Werribee Safari Zoo

11 January 2014

Over a year ago we took a drive to the other side of Port Phillip Bay to visit a Safari Zoo.
What a spectacular experience.

Looking back at these pictures I can't believe much our children have changed in that year. Rebecca was so tiny.

We boarded a window less safari truck and headed out into the wild fields where we came up close and personal to zebra, giraffe and huge rhinos.  We rode along rough dirt roads winding over hills and through different types of antelope.

This rhino was literally feet from us as we stopped to watch them from our safari bus.

The Werribee Safari was a lot of fun. Something different and unique compared to a traditional zoo.

What a fun outing for a hot Aussie day.

February 2014 Recap

*In an effort to remember our first year in Australia I will recap each month. January has already been done so I will begin with February 2014*

February was a great month filled with a lot of new adventures.

We visited the Melbourne Aquarium in the city.

It was fun to see advertisements downtown for the Super Bowl and still amazes me how expensive parking is.

The picture where the kids are standing on glass above a massive Croc still creeps me out.

The aquarium sits right next to the Yarra River with a lovely view.

Beaches were a frequent occurrence in February as it's one of the hotter months. This beach was Mordialloc Beach right near where Aaron catches the train into the city every day. There is nice shaded park near the beach, a beautiful pier and shops within walking distance.

Rachael had just started school for the first time the beginning of February. She was struggling and cried a bit at first. One day in particular I went to the market after school drop off and Joseph wanted to buy some flowers for Rachael to make her happy. He specifically picked these ones out. It was the sweetest thing that day as he presented them to her after school. She was happy!

Looking back at these pictures is such a bitter sweet feeling, Rebecca was so small.

I loved seeing Josh interact with her, they have a special connection.

One day just before Valentines Day we picked Aaron up from the train station after work and he presented Rach with some beautiful gerber daisies. I think she was feeling extra loved and knew we all supported her starting school.

The picture just below on the right is Joseph watching the washing machine while sitting on the toilet. We began potty training the beginning of 2014, I am so glad that is over and can't believe it has already been a year. He was sitting on his little toilet waiting for his monkey to finish washing. He sat there through the entire cycle.

School pictures and Joseph trying passionfruit for the first time. He really enjoyed it.
Sandra invited us over for dinner one evening, she really does spoil us. It was fun sitting outside together chatting and eating some of the best food.

We played a lot of games. Rachael is our Uno champion and Josh won his first game of Settlers (with some help;). 

I delighted in simple pleasures such as .60 cent watermelon and lunch at the shopping center while Rebecca and Seppe napped in the stroller. That doesn't happen anymore.

Pearls and Lillies from Aaron. I felt extra loved that day.

These two became very close friends and Josh was excited to have her at the same school as him. He does a good job of taking care of her. 

We were invited to an Aussie Engagement Party and a Kiwi (Kiwis are what we call the New Zealanders) birthday celebration. The Kiwi's cook their food in the ground, it's spectacular. Both were new and fun experiences.

Josh and Rach rode their bikes to school a couple times while I ran pushing Becca and Seppe in the stroller. It is much easier riding to school since Rachael is on two wheels and I have my own bike and trailer.

Super Bowl Sunday  (Monday for us), Aaron took work off and we watched the game at home. For lunch (at half time) we walked down to the end of our street to dine at The Nest Cafe over looking the lake. After lunch we resumed the game and Joseph went missing, we found him asleep under Rachael's bed.

We had a great time taking a day trip down to Queenscliff and celebrating Valentines Day in the city.
I also had a fun little photo shoot with Rebecca at 5 months old.

Aaron is the first to celebrate 2 birthdays in AUS

Aaron's Birthday 2013

Last year on Aaron's birthday we received our official working Visa's to allow us to temporarily live in Australia. That was a HUGE relief because we couldn't enroll the kids into school legally until we had this.  Yippee!!

We received that call on our way back from visiting the Maru Koala Park. There Aaron and Josh encountered a Python and even held the creepy reptile. It was quite entertaining as we watched them from a distance. Joseph was a little uneasy at the sight of the snake and kept a good distance.

Rachael interacted with a baby joey, an albino joey. 

Rebecca and I got to feed a Koala, the claws on that animal were huge.

This was the first time we got to interact with the massive Kangaroo. We had seen many wallabies but they are much smaller than these kangaroo. Some of them were taller than me.

Red Kangaroo, Dingos, Alpaca and a Tasmania Devil were amongst some of the other animals we encountered. 

It turned out to be a really nice day outing and we were also able to enjoy a delicious meal and ice cream at the same park before heading home for cake and ice cream.

For our first 'birthday celebrations' in Australia i'd say it went really well.

Aaron's Birthday 2014

It was a busy day and began with opening presents and then off to Josh's Kenpo class. While he was at class we all popped into the food shop and got the few things we needed for our BBQ later.

After Kenpo we rushed out to the beach for a couple hours with our lunch. Becca was loving her new swimsuit from grandma and her purple sunnies. Her hair goes crazy curly when we are on the beach.

Joseph LOVED being buried in the sand. After swimming in the cold water he said the sand warmed him up.

From the beach we rushed home before Josh's Kenpo advancement. This is a big even he had been waiting a couple months for to receive his orange belt.

After the two hour ceremony we met our friends 'Blyths' at Braeside Park for an Aussie BBQ and cake. Besides the horrid flies swarming as we ate our freshly grilled sausages it was fabulous. We ate, chatted and played games. It was great!

My new friend Dharshi made the cake for Aaron, it was perfect.

We finished the night off watching the boys have a 'boules' play off. Aaron carried home the win and a few mosquito bites.

Happy Birthday Aaron! 

Phillip Island

Another day trip with my mom last year was to Phillip Island.

First stop was to a beautiful farm that overlooked the ocean. It was absolutely dreamy there and my mom frequently repeated "when dad and I retire I would love to live somewhere like this" :)

Chocolate Factories are always a highlight. This one was very interactive and very tasteful.

For lunch we had delicious Indian food next door and then we were off again.

Next stop was at the Koala Conservation Centre. There we walked along boardwalks through eucalyptus woodlands and came face to face with the beautiful koalas. 

There is a Koala in the trees just above our heads in the picture below.

The Nobbies was our next stop. There we walked along the boardwalks absorbing the costal views.  It is also a place where the sea birds nest and was manic with all the noisy seagulls. 

About a kilometer off shore is Seal Rock. Home to the largest colony of fur seals in Australia

Our last stop was to the Penguin Parade in time to watch as the little penguins emerged from the ocean and waddled up to their burrows. We were not allowed to take pictures of them but were able to get right up close to them. It really was such a neat experience to watch so many of them come ashore and follow up the hills.