:: GOMA ::

We are in Brisbane at the moment visiting some very good friends, Brad & Di (a.k.a Uncle Wally & Aunty Diamond). This morning, after recovering from a second shocking night with our boys (2, yes TWO hours sleep!), we headed to the Gallery of Modern Art where they are having an exhibition of 21st Century Art.

Here are some of the highlights...

A balloon room filled with purple balloons! Jamin & Kael were in heaven & I have to admit it - Danny & I loved it too.

A sleeping elephant.

A silver ball lake that Kael was very taken with.

 

There was also a room filled with wire hangers that formed nest type structures & there were lots of small finches flying around. It was my favourite part of the exhibition but unfortunately there was no photography allowed so I couldn't try & capture the amazing sense of living art in the room. Here is a link to a photo on the GOMA site but it really doesn't do it justice.

It was a big morning but one that I would definately love to repeat in the future. I forget how much art can move me & refresh my soul.

(catch up)

helping with Gran's cake...

The last few days have been manic-ally busy & blogging has just not seemed to happen. Sorry to those of you that got that little disappointed spark when you came to visit here. If you could give me some leaway while we are travelling Australia it would be appreciated. I am starting to wish that we had purchased a laptop for me because 'stealing' time on the computer of whoever's house we are at is getting just a little bit old.

This weekend we celebrated 4, yes FOUR, birthdays! (In case you are wondering, they were my Nanny, Danny's Mum, Linda & Jayden). That is a lot of cake, a lot of fun & a lot of family. It was wonderful, it was chaotic & it was crazy & now we all feel just a little bit exhausted. Actually I think that the last 2 weeks since we landed have been all of those things & I am feeling like I need a holiday from our holiday... is that possible?

Our long time friends, Greg & Chrissy, celebrated their son Jayden's 2nd birthday at the minature trains. The boys loved it!

This week isn't going to slow down much with a much anticipated sisters only day at Dreamworld tomorrow, 2 nights in Brisbane with very special longtime friends, a day back in Toowoomba to pack, then its the annual Smith family weekend at Somerset Dam. After that we are heading to the coast, which I am hoping will bring some time to slow down the pace.

I will try & keep you up-to-date with our goings on in this space but forgive me if I don't make my usual daily appearances - life is just a bit out of the ordinary at the moment!

< community >

I continue to be amazed at the rich friendships & realtionships that I have formed in Toowoomba. I dropped in to visit my old workplace, Young Women's Place, this morning & although I left my position there before Jamin was born, in a lot of ways it was as though I had never left. It was the same feeling when I crashed a Fresh Hope graduation last week. I just feel overwhelmed by the friendship & community that keeps meeting me as I reconnect with people & places around here.

Professionally, I am being reenergised in myself to begin thinking seriously about where & how I would like to practice when we return to Toowoomba. I continue to be greeted by the networks that I have built & the need that is around this area. And it amazes me how all of my previous work is coming together to prepare me for what the next step might be in my work as a counsellor.

My role as a mother is the most important thing that I will do in my life but I also have this desire within me to use the other skills that I have. The skills that I have developed over many years of study and experience. I want to become an integral part of this community again & reach out with what I have.

It will be an interesting journey... and I am feeling just a bit excited!



:: an afternoon by the creek ::


Sunday afternoon in Boonah was hot & humid - the typical Australian summer day that I have been hanging out for. The kind that can only be found pleasurable when sitting in water or in the breeze wearing as little as possible. We decided to go for a drive with Brian & Lara to swim & picnic at Mt Barney Lodge creek with the kids & it was a beautiful fun afternoon that I will remember for a long time.

There is really something special about making memories with family & friends that you know will be around for many more years, the rest of life even. Seeing the kids at this young stage makes me want to remember & cherish them now, rather than my usual "This too will pass" mantra about nappies, tantrums & sleepless nights. And being in Australia is also made even more meaningful because of our time spent in another country.



Ava Blaise - as gorgeous as ever

Our two little boys, who despite only 7 months in age difference are about the same size!

Here's to many more afternoons spent hanging out with the ones that I love...

:: one of those days ::

Today has been one of those days...

You know the ones where you get up on the wrong side of the bed & just cant seem to shake that grumpy feeling all day.

My day started around 5:30am with Kael screaming in the next room. And even though Danny's precious mum got up for the first 15 minutes with him I must have needed more sleep because my attitude wouldn't shift despite some serious selftalk.

Ainz & I had a busy morning mediating between the boys at the farm, leading to a abandonment of afternoon plans when my tired Jamin couldn't control his barracuda jaws from biting his cousin. I survived the afternoon with the help of Danny's parents & just made it to the boys bedtime without making too many parenting mistakes I would regret come morning.

Although blogging was the last thing on my mind I just wanted to make sure that mine wasn't a blog of happy, smiling kids all the time.
We have tough, rough days & I make lots of mistakes with my kids along the way. I think that on these days you just survive & try to make it to the next morning to start all over again.

All the best with your next rough day. Hope you survive as well!

:: a busy weekend ::

It has really been a different change in pace since we arrived in Australia almost a week ago. We have been friends & family hopping most days. I found myself thinking "Wow, people really do like me. I have friends!" I have been finding it so hard to make genuine friends in Utah because getting out & having a real conversation whilst trying to look after 2 boys is quite difficult. But underneath that I must have been starting to think that maybe I just wasn't someone that people were really interested in being friends with. Anyway, it was lovely to come back & experience the benefits of all the long term friendships that I have cultivated over the years.

Here a few photos that I took over the weekend.

A delicious dinner at Greg & Chrissy's house, complete with a kid's table!

Kael & Asher bonding over a cup of tea in the wading pool on a hot Saturday afternoon.

Hope you all have had a lovely weekend making the most of your friends & family.

< Frank the Header >

By all reports, Jamin's favourite part of the day at the farm was getting go for a ride on Frank, the yellow header with Isaiah. Both boys love the movie Cars, but up until now Jamin has not been all that fond of the header scenes in the movie. But it was love at first site for him when he saw that Uncle Scott was driving a yellow (his favourite colour) header to harvest the sorghum. All during the ride he kept on saying "I love Frank the Header so much! Do you love him Isaiah?".

The boys are now at an age where they have a friendship independent of their parents & it brings me endless amounts of joy to hear their conversations about random 3 year old things. This visit is going to be so bittersweet knowing that we need to leave again... but I won't dwell on that right now... sigh

They have also entered into that amusing almost 4 year old stage of being silly just to make eachother laugh.

After the ride on Frank they got to drive back to the house in the tractor with Dad, towing a load of sorghum. More fun, especially because the tractor has yellow wheels! Isaiah showed his beautiful kind heart & let Jamin borrow his green tractor with yellow wheels to take back to Gran & Grandads for a few days. I love these boys with my whole heart!

+ a day at the farm +

After a phenomenal night's sleep, with no waking from jetlag through the night, we made our way out to the farm (Danny's brother's in-laws) this morning for another play & visit. This has been one place that I have been dreaming of coming back to while we have been far away in Utah. There is nothing quite like a cotton farm with fields stretching for miles. I was also dying to see our boys trying out the grand fort that Scott & Ainz have built. It exceeded my expectations & the boys loved it! 

We got to read lots of books, mediate been a few fights & have loads of kisses & cuddles. Just what I was dreaming of all the way over in America!

Danny got to fulfill his dreams & play farmer with his brother, driving the tractor while Scott harvested some sorghum with the header. He decided after an hour that he wanted to quit his stressful job & go farming. Of course we all know that farming comes with its own type of stress but for Danny this morning, it was just what the doctor ordered.

A lovely day...



:: some lost days... ::

We got to fly in one of the amazing painted Qantas planes!

Sorry for my absence but I do believe that losing a day in the air is a good reason for not posting. We arrived at Danny's parents house about 30 hours after we started travelling, feeling very tired but happy to be here. It is all so green & so deliciously familiar. It is just so wonderful to be somewhere where I know the streets & where to go to get whatever we need. It is something that you take for granted when you have been living somewhere for a long time.

The plane trip went well. We had no screaming fits or meltdowns in the air. Jamin watched non stop dvds for about 8 hours, only stopping for 5 hours sleep because Danny forced him. Taking the car seat for Kael was a great idea, especially when Oma created a little cubby house for him so that he could sleep. It was so wonderful to have an extra set of hands. We could get used to that kind of travel! Saying that, it is still an exhausting 30 hours that I could do without but this was definately the best one so far.

We had wonderful reunions with my sister & Danny's brother, Scott, Ainsley & their 3 boys. I got to meet Eli for the first time & had some very special cuddles with him & his older brothers. Jamin & Isaiah are two little peas in a pod & have finally grown up enough to play without getting into punchups after 2 minutes. Kael & Jai both have these gorgeous little cheeky smiles that must be some shared gene. Yes, I do wonder what they will get away with whilst flashing those smiles at us.



Jai, Eli & I - happy Aunty Al!

Must go & have a short nap now, It's 2 o'clock here & we are all fading. But it will only be a quick 15 minutes... I promise!

:: off we go! ::

Our bags are almost packed & we are on the last few hours countdown until we leave for the airport. Danny has just returned from his last morning snowboarding for a couple of months, the only sad thing about leaving the winter behind here. I elected not to go based on my rate of injury these past couple of months. Can you think of anything worse than sitting on a plane with 2 little boys nursing some kind of snowboarding injury? I can't, the fun of the morning would not be worth that pain!

We have a bag of toys but are mostly going to be relying on our two, yes 2, iPads. Oma brought hers along to visit & it has been in hot demand by our two boys who are developing their own taste in apps. Every night in the lull between dinner & bedtime they have some time sitting with Dad playing games, watching movies & learning the way of the future. 

So say a prayer for us on the plane & we will see you all on the other side of the world Tuesday morning!

{this moment}

 A time in our lives that I don't want to forget...

The reality of winter...

Park City, Utah

:: wintery walks ::

Last week we had a break in the below zero weather, as in it reached maybe 6'C. This felt so warm to me that we headed out of the house & our self imposed exile to visit our local park. Jamin rode his bike, which needs some adjusting, he must have grown a bit taller in the last few months & I squeezed Kael into the pram in his snow suit. 

Riding past the swimming pool we noticed that it was filled & mostly frozen over. The slide also has some ice at the bottom. Pretty funny thing to see we thought!

Kael got out of the pram & attempted to walk. Being so wrapped up in clothes doesn't do much for his sense of balance but he keeps trying. Jamin is no longer wearing a helmet because he starting throwing a hissy fit that it was so cold. The best I could do was pull his hood up & hope that the helmet police didn't see. By the way, did you know that its not even illegal for motorbike riders to ride without a helmet. Something about Americans wanting to keep their civil rights. So I don't think they would care about a kid not wearing a helmet on a bike path but the Mummy in me felt guilty...

The very icy swings. We didn't stay long, it was just too cold, but we did enjoy getting out in the fresh air & seeing our favourite places covered in snow. I just can't wait till spring arrives!

:: raw food ::

My Mum & Sister-in-law, Lara, have been exploring the raw food movement for the last couple of months & Mum has been catching me up on some of the things they are learning over her visit. If you want to get the basics have a look at the page about Raw Foodism on Wikipedia.

I am interested & open to new ways of eating & cooking but have the challenge of catering to my husband, who prefers meat & 3 vegetables, & 2 somewhat fussy eaters. Some nights all 3 of them flatly refuse to eat what I have lovingly prepared, the last recipe being a vegetarian curry. I figure if all 3 of them claim that its inedible then majority rules & they can have toast. 

When a local friend found out that Mum was interested in raw food she mentioned Omar's Rawtopia, a restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. Mum was very keen to check it out so we decided to wait till a child-free day & then venture down. 

The menu was interesting. Although the meals had names that were recognisable, they looked very different when they appeared on the table. The first photo was of Raw Pasta on the left & Pizza on the right. I had a moment of feeling quite dubious when the meals appeared but pushed forward with bravery... and was well rewarded! It was on of the most amazing taste sensations that I have experienced. Different but not too different to be undeserved of being called a pasta dish. 

Mum loved it!

And finally... dessert!

A chocolate, vanilla Creme Pie with raspberry sauce & blueberries.

It was amazing!

So although I cannot say that I am an instant convert to the raw food lifestyle I had a very positive experience & will piggyback on any good recipes that Mum & Lara discover along the way. If I find an especially good one I might just share it here, ok?!

< jamin's first ski >

It's official! Jamin has inherited his Dad's natural athletic ability & my unwavering confidence when it comes to learning new sports. Danny & I have decided that it really is the best combination of our abilities & couldn't be prouder of our little 3 year old!! 

We headed up to Solitude on Sunday morning with our good friend Valerie who had volunteered to teach Jamin to ski. Jamin was very very excited & jumped right into the skis & off he went. 

Our little family at the foot of the beginner slope. Jamin is learning how to walk in the skis. Kael is still having a lot of trouble walking in his snow boots so he just hangs out. 

Heading straight up the lift. He loved looking out at the trees & the other people skiing although he did want to be on Mummy & Daddy's chair.

Here's his first ski down the slope. He has an amazing sense of balance & was pretty comfortable going at a medium pace. We were all pretty impressed.

Jamin saw Danny jump a few times on his snowboarding to get himself moving so guess who started jumping on his skis? Yes, he definitely is our little boy & no, he didn't even fall over (unless you count this one in the video which he does on purpose)!

By this point Kael was all kipped out, so him & Oma took a break & Kael had a little sleep. Apparently he attracted a lot of attention & conversation about kids skiing.

This video is one of Jamin's best stacks & he got up laughing. I think he is pretty used to hearing about us going skiing & coming home hurt from falling over.

This last photo is one of our favourites from the morning. He keeps talking about how "we are going to go skiing lots of times now, hey Mum?".  Not sure how Danny & I are going to get away to go snowboarding on our own anymore...