Perth, AUS: Beaches

One of the perks (things that sort of stink) about living oversees is that you get to file two tax returns, one for the country you are working in and a US one. I really should be working on our US one since April 15th is fast approaching but I don't want too. Plus, I doubt I have enough nap time left to complete it. And really why start it if I can't complete it? Did I mention I have to paper file? Going through photos from the trip is way more fun. Plus, I already filed the Singapore one this week, which is also due the 15th. You really shouldn't have to file more than one country's return in the same week, right? I usually do our taxes the moment I have W2s so we can get our refund. However, since we won't get a refund in the US and Singapore doesn't do refunds, it's been easy to put it off. Singapore's taxes are really much simpler, but they don't take taxes out throughout the year. So, you file, find out what you owe, and then can either pay it off in a lump sum or make payments over the course of a year interest free. I always heard people say they don't like giving an interest-free loan to the government but I have to say it is nice getting a refund instead of having to pay a chunk of money. You pay it either way but it stings a little less.

Anyway, on to the beach! Spending time at the beaches was definitely the highlight of the trip. It was so much fun having the Smiths with us. Samara adores their kids and they are all so great to her.  It's so nice for her to have kids who are like cousins here in Singapore. The beaches in Western Australia were beautiful and clean (which is not always the case in SE Asia). The sand was nice and soft. We stayed in Rockingham (south of Fremantle) and the beaches were all quite nice and not crowded. For those planning a trip there, our favorite beach was probably Coogee Beach just south of Fremantle.  It has a big covered/shaded playground as well as BBQ pits, restrooms, and showers. We'd definitely recommend it if you were staying in Fremantle. The one place we really wish we would have gone is Rottnest Island. It's similar to Catalina, i.e., no private vehicles allowed. It looks like an amazing place so I guess that means we'll have to go back to Perth....we'll just do a better job checking our flight times.

Poor Will is the only boy in the group.  He is so cute and an athletic prodigy. They are building a volcano.

"I'll be right back guys.  I saw some good sand over here."

She fell and had a face full of sand.  She didn't mind but Ben saw it and immediately took her in the ocean to wash it off.

 I had uploaded this image in color and black and white and couldn't decide which I liked better.  I didn't finish the post during nap time and Samara came in, looked at it, and said, "Oh, I really like black and white pictures mom.  Put that one on the blog."  I'm glad she is more decisive than I am.

We found a starfish one day and that was definitely a highlight of our beach time.

Ah.......can I come back.......please?!

Samara loved getting buried and being in the ocean.  She even likes the salty water and kept slurping it off her fingers saying she was making salty soup.

This was her 'bathtub'.  She sat there for over an hour.  She kept asking me to bring her bath toys (rocks/coral).

Two little buddies.  Both of their girls are so wonderful with Samara.

The sky was really this blue!

The weather was very windy a couple days because of the storm, but otherwise very pleasant.  Not too hot and no humidity and we enjoyed the brisk evenings and mornings.  The water was a bit chilly, but after a few minutes in you hardly noticed.

Perth AUS: Wildlife Park

We went to the Marapana Wildlife park (basically a petting zoo).  There are several in the area and this one was closest to us.  We weren't super impressed by it but the kids loved it and that is all the matters.    This was definitely a more "wild" experience than the zoo.  These animals wanted the food!

The ostriches were crazy.  They really took us by surprise.  They were behind a wired fence but they'd peck at our food buckets very aggressively.  It was hilarious to listen to everyone responding to it on the video we took.   "Look their eyes flash white!  This one is creeping me out.  These things don't seem too bright."

A wombat

The llamas wouldn't leave us alone.  All I couldn't think of was David Spade because he's turned into a llama on that Disney cartoon, The Emperor's New Groove.  Anyway, when I watched the video, Ben said, "They look like a freaky muppet.   Let's get out of here.  I am not entirely comfortable here."  In his defense--they were pretty creepy.

Then I said, "Oh, just let me get a picture of her with the deer."  Samara fell in love with Bambi when we watched it at my mom's over the holidays, so we couldn't miss out on a photo with the deer.

Koalas are lazy buggers and sleep like 20 hours/day.  What a life!  I also read the following, which I didn't know but found interesting: "The brain in the ancestors of the modern koala once filled the whole cranial cavity, but has become drastically reduced in the present species, a degeneration scientists suspect is an adaptation to a diet low in energy.  One of the smallest in marsupials with no more than 0.2% of its body weight, about 40% of the cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, while the brain's two cerebral hemispheres are like "a pair of shrivelled walnut halves on top of the brain stem, in contact neither with each other nor the bones of the skull. It is the only animal on earth with such a strangely reduced brain." 

Perth, AUS: Sunsets

There are few things better than a beautiful sunset. 

I have to point out that all of the following images are from the same sunset in chronological order.  It was stunning.  I love how much the light and colors changed.

The next couple were after the sun had just passed the horizon.  I love the contrast of the moon against the pink and blue sky.

Samara loves to squeeze us and do 'family hugs' whenever we take a photo together.

The sky looked like the one above this one when we left the beach.  Ten minutes later, as we drove past the coast again, it looked like this.  I made Ben stop at the round about so I could snap a picture.  I wish I would have asked him he let me out of the car for a few minutes to get some more shots.

10 lessons learned in Aussieland

We just returned from a holiday in western Australia.  We had a string of unexpected events that gave the trip a little more adventure than we planned for.  But it didn't stop us from enjoying the lovely (not humid) weather, having a car, beautiful beaches, history, and great company.  

Here are some lessons we learned:

1. When you book a beach house and it doesn't actually have pictures of the bathrooms that means there is only one.  And that it's basically equivalent to camping (not ideal for 4 kids and 4 adults).  On the plus side, the swinging doors did offer a small degree of privacy and made you feel like you were in a saloon in a western. When Iris (owner) says she has all the basic kitchen stuff she means you can boil water.  50 meters to the beach is more like 200 meters in her calculation. Air conditioning listed as a feature means one a/c unit in the living room, which doesn't cool off the bedrooms...the list goes on.  Perth (north of where we stayed) experienced the largest storm they'd had in 25 years while we were there.  So, in the end, we were just grateful to have a roof over our heads.

2. If you enter  the ACTUAL physical address of the LDS temple into the GPS and not the mailing address you'll get there the first time.  Very helpful when the drive takes over an hour and you have no cell phone or way of looking up the actual address once you arrive at the mailing address.

3. Penguin Island should be renamed poop island.  Don't waste your money.  Their website and the Perth tourism one that boasts it as one of the top-ten attractions must be part of the penguin conspiracy. Ten hand-fed penguins in a shelter should hardly qualify it as "penguin island".  They are cute though.

4. Driving on the left side of the road is harder than you think.  I hit 3 garbage cans and ran over 5 curbs on my first drive.  Also, if you sit in the passenger seat your 3-year old will be sure to remind you that you need to actually sit in the driver's seat to drive the car.  Clever girl.

5. The world would be a better place if Arnott's were in charge of the world's food supply.  I blogged about their mint slices.  They are only the beginning.  We tried as many varieties as we could physically eat while we were there.  If we ever had twin boys we'd name them William Arnott and John Cadbury.

6. Kids don't understand that vacations are for sleeping in. Note to Samara: waking up 4 times a night does absolutely nothing to earn you Arnott's products.  It only causes your parents to eat more of them. Learning how to say, "I think the dingo ate your baby" will earn you a few cookies.

Disclaimer: No cookies were harmed in order to obtain the above image, which definitely was not staged.  However, cookies may or may not have been promised for compliance.

7. A beautiful sunset is good for the soul!

8. My pop-up flash does not work above shutter speed of 250 resulting in over-exposed images.  How did I not know this?

9.  A five hour red-eye flight isn't that bad compared to 24 hours.  I even slept a little.

10. Last but not least, if your flight is at 12:20 AM on Wednesday, it's optimal to go to the airport Tuesday night, not Wednesday night.  Always proceed to the airport in above scenario instead of calling.  The sweet woman at the check-in counter will have pity on your group with 4 tired crying kids and a pregnant lady.  While the fellow in a call center somewhere in another part of the world who doesn't speak English well will insist your only option is to pay $750 AUD/pp to get on a new flight.  The crying doesn't convey the same message on the phone.   There were only 11 seats left and we got 8 of them.  The next two nights were fully booked.  Bless the woman at the counter who changed our whole groups' tickets for $200 total.  I've never been so happy to spend $200 and be on a red-eye flight before.

The new editor/composer in blogger does not have spell check.  I can not be held responsible for errors until I figure out a way to spell check.   Anyone know how to get spell check?

Remembering

I woke up this morning like most mornings.  Samara came in half asleep at 6:30 and wanted a drink.  We sent her back to bed and she fell asleep until almost 8:00.  Unlike most mornings, I got out of bed and had a productive morning editing photos from my last session.  Then, I suddenly remembered it was Thursday, which meant it was the 11th, which means 2 years ago my dad passed away.  I was feeling pretty emotional at breakfast.  Then Samara yelled, "I can't eat my cereal with this green spoon.  I need the yellow one. My bowl is yellow." (spoon and bowls ALWAYS have to match-no exceptions!)  And I was brought back to reality.  I vividly remember a couple months after we were married Ben waking up in a very solemn mood on the anniversary of his sweet mom's death and telling me, "Now, I've lived longer without my mom than I did with her."  It just doesn't seem fair.  I'm grateful I had my dad with me as long as I did.

My sweet friend called me this afternoon to tell me that her dad wasn't doing well.  She'd wanted to let me know she'd need to cancel some plans we had because she'd need to fly back to Taiwan to help.  My heart sank and memories of my own dad being sick came rushing in.  Seeing someone you love sick, miserable, and in so much pain is almost worse than losing them.

I got to be home for about 6 weeks while my dad was ill and in the hospital.  It was emotionally exhausting but I'm so glad I had some time with him.  He was doing better and I flew back home.  A week later he passed away.  I hated that I wasn't there for it.  I hate that because I don't like to show emotion I didn't tell my dad how much he meant to me, because I thought I'd see him in the summer.  I am sure anyone who has lost a love one can agree that your world changes when someone close to you passes away.  You're never quite the same because part of you is with them.  

His funeral services were lovely and a wonderful tribute to him.  However, after I returned back to NC everything really sunk in and the next few months were difficult.  I remember being angry that life went on for the rest of the world just as it always had.  I thought time should stop even for a moment for something...anything...to acknowledge that such an important person was no longer part of it.  One day not long after returning to NC I went to the grocery store.  The clerk was polite and rang up my groceries like usual.  I was so angry at her though for not acknowledging that something so significant had happened in my life.   Ridiculous, I know--I'd never met her before.  I felt like everyone was watching a horrendous act like 9/11 happen on a TV monitor right in front of their faces but were refusing to believe or care that it was going on.  Anyone else felt this way?

I really really missed my dad our trip home over Christmas.  I was definitely a daddy's girl.  He and I loved to joke with each other.  I wish Samara could have known him longer.  I kept thinking on the flight home and when I first got there "Oh, he and Samara will have so much fun teasing each other.  He'll get such a kick out her and he'll think what she said is so funny."  My dad wrote the sweetest journal entry for Samara when he and my mom came out to help after she was born.  I wish this baby could have a similar entry.

Some of my favorite memories of my dad are of going to BYU basketball and football games.  My Mom, brother, sister and her family, and Samara and I went to one while we were visiting.  I dropped Kenny, Mom, and Samara off so I could go park.  I hadn't been to a basketball game for many years, so many feelings and memories came flooding back as I walked in the Marriott Center.  I know he beamed with pride as Samara cheered "Go mighty cougars!"  

I know I'll be with my Dad again and I am very grateful for that.  But that doesn't make me miss him or all his wonderful quirks any less.   I'm thankful I have his example to follow--it makes me a better person.  Make sure your parents know how much you love them!

It's a GIRL!!

If you haven't heard, we are having another baby.  Our lack of announcement does not indicate a lack of excitement.  We are SO thrilled to be a family of four.  We had a miscarriage scare and wanted to wait until we were back in Singapore and had been to the doctor to announce anything.  Then it was just a little over a month until finding out what we were having so we thought it would be fun to wait until we knew the gender to announce it.  We were all so convinced the baby was a boy so it's still sinking in that we are having another girl.

At first, Samara really wanted a sister/girl baby.  However, the last two months she has really started wanting a brother.  She's been calling the baby a 'he' and referring to the baby by the boy name we had picked out.   When we found out today and asked her how she felt.  She said, "Well, I just like brother babies sometimes too." She is very anxious and asks most days if the baby can come out yet.  According to her, the baby will live off milk and tortillas once she is born.

We are naming her Elizabeth Helen.  We both love the name Elizabeth.  Helen is after Ben's maternal grandmother, whom we love and admire.  If you met her you'd probably decide to name your next child after her too.  She is an amazing woman.

Everything looked great on the ultrasound and little Lizzie is measuring right on schedule.  She's due July 23rd.  I am hoping for a Pioneer Day baby (July 24th. :)).

We are so excited!  Having the ultrasound, confirming the baby looks healthy and is growing well, and finding out the baby is girl has made it all seem so much more real.  We can't wait to meet her in person and to have two cute girls, Mara and Lizzie!

Her first of many photos

Samara is 3!

Samara wanted an elephant birthday so we had intended to go to an elephant park in Bintan (Indonesian Island 45 minutes via ferry) for her b-day. They changed their visas requirements and it ended up being too costly for a day trip. So, to the zoo for breakfast it was.

This is no ordinary breakfast. This zoo is very interactive and you get to hold boa snakes and the lemurs come out to dine with you.

The beautiful endangered Sumatran Orangatans also come down to enjoy their breakfast with you. They were so neat to watch. The moms would open the fruit and feed it to their babies.

The highlight of the day was having Papa join us! He's only been once with us, which was on her b-day last year. She asks nearly every time we go if he can join us but poor Papa is always stuck at work. It was fun to see his reaction to everything at the zoo because it's become so commonplace to Samara and me.

Samara loves the merry-go-round and had requested a ride on that but it was, unfortunately, closed. She was a good sport about it and we settled on a pony ride instead. They even let her go on two loops since it was her b-day. Ben and I both got a little teary eyed watching her. She seemed so grown up. We can't believe she is 3 already. She is quite the character and a delightful little girl. We are so thankful that she is part of our family!

We decided to have a casual BBQ and swim to celebrate Samara's birthday. We invited all her little friends and their families. This is Celeste and Verene. I intended to get photos of all her pals but that only happened with these two, who were the first to arrive.

Samara is really loving the pool lately and spent the whole time playing with the kids in the pool.

These are our dear friends and neighbors. They move back to Germany this summer and we will be so sad when they go. :( (Funny story: They watched Samara while we went out on Valentines Day. We brought her home a pink pen and she told me the next day that when she and Max went on a date she'd bring me home a green pen and Ben a blue one.)

More pool fun. We are so thankful for the wonderful friends we've made here that make it feel like home. It definitely makes it easier to not have grandparents and family close by.

Samara is all about birthday cake. As soon as she sees the cake at a party that's all she can think about. She won't play or do anything else but ask repeatedly when we are going to eat the cake. She wanted an elephant cake and even with a lot of help from a kind friend it took my domestically challenged self several hours to make.

We like her to keep her water wings on even outside the pool...just in case.

Samara loves cooking. I bought this in Canada at Christmas for $20 and brought is back in one of our food boxes. This 'made in America' beauty makes all the chinese-made stuff look very quality. She loves it though and there is no use investing in nice toys that we'll leave behind in a year or two when we move back. Samara has been in heaven playing with all her presents. I love watching kids giving each other presents--they are so adorable and excited when they give them. It is sweet to watch them light up as they anxiously give the gift and watch the recipient open it up. Thank you everyone for the wonderful gifts and making her day so special!

Happy Birthday sweet little Mara!

Click to see her 3-year old portraits!

And check back tomorrow for a VERY exciting announcement!