settlin in...

This has been the most 'normal' week in the last month or so and I have loved it.

A 'normal' week for me mostly involves hanging out with the kids - feeding them healthy food (not crappy on the run food), having time to do crafts and colouring in, sitting on the floor playing games and teaching them new skills. As well as getting back into doing structured play - room time, mat time, table time. Jamin is a busy boy so I find I need to teach him the skills of sitting still and playing with a set toy for a period of time. It also helps my sanity!!

So this week Jamin is starting to learn how to dress himself in the mornings and make his bed. He is doing exceptionally well at both and is very proud of himself. We did some pictures to put on the wall as part of our daily routine. I find it works to make things visual for both him and me.

We are also working on doing some bright pictures and crafts to decorate the house. A new word Jammie has learnt this week "decorate". Its very cute to hear him try and say it! The pictures above are of Jamins room and Kaels room (not such a good one). I will try and take some more of the actual house in a later post.

I dont know if its the kids or the house or that i have grown up finally in the last few years but I am not homesick at the moment. Weird I know! I am loving being in a new city and getting to go out to new places and learn new things. I know that its only america, so culturally things arent that different but still I have suprised myself.

The kids are keeping me busy and we are living the same daily life in a lot of ways so maybe that is helping. I can't wait till our families come over and visit and they can be part of our adventure as well. I cringe at the thought of going home... mainly because of the hellish 26hour journey it took to get here and then the 5 days after that going through jetlag with kids. I DO NOT recommend it to anyone! It is a freakin nightmare and I consider myself having done it three times now (Chile & here) to have some experience.

Saying that... might go and catch up on some of my missing sleep :)

Who Knew?

I really didn't realise how much you need to do to set up a house and make it a home.
We are attempting to do the first this week and have so far done 2 epic trips to IKEA and a couple of major grocery trips as well.

We have been so blessed to have been able to rent a partially furnished house through a work contact of Danny's and Katie has been SO helpful in pointing us in the right direction for things. I can't imagine having to go out and buy a fridge, washing machine, beds and all of those big things straight off the plane.

I have been finding the days good as I am kept so busy with the boys and all the things there are to do. It also helps that Danny isn't working and we are facing all these challenges together. But I do find the nights hard. With the looming presence of jetlag hovering over my head and yet the need to stay up till 9pm to feed Kael I just kinda freak out a bit. All those unknowns get me... Plus anyone who knows me well, will know that I NEED my sleep! Last night was just as crappy a night in terms of having to get up to kids (i fed Kael 3 times!) but at least Jamin wasn't up with jetlag for 3 hours like the night before... ah... the joys of it.

We head off to Canada for 2 weeks on Tuesday which was the cause of another freak out this week. Just wondering how I am going to manage the boys with Danny off at a conference. Hotel rooms with kids is a nightmare but thankfully I have family in Vancouver and they are going to put us up. Still a little unsure about filling up the days and keeping the boys happy but I think it'll be ok once i'm there... I wouldn't even bother going with Danny normally but there is no way that I think I would cope being alone in a new town and a new house without driving confidently yet. I think I would really struggle to cope so I would rather struggle to cope in Canada with Danny and friends and family close by.

Missing home and familiarity a lot but i guess that's all a part of it.

We have Arrived!!

We survived our 3 flight epic with 2 kids under 3yrs. It was tough but could have been so much harder. Despite their difficulty sleeping, Jamin & Kael did really well on all of the flights and the transfers and general 28 hours of craziness.

I would not have thought you could take 3 plane trips but not have time to watch a movie, read a book or sleep?? I thought that was what you did on planes... I did have time to eat so I guess I should be thankful for that.. bit bummed about missing out on the cool A380 entertainment system tho.

this time in 1 week...

The single digit countdown has begun... 6 days to go!

Had a very busy weekend with our Goodbye Party Friday night, moving day Saturday, a last trip to Scott & Ainz's farm Saturday night and finally a big night at church Sunday with Kael and Jai being dedicated. Add to that a baby that has stopped sleeping through and the remnants of a cold and you get a pretty wrecked and displaced family.

But on the whole we are doing really well and may even be starting to feel just a little excited.

We have finally found a great home for our kittycat Jet and by all reports they are a match made in heaven. Jet is already allocating cuddles to different family members who have met her criteria, which is a great sign. Last time we moved her she hid under the bed for a few days.
The only low point was Jamin's reaction to seeing his cat drive away with one of his little friends. How do you explain that you are giving a pet away to a 2 1/2 year old...?

parents...

parents are amazing...

on the weekend dannys parents and my mum came over to help us with a mini working bee to get our house ready to rent out. who else would be happy to come over and paint and do runs to the dump and generally do the really annoying jobs that we have been putting off for the last two years since we finished our reno?
we have AMAZING family and i think that is the main thing that i am feeling sad and nervous and crazy for leaving.

mum came over this afternoon and as soon as she walked in Jamin said 'hello oma! i missed you.' now this would normally be cute but even sweeter was the fact that he hasnt seen her for all of 1 day... how is it that we are planning on taking him halfway around the world where he wont see her for 6 months...? i just dont know what we are thinking.

I can only hope and pray that we can be as selfless and loving and kind and compassionate and accepting to our children as our parents are towards us.
they are amazing and i absolutely adore them all.

flyin visit 2 sydney

30 hours in total to get some boxes ticked and signed at the US consulate.
It was surprisingly painless with no unreasonable demands or exasperated sighs that I was preparing myself for. We were actually surprised when the guy said that our visa was approved and would be in the mail cause we were still waiting for the 20 questions in a locked room as opposed to the 10 minutes in front of a bank teller type situation.

The most amusing part of the trip was the trouble danny had in getting his fingerprints taken due to his weekend job concreting a new slab for the tank. He said he was being lazy and using his hands to smooth out some of the rough patches and consequently rubbed some of his prints off his left hand. I was sure that the consulate would take this to be a sign that he was trying to hide his identity and its links to a shady past :)

We then had some time to kill before our flight so took a lovely walk (whlist kael screamed from over tiredness) through the botanic gardens and down to the opera house and the harbor bridge. It really is a pretty cool place.

It's interesting to live in such a big country where we just don't get to connect with these really famous and amazing landmarks very often. The opera house is just so architecturally beautiful and it was such a great opportunity to make a special 'australia' memory before we leave the country for a while.

Jammie had a great time hanging with his Oma and didnt get too sad at being left behind. We spent the plane flights feeling nervous imagining our next flight with two children in a confined space for 13 hours. Anyone want to come and be nanny for us?

skinny mini

Why, oh why do I get sick at the drop of a hat at the moment?
It is the last thing I need right now but it just seems to keep happening.

Current theories in circulation are
* i'm feeding kael and therefore using a lot of energy making milk
* still run down from pregnancy & birth
* stressed about the move and the MANY things there are to do
* I forget to eat in the business of looking after the boys

I remember when i was feeding Jamin I got sick a lot too so my new focus in life is to bulk up and try to boost my immune system levels.

Anyone got ideas in how I can put on some weight in a healthy way?

I have been rapidly losing weight since Kael was born which in a lot of ways is great but I think I need to stop that process before I hit 40kg cause that is just TOO skinny.

The other thing I need to work on is getting help so if there is anyone that wants to come entertain children or pack boxes or do op shop runs or make dinner for us just let me know! I am accepting all favors so that I dont implode before we hop on that plane.

Current date for moving is around the 25th April.

Keep you posted xo