Together again...

Jamin & his precious Oma have been reunited.

"I missed you Oma" have been the words of the day. Very sweet.

Everyone is very happy to be together, although we are all a little tired because of her 12.30am flight arrival.

We are planning our next 2 and a bit weeks with lots of outings, dates for me & Danny and time at home just being together.

It's going to be wonderful!

Finally! It Works!

Last year my sister-in-law & good friend, Ainsley Smith, got a Thermomix. Basically its a fancy machine for the kitchen that does everything - chops, grinds, mills, mixes, cooks, sautes', crushes. Its great for when you have young kids, are cooking at home all the time and are interested in eating a little more healthily. Its not cheap - but after reminding my precious husband how many mountain bikes he has bought over the years, I managed to convince him :)

It makes the most amazing custard and pasta and risotto and lasagne and... You get the picture?

We knew we where coming over to America by that stage and after a bit of research found out that they do not sell Thermomixes in America (something to do with the metric system). Because of the complex systems and motor, we also knew that it might be hard getting a regulator that was able to get it to work. But we decided to take the plunge and order it anyway, hoping that with some word of mouth info we could find the right regulator.

So began the long and arduous journey that I am sure was character building at some point...

It wasn't high on the list of things to sort out when we first got here, so after the first month of chaos and Danny having an enlightening conversation with an electrical engineer in Canada we ordered a convertor on the net. I waited 2 long and hopeful weeks till it arrived, plugged it in and HOORAY! we had power. I incorrectly assumed that power meant it was working but alas, when we switched the mixer on it gave us an error....

So we gave up and talked about sending the super machine home for my sister to use while we were away. Then Ainsley got in touch with an Australian dealer living in America who had a thermomix working with a more powerful regulator. So we crossed our fingers and ordered another one on the net. We waited 2 weeks for delivery and ... no regulator. After a period of wifely nagging, Danny looked into it and realised he had made a mistake with the delivery address. Aaarrrggghhh! So we corrected that and waited another two weeks for it to come.

Yesterday, after the second knock on the door, it arrived. We plugged it in, got power, turned the mixer dial and.... nothing. Damn! I was SO sad.... and over the whole fiasco. Danny took the regulator downstairs to send back to the manufacturer and that was that.

Then today Danny picked up a piece of paper floating around his office to throw in the bin. He gave it a quick glance and realised that there was a switch on the back of the regulator that you switched between Australian and American appliances. We had it switched to the wrong one.

Oops!

So ... we gave it one more try... and IT WORKED!!!!

SO SO SO excited!

his first bike

It cost $3 at a garage sale...

He loves it...

Does it matter that it is obscenely ugly and plays music that will send us insane?

The only saving fact is that it cost so little that I probably won't regret it if I throw it out in a annoying-kids-toy induced rage.

a trip to the zoo...

This week we went to the Hogle Zoo, about 20 minutes away from where we live. I have never lived so close to the zoo before and am feeling very excited about the trips we can take in the next year. One great thing about living in Salt Lake City, Morman capital of the world, is how family orientated they are, and how affordable getting out and about is...

The zoo has a 1 year old baby elephant named Zuri who is really really cute. She even has her own blog! babyzuriblog.com

They have four giraffes who were quite serene and seemed to like licking the poles... odd

A red panda

We went with some new friends from the Mum's group that I have joined. Kids are a great way to make new friends! This is Boston and Jamin sitting on a tiger and her cub. The kids loved playing on the brass statues of the animals outside the exhibits.

The first rhinoceros I have seen. They really are rather ugly but somehow beautiful too.

A Great Day! Too bad that Danny couldn't come. The perks of being the primary carer definately are there some days :) We'll take him back one weekend.

a special party dinner 6 years in the making

Today I finished my last assignment for my last subject for the Masters in Counselling that I have been doing for 6 long years.

I feel like SO much has happened during that time - like settling into married life with Danny, renovating a house, travelling and having two kids. Not to mention moving overseas.... It has been a busy 6 years but somehow I have managed to fit in studying and I have loved almost every minute of it!

I didn't set out to do my Masters because I wanted to be more qualified or have some letters after my name... It was simply because after I graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology I didn't feel the least bit qualified to actually be a counsellor or therapist. I realised that Psychology had given me next to nothing in terms of practical skills and I needed to do some more study to get to the point I wanted to be at. So I heard about the Masters course at Christian Heritage College and how practical it was, not just in terms of skills but also in dealing with my own issues that might get in the way of working with other people. It has been all of that and more.

I am so very thankful for being given the opportunity- To live in a country like Australia where a young woman can basically have the government pay for me to complete a post graduate course. Wow - that really is amazing!

So thankyou to all of the people who have helped me get there - who have encouraged me, looked after my kids, cooked, proofread assignments and done everything possible to help me achieve my goal.

Especially to Danny and my Mum because without them I don't think I would have gotten there.

So these are some pics of our very "special party dinner for Mummy finishing school".

We have found a great new mexican place and got takeout to have on our backdeck - perfect - except for the absence of some people that would have made it all the more special...

wrinkles...

I keep on getting suprised by something that really shouldn't suprise me at all-

I'm getting old...

I see pictures of myself now and I have wrinkles! Danny says they are laugh wrinkles and that is the good kind but I don't know. I just didn't think that it was time to start looking old yet. I thought that I had a few more years.

I also never thought I would be one of those women that you might know, read about or see in movies who continually moan about the aging process and how they are faring. And yet... I am starting to understand their point.

I just keep on getting a suprise everytime I realise - I'm grown up and my body is starting to show it. I don't mind the funny tummy - I've got two boys to show for that and I am rather proud of having carried those two big babies around for 9 1/2 long months. Its the wrinkles that I am having trouble accepting.

And yet... I've had 29 years of smiling, frowning and laughing to show for them so maybe I've earned them too.

a child of the iPhone generation...

Danny got me an iPhone for Mother's day and at the shop Jamin managed to charm the saleslady and she let him pick an old display phone to take home. He wanted a white iPhone just like Mum's and his even had a turtle picture on the screen. He was VERY excited!

Since then, when me and Danny are using our phones he gets his and pretends to call people or do 'work'. I had to stop him taking his to bed at night, telling him that we don't have our phones in bed in our family (thinking ahead to the teenage years).

The other afternoon I took the boys for a ride to the park. About halfway there Jamin yells out "Stop Mum!". So we stop and he pulls his little iPhone out of his pocket to consult the 'map' about which way we need to go. I didn't even know that he had brought his!

Once he decided and informed me, he then very carefully put the phone back into his pocket. "Let's go" he says, and off he pedals towards the swings. Obviously he downloaded the google maps app all by himself...

Oh my...

Aquarium!

We have found the most amazing blog recently!
Its called made by joel and he has the most creative, easy and fun ideas for toys to make at home.

We have attempted to make a few over the past week but this morning made the aquarium to Jamin's delight.
He did request Nemo characters (even though he actually hasn't ever seen the movie - ahh the power of advertising hey?).

So this is our finished product thanks to a bit of assistance from Dad.

one moment...

I couldn't resist showing you these pictures from when I just went in to check on Jamin during his daytime sleep.

You couldn't say he wasn't a committed reader like his mum...





This one is of our new rocking chair I picked up for $15. It has become a new night time ritual to read our bedtime story in the rocking chair.




it's precious moments like these that I love...

busy week!

I am going to take advantage of having a (mostly) quiet house this early friday morning and share some pictures of our week with you...

Our local Home Depot store has these very cool trolleys (shopping carts in americanese) and Jamin is so obsessed with them that he wants to go to the 'hardware shop' most afternoons. We obliged him last Friday and had a very fun drive around the aisles. Kael was pretty impressed too!



I finally got around to planting a small herb garden this week with some 'help' from the boys.
Kael ate the dirt, as all 8 month olds do, and Jamin ran around the place, as all almost 3 year olds do... It was fun!



We then moved on to afternoon tea and one of the other delights of summer... watermelon!!
It was Kael's first try and I must say, he was most impressed. He has been enjoying it for dessert for the rest of the week.
Jamin has long been a watermelon fan so we had a fun afternoon tea!





We also went to a local pet shop one morning on our way to a picnic in the park. Pet shops are great! and this one had an amazing array of animals so we were all pretty excited. I am proud to say that I was only a little bit tempted to take one home, especially the rabbits. I have always wanted a rabbit! but past experience has shown that I am better with 'try before you buy' pets. By the time I try them out for a few months the excitement has worn off and Danny ends up being the primary carer. My other significant lesson about pets has been its best not to have any when you have young children... Who could be bothered to care for another member of the family who can't do anything for themselves... not me!



Jamin is pretty into The Wiggles so he calls anything that is busy or he can throw up into the air a "Wiggly Party". So... these fish were having a Wiggly Party and he was pretty excited about that.



After the pet shop visit we went next door to an all american bagel shop and sampled some tasty bagels. I think the flavors were 'Cinnamon with pecan and cinnamon cream cheese ' and 'Blueberry and cream cheese'. We took them to another park down the road and had a picnic. A very fun morning! I even brought some home for Danny to sample even though I really just want to eat them all up!

his new place...

I should be taking this rare quiet time in the house to knuckle down on my last remaining assignment for my masters in counselling....

but... i couldn't resist sharing a new stage of my growing baby boys life...

He is now standing himself up and moving around the house much to his delight and his brothers chagrin.
And he has adopted the fireplace mantle as his new play spot. He moves across there chasing runaway toys, working on his balancing skills and just generally hanging out like the 'little boy' (Jamin's naming for a baby that has learned to walk :)) that he is.



We have had a busy week planting gardens, visiting petshops, having picnics in the park.
Will share the photos with you but alas... right now need to get back to the assignment.. :)

our new car!

So this isnt a great photo of the car but I also wanted to get our new kids chariot in, as well as our swing that Danny hung in the garage for Kael to hang out in when Jamin is riding his new bike. One of our friends said that it will take us about 2 years to figure out all of the buttons on the LR3 Discovery. The first one i accidently pressed looking to close the sunroof actually lifted the car a few inches which was scary looking at the amount of clearance we have in the garage!



This one is Kael having his first bike ride with Danny. Of course being Danny's son, he loved it! Won't be long till he is skooting along himself... We got a cool video of Danny managing to negotiate the driveway and the garage whilst holding Kael. He is a talented man!



This is the other park that is within walking distance of our house... although its downside is that its at the top of our VERY steep hill. I had to make Jamin get out of the pram and walk the first time we visited the park. Jamin has named it "Superman Park". I think this is because we discovered it whilst driving somewhere else and I got REALLY excited about it and said "It's a SUPER park!". The fish thing is kind of a tunnel that has scales molded in that you climb over. Very cool!



And this last one doesn't need too much explaining. It is my littlest man looking very cute! He is currently getting his top 3 front teeth and is a just a little bit miserable, not that he looks it here! He loves his new swing and watching his brother. He'll be 8 months in a week or so and is just the delight of our little family. It is so wonderful watching his little personality emerge. A very happy, cheeky little thing he is.

its summer in america!

summer holidays started here this week and you sure can tell!
The sun has shown its face finally and there are kids everywhere.

We just took a late afternoon walk/ride down to our local park and ended up playing for a while and watching some baseball.
I must say that I could definately get used to this...

Below is a shot of the local pool that is right next to the park. Jamin is VERY excited to go as it only opened for the summer on Monday. They have just put in a splash area (You can see the yellow bucket in the picture) and a slide. Its going to be great!



Of course then i got home and it was 5.40pm and I hadnt started dinner but hey... we'll get it on the table eventually. hopefully without kids having a meltdown from hunger!

Jamin is doing great on his new bike and rode all the way there AND back with a little bit of balancing.
Not a great video but you get the idea...



What a STAR!

We also picked up our new car today and its FANCY!
Gotta love the price drop in vehicles when you live in the U.S.
The only problem now will be coming home to the aussie prices... :(