Tractors in Trafalgar

Tractors, sheep, spuds and one heck of a wedding - this trip to Australia was unlike anything I’ve done before. 

This was not an explorative trip of Melbourne full of museums and historical landmarks. Instead, this was truly a trip to the Australian countryside and the land of potatoes. 

We came to Australia for my sister-in-law’s wedding. Amanda’s sister, Melissa, married Jamie, who grew up about two hours outside of Melbourne in a town called Trafalgar. Melissa had told us how the home was really out in the middle of farmland, but until we really saw it, it was hard to imagine. 

Back to the beginning, the kids did very well through more than 30 hours of traveling to get to Australia, which included a missed flight and a long layover (I’m not going to drag down this blog with a whole ordeal about missing luggage, but that was also a factor on the trip). When we finally got in to Melbourne, we met up with Amanda’s parents, Steve and Marilyn. Amanda’s sister, Ally, was a real trooper, flying to Australia with us. That night, we crashed at a hotel in the central business district. After a nice breakfast the next day, we took a walk through the city before heading to the countryside. 

As we drove to Jamie’s family home, it was clear this was in fact, going to be out there for sure. Once we drove through a small neighborhood, we started to weave up and down a country road (in our 12 passenger van!), until we got to the house. It’s set amid grassy hills, beautiful sky, and well, nature’s glory. Some errands and a homemade pizza dinner later, we wrapped up the day.

Wednesday morning, we went for a wonderful stroll through a wooded fern gully area. It was great to be out in nature and take it all in. We’d just about fully built up an appetite when we stopped in one more area to see a strong waterfall nearby. From there, it was back to the house to have sandwiches on bread rolls. I loved the shaved carrot, along with beetroot, to go with shredded chicken. It was very simple, but very good. 

Later that day, I enjoyed getting a tour of Jamie’s dad’s workshop. He has so much metal machinery in there, which makes sense because he’s building these impressive structures. It just a totally different world to see, and I was gobsmacked. It was just a reminder of how everything gets where it’s going. Jamie’s family makes machinery to help potato farmers do their jobs, which helps get the spuds sold, and then they land them in the super market for us to buy.  We ended the day with a dinner at the local pub/hotel. Sophie especially enjoyed meeting Jamie’s niece who was the same age. 

On Friday, we started our journey to the wedding venue location in Dandenong. But first, we stopped at a mall near Melbourne. Shockingly, their malls smell and look just like our malls ;) The girls got their nails done, the kids went to a play place, we got a few items for the wedding, and then we left with a bag of burgers from Hungry Jack’s (aka Burger King. It was very underwhelming).  From there, we went to the Healsville Sanctuary, which was awesome!

We got to see some native, Australian wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, reptiles, birds, and even dingos. The kids really enjoyed it. While I’d seen kangaroos on our trip to Sydney in 2013, these were the first I’d seen up close like that. From the zoo, we got to the wedding town and had a lovely rehearsal dinner with the families. The pizza was great, but the company was even better. The kids especially liked playing in the random parking area (hard to describe it) behind the restaurant. 

Saturday was wedding day! Now, the morning was pretty unique for me. The ladies were getting their hair and makeup done in the apartment where we were staying. So, I was on kid-watching duty in the same room, which meant I kind of got to be part of my first bridal party! Of course, I tried not to intrude and had fun being a go between of the bridal party and groom’s party, carrying over gifts back and forth. 

As for the wedding, it was stunning. It was set in this beautiful garden, and it really was great. I was so nervous that the kids would struggle walking down the aisle as flower girl and ring bearer, but when the moment finally came, they turned on the charm and made it happen. During the ceremony, I did my absolute best to keep Emmett from screaming (snacks and a surprise toy helped). Melissa and Jamie delivered (pun intended for the family reading this) beautiful vows and the whole ceremony was really great. Right after, the photographer pulled off something cool. He got a wide angle shot of the entire group in attendance with the bride and groom. I’ve never seen that before! 

The reception was held at this restaurant called Sky High, and we could see Melbourne way off in the distance. The party was excellent. The whole wedding crew gave great speeches and the dancing, my goodness. Not only did the newlyweds have a nice first dance, but Melissa and Steve stole the show with their father-daughter dance. Steve’s got some moves away from the golf course, too! 

On Sunday, we made our attempt at doing some of the 1000 Steps Kokoda Walk. This is a cool nature walk that’s supposed to simulate what Australian soldiers had to do during World War II. I’ve gotta hand it to those fellas, just the very beginning was hard! And while I wasn’t carrying a rucksack, I did have an Emmett who didn’t want to walk. That night, we went back to the family home in Trafalgar, and this night was really special. Both families came together to make dinner, with homemade gnocchi, a beautiful salad, meatballs and dessert. I know this is the type of thing that means a lot to my mother-in-law, and I think we could all feel how special it was. I felt bad for Ally, my-sister in-law, as she got a virus that she just couldn’t kick and she mostly had to rest up in her room. 

Then came Monday and a special trip to Jamie’s uncle’s potato farm. After a wonderful spot of cookies and cakes made by his aunt, his uncle gave us a tour of the farm. Again, just seeing the process and the machinery of how this all gets to the market was really special. He also has a ton of sheep, and that was cool to see. The kids didn’t want to waste the opportunity to ride on some cool stuff, and they were in heaven. After, we went to a local bakery to pick up a variety of pies for lunch. That was our last family meal together before we headed off to the airport hotel. There’s not much to say about the rest of the night, EXCEPT that we got to see kangaroos in the wild from our hotel window. Sophie really liked that! 

Tuesday morning, we went to the airport and started our journey back. 

It was a short trip, but a really great one. I’m very glad that it wasn’t just Amanda that could go, as it looked like it might be at one point. It meant a lot to be there, and I really do feel like I got to add members to our family by meeting Jamie’s in Australia. 

With that, I’ll say, “How you going? G’day!” And I’ll be on my way. Cheers! 

 

35-3-Almost 6

With Emmett talking so much more, you’d think I’d have way more to write about. Well, I do, but I’ll just admit to being bad about putting pen to paper.

Let’s start with random moments of cuteness:

• Emmett is really starting to say phrases. Some I like : thank you, your highness, I love my poppy, can you ______ for me please, you’re the best
• Some I don’t: I don’t want to go potty, I don’t like you, No, I don’t need to, Leave me aloooooone
• I love when he plays lion guard and pins us down, saying “I Kion”
• His need to see the photo right after you take it. “I wanna see. I wanna see.”
• He laughs at shows in a way I don’t remember Sophie doing. Maybe it’s because she’s laughing, too? On that note, Sophie will just have these fits of laughing. And there are times when her laughing makes me laugh and the cycle continues
• Sophie likes to watch “This Girl is On Fire” by Alicia Keys on YouTube. She likes to sing along to “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell. Emmett likes the original from Jo Dee Messina.
• After their baths, when they’re wrapped up in their towels, I throw them over my shoulder and call them sacks of potatoes
• They’re still snugglers in the morning. I love it, especially on weekends.
• Daddy Slide - at night, I’ll prop my legs up on Sophie’s bed and they take turns acting like it’s a slide. I feel like I’m in an episode of “Bluey.”
• Party time has been pretty minimal, but I’m glad we brought back our Matzah Pizza party this year. And Emmett’s birthday was a nice, chill brunch with all his friends. We jokingly called it the Benjamin party because so many of his friends have the same name!
• Fun taking them to sporting events - we went to a soccer match and two baseball games and all were successful.
• Both kids have loved swimming this summer. They got to swim every day at camp, and also did some instructional lessons with friends. We definitely want them comfortable in the water.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Nighty Night

Whether or not we were ready or not, Emmett decided he wasn’t going to sleep in his crib anymore, so on came the big boy bed. He has the same one as Sophie, which leads to jumping across the gap between the beds! He seems to like being in the bed, but sometimes we’ll find him sleeping underneath the bed or at the end of it, or just on the floor next to the bed. As long as he’s sleeping, he can do what he wants!

The next big milestone will be Muggsy finishing potty training. He’s been going in the potty for a while now, but just this week, we have taken him out of pull-ups during the day (outside of nap time). He’ll still wear a diaper at night for a while, but here’s to hoping his accidents are limited and it goes smoothly!

A Momentous May

Sophie’s school year wrapped up with her becoming a PreK graduate. The ceremony was super cute, and seeing her in a cap and gown just sent bolts right to my heart.

Right before the graduation, she had her end of year ballet recital. Of course, we thought she was great in it! She wore this adorable pink tutu/dance costume, and she and her friends pranced around to a classical version of “Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music.

One negative, the fact that we only brought her flowers and not a stuffed animal/toy set her off. It was tough, because of our course we want her to be grateful. At the same time, I get how she looked around and wanted what others had. 

Good news is we got some smiling photos, and the J even used a photo of her dancing in one of their recruiting emails!

Sophie, The Reader

Starting in late June or so, we introduced Sophie to “Bob” books, thanks to a friend’s suggestion. They’re very good because as she starts to read, many of the words are repetitive, and so are the sounds used. Both grandmas were amazed when she started to read to them. It’s so cool watching the words form from sounds in her brain then come out.

We’re going to have to keep working with her on it, because once the books started to get more complicated, she didn’t want to push through. Day by day though, we’ll get there.

Back to School

I’m writing this part on the day before Soph starts kindergarten at her new school! This is an exciting, but also nerve wracking time. There is a lot of newness that is going to be thrown at her, from new school to new classmates to, new routine. She'll even learn a new language as she enters a Spanish-English program. As a parent, all I want is for her to be happy and to set her up for success in life. Amanda and I are both expecting there to be a rather large adjustment period, but who knows, maybe Loaf will surprise us. She has such a great personality, and up to this point, she has always handled transitions well.

Emm will be back for another year at the J, and thankfully, he’s in class with most of the same kids he’s been in with for a while. I am excited to see the steps he continues to make and the words that are sure to come out of his mouth!

Travel Roundup

Way back in January, Amanda and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary by having a staycation at a bed and breakfast in Midtown. It was a perfect little night out to wear nice clothes, eat classic Italian food, and be kid-free for a night. From bowling to breakfast, we had a wonderful time.

In February, Sophie got to go to Disneyland with Amanda and the Rude fam! It sounded like they had one very go, go, go day. Sophie really enjoyed the thrill rides, which is funny, because that’s not Amanda’s style! She did not like the dark, loud rides though. Those were a little too scary.

That same weekend, Muggsy and I went to Florida to see my brother David and his family. We got to dip our toes in the Atlantic and enjoyed some nice cousin time!

The next month, we had a great family weekend going to Camp Young Judea for a cousin’s Bat Mitzvah. It was so nice to be outdoors, and had camp flashbacks by staying in a cabin.

In April, we went to Dallas for Aunt Boopie’s wedding to Uncle Wes. We enjoyed seeing them have a really nice ceremony. At the steak dinner, the kids had oranges, cheese bread and fries hahaha. The good news is that they weren’t running around too crazily.

In May, while we didn't travel, Amanda's mom, aka Girl Mamp, came in to co-lead our guest bathroom remodel. Amanda and her did an incredible jump bringing the 1960s bathroom into 2022.

Just last weekend, we had one last hurrah before school, going to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine with a couple other families. I loved watching the kids run around with their friends at the water park. Like I mentioned before, I’m so glad they are comfortable in the water. It made the whole experience that much better. I think that Sunday was one of the best of their lives. After a nice brunch, we went to Legoland, and then had 5 hours at the water park. Not too shabby. We bookended the trip by staying with my parents. I loved watching them with the kids, especially going to the pool.

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There are so many other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten,  but at least this is a nice little recap of this last couple of months!