Life's a Beach...

Or in our case, several beaches and an amusement park! The Australian school system works year round, 4 terms with approximately 2 week breaks in between each term. Except for the break that starts before Christmas, that break last 4-5 weeks. With the girls off for 2 weeks, my neighbor and friend (Jen) and I thought in would be nice to take her girls and our girls to Coolangatta for part of their break. Reservations were made and great little place with 1 bedroom apartments for each family...women and girls left on Wednesday and the men folk came down on Friday after work. Overall we saw some beautiful beaches and scenery, ate some great food, had some TERRIBLE weather, experienced a few firsts (more on those later) and had a great time!

Kenyon in one of the pools at the Resort. What you can not see in this picture is her blue lips and shivering body. Weather was mostly cloudy and/or rainy and cool the whole time we were there.

Ashtyn and her friend Evana in the wading pool at the Resort. Cold weather did not seem to bother these girls. Mean while, Jen and I stayed warm by wrapping ourselves in towels and sitting on the side of the pool (s) watching the girls swim.

One of the "firsts"! My girls eating their first Thai food! Ummm... not sure it was a hit. It was a good thing I had brought some peaches and oranges along, oh... and a granola bar. They were troopers though and at least tried the food. They thought the rice was pretty good. This meal was followed by an after dinner snack of strawberries and popcorn. I think it may be awhile before they eat Thai again.

Sleeping Beauties. Another "first". This was the first time our girls had shared a bed. They did pretty well. Except that when Ashtyn woke up, she insisted on waking up her sister as well.

Breakfast in bed. Now mommy did not get breakfast in bed, but our two little princesses were served cereal and fruit in the comforts of their fold away bed.

Evana, Ashtyn, Annaka, and Kenyon having Kit Kats and Baby Chino's for their morning snack. We had to bribe them to get some shopping in. BTW, baby chino's are marshmallows and the foam from cappuccino's.

We live in the state of Queensland. Coolangatta is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. So, I have 1 girl in New South Wales and 1 girl in Queensland. BTW, I hope you like their jackets and Kenyon's pants...thanks to the weather, they had to wear the jackets the whole time we were there. I had to go to Target and buy Ashtyn some pants because it was so cool.

This was the Coolanagtta beach, outside our hotel. There was a break in the clouds for about 15 minutes one day...YAY! Sun!

Ashtyn's favorite part about the beach is the sand. She can do WITHOUT the water. She does not like the waves.

Night #2...MEXICAN FOOD!!!!!!! My margaritas were great, food was OK, however, it took care of my craving.

Getting ready for some fun in the sun...make that fun in the rain! On our way to play in the "warm" pool.

SURFER GIRLS!!!! Bought the girls some boogie boards. The boards were a huge hit

Big "A" climbing some rocks on the beach.

Taking a look back at Coolangatta beach.

Just our luck...a little amusement park was in town while we were there. And wouldn't you know it...our kids saw the thing before I could direct their attention elsewhere. Kenyon, Annaka and Ashtyn waiting to get on the jumpy castle. This was the 2nd night we were at the amusement park. The first night ended as soon as it began. We had been there for 5 minutes when it started to rain. The girls got soaked, and then cried the whole way back to the hotel. Night #2 was much better.

We even fell for the amusement park games...

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!

What big sister does...so does little sister...

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!

Pilot in training.

YAY! Bumper boats!

Even Ashtyn gave the boats a try...and LOVED them!

On Saturday, our friends (Jenn and Matt) took us to Byron Bay. We did a scenic drive, and drove through this little town. James and I loved this sign, so we had to pull over and grab a picture. No...we did not stop for wee wee's, but should have!

Byron Bay! James and I got up the nerve to take a swim. It was about 66 degrees outside, windy, cloudy, and rainy...but we joined the swimmers and the surfers and braved the water. Byron Bay is a wonderful little hippie town! San Fran...only smaller! No, more like Haight Ashbury. Great shops, great character and great places to enjoy the surf. While we were there we saw a pod of whales. It was my first whale sighting.

Picture taken from a scenic look out above Byron Bay. Australia has both the male and female world champion surfers (at the moment). Both the surfers are from Coolangatta, where we stayed. Byron Bay is very popular with the surfing crowd. We also learned that Byron Bay is the eastern most point of Australia.

That would be a Bush Turkey. So.... I am thinking we head back to Byron Bay around Thanksgiving and make this guy our dinner??

Another glimpse of Byron Bay.

Now, I did mention that this trip held some "firsts" for our family.

1.) First Thai Food for the girls

2.) First time the girls slept together

3.) First time Kenyon said a full fledged, big time CUSS word!!!!

Oh...did I not mention that Kenyon has obtained the mouth of a sailor?? It was such a proud moment for me...I thought for sure I would have mentioned it...

So...day 2...we are getting ready to head to the beach. Jenn and her girls are in our room, we have loaded up towels, sand toys, boggie boards, water, and we are on our way. When Kenyon breaks out with a word that rhymes with suckers, puckers, muckers, duckers...catch my drift??

To be exact, the sentence was something along "Come on you F@$&ERS"...

After I picked my mouth up off the floor, Kenyon and I had a discussion about certain words. She denies having heard the word from anyone (I tried to blame dad, since he was not there.) She said she had NOT heard the word from mommy, daddy, any of her friends, or on TV. She told me she made the word up. Hopefully this first will also be a last!

Overall we had a great trip to the beach. Girls are very excited about going back, and the whole family is ready for some beach weather! Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie...Oui, Oui, Oui!!!!!

River Fire

Mom's second day in Brisbane was also the start of the Brisbane Festival, which in turn is kicked off with River Fire. River Fire is a huge fireworks display held at the Brisbane River. Fireworks are shot off of barges in the river, as well as shot off The Storey Bridge that crosses the Brisbane River and off the tops of the buildings around the river. The bridge and river are closed off for an hour so the fireworks can take place. James managed to get us an invite to an apartment located on the river, so we would have an up close and personal showing of the fire works.

At 3:30 we headed off to catch the River Cat to get to the apartment. Very quickly we learned that we should have gotten in line for the River Cat at about 2:00. Change of plans...we opted to drive downtown. James dropped us off at the lobby of the apartments and then went in search for a parking space. Lucky for him he was able to find one very quickly. Unlucky for us, we were still in line to get on the elevator to get up to the 22nd floor. It was a very popular place to watch the fireworks.

The girls waiting patiently for the fireworks to begin!

Our view of the river. The boats park in the river for the firework display.

Part of The Storey Bridge, The Brisbane River, and one of the barges that set off some of the fireworks.

Up close of the helicopter that kept doing fly by's.

Lights on the bridge, means dusk is coming and it is almost time for the show to start.

The wave of fire starting to come down from The Storey Bridge.

It kind of looks like the bridge is on fire. Not so, just some good fireworks.

By far, it was the best fireworks show I have ever seen. There were also 3 F-111 dump and burns. Unfortunately we have no pictures of that. However it was an awesome sight and sound! Ashtyn will tell you that fireworks are LOUD! She will also tell you that she likes fire, but does NOT like fireworks! Kenyon however loved every minute of it!

Dinosaur Train

It is Monday morning...the day after I have taken my mom to the airport and put her on a plane back to Texas. Feeling a little sad, so I thought I would start posting some pic's on the blog of the good times we had while she was here!

Poor Mom...she arrived on a Friday morning at 6:00, and by 9:00 AM, the girls and I had her at the train station. Mom got to accompany Kenyon's pre k class on a trip to the museum...along with 21 of Kenyon's school friends! Kenyon was very excited to have her MiMi with her. This was also the girls first trip on the train! We all took the train down to the museum. We had morning tea (snack) with the dinosaurs, took a whirlwind tour through the museum (spending the majority of our time with the dinosaurs), had lunch down by the river at a playground, and then back on the train for the trip home.

Sitting so nicely on the train! The girls really liked the train...especially since this is how dad gets to and from work sometimes. The girls thought it was great to be riding the train like daddy does.

Snack time with the dino's. Kenyon spent her snack time running around with her friends, but Ashtyn sat down and ate.

Hitching a ride with our new friend...

The museum did a great job preparing for the little kids. There were lots of interactive toys for them to play with. Ashtyn kept trying to "borrow", and by that I mean steal all the dinosaur toys.

Our little artist...tracing a Triceratops, which she then spent LOTS of time coloring in.

My 2 little dino's!

CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST!!!!!

Tuesday, August 17th, started off like any other day...breakfast for kids, getting everyone dressed, out the door, to the gym, back home for lunch and naps, and then off to take Kenyon to ballet and Ashtyn to the library. However, upon our arrival home from the gym, I found "THE NOTICE" in our mailbox. FED EX had been to the house, and was unable to deliver a package because no one was home. Wednesday dawned bright and early, with excitement in my mind...today was package RE-DELIVERY day!!! I made sure that the front gate was left unlocked and opened (checked it 5 times), made sure permission was signed allowing Fed Ex to drop off package at front door...and off the kids and I went to start our day. At approximately 1:00PM on Wednesday, a little slice of heaven was left on our front porch! I carried the box inside and just looked at it for awhile...then said forget this and with scissors in hand, I had that box opened in about 5 seconds...

"THE BOX"

If I remember correctly, I stopped here, danced a little bit around the living room, smiled, maybe shed a tear or two and proceeded to unpack the goodies!

I know...it may not look like much to you, but to me, it was sort of like being home again. ROTEL!!!!!!! - I seriously thought about just opening a can and drinking it. HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH MIX - 1st off, the ranch here tastes like runny mayonnaise, after saying that, there is no need for a 2nd point.

HERSHEY'S COCOA - The semi sweet goodness!!! Can only find milk chocolate and dark chocolate here...needless to say my chocolate desserts have not tasted the same. I could go on and on, but will just leave it at "happiness beyond belief" to have cough medicine that works, children's vitamins that my kids like, diced green chilies, French's Fried Onions, and all the other treats that were discovered in the box.

I left everything on the floor and went to get the kids from school. I did not tell them that anything had arrived, I wanted them to be surprised. Being the award winning photographer that I am...I got the "mom, why did you leave the groceries on the floor" look, and not the "Surprise" look that quickly followed.

However, happiness was all over my kiddo's faces when they realized what was on the floor.

They went from one thing to another and back again.

Kenyon, my little organizer, very quickly started 2 piles. Her pile and Ashtyn's pile. Each girl got a Pez dispenser, a bag of peppermints, a box of fruit snacks, a bottle of vitamins, a bag of jelly beans and a gummy sucker. The girls had to share the Sweethearts, and mommy "stole" the assorted flavors Lemon Heads.Shhh...don't tell the girls!

It is not that Australia has bad food. The food here is pretty good. It just comes down to being used to cooking a certain way, and being used to food having certain flavors. Thank god for Tex-Mex and spice!!! I know when we leave here, I will miss... well...I know I will crave... Oh...give me time, I will think of something! Many, many, many thanks to Nannie and Paw Paw for sending us the care package. It really was like Christmas in August!

Nope, you are right. This picture has absolutely nothing to do with our box of goodies. Just wanted to give you a "bird's eye view" of how we potty train here in the Saenz household. Unfortunately for mommy, this has also led to me having to wash couch coverings, pick up poop from the floor and lots of mopping. But what a cute little tushie she has!

DANCING QUEENS!!!

It would appear that the dancing bug has hit our house. Kenyon had been asking very regularly when she could start ballet. I have to admit that I held off a little bit, kind of hoping that she would decide against it. Then I thought I would sign her up for 1 lesson. I was certain that after 1 lesson, she would then decide on her own that ballet was not for her. That backfired on ME!

After a single lesson, Kenyon was IN LOVE! Off we went to the store to buy all the NECESSARY ballet essentials. This included one pink skirt, one pink leotard, 1 pair of ballet shoes, and 1 pair of socks. I opted out of the tights, because I did not want the hassle of trying to get them on Kenyon, knowing that 8 out of 10 times we would be racing out of the door to make it to lessons on time. I only got to watch the first 2 lessons. After that parents are not allowed to watch, as the instructor feels this distracts the kids from learning.

Our little princess is in love with ballet and is preparing for her first recital in December. Funny thing is, I am learning right along with her. I now know first position, and how to hold my arms. I think it is a little late in life for me to become a dancer, but not so for Kenyon. She informed me that when she grew up she was going to be a princess and a ballet dancer. AHHHH...I love the dreams of a 4 1/2 year old.

Thanks to MiMi, Kenyon also has a black ballet outfit. Kenyon attempts to wear this outfit at least once a day. Here she is in our neighbor's backyard playing in ballet gear and running shoes. I think she is on her way to setting a fashion statement!

Kenyon in class. I had to take the picture through the window. She has music, she is wearing pink and she has a wand. Can you say heaven?

Learning 1st position.

On our way to dance class number 2!

Even Ashtyn is getting into the dancing spirit. Well sometimes...Other times she can be found running around half naked, but no matter what she is wearing, she is NEVER wearing shoes.

Playing around the house in their dance gear. Kenyon had just had a hard day's play at school, hence the hair do. I find myself singing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" when I see this picture of my girls.

IN THE WORDS OF STEVE IRWIN...

A short 1 hour drive from our house sits the Australia Zoo. Home of The Crocodile Hunter. With James being on a week's vacation, or holiday as they call it here, we decided to start the week off with a trip to the home of Steve Irwin. Thanks to our trusty alarm clock (Ashtyn) the house was moving at full speed at 6:20 on a Sunday morning, and by 9:00 we were on our way. Upon pulling into the Zoo, we were met with the above sign. By a little after 10:00 we were in the zoo on a whirlwind trip trying to take it all in in one day.
The handsome guy above is Agro, named because he is very aggressive. Evidently he likes only Cookie, who is his mate (for life). We also found out that he HATES lawnmowers. So much, that he has attacked the mowers and there are now 4 mowing machines at the bottom of his pond. I was surprised at how still and quiet he could be just sitting there. He kept his mouth open the whole time and never once closed his eyes.
Our first show of the day was at the Crocoseum. This is where Steve used to perform his shows as well. Crocodiles are actually very slow land movers, however, they can swim almost as fast as a dolphin. It is amazing to think that these animals have been around since the days of dinosaurs.
Kenyon and Ashtyn both got to feed the elephants. This elephant's name is Bimbo. Poor girl...wonder what she did to get that name. Evidently she is Bindy's (Steve's daughter) favorite.
Ashtyn had more fun feeding the sheep. I am beginning to see 4H in my daughter's future. However...how to explain that we can see plenty of sheep back home in Texas?
Sister bonding moments on a giant turtle. They actually had tortoise's on display. The only pictures we got of them were of their backsides. The tortoise's were over 135 years old, and were the largest in the world.
I think our favorite part of the day was seeing the tigers. The tiger above was having his 3rd birthday the day we were there. They had frozen "treats" in ice blocks for the tigers. These are Sumatran Tigers, found only in Sumatra. As of now there are only 300 left in the wilderness. Tigers are hunted and killed for their skins, and parts of the Tiger are used to make ancient medicines. We learned there are 9 different kinds of tigers, and as of now only 5 are still found in the wilderness.

Brother and Sister Sumatran Tigers.

The Tiger show. This was the male. He did not enjoy playing in the water, and could not be talked into doing something he did not want to do.

However, his sister put on a great show! We were told most tigers love to swim. The handlers played with her and got in the tank with her. The handlers are around the tigers from the day they are born. For the first 3 months of their lives, they are under 24 hour care. The handlers will eat and sleep with them. The tigers have a 2 bedroom house on the premises were they lived as cubs.
We have been traveling with Ashtyn for over 2 years now. We are well aware that she is not necessarily the easiest traveling companion. So, with that in mind, I made over night reservations at a hotel...I mean motel...I mean side of the road, in front of the train tracks, sort of reminded you of Psycho no tell motel! Not to worry though...The Saenz family left our mark. We can trash out any hotel room. After our day at the zoo, we checked into the sleaze bag inn and then went out to get pizza. Nothing like a picnic on the floor...
Kenyon and Ashtyn were most excited about having bunk beds! A little argument about who was sleeping on top (Kenyon won), but at the end of the night it did not matter. Ashtyn fell asleep in our bed and was transferred to her bunk. At 4:53 AM, James and I got a wake up call to find Ashtyn trying to make the climb up into sissy's bed. That was fixed by putting her in bed with us, where she slept till 7:00.
No bathtub at The Bates Motel. Ashtyn made due with a shower and loved every minute of it.
We ended our excursion with a Monday morning stop at a Farmers Market...attached to a gas station. However, we found some great fruit and veggies.
Monday afternoon, safe at home from our trip to see the animals. A little tired, a lot of bedhead, and memories to last a lifetime!

"Excuse me? Why they call you Booger?"

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE CUTE THINGS THAT KIDS DO?

Ashtyn...aka..."Booger"

Good thing these feet were clean. Hope they tasted good.