I've Got A Feeling

...that Alanna knew we were going to Australia long before anyone else did. Let me present the evidence.

  At the tender age of two, she was already a fan of the most popular musical act ever to emerge from Oz. No, not AC/DC, Men at Work, or INXS. We're talking the Wiggles. Here she is at her first concert:

Hoping to go backstage? 

Second row seats baby!

That might be a bit of a stretch, but clearly, her love for all things Australian had begun. When she was three, she could often be spotted wearing this shirt:

Recognize that flag?

 And finally, where do you think she sent her Flat Stanley in second grade? 

Flat Stanley after his advance scouting trip to Oz 

"This is where I want to go someday."

   Who would have guessed that a few years later the A-team would be living in Australia?
   We're wrapping up our first year here, and getting ready for our trip to the U.S. We're so excited to see our friends and family, and visit our favorite places and restaurants! The girls and I leave on Saturday, and through the miracles of time-travel, arrive before we depart on Saturday morning. Unfortunately Andy drew the short straw at work (probably because he was the only one left) and has to return to Adelaide next week. We're disappointed that he can't travel with us, and that he'll miss the first part of our vacation, but he'll definitely be with us before Christmas. 
   Looking forward to seeing everyone while we're there! 

Every Little Thing

...can really bring a lot of happiness. Such as:

• An invitation to meet up for coffee
• A friend who bought us a tart pan because she knew we didn't have one and we love her fabulous lemon tart
• A family get-together that started off at the ice skating rink, then progressed to the community pool for a swim, then progressed to a BBQ 
• Calls to pick up someone's kids from school when the mom or dad is running late. That's happened three times in the last three weeks (different families each time) and I love that other parents trust me and know they can count on me to help them out.
• A friend who drops off some electrolyte frozen pops when my kids had gastro

   Those are just a few examples, but they really make me feel as though we are settling in here.  Just today Alanna and Aliya mentioned that, for a lot of reasons, they are glad we came to Australia! They both have made some great new friends, Alanna loves Superclubs, Aliya loves basketball, they both like walking and scootering to school each day, and being able to have lots of playdates. They love being able to travel and see things they wouldn't have seen otherwise.

   That doesn't mean they don't miss home. They have been counting down the days and eagerly noted that we'll be back in Cali a month from today! They already have a long list of people to see, places to go, and restaurants to eat in. I know the three weeks will go by very quickly, and we can't wait to see all of you. It's going to be a bit crazy with the holidays and family in town, but it's a safe bet we'll be at the HB Pier on Christmas Eve morning and New Years Day, so plan to join us for potluck brunches and beach volleyball!

   So what have we been up to the last week or so? Alanna created some new fonts based on her friends:

Alanna's friend fonts

Aliya's class is studying insects at the moment, and she was chosen to keep the silkworms over the weekend:

Don't worry Mom, I promise they'll stay in the box!

Pretty much just eat mulberry leaves all day long

   Today was Italian day at school, and the children were encouraged to dress up as something Italy-related or they could simply wear the country colors. Alanna wore green (one friend wore all white and another wore all red so together they would be the flag) and Aliya went as a pizza maker. She wanted to be a pizza but we couldn't pull that off at 8:00 am in the morning.

Italy day

   It was quite a fun day by the sound of it. They played boccie ball on the oval and did assorted arts and crafts. Alanna's class pretended to be Italian designers. Aliya made a pasta necklace. When I asked to see it she said I couldn't because she ate all of it. Yep, uncooked pasta. Yum! They also watched a very funny play. While the play was entertaining (the actors played a variety of different characters), the highlight was the Q&A session afterwards. One child asked, "How do you poo?" and the response was, "I don't know, I've never done it." (Yes, potty humor is hilarious to the under-10 crowd) Another child asked, "How do you make clothes?" and got a long-winded response about feeding a bunch of cheerios to two silkworms to get two threads and I don't remember what happened next but I know at some point Harry Potter gets involved." The perennial question of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" also got a long-winded response that apparently got resolved at Maccas (McDonalds.)

   The next few weeks are going to fly by, as the school year wraps up and we prepare for Christmas. In the hopes of crossing off a few things off my Christmas list, I did venture out to Chaddy's, aka Chadstone, which is perhaps the largest mall in Australia. I still can't get used to the grocery stores being at the mall. Can you imagine Ralphs and Vons inside of South Coast Plaza? I really don't like going to malls, so I wouldn't never go there for my weekly shopping, but it was kinda handy to run in and be able to pick up a few things on my way out. It can also be fun to shop when you never know what you'll discover. I found this at a store called the Reject Shop. It's a kid's candy Christmas stocking that includes a candy bar with an unusual name:

Mighty Perky Nana, anyone?

   Apparently, it's a chocolate-coated banana chewy-type bar. Might be delicious, but Cadbury really should reconsider the name! 

   Did I mention it's just a month until we are back home for a visit?!?!

Monster Mash

   Time for another weekly round up, I think. Last week we received sad news from Andy's dad. Great Grandma Joan, matriarch of the Gray family, passed away at the age of 100. She was survived by five sons, 15 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. She will definitely be missed and remembered. 

Joan Gray on her 97th bday, with some of her great-grandchildren

   Friday was National Bandanna Day. Bandannas are sold throughout the country to support kids with cancer. The girls held a sale at the park earlier in the week to raise money to buy their bandannas. They made bracelets, necklaces, drawings, bath lotions and gels, and (under Andy's supervision while I was safely out of the house to avoid temptation) brownies and chocolate chip cookies. They had a very successful sale, no doubt aided by their smart pricing scheme. One person, looking at the bottle of lotion for $1, commented, "These are American prices!"  

   The girls bought their bandannas at school, and turned in the extra money as well.

Thinking of you, MaryClare and Elias, our brave cancer-fighting friends!

   That afternoon was the Junior School Assembly, for grades Prep-2. Aliya received an award for being "an excellent Reader of the Day".

Jr Assembly awards

   On Sunday, we drove into the city for a Halloween Spooktacular event. 

Lady Guinevere and the Jester

The cold, occasionally drizzly weather seemed to keep the crowds away, and they did get in quite a few rides.

Scrambler-type ride

Alanna can't wait

Aliya's not so sure...

Bumper Cars!

Cliff Hanger

They also had two areas for Trick or Treating! They were small, about five 'houses' in each place, but still fun. We thought it amusing that they workers asked if we knew what to do. Aussies aren't used to Trick or Treating. Besides chocolate, they also got apples (rather yummy ones at that), string cheese, and big snack cups of Chips Ahoy and Oreo cookies! Not too shabby.

With Trick or Treat bags

They also got to hold snakes...ewwww.

Yes, it's a real snake!

Yes, they're braver than me!

   Monday was Halloween, of course. Not a holiday in Australia by any stretch, although Aliya stayed home with a cold. I got a call from another mom asking me if we wanted to join them at the beach. "Aren't your kids at school?" I asked, in a bit of a panic since I'd let Alanna walk to school mostly by herself (watched her cross the one street.) "No, it's an optional day." I was told. Not really of course, but many parents made it into a four day weekend.
    I was also quite surprised to get calls from three separate parents at school asking if we wanted to go Trick or Treating! What??? The girls had piano lessons which we couldn't skip, but afterwards I checked in with our neighbor. She offered to take the girls around, and since I had the beginnings of a nasty cold, I took her up on her offer. The girls quickly got ready. Alanna didn't want to be Pippi again, nor Guinevere, so I told her she needed to come up with her own costume:

In case you're wondering, she's a DJ.

 They ran down the street to the neighbors house. And then I heard it: the doorbell rang! Trick or Treaters! Oh no. I quickly grabbed the candy we'd collected yesterday and gave some to the little boy from across the street. At this point I had no idea how many trick or treaters I might get, so I grabbed a Costco-sized box of Fruit Nuggets from the garage just in case. The next trick or treaters were Alanna, Aliya and the neighbor girls.  I had one more group of four, bringing the grand total to nine, which of course was nine more than I had expected. The girls came back an hour later quite happy and with a decent collection of lollies, some of which were unwrapped. We promptly threw those out.
   The next day, November 1st, was a holiday. Melbourne Cup Day. Gotta love the state of Victoria that gives you the day off to wear fancy clothes (view pics of the day or some pics of the fashions) and watch a three-minute horse race, billed as the "race that stops a nation." I don't know if it does or not, but the girls were happy to get the day off school. (Andy, alas, was in Adelaide, which is in the state of South Australia, so no holiday for him.)  I couldn't help but think back to arriving in Australia last year on Melbourne Cup Day. 
   Because all three of us were a bit under the weather, it was a quiet day at home. Alanna worked on a scrapbook for her best friend who is moving back to Malaysia on Saturday.

Scrapbook for a departing classmate

   We did tune in to watch the race at 3:00. And wow, what a race it was. Good pics and coverage here if you're interested. This pic, from the The Age, shows how exciting it was.

Photo finish for first place, and for third!

   Wednesday was pretty uneventful. Alanna started to feel worse, so we skipped her softball game. Good call, because she was pretty sick. We had a  very long night as she had a very upset tummy. I'll spare you the details, you can thank me later. Both girls threw up Thursday morning, so they both stayed home. No basketball for Aliya that night.
   Friday morning both girls had their piano exams at the Australian Guild of Music
   Friday afternoon was another Junior School Assembly. The Year 1's sang Soap and Water, to the tune of Single Ladies.

   And that's your A-team update for the week.

That's All Right (Mama)

   What a crazy couple of weeks it's been. It started off on a bittersweet note as we said goodbye to Gram. She left with a suitcase full of Aussie gifts and two photo albums packed with pictures from her wonderful visit. It was hard to see her go, and her departure triggered a wave of homesickness in our household, but I think it helped that we'll see her again, along with the other grandparents, in just two months. 
   In addition, Term 4 began at school, along with sports for the kids. We signed up Alanna for another round of softball, despite being really disappointed with the "Batter Up" program from last term. At least this time they'll play actual softball games instead of merely doing some introductory and team-building activities. Her friend from the last season is on her team, and she got a nice coach, so we're cautiously optimistic that she'll get to play some real softball!
   Aliya went to a "Come and Try" session for basketball, and fell in love. Taking a leap of faith, we bought a basketball net and backstop for our driveway, and Aliya is out there almost every day, turning down playdates after school so she can come home and practice. It's a bit daunting because they play with 10 feet-high nets but she loves it. Even dribbles her ball to and from school each day.

   Games started right away, after just one practice. They have some experienced players on their U9 team, so they're 2-0. Would you believe the girl to the left of Aliya in this picture is named Aaliya?

   On Monday, Alanna and the rest of the Year 4's got to go to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and the National Sports Museum. 
About the NSM and MCG
 (By Alanna):
Ian Thorpe's shoe size is Size 19!! (Dad's is only 13!)
The MCG can seat just over 100,000 people!
The MCG field was once used for the Commonwealth Games.
If your parents apply for you to become a member of the MCG when you are born, you actually become a member at the age of like, get ready for this.....16 or 17!!
The MCG used to be called the MCC for the Melbourne Cricket Club instead of Ground.
The American flag was flying at the first Cricket match EVER!
TOO much more to type!!!


   Last week was also Numeracy and Literacy week at school. The highlight was Friday's Book Character Parade.

Dorothy and Pippi Longstocking

a very cute Pippi

Cinderella, Veruca Salt, Hermione, Dorothy

Hermione Granger, Dorothy, Cinderella, Princess Leia, Little Red Riding Hood

Saucepan Man from The Faraway Tree

Alanna says: The gross person is this really stupid boy named Liam.

Three of the four Pippi's in Alanna's class. Alanna was the only one with Mr. Nilsson.

   At school, everyone gathered in the main hall for a parade. It was great fun seeing all the clever costumes. Lots that you would expect, such as Cat in the Hat, Little Red Riding Hood, and assorted princesses. Some Smurfs (was there really a Smurf book?) even a few pairs of Thing 1 and Thing 2. My favorite was a homemade Rainbow Fish costume. The teachers got into the spirit as well. The kids favorite was a male teacher dressed up as Mary Poppins, but there was also a very realistic Mad Hatter. They don't really do Halloween here in Oz, so it was great that they have a chance to dress up.

   After the parade, I headed up to Aliya's classroom, where she was Reader of the Day. Aliya loves to play teacher, so reading to the class was right up her alley. She chose "Stand Back" Said the Elephant "I'm Going to Sneeze!" which was a great choice because it had lots of amusing rhymes, lots of animal characters, and even a bit of suspense. 

Aliya really enjoyed changing her voice for each animal, and put a lot of emotion into her reading. Her teacher even joked that Aliya did so well, reading loudly and clearly and with enthusiasm, that she could take over her job and read to the class every day!  

   This past weekend was another busy one. Both girls had playdates come over on Friday. Aliya had three birthday parties as well as a basketball game. Alanna put on a bake sale and jewelry sale to raise money for breast cancer research. Andy took the girls for a bike ride to Maccas (aka MickeyD's) in the rain on Friday night while Alexi went on a Girls Night Out. It was a trivia night, a fundraiser for EMPOWA while helps orphanages in East Timor and Thailand. I have to say, I thought I was halfway decent at trivia after years of playing Trivial Pursuit with my dad. Alas, our table came in dead last! Too much estrogen perhaps, and not enough sports knowledge. Not to mention I was completely useless at the "Australiana" category. How many of YOU know what animal was on the now-defunct Aussie 2 cent coin? Or what national park Skippy lived in? Go ahead and Google it, I'm done here for now  :-)

Doctor Robert

   On Sunday we divided up a bit. Gram, Andy and the kids went to the Ballarat Wildlife Park

while I met up with Nick, an ex-coworker of my ex-coworker Ben. Confused? No worries. Up until about three years ago, Ben and Nick toiled away in the basement of a hospital, handling the building automation. Ben left that job to come work for Opto 22. When it came time for me to announce that I was leaving Opto after 15 years, my standard joke (to hide the tears) was that Australia called and wanted Ben back. Opto wouldn't let him go, so they sent me. Essentially the move was sort of a prisoner exchange program. 
   Needless to say, Ben's been a great resource, not only about information on Australia but also on the difficulties of moving a family halfway around the world. Now we're nine months into our adventure here, and it's amazing how similar our experiences are/were. But I digress....
    Point is, I wanted to see where Ben worked. He's used his experience to present real-world information, design ideas, and troubleshooting tips in my training classes for a couple of years, so I've heard about his work many times. I couldn't pass up the chance to see it first hand. Luckily, his buddy Nick agreed to come into work on his day off, and show me around. If you're able to access this photo album on Google+, you can view more pictures, as well as comments by both Ben and me. But I'll put a few of the highlights in the blog.

Sitting at Ben's old desk, PAC Display running on the PCs

Nick, panels of Opto to the left

Got to go into an operating theater. OptoTerminal to the left.

Up on the roof

    It was a great tour. Still had more to see, but wanted to let Nick get back to his family, and I wanted to get back to mine. They'd been having a great time while I was gone. They started off right away feeding the many kangaroos that roamed the park.

Gram feeding a roo

Aliya feeding a roo

Alanna and Aliya feeding a roo

Tired of kangaroo pics yet? How about a video of Aliya feeding a nice boy, or girl, roo.

   Then they took a free guided tour with a very nice and informative guide. They saw the Tasmanian devils, pet a koala, and met Patrick the wombat.

Close up of baby koala

Feeding time for Patrick the wombat

Closeup of Patrick the wombat

Once again, because it was the school holidays, there were tours and special shows every hour. The last one we did was the crocodile feeding. 

Another time things didn't go quite as planned, gave him a bit of a surprise:

For US tourists who want to see the classic Aussie animals, this is definitely the place to go. A great ending to a great weekend. I'll just leave you with a few more cute kangaroo pics.

What are you lookin' at?

Can I get in mom, can I? Huh? Can I?

Okay, where was that pouch?

Hey, it's awfully dark in here.

Made it!

Hard day at the park for this guy