Merry Christmas Melbourne

I am so excited for Christmas! This year is especially fun for our family because Ava is understanding so much and getting excited about everything!  Here are a few pictures of things we have been doing to  enjoy the holiday's in Melbourne.

Every year in front of Meyer's there are Christmas displays in the windows that move and sing. 

She was so excited about the dancing elves

Some firemen showed up to bring lollies for the kids

Inside the firetruck

There are some things that just aren't the same here, like the absence of a decent radio station that plays Christmas music. However, one thing I really appreciate about Australia is that they unabashedly say, "Merry Christmas!" It is written all over the city on banners, signs, and store window's. Both Santa and Nativity Creche's are equally represented, and the funny thing is Melbourne is just as diverse as any major U.S. city. There are plenty of people who don't celebrate Christmas but also choose not to be offended that other people do celebrate it. By the same token I take no offence if someone wishes me a Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday that person celebrates. I feel honored by their well wishes. It is really refreshing to be somewhere that says "Merry Christmas!"

A few of the "Merry Christmas Melbourne" signs around the city

Christmas village

After walking home from a friends Christmas party we stopped to see some of the Ringtail  opossums. This particular one Ava really wanted to get to know. She pointed to herself and said, "I... Ava".

Cute picture I took at her playgroup Christmas party.

Below are a couple of pictures from Ava's Mini Maestro's Christmas Concert, which is basically  a music and dance class for toddlers. I was a little nervous when I enrolled her because she likes to run around and do her own thing, I wasn't sure if she would want to follow the instructions of the teacher. However I was pleasantly surprised at how attentive she is during class. It is adorable to see how badly she wants to do everything just right. 

 Performing in her Christmas Concert

With the Maestro's bumblebee

 Below are some pictures I took this week when we went to the Prahran Market. Really it has nothing to do with Christmas because we go all the time except for the fact that this week Santa paid the kids a visit. 

Every week there is free face painting.  Ava actually showed some interest this week and when  the artist asked what she would like Ava said, "Tiger face". When the woman showed her some examples she pointed to the white kitty face. She still told everyone that it was her 'tiger face'. Unfortunately Ava wouldn't sit still long enough for the woman to finish so really she just looked like a kid with white paint all over. 

 When I told her santa would be there she couldn't stop asking about him and yet when she got her chance she wouldn't go near him. He even gave her a toy! This is the best picture I could get. I felt bad for Santa, he's probably not used to the 80 degree weather.

Favorite carousel horses

Every Thursday there is a musician that who comes to sing songs with the kids. He puts out instruments so the kids can sing and play along.

Movin' and groovin'

Fireworks are a big part of the holidays around here. Not just on New Years but Christmas as well. Since we live right on the harbor promenade our porch is perfect viewing for the nightly fireworks and evening Christmas concerts. Last night was the first fireworks show of the season with more to come. The usual quiet promenade is now bustling with people dining in restaurants, shopping, or just around to see the show. 




One of my favorite things to do around Christmas time is to wait until it's dark and see all the beautiful Christmas lights. In the states that usually means bundling up and going out about 5:00pm. Here that means waiting until 9pm before both the sun goes down and the day's heat has cooled off. Although some have figured out that if you put a cool Christmas light show on the inside of a hotel lobby you can see Christmas lights at any time of day. Below is a picture I took inside of the Crown.

Daddy, Ava (and some random lady) listening to a Christmas Choir

And since it's not just Christmas but it's summer everyone hits the beach. This is one of our favorite Melbourne beaches because there are calm waves, lot's of fun snorkeling, and of course these classic Australian beach huts lined along the sand. 

I'm holding a starfish species that damage the rest of the marine life so we were allowed to take it home and dry it out.

 Our plan today (Christmas Eve) was to spend a day at the beach. However yesterday I noticed Ava wasn't acting like her normal peppy self. By afternoon she was running a fever and having a hard time keeping her eyes open so I put her to bed and she slept until about 9pm. I decided to make the most of an unexpected nap time and put together this blog post. The rest of her nap time I spent searching the internet for possible causes of her sickness. The internet to me is both a comfort and a source of anxiety. While it gave me comfort that most likely it was a stomach virus that would be over in 12-24 hours, it also advised that I should check for signs of meningitis! When Eric and I went into her room to check on her she gave us a funny look and then threw up. I have been blessed with a child that is very healthy, but because she never gets sick,  I worry like crazy at times like this.


After we cleaned her up she sat with Eric on the couch while I turned on our Christmas tree lights. She mustered up the energy to walk over to the table and grab her little nativity set and she snuggled up with Daddy again. Then she said, "Mommy come" and pointed to the couch beside her, so I followed orders and sat next to them. Together we all stared at the lights on our little Christmas tree. Ava pushed a button on her nativity that plays the tune of Away in a  Manger and the three of us sang along. Then Ava declared, "Ava...happy!" 


And there you have it, what Christmas is really all about. Ava has no idea that there are presents and a stocking coming, true happiness to her is about time together as a family singing songs by the Christmas tree. As I posted some of these pictures remembering all the fun we've had for our Australian Christmas, my most cherished memory of all was last night in our living room when I heard my sick child tell me she felt happy. I hope that all who read this are enjoying the Christmas season and take time to remember what we are really celebrating. When I read the story of our Savior's birth the stirring in my heart tells me that it is more than just a story. When I see the kindness and generosity all around me I know that He spent his life showing us how we should live. And when I hear my child who is in pain and discomfort declare that she is happy in spite of it all, I know that He died so we wouldn't have to suffer alone. That really is the best Christmas present of all! 


Merry Christmas!

The Great Barrier Reef

Since the time we found out we were moving to Australia we've gotten plenty of travel recommendations, many more than we will be able to accomplish during our time here. However the one thing that Eric and I were set on doing was seeing the Great Barrier Reef. I've wanted to go ever since watching the movie "Finding Nemo". The Barrier Reef is the worlds largest Reef system stretching about 1,600 miles along the north east coast of Australia.

Once I felt good enough we quickly made travel arrangements and suffice to say I was not disappointed. Not only did we find nemo, but we found many other unique Australian experiences to keep us busy during our stay. Below are some of the highlights of our trip.

This was Ava's idea for saving on airfare

We spent most of our vacation in Port Douglas which is a small town just north of Cairns. It was a quiet beach with easy access to the reef. We also found a great Day Care, which gave Eric and I a chance to explore the reef while Ava could spend all day playing with new friends.

The view on top of the hill in Port Douglas

One of the crew members took this photo for us.

Here are a couple of the clown fish we saw. I was surprised at how curious and friendly they were, it made getting pictures easy.

Standing on the back of the dive boat.

Playing at the park with a new friend

A couple of birds that were hanging around our breakfast table one morning

Some of the freshwater Crocodiles "freshies" at the Animal Park

Feeding a wallaby
 (you can't tell but this one had a joey in it's pouch) 

Ava and I feeding some wallaby's

I had to get a photo since I usually see koalas asleep or almost asleep. 

Exactly what I'm talking about -this koala is just trying to get comfy enough on Eric's bony shoulder to go right back to sleep. 

About to go for a swim

She's even cute with her hair all wet and matted!

This is a video of Ava at the butterfly gardens

Sunrise from our balcony

The Cairn's swimming lagoon

Playing at "muddies" a giant playground next to the swimming lagoon

The park in Port Douglas

Ava was getting followed by a mob of curious wallaby's 

Hiking in the Rainforest. Ava proved to be a pretty good little hiker covering about a mile on her own.

I Love to Read the Scriptures

Today was the Primary program during Sacrament meeting at church.  Not surprisingly, Ava actually paid more attention to the talks and singing than to all her books and activities that we bring to keep her quietly occupied during the meeting.  She especially lit up when she noticed that her babysitter Rachel was up on the stand singing.  Ava pointed to her excitedly - Rachel noticed and smiled, even though it was apparent that she was trying to keep a straight face.

The theme for this year in primary is "I know the Scriptures are True".  As we drove home from church, I commented to Cheryl that it would still be 3 more years until Ava participated in the Primary program presentation.  But, that's not to say she isn't already living the theme. I was able to get some footage of Ava reading the scriptures last night before she realized I was filming, making this a truly candid moment.

Made in Australia

I've had several questions from people about what things are like living down under so I thought I'd write a few of my thoughts on the subject and perhaps answer a few questions at the same time. 

Probably the most common question is, What is the weather like? 

If you ask most Australians they will tell you Melbourne weather is freezing cold. That is because the rest of the population lives in tropical conditions, except for the desert portion, but no one actually lives there. Melbourne is only sub-tropical. If I had to compare the weather to something many of you are familiar with, it's a similar climate to California. There are palm trees and tropical plants, heaps of tropical looking birds like parrots, lorikeets, and cockatoos but it does get cold in the winter and there are seasons. We arrived here right as the winter was getting started and the average temperature was mid to upper 50's with an occasional warm spell when the temperature would reach the upper 60's or even the low 70's. Now that it is spring time the weather is quite pleasant, but because of where Melbourne is situated between the ocean and mountains the weather can change rapidly between hot and sunny to sudden rain shower. I have learned to always have a jacket handy. 

We live right on a small harbor so every time I leave my home there is at least a little breeze sometimes the breeze is refreshing and gentle, sometimes it is downright violent. One day I was walking Ava to the park and she was holding her favorite pink ball, the wind ripped the ball from her tiny hands and sent it into the harbor. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do to save her ball short of jumping into the harbor. I hope some lucky child in Tasmania enjoys her ball!

Is it weird having seasons backwards?

That is an emphatic yes! I am so weirded out by how the weather is getting warmer but the holidays are just around the corner. I feel like the holidays are just an afterthought around here. The only place I've seen a single Christmas decoration is Costco. They look absurd when it's 80 degrees outside, the flowers and trees are blossoming, baby animals are emerging and there's Santa on top of a snowy roof top greeting you at the front door of Costco. I'm not surprised that Costco's Christmas display is untouched.

How is living in the City?

I have to admit I have never had any desire to live in a big city, but as far as cities go Melbourne is very livable. In fact it was just voted the most livable city in the world and I totally get it. It is the cleanest city I've ever seen and super easy to get anywhere whether you are using public transport or on bike. For a city it is surprisingly family oriented and I have found heaps of fun things to keep a toddler busy. The crime rate is extremely low and I have never seen a homeless person or been asked for spare change the entire time I've been here.  I don't know if they hide all the bums or what, but I think it has a lot to with an excellent economy and services that take care of everybody. As of late I have been navigating the Australian heath care system because...

This was my 12 week ultrasound picture. I am now about 16 weeks pregnant and the baby's due date is April 8. We'll see if this one's as punctual as Ava was:)

Overall the health care system is every bit as good as the U.S., at least with my experience, and so far I've been using the public option. I will probably switch to a private hospital only because I want my own room, (If I go with the public hospital I have to share a room with another mom). It is still TBD whether little brother/sister will be born in Australia, most likely we will still be here and leave not long afterwards, it all depends on Boeing since they pay our bills. This also means that those of you who have ever entertained the idea of coming to Australia should get on it, we have an extra room with a queen size bed. Free room, board, a ride to and from the airport; you can't beat that. 

How is Ava Adjusting?
The only hard thing for her is being away from her friends. We had lots of good friends to play with in Seattle. I've really had to go out of my way to make sure she has time to interact with other children. Many of her friends from church live far from where we are at, so we only get to see them on sundays or the occasional activity. We attend all the local library activities and I have enrolled her in a music class. We have made a few good friends through these activities and for the most part those are the friends we do things with during the week.

We've started taking a walk to the beach after music class.

"Wading"

Playing at the children's expo.

Again the children's expo doing an art project. 

I have really been trying to make sure I do lots of fun things with Ava, but it has been a real challenge because I have been so sick during this pregnancy. I believe the worst is over, and I am starting to get back a little energy. I've even been able to eat food without it coming back up.Overall I am so glad I have Ava - she keeps me laughing and if it weren't for her I would be tempted to sit at home all day watching Oprah reruns and clutching my giant plastic bowl. But for Ava's sake I have to get out. While I may be puking all along the sidewalk, if I made the effort to get that far I might as well keep going. And by the way, they constantly clean the streets and sidewalks in Melbourne so my regurgitated crackers and juice are unsightly only for a short time. 

What's the Food like?
There are a lot of ethnic food here that I haven't really seen before like Napalese and Sri Lankan food. Overall I think Australian food is the same as American food except for one major difference, all Australian food comes from Australia. Customs is so strict about anything organic coming into the country they will confiscate your shoes if there's too much dirt on them. So if you really are entertaining the idea of coming to Australia 1. clean your shoes and 2. Don't bring any food with you unless you want to wait in a declarations line for 2 hours. Actually, bring me some Tostitos, they don't have any good corn chips here and I am craving some chips and salsa right now. I exaggerated the line isn't that long:)

For the most part everything you could really want is grown and produced in Australia. The only problem comes when something you may want is out of season or they have a bad crop that year. When we first moved here the banana crop had been hit hard by flooding. I saw banana prices as high as $20/kilo.

One of our local markets

 There are a few American products here; They have products like Cheerios that are even made by General Mills, but the product is actually produced in Australia, so even though it is made the same way as the American counterpart it still tastes slightly different because all the ingredients are Australian. The two things that I have found that are truly from another country are; Kiwi's which we get from New Zealand and the All American staple Best Foods mayo which you can find at Costco (I buy this for Eric not myself).

The one thing that I must say Australians do way better is milk. I don't know what they do or how they do it but it is amazingly fresh and creamy tasting. It's not even that nasty coat your mouth creamy that sometimes bothered me about American milk. Even the light milk is delicious and creamy somehow. Whatever they are doing to their cows or milk, I'm hooked!

I could probably go on and on but I know that you didn't come to my blog to learn about Australia. I know the real reason you put up with my ramblings is to get to the good stuff, cute Ava pictures!
So without further Adieu.

Checking out a local park

Another local park

Seeing some animals at the Fair.

trying on Daddy's high vis work clothes!

Future Boeing Employee