< countdown >

The countdown has begun to our big trip back to Australia - 10 sleeps to be exact. After numerous changes in plans, our return flight on the 6th February looks pretty definite now. Travel plans in Danny's line of work change very frequently so I am somewhat used to it & have cultivated a flexible attitude many years ago. Our working holiday to Chile, South America with a 20 month old Jamin & Kael in my belly may also have helped with this flexible attitude. Let me tell you... there is nothing worse than Lan Chile (the Chilean airline). I should know, we took over 10 flights with them in our 4 week trip there & almost every time there was something else to deal with. 

Anyway... Obviously I love travelling with very young children. Umm... no. Danny & I often dream about the days ahead in our future when we can sit on a plane & actually watch movies, sleep & maybe even read a book. These dreams are often child free but we also like the thought of the boys being old enough to want to watch back-to-back movies on the plane. Jamin is slowly getting there. He talks to every visitor we have about whether they went on the 'DVD plane' & is seriously excited about going on the plane this trip home. I have given up any notion of trying to provide alternate entertainment. He can watch 13 hours of movies for all I care. Kael is going to be the challenging passenger now that he is running around, detests the car seat & has the attention span of a hyperactive squirrel.  Ah yes, I am so very looking forward to the 13 hour flight from L.A. to Brisbane. 

Let me tell you about a stroke of genius that Danny & I are still congratulating ourselves on. We had the foresight to book Mum's return flight home with ours. This totally tips the adult to child ratio in our favor & means that we can book a seat elsewhere on the plane so that we can take shifts. A stroke of brilliance, yes? I think so. 

The boys have their own luggage (another 2nd hand bargain) to carry on to the plane & I am in the throws of a packing frenzy, trying to plan for 7 weeks of summer in my favourite place with all of my favourite people. 

There are two brand new nephews who I get to meet & squeeze for the 1st time, lots of bigger nieces & nephews to reclaim my place of favourite aunty with & sisters to have long long talks to. Oh... I think that the plane trip might just be worth all I will gain from this visit home. 

:: the last knitting update ::

I have some news for those of you following my knitting journey. The beautiful scarf has now been completed! The question is... who completed it?

Who is this mystery knitter that would allow herself to be convinced to finish yet another project that her daughter started...

Why my Mum of course!

She also knit me this cute matching headband that I have been seeing a lot around the city on other girls heads. I wanted one & my Mum is smart enough to be able to make it in one night without a pattern. 

Isn't she amazing!?

So are you ready to hear the reasoning behind handing over the completion of the scarf?

We leave for Australia in 10 days & I really wanted to be able to wear my scarf before we left. At my current rate of knitting output there was no way that was going to happen. So I decided that my desire to wear & enjoy the scarf outweighed my need to finish it myself. My Mum is a super knitter & she basically had that last ball knitted up in about 2 days whereas it would have taken me much longer. 

So judge me or not - here I am, a happy girl with a new pretty scarf that I intend to wear everyday for the next week & a bit! 

+ an american work TRUCK +

All of Danny's dreams have come true with the addition of a 3rd work truck to the RME Inc's fleet. He now gets to drive around feeling bigger & more powerful than about 2/3's of the other people on the road. We took the truck for a first drive up the canon so we could go snowboarding on Sunday & I must say it is a very comfortable ride. 

Our garage is now filled to capacity with our two huge cars & outside the caravan takes up all the available space beside the house.

We really do fit in now, don't we....? oh dear.

:: sundance film festival ::

This weekend we chose to make the most of our close proximity to one of the more famous independent film festivals. Most of you would have heard about the Sundance Film Festival which is actually held in Park City, just a short 1/2 hours drive north of Salt Lake City. The locals joke that its the one week a year where the town is overtaken by 'the people in black" i.e. New Yorkers & other very hip film makers. 

We walked along the main street to take in the famous theaters, some very well dressed crowds & talented buskers before heading up to a cute cafe where we had a second delicious breakfast. The cafe had prominently placed signs on the tables stating that there was positively absolutely to be no meetings held at the tables unless the tables were rented out for that purpose. They then listed the rates as starting at $45/hour. Interesting huh? I guess these New Yorker types like to hog tables causing endless frustration to the waitstaff, business owners & other hungry patrons.

Jamin sampling the hot chocolate after braving the -8'c cold outside.

Me & my boy, who's growing up awfully quickly! He was doing the toddler walk around the tables charming all the other customers.

Oma had her work cut out for her chasing the boys around the cafe. We had a long wait for the food so the extra set of hands was so very appreciated! 

A very fun morning. Too bad I wasn't able to get any tickets to the films. Maybe next year we can actually take in a film & really experience the festival...?

{this moment}

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

Jamin's first Tim Horton's donut all the way from Ottawa, Canada in Daddy's carry on luggage... & it was good...

:: a lunch at Lone Star Taqueria ::

This week we decided to stop by a local mexican hot spot for lunch & a tourist fix for Mum. Lone Star Taqueria  is famous around Salt Lake City for their fish tacos & the teaming restaurant certainly confirmed that. 

The boys loved the burritos.

The authentic Mexican staff who seemed to really enjoy their jobs. The boys could not keep their eyes off them & their boisterous ways.

I think we will be heading back with Danny another day so that he can sample the delicious food too. 

< the great toy sort >

It has been a heck of a long day with me battling the cold that Kael so kindly passed on, so I apologise about the late post. But as you can see I have been very busy.

You wouldn't think that we arrived in Salt Lake City 9 months ago with only a couple of boxes of toys. Admittedly, all the toys that you can see surrounding me were either second hand or birthday presents but it does feel a bit excessive. Luckily I just plan to hand them all back to the secondhand shop when we head home. 

So the well thought out plan was to split the toys evenly into 6 boxes corresponding to each day of the week. Wednesday is missing because that is the day the boys go to daycare. I also plan to have a few big toys, like Duplo or Little People sets, that the boys can play with each day. 

Split into their boxes.

The only storage place I could think of that is out of the boys sight & reach is the top of Jamin's cupboard. I will take down a different one each day when the boys get up & we will return it before bed time. Thats the plan...!

My lovely new tidy toy shelf in the lounge room with all of the boxed toys. I may need to rethink this set up because a certain little monkey has already climbed up trying to reach the third shelf. 

"That bottom row of boxes are for climbing, right Mum?"

I also had to add in a photo of my new bookends that I picked up today out at Park City. Aren't they gorgeous? I have been looking for quite a long time & I think these owls are just perfect to mind my parenting books!

With the little ones in bed & a tired, aching body fighting the latest cold, I don't think that it'll be long till I follow them. Goodnight all...