Too Much....
There is just too much going on right now for me to keep up with, so for a time I will not be updating this blog.
Thank you for understanding.
K-A

When we think we have it all planned out... we decide to change them!

So, I know that a lot of you already know some of the answers to the mystery I'd left last week(ish); but some of you don't. Let me start by saying that it isn't that we didn't try here. It isn't because we just tucked ourselves away and kept to ourselves. We had big hopes for our family and it felt like a big dream coming true for us to have this experience to be able to live in Australia, but as I have learned, so many times over, is that you can't merely dream a general dream... you need to be really, really specific!
Wade and I always had the dream of moving and living in Australia, even before we'd me each other; it was something that actually brought us together when we first met. When the decision was made that we really, truly wanted it, we went for it and it didn't take long for things to happen. In a very short time we went from being established residents of Canada to immigrants (with no real status) in Australia. It was a whirlwind of emotions, decisions and adjustments, but we made it through and it worked out - or so we thought.
It took a lot, more than you can ever prepare yourself for, to adjust to such a move. We weren't sure what to expect when we moved to this little town, in the middle of no where, but I can say that is certainly wasn't this. We were met with COLD... cold weather, cold attitudes and a cold feeling as we walked through what felt like a ghost town.  Don't get me wrong, it was still exciting and thrilling, but there was a distinct air of disappointment for quite a few of us, not all but a few. As the months rolled by the feelings and thoughts of anticipation and hopes of becoming comfortable in this little town steady fell away. More and more we felt isolated, alone and generally sad. Many of the people we met were rarely nice even in the beginning, and that rarely changed. It came to the point were we resigned ourselves to living as though we didn't exist in this place. We spent a lot of our time else where. Every Saturday we'd drive to Mackay (3 hours there and 3 hours back) just to get away for the day. I would take the kids for the day to Capella or out to the dam. We tried to keep busy with schooling, but loneliness is a hard feeling to ignore. We certainly had our good time, many of the days weren't always this hard; but the sudden break downs from various people, and the repeated question of when we were going to make friends or when we could go 'home' never got easier. It was a combination of these things that lead to question of a transfer.
We weren't sure if it was really an option, but you never know if you don't try, right? RIGHT! Within a week of Wade letting people at work know that he was interested in transferring to another area he had people telling him where to send his resume.  We considered it as part of our wedding anniversary celebration to be flown to Singleton, New South Wales (NSW) to complete the formalities of interviews and negotiations, and have a peek at the town. (Great job honey!! We are very proud of you!) Now those are all done, and there just a few final decisions to be made within the company, but then it is done. Incase you aren't too sure what this all means... WE ARE MOVING! (Sorry, it isn't back to freezing Canada - yet.)

A photo of Singleton I found on the net.

We will be living in a bigger town, in a different province and we'll be so much closer to real cities; such as Sydney and New Castle. There are more opportunities for activities as well as a larger homeschooling community available to connect with. While Wade and I were in Singleton (thank you so much Paul and Judy for watching the kids while we went for those couple days) we met with a family Wade knew... they just had their 8th child and they homeschool! Whoo-hoo!!! It is hard to explain just how wonderful it was for me to spend the evening with them. Wade keeps saying how excited he is to check out the... wait for it.... Costco - that is in Sydney. (And people think it is the woman who likes to shop!)... love you honey! ;) But it's true, and you know it!

Sydney will be a mere 3 hour drive from our new town.
Hello Costco!

Anyway, we don't have the details of when we will move, what house we will get (because we have to find and rent our own, it isn't company provided like it is here in Middlemount), or where we will have the baby.
Yes, you read that right... we are having another baby. Surprise! LOL. I am sure that most of you thought this when you read my last post and, of course, you were right! Now let me tell you it was a surprise for me. I'd come to the point in my life where I was struggling with the feeling that I was done. I mean it was a real struggle. I'd always thought that I would want heaps of children, but over the last year I was over come with the feeling of not wanting to 'bake' any more. Wade and I discussed adopting later on down the road, and that felt right to just go that way. It was Wade who pointed out the fact that I was 'late.' I disputed this for several days, but alas he was rewarded with a picture of a postive test via email.

He has been very excited about this next one, and his excitement has slowly been rubbing off on me.  So while you might not have been surprised - I was.

Our Lil' Swimmer!

Now then, let's see how many of you can figure out what the gender is! Look at the pictures posted and let's see how many of you can determine which room this next little one will bunk in later in life - the boy's room (team blue) or the girl's room (team pink)?  Here are some of the particulars in any case, the heart beat ranges between 156-160; due date is about the 21rst of October (will be the 3rd birthday in October... don't ask why!) and baby has been sure to keep me knowing we are pregnant. I say 'we' because Wade exhibits just as many pregnancy symptoms as I do... he's had food cravings, food aversions, been very tired, eats a lot more than usual (weight gain), waking up to pee through the night, and the other day he woke up with the taste of bile in his mouth... sometimes I wonder if he really is pregnant! It is always a good source of entertaining conversation though, isn't it honey?!

Boy or Girl? We know... do you?

I wanted to be sure to include a very special note to Grandma Dzus. I have been wanting a quilt for about 4 years now. One that took my breath away every time I saw it. One that I would love and want to keep forever. I know I am a picky person, and it is for this reason I have been unable to ever find the right one. When I saw the one you made for us I literally cried, because it is so beautiful. A sincere and gracious thank-you to you for making another dream come true. And a thank-you to your friend who helped. You are both amazingly talented and I want to say this quilt will not leave our family. Thank-you!

Next week, I will go into detail about the visit we had with Paul & Judy (Papa & Nana).

We had a wonderful time, and are so glad you were able to come and visit us again. We miss you

already...

as we do with so many of you.

Until next week.

Happy Easter & A Happy Birthday!

I wrote this entry a little bit back... but was too busy to add the photos in until now. Next entry will be when I have the details... (you'll see what I mean!)

So again, there is not a whole lot to say right now. The Anniversary of Christ being resurrected was celebrated, and not to put me in the same standing as Him... so has the anniversary of my birth; so it was a "Happy Easter" and a "Happy Birthday" on the same day this year.

While we didn't actually have an "easter hunt" the kids (and Wade) did make me play a game of "hot/cold" to find the presents they had been keeping a secret from me. I am a very spoiled mommy/wife!!
Wade is home for the Easter holidays (yes, they celebrate easter in Australia) and then he is home for a spell while his parents visit us again, come the end of the week.  While he has been home we have spent some time just being together as a family.

We gave the kids (the coveted) "ripstick" to share as an Easter present, and the younger children also received a fun riding toy to share... a pumper truck!
Over the past few days there has been a lot of fun (and screaming over turns) ;) with these two toys. We have gone swimming, went to a church service, and spent some time in the city, as went to a new skate park in another town for a while. It has been fairly quiet, as it always is in this town over the holidays, so we have just been enjoying the beautiful weather and preparing... for what you ask? Well, I dare not say at this time - don't want to jinx it!
 You will just have to wait until we get final confirmation on it all - think what you'd like, but don't be sure that you know. (It isn't always the obvious you know!)

While we have made a habit of spending a lot of our time away from Middlemount, we have found a few special places to be within the town itself. One of which is an actual mountain amidst these lowly plains... it is known as The Blue Mountain; and it has a beautiful view. Below are some pictures of one of our days we recently spent exploring the top of it.

Talk to all very soon!!

Back into The Swing of Things

First day of football had free face painting - when asked what he is going to be when he grows up
Jonathan will say "a cheetah!" Ah, his dreams came true... and at such an early age too!

Well, the school season has resumed here, so activities are back in full swing; and so are we. We schooled all through, but didn't have a whole lot else we could do because the horses were on summer break, kids club was on summer break... basically everything shuts down here over the summer holidays.

Even Maileigh and Jonboy have 'school.'

 We spent a lot of that time at the pool, but not doing a whole lot else. Now though... we've just finished up football (not what your thinking... remember here football means soccer). 

I was granted the opportunity to be the official photographer for the soccer teams .
Yes, I've reopened my photography business - but only part time.

Only Zed and Alex participated in the full sessions, as they were paying customers; Jonboy had interest until he was told he would have to do what the coaches told him to do. He decided the one man team, which included just him, was the best team for him to be on. He did always enjoy getting on his soccer shoes and all though... to bad he didn't want to put them to better use. Oh well, maybe next time!

Pastor Allan puts on these lessons for free. He is a wonderful
person, and a fantastic instructor... in the horse field and gospel field. 

Along with soccer there has been horse riding. We have all been very excited about continuing our (free) lessons put on in Capella; a town about an hour away. We make that day a gym day; in the morning we do some book work/lessons, then we head to Capella pool where we eat lunch, swim the afternoon away, then  head on over to the arena for horses from 3pm to about 6pm.

I won't load up the picture but I received a pretty nasty bruise from busting a vein when I was learning to ride (canter) without using any stirrups... you want an inner-thigh workout? Try that one! Not to mention you will feel it all over simply because you are trying so hard to stay sitting up and back, while trying to keep your legs secure so you don't bounce off to the side. I am sure I was quite a sight!!

Our Ladybug Love Girl!

Incase you were wondering Australia does celebrate Valentines Day. We did make up some Valentines and sent them out and about. Sorry if you didn't receive one, but the kids can only make so many, and with the cost of post... well lets just say we were thinking of every one!

Please accept this belated Valentine on behalf of everyone!
Jonathan is making the 'I Love You' sign in sign language.

The kids decorating cookies for Valentines Day.

We did venture out to Clermont (a couple hours away) to our friends place to spend a weekend there celebrating the Valentines holiday.


It was sure a great weekend. The weather was beautiful and the few days we spent there were wonderful.

Making and chasing bubbles.

The kids tried out scouts, played games and just had a great time hanging out with their friends that used to homeschool with us, but no longer do. Friends are very far and hard to find around here...
so we do what we can to keep up with the couple we do have.




Now that soccer/football is over, the boys have begun dance. Jonathan is in 'kindy gym,' which is gymnastics for little ones; Zedikiah and Alexander have begun jr. hip-hop dance. They have only been once, but I am sure they will enjoy it as time goes on.

Jonathan is all about the outfits for dance!
Just joking
We only let him wear this around the house.
This was mine when I was little. Ah to see your
children wear the clothes you grew up wearing....

 They are the ones who pushed to go back into dance, and so we have agreed. Kids here are parented very differently then how we are used to doing it, so the boys are having a bit of a time getting used to the unruliness of their class mates. (I am glad though, that they only spend 45 minutes a week with these other children!)

Jonboy's first day of kindy gym.

I know it seems like a LONG time since I last posted anything, an in truth it has been several weeks (or so); and I am sorry for that.  I will try to be more diligent about updating and posting pictures. We miss our family and friends a lot.  Know that we think of you often.

Introducing the beautiful Miss Maileigh! 

There is always plenty more to tell, but never enough time to talk about it all. We are coming into the fall season now, so the weather isn't as nice. Lots of cloudy days, rainy days and just chilly enough we can't go swimming days. We do spend a lot of our time at the footy fields (soccer fields) perfecting our very imperfect throw of the boomerangs. We sure have a lot of fun! There have been a few times I have had to let out a shriek whilst I dove out of the way from an unexpectedly good throw in which the boomerang really did return! J.B. (the dog) has had a few close calls from the boomerang coming back when we didn't expect it to too. She seems to be enjoying her time with us, we certainly enjoy her. Wished she knew how to play fetch though... she smart but... not always that fun. She stick with you wherever you go, so if you want that stick or ball back, you'd better get it yourself! Maybe she's just smarter than we all realize?!
Well, the house isn't going to vacuum itself. Until next time every body!

How many 9 year old Canadians gets to play with a koala and crocodile for their birthdays?

I will have to make this entry shorter, simply because I am short on time... but this one will have lots of pics!

This year is a special one simply because it is a first for every one. We have celebrated our first Australian halloween, christmas and some have already celebrated their first Australian birthdays - Zed is one of these. This year we decided to make it extra special, especially since Zed was feeling quite lonesome that there wouldn't be any of his friends and family (from Canada) here to celebrate with us. The boys had asked several times if we were going to be going camping anytime soon. We figured that Zed's birthday would be a perfect opportunity to do such a thing! We got together the things we needed, made our reservations, baked heaps of treats and goodies... then we were off. We drove a days drive to Townsville, which is situated along the coast; such a beautiful city!!

Let me tell you that we had a wonderful time... during the day! The days were filled with fun activities, adventures, animals and of course, swimming. The nights however, ugh the nights, were filled with mozzies (mosquitos), hot, humid air and a lot of rain. The nights were long because you couldn't sleep due to the stifling, suffocating hot air, but they felt too short come morning (simply because you hadn't really slept the night before). So, let's just focus on the fun stuff, shall we?!

The first day out and about we went to Reef HQ Aquarium... and what an aquarium it is! We saw everything from glow in the dark fish to hammerhead sharks. 

It was amazing, beautiful and thrilling for all of us. I saw a lot of my most favourite sea animals (hammerhead sharks being one of them!)  

Here Jonboy is signing 'turtle' to
the turtle.

I learned that Jonathan has a real fascination of turtles. He was so thrilled every time we came across one.  

While at the aquarium we took part in an information session that included talking with a diver who was inside the aquarium with a variety of sharks, rays and fish. Very cool!

Can you spot Wade??

After spending half the day at the aquarium we went for a stroll down 'the strand', which is like a scene out of CSI Miami where you see people riding bikes and long skateboards in bathing suits on the long, wide sidewalks that are parallel to the hot, sandy beaches that draw your eyes past the palm trees to the varying blue waters of the ocean. Yes, beautiful. It would be so nice to just run across the beach and jump into the water, but as you do you would stop in your tracks, as you see the big warning signs that tell you what is waiting for you in the waters... stingers (jelly-fish). Every kind you can imagine... teeny tiny ones and ones 10 feet long. So just keep it as that... a nice view! :)

We took in the view as we walked along seeing all sorts of birds and monuments, until we came to an incredible outdoor spray park. It was just what we wanted after being in the stifling 36+ degree heat, that had caused our clothing to stick to our bodies and beads of perspiration ran down our cheeks. Yes, it was a hot but more so, humid day... again. It was this day, the enticing water and great amusement of playing together that caused us to neglect the use of sunscreen. Fortunately it was only me who experienced a wide spread burn, but of course I didn't notice the severity of it until closer to bedtime. You will see in the pic at the top that I am quite a bit rosier then my family.  So, anyway, after the water park, we took another short walk to another park to play while we dried off. After that it was back to camp. 

Camping in Australia is WAY different then camping in Canada. I will go into further at another date, but suffice to say the we truly take for granted the joy of having a fire that should go hand in hand with the act of camping (in my opinion!).  We made due, but it certainly wasn't the same. Thankfully the "camp grounds" had a fantastic outdoor (is there any other kind in Australia?) pool. It was absolutely beautiful. The only was to describe swimming in it, would to say it felt as though you were swimming in soft clouds. It was a clean, warm salt water pool, surrounded with foliage and fire torches. We spent a LOT of our time in this pool.

Moving along... the following day we made our way to Billabong Sanctuary; which is essentially a zoo with some animals moving around freely. 

There is a large variety of birds, a bunch of kangaroos/wallabies (varying in ages), and turtles that will come up to you, or you can go up to. There are scheduled information sessions that invite you to view, touch and gain an appreciation for the animals they are presenting. 

We held our share...

We interacted with everything from koalas (which are NOT bears -- They are marsupials) to the dangerous cassowary bird. We saw a lot of interesting animals that day... "for sure!" (as Jonathan would say.) I will go into more detail at a later date, but it is certainly late into the morning, and the kids are calling for snack.  

Till next time...