Nippers

We are loving the area that we are living in!  We are about a mile from the beach and it is such an awesome location.  Each town along the beach has their own life saving clubs.  These clubs help patrol the beach during the summer months.  They also have a kids program called "Nippers".  It teaches the kids life saving techniques at the beach.  Anything from CPR to how to save someone struggling in the water.  It is a great program.  We are 2 weeks in (it will go all summer) and the kids are really enjoying it!  Here are the kids at their first week. Our babysitter took the kids because Marc and I were up in Sydney for a whirlwind trip (look for that story on another post!).
*all kids have to wear the pink rash guards...Isaac wasn't so excited but he's ok with it now. :)
Below is a video from Isaac's first time on the nipper board.

The water is still pretty chilly (should warm up mid-summer) but the girls don't seem to mind.

  Not only does the life saving club have a kids program but they also have an adult program to earn your certification for patrolling the beach.  Marc took the month long course and now is a certified beach patroller. :)  Here is is with a few other guys from his course.

Here were the kids all lined up to start this last weekend. The boys not in pink were some friends we brought to check it out.  

They have to wear these swim caps in the water when they swim.  Here are the girls with all their PINK (the color of the cap is by age group).  Isabella is playing in the sand and would not look at the camera. :)
Lots of fun times!!

Foundation Graduation!

Where do you think this silly face is headed??

To their Foundation (also called Prep...which is equal to US Kindergarten) GRADUATION!
YEP, THE QUICKEST SCHOOL YEAR EVER! 
(The school year here goes from February- December and so we started mid-year in July)

It was a sweet graduation ceremony with a couple of songs, passing out of the certificates and a video of the students saying what they were grateful for!  The girls scored big when both said they were grateful for their parents. :)

Here is Isabella with her sweet teacher.  The girls have had the perfect teachers for their personalities!

Here is Ava's sweet teacher!

We are so proud of these girls!  We have gotten wonderful feedback for how well they have adjusted and how much they are enjoying school.  We got their report cards and they both passed with flying colors. They are more than ready for 1st grade!

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU AVA AND ISABELLA!
WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Bits and pieces of life lately...

I was looking through some pictures and realized we have lots of bits and pieces going on right now.  Life is full and the kids are very active.  We have found an indoor climbing place and the kids love it.  We have been a handful of times and each time they get high and faster.  Isabella is pretty fearless and she is the one the conquered getting to the top first.  Once Ava and Isaac saw her make it they too made it up...a little competitive? :)

All geared up and ready to climb!

Having fun!

Isaac has been doing Australian scouts and he loves it!  It is every Thursday and he is always so excited to go.  They also have tons of activities...here he his at their cart races a couple of weeks ago!

There is so much fun outdoor stuff here and I will soon have a post up about this fun zoo trip.  Lots of fun pics to share!

We are always finding great places to eat out.  The food is really good here.  Most places have lost of very fresh, local food available.  Look at this cute spaghetti eater! :)

An easy way to get around here is via the train so we always have fun on the train rides!

Marc and I recently ran the Melbourne half-marathon!  It was super fun and I am always proud of Marc.  He doesn't actually love to run but it always up for it because I do it...he is so supportive!

Marc and I run a bit differently.  He likes to meet new people and chat along the course.  I am uber focused and like to push myself.  I am sure most agree he probably has more fun.  :) He found these guys dressed up as footy players along the run and had a fun time chatting with them.

After race photo!  It was a good race. I ran it in 2 hours and Marc about 2 1/2 hours (he was having fun chatting!).
Fun times!
Hey, I am on a roll so far this month....I hope to keep it going!! :)

Tasmania 2016

We went to Tasmania the end of Sept. until Oct. 5th.  It was such a great trip.  The kids were on their break between 3rd and 4th quarter.  The end of the school year is December 20th.  It is the quickest school year ever when you come halfway though. The next school year begins in February!

Anyway, the beach is a happy place for us and we got some fun beach time.  It is spring here so the warm weather has not arrived yet.  We did have a few nice days and it was warm enough to enjoy the beach (although not warm enough to swim!).  Tasmania is a BEAUTIFUL place.  We really weren't sure what to expect.  We had heard good things and it is defiantly on our list to go back to.  

Look at the beautiful sand on this beach!  Every beach we went to was a little different and fun!

Tassie has tons of wild animals and we went to place called the un-zoo and had a ton of fun.  these kangaroos were super friendly and didn't mind us at all.

Of course we have all heard of the tasmanian devil.  Well, here is the little guy...

He is small and mighty and I would not want to be on his mean side.

We had no set plans and kinda followed the good weather around the island.  When we saw this poster we knew we needed to go on this boat ride.  It did not disappoint!

We got to wear bright red suits and enjoy a nice fast speed boat ride.

The kids LOVED it!!!

It was fun to see the landscape from this direction and really get a sppreciation of the steep cliffs...people rock climb on these things!

We went into a couple of caves and Isaac our pirate loving kid was all about this!

Isabella was a fan of the speed!

We got to see lots of cool sealife...dolphins, seals, a Great White Sea Eagle and even a whale!

The highlight for the kids was also having a motorhome and camping out for a week!

We were by no means roughing it with this brand new beauty.  It was a great adventure for all.

There were a ton of things to do on the island and this was us after a hike up to the wine glass bay overlook.

Look at this cute wallaby we saw at the top.

Sweet Isabella and more of a view of wine glass bay.

By far the highlight of the trip was this!!!!  We couldn't take any pictures of the cuddly little things but it was a fun experience!  Isaac learned about these blue penguins last year and you all know he has been so excited to see them....we may have gotten a "best day ever" out of him!

We are trying to get a little better about updating although October wasn't good for us.  We have some other fun things to share from October (it was a BUSY month) so we hope to get a few more posts up!!

Isabella Interview

Last but certainly not least is our Isabella. :)
We have been on 2 week school holiday between 3rd and 4th term and here we are at IKEA for a little painting activity. This girl loves to do art.  Actually, all our kids do....I guess they get that passion from their Momma! 

This girl has spunk!

Here she is at the movie with her blanket and favorite stuffed animals.  Our girls LOVE their cuddle toys!
Here is her interview:

1. Who is your favorite person in the whole wide world?

Daddy :)

2.What is your favorite color?

Pink & Black

3. What is your favorite TV show?

Banana and Pajama's, My Little Pony & Alvin and the Chipmunks 

4. What sport do you like best?

Dodge Ball

5. What song do you love?

"Sugar" by Maroon 5 (our whole family loves this song!)

6. What is your favorite cereal?

Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops

7. Who is your best friend?

Ruby and Liv from her Prep class (Kindergarten is called Prep or Foundation here)

8. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A dentist

9. What is your favorite book?

all "Fancy Nancy" books and Wheedle on the Needle

10. What are you really good at?

Running (she is really fast!)

11. Where do you wish you could go on vacation?

Hawaii (the girls LOVED Hawaii!)

12. What is your best memory?

The last playdate that we had with Eliana (they really miss Eliana!)

13. What would you buy if you have $1000?

Cat & Porcupine Robots (they really do exist and they cost about $70 each but it might as well be a $1000!)

14.What vegetable do you hate the most?

Jalapenos (random??)

15. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

That I had a fairy that could grant 100 wishes (this is in a movie the girls like to watch...although in the movie I think it is 3 wishes)

16. What is your favorite favor ice cream?

Lemon sorbet (this is very true....the girl does not like chocolate!)

17. Who is your favorite hero?

Batgirl and Super Woman 

18. What do you like to do best with your family?

Go to the beach (she has come a long way...she use to not even like the sand!)

Ava Interview

This post is all about Ava!
Thanks Grandma June for this super soft and cozy new jacket. The girls love it! This picture is from Saturday.  We went into the city to go shopping and then a movie.  See the backpack?  The girls both wanted to bring a backpack and we said sure as long as they carried it themselves.

We honestly didn't really look to see what was inside of them and both Marc and I laughed when the movie started and they pulled out there cozy blankets and stuffed animals...they were ready for the movies!  :) Just one of the many things that Ava (& Isabella) does to make us laugh daily!

1. Who is your favorite person in the whole wide world?

Mommy (She also says "Mummy" which how it is said in Australia...they are quickly picking up the Australian words!) *Don't feel bad for Marc...Isabella is up next and he is her favorite person! :)

2.What is your favorite color?

Purple mixed with pink (she says it makes the most beautiful color)

3. What is your favorite TV show?

Curious George

4. What sport do you like best?

Hockey (we have no idea where this comes from...she has never played it but we did go to a game once in North Carolina)

5. What song do you love?

"What does the Fox say" youtube this one...you may laugh

6. What is your favorite cereal?

Lucky Charms

7. Who is your best friend?

Eliana because I love her dogs (it took Ava a long time to love her dogs but now she is a fan)

8. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A mum, a babysitter (once her kids grow up) and of course a Poop Doctor (in honor of Uncle Luke being a Poop Doctor...haha!)  *These were answers straight from Ava!!

9. What is your favorite book?

The book "EJ" ...its about a girl that takes care of animals

10. What are you really good at?

Riding a bike

11. Where do you wish you could go on vacation?

Hawaii (the girls LOVED Hawaii when we were there recently!)

12. What is your best memory?

Being in Hawaii

13. What would you buy if you have $1000?

A LOT of Beanie Boos (they are a small stuffed animal that both girls are obsessed with currently)

14.What vegetable do you hate the most?

broccoli

15. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

That Mum had a 100 kids (really, !!??)

16. What is your favorite favor ice cream?

bubble gum, strawberry, chocolate, lemon

17. Who is your favorite hero?

Daddy 

18. What do you like to do best with your family?

Go on rollercoasters 

....and that's a little about Ava! :)

Isaac Interview

Isaac just turned 8 and I figured I needed to document this age and give y'all a glimpse into Isaac.

I did this interview just this morning.

The girls can't wait to have their interview too...I will do one at a time and it will be fun to compare.

Enjoy...

1. Who is your favorite person in the whole wide world?

Mommy (including God & Jesus too)  (Isn't he the sweetest...I think all boys love their Mommy's)

2.What is your favorite color?

Orange

3. What is your favorite TV show?

Spy Mate

4. What sport do you like best?

Soccer

5. What song do you love?

"Everything is Awesome" (Lego song) "What Does the Fox Say?"

6. What is your favorite cereal?

Fruit Loops (but only if there is toy in the box)

7. Who is your best friend?

Aidan in America

8. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A spy

9. What is your favorite book?

Superhero comics & Captain Awesome (the whole series!)

10. What are you really good at?

I am good at spying

11. Where do you wish you could go on vacation?

The Amazon

12. What is your best memory?

Going to the mining town and seeing Santa in Australia.

13. What would you buy if you have $1000?

TWO I-Pads  (He really wants one and we always tell him he needs to save up about $500...hence, the 2!) *edited - Now he would like ONE I-Pad and a robot.

14.What vegetable do you hate the most?

Potatoes

15. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

To be a spy master *edited- to have ALL the Captain Awesome books!

16. What is your favorite favor ice cream?

Chocolate

17. Who is your favorite hero?

Daddy or if you are talking real super hero I would say Green Lantern

18. What do you like to do best with your family?

Water balloon fights!

...and there you have it....life of an 8 year old boy!  Love him!!

Aussie footy game!

Here we are!  This is our only mode of transportation these days.  Our car is being held prisoner (at least it feels that way!) by customs. :( They spelled Marc with a "k" and for some reason they seem unable to process our paperwork any further. We shipped our car exactly 4 months ago so we are hoping to see it again one day soon!

We are having many adventures on our bikes and scooters and the kids are actually loving getting around this way...its also incredibly healthy so it is a win-win (mostly!).

Our train station is about 5 minutes away by bike so on this day we were heading into Melbourne by train to go to a footy game!

Once we got off the train in Melbourne we headed to our first footy game.  Footy is also called Australian Rules.  It is a variation of rugby and is fun to watch.  Melbourne is the sports capital of Australia so it is incredibly popular here and you quickly learn you need to claim a team.  Isaac is all about the West Coast Eagles (Perth).  Marc is St Kilda (that is the game we went to) and the girls are I are thinking of cheering for the Kangaroo's (they are cute animals, right!?).  We are a house divided. :)

Marc is all about team spirit and quickly purchased a few things for "his" team.  St Kilda for the win!  Don't you love Ava's lost tooth...so cute!

The way to this boys heart is nutella crepes.  Honestly, the girls were kinda done with the game about 10 minutes in so I went exploring with them.  We brought back a crepe for Isaac and he was very excited!!

Our handsome guy sporting our new hat...although, we need to find him a West Coast Eagles hat ASAP!

It was a super fun day and it is fun to have such great new experiences!