Friday, October 14, 2011

August, and everything after...

The month of August 2011 started out like any other month.  School, parks, playdates, and a Saturday excursion to the D'Aguilar range with a few of our favorite fellow expat families.

Lots of dirt road driving on this trip - not so much actual off-roading.

Heitzmanns bringing up the rear.


After hours in the car {almost every track and scenic highlight we planned to see were still closed from the 2011 rainy/flood season}, we finally had a chance to stop and see something: 
this gorgeous water hole!

The view from up here.


Daddy's girl.





The man huddle.

On our way home.  Sometimes these are the best views.

Not long after, however, a very familiar face showed up to stay with us a while.  Bunny made her second trip across the pond to see our little family of five, and soon our calendar was jam packed with activities.

Do we look tired?  It was only 5:30am.

On day one the girls and I took her over to Roma Street Parklands to get a little sunshine and try to keep her awake so the jet-lag wouldn't have a chance to kick in.






Then after school it was time to dig into all the goodies she brought with her from the States...a whole extra suitcase just for us! Thank You!




showing off the completed Bunny countdown.


Then on Wednesday, the Royal Show Holiday - Ekka - {think Texas State Fair}, we opted to get away from the crowds and head to Noosa for lunch at the Surf Club and a little bush walk. It was a glorious day, and well worth the drive, even though we didn't spot any Koalas {Noosa National Park is famous for the furry little marsupials}.











Hallie had been rockin' the baby mullet for a few months {12?!} too long, so we took her in to get her first hair cut.  Of course she was petrified of the big chair and sharp scissors {and having to sit still for so long} so Bunny had to sit in the chair with her.  She's still rockin' a partial mullet, but it's a step in the right direction.



Saturday we decided to show Bunny one of our most favorite spots here in Australia, Byron Bay.  Unfortunately, with all the amazing weather we'd been having in Brisbane, we didn't think to check the weather report, and we spent a very wet day in the Bay. That said, we had an awesome brunch at The Balcony Restaurant {highly recommend!}, complete with fresh squeezed Apple, Orange and Pineapple Juice - yum! Not many photos from a day with torrential down pours, but the rain did break long enough to head up to the lighthouse for Bunny to get a glimpse of the Eastern most point of Oz and look for some whales {none sighted :( }.




Such crazy weather!

The next week Caden had Book Character Day at school.  He had fun dressing up as Captain Hook {check the impromptu hook made of wire hanger, socks, playdough, duct tape and aluminum foil}.

I think he was really saying "Arrrrgh Mateys".

On their way to assembly.

I love these shots of assembly.  It is pure little kid energy.

Marin & Hallie's school also hosted Old MacDonald's Farm, so we went up to see the kids mingle with goats, sheep, chickens, bunnies and the cutest little piglets you have ever seen! It certainly made me understand why Fern couldn't let her daddy get rid of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web.  You just want to cuddle them!


Marin loves chooks {Australian for chicken}.









The following weekend was the much anticipated Wilston State School Fete {pronounced in Oz as fate - known in Texas as a school carnival or fair}.  So much preparation went into this event, and when we woke up on Saturday morning you could just tell the whole day was going to be a wash out.  Another mom and I were in charge of the Pets Rock! stall for Prep E and F, so we had to arrive early to get set up. It was a bit chaotic getting all the stalls moved in from the oval to undercover space, but once everyone was sorted, people came out in droves and it seemed that despite the weather, everyone had a good time.  The kids playing in the mud definitely did!






Oh how I wish this shot was in focus!


Marin loves animals...so sad we can't have a pet right now.





Yeah, this is pretty much how all our kids looked at the end of the day!

Irony struck in the form of a brisk, cloudless, blue-sky Sunday.  We had to get out and enjoy it, so we went out to Shorncliffe to walk the pier, play at the park and have lunch.  Lunch wasn't so great, but we were in for a surprise when we realized that we were there for low tide, where you can walk hundreds of yards out onto the mud flats...with hundreds of soldier crabs.









The girls were really not happy about having to walk with the crabs.








Lastly, we ended the month in true throw-back style with a prep - year two skate night. I can't tell you how much fun it was to lace up a pair of roller skates again and pretend I was eight.  Caden had never given skating a go, so I was a little curious as to how that would work out. He was a champ, and no fewer than 50 spills later he was skating his little heart out.  I did learn that roller blades are easier for kids to pick up than the old school skates.  Not sure why, but switching midway through the night, made all the difference.  In fact, Caden had so much fun, he's asked for a skate birthday party next year.  We'll see.

Caden and Aoife with their teacher, Ms. Grim.

Roller blading like a champ.

Having a fun night with other prep f kids.


Whew, if you thought that was a busy month, just wait until September!

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