Thursday morning did not go as planned – typical Shearer style. Ty seemed to have picked up a bug and had a low grade fever. My mama side of my brain was shouting “don’t go!!” but I felt like we couldn’t postpone our trip. So, we headed to the airport. Along the way Miranda got her first lesson in holding puke bags in the car. Then we got on a plane and flew to Mackay (tickets were only $50 one way!!). We drove 2 hours north of there to Airlie Beach, which is on the mainland near the Whitsunday islands. We found out later we could have flown directly into Hamilton Island and stayed there…good to know for next time. The drive was quite nice, heaps of sugar cane fields everywhere. It is harvest time, so we saw some equipment in the fields, and these little trains hauling carts of sugar cane from the fields to the mill. Not something we get to see every day.

We arrived at Airlie Beach, found our hotel (Waters Edge), and walked down the really steep hill to the esplanade. We had missed lunch so we ate an early dinner at a little sidewalk restaurant. Then we walked around and stopped by a couple shops. We went back to the hotel and I had to lay down – I was fighting a headache. The rest of the gang put on their swimsuits and went to check out the pool, which was a 4 level pool and hot tub. We had some feathered friends watching over us while we were there. So cool.

Crocs.
Friday morning we were able to finalize our plans just in time and catch the Crocodile Safaris tour. I have to admit I wasn’t super excited about this outing. I figured it would be cheesy, just sort of OK. Boy, was I wrong! We followed the shuttle bus out into some dirt roads and into the Australian bush. Along the way we drove through a forest that was FULL of butterflies. Everywhere. All different kinds. Monarchs, yellow ones, blue ones…. We arrived at a covered picnic area and waited for the tour to begin. It started off on the right foot with jokes about the permanent port-a-potty facilities (which were actually quite nice, all things considered). Ty was fascinated by the crocodile skulls.

We did brief introductions where everyone had to say where they were from. Ty piped up when it was our turn. Turns out we are from “New Zealand.” Oh Ty…everyone got a good chuckle when we told them we are actually from Iowa.

And then it was time to get on the boat. I was a tad bit nervous, but nobody else seemed to be fretting. We found our seats and Mic (this wasn’t really his name but it seems fitting for a guy that goes out looking for crocs every day) headed upstream. It didn’t take long to find the first if many crocs. Mic has been doing these tours for 14 years and knows the crocs really well. The commentary throughout the boat ride was very entertaining. Interesting facts about crocs in general, personal stories about each of the crocs we saw in the river, and of course a few croc attack stories (most of which involved drunk idiots). He pulled the boat right up close (sometimes too close for this mama) and the crocs just laid there and watched us. We followed one gigantic croc up the river for a ways. He would come up, then duck under water, and we wouldn’t see him for several minutes until he decided to pop up and say hi. Fascinating.

We came back to shore for lunch and then rode in wagons behind a tractor on a bush tour. I wasn’t looking forward to this part if the tour, but once again, I was captivated by it. We learned so much without it feeling like learning. The guide that did this part of the tour knew so much about the plants, animals, and history of the area, and was an excellent storyteller. We watched one guy literally lick the butt of a tree ant because it tastes like lemon. I could share all of the stories with you, which are fascinating, but then that would ruin it when you all come down and see it for yourself.

After the bush tour, we came back to “camp” for afternoon tea – bully tea and damper, which is a type of bread cooked over a fire and was delicious with sugar cane syrup poured over top. Such a great day. The tour guides were fantastic – didn’t over do anything, just let us experience a day in their lives. Highly recommend it.

Big Fury.
Saturday we were booked into a boat tour of the Whitsunday islands on a boat called Big Fury. I was looking forward to this day because I couldn’t wait to see the beaches that are all over the internet if you google Whitsundays. What I didn’t expect was the over the top amount of awesomeness that was packed into Saturday. We got on the boat, which was open air and fast – guaranteed not to have seasickness (very desirable for both Ty and I). Captain Matt and first mate Braden were taking care of us for the day. Braden had some pretty cheesy jokes but was such a lovable guy it didn’t come across as cheesy. He genuinely seemed excited about doing his job. We got all settled in (it was a bit chilly but not unbearable).

So we are cruising along in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Ty is asleep on my arm, I am gazing out to see just happy as can be, when I saw a huge creature jump out of the water. I shouted “WHALE!!!!!” Holy crap! I saw a whale!! A real live whale!! So Captain Matt pulled back the throttle and got as close as is legally allowed. It was a mama humpback and her baby. Baby was a bit of a show off. He kept coming out of the water, flopping into his back, showing us his belly. He kept wanting to get closer to us, but mama kept circling him to try to keep him away. She was huge. I mean huge. She would show us her back, then it would disappear, and them a couple times she waved at us with her gigantic tail. I got some pretty good video if you want to check out Facebook.

I was amazed at how beautiful the islands were. I guess I was envisioning flat sandy islands, but they were mountains, covered in green, rocky cliffs in areas, and the water was an unbelievable blue/green color. We anchored the boat in a secluded area protected by a couple islands. Lily was asleep, so Jay and Miranda put on their snorkel gear and jumped overboard to check out the coral and fish. Ty got to ride in the dinghy with Braden – he thought that was pretty awesome. There wasn’t enough time for me to snorkel, which was OK because it was pretty cool out.

Then it was hammer down, past the most beautiful beach that is full of crocs, snakes, spiders, and sting rays (so we cruised in past it). Ty was loving it. No sign of seasickness!

We were dropped off at Whitehaven beach for lunch and relaxation for a couple hours. We didn’t realize that the boat had to anchor down out to sea a ways, so I went into panic mode when I realized Captain Matt was leaving and our diaper bag, towels, and sun screen was on board. Braden said that Matt would be bringing the dinghy to shore after lunch, so for the next half hour I was praying that lily wouldn’t poop, she wouldn’t start screaming for a bottle, and the sun wouldn’t destroy her skin. Amazingly, everything was fine. As soon as Matt came ashore, Jay and Ty rode out to the big boat to get our stuff. Another mama in the tour did the same thing – I don’t think it was clear that we had to take all of our things to land. Anyhoo, no worries. Ty asked Captain Matt “how fast will this jet boat go?” (I am sure in his best gravelly race car announcer voice) and Matt said not too fast with dad in the front. So they dumped dad off and Matt took Ty for a spin. Ty thought that was pretty awesome.

Braden has a special talent of taking the best beach pictures ever. He was trying to get some takers but nobody was taking him up on his offer, so we told Ty to do it. Braden laid down on the sand and told Ty to jump. I couldn’t believe the picture! So of course Miranda and I had to do it. And them Ty did it a few more times. And then everyone on the beach did it. So fun!

Aren’t they cute?

I don’t want to ruin a surprise, but I have to tell this story. Miranda wanted to get a picture of her name in the sand. So she asked Father Nature (Ty) to let her borrow a stick (he had found about 20) and after careful discussion about how and when he was going to get said stick back, she went about writing her last name in the sand. She was just writing away when I thought, hmmm, that doesn’t look right. And them she shouted, “oh my gosh! Scroggie doesn’t have 2 o’s!!” Oh lord…yes, she is expected to graduate next year… Too funny.

After a couple glorious hours on the beach, back on the boat we went for our even chillier ride back to the mainland, which got delayed by THREE huge male humpback whales. They came straight to the boat. They were probably 10 feet from the boat. Coolest. Thing. Ever. Seriously – have I mentioned lately how blessed we are to have this experience?

When we got home, we had to wait for our towels to dry so we put them in the dryer and went down to the hot tub. We splashed around there for a bit, then got cleaned up for a late dinner. It took forever but was pretty tasty (no, Miranda did not have the kangaroo/lion dish, nor did she have the kangaroo loin dish, but she did have lots of questions about whether the plate came with both types of animals). Ty was being extra good at dinner even though it was late and he was tired. I think it was because he “got ready” and put on deodorant, hair gel, and handsome clothes. And he practiced his finger-gun-shooter-look-out-ladies move. Lily didn’t last long…

Sunday morning was spent packing (ugh), driving back to Mackay, and flying home. We landed just in time to make a quick stop by Currumbin so Miranda could hug a koala and feed the lorikeets.

Back to the grindstone tomorrow. Quick week ahead of us before flying back to the states on Saturday. Yay!! This was one of the best vacations. Full of unexpected surprises, great company, and overall awesomeness. We are all pretty worn out though – Lily couldn’t say it any better… G’day mates!

Miranda!
I feel like a lot has happened since I wrote last. Let’s see… Jay ended up sick most of the week – fever, achiness, overall yuck. I don’t think anyone else caught it…hoping it doesn’t spread.

We got the newly reprinted car back from the smash repair shop – just in time for Jay to pick up Miranda from the airport. She sat next to the pink-haired crazy cat lady the whole flight, only slept for 2 hours, but survived! Welcome to Australia!

Whale.
Jay thought she probably needed to see the ocean right away, so he kept on driving down the coast a ways. We had heard that there was a beached whale near Palm Beach, so they thought, why not? They parked at Tallebudgera and started hiking up the beach. They had a pretty long walk to get to where the whale was. I was talking to Jay on the phone, completely jealous that they were about to see a whale up close and wondering why the heck I went to work, when I heard jay yell “nooooo!!! Don’t push it in yet!!” And then I heard them both running, shouting, half laughing, half crying (sort of), as they tried to sprint the last bit to see it up close. Have you ever tried to sprint on sand? Yeah, doesn’t work real great. They sort of saw it get pushed back in. Still a really cool first experience for Miranda!

They came home so Miranda could wash the travel stink off of her, then went for a quick buggy ride. Miranda couldn’t fight back the exhaustion any longer and took a short nap. Jay woke her up so that she could go see the kids at daycare. Ty was especially excited to see her! Although he keeps calling her Aunt Staci… 🙂

Birthdays!
Jay and I decided to take the day off since it was Miranda’s 17th birthday and Lily’s 1st birthday. It was a beautiful day – perfect for a boat ride. We had a yummy brekky then loaded up the boat. We rode out to Couran Cove and got there earlier than normal. It was a Friday, so they didn’t have the train running to the surf beach, so we set off on foot. Ty rode in the stroller and lily rode in her new backpack carrier. It probably took us a good 45 minutes to get there, but it is so worth it. That beach still takes my breath away.

I have been wanting to take some good pictures of the kids on Straddy but never remember to bring the camera. We remembered this time, and also brought Lily’s owl for her 12 month picture. Miranda also did some “senior picture” poses – they all turned out great! So happy we got to spend the day with the beautiful birthday girls on a beautiful island in sunny Australia. Blessed.

1 year!
Can you believe Lily is a year old?!?! I can’t. She is such a doll, sweet little thing. A bit cheeky, but what fun we have with her! She is starting to drink cows milk out of a sippy cup, but it doesn’t seem to be her favorite. She loves all kinds of food, but birthday cake might have been her most favorite food ever. She can take a few steps unassisted – so big!! She makes all sorts of noises, one of her favorites is the growly super fast car sound just like her brother makes. She also loves to blow raspberries on mama. Such a stinker. Love this little munchkin to pieces. Happy first birthday Lily bean!

Shots.
Party’s over. As soon as we got home from boating we had to take Lily to the doctor for her 12 month immunizations. She didn’t love it, but was pretty tough. A few tears and she was good to go – but she did give the nurse a nasty look as we were leaving.

Melbourne.
Saturday Jay had to fly to Melbourne for work (annual stock take – or as Ty says “to count tractors”). We spent Saturday morning finishing up laundry and getting Jay ready to go for the week. We went on a quick buggy ride to the park to let Ty play on the equipment for a bit before lunch, then Jay had to leave. :(. He left Ty in charge.

Ps. Melbourne was freezing. Glad I wasn’t there…

Buggy.
After lunch we wanted to show Miranda got to practice “driving” the buggy on the left side of the road. We went for a long ride – Ty fell asleep – and made it back home safely. Miranda passed the test. She now has earned the right to cruise around the neighborhood while we are at work.

Paddle board.
Miranda doesn’t have much on her must-do list, but one is to try paddle boarding. So on Sunday we drove down the coast. First stop – Rainbow Bay beach to show Miranda Snapper Rocks. Ty and Miranda played in the sand while Lily and I “walked” along the sidewalk. It was almost lunchtime so we headed to Burleigh to get California Tacos for lunch. So delicious… Next up, paddle boarding! We drove a short way to Tallebudgera and got Miranda signed up for an hour board hire. It was a pretty windy day, and the tide was flowing out really fast, but she did really well!

Fun.
Miranda and I kept the kids entertained by baking chocolate chip cookies, painting, and making magnets. Messy but fun!

Package!
Terra sent us a package of goodies from the US. Ty literally ripped into the bag of Cheetos. I was able to snag 3 of them before the entire bag was gone. My favorite part were the Rice Krispie treats…and the note on a napkin. Thank you Terra!

Naps.
I knew this time was coming, but wasn’t looking forward to it. Ty is a napper. Always has been. He is a creature of habit. Every day for as long as I can remember he takes a nap after lunch. In January he will go to big kid school and they don’t have nap time, so they start weening them off about this time of year. I was expecting a monster, but Ty has handled it really well. He did have a day where he couldn’t stay awake and they let him lay down, but the rest of the week was fine. He was tired at night but didn’t necessarily go to bed super early. It is getting harder to wake him in the mornings, though. This was what the first day of no nap looked like.

Thursday.
The bread here has a big label that shows the day that the bread was baked. It is really nice because you know exactly how old it is, and since bread molds faster here, it only lasts a few days. I asked Miranda to go to the store on Monday and bread was on her list. She was having a hard time finding what she was looking for so she asked for help. “Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me where the Thursday bread is?”

Zoo.
Jay got home on Friday (yay!!). Miranda wanted to go to Steve Irwin’s zoo, so we headed up north on Saturday morning. It is about an hour and a half drive. That was the first day we changed Lily’s car seat to forward facing. She quite liked it! Both kids slept the whole way there. It was colder than we were expecting, and unfortunately I hadn’t brought a jacket, so first stop was the gift shop. I got a fleece from Terri Irwin’s “Cougar Collection” (oh yeah), and a billion dollars later we left with an Australian cowboy hat for Ty, fluffy pink boots for Lily, a puzzle, sticker book, random bar mat…

And then it was time to pet some animals. Crocs, koalas, & roos. Crikey!

c

Camels.
Miranda and Ty waited patiently in line forever, but it was worth it. They had a blast on the camel ride.

Ty and I watched the tiger show while jay, Miranda and Lily walked the 5 miles to the Africa section of the zoo. Ty loved the tiger, couldn’t believe there were guys petting it, giving it milk and hugs. He was shocked when it climbed a palm tree to get some steak. Pretty cool show.

We watched the croc show at the Crocoseum. Ty loved that as well. Big crocs chasing a guy out of the water, a snake around a lady’s neck, birds everywhere. After the show I had the scare of my life. Ty insisted on going out of the Crocoseum a “new way”. He wouldn’t listen to come back and kept on going. Miranda followed him out and jay and I took lily to the stroller. Apparently Ty was too quick for Miranda because she came to the stroller without Ty. I went into panic mode. I sprinted around the Crocoseum and finally found him. He was scared. I was scared. He learned a good lesson, and I was reminded to never ever let him out of my sight. I felt like the worst mom ever. :(.

Jail.
Sunday morning we went to check out Boggo Road Gaol (that’s really how they spell jail). I wish I could tell you some interesting facts about the jail, but unfortunately I was dealing with a little boy who was not at all interested in listening to the tour guide’s stories. I did catch a story about the fact that there were only 2 toilets for over 100 prisoners, and they only had about 20 minutes once a day to use them. Their alternative was a metal can. Every day they brought their night cans in to be cleaned. They left the cleaning job for the worst prisoners. I can think of a couple people that I would like to have to make clean my can…
The prison was shut down in 2002 after hunger strikes, rooftop riots, dramatic escapes all made the jail become font and center in the media.
Ty did like the part of the tour where he got to go inside the jail cells. I might have had to take him into a jail cell at one point to lecture him about how to behave. But Miranda seemed to really like the tour, so not all was a fail on this one.
I could tell that Jay was going downhill fast, and as soon as the tour was over he went straight to the car. The rest of us got some lunch at the markets, then stopped at a little park to play. I didn’t realize how sick Jay was until we got to the car. I drove home, and as soon as we pulled in the driveway he ran in and got sick. Poor guy was running a fever all day on Sunday. He didn’t get out of bed until his doctor appointment on Monday morning.
Miranda and I took the kids for a buggy ride. We found the kangaroos and Ty hit some golf balls. Not a very exciting afternoon, unfortunately.

Schools.
As I mentioned earlier, Ty has to start big kid school in January. I have been on a wait list for St Stephens College (they start in college and go to university after their senior year) since last January when I realized he had to go to school next year. I have been calling Mary every 2 weeks. She always seems appreciative to hear from me, usually tells me there hasn’t been any movement, keep calling. It has been really stressful for me. Ty is starting to ask questions about where he will go to school next year, and I can’t give him an answer. So on Wednesday Jay and I went for a tour of the school. Mary greeted me with a hug (I think I have called her more than my mom). She made a comment about how she thinks we are going to be able to make something happen, she just needs a little more movement. Fingers crossed.
Two girls from year 11 (juniors) gave us a tour. Wow. I am not sure I can even describe it – it is so different from what I experienced as a kid, and not like anything I could imagine. It was more like a university. Several different buildings. Art building. Music building. Science building. Junior library. Senior library. Everything was equipped with the most recent technology. It was more technologically advanced than our office by a long shot. The kids in the graphic design class are designing the new administration building. Like the whole thing. So impressive. We have heard that it is a great school, but after seeing it in person, I really want to send Ty there.

I tried to get a backup plan if we don’t get into St Stephens, so I put Ty on an even longer waiting list at Coomera Anglican College. We did a tour of that school, even though the lady thinks are chances if getting in are slim to none. That campus was huge, a bit dated, less technologically advanced, but had a really good feel about it. Either school would be great, but my heart is set on st Stephens.
On our way home we drove by our likely backup plan – Upper Coomera State School. They don’t do tours until closer to the end of the year. I am hoping we never have to go…from the road it looks sketch. We have heard that it is actually a pretty good school for the public system in Queensland, but I am not convinced yet… :(. To be continued…

Milk.
I know I just mentioned above that Lily is drinking milk, but we just had to revert back to formula. Lily wasn’t drinking enough fluids, got dehydrated and constipated, so we went back to formula in a bottle for the time being. Can’t stand to see her in any sort of pain.

Hooters.
A new Hooters opened up at Surfers Paradise. While it didn’t taste exactly like wings back home, they were pretty good. Fried pickles was a fail – they used sweet pickles instead of dill. Nuts! Miranda wanted to go check out the wax museum, but Ty said he wasn’t feeling well, and as we drive by it was closed. Another failed plan…

Miranda.
Miranda has been a fantastic house guest, which makes me feel even worse about all of the changes of plans we have had to make due to illness. She has done laundry, kept the house picked up, done dishes, packed lunches, unpacked school bags, made chocolate covered strawberries, the list goes on and on. I am hoping and praying that our trip to the Whitsunday islands tomorrow is enough to make up for the plans gone bad so far… Really looking forward to out holiday.

So that’s about all I can stand to write at the moment. I am sure I forgot heaps, but this should give you the major highlights of the past 2 weeks. My apologies for the delay – it’s been a bit hectic around here!

Raea.
This is an example of how long it takes for mail to arrive. I loved seeing pictures of Raea’s graduation party on Facebook. Today we received the invitation in the mail. 🙂 thankfully they know why we couldn’t attend…

Spoon.
Thursday night we decided to mix things up and let Lily try to feed herself with a spoon. She loves finger food, and has been reaching for the spoon when I feed her. Why not? Oh my goodness – I forgot how messy it is to learn how to eat. By the end of the meal she had chicken rice casserole in every nook and cranny. But she still looked cute!

Steps!!
The teachers at daycare said that Lily had taken 3 steps!! When we got home, we were busy unpacking all of the bags and getting dinner ready. Lily was playing in the pantry. I took her hand and helped her walk out. And then she just let go of my hand and stood there, unassisted. Jay squatted down in front of her and she took a few steps to get to him. So awesome.

Anniversary.
My parents’ anniversary was on July 2. Mom posted some pretty fantastic pictures on Facebook from their wedding day. Mom looked beautiful, Rick and Steven were so handsome, Em looked like a little doll, and Jess and I, well, hmmm. Those dresses… I remember quite a bit about that day 26 years ago. Such a fun time. Steven drives us all crazy sometimes (seriously Steven…) but I am so glad he was up for the challenge of taking us all in. We lucked out with a pretty fantastic stepdad.

Independence Day.
Unfortunately the 4th of July is just another day in Australia, so I had to go to work. One of the Australians came to work in some pretty fabulous American flag shoes. Awesome! The kids and I wore some red, white, and blue clothes to show our American pride. Both of the kids did fun activities at daycare – really fortunate to have found a daycare that seems to really care about the kiddos and embraces their culture and traditions.

Raygun.
Jessi and Mark surprised the kids with a package in the mail – sweet new Raygun t-shirts. Ty had outgrown his “part-time model” shirt, so a bigger size is perfect. Do you suppose he will sport the XL when he is all grown? Shout out and a big thank you to Jessi and Mark!!

Stamp.
Speaking of mail, check out the sweet stamp that came on a piece of mail we received. It isn’t a special letter, just a note from the real estate office. Best. Stamp. Ever.

Mumps.
There is a case of mumps at daycare. Really?!?! What the heck?!? Who gets the mumps? Ty has been vaccinated, but Lily doesn’t get her mumps vaccine until 12 months (which is next week…). Praying she doesn’t get it. 😦

Noodles.
We got a call from daycare Friday afternoon saying Ty got sick. Ugh. Pretty sure it was from his lunch. He insisted on trying Chinese noodles in a box, even though he knew they were spicy. He told Jay, “I will just take a drink of milk after every bite.” His teacher said he ate quite a bit but then told her that his noodles were too spicy. A couple hours later and the poor boy was puking and laying on the floor in Miss steph’s room waiting for us to get there. She took good care of him. He laid in bed a while when we got home and then seemed to recover quickly. All good now! And no more spicy noodles. Ever.

Saturday.
We have been on the go with Riley for every weekend as long as I can remember, which was super fun, but my house was starting to look and feel a bit neglected. Saturday morning for the first time since we moved here we did not have swimming or gymnastics, so we used the time to first snuggle in the big bed a bit later than normal, and then we did a bit of cleaning.

I had a hair appointment, and since it was an absolutely gorgeous day out, Ty put on his new swimsuit and played in the hot tub. However, he started to freak out when his swimsuit got wet (weirdo) so he stripped down to his undies, then decided he didn’t want those on either. Yes, our son was skinny dipping in the hot tub in winter. What a goofball.

The boys also washed the car and started cooking a beef stew (or wolf stew as Ty called it) to put into Lily size portions and freeze. They were busy bees!!

Bull sharks.
Ty informed me in a very long winded story that he was driving his remote control car in the backyard and it went into the flowers and then went right through the fence right into the bull shark water. Ummm. That’s a bummer. And then he has the guts to tell me “so…we are going to need to buy another one.” Um, nope. It’s a hard knock life, buddy. Good life lesson. Cars and bull sharks don’t mix.

Golf.
Ty wanted to play some golf. We live in a neighborhood with an amazing golf course, but pretty sure security would be all over us if we let him use his plastic clubs on the course. So we drove I’ve to Magnolia Gardens, where Riley discovered a bunch of roos hang out. There is a wide open grassy area – perfect for hitting plastic golf balls. Ty had a fan club – the roos were very curious about what he was up to.

Milk.
We are starting to transition Lily from formula to milk, but I can’t remember how this worked with Ty. I am pretty sure he was off the bottle and on sippy cups at a year. I don’t remember taking milk with us everywhere?? A lot of the restaurants here don’t have milk – so what do I do then? Is it ok to give her a bottle with formula in those situations? Or do I put formula in the sippy cup? Fellow parents….help!

Sunday.
So maybe we did have a little bug floating around our house. On Sunday we were all dragging our feet. Ty wanted to build sand castles at the beach, so we slowly got ready and headed down the coast. Unfortunately there was a marathon along the Gold Coast highway, right where we wanted to go, so traffic was a disaster. We made a change of plans and went to a baby store to buy Jay and Lily a backpack baby carrier. We had been using a front pack but she is getting too big. Got a heck of a deal on one. Lily loved it, and so did Jays back.

We decided to go to the mall for lunch to get a burrito. It was apparent that nobody was feeling great, everyone was pretty blah. So we didn’t shop at all, except to buy a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean) and headed back home. We all laid in the big bed and watched the first Pirates movie. Jay and Lily fell asleep, so Ty and I went downstairs and played a couple games of Uno. Now he and I are laying on the couch watching Treasure Buddies. I know, really lame weekend, too much TV, but I think we are all fighting off an illness so being lazy is allowed.

Miranda.
Jay’s sister’s daughter, Miranda, is hopping on a plane on Monday and heading over the great ocean to visit us for a few weeks. She will arrive in our Wednesday morning. We are all super excited for her arrival!! Have a great week!

As I sit upstairs and listen to the playful shouting and laughter happening downstairs, I can’t help but be sad about the fact that riley is flying back to the states tomorrow morning. It has been so great having him here. I’m not just saying that to be nice. I really truly mean it. I cannot imagine how I would have gotten through some of the stuff we had to deal with since his arrival without him here. He was more than a helping hand. He was a saving grace.

I will always remember our trip to the Great Barrier Reef, discovering the crab sand balls on 4 Mile Beach, and hearing about how the boys all peed on a mirror. Watching a surf lesson, seeing Riley hug a koala and pet a kangaroo, and drinking a legal beer with him on the boat. Heaps of memories!

All of the fun adventures aside, by far my favorite part of the past month has been watching the bonds form between Riley and my babies. I predict that they will all be best buds forever.

Bloopers.
Security Scroggie.
“I didn’t know there were politics in Australia.”
Brisbane bru-bru-bru-broncos!
Trains.
Baby poop. Heaps of it.
The propane tank is empty.
3 Little Pigs puzzle.
Central vacuum.
Baked beans.
Bait fish. And fish that became bait fish.
Catching Ty’s puke and nearly yacking.
No more kebabs.
Tim Tams for brekky.
XXXX Gold.
Australian Legend.

I hope that he realizes how much it meant to us that he chose to spend half of his summer with his crazy aunt and uncle. Going to miss you, Riley!!