Wineries make the zoo FUN!

Saturday we decided to meet our friends, Kurt and Briana Solarte, and their kids Bella and Hayden at the Werribee open range zoo, just outside of Melbourne.  The zoo is well known for it's wide open spaces for animals to roam freely.  We've heard a lot of good things about this zoo, so were excited to check it out!

But first...

We arrived a bit early to meet the Solartes, so we drove around the area to kill some time.  First we hit a cute little trail by the river and did some hiking.  The dirt was this beautiful bright red.  Very pretty, but also extremely dirty.

Ian already had his walking stick picked out.  These kids know how to hike!

Tried to get a good kid picture.  Fail.

Very red dirt = very dirty clothes

Hi Drewy

 After playing a bit, we discovered a cute little winery just down the road from the zoo.  It served lunch,
and had a really nice outdoor area complete with a garden and goats.  PERFECT!

While the guys hung out with the kids before lunch, Briana and I did some taste testing of their local wine.  The wine guy was exceptional and very excited about his wine.  He gave us a ton of great restaurant ideas and kept our glasses full.  It was fabulous!  The woodfired pizza was great too and the kids were able to keep themselves busy and having fun the whole time.  SCORE!

The whole group right before Isla had a little meltdown

Next, on to the zoo!!  We arrived just before the next Safari was to leave, so we jumped on the big bus looking thing and off we went.  Great way to see a zoo after lots of wine and pizza.  Sit back and relax and get driven around.  We saw Giraffes, Zebras, lions, Rhinos, and Hippos.  Drew ended up falling asleep and Ian was very close to it.  Devon snapped lots of pictures and I was in my happy place.

Real croc?  Based on all the birds nearby, I'm gonna say no.

Giraffes have very long tongues

Hello hippo

We were all worn out by the end of our zoo adventure, but kept the party going and had the Solartes come over for dinner.  We had a great time and are planning on going on an adult only date night for mother's day.  YAY!!

Today (Sunday) was a bit low key.  It was cold and a little rainy but we ventured out anyway.  I took the kids to a playground near Albert Park.  It's a bit of a walk, but I thought I could use the exercise and fresh air.  I packed a lunch for all of us and we had a nice time.  We saw huge geese, sailboats and lots of runners.  We got home, and Ian and I took a little nap while Devon and the kids did some art work.  Wish I got some pictures!  They decided it would be fun to draw on themselves.  Isla made herself a tiger.  Drew just colored blue and black all over his body.  And Devon drew a mustache and eyebrows on Ian while he was sleeping.  THANK GOODNESS he didn't draw on me or I would have chased him around the apartment with the reminder spoon.

After all that nonsense, we went down to the pool for another swim.  We go down almost daily, no matter what the temperature is outside.  The kids love it and it's been a really fun family thing for us to do together.

We have only 2 more full weeks left here.  We have gotten rid of a ton of food from the pantry - still no junk food if you were wondering!  I need to start organizing toys and clothes again.  Just did all that last week but it's gotten out of control again.  Oh, and I scrubbed the kitchen floor WITH A TOOTHBRUSH last week.  This floor is such a pain to clean.  I will not miss it, not one bit!  Other than that, we will make the most of our last days here.  Hoping to get outside a bunch if weather permits.  It's typically in the mid to upper 60s here, but it gets very cool at night.  It's still pleasant enough to be enjoyable.

Until next time!

Date Night!

A spur of the moment urge to get a babysitter on this Wednesday night has led to one of the most fabulous date nights here in Melbourne!

Had a great day all around!  I have been craving other adult interaction for WEEKS and finally my Chicago friend Briana (the one I met while in Sydney) was in the area, so we decided to meet up for coffee and a catch up.  We ended up going to the Botanical Gardens to let the kids run around while we talked about life and soak up the beautiful autumn weather.  It was just what I needed.  What's more, I was able to go out and spend some quality time with Devon tonight.  We didn't have any destination in mind.  Decided to walk up and down the popular Chapel Street - which reminded me a lot of the trendy uptown in Mpls.  We were carrying around a bottle of wine that Erin Dockter bought us while she was here to see if we could find a BYO restaurant that would let us drink it.  Devon found a fantastic little French restaurant on a side street tucked away in a quiet corner.  It was absolute perfection. Great food, great conversation, great wine.  Life is good!

What a great day.  I spent time with the kids, with a good friend and with my hubby.  Just enough to give me the rejuvenation I need to get through the week!

Weekend Adventures!

Sorry about missing a couple days!  It's just been too exciting around here!

On Saturday we had a family movie day - first movie theater experience for the boys.  It was super fun, and the kids did great!  The Croods was very entertaining and a perfect first movie for Ian and Drew.

Getting ready for the movie to start

 We brought our own movie theater snacks - fruit and nuts however, we couldn't resist it and bought a bag of popcorn as well.  What's a movie without popcorn!?

We got home, had dinner and decided it would be a great idea to go swimming!  It was probably about 50 degrees outside.  But our pool is very warm so it was quite comfortable.  I can't believe how much progress the kids have made with their swimming skills since we've been here.  Isla can swim by herself, float on her back, and dive down to the bottom to retrieve things.  She was hardly able to put her head under when we first came to Australia!  Ian and Drew have also become extremely confident in the water.  We have saved hundreds of dollars worth of swimming lessons!  :)

Sunday, we took the ferry to Science works.  It was a gorgeous fall sunny day, perfect for a short boat ride down the Yarra River.

About to board the ferry

We were DEFINITELY the youngest on the ferry.

A huge container ship heading to port Melbourne.  I was in my hay day.

At Science works.  Very cool place!

 We first went to the planetarium and sat gazing up at the big dome ceiling covered in stars.  We got to see the evening sky as it was in Melbourne that night.  They pointed out many constellations including the Southern Cross (Kristen, you would appreciate that.) Scorpio, Orion and many others.  I wonder, can Australians see the dippers?

We then went on to see many of the fun exhibits.

He's a champ!

Drew holding on for dear life

Devon and some giant tinker toys

This exhibit showed the secret behind magic and illusions.  All smoke and mirrors, literally!!

Head on a platter

Ian having fun

On the way home, while waiting for the ferry, we found hundreds of mussels on the dock.  Devon took one off and opened it up for the kids to investigate.

Randomly, Isla found a star fish floating in the river.  Perhaps it caught a ride from one of the container vessels.  In any case, it was a really cool find!!

Isla's starfish

Another fun weekend - only 3 more to go before we head home!

Monday morning turned out cold and rainy so we decided to stay inside and not go to the gym.  It's ok, I had a great 6 mile run along the river on Sunday morning.  :)  But, I NEEDED my coffee, so we decided to venture across the street to get my flat white.

The kids and I got into the elevator (or lift as they call them here) and pressed the 'G' for the ground floor.  At about floor 12, there was a large BOOM, crash, jolt and dust that came into the lift.  I screamed and held onto the kids, like a good mother hen would.  I wish I could see the video surveillance of my reaction!  We were all pretty shaken up after that.  I pressed the emergency button that I have so often told the kids to STAY AWAY FROM, and a nice operator said that she would send over help.  Luckily the 'lift' dude was in the area and came very promptly.  The door to the elevator was open just slightly so we could sort of see the outside world.  I have no idea how long we were in there.. could have been 15 minutes, could have been an hour.  I didn't have my phone, so time was no object.  However, I did have my camera!  I had to make the most of the situation so we told stories, sang songs AND took lots of fun pictures.  The kids were scared, but they were VERY brave for the most part.  Only once did Isla ask if we were going to die and see Jesus.  I assured her we would not die in an elevator, and she was happy with that answer.  Finally, after a while, the doors were pried open and we were free.  The apartment manager (who I don't think likes us very much) asked if the kids had pressed any buttons or forced the door open.  Seriously, blame the kids why don't you!  Geesh.

I was able to get my flat white after all and I FINALLY have an interesting blog post for all of you!  Here are some pictures from our fun elevator adventure.

A little freaked out after the blast

mangled elevator door

Drew snuggling up with mommy

My boys

The trap door we almost had to use on the top of the elevator. 

Isla had too much fun with the camera

Getting bored now!

And there you have it!  We survived it and are determined NOT to be afraid of elevators.

Melbourne in Autumn

It is officially Autumn here in Melbourne.  It's very chilly at night, it rains quite frequently and while the day time can be comfortable in the sun, you still need a warm sweatshirt or jacket.  I organized everyone's clothes today to pack away all the summer stuff and make the cold weather-wear more readily available.  Only about 3 more weeks left here, but I believe it will be about the same temperature when we get back home.  Should be an easy transition!  It's hard to imagine that we have been living in 3 seasons in only 4 months.  I am so excited to go back home to another summer (however, currently mother nature is not letting spring make an appearance in MN yet).

I was able to go downtown tonight by myself to do a little shopping whilst Devon put the kids to bed.  I will welcome any opportunity to get out of bed time!  With my un-showered, hair in a pony, I've been taking care of kids and cleaning the house all day good looks, I set off to the trendy Melbourne city to go... grocery shopping!  Oh the exciting life I lead!  I was able to take in so much more than I usually do.  When I'm with the kids I am constantly and only aware of them.  Are they near me?  Are they going to get hit by a car?  Are they running into people?  Are they going to have a tantrum now?  I don't see anything else.  I got my shopping done, and perused the aisles a little more than necessary and headed back home.

Perhaps the next time I get this opportunity I'll have showered and will be more presentable and maybe even frequent a coffee shop, or have a glass of wine.

Tomorrow is Friday.  No big plans for the weekend.  We might take the kids to see a movie.  Any good kid movie recommendations?  I'm so out of the loop here!

No pics today. I'm tired and they take too long to upload.

'Night for me, Morning to you!

Isla's art

I just LOVE kid art.  It's my favorite kind of art and I proudly boast my children's drawings on the walls, the fridge and the garage door.  They may not be budding artists 'yet', but I still do love their interpretations of life however abstract that may be.

Here is just a sampling of Isla's artistic endeavors.  Favorite medium; crayola washable paint, on printer paper.

'Running'
A depiction of going running with daddy and Cairo at Red Cherry Circle
Done with colored pencils

'The World'
A composition by Isla with the aid of 'daddy'

'Fireworks'

'Horse on Roller skates and other random things'

'Ummmmm'
???

'Muppet Sock Puppet'
Also used, glitter

 Perhaps I will next post a sampling of the boy's art work, however you will only see a bunch of scribbles at this stage.  They are not even drawing the usual potato people you normally see at their age.  They'll get it soon enough!

Have a fabulous day!

Deep thoughts by me

When thinking of an idea for this post, I was at a loss.  What do I write about when it's just been a run of the mill, normal day here in Giffordville?

Boston:  Tragic, horrible, sad.  I am not a runner of the Boston caliber, but I do have a couple marathons under my belt.  It's an exhilarating feeling finally crossing the finish line after 26.2 brutal miles.  These athletes have trained all year and have pushed their bodies to the physical limit.  At the 4 hour mark, with the finish line in sight, it's all you can do to muster up the very last fiber of energy to push your way to cross the line and hear your name being called over the loud speaker.  I can't even imagine the sickened mind of the person who decided this would be a good event to place a couple bombs.  I know there are several news articles, blog posts, opinions etc. already written on this subject but I just wanted to share my 2 cents.  There may not seem to be much hope for humanity these days, and sometimes I worry about the world my kids are growing up in.  But then I remember that the world is filled with mostly good people.  People like you and me.  Living in fear is a waste of living.  While we mourn with those who were effected by this tragic event, we also must remember that life still goes on.  The sun rises, we get out of bed, we make good use of the life we were given.

This is where my hope lies:

'Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.'
Psalm 62:5

Quotable quotes for a Monday

Here are some great quotes for those of you with a case of the 'Mondays'.  A little inspiration to get your day off to a great start.  I had a great Monday here in Oz, I would encourage you to have the same!

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.” – Art Linkletter

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

May the God of hope fill you will all the joy and and peace in believing, so that the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Romans 15:13

'Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there' - Will Rogers

And a picture to send you off with.

 Have a great day everyone!

Sunday Funday

The Gifford's know how to make good use of a Sunday.  Have car.. will drive..

Today, we went to Fairytale Park about an hour drive taking dirt roads from Melbourne.  Have you ever seen Shrek, the part with the freaky theme park and the old animatronic figures moving around to out of tune carnival music?  Yep, pretty much that.

Don't remember this fairy tale!

Aladdin

Camelot

Scariest one - Jack in the beanstalk.  Yikes

They had a really cool playground at the end of the displays in which the kids (and Devon) enjoyed immensely.

Climbing down the castle tower

Isla's in shackles!

After Fairytale park, we decided to go back to pick more strawberries and apples.  Last weekend to do that here in Melbourne and we went through our first kilo of strawberries in less than 24 hours!  

Ian the apple picking king

So much fun

After apple picking we decided to continue on with our day.  Had dinner - Isla had lasagna and declared "Mommy, this is junk - from now on I just want to eat broccoli and cauliflower.  Please order that for me right now."  I'm sure she really enjoyed it anyway and I'm not sure that the restaurant we went to had veggies. :)  She ate my salad and was happy.

After dinner we stopped at a fun playground where Devon enjoyed himself and was able to act his age - me too actually, gosh it's fun pretending to be a kid!    We kicked the soccer ball around, spun until we were dizzy and hung like monkeys from bars.

Round and round we go

Do I need to explain this one?

Whenever we head back into Melbourne after an outing, we always pass a town that is known for 'harness racing'.  What is 'harness racing' you ask?  Let me tell you.  It is a type of horse race that pulls a 2 wheeled cart called a skully, in which the rider sits and gently taps the horse to urge it to go faster.  Who's in for another adventure?  So glad we checked it out!

Getting ready for the race to start

And they are off!  Blurry and fast!

 Isla and I really liked the horse that was all decked out in orange so we cheered for that one.  Too bad I didn't bet on it because it came in second and we would have won $450!

Here's a better picture of what they look like - taken from the interwebs.

 What a fantastic Sunday!

Day 4 of healthy eating complete!  So, we may have cheated a little at the restaurant today, but it's hard to control EVERYTHING that goes into our kid's bodies.  We brought a picnic lunch to the Fairytale land which was eaten by everyone and no complaints.  Still no crackers, fruit snacks and teddies!

And this is my new recipe of the day that will be for snack time tomorrow.

These are macerated organic apricots mixed with sesame seeds and rolled in coconut.  And it's nut free so we can take them to the gym.  Perfect!  (I just caught Devon sneaking a mouth full so hopefully they make it until tomorrow)

That's it for today!  Super tired over here and will for sure sleep soundly tonight... unless I dream of animatronic fairytale characters.  Creepy.