Sick Sick Sickity Sick

How is it that the entire family can get sick, but mom somehow miraculously skips it and stays healthy?  Sometimes I would like to be sick so that I can be taken care of.  Oh how I would love to stay in bed all day.  Do you think Devon would bring me chicken soup?

Oh wait, I'm dreaming again!  Not to make this a 'woah is me' post, but I really think that I'm not allowed to be sick.  God does this for a reason!  I am the care taker, the family nurse.  I should feel blessed to have an iron immune system.  But man, mommy wants some pampering too!  Anyone want to fly over to Sydney to take care of me?  Please?

:)  Hugs and love to everyone!  Stay healthy please!!

The beach, the beach!

Another fun-filled weekend was had by the Gifford family in Sydney.

Well, we'll start with Friday's debacle first.  Gotta have at least one a week for me!  I had a 9:00 appointment with the day care for the kids at the gym.  So I hurry, get them ready to go only to find out that once again, the elevator isn't working.  BLAST!  I'm determined to go to the gym, so what do I do?  Pack the boys in the stroller with Isla by my side and yes, I took the stroller down 4 flights of stairs.  Again, nobody got injured in the process - score 1 for me!  However, I was super hot and sweaty by the time I reached the bottom, and honestly not in the best of moods.  We strolled to the gym and made it JUST on time.  BUT... the friendly guy at the counter gently reminded me that my appointment was for 10:00, not 9.  Grrrrr.  I was less than impressed.  Very defeated, I told him to cancel my booking.  We will have to find something else to do on this beautiful sunny day.  So, dressed in my work out clothes, I decided to take the kids to China Town to Paddy's Market.  I had to ask a few people what stop to get off at and what direction to walk, but we managed to get there without too much trouble.  I LOVED it and the kids did fabulously.  The boys slept almost the entire time we were at the market and Isla just loved looking at all the trinkety things.  I bought a couple beach towels (even haggled the price down a little) and some more Christmas presents.  We'll have to make another stop at this place.  It was a lot of fun! 

Friday night was a night out just Devon and I.  We have a great trusted babysitter that seems to always be available when we need her.  And Isla loves her, so that's a bonus!  We went to The Rocks night market and I bought a cute sun dress and some Christmas Ornaments.  I still find it weird seeing Christmas decorations up when it's so hot out.  Then met a friend of Devon's out at the Belgian Beer Cafe.  It's always good to get out!

Got up early on Saturday and headed to the beach.  We were totally prepared this time!  Swim diapers; check, sand toys; check, beach towels; check, we even had a little tent!  Made it to the beach only to find that it was closed.  The current was too strong and the waves were too big.  That's ok though, we went to a different beach not too far away.  Got everything set up so we took everyone down to the water.  Wow, my kids were NOT impressed!  None of them like the water.  Bummer!  Guess it's just me taking a dip.  The ocean was cold, but very refreshing.  We had to cut the day at the beach a bit short because we were invited to eat dinner at the assistant pastor's house.  They invited a few other families with kids as well.  There were probably about a dozen kids total.  Talk about chaos!!  Ian and Drew were exhausted from the day at the beach, and Isla actually fell asleep while eating her dinner!  We stayed as long as we could (made it through a lovely dessert of pavlova), got home and crashed.  

Sunday was another beach day.  This time we met a bunch of Devon's co-workers (aka baby helpers) and camped out on the main Manly Beach.  I had an absolute blast that day.  The adult to kid ratio was WAY above the normal 2:3 so I was able to enjoy myself without chasing after kids.  Actually, they all did very well and stayed very close to all of us.  Isla just loves playing in the sand, rolling in it, throwing it etc.  The boys probably ate their fare share, but also had a blast.  I just wish they would get accustomed to the water.  Maybe when it warms up a bit later this summer. 

Ahh, what a great weekend!

And good news!!  We have DSL!  Now I'm just working on getting a portable A/C unit and we'll be all set!

I am also in the midst of planning 'The Gifford Christmas Vacation' to New Zealand.  We got our Campervan rented, just need to plan the route.  It will totally be a National Lampoons adventure, so stay tuned for that blog post!  :)

Love and miss you all!

~Mary

slip, slap, slop

Three weeks - I believe this is when I stop feeling like a tourist and start feeling more like a temporary local.  Although I haven't REALLY felt like a tourist because I have three kids.  Once upon a time I could walk into a store that caught my eye, or meander down the isles of the local market, take my time eating lunch at an outdoor cafe.  Not that I'm complaining, it's just different now.  Now I chow down my food which is usually something like crackers and a piece of cheese, and instead of meandering, I'm huffing and puffing pushing my stroller to the local play ground.  Not bad, just different.

I get to show my kids a new country.  They get to ride on ferries, and go on trains.  They see fireworks every weekend and learn new songs that we don't hear in the US.  I would say for right now, different is better.

The past few days have been full of adventure.  We start with Sunday, family fun day.  Every Sunday the trains and ferries only cost $2.50 all day.  Sounds fabulous right?  Well, too bad not all trains run on the weekends.  That didn't stop us though.. the Gifford's WILL prevail with this country.  We started with the ferry across the harbor to The Rocks.  We did a little shopping for Christmas presents (Ashley, Brody, Katie and Lucas are done!) then we meandered... um I mean, strolled... hmmm nope, plowed... yeah, that's it... up and down the Isles of The Rocks market.

Devon 'plowing'

We ate lunch

While Ian and Drew napped

 And then on to the Redbull Flugtag!  We got as close as we wanted to get and watched a couple of the flying machines make their plunge into the water.  I tell ya, the hobbies people have...

We hung out a bit in the botanical gardens:

Drew exploring

Devon playing

all those black things in the trees are BATS

Then it was time to head home for nap time.  Believe it or not, EVERYONE slept.  Well, except for me of course.  I'm not a nap taker anymore.  I took advantage of my quiet solitude and just sat on the couch. Ahhhh, love.

Upon waking, we packed up and headed out again.  This time to Darling Harbour.  First stop, dinner at James Squire brewpub.  We had a blast!  And got to drink beer too!

Then walked along the harbour and played in the fountains:

Fabulous end to a fabulous day!

Monday was spent waiting for the internet guy.  He showed up RIGHT at noon (had an 8-12 window) and proceeded to tell me that our apartment isn't wired for internet or phone.  BLARGGGHHH!  Devon has contacted the agent about it and 'hopefully' we can get a jack put in.  Talk about ARCHAIC.  Australia, we will prevail!

Had to get out of the apartment on Tuesday, so I decided to take the kids back to Darling Harbour to the aquarium.  I bought the 'Adventure Pass' that allows us unlimited access to the aquarium and 3 other fun attractions.  I'm sure we'll get our money's worth on that purchase.  We had SO much fun!  We saw sharks, octopuseses.. er octopi, squids, penguins, sting rays, and dugongs.  We walked through sea tunnels, and on top of glass floors, and pet sea urchins.  The boys slept through half of it, but woke up all wide eyed.  They were fascinated.

Will get pics of the aquarium posted later.  Internet is acting up and I have a very tired 2 year old!

Love and miss you all!

~Mary

Ho Hum

Hi all!!

Sorry my posts have been very few and far between lately.  My internet connection has been horrible so I haven't been able to post much.  That will be fixed on MONDAY.  YAY!  I'm pretty sure Australia is stuck in the 80's.  Technology-wise for sure.  It's very hard not to be able to have a fast and reliable connection.  Makes you realize what you take for granted at home.  Also, we can only get tv using these crazy rabbit ear antennas.  I'm telling you, I feel like I need to roll and pin my jeans.

So besides locking my son in my apartment this week, it has been pretty uneventful.  It's been raining and pretty chilly so we haven't done much outside.  We've made friends with the gorgeous Lorrikeets that visit our window every day asking for food.  Isla's favorite thing to do now is feed the birds.  They'll even take the bread crumbs right out of our hands.

On Thursday I was invited out to join Devon at a work sponsored dinner.  We were able to get a great baby sitter very last minute so I could get out of the apartment and do 'adult related things'.  The restaurant was located just across the harbour from our apartment and would normally have a great view of the opera house, but at this particular evening, there was a giant cruise ship parked right in front of the window.  Fine with me, I see the opera house every day.  :)  So I ordered a $70 slab of beef (just for you dad!) because I've heard from several people that the beef here is very sub par.  I was good, but something we can get at home for $30.  I'm just glad I didn't have to pay for it.  It was a nice dining experience and loved being able to meet Devon's co-workers, but I wouldn't go back to that restaurant on my own accord.  It was way over priced and the food was just so-so.  But still, a night out!  Can't complain.

We had our Chicago friends over for dinner tonight.  We were going to make a big, delicious spread - arroz con pollo, pulled pork, etc. but Isla ended up feeling pretty crummy all day so we just did a casual wine and pizza night.  It was still a great time and our friends didn't mind at all.

Sydney is hosting the Red Bull Flutag tomorrow (where the crazies make glider airplanes and jump off into the water to see how far they'll go) so there's been a whole bunch of activity by the opera house.  We've been able to hear the concerts going on all day, and I bet we'll be able to watch the flutag from our window.  I think we're going to try to go down there tomorrow depending on the weather and how Isla is feeling.

AND... I registered to be in the audience when Oprah is here.  It's all lottery based, so who knows if I'll be chosen but still, how cool would THAT be?  I'm not even a big Oprah fan, but this being her last year on-air and it being in Sydney, why not??  Pick me, pick me Oprah!  I hope she gives stuff away.  :)

Alright, enough rambling.  Sorry about the lack of pictures.  I need to remember to take more!

Love you and miss you all

~Mary

Hmmmm

Elevator isn't working today.  No way to get giant stroller and 3 small children out of the apartment.  Hopefully it will get fixed ASAP.

Stay tuned...

Playing catch-up

Hi all!  Sorry I've been MIA for a while.  We have been without internet for a couple of days which is really NO FUN!  But we're back online and on Friday we get real DSL internet so we might even be able to Skype.  How exciting!

So, to recap on the recent events of this past weekend...

Saturday - we were supposed to go to the Koala Park but didn't quite make it.  We hopped on a train that we thought would take us there, but it took us somewhere else.  ARGH.  Apparently the train we wanted was not running so we had to make alternate plans.  Oh well, another time!  We did some much needed shopping instead.  We've found that we just have to roll with the punches here in Sydney.  I really did want to see Koalas, Kangaroos, and Penguins though.  I guess they'll still be around next time!

Saturday night was DATE NIGHT!!!  We got a babysitter (a gal from church) and left promptly at 7:30 (had to wait until the boys were completely asleep) and went out on the town!  First we went to a very cool area in Sydney called The Rocks.  We walked around a bunch, and then had a cocktail near the bridge.  It was cool, but I'm telling you a glass of wine in our apartment at night with our gorgeous view is sure just as satisfying!  Then we took a taxi to another area in Sydney called Newtown.  It was sort of like Uptown in Mpls.  We had the most amazing hamburgers there.

After dinner, we went to a place called Max Brenner.  If you like chocolate, holy cow this is the place for you!  We had some delicious drinking chocolate and the desserts looked fabulous but I didn't have any room to try one.  Again, something to do on our next date night!

Got home and all the kids were sleeping.  Ahhh, what a lovely night.  Isla woke up suddenly because of this:

MORE FIREWORKS!

Sunday: Happy Birthday to me!  Went to church which was really nice.  We're really getting to know the community.  Home for naps and then took the kids to The Rocks where there was a Halloween party for the kids thrown by the Canadian Expat group.  We were a little late, so just caught the very end of it, but we were able to hang out with our new friends from Chicago.  Noticed that everyone here dresses up as zombies.  I wish I took more pictures, it was funny to see all the great costumes.  It was a good Halloween birthday!

Monday:  I had a fabulous work out at the gym while the kids were in the creche.  We stopped on the way home for a coffee for me and a 'babychino' for Isla.

Got home just in time for lunch and then DRAMAHH!!  

Let me just preface that getting 3 kids and a stroller up into the apartment is a feat in itself.  The stroller takes up the entire elevator so by the time I get up to the third floor, I'm pretty much spent.  I then have to remove the children and get them all into the apartment one at a time.  So picture this: usually I get Isla out first.  Then I get one of the boys and put him in the apartment.  By the time I'm getting the second boy, the first boy has already made his way back OUT of the apartment and is either climbing UP the stairs or in the complete opposite direction.  Get the first boy back into the apartment, and the second boy is making his way out etc.  They're quick and sneaky, you gotta move fast!

So in this instance, I got all of my stuff out and into the apartment first, and then unloaded Drew into the apartment.  As I was getting Ian, Drew SHUT THE DOOR.  DOH!!!  I was in complete panic mode.  Heart pounding, lump in throat forming.  Oh my gosh, what do I do!!??  Keys, phone, diaper bag, and ONE YEAR OLD inside the house.  I started knocking on all of my neighbors doors and luckily came upon a very nice couple just one floor above me.  They called 999 and had the police come.  The police came very quickly and wanted to knock the door down, but Drew was sitting right against it crying.  My poor little man was so scared!  After about 15 minutes, he stopped crying and I believe he fell asleep right by the door.  After a while, about 8 fire fighters came in full garb.  Isla got a kick out of the whole ordeal, but I was not so excited.  However, there was a point where I wished I had my camera so I could capture this moment!  The hallway was full of uniformed men and woman just because I locked my keys in my apartment.  When there's a toddler involved though, things get a bit more hairy.  Oh, not my best mommy moment ever.  They finally broke the lock (we now have a broken and damaged door that we will have to fix out of pocket) and little Drew was sitting there with his favorite little doggy blanket.  I swooped him up and gave him lots of hugs and kisses!  Thank God that was over.  Everyone came out of it pretty unscathed.  Just me feeling pretty stupid and careless.  I will have the keys with me AT ALL TIMES.  Yes, I've learned my lesson.

Just a couple more pictures to leave you on a happy note:

Pretty birds we get to see every morning

Ian and Drew admiring the view

I'm off!  Hoping for a non-eventful tomorrow!

Love and miss you all,

Mary

Am I crazy? Or am I in heaven?

Wow, as each day passes I love this place more and more.  I have been here for 10 days and I feel so 'at home' already.  I have met some of the most amazing people, with such great stories to tell.  If I wasn't so attached to my home and my family, I would seriously consider living here permanently.  We just finished watching the SECOND set of fireworks from our window tonight.   Yes, not only do we have the most beautiful view of the city, we also get to see fireworks almost every weekend.  I honestly feel like we are living a fantasy.

It was another great day here.  We stayed in most of the morning trying to Skype with the family and failing.  I cannot wait until we get proper internet here in another week.  Oh, and speaking of which - I finally got a working phone last night, then upgraded the OS and apparently botched it!  So, I still don't have a phone.  It's hard not being connected to the world!  We ended up getting out a bit later and going to the playground.  We met a Swedish couple that just moved here a week ago who has 16 month old twin girls.  The diversity of this area is amazing!  I invited them to the Thursday morning playgroup and hope to see them more.

Tonight we went to dinner with the couple we met from Chicago,  It was fun to talk about how we both came about moving here - just picking up and doing it.  People from home thinking we were crazy, moving across the world with small children.  No regrets so far!  Loving this experience.  Isla and Bella (the little girl) played so well together, they became fast friends putting on jewelry and chasing each other around the living room.

Now it is time for bed.  Tomorrow we will be going to the Koala Park to finally see some of the local wildlife.  I think Isla will get a major kick out of that.  And then... A NIGHT OUT!!  WOO-HOO!  We got a babysitter for the kids so that Devon and I can go out just the 2 of us.  I am SO excited.

So, more to report for tomorrow.

Good night for now.  Miss you and love you!