Michealangelo

For Christmas Cian got a Michealangelo pillow pet from his very generous parents.  It was, by far, his favourite present and he has slept with Michealangelo every night since then.  He brings him into our bed with him in the morning and often, since the tiles of the bathroom can be cold in the morning, he stands on him to brush his teeth or go to the bathroom.  Michealangelo is a true blue friend.

It desperately needed to be washed and I have been telling him over the last few days that we would need to give him a "bath" in the washer before going back to Canada.

Well, yesterday Emily took care of the timing of that bath because she had a pee accident all over Michealangelo.  Keith says the fight was of epic proportions as Cian was betrayed and hurt that his beloved friend had been so horrendously defiled by his sister (who, by the way, was not the least bit sorry).

Keith promptly put him in the washer and told Cian that he would have him the following night for bed.  Later, he heard Cian talking and realized he was in the laundry room.  Michealangelo's face was pointing out of the window of the front-load washer and Cian was telling him "I love you Michealangelo" - is there really anything cuter than that?  I don't think so.

Last night Cian was a bit depressed about not having his ninja turtle and at this point Emily did feel bad enough to hug Cian and tell him everything was ok.  He permitted the monkey and platypus to be temporary placeholders and tonight he is back with his best buddy.  Cowabunga dude.

Not Ready

In one week we will be on a plane leaving Australia.

That seems surreal to me.

Everything is winding down: last week of call, last music class, last swimming class and this week - last days of Kindy and work.  It doesn't feel like it's been a year already.  At work I'm just hitting my stride and things are starting to wind down.  I have things relatively set up in Winnipeg but there are still a lot of unknowns and I still have a lot to finish here in Australia so I feel like I have a foot in both countries and the Pacific Ocean is a wide thing to straddle.

I have never been good at transition....ever.  There are far worse examples than this latest move but still it comes with lots of anxiety for me.  As much as I love adventure I feel like I have never fully sucked the marrow out of my last one before moving on to the next.  I still feel like there's always room for a little bit more and so I'm never really satisfied in moving on.  And usually when I'm trying to savour the last moments of things those moments seem to race faster than I can possibly imagine.  There are leftovers on the "plate" of Australia: we haven't seen the Great Barrier Reef or the Whitsundays or the Outback or visited our amazing friends in Brisbane.  The kids aren't old enough to really appreciate a lot of those things and I also kind of wanted to leave some things to come back for.  We're not done yet with the Land of Oz and although I don't feel ready Canada is calling and it's time to go home.

In the hidden Dandenongs

I was operating until the wee hours of the last night but in their true consistent fashion the kids greeted me with usual cuddles and hugs at 630am.  Despite the routine start to the morning it was the start of an all but routine day.  Our friend Chantal is visiting Melbourne as she is managing the Canadian footy women's team (Go Northern Lights!) and she had the day off to spend some time with us so Keith collected her from the train station at 8am.  That would already be exciting for the kids because they love Chantal and her big hugs.  But they got double the fun of their favourite people because Marta was taking us to the Dandenongs, a mountain range east of Melbourne.  Everyone was at our house before 830am and Chris even got up on a Sunday morning to bring us all coffee from his new favourite coffeeshop.   Keith stayed home and had a much deserved day without the kids. We were set for our adventure to the Dandenongs (after we all said the word a few more times cause it's really fun to say).

The first stop was the hospital since I needed to see my post op patients.  Everyone was in fine form and I got to leave pretty quickly but it was nice because the kids got to show Chantal around including the sharks and the puffer fish (I had forgotten about the puffer fish - I can't believe Cian remembered!)

We then headed out to the Dandenongs.  We made an early start of it because Marta had been planning out the day and decided when we needed to leave. I had no idea what we were up to but knew it would be fun.  We stopped at the Puffing Billy carpark and the kids were already psyched.  Puffing Billing (http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/) is an old steam train that seems to be a quintessential part of a Melbourne childhood.  I can't believe they let you do it but they still let you sit on the windows and hang your arms and legs out the side of the carriages (so fun).  We bought our tickets and were off.  Marta, the lovely person that she is, got us to ride the train and said she'd drive behind to collect us at the Lakeside stop cause it's better to go one way and have someone collect you.  We have heaps of pictures including one of Cian, Emily and Chantal with the conductor.  It was great fun and a beautiful way to see the scenery.  It was also an amazing "winter" day in terms of weather - perfection.

Marta waved and honked at the Emerald station and then met us at Lakeside and ran along the train which Emily loved.  We walked around Emerald lake and saw the Rosellas and Ibris, the painters and the people renting water bikes.  We were all really hungry at that point so we went back into Emerald for the market.  Chantal got all 4 different kinds of Gozlemes to try and they were all delicious.

After lunch we got back in the car and 2/5 of us had a nap (Chantal and Em) on our way to the SkyHigh Mount Dandenong lookout point.  It was a bit foggy but still a terrific view.  We got coffees and 2 sweets (lemon meringue pie and lime coconut tart). This is when Emily really woke up out of her post-nap stupor.  She devoured the cakes - what a sweet tooth.  The kids got activity bags too so it was a great stop.  We then walked around the grounds there a bit before heading home.

In the car Emily said "I can't find those Dandenongs" and we had to explain that we were in them - mountains are kind of an abstract concept when you are 2.  We had a beautiful drive back into Melbourne with lots of singing and stories.

Once back in Melbourne we got some pizza and Keith and Chris joined us for our supper feast.  We toasted to great friends (both old and new) and had a great evening full of lots of laughter.  Cian even asked for "big hugs" to do his bedtime story and I said "do you mean Chantal?" and he said "Yes!  Chantal!" and he asked her himself - I think they were both really excited for storytime.  It was a wonderful day.

Literary Adventure

Tonight for movies and snacks we were looking for movies and stumbled upon "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe".  This was particularly exciting because Cian and I had read the book for bedtime stories for a couple weeks a few months ago.
The story started and Cian realized that his old friends Lucy, Aslan and Mr Tumnus were on the screen and he was hooked.  He was literally on the edge of his seat the entire time.  (Emily was whiny for half the movie and then fell asleep on the couch).  It was fun to see him so enthralled in Narnia.  He still was a big fan of Mr and Mrs Beaver and, of course, loved the fight scenes.  It was fun to experience it with him after we read the book together.  I hope to do more of that.

"Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again" - C.S. Lewis

Sovereign Hill

It was easier to keep the car for an extra day so we decided to head out on one of the final Australian adventures with the kids to Ballarat to see Sovereign Hill.

Sovereign Hill is a recreation of an old gold-mining settlement and they have everything set up like the late 1800s.

Even with only a few hours we had a great time seeing the old mine and how they made tin and gold.  We went to the candlemaking shop and the kids got to dip their taper candles to make rainbow candles (just in time for Chantal's visit!)

We saw the Red Coat soldiers come up Main street and shoot off their muskets (which was loud).  But I think the favourite part was panning for gold in the river.  I was impressed with the teaching at both the candle dipping and the panning for gold.  The teachers were really good at explaining what to do and I even found gold flecks for both the kids!

It was a very nice adventure to the 1800s!

Horseback Winery Tour

We are getting to the end of our time in Australia which is truly hard to believe.  A year has flown by but also when I look at pictures from when we got here things have also changed so much.

We are packing all of our last-minute activities in before we leave and one of them was a Groupon I had for a horseback winery tour in Mornington.  I always gravitate to anything with horses in them (I think Cian will be much the same) and so this combined horses + wine + amazing scenery.  What was not to love?  

We rented a car and asked our beloved babysitter Ciara to come for the day.  I highly support the idea of a daytime babysitter now that we had one.  Sometimes a day completely away from your kids can really make a world of difference and it did.  They were happier to play with her and get a fresh face in their play mix and we were happy not to be playing.

She came bright and early at 0730 because it's a 1.5 hour drive to Mornington.  We got in the car and realized there was frost on it.  This was a miniscule amount of frost but with no antifreeze in the windshield washer fluid or any viable scraper it took longer to get it off than expected.  But then we were off.  

It was without a doubt the most gorgeous "winter" day of the whole season.  Even though it was cold (it was zero degrees when we left) the air was crisp and the sun was out in full force.  This lifted a mist out of the Dandenongs that was truly magical.  We got there with 30 minutes to spare and drove up the winding driveway to the beautiful oak and stone stables.  We signed in but hadn't had breakfast because we thought we'd be late and they directed us to this little secret bakery down the road in the back room of this winery(Johnny Ripe).  The baked goods were outstanding (we ate everything apple on the menu) I think my grandmother would have been impressed.  We got back with delicious baked goods in our bellies (and another espresso in mine) with plenty of time to spare.

They had given me a horse named Keiko because he was usually a beginner's horse but had started being tempermental so they were trying to get more experienced riders on him.  I said I had taken some lessons so they put me down as intermediate but once I got on Keiko I realized all the riding I've actually done in my life.  It's amazing how one nostalgic sensation like getting on the back of a horse can remind you of something you loved so passionately for most of your life.

Keith had Boss, who seemed to be a very reliable Clydesdale.  I appreciate that he rides these horses to humour me and he does it without complaint.  We rode out to the first winery which had stunning sloping views, a little pond, baby lambs and two Kelpie dogs.  They had little tapas to try with our wine and we tried 6 different types - all of which were delicious with special note of the Chardonnay (and I don't love whites usually) and the Pinot Noir (Mornington is a Pinot region).  Everything was yummy and it was nice to soak in some sun with our food and drink.

The guides taught the group how to posting trot on the way to the next place.  Everyone was a very good sport and we made it to the apple tasting place in good time.  There were lovely apple ciders and juice to try and it was a beautiful old barn with a pot-bellied stove in the corner.  I think I like the decor of wineries almost as much as I like wine which is saying something.  I think it's my favourite scenery: sloping hills, brisk fresh air, sunshine and a roaring fireplace inside.  I would be blissful with a perpetual fall.

On the way home the guides were planning to fulfill my wish of cantering.  I missed that amazing feeling and I had proven that I was able to ride.  There were a few other brave people that wanted to try to canter including Keith!  It was great to feel the freedom of a cantering horse - it is one of my favourite things.  It's amazing how you forget how much you love something until you do it again years later.  Why did I ever stop?

We had lunch after the ride at T'Gallant.  It's a famous winery in the region and it was busy there on a Sunday for lunch but our package including a lovely lunch there where we continued our chat with a lovely British couple we met on the tour.  It's nice to chat with other "international gypsies".  What a beautiful day to start our loving goodbye to the Melbourne we have called home this year.

Superman and Green Lantern

The last few weeks the kids have been very happy to have a hairy, loud dude living in our garage.  He read them fun stories, sang awesome good-night songs and played new and super cool games.  Sometimes Emily would slip up and call him "uncle".  After the kids were in bed this guy would stay up with their parents drinking and chatting and occasionally watching movies.  In no way was this weird to the kids because they were unaware that a lifetime ago this guy used to date their mom.

This culmination of years of "friendship kindling" through online chats and lots of music sharing was weird in lots of spots but wonderful in lots of other ones.   For anyone concerned that this might be weird for Keith, it was not.  He, in fact, said he felt left out because he was the only one this wasn't weird for (apart from the kids).  Self-assurance is not an area of personal growth for Keith.  He was ecstatic because he had always wanted to be better friends with Devin because they have a lot of similar interests so this trip was great.  Plus there was the added benefit of having another adult during some of his days alone with the kids, including the day they all went to the zoo where the helpful lady at the ticket counter told Cian "Yes you can have a map that way you can help your dads find where all the animals are!"  (kudos to you zoo lady for being LGBT friendly to people even if they aren't LGBT).

I thought that my friendship with Devin stemmed from my unbelievable tenacity (and that was a large part of it he said) but truthfully, I agree with Devin, we are friends because of Cian.  Oh that kiddo is magical in lots of ways and forming new friendships for his parents is just one of them.  Who would have thought that the only Speech Pathologist I knew would have a weird back-story in my life and be a superhero to my kid.  That all the things I think are cool about Devin are the things they think are awesome too.  (Except for musical tastes I think they are still firmly in love with rock and roll and musical soundtracks respectively.  Although they did like a lot of Devin's stuff too.)

It's weird to have such a familiarity with someone and not have spent a lot of time with them in the past decade.  It's also kind of awesome though to discover the old ruins of a previous relationship, softened with time, and fill it up with laughter and music, 4 am adventures, funk dance parties and movies and snacks.  Sometimes moving past the awkward gets you somewhere awesome.

Kilowog!

10 years together

I made the best decision of my life 10 years ago.  My 24 year old self looking back was oblivious and naive and had no idea what she was getting in to but it's amazing that sometimes trusting your gut is the best idea possible.  

At Keith's brother Mark's wedding Keith did the best man speech.  Keith is exceptionally good at speeches - something I only found out about him after we were married.  His speech at our wedding was outstanding but one of the moments I have been most in love with him was during his speech to Mark.  In terrible paraphrasing, he talked about how marriage was sometimes like Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee at the top of Mount Doom.  There was a point where Frodo can't go on because the Ring is so heavy and Sam says "I can't carry it for you but I can carry you" and he said that sometimes in your marriage you can't carry your partner's burdens...but you can carry your partner.  People clapped in the middle of his speech for that and it was one of my proudest moments as his wife.  Keith is my Samwise Gamgee, my hero.  I am so lucky to have created a marriage with a true partner, in fun and games, in good times and in bad times.  We have faced struggles hand in hand and no matter how bumpy things have gotten in life I always knew our safe place was each other.

My 34 year old self has seen more and done more and been more places in this world.  I am less naive but still an optimistic dreamer.  I have had the good sense and good fortune to continue to love the soul that fits with mine, my anchor, the bass drum in our family symphony.  To my 24 year old self (and Keith's 25 year old self)...thank you for your leap of faith.  We have a decade of happy memories and a future full of bright possibilities because of it.

To my partner in crime, my confidante and my love Keith Morris - Happy 10th Anniversary. 

On a Sunday Afternoon....

Yesterday we had a great day.

Around midday we went down to ACMI for the Family Day Vikings and Dragons.  How to Train Your Dragon is Cian's FAVOURITE and since there was a free event on it seemed like the perfect activity.

Cian and Em made scales to pin on the big dragon and got to do a stop action movie as Toothless breathing fire onto a viking (Em was the viking).  There were lots of cool activities and even free admission to a part of the ACMI which had old video games throughout the ages which was great fun for Cian and Keith.

After our dragon fun we had lunch on the way to Parliament station where we met up with Devin, the in-house favourite playmate of Cian and Emily.  We were on our way to the Essendon-Collingwood AFL game.  My friends Marta and Chris had invited us to come to see a real match with two very well-loved teams at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).  The stadium is huge and I was worried it was going to be a disaster with the kids but Cian LOVED it and Em played on the iPad (not that interested in sports that one).  Essendon (who we were cheering for) won 103-39. They were fantastic through the whole game so we decided to chance it and go out for dinner.  On the way out of MCG Emily said "Someone should really turn out the lights" (to the stadium) - good observation kiddo.

We went to Amigo's and had our own little area in the back where we had margaritas and nachos and the kids got big O.J.'s and were psyched to be out with all these adults - especially Marta who was their new favourite person.  We took the train up to Newmarket and walked home in the darkness of the evening and even with the late hour the kids were amazing and hopped into bed.  As Emily was falling asleep she said that Cian was her favourite and that Daddy was her second favourite.  I said "What about Mommy?" and she said "Mommy is my best friend" <heart melt>  A wonderful Sunday.

Granny and Granddad

Tonight we spent time with Granny and Granddad at their downtown hotel before they leave back to Canada tomorrow.  We have been really lucky to have them with us for the last month.  Not only because they were gracious enough to watch our kids when we went to Fiji but also because it gave our kids a chance to really spend time with them (and us too).

It feels like a month went by very quickly. The first week we showed them around Melbourne a bit before they adventured out to Sydney on a road trip.  After that Cian was on school holidays so they took some trips out to the Great Ocean Road and Philip Island.  Before you know it a month has gone by.  It's nice too that Keith got to spend time with both his mom and dad; a few trips to the Quiet Man (thank goodness the best Irish pub in the city is so close to our house) and a footy game at Etihad stadium.

As we were walking back to Flinders Street station with our macaroons from Brunetti's I was thinking how lucky and blessed we are to have healthy parents who can rough house with the kids and can travel to wherever we are in the world to join us on our adventures.  Thanks Granny and Granddad for coming to visit, for your support and your love.  Have a safe trip back to Canada and we'll see you in a few weeks.

 

South Pacific Morning (Nukubati - Part 3)

We said goodbye to our new friends as they departed back to Australia and headed out in the morning to our sandbar picnic brunch.  Levi took us out to the Mangrove sandbar which at high tide is underwater but at low tide is this pristine private beach with no one around for miles.  He packed 2 dining chairs, a dining table and a large beach umbrella in the blue motorboat along with a cooler of brunch that Sara and Josephine had packed.  When we got to the sandbar he unloaded our picnic components and gave us a 2 way radio so we could radio when we wanted to come back when the tide started coming in.  “Nukubati this is Sandbar :)”.  

The water was like glass which is seems surreal for the Pacific Ocean and there was the kind of silence one does not usually have in a house full of young children.   It was so quiet Keith realized he was hearing the sand dry up.  The only other people were fisherman far in the distance.  They looked to be walking on water but I suspect that they were on sandbars of their own.  We had our usual leisurely breakfast on our red-tableclothed dining table right there in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  After breakfast we walked around our little sandbar and found the entry/exit point Levi had mentioned.  We had brought our snorkeling gear and after a few feet there was a huge drop off but at the edge of the drop off was all sorts of coral and tropical fish.  We went around our little island looking at the fish and coral and then also  realized we could almost as easily see them standing up along the edge.  Keith went a little farther out and say an “eel” when I asked him what colour it was he said “black and white like a zebra” knowing full well that it was not an eel but a sea snake.  It was swimming away though and as Gordon keeps reminding me their venom is in the back of their throat and they are usually very docile and nothing to worry about (this is only a small comfort to me due to my deathly snake fear).  

After snorkeling around the sandbar we read our books under the shade of the umbrella and watched the tide come up.  The little crabs I had been trying to see on our regular beach showed us their regular ritual on the sandbar.  They would come out of their holes carrying armfuls of sand, throw it in a pile and retreat back in their holes.  It’s pretty ridiculous and fun to watch.  The three hours before Levi came to pick us up seemed to fly by.  A magical morning.

My Cup Runneth Over (Nukubati- Part 2)

Every night at Nukubati the staff find you to bring champagne and canapes to watch the sunset.  After your champagne toast to the sun’s daily work we get ready and head to the main pavillion for dinner.  Keith and I have been playing Scrabble before dinner (who knew jape is a word?) and then settle into our lovely evening meal.  

Tonight though was the last night for the other guests on the island and Richard’s 50th birthday.  The people that live and work on Nukubati decided to throw a party with kava (the local drink) and a meke (traditional Fijian dancing).  Everyone who lives on the island gathers in the afternoon and starts drinking kava sitting on bamboo mats.  Traditionally they don’t drink alcohol so they sit around this large wooden bowl (tanoa) that houses this traditional drink of grounded pepper root mixed with water.  It is not that tasty but has a bit of a sedative effect and your tongue starts to tingle.  There was 20-30 people there from the village and they asked us to sit with them and drink kava.  Levi is tall and lanky with an infectious bright smile.  He was pouring the kava and said I could tell him I didn’t want anymore at any time.  He also taught Keith and I how to clap once (Bula!) before the drink and 3 times (Vinaka) after.  After a few bowls of kava and some beautiful guitar and ukelele music Gordon asked us to sit on the chairs because they were going to do the traditional dance.  Levi must have lost a bet because he was dressed as the women and had a long sarong and a flower in his hair.  He clearly had not done the dance before but he was laughing and grinning from ear to ear.  There were many different dances.  Sarah could get everybody moving and was center stage waving her arms and shaking her hips.  As the women (and Levi) danced the rest of the staff/people living on the island sang in 4 part harmony behind them.  It was beautiful.  Then we all sang Happy Birthday and Richard’s cake came and he blew out his candles.  They definitely saved the best for last.

In the last song they sang again in gorgeous 4 part harmonies and then Levi came up with a piece of paper.  You could tell he was a bit nervous but still had this beautiful playful, sheepish grin.  In grand paraphrasing he thanked us all for coming to spend time at Nukubati with their family. He told Karl he was sorry that he couldn’t take him out fishing earlier in the week cause it was windy but that he was glad he caught some fish that we shared at dinner as sashimi (lovely!) and that he had a chance to unwind from the day.  He hoped that Karen and Isabella had a good time snorkelling and laughing together.  He thanked Terry and Richard for celebrating their birthdays at Nukubati (they both turned 50) and how Gordon had enjoyed their evening talks.  I can’t remember great details of the others because Levi actually started with us.  He glanced up from his paper and smiled and said Welcome Amanda and Keith (again paraphrasing) Thank you for sharing your special anniversary with us.  We know you’ve had a hard year, that Amanda put in a lot of work in her medical specialty and that Keith was a very good support to his family, watching over the children (at this point I already started tearing up and Keith said he did too).  We hope you enjoy your time with us and spend some time getting a good night sleep and relaxing.  I honestly, can’t remember Levi’s exact words.  What I remember is his face, his eye contact, the sincerity in how he spoke and in how the people of Nukubati made us feel.  I thought I was going to be this big teary loser but I looked around and everyone was teary.  The staff really listened and had cared about what had brought us all here and were so hospitable and loving.  Sometimes you don’t know what you need til you get it.  Vinaka to the amazing people at Nukubati who truly see us, who care for us, who have embraced us as family - you are everything we didn’t know we needed and we are forever grateful.  

Nukubati (Part 1)

I have been blessed to have the opportunity to be in many beautiful places in my life.  This is quite possibly the most heavenly location I have visited on this planet.  We weren’t here half a day before Keith declared it the best vacation ever.  

We arrived at Labasa on the north island of Fiji the day after we left Melbourne.  We stayed overnight at a very nice hotel across from the Nadi airport as there is only one flight out to Labasa and it’s at midday.  When we got to Labasa a portly man with a wide smile came up to us and said “Keith?  I will take you to Nukubati.”  The bags came into the aiport on a wagon, we got our bags and got into the Land Rover and were off.  We traveled most of the way in comfortable silence. He would occassionally point out things of interest, women coming back from church, sugar cane fields and the local school.  It took about an hour to get to the boat dock. There John was waiting for us, he took our bags and helped us in to the little blue motorboat.  It was a quick jaunt across the water and as we arrived into the beach on the island the staff had come down to the beach and were singing to us in welcome.  They all greeted us by name and gave us beautiful leis made of rope with bouquets at each end.  Gordon, the island manager, brought us into the main bure where there were fresh coconuts waiting for us as welcome drinks. He is a broad man with a wide, gap-toothed smile covered by a moustache.  His eyes always look like they’re smiling. He sat with us, we got to know each other a bit and he told us about Nukubati.  Nukubati is Fijian owned and operated.  Gordon leases it from another Fijian man and runs the resort.  It can accomodate 7 couples but there are only 5 other guests on the island with us at the moment.  Because it’s so small everyone knows everyone.  This took a few minutes to get used to as you usually go on vacation with total anonymity.  Here everyone knew our names before we arrived.  

After our introduction to the island and our coconut drinks they made us lunch.  I thought we might miss lunch because we weren’t arriving til around 2pm but hadn’t realized that at Nukubati you get 3 meals a day but they can be anytime and anywhere on the island.  So, there was no question we would be hungry and have lunch when we arrived.  The reviews I had read had mentioned how amazing the food is here but still you aren’t prepared for how amazingly fresh everything is.  There is a garden on the island and most of the fruits and vegetables are grown here and then the guys that work here catch a lot of the seafood that’s a staple on the menu.  Lunch and dinner have two choices and you usually pick your next meal at the one you’re sitting.  Every mouthful of food was heaven.  I was worried I had oversold the resort in my head before arriving and within the first hour I knew that it would live up to all my expectations.

We then went to our bure which is close enough to the main building to get the Wifi (which put my mind at ease a little because it meant we could ask about the kids - we weren’t expecting Wifi here).  The bures are all set up to maximize views and basically the rooms are all white and windows.  I am currently sitting in the front room and I can see the ocean and palm trees everywhere I look.  There are no keys here because Gordon says "we have not seen pirates in a very long time" :)  I can also see Keith on our own little section of beach.  Every bure has a beach area with 2 cushioned deck chairs and a wide rust-coloured beach umbrella.  These little areas of beach are seperated by neatly trimmed hedges so you fell totally cocooned in your own little space.  The only kick-back into reality is when you hear Sarah’s amazing laugh which can be heard throughout the island.  Sarah serves the meals and she’s this wonderful round mama of a woman with big brown eyes (she has 4 kids, the youngest is a couple months older than Emily).  She served us breakfast yesterday and as we were leaving said “Have a good day guys” like she was sending us off to school.  Like a mama duck looking after her ducklings.

The most amazing thing about Nukubati is how you feel like you’ve just become a part of your own little Fijian family.  Yesterday we had a traditional Fijian barbeque for lunch.  Some of the guests had gone out fishing with the guys and then they brought home their winnings of the day and it was barbequed up for our feast.  We all sat together Fijians and “guests” and ate kassava, fried egglants, octopus, fish, coconut “marshmellows” and sugar cane.  We had “plates” of leaves and it felt totally natural to all sit together and enjoy this amazing food as one big happy family.  I have never seen that before at any other resort and it puts it over the top of anywhere else I’ve ever stayed.  It’s like coming to my Grandma’s house but in a beautiful tropical location.  The tenderness of being cared for on such a personal level is so lovely.  

Anniversary Trip Nerves

We have been planning a big 10th anniversary trip for years. A decade is an achievement and we wanted to celebrate.  It was fate that it coincided with our year in Australia and there were lots of options of beautiful destinations to choose from.

I had been searching for months for the perfect place and found a Groupon (I love groupons) for this private island resort called Nukubati.  It was expensive for us at the 50% discounted rate but everything about it sounded perfect and we decided that was our place.  Cassie, our new favourite friend discovered by marriage (Good on ya Brent) happens to be a travel agent and booked our flights which required a trip to the international airport in Fiji, then on to the north Island where the Nukubati staff would pick us up, drive an hour by 4x4 and then a motorboat to the island.  This was an ambitious first trip away from the kids.  Good thing their grandparents had so graciously offered to babysit.

I was nervous about leaving the kids.  Not because we were leaving them with Keith’s parents because I knew that they would have a wonderful time with them.  Not because I thought they would miss us because I knew they wouldn’t.  The kids love spending time with other people, whenever they have a babysitter they pretty much push us out the door.  The day we left I asked the kids again where we were going and they were so used to the question they didn’t even look up from their cereal “Fiji” they said instinctively between mouthfuls. “And we’re staying with Granny and Grandad.  And we’ll be good”.  No seperation anxiety at all.  I think, on further reflection, I was nervous for some pretty ridiculous reasons.  I was nervous that people would think that I was a bad mother for leaving my kids for a week.  I was nervous that it was too extravagant to take a week-long holiday for an anniversary.  I was nervous that I hadn’t spent a week away with just Keith and would it be weird to be alone without the kids for that long.  All those nervous thoughts evaporated after we checked through security at Melbourne airport.  

The Fathers in my Life

My dad's birthday is always a few days away from Father's Day and so we get to give him a double-dose of love every June.  This year was especially important because my kids' youngest/biggest grandparent turned 60.  So I've been thinking about my dad over the last few days and even though it's not actually Father's Day in Australia this weekend (their Father's Day is in September) I wanted to take this time to celebrate dads.

To the newest dad in my life, my forever "roomie" Paul.  I look at Morgan and my heart is so full to look at a boy with such an incredible role model of strength and goodness.  You think of how much you look up to Papa and that's how he's going to look up to you.  Happy 1st Father's Day to you my wonderful friend - tell Morgan Auntie Amanda is coming...suit up for snuggles.

To the young dads (Dave, Jamie, Graeme) it has been such a joy to watch you grow as men as your families grow.  To see the joy in your faces as you mirror the joy in your children - growing up and staying young all at the same time.

To our special dad close to home (Mike) your reckless abandon of jubilation has filled my heart, my house and my son with happiness.  We are so lucky to have you in our lives and in Cian's life as he looks up to you like you are all of Disneyland in a human being.  It has been wonderful to see you grow as Lizzie's dad and I'm sure things will be even more fun as the Didora-Reid family grows.

To the young dads in our family (Jason, Mat, Mark) - you are shining examples of how dads are not "mom assistants".  Dads who consider fatherhood to be central to who they are as people.  We are lucky to be in an extended family of parent partnerships and your kids are lucky to have such amazing dads that love, support and play with them.

To my dad-in-law (Tom) I see so much of you in how Keith is with our kids.  I am always so amazed at how much of an impression you make while saying so little.  Your "quiet observation" way of being is such a rare quality and makes everyone love and respect you.  When people ask me what kind of man my father-in-law is I give the example of when we went to the hill to visit Sue.  We rented snowboards and I was kind of scared to go down the hill the first time and you walked down the hill behind me and picked me up out of the snow every few feet.  No oratios of advice but always an extended hand and a watchful eye.  People ask me all the time how Keith is so self-assured and I suspect a lot of that came from you.  That grounded sense of self in Keith is the rock of our family and I thank you so much for that.

To the father of my children I could not have asked for a better partner in this adventure called parenthood.  Our children are so lucky to be able to be home with you and your calm strength.  As they develop their roots in these early years of their lives they are blessed to have your love and support to ground them.  Thank you so much for all the love you nurture in our home.

To the men that helped raise me.

To my grandfather - so much of who I am has been formed by you and grandma and the more I grow up the more I truly realize that.  I have such vivid memories of sitting in the backyard waiting for you to come home for "tea time" - you were such an amazing example of work/life balance before it was something that was constantly talked about and rarely achieved.  I remember how much people respected you at your work even as a young girl and I try to be as good at my job as you were at yours by doing what's right, not necessarily what's easy.  And when you came home you never seemed to bring stresses home with you - you walked through the carport into the backyard, had coffee and played with us or tended to the garden or woodshed without a second thought about work (at least in my child eyes).  Throughout my childhood you taught me to be good to people, to live a life of integrity, to challenge perceptions, to nurture my spirituality and tend to my heart which would be phenomenal lessons from any man but are exceptional for a man who had been through so much in his life that should have hardened his heart.  Thank you for all of that - I hope that by giving Cian the middle name "Henry" that some of your exceptional qualities will be bestowed on him by namesake.

To my dad - My kids love this movie called "The Croods".  They love the slapstick humour but essentially it's a father-daughter story.  There are sections that I'm sitting behind them with tears streaming down my face.  The dad has kept his family alive by living by "the rules" and being afraid of everything and then slowly has to change in order to adapt in his new world.  There's this scene where he has to throw his family over this chasm to save them and the last one is his teenage daughter and she says "Daddy I'm scared" and he turns to her and says "Never be afraid".  Despite having been taught to be afraid his whole life and keeping the monsters at bay to protect them he releases her from that and lets her fly.  That's you dad.  I cannot think of a more amazing gift.  Thank you.  Thank you too for being the gentle giant Opa to my kids.  What memories for my children: to bounce on the trampoline in the rain with you, to feed farm animals off a tractor, to sing songs and read stories.  They are so blessed to have you as their Opa as I am blessed to be your daughter.

To the people in my life who have lost their fathers whether you had amazing fathers like the ones I've described or your relationship with your father was tumultuous or painful I will think of you as you work through your feelings on Father's Day and how you might redefine Father's Day as you become fathers yourself or find father figures that might fill your heart.

To the men in my life who are not fathers by choice or circumstance especially two extra special ones in my life : my brother and our friend Kyle.  Thank you for showing my children that you don't have to be a dad to be a good man.  To my brother - I'm thankful that I get to share a dad with you.  You might not want to be compared to dad sometimes but you have a lot of his good qualities and a lot of you I see in Cian so you are never too far from my heart.  It's so good to have an example to show Cian that there are men in the world that experience emotion and don't bury it deep inside themselves - that let their freak flag fly :).  To our friend Kyle, I often think of how some stay-at-home moms have their mommy groups and that Keith didn't have that...but he had you.  Thank you for being the surrogate second parent when I was studying for my exam.  For knowing what milestones Emily had reached when people asked and for calmly changing into a pair of Keith's pants when Cian accidentally peed on you.  Thank you for showing kids that men without kids can love children too.

To the amazing men in my life - thank you for supporting me, my family and my children.  There are wonderful men in the world - these are my examples - please remember to honour yours.

Shakespearean Tragedy

Last weekend we were walking up the path and met up with Amy and her family.  We have an amazing ability to catch each other out and about.  The kids were beyond excited.  Emily hugged Beth. Cian and Reuben started chasing each other around and then the girls started chasing them - it was all good fun.  When the adults had enough of all the screaming and running we decided to collect the children and part ways.  The older kids (Cian and Reuben) and the one who desperately wants to be 5 (Emily) had run down the path a ways because Cian wanted to see if he could outrun Reuben on his bike.  Amy, Michael and I were walking behind and as we looked up from chatting we saw Emily get a  little too close to Reuben's bike and Reuben lost his balance a bit and very accidentally hit Emily toppling her to the ground.  The adults ran to the entanglement of Reuben, the bike and Emily and peeled everyone apart.  Emily was red with tears more out of shock than actual injuries and Reuben was being grilled by his parents for not being more careful (honestly it was an accident and Emily should have been more careful).   Then we all started to realize that the screaming and crying was not all coming from Emily.  There was Cian flushed with anger pointing at Reuben tears pouring down his face "You hurt Emily!!".  He would not be consoled - his kinsman (or kinswoman in this case) had been wronged and he was out to make it right.  With his level of outrage all that came to mind was the fight scene between Tybalt and Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" where Romeo says: 

This gentleman, the prince's near ally, 

My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt 

In my behalf; my reputation stain'd 
With Tybalt's slander,

—Tybalt, that an hour 
Hath been my kinsman!


All were no worse for wear.  Reuben made Emily a card with a Tinkerbell and a bike which Amy was concerned might give her PTSD.  Emily promptly forgotabout her knock about until about 10 minutes later when Cian hit her in the head with a rock.  Life is hard when you're 2.  At least she has her brother - she may also sustain injuries at his hand but she can be sure he will fight valiantly that he and he alone can do so.  

Our Morning Walk

Now that Cian is at his new Kinder I walk him to school on Wednesday-Thursday-Friday because it's on my way to work and it means that Keith and Emily only have to walk the 2km once a day.  That's right I make my 5 year old walk 2km to kindergarten...uphill.  A little adversity never hurt anyone...it builds character.

These morning walks with Cian are my favourite time of day.  We race up the hills and Cian always finds a stick to deposit on the bench - the "last stop" for sticks before we leave Stockyard path and head into the business of Racecourse Road.  We discover our shadows in specific sunny locations along the way - greeting them when we haven't seen them in a while.  We sing the alphabet and decide what movie we'll watch for Movies and Snacks on Friday.  Cian walks the bench beside Newmarket train station and we wade through the autumn leaves.  On garbage days Cian picks up the garbage that was dropped out of the bins and I have to find nearby bins to put them in (God bless his little environmentalist heart).  Recently Cian discovered the doves that were usually on the phone line by the small park had decided to move their morning congregation to the nearby housetop.  I love seeing the world from his point of view.

This morning we all woke up at 6 am and it was pouring rain.  I tried to find alternative routes via public transport to Kindy but there were no better options - we had to brave the 2km walk.  We put on our rain coats and Cian was excited because I gave him his very own umbrella.  As he walked down the path he was sort of shuffling along and then I realized he was singing "In Summer" from Frozen.   Cian doesn't like to talk let alone sing so when I got over the shock I started laughing hysterically.  What a funny kid.  Then I tried to explain to him that it felt like a Canadian summer but actually we were going into an Australian winter and he said "Then we can build snowmen!" Hmmmmm, Australia is confusing for a Canadian kid.  We continued to sing "In Summer" and then sang "Singing in the Rain" where Cian said "Mommy I know this one!!!" and he sang along.  How can you be sad on a rainy day when you've got a kid dancing and singing in the rain with his oversized umbrella and his yellow rain jacket.  It's impossible - I arrive to work every day smiling.

Spider Grief

Cian came out of the bath tonight very excited about what he was holding in his hand.  We couldn't figure out what he was saying but soon realized he was saying "Spider" and he opened his hand to reveal a small, brown, drowned, dead spider.  (Note: this was a little house spider like we have in Canada don't worry that it's the spiders of your Australian nightmares).

Cian was quite excited about this spider and wanted to keep it.  Keith and I were trying to convince him that he could not keep a dead spider mostly because spiders do not routinely have Lazarus-like properties.  This was devastating to him which we could not understand until, finally, through the sobs he wanted to bring it to Show and Tell.  Then all the pieces started to fit together - another kid had brought a spider (presumably a live spider) to Show and Tell so Cian somehow thought he could will this spider back to life and bring it to Kindy Show and Tell.  Thus began the process of trying to find something else cool to bring to Show and Tell.  We finally settled on his triceratops wrapped in a Canadian table runner that I had stored away for gifts (because I convinced him Canadian things are cool).  These two things seemed to still the outpourings of grief over the well-loved spider who died before his time to shine at Kindy Show and Tell.

Emily Goes To The Library

Yesterday Emily and I went on a mother/daughter adventure to the far away library.  Our nearby library is closed for renovations so we went further afield.  The kids were crazy yesterday so we really could only handle one at a time and I pulled the 2-year old straw for the library adventure.

We headed up to the path to the tram.  The trams in Melbourne run in the middle of larger streets so you only cross halfway on the crosswalk and stand in the death-defying middle of the road until the tram comes.  I feel like it could be a little safer than a metal fence separating you from oncoming traffic but I am not an Australian city planner.  Emily was very good and held on to the fence and didn't move until the tram arrived.  She took the big steps up in to the tram and sat in the nearby seat.

Emily's platinum blond hair makes her pretty conspicuous so people have a hard time not looking at her.  That and she tends to not be that quiet either.  "Mom I can see people and cars" and "what is that person doing?", etc. etc.  The young girl across from her with her headphones often smiled in amusement.

We got to the North Melbourne library which had just completed it's renovations.  Emily and I wandered around a bit looking for a book for me.  Emily thought I had lost a book and we were finding it "Mom, is this your book?"  "Don't worry we'll find it."

We then decided to talk to a librarian since they are usually very helpful people and this librarian certainly was.  He had horn-rimmed glasses and a long beard and he thought Emily was hilarious.  We needed to get a new library card and he asked me to take a seat and Emily thought that, of course, he was talking to her so she crawled into the seat next to him and he asked her all the questions.  She gave him our proof of address and he asked he said "G'day" and she said "G'day Mate!" which he thought was hilarious and his laugh bellowed through the otherwise quiet library.  He asked her how old she was and she said "5" and I had to remind her that she was actually "2" despite her desperate wishes to be 5.

We got three stories for Cian - 2 early reader stories including a Star Wars one and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" for me to read to him.  We got three stories for Emily including one by Oliver Jeffars and "Peppa Pig Goes to the Library".  She wasn't really interested in Mom finding a book so I grabbed one off the Hot Picks shelf as she was ready to scan them through the self-scanner. I told her it felt like we got 100 books and she said "I love 100 books!"  The librarian still totally enamoured with her.

We got back on the tram with all the books in my colossal purse except the Peppa Pig book that Emily carried herself.  We got on the tram and read the Peppa Pig book and people around listened to (it's hard not to look at a little person enjoying a children's book).  One of the other passengers came over and asked how old Emily was and said she looked exactly like his daughter did at that age and showed us a picture.  It was nice  to see a young dad come over to chat - usually it's moms and I sometimes wonder if dads are a little uneasy about striking up conversations.  As we left the tram I asked Em to say goodbye and everyone in the front half of the tram said "Bye".  I feel this might be a glimpse of times to come with her.

We then walked home down the path and an older lady with a small bag of groceries stopped to say hi to her and walked down the path with us for a while.  It was fun to chat about the "cold" weather as she was surprised I was in a T-shirt (it was 18 degrees).

The rest of the walk was the usual toddler constant commentary version of life.  "That dog touched me."  "That dog walked behind me".  "Where did that moon come from?"  It's fun to see her start to discover her world.  She found our lane and ran down the path to tell Dad about the moon and all about her adventure.  Her trip to the library was far more exciting than Peppa Pig's.

Actual Mother's Day

Cian had made me a card and brought me purple flowers home from Kindy on Friday which was lovely.

On Sunday Keith woke up, made crepes, served me breakfast in bed and took the kids out swimming.  I was talking to my mom on FaceTime and she said he wins "Husband of the Year" but that's not a new thing - he wins every year - he should probably remove himself from that competition - he's gone pro.  So Mother's Day was off to a good start.

After lunch we decided to go to Brunetti's for a treat.  Amy had been talking about how awesome it is and I wanted to check it out.  It's this Italian cafe with amazing food and an old-fashioned coffee bar.  If you would like to see the video (yes they made a video of the store) you can check it out here...

http://brunetti.com.au/

It seems everyone else had that same idea because it was packed.  We still managed to get Gelato for the kids and Keith got a Caramel Royale and I got a Raspberry White Chocolate Opera and they were both as delicious as they sound.  It was worth the trip - a great treat.

We then walked downtown trying to find a sushi restaurant to bring take-out sushi home (Cian's somewhat selfish suggestion :) and Emily LOST HER MIND.  She had been tired before but that coupled with swimming and a trip on the bus (which they loved cause they got to sit in the raised back part) she was exhausted and DONE.  She had a spectacular meltdown and of course this was the day I convinced Keith that we should try going out without the stroller.  I carried her screaming down Swanston Street until she fell asleep and she was so exhausted that she stayed asleep for many blocks (very unlike her) all the way to Melbourne Central station.  So I carried my comatose sack-of-potatoes to the train station and we had a couple rolls of sushi there (not what we had wanted but it worked).  We then took the train home which worked out pretty well.  It gets dark pretty early now that it's autumn so by 530pm when we got off the train it was pretty dark.  Cian took Keith's phone and was using the flashlight to investigate things in the park on the walk home.  We walked by a couple of teams playing soccer and Emily wanted to sit and watch but we told her that it was time to get ready for bed.  Little did we know that the electric box they were standing close to was open.  As we were telling them to get going all the lights went off in the park.  That seemed oddly coincidental until some of the soccer players came over to the electric box the kids were standing beside and we realized the box was open and controlled the lights.  Cian wasn't close to the open side so it was clearly Emily that had created mass darkness.  We think she just pushed the red button since it was all pretty quick but the guys tried pushing the green button and it didn't work.  There were many minutes of trying to get the lights back on and then the main guy said he would go back and get a key for the reboot box.  We dragged our kids home in silence.  Emily in trouble for the light incident and Cian in trouble for dropping Keith's phone in the middle of the road (it's ok).  They knew they were in trouble too because it was a silent walk home.  Eventually they went to bed (Emily was back to her usual antics of getting out of bed a few times since she'd had a 20 minute mobile nap).  It was not the best parenting day...not the worst...but not the best.  So instead I think I'm going to remember my magical Mary Poppins day as Mother's Day - that's what magic is for right?

The Mothers in My Life

It's Mother's Day on Sunday and I was thinking about that on my walk home on Friday.   We don't tend to make a big deal out of Mother's/Father's Day at our house - usually because it's close to Keith's birthday and we have other stuff going on.  Often it means that there's a card, hugs and kisses and some time to oneself and really - what more can you ask for?  Anyway, today I was thinking of the mothers in my own life and wanted to let them know how much I admire them.

To my most special mom-to-be, Karen you are going to be an amazing mom.  My kids love you so much and you are incredibly kind, generous and patient.  I know the whole thing feels unbelievable in these last few weeks while you wait and wonder what you got yourself into but that is truly going to be one well-loved kid.

To the "new" and "new to 2" moms (Sarah, Beth and Debbie) - it's been incredible to watch you grow as women over the last few years.  To see the bonds of sisterhood strengthen between the Mackey sisters as they have kids that get to grow up together like they did.  To see Deb forging different parts of herself in this new role as "mom".  New little ones can be hard and no one gives you a report card and I think you seem to be handling things seamlessly.

To my "veteran" mom friends (ChrisChan and Jo).  I go to you for advice and look to you for support.  I appreciate that we've made different choices in our families and our careers and that there is no judgement surrounding that.  What a truly amazing gift that is.  Thank you for helping me through my fears and supporting me when I'm not sure what to do.

To my mama friend close to home (Jen Didora) I am so thankful to know you and to have you in our life.  Your quiet strength and your ability to welcome us into your family (both your family of origin and the family you are creating) is such a gift to us. I can't wait to come home and see how Lizzie has grown and hold a new little baby in September.

To the young moms in my family (Maja, Jen and Leslie).  It's intimidating to be in a family of women who seem to have "conquered" motherhood with ease and finesse. I look on in awe at the amazing little people you have brought into the world.

To the matriach of the Morris clan (Granny Morris).  You were so kind to me when I joined the Morris family and every time I had the opportunity to spend time with you was such a gift.  Thank you for raising such wonderful human beings (all 12 of them!) and for your amazing acceptance of a tall blonde girl as one of "your grandkids".  You were an exceptional woman and I hope you are resting well. 

To the amazing woman that raised my beloved husband (Margaret).  How can the world thank you enough for raising Keith Morris?  or Mark Morris?  or Sue Morris?  Really!  Three amazing children that are so different from each other: all of them retaining their uniqueness and they still like to come home and hang out with their parents.  I'm shooting for the moon if I ask for that as a mom.  I would not be able to enjoy the marriage I have if you hadn't raised Keith to be self-sufficient, to respect women, to know that hospital hours are a suggestion at best and that Christmas might not fall on Christmas Day.  And I'm not just impressed by the way you raised my (fantastic if I do say so myself) husband.  I am truly blessed by how you have treated me as a daughter-in-law.  I couldn't have asked for better when it came to the many hard times during residency when I would come home post-call while you were visiting and you would feed me breakfast and send me upstairs to sleep.  I have none of the worries other girls seem to have when their mothers-in-law come to visit - I look forward to it!  Can't wait to see you guys in June.

To the amazing women that raised me.  

To my grandmother, so much of what I learned as a young person I learned in your kitchen or in your garden.  You raised three unique children and countless other "honorary kids" that passed through your life.  I'm still working through my feelings about the loss of you in my life but the truest thing I can say is that so much of me is from you.

To my Auntie Betty, my mom's ridiculous, hilarious and fun sister who used me as a dress-up doll when I was a kid but was someone I always looked up to and I'm so blessed to have in my life.  You raised two amazing kids and it's been incredible to watch them grow into young people.  I'm really lucky to have had the women in my family spread out in age in a unique way that my grandma was 50 when I was born and therefore was sort of in between a mom and a grandma since she was still young and played such a strong role in my life and my Aunt was 19/20 so was like an aunt but also like a big sister.  I had the best of all worlds with these relationships and they filled so many of the needs of my young heart. 

And to my own mother - I don't think I ever truly understood the love you poured into everything you have done for me until I had my own kids.  It really hit home when you said "See how much you love your kids that's how much we love you".  I know you've always been a big believer that our successes are our own but I think that you could take some credit that Brandon and I are functional members of society and have lives that we love - like an agent's cut or a producer credit or something - because you laid the foundation.  As someone who spends a lot of time with young kids who have hard childhoods - thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonder and magic and incredible memories that I have of being a kid.  Thank you for not comparing me and my brother and for letting us find our own ways in the world.  Also, thank you for the special place that you hold in the lives of my children.  I see the love in their eyes when they talk to you or about you and I think of the love I have for my own grandmother and it warms that hurting space in my heart.

These are the women in my life who inspire me as a mother.

Mother's Day though is not a celebration for everyone.  Some people find Mother's Day a painful reminder of loss.  To the people who have lost their mothers including my own parents.  I am with you  thinking of the women who parented generations before us.  The legacy they left both good and bad and the people left here that still feel the effects.  To the mothers who have lost their children: one of the many remarkable things about Africa is that women who have given birth regardless of the outcome are still called mothers, even if their babies are stillborn, or die in infancy or the mothers are babies themselves.  It is an amazing thing to behold a grown man show respect to a 15-year old girl and call her "mama" even though her baby died before it came into the world.  You are still a mother to me and I hold you in reverence for the unimaginable loss you have suffered.  Please know that I will think of you on Sunday.

To the women who have not become mothers whether by choice or by circumstance.  I will speak personally to say that you are some of the most important people in my life and in my role as a mom.  You are the women that remind me to open my eyes and see the big picture.  You are the women that remind me about the amazing gifts of my children through fresh eyes that don't have to love them.  You are the women that remind me that mother is not my only role: that I am a daughter, wife, sister and a friend.  For some of you Mother's Day might be hard for a variety of reasons and I want you to know that all my days as a mother would be harder if you weren't in my life.  Thank you for all of your love and support and friendship.

So thank you to the wide variety of women that inspire me, that strengthen me, that pick me up and hug me and wipe away my tears.  Thank you for your examples of love in my life.  Happy Mother's Day. 

My Early Mother's Day Present

It's been a rainy day so we couldn't really take the kids outside to play.  So we played inside for most of the day: making playdough and horsing around in our typical fashion.  Tonight Keith went to Magic so I thought I'd put on Mary Poppins and watch that with the kids.  I've been meaning to watch it since we watched Saving Mr. Banks.

Tonight was one of those nights where some cosmic miracle happens and the kids were both amazing.  I'm not sure if it's because we cocooned ourselves in our house all day and we were cosy in the darkness of our living room but they both crawled up on my lap and quietly watched the movie.  Occassionally Emily would hop down and get some of the chicken nuggets we made - one for each of us - and we'd continue watching huddled under our little cosy blanket.

When we got to the "It's a Jolly Holiday with Mary" song Cian decided that his mom and dad were just like Bert and Mary Poppins which watching them on-screen was a beautiful compliment. It's amazing how a film from 1964 can spellbind children who are used to the computer animation of the next century.  They loved all the songs and I had forgotten so much of the film it was a new experience for me too - with a poignant message as my two little precious children sat in my lap.

They crawled into bed after the movie and asked me to sing to them and I felt a little like Mary Poppins myself as they drifted off to sleep.  Magical.

Movies and Snacks (the Friends edition)

Every Friday night since I started studying for my exam the kids and I have had Movie and Snacks where we make different snack foods, sit on the floor and watch a movie.  This was the night I had off from studying and Keith had off from the kids.

We have continued with Movies and Snacks here in Melbourne.  The kids love it even more now because we have the projector screen so the movie experiences are even more epic.

Cian and I had the idea to invite Reuben and Beth (Amy's kids) to Movies and Snacks.  We thought Reuben would like to watch "How to Train Your Dragon" since it's one of Cian's favourites.  It worked out especially well since Sunday is Reuben's birthday and he is going on a little trip with his family so this way Cian could give him a birthday present.  Amy didn't tell Reuben that he was coming over to our house until just before they left because she knew he would lose his mind and he did - it's super cute how much they like each other.

They came over at 530pm and we had tea (supper).  I had asked Keith to buy some dips and there was a sale on dips so it was a dip feast!  He also made quesedillas which Reuben said was "nearly his favourite food" and since he had never had it before I take that as a glowing endorsement.  It was also hilarious to hear an Aussie try to say "quesedilla".

The kids then settled into the theatre seating Keith had arranged for them and the adults got to eat the leftovers and have a chat.  I talked about my yoga class and how there are unbelievably flexible people that can go into a bridge (where your abdomen is the top of the bridge) and can stand up from that position.  I am in awe of these people and wished I was as flexible as Beth (the 2 year old) because she can bend herself in half.  We had a great time chatting while the kids watched the movie and wandered around and occassionally came to the table for more crackers/biscuits.  Our kids usually watch How to Train Your Dragon in the car on the iPad when we take long drives so Keith and I have heard it a bunch of times but haven't watched it recently and I forgot it is a bit scary.  I was then worried that we traumatized poor Reuben who has only seen the Jungle Book and some french cartoon about ants.  He only came over to Amy for a brief second cause he was scared but he informed me dragons weren't real so it was ok.  Cian was on the couch with a blanket since he was exhausted from Kindy and at another point Reuben asked Cian if he could come in the blanket with him and they watched the movie together under the blanket.  Sooooo cute.  Emily said almost nothing the entire time Beth and Reuben were over except to sing for Amy when I asked her if she wanted to (she does like to sing) - she just likes to observe what's going on around her so when people meet her they are lulled into a false sense of a quiet and demure child.

The kids made it through the whole movie and did really well.  No meltdowns or disasters - I consider that a win.  Reuben, Beth and Amy said good night and walked home to their house just down the path.  Our kids barely made it upstairs before falling exhaustedly into their own beds.  Full of food and fun times.

About half an hour later I got a text from Amy that read.

Thank you both for a very lovely evening.  
I am a little drunk.
And I can't stand up from a bridge.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  One of the best gifts of this year is how awesome my relationship is with my fellow fellow.  It's almost freaky that we have the same initials, are both left-handed, have a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl.  I'll miss her heaps when she goes back to Brisbane at the end of June.  What a fantastic edition of Movies and Snacks - perhaps the best yet.

Keith turns 35

The last few days we have been celebrating the oldest person in our family.  The ancient and well-preserved Keith Morris.

Last weekend I wasn't on call so we decided to go out for his birthday and do whatever Keith wanted to do - which was dinner and a movie.  Since he is culinarily adventurous we reserved a table at the Abyssian for dinner  (a well-loved Ethiopian restaurant near our house) and then I had gotten tickets to see Captain America at the mall.  He's a man of simple pleasures and that's all right with me.  It even worked out that our beloved Ciara could babysit.

Saturday night arrived and it was pouring rain so Ciara was a little late due to traffic but her mom then drove us to the restaurant so it all worked out (I think it might have taken longer to go via car but it was a very lovely gesture and we took her up on it).  The Abyssian was a cute hole-in-the-wall place that indeed has wonderful food.  The host was this Ethiopian guy who had lived in Sweden so we had endeared ourselves to him by the fact that we are quite comfortable in Melbourne's "winter".  He was also amused that we could not finish the behemoth of the Chef's platter for 2 (I wish we had known it would be so enormous and we would have gotten the Chef's platter for 1!  The food was delicious though and topped off with Ethiopian beers it was perfect.

We ventured out into the mist again and hopped on a tram to the movie theatre.  We never dated as teenagers but I imagine this is what it would have been like: a mom driving us to dinner, hopping on public transit to the movie and then entering the movie theatre really solidified the teenage date theme night.  Movies in Melbourne are expensive (approx $20) but I had a coupon for $12 tickets.  I thought that the movie theatre arrangement would be similar to the Silver City experiences of which I have now become accustomed but actually it seems that Melbourne is about 20 years behind in movie technology as it felt like seeing a movie at Cinema City 12 (i.e. the cheap theatres for those not from Edmonton).  The theatre, the seats and the screen were tiny by my supersized standards and it was a big shocking.  Not as shocking as the parents who had their 3 year old at an 830pm screening of Captain America but still shocking.  It was a really good movie and Keith was happy to see it in theatres so that's all that matters.

On the way home we just made the tram but hadn't realized we got on the wrong tram out of Highpoint so when the conductor called "last stop" we were in the middle of Moonee Ponds and he had to take us back to a different corner to catch the 57.  This corner however was some dodgey place that emanated alcohol from the pavement as people poured out of pub doors in varying states of inebriation. We eventually caught the 57 tram and made it home to relieve Ciara - who was dutifully studying her physics textbook (we love her - she is awesome).

On Sunday it was still rainy in Melbourne so Cian and I decided to have a surprise Star Wars party in the evening for Keith.  We tied the spaceships they had made with Keith out of the Coke box and hung them from the lights by this moss green rope we found in the garage so it truly looked like they had landed in the Degoba system.  We made light sabers out of green grape kebabs and made chocolate chip Wookie cookies.  All with a sign that said "Happy Birthday Jedi Daddy". It was great fun.  We were going to watch Episode 5 but it wouldn't load on the computer and by that time the kids were exhausted so we all celebrated May the 4th in our hearts.

I had been telling Cian that we could make a cake for Keith on Tuesday so it would be ready for him on Wednesday so Tuesday morning at 6am Cian came to the head of my bed, woke me up and said it was time to make the cake.  I convinced him to wait til after work which made Keith happy because he used it as a "carrot" all day to make Cian do things ("Cian get out of the pool or you can't help mommy make the cake").  He was a very good helper and even suggested putting chocolate chips in the batter - a very good choice.  We made a circular cake and I iced it in white and blue so it kind of looked like Captain America's shield.  Keith said that he just needed a chocolate cake with chocolate icing but I informed him that it wasn't just about him :P.

Today was Keith's actual birthday. We sang "Happy Birthday" in the morning and excitedly waited for cake after dinner.  Some of us have to work on our patience as Keith found Emily in the fridge about 10 minutes before supper with a blue face and conspicuous evidence of missing icing.  Cian then said "Emily I am very mad at you for messing up the cake!" and she was very upset that everyone was mad at her.  Madness ensued.

I fixed the cake and we found a tea light for a candle.  After Keith blew out his candle I told the kids to say what they loved the best about their dad before they ate their cake.  Cian said "Dad's games" and Emily thought for a minute, put on a mischievous grin and said "...CAKE!!!" and popped the biggest piece in her mouth.  What a turkey.

And now a movie to round out the birthday.  We love having a projector for movies - I think we will really miss that when we don't have it anymore.

Happy happy 35th Birthday Keith!   We all have our reasons for loving you whether it be your fun games or your amazing abilities at a stay-at-home dad or your irresistable birthday cake.  You are the rock of our family and are truly appreciated every day.  We love you so much - we hope these last few days have been a grand celebration into 35 :).

Where I Work

Just in case you haven't had a chance to look up where I'm working this year I thought I would include the link because on the homepage there is a nice video showing the different aspects of RCH.  Really it's an amazing place to work and I feel very fortunate to be able to learn here this year.

(Scroll down and bit and the video is on the left hand side).

Royal Children's Hospital

Aussie Easter Road Trip (aka Sydney or bust)

I had four days off over the Easter holiday so we decided we would rent a car and head out to Sydney as time in Australia is slowly slipping away.

Our kids LOVE road trips especially Cian.  In fact, he thought I had picked up the car on Wednesday night so when I returned from work he barely said hi to me before diving to the window to see the car.  He was highly disappointed when he realized the car was not there.  I had to promise I would bring it when we picked him up from school the next day. 

On Thursday I bravely picked up the car from downtown Melbourne.  This truly is a feat of bravery if anyone has been to downtown Melbourne as there are specific and complicated downtown driving rules in Melbourne CBD and they are terrifying.  However, I did manage to navigate my accidental detour through Queen Victoria market and back home.  We packed up the car and picked up Cian and were off to Canberra (pronounced Canbra) to spend Thursday night with our good friends Brent and Cassie in the nation’s capital.  Before we left my research assistant Marta said “Are you worried that Emily will vomit in the car again?” and I confidentally scoffed that of course she wouldn’t do that, that was a one-time thing and what happens in New Zealand stays in New Zealand.

We were barely an hour out of the city when Cian started yelling “EMILY IS CHOKING!!!” and I turned around to see pink vomit pouring out of Emily – a combination of the crackers and red juice her father had fed her before getting in the car.  We pulled over to the side of the road and this time at least we had extra clothes.  So thankful that Emily decided to christen our rental car with the smell of vomit for our 10 hour journey to Sydney.  Thanks kiddo.

The rest of the drive was mostly uneventful and we arrived at the Winter’s house in the mid-evening, carrying our sleeping kiddos through the dark night into the warmth of the awaiting bed.  I had brought three different Australian wines to share and the four of us stayed up until 2am chatting away, not missing a beat from when we saw each other at Christmas.  What a true gift – instant friendship.

We knew we would pay for the late night but didn’t think that the kids would wake up at 5am.  I woke up to the sounds of the children yelling “Mommy” and wandering around in the hallway together in the darkness having no idea where they were.  I went back into the bed with Emily and took Cian out to the couch where Keith was.  Emily was falling asleep quite quickly but I could hear Cian bashing around in the kitchen and was lying there silently shooting daggers at Keith in the other room for not keeping Cian quiet.  Finally when I realized that Cian was eating chocolate in the kitchen I came out and snapped at Keith and sat Cian on top of him, only then realizing that my sound sleeper of a husband had been asleep until that moment.  We paid dearly for that late night but it was worth it.

When the kids woke up again around 8am Brent made coffee (bless him for that) and a lovely breakfast and after that we checked out a bit of Canberra including the riverfront and Questacon – the Australian science museum.  A noisy kids hands-on science museum after a night of drinking and a restless night was too much for me and eventually I took Emily to have a nap out in the car.  Cian however was in heaven – he had heaps of fun trying all the stuff – great idea Winters!

In the afternoon we headed up to Sydney and with daylight savings here in Australia the sun is setting quite early (aroud 5pm) so we arrived in the dark again.  The Holiday Inn was nice but the kids were INSANE from their previous night and it was rough getting settled into the hotel and I was wired from driving in Sydney in the dark.  Keith told me to put my feet up on the bed and relax and the minute I did that I started to feel better…until I felt a tickle on my arm.  I thought it was the pillow but it happened again and I looked down to find a big black cockroach.  Both Keith and I jumped away from the bed and screamed.  He called reception and they were great – moved us to a new room, got us set up and gave us free breakfast.  We had a good night sleep and we were all in better spirits the next day.

In the morning we headed down to our complimentary breakfast buffet and the waitress brought me a latte and asked Cian if he wanted a hot chocolate.  You have not seen a more excited kid about his special drink.  He was not moving from his spot because his special hot chocolate with milk was coming.  We planned out our day and decided to head to Taronga zoo that day since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were due the next day and the place would indeed be a zoo.  As we were leaving the hotel Emily said “Mommy are we going in the car…on an adventure?”  It’s clear who’s kid that one is.

On our way to our apartment in Chippendale we stopped at Bondi Beach.  It’s not surprising this is one of the nicest beaches in the world.  It was beautiful.  Cian and I spent some time with our pants rolled up to our knee trying to outrun the surf – it was great fun.  Emily decided it was too cold for her and she preferred to play in the sand up by her dad.

We then tried to find our apartment and I drove through downtown Sydney which is comprised of 100% one-way streets.  There was one entrance into our neighbourhood and it took us 3 tries to find it.  Needless to say that once we parked there we didn’t move our car until we left Sydney. 

Once we dropped off our stuff we headed to Darling Harbour.  We thought a Hop-on Hop-off Harbour cruise would be perfect for the attention span of our kids and we were right.  They loved going on the boat, especially Cian.  In a head-to-head comparison of boats and planes – boats are the recent winner in his mind.  A harbour cruise is a great way to see the highlights of Sydney.  The weather was beautiful – warm enough to sit in the open air part of the boat.  We saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge (where Cian though the people climbing it looked like ants) to the famous Opera House (Emily: “I like that opera house!”  “I like it.” – glad you like one of the most famous buildings in the world Em).  When we stopped at Taronga Zoo we didn’t have a lot of time but had a chance to see the seals and elephants.  Taronga Zoo is built on a hill so there are lots of ramps, stairs and lifts.  The best part though is the Sky Safari that goes from the ferry dock to the top of the zoo.  We did that with the kids as the zoo was closing and the sun was setting and it was pretty spectacular.  By this time though Emily looked really rough.  Her fair complexion shows every remnant of illness and by this point she looked like a zombie.  Again I was thankful we hadn’t attended the zoo on the day the royals were going since I suspect the Duchess would have felt obligated to stop and talk to our terminally-ill appearing child. 

We headed back on our boat to the Circular Quay and the Opera House.  The Opera House is as stunning as it looks in pictures.  It was nice just to take an evening stroll around it.  We were hoping to stay up until 830pm to see the Saturday night fireworks but we couldn’t justify that with the zombie in the stroller so we headed back to the apartment.

The next morning the Easter bunny came and Cian found all the eggs before Emily even really knew what was going on.  He was very good though and shared the eggs (pink and yellow for her and orange and blue for him).  We headed back out to spend the morning on the boat since we had 24 hour tickets and the kids were keen to hang out on the harbour again.  The walk to the harbour was really nice – Sydney is a very walkable city.  We walked by a very busy-appearing Anglican church and realized that the royals were attending Easter service there – that was as close as we got to the royal family.  We took the boat out to Watsons Bay and spent some time in the beautiful park full of large fig trees and looking out on the ocean on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  We got takeaway fish and chips from Doyle’s which is famous for a reason and that reason is deliciousness – it was fantastic.  After we got back to Circular Quay we found the Sydney tower and enjoyed the view after the 4D movie.  It was a full day and the kids were certainly ready for bed that evening. 

After the kids were settled my friend Ian Choy from medical school picked me up to go out for dinner.  Ian is doing his fellowship in Sydney and I haven’t seen him since medical school and was excited to see him and meet his new wife Jen.  I always love it when you haven’t seen someone for a while and it’s instantly easy – with that first big hug it was like there had been no time between us.  We had a great time at a dumpling restaurant catching up and learning about each other’s lives.  A great way to top off our trip.

The next morning we got out of Sydney early because my boss had told me that it was a beautiful drive to head back to Melbourne through the coastal highway.  My rudimentary math skills should have kicked in to say hmmm it took 10 hours to get here in a straight line perhaps it will take significantly longer via the coast…but it didn’t.  The first few hours of the drive were stunning.  If you have time it really is a spectacular drive through coastal New South Wales.  You travel over hills into these beautiful green valleys, peaceful bays and expansive ocean views.  We traveled through several forests of gum trees and it was unbelievably beautiful.  Around 2pm I asked how long we had left and that’s where we realized that “slightly longer” to my boss meant 4 hours longer.  The beauty of the drive slowly evaporated with the sunset as driving through the Snowy Mountains in the dark was not that enjoyable.   Especially because the frequent towns we encountered at the start of our drive started to become more and more sparse in frequency and habitation.  I suspect this is a hardship that never befell the Duchess of Cambridge.  We passed several towns without a gas station until in Lakes Entrance we were desperate and asked a hole-in-the-wall pizza place if there was a gas station in town to which they replied “At this hour?” – it was 826pm.  Thankfully there was a station open in town so we could make it to Melbourne.  Just another affirmation of my motto: How can someone have an adventure if everything is planned out?  As we finally made it home I silently thanked my children for being so exceptionally good because we got in the car in Sydney at 8am and Keith and I carried them out at 1230am.   Despite the unforeseen length of this drive I still love roadtrips with our little family of four.  The sense of adventure, the appreciation of the beauty of the scenery and the warm cocoon of time spent as our little family.