Perth Temple

After church on Sunday Maria took us to see the Perth Temple. It was a very hot day and the temple gates were locked so we didn't stay too long. It was beautiful to be there with family and see another one of the temples. 

We really had such an incredible time in Perth with the Wiltshire's. We crammed as much as we could into a few days. 

One evening Aaron and Matt took the kids down to the beach while I relaxed with Maria and Rebecca at their home. We had a couple of days that were full on in the sun and I think it took a lot out of us all, particularly Rebecca. 

The kids had such a great time at the beach and came home to a nice dinner.

Pavlova with Mango, Kiwi, Raspberries and Passionfruit = DELICIOUS!

Mandurah - Perth

Another early morning start to Mandurah where we had booked a 12 seater pontoon for a half day. 

Our intent was to do some successful crabbing in the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary.

We started off driving through a canal with multi million dollar homes to our left and right. These houses were gorgeous and enormous. Honestly all a little too surreal.

From there we set out towards to ocean to find a good spot to do some crabbing. The weather was not in our favor. Our pontoon moved at crab like speeds and the wind was so strong it felt like we were not getting anywhere.

After a unsucessful attempt out towards the open we turned around to find a more sheltered area. We found a random boat dock and somehow miraculously managed to dock the boat in the intense winds.

Despite the wind it was a beautiful day. We had this area all to ourselves and soaked in the beauty around us. Lunch was served, crab nets set and Matt was already fishing. 

Puffer fish rule the waters there as that's all we seemed to catch, they are annoying little fish. 

With all our attempts Alfie was the only successor in catching a crab. It was such an exciting moment but unfortunately the crab was too small to keep. At least we caught one and gained the experience.

On departing we let the kids take turns driving the pontoon. 

We anchored the boat in one more spot, did some more fishing and then headed back into the harbor. 

After a long couple of days on the beach and water we were exhausted and enjoyed relaxing and chatting back at Matt and Maria's home. 

Rottnest Island - Perth

A very early morning start and it was cold. We caught the early fast ferry to Rottnest Island. It was windy and wavy on the 45 minute ride. I was honestly surprised that we didn't end up drenched in beer. Early hours of the morning and people were already beginning their parties.

This island is nothing like we have ever experienced before. No cars are allowed on the island and you get around by either bicycle or bus. The bus ride was the most expensive bus ride ever!

The cold from the morning breeze was gone, the sun was out full and it was time to swim.  With the winds we wanted a protected area that would be safe for the kids but also where we could do some snorkeling. Salmon Bay was the perfect spot. 

Fun, Sun, Food, Family, Soccer, Swimming, Snorkeling, Serenity, Peace! It was PERFECT!

Back on the bus to find our next destination. We found ourselves at this isolated beach called Ricey Beach. No one was around, it felt like we were on a deserted island with no way off. The evening sun was burning as the parents relaxed on the beach and the kids played.

The animal seen above is called a Quokka. They are about the size of a domestic cat and only found on two small Islands off of Perth. They also have no fear of humans as we experienced on our walk down to Ricey Beach.

The sand on Ricey beach was so lush that Josh lost his flip flop (they call them thongs in Australia). He went around barefoot the rest of the day.

We eventually made it around the entire Island and back to the main port where we relaxed in the much needed shade. We ordered some fish and chips while the kids played on the park and the men battled it out over a game of ping pong.

Our day was wonderful and will never be forgotten. The ride back to the mainland was much more calm and relaxing. A perfect ending to a perfect day!

Perth was Amazing

Our journey started very early Wednesday morning 19th of March. By 5:30am we were loaded into the car and on our way. 35 minutes into our hour drive to the airport I began to have an anxiety attack, it wasn't good. I was terrified to fly again; it had been nearly 5 months since our major move over and I purposely have not thought back on that 30 hour journey. All at once it came flowing back, I was terrified and feeling so sick.

The domestic terminal was so quiet and everything moved so swiftly. In one hour we checked in, cleared security ate breakfast and boarded our flight. I had relaxed a bit by then.

The 4 hour flight went by pretty quickly. Aaron had Joseph confined to the window seat and I in the middle section with Josh, Rachael and Rebecca.

Matt and Maria welcomed us with open arms and the kids were so excited they were running around the quiet luggage claim area with Matt. 

A quick stop at their lovely home to unload and grab some lunch and then we went to Neil Hawkins Park to feed the birds. The idea was to feed the exotic cockatiel and parrots but the pidgins took control. It was a lot of fun. Rachael is incredibly brave and so willing to try anything. Even Aaron got into it and he can't stand pidgeons. I can't say I fed any, it was too much for me.

For dinner that evening we were treated to dinner at the Wiltshire's favorite fish and chip shop on the shore near their home. It was a beautiful evening as we caught up, ate and watched the beautiful sun set.

The kids were up around 6am every morning. They would head straight outside and play. I loved it and would just lie in bed listening to them play just outside our window.  It reminded me of our old home and how the kids loved playing in the backyard. Perth was a beautiful place and Matt and Maria's neighborhood reminded me of America. 

Thursday we spent the day at Yanchep National Park first spotting the kangas and koalas. 

 The older boys had some fun at the water fountain...

A nice quaint walk through a lovely park and we found a nice place to have our sausage sizzle. Minutes into grilling our gourmet sausages kookaburras began to surround us. They were literally in the branches above our heads. These birds were intense as they watched our every move. I was worried at times that they would swoop at the kids, these birds are a good size. 
Just as we turned our back on the grill they swooped down stealing a sausage. Sneaky birds. It was fascinating seeing them so close.

The remainder of our evening was wonderful. After a delightful meal we enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. While the boys played soccer the girls chatted near the hammock and we indulged into some delicious brownies before saying goodnight. 

My Heart Breaks

14 March 2014

I knew that the easiness of the last two days wouldn't last forever I just didn't expect what happened today.  Instead of open arms running towards me with smiling faces I saw a boy with a heavy heart, slumped head and shoulders with tears rolling down his face.

My heart breaks at times for Josh and all he experiences. When we got home Josh continued to cry for another 30 minutes, he struggled to express his feelings. He went to his iPod and typed a short paragraph of the way he was feeling and gave it to me to read. This is exactly what I saw:

After a long evening of homework and then dinner we had some one on one time and he opened up with me like he never has before.  He told me all about what happens at school and inside my heart was breaking but outside I had to put on a brave face. Kids pushing him down, taking his hat and throwing it in the opposite direction over and over. Name calling, teasing, swearing (he told me about some of the things the kids say and things they talk about, I can't believe it's already happening this young).

I realized that along with the feeling of 'not fitting in' he is dealing with new worldly issues that he otherwise never had to back home.  Things that Josh knows and feels are not right and he is learning how to deal with it. Boys talking about video games, movies that have naked women, taking the Lords name in vain and much much more. These boys are seeing Josh a different way and teasing him for it. He is intelligent, a deep thinker, not afraid to ask questions and much more emotionally in tune with his feelings. He communicates at a much more mature level and sometimes it irritates the other boys, we've seen this happen a couple times.

Today it all started with a girl (same girl that has been teasing him since school started) she pushed him down to the ground twice. Then a boy he thought was his friend is swearing at him, telling him he never wants to play with him again and he gets annoyed by him. Another boy begins teasing Josh saying he is in love with a certain girl and begins a chant in the classroom that the teachers don't do anything about. He then begins crying at his desk and they only feed into that even more.

My poor boy, how do I help him? We talked about his feelings for an hour and he kept opening up about more things. He said how he feels the teachers don't care as they don't ever do anything to intervene. We started writing a letter to his teacher together but he expressed his concern that he wasn't sure anything would change.

Our conversation turned in another direction and we began speaking about the gospel. About satan and his plan to bring Josh down. This is exactly what he wants when he is focusing on the negative. Josh asked "why is Satan attacking me and not Rachael? She is doing so well in school and has so many friends" I waited a minute before responding and he said "it's because I have been baptized isn't it." Our conversation continued on for another hour, it was such a deep and heart felt hour. We were able to connect and open up in ways we never had before. Josh shared feelings that he otherwise has been afraid to and we were finally understanding each other. It was beautiful.

At the end of the night he said over and over the words "I love you so much mom and have enjoyed talking to you tonight so much, let's do it again sometime." These words have stuck with me for the past few weeks. As we have continued on we have seen some incredible improvements in our home and with Josh. There are still some hard days but he is 'bouncing back' (as he would call it).  He is taking a religion class at school and they have been talking a alot about resilience. Every day that has been tough Josh says "I am going to be resilient and bounce back from the toughness and hardness of today". It makes me happy and I rejoice that he is seeing the bigger picture and is becoming stronger.

Tender Mercies

Yesterday morning was going well, until the drive to school... Rachael asked Josh to help her with her site words. She was struggling a little and within 2 minutes Josh was getting angry and frustrated. Just like a flick of a switch the mood changed. I was pleading for strength to help me stay calm, focused and to speak to the children in the correct manner. Before we arrived at school I was told to shut up and was already the meanest person in the world. The bell rang as I was walking them up the the school, Josh said to me "sometimes I really wish I had a different mom". I turned to him, said "I love you and hope you can have a good day". That was it, he was off and I was feeling hurt.

I took my time driving home, I was very hurt and upset. Once home I found Josh's school diary on the table. I contemplated; do I take it to him or let him learn the hard way. I wanted to show love and compassion but also want him to learn more independance. I decided not to take it to him and instead cleaned the house to keep my mind off it. Thankfully I had a pre arranged lunch with some friends that helped to cheer me up.

On my way to pick Josh and Rach up from school I was preparing for the worst. I am sure that his feelings were only festering and becoming more hostile towards me when he realized his diary was not in his bag. Because we all know, it's my fault right?!

I waited on the sidewalk beside the car watching for them to come out of the school and ready for the attack. To my surprise I saw a happy, energetic boy running at me with his arms wide open. Josh wrapped his arms tightly around me and offered the most sincere apology about that morning. I was in shock, did this just really happen? He was so upbeat and in such a great mood. The entire evening was a joy for everyone. Josh was so willing to help and be helped without complaint. He unloaded the car and carried Rachael's backpack for her, he helped clean up, spoke with kind tones and tried to calm Rebecca when she was crying.  Numerous time throughout the evening he was giving me big hugs and kisses expressing his love for me.
This was a tender mercy moment that the Lord knew I needed. 

Today I had another tender mercy. As I picked the kids up from school I was greeted with two lovely smiles, hellos and I love you mom. Josh first exclaimed "Mom, I am really starting to like school, I am learning so much". He also said "I chose to pass my free computer time at recess and instead go play with Rachael on the playground, I had so much fun".  I am not only happy that he is enjoying school now but he is making new friends, greeting and saying hello to those friends in my presence and then also taking good care of and looking out for his litter sister.  I love that he chose to play with her for the hour lunch break instead of playing the computer. Such joy fills my heart.

My evening finished up at the Melbourne Temple. It has been a wonderful couple of days and my heart is full!

Queenscliff

8 Feb 2014

We knew it was going to be a hot day so we planned to get out of our sauna like house. Aaron had a few emergency work things come up so we headed out at lunch time.

With packed lunch in car we started driving towards Mornington Peninsula. We decided to go to Soronto and catch the Ferry across Port Philip Bay. It turned out to be the best spontaneous day!

The kids were wide eyed as we drove our car onto the ferry, it was a new, exciting and a bit nerving for them at first. Then they were giddy with excitement and couldn't believe it was possible.

Queenscliff was an amazing experience. Aaron surprised us with a quant boat ride out into the bay with South Bay Eco Adventures. A nice younger couple own the company (they have two young children) and they made the trip so wonderful and kid friendly. 

As soon as the boat sped into the bay the kids squealed with excitement. 

I too was found closing my eyes and letting the warm sea air breeze through my hair. I had missed being out on a boat. 

Josh asked numerous times if we could get a boat of our own, I think he was feeling the same way I was.

Our first stop was to see the Australasian Gannets nesting ground.

These birds are plunge divers and spectacular fishers, plunging into the ocean at high speed. Just weeks before we were watching a documentary about this amazing seabirds on the discovery channel. Their wing span is nearly 6 feet long and their diving capabilities are amazing.

They are incredibly smelly but very fascinating.

Watch this video to see them in action. Absolutely incredible!

From there we travelled to the Chinaman's Hat where we watched the Australian Fur Seals.

We watched in awe at the massive cargo ships that would go by. Its unreal how they can push water. There was a crazy jet skier riding the waves of this cargo ship. I wonder if that's legal?

Dolphins were not guaranteed on this trip but as we were ready to head back they appeared. Beautiful and majestic was a small pod with a baby. We followed them around a bit and one got a little playful and came up along the side of the boat right in front of Rachael. My favorite part of the day for sure, I LOVE DOLPHINS!

Back on land and we were hungry. Calamari rings and chips "fries" for lunch. Then indulged ourselves in some yummy ice cream and smoothies. 

It was getting later but we wanted to stop off at one more place before heading home, Torquay beach. We were hoping for some big waves but the kids were happy with the small ones we had. As they discovered how their boogie boards worked I sat at the side with Seppe. He was not a fan of the crashing waves.  Rachael was the first to grasp riding the waves, she was brilliant. Soon Josh followed and they enjoyed their time. 

Before our journey back home we stopped to grab a few snacks and enjoyed the beautiful sunset along the country road home.

It was a really hot day, still 106 degrees after 6pm. Rachael's hair became very curly after being at the beach, I told her she had true beach babe curls. She just giggled.
When we returned home our house was a proper sauna. As usual we pulled the kids mattresses into our room, put on our split system unit and they were  fast asleep within minutes.

 These are the BEST kind of days!