Manager on Duty

You should always ask your husband what exactly he is going to be manager of... Especially if it requires packing up the fam and moving lightyears away. Imagine my surprise when I saw this:

I guess the BIG MACs are on us!

baby steps to graduation

At 14 months, Taylor is still shuffling around on his bum. He is lightning on his butt. It's no wonder that he rarely gets up and walks anywhere (unless he's in the mood to please an audience)--he covers about a 5th of the distance in twice the time.




Slow or not, today Taylor officially graduated from his PT, Pepe. She saw him walk. She looked him over. We paid and left, with no little "appointment reminder" card!!! Yippee Tay!

I can't resist putting in this pic as well. I have started putting Taylor in this chair while I load/unload the car, etc. He is usually happy to sit and eat, and it allows me to keep track of him with out having to carry him around with me everywhere. ANyway, we were trying to leave yesterday, and apparently I took a little too long loading up all my junk. Here he is patiently waiting. Thank goodness he had his special blankie to soften the counter for him.

Thack ith thikth

Well, maybe it's not quite that bad, but with his first tooth missing, Zach, our newly turned SIX year old, has a bit of a lisp.

He chose to invite his whole class and then some to his party. I am just SO incredibly grateful it didn't rain that day (so we were able to ever so cautiously herd the children across the street to the park :)


As the parents (who are 99% complete strangers to me) dropped off their little dah-lings, there were quite a few sideways glances shot in my general direction. So here's my reply. Yes, I am infact the mother. Yes, I was sober when I agreed to this many kids coming to my house at this specified time. Yes, I did plan out some activities, but I see we may forgo those considering the hyper-activity of your children. No, I don't usually scream this loud when guests are over, but I can't even hear myself. Can you hear me? PLEASE, don't be late to pick up your lil angel.





Photos from this fiasco, er, party are severely limited, as I was a bit understaffed. Of the 16 who rsvp'd, 24 showed up. Matt, Bryson & I were the supervisors. Sadly, Aubs was hiding upstairs, sick. We ended up dividing the friends into groups for the treasure hunt. After that, it was a free for all at the park. The clock has never ticked so slowly!

Here's our quiet celebration on the real birthday. Just the 6 of us. And a yummy chocolate cake. Happy Birthday Zach! We hope all your wishes come true.

Auckland: City of Sails...and its incredibly smelly neighbor

**firstly, for those still wondering about our passports & papers, there's nothing new. they're still gone. the police have been a-holes about it all. we have no recourse. but i still KNOW in my heart it was roach man. oh well. we're in the process of securing ourselves, and will eventually have all new papers again to properly prove who we are and where we come from.**

Let's get on with the trip. Cuz, honestly once we were there, we forgot about all the crud we had just stepped in back home.

Do you just wish you were sitting on this flight so you could watch the best and most hilarious in-flight entertainment ever? When he woke up, his arms and legs were struggling through the seatbelt thingy's that keep him safe and sound in the bassinet. It was like a mummy coming out of his tomb, only this is what popped up when we moved the harness! A happy Taylor! He reached for the headset so he could get his groove on, grabbed a bikky (short for biscuit--their word for cookie) and turned on the peek-a-boo charm.

For those of you who are super sleuths, you'll notice that this is infact a photo of our return flight to Sydney.

K. I almost forgot. This is a post about New Zealand (aka NZ, pronounced en-zed).

First comes the geography lesson. The country is made up of 3 islands (2 large and one tiny). We spent our first couple days in Auckland, which is an isthmus, made up of about 20 inactive volcanoes. At it's narrowest stretch, the land is only 2km wide. We spent the remainder of our time in Rotorua--3 hour drive, to the center of the north island (on the map, it's where that lake is.)

Fun NZ facts: There are approx 11 sheep for every person in NZ. It is the first country to see the sun rise on any given date. There are more golf courses, yachts and bookstores per capita than anywhere else in the world.

l - r, top to bottom: Matt getting ready to jump off the Sky Tower (the tallest freestanding building in the southern hemishere... yah. everything here is the biggest, best, etc, "in the southern hemishpere"; Matt jumping; Rangitoto-youngest, and largest of Auckland's volcanoes; Hamilton temple; typical NZ landscape (minus all the sheep); view of Auckland from top of One Tree Hill--except there hasn't been a tree since an angry Maori chopped it down; herd of sheep; Taylor loves dogs; me & Tay and some kind of Maori statue.

At Te Puia, where the geysers blow and the mud boils; a really long Maori word; the sacred and sybolic fern leaf--this coiled leaf symbol is used constantly in Maori art, and to represent NZ; Matt & I, wet, after the ZORB ride; Matt, sliding out of the Zorb canal; decorated fence posts; Entrance to Te Puia

Rotorua was a giant rotten egg. Just walking around town, there are these sulpher-steaming holes in the ground. The bigger holes are roped off. Somehow Matt adjusted to the scent and within 10 minutes claimed there was no odor... not the case for me. I spent the first few hours checking Tay for a poopy diaper, but finally realized it wasn't him. I loved the hot springs, the boiling mud and it's totally cool designs, the geysers and colorful mineral deposits on the rocks. If only I had a clothespin or something for my nose.

I'll tell you about the Zorb. It's a plastic ball within another larger ball. These guys take you to the top of the hill in their 4x4. You can choose the straight track, or the zigzag. You dive into the ball through a small tunnel, and they give you a shove! We chose to the ball with water, and loved it. It was hilarious. I don't even think the ball was going very fast, but you are thrown all around inside. I'll post the video footage later. The ZORB was invented here, as was bungy-jumping. Apparently the Kiwis have creative minds...and a bit of time on their hands with not much to do.

At Te Puia there is a Maori Arts program. They teach wood carving and barley weaving. The art is stunning. I love the repeating patterns, and all the wood carvings. I also love the song and dance. There is a "Maori village" set up--it is very similar to the one at the PCC in Oahu, called Aotearea (Maori name for New Zealand); at Mitai-- our Hangi (earth oven) dinner and haka (warrior chant); Maori warrior dances & canoeing--this warrior described the significance of his butt & thighs tatoos (strong waves of the ocean, etc)

Princes Gate Hotel - Rotorua

I set up this lovely accomodation (not sure how I got this job--I don't even like renting a DVD for fear it's gonna be a dud.) Apparently, 4 stars in NZ isn't equivalent to 4 stars in the US. It wasn't that bad--just kind of funny. Like, look at our door handle. You'd think this was where all the elves, dwarfs and hobbits stayed while filming Lord of the Rings.

It was perfect for our little hobbit. And, check out the key! Not a nice little credit card swiper one. It may as well have said TOILET KEY-PLEASE RETURN TO TEACHER on that big wooden key chain.

All in all, we loved New Zealand, and can't wait to return :) It is definitely a place that is beautiful, has lots to do, and the US dollar is a little stronger there, so you don't feel so ripped off all the time, like in Sydney!

Stolen identity

It happened. And, I think I know how. But until I know for sure, I'll just tell you the rest of the story.

Preparing for New Zealand

Thursday: lots of laundry; packed up the kids; confirmed with their various babysitters that everything was still "go"; started to pack for myself, and Taylor; put together our carry on stuff, passports... but wait--the passports, and every vital document we have here, were missing.

This is where I try not to panic. But honestly, I am the keeper of the manila folder full of passports and all of our original documents. I don't take it out of its special place unless I'm going to travel. The kids don't even know where it is. And, it's not there. So, of course I emptied out every inch of this house, and turned it upside-down, and shook it. Hard.

Nothing.

I cave. I have to call Matt on the slight chance that he has moved it somewhere. Nope. Now he's freaking out with me, wondering who is buying a yacht in our name. And, he's in the middle of presenting at a big meeting. Not my best day.

I'm sad about missing out on the NZ trip, but really I'm much more upset at the prospects of someone out there doing whatever they do when they steal your identity. And, not just mine, but my kids'.

As the night progressed, I decided to call a friend who works for the US Consolate here in Sydney. 1. He totally didn't freak! 2. He did get me and Tay the last available interviews for Friday morning. He was certain we could still make our flights that afternoon, and we could sort the rest out when we returned. His reassurance was SO needed :)

{you're in for a long story. if your drifting off at this point, just know, it does, eventually, have a semi-happy, semi-ending.}

Friday: after a pretty sleepless night, no one was happy to get out of bed early. We left the kids at school, long before class was to begin. We made our way downtown to the Consulate bldg. We got our mug shots at the super express photo center for all the pathetic people who lose/have stolen their passports. We wish it cost what we paid at Costco the last time.

Lots of security check points and paper work. Conversations with police. Large amounts of money handed over to the government. Then, in 3 hours, Taylor and I had brandspankin'new passports. Complete with digitally elongated heads. (C'mon. Is it really that hard?)

I drop Matt at work and race home. I chuck stuff into a suitcase, and drive over to the school to let the kids know that the trip is back on! (Or, really, that their sleepovers are still on, which is what they are most concerned about.)

Taxi comes. Taxi driver is a jerk and makes me load the carseat & bags myself, while holding Tay. Not cool. We pick up Matt from work and head to the airport. Check-in lady says No. Tay & I can't leave the country because we don't have our Australian visas in these new passports, allowing us to return to said country. I'm ready to give up. Matt keeps talking. Immigration takes us aside, and somehow grants us permission.

We get on the plane. We sit on the plane for one hour. Plane doesn't move. Announcer guy says we need a wing valve replaced, and it may take 2 hours. We de-plane. Taylor is a really good sport, but come ON.

Is there some kind of message here? Matt turns to me and goes, "You do realize it's Friday the 13th and we're on flight 113, don't you?" I didn't need that. The forces of nature have aligned to tell me that this trip is not happening. But, instead of heeding their message, I stood my ground. We re-boarded a long time later (I stopped keeping track). The dude announces that the flight is going to take 2h 11min. How is it that a 3h 30m flight gets reduced by over an hour? Baffles me.

We get to Auckland. The hotel clock says it's after 2. A.M. Matt is presenting the next morning. Tay and I will be sleeping in. Happy Valentines Day.

Squeaky clean

Taylor cannot resist water in any form. Between my shower, random water bottles around the house, his bath, and any puddles we come across, he is pretty much always wet.

The boys don't have a door on their shower. The minute Tay hears the water turn on, he's IN! Zach always yells for me to stop him, but it's useless. I peel off Tay's soaked clothes & diaper, and he starts squeegee-ing.

Swimming Carnival

I don't usually think of myself as a pushy parent, but I pretty heavily encouraged... bribed...forced... Aubrye and Bryson to enter at least one swimming race at their school's annual competition. I promised them a dollar for every race they entered. With the current exchange rate, that's only about 68 cents, so I didn't think it would stretch my budget too far.

Aubrye and Bryson have been in swimming lessons here, and are getting better at their strokes. It would've been good if they knew how to dive in for a faster start; they didn't need a flip turn, as they were only going to go one length (50m). I got so excited watching them fight to finish those 50 metres.

I was that mom. Pushing Taylor in the stroller along the edge of the lane, cheering them on whether they could hear me or not, telling them how many metres they had left to go, etc. Bryson was about to tread water with only a metre or so left, but he finished! I think he did freestyle, and Aubrye did freestyle and breast stroke.

Aubrye is the "House Captain" this year. Her house is called Edmonson, named for one of the four streets the school is located on. She stayed up late the night before the carnival making up cheers and painting signs. Well, I painted the signs. She told me what she wanted.

Here's Aubrye, but where's the rest of EDMO? Probably off having an ice block (popsicle). Bryson took care of Tay so I could get back to my cheering :)

Never again

I mean it.
And, by typing it here, it becomes official.

There will be NO poppy seed bagels in this house again. From here on out, poppy seeds in general are banned, due to the fact that they look EXACTLY like roach poo. Their name is, from this time forward, POOPY seeds.

Don't come over expecting your (ex) favorite spinach salad with the homemade poopy seed dressing. It won't be served.

PS. I did actually make myself eat a bite (major gag) of this lovely tuna sandwich the other day. I made it, thinking the entire time, that it was covered in roach @#$**! But we had no bread, and normally, I really enjoy bagels... I toasted the bagel, and of course that lead to a trail of poopy poppy seeds all across the counter. I wiped them up, and just to be sure, followed with a few sprays of 409 and another wipe-off.

What time is it?

(for the HSM fans out there, I know you're singing "...summ-ah time...")

For the rest of us...

It's Sunday night, and that means, time to get my blog on. Matt's glued to the Federer-Rafa match. I'm just happy to look up from the 'puter and catch the replays. He loves the whole DVR-replay-under-his-very-own-control aspect of viewing. Gotta love technology. I am content to catch the big hits and the entertainment of the ball-kids getting hit in the you know whats (did you see that?)

Anyway, stuff to blog about... I'm tempted to do bullet points. Here goes

• Back to school and ice blocks (popsicles): Kids are back at school. If you're into the Australian Open, you know it's pretty dang hot here. Sydney's not even close to as hot as Melbourne's been, but it's still plenty warm. Good time for frozen afterschool snacks.

First day back, the kids had to return to their old classrooms, old teachers. New classroom assignments hadn't been finalized--I wasn't real impressed by the whole DISorganization. Rumor had it, they would be this way for a week or so. Aubrye was crushed, as she hoped to avoid ever crossing paths again with her yr. 5 teacher. She survived, and by the end of the second day, was SO SO excited to be placed in Miss Gorman's 6th grade class. Bryson loved the first day, but was in tears the second day to learn he'd been put in a class with a mystery teacher and without his 3 favorite friends. The school still hasn't hired a teacher for his 4th grade class, so he gets subs until then. Zach would've been just fine with whatever, but realized he wanted to get in on the drama. So he came up with the fear that he is so small that they might accidentally put him back into Kindy instead of year 1...

• Happy Birthday to Matt!

I organized a sitter (woohoo) so Matt & I enjoyed dinner in Cremorne, and a walk to the wharf and then a movie. We saw Gran Torino. It was ok. Mostly, it was just really great to be out with Matt for a night.

Tay still hasn't recovered from his ear infection/throat infection/cough. He's in good spirits, but even when he's laughing, he has those sad little red-rimmed eyes. We'll be heading back to the doc tomorrow.

• Roach man DeTox: Aubrye was reading the newspaper a few weeks ago and cut out some ads she was interested in pursuing. There were a few for kids' talent agencies--she'd like to be in commercials--and there was one for "DeTox- non toxic pest control". She hounded me on this for a few days, and finally brought me the phone and the number and stood right next to me until I made an appointment. Aubrye loses sleep (regularly) over "pests." Deadly or not-there are both types here. I'm not as bothered by killing the spiders, even the big ones. It's the roaches, big as Matt's middle finger, that I can't be responsible for.

Roach man came, shined his flashlight all around the property and proclaimed our garage a roach Hilton. Matt thinks we're more of a Marriott, but that's not really relevant. Roach man set his traps, sprayed his 'harmless' death spray, pointed out the flaws or 'open-invitations' that our house has and collected his cash. As he was leaving he mentioned that his treatment will cause the roaches to come out of their hidey-holes so we may see an increase before the guaranteed decrease. At that very moment an ever so huge brown dude crawled out from the crack between the dishwasher and the underside of the counter. Aubs pointed and screamed. I shuddered. Roach man smiled and said, "yup, that's just proof it's already working." He.DID.NOT.kill it. Dude. I just paid you a couple hundred bones and you're leaving that live one there? Not cool.

We evacuated for the rest of the afternoon and then picked up Matt from work. I wasn't about to return to a bunch of dying roaches without Matt by my side. For the days and nights since then, there is not a hint of a shadow that doesn't make me flinch. Big flinches.