Australia's deadly

As with most nights, last night we were hanging out watching animal planet. We watched a show on Australia's top 10 deadly animals (yes there are more than 10 deadly species so they had to limit it). To name a few (beyond the obvious sharks, crocs, spiders and snakes) there are the blue ring octopus (not a lot of fatalities due to their bright coloring); the box jellies (hard to see killers along popular beaches by the reef); rock fish (which lay in the shallows by beaches and look like you are stepping on a rock); then there is the shell snail- if you are picking shells in the shallow waters around half of the country you could easily mistaken this bad boy and when you touch it you will likely die. After hearing how many things will put you in horrible pain, dizzy/numb, with some you go temporarily blind and some you stop breathing........it is amazing that anyone leaves the house let alone goes the beach.
But the best (and only funny) part of the evening is when they interviewed a surfer who was attacked by a great white shark. The guy was out with some mates taking in a birthday surf when he was mistaken for snack. Luckily he only sustained relatively minor injuries and the doctors saved his legs. Nate turn to us and said "bet that was his worse birthday ever". Michael almost fell off the couch laughing.

Potty success!

Alert the media- Reese used her potty. After reading my friend Lisa's blog about having her read books on the potty (sounds like something an adult male would do) I decided to try. For the last couple of days Reese and I have spent some quality time with her potty. Today while reading Curious George Reese went poo. Whether it was intentional or just fortunate timing but it was celebrated all the same. This is one of the few posts that doesn't warrant a photo ;)

***I can't believe that I actually wrote a blog entry about my daughter's poo. Perhaps I am ready to go back to working full time;) For the record - no further potty success although she does like sitting there for what seems like hours.

Reese turns 2

Happy Birthday Reese!

Reese celebrated her birthday not once but twice. She was lucky enough to celebrate her actual birthday in Fiji (her last free flight as a lap child). But we also had a family dinner with Angela when we returned to Sydney. No big celebration since she has no friends to invite (poor Reese). Just some cake and small gifts. We gave her some play food (she and Nate like to play supermarket/restaurant and fake cook) and a dolly stroller and Ang gave her hair accessories (notice the cute ponytail)...all her gifts were big hits. Now that she is a big girl she's moved out of her crib and into her toddler bed. And if dad has his way ( and mom has any strength) she will soon give up her bedtime security blankie and binky.

Birthday celebration in Fiji -Reese's version of thumb's up

Playing with her new toys

Wonderful Fiji

We just returned from a fabulous vacation in Fiji. We went to a tiny island (located in the middle of nowhere) and basically did nothing. It was a perfect week. It was hot and sunny- a welcome break from the winter rain of Sydney. We snorkeled, hunted for hermit crabs, played backgammon, picked shells, and made sand castles. The kids had a ball and it was nice to see Michael relax (no crack daddy in part due to the lack of Internet). The whole resort was about 2 blocks long so the kids were free to wander. Nate spent a lot of time in the water with his mask and snorkel and although he won't go out to the deeper water he was brave. But his favorite thing to do was to hunt for crabs. The highlight of the week was Nate getting to enter his own crab into the crab races. Little did we know that we had to buy/sponsor our entry. Unfortunately after two brilliant practice runs Hermie cracked under the pressure and finished a sad (& out of the month) fourth. But you should have seen Nate's face- pure joy! The entry fee was money well spent....priceless memories.

check out our photos:

You are invited to view mimi's photo album: fiji

Beach anyone?

As mild as the winter is here (~60's is the worst it typically gets) I miss being warm. It has been raining off and on for over three weeks and we are feeling vitamin D deprived. How quickly we get soft- this winter is so much easier than Seattle let alone NY.

So we are off in seek of a warmer climate. We've decided to go on a holiday. Next week we are headed to Fiji- http://www.castawayisland.com/ for a little fun in the sun. Plus it will be the last time Reese can legally fly as a lap child - we'll be celebrating her 2nd birthday there.

I'll post pictures when we return.

My first big boy bike!

"Look ma no hands"

Nate got his first big boy bike. After making a successful loop around the kitchen (it was raining the night we assembled the bike and we NEEDED to test it out) he was ready for the open road. Here are some pictures and video of Nate's first day of riding. Unlike his mother, he is a nature on a bike and is already trying to do some tricks. It was a fun evening (about 60-65 degrees- not bad for winter) and Nate is sold on bike riding. Hopefully Reese will grow so we can get her one too. Then maybe I will get over my fear and the whole family will go for rides together.

Ahoy there mates

like the mean pirate face and hook arm???

What is a pirate's favorite letter?...............RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

It has been raining quiet a bit over the last couple of weeks driving us to play more indoors than out. We've discovered a love of pirates, treasure hunts, and maps. The playroom door is covered with hand drawn maps. Nate often awakes to find a map on his nightstand leading him to treasure (or a bowl of cereal). And we all walk around saying fun things like "shiver me timbers" and "yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me" and "aye captain".