...all the perks of scuba diving without having to worry about wetsuits, sharks, or that whole oxygen business!

"Um, mom? Are you sure this glass is thick enough?"
(Liam looking a bit apprehensive after watching a huge shark swim by him)

Parenting fact #27: If you have paid a small fortune to go to any museum/amusement park/child-friendly activity, at least one of your children will be equally (if not more) amused by something you could just as easily have found (or already have) at home.

After a relatively civilized lunch, the children and I headed back to the hotel to meet Nana! More on that in the next post...

Sydney - Part 1

Long overdue, but here are the first of the pictures from our trip to Sydney a few weeks ago. I'll post them in batches and narrate using the photos. The days were wonderful (the nights not-so-much since the children didn't really sleep), and I really liked the city. It's one of those places that really requires at least 2-3 trips to really cover all the main sites, but we got a great overview and hopefully will go back again in the near future!

Packing for the trip was slow-going. For every two items I put in the suitcase, Liam took out at least one other item. He was so happy with his "game" though that I didn't really stop him.

Just reading up on the safety features of our Qantas aircraft

Apparently, no Furbies allowed!

"Insert the metal buckle into the fitting and pull tight and low across your lap..."
~our little stewardess-in-training

Liam playing peek-a-boo with the very nice (and patient!) lady behind us

So that's the end of post #1 on Sydney. Yes, I realize the photos are all from before we even landed, but I think any plane ride with two children under 3yrs old deserves its own post. And that flight was less than 2 hours! (I don't think I'm truly prepared for the commitment I've made to flying back to the States -- 13 hours just to get to LA-- with both kids by myself in April).

Flat Tire

We got out of the house early this morning to run a couple of errands before taking Julia to pre-school. However, our plans were cut short when 15 minutes from home we had a flat tire. Fortunately, we were close to a few offices buildings, and I was able to ease slowly off the highway and into a parking lot.

Determined to be upbeat about the whole situation so that the children wouldn't get upset, I very cheerily said to Julia, "This is going to be an adventure, Julia. Are you ready for an adventure?" Her response...

"Maybe later."

*Just FYI, we did get the tire changed quickly thanks to the kindness of strangers. I had hauled the spare out of the trunk and was getting the jack set up when one of the employees arriving (it was morning rush hour and we were in an office parking lot) noticed our plight and took over. Liam slept through all of it.