Happy Australia Day!

This country know how to celebrate a birthday. We went downtown Melbourne on Jan 26th to celebrate Australia's 222nd birthday with the Snider family. The celebrations were much the same as Canada Day events: parades, air show, festivals, and fireworks. We capped the day off in typical Aussie fashion with a BBQ at our place. On the menu: lamb burgers. When in Rome...

We went back to the Australian Open yesterday. Scott had to work for much of the day, so the Sniders and I loaded the kiddies on the bus and off we went. We expected to just buy a ground pass, and not go into the bigger stadiums. However, when we got there and found out that Federer and the Williams sisters were playing in the Rod Laver Arena, we caved and bought tickets for the day. So, with a 4 year old, 3 year old, and 3 month old in tow, we bravely (or stupidly?) took our seats in the very quiet stadium. You can imagine the fearful expressions of the people sitting around us when we arrived! The kids were great though the Venus Williams match (thanks, in part, to a lot of snacking), so we decided not to push our luck any further and subject them to more 'shushing'. Scott was able to join us later in the afternoon, at which point each couple alternated watching tennis with babysitting the kids in the grounds area. It was impressive to see Federer play, and win, his quarterfinal match. And so my new found tennis obsession continues to grow, and may soon rival Gammie's love of the game.

Break Point

As per my previous blog, I've developed a new appreciation for tennis this week, including brushing up on the lingo of the game. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to report on how sleep training with Georgia is going: The term 'Break' in tennis is when the server loses the game to the receiver. Using this analogy, Georgia is the receiver and Scott and I are the servers. She broke us today. Scott and I are in talks to re-assess our strategy. That's all I have to say about that.

On a brighter note, the Snider family has arrived! So great to see some familiar faces and have a visit with them. They have been in New Zealand for the last 6 months, where Matt was doing the same fellowship that Scott will be doing there. We spent the last couple of days catching up while strolling along the bustling streets of St. Kilda on these beautiful sunny days. Looking forward to the rest of the week exploring the city with them.

In these pics:

G after a tough sleep training session (we looked worse than this)

Adam and Toby presenting G with her New Zealand lamb!

Out and about in St. Kilda

Tennis, Anyone?

Just got home from a day at the Australian Open...fantastic! It is a huge event, so the grounds are truly impressive and it is incredibly well organized. Tennis has never really been my thing, but this was exciting. Among others, we saw Serena and Venus Williams play in singles matches, and had a close up view of 'Rafa' (Nadal) warming up. We searched out a pay phone to call Gammie, Scott's grandmother, who is a huge tennis fan. We knew she would be watching at home and so excited we were there. I think she'll be even more excited to see that we got a pic of Nadal with his shirt off.

If anyone caught the Baghdatis/Ferrer match and heard the loud, screaming protest from the crowd...that was Georgia. Needless to say, we made a hasty exit from the stands with what felt like thousands of pairs of eyes on us. Scott and I were flustered and embarrassed, G didn't seem bothered in the least. With the exception of that one (very loud) outburst, she was a great spectator and seemed impressed with the day. I'm pretty sure this was more to do with the colors, noises, and activity, and less to do with the tennis.

We moved into our new apartment yesterday. It's a bit rustic, but will be fine for the next 5 months. We're going through the usual work of trying to get things organized and make it feel like home, something we should have down pat by now, but it is inevitably a bit of a rat race. We look forward to more settled days ahead. Georgia is also going through some transitioning...we started sleep training this week. She is responding to our strategy, but it isn't easy! Still not sure who gets more upset, me or her...

Oz

We made it! We arrived safely after a relatively pain free trip on January 14th. Georgia amazed us again with how well she handled the trip and is adjusting so quickly to another significant time change.

We've spent the last few days exploring our new neighbourhoods of St. Kilda and Elwood and love what we've seen so far!

When we move into our apartment

tomorrow, we'll be a couple of blocks from the beach and a 5 minute walk to both towns. St. Kilda is a great seaside suburb packed with interesting shops, cafes and pubs.

Scott's Freedom 33 plan is up and he is back to work! After months of endless paperwork, his visa was finally approved this week, so he was up and at 'em early yesterday morning. His training will focus on knee surgery and he'll be working in both the public and private health care systems. Fortunately, he is easing into things with a very short week. We're looking forward to seeing some play at the Australian Open on Thursday and for Matt, Rach, and kiddies to arrive on the weekend for a visit.

In these pics: Scott and G with a view of Melbourne in the background.

G and her new friend, Mia, at a welcome BBQ for us hosted by a couple of people Scott will be working with.

Aloha!

Welcome to Crazy Duck Adventures!

Leaving home, and all of you, was tough, but we're off to a great start. When we were planning our trip to Australia months ago, we decided to stop 'half way' to break up what is a very long flight. We're so glad we did. We've enjoyed a fantastic week on the Hawaii islands of Maui, the Big Island, and now Oahu. Georgia has been a major trooper. She handled the very long flight really well, and has tolerated our desire to see and do lots while we are here. We've been whale watching, explored Volcano National Park , and snorkeled... she seems game for almost any adventure we throw her way. Definite highlights so far: watching humpback whales breech from our balcony in Maui, our hike to (and over) a volcano crater, and the spectacular sunsets every evening.

Now looking forward to the next leg of our journey and getting settled in Melbourne. More to come when we get there...