A Busy Weekend

Doug has been in Singapore since Thursday, but that didn't stop us from getting out and having some fun! We (the boys and I) had a crazy, busy and wonderful weekend.  We had a friend for dinner on Friday night and went out to dinner with another family on Saturday night. We went to the Jazz and Blues Festival at Darling Harbour yesterday morning and today we went to one of Coop's schoolmate's violin performance (in her home).  We spent Friday morning in our old "hood" (Bondi Junction) where Coop had a doctor's appointment and we did a little shopping for the boys for winter  clothing (although we didn't have any luck with that).  We even rearranged Coop's bedroom after which he said, "Mom, this is a dream come true!" Love that kid....

We haven't been this busy since we got here! It was really wonderful to get out with the boys and spend time with some of the nice people we have met here.  Tomorrow is a public holiday-- the Queen's Birthday-- so most of the city will be closed which will be good for us. I think we could use a little downtown before the school week begins again.

A Busy Weekend

Doug has been in Singapore since Thursday, but that didn't stop us from getting out and having some fun! We (the boys and I) had a crazy, busy and wonderful weekend.  We had a friend for dinner on Friday night and went out to dinner with another family on Saturday night. We went to the Jazz and Blues Festival at Darling Harbour yesterday morning and today we went to one of Coop's schoolmate's violin performance (in her home).  We spent Friday morning in our old "hood" (Bondi Junction) where Coop had a doctor's appointment and we did a little shopping for the boys for winter  clothing (although we didn't have any luck with that).  We even rearranged Coop's bedroom after which he said, "Mom, this is a dream come true!" Love that kid....

We haven't been this busy since we got here! It was really wonderful to get out with the boys and spend time with some of the nice people we have met here.  Tomorrow is a public holiday-- the Queen's Birthday-- so most of the city will be closed which will be good for us. I think we could use a little downtown before the school week begins again.

Fall Morning in Hyde Park

An absolutely gorgeous, fall day here in Sydney. I love the trees against the bright, blue skies. Tuck and I enjoyed some time in Hyde Park after dropping Coop at school.  

Tucker saw some leaves blowing in the wind and he said, "Mama! Bubbles!" 

Here are a few pictures.  

Fall Morning in Hyde Park

An absolutely gorgeous, fall day here in Sydney. I love the trees against the bright, blue skies. Tuck and I enjoyed some time in Hyde Park after dropping Coop at school.  

Tucker saw some leaves blowing in the wind and he said, "Mama! Bubbles!" 

Here are a few pictures.  

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

I know that the Queen of England is somehow still connected with Australia. Not quite sure how it all works, but I do know that today was a big day as it was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  What is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee you ask (at least I did). Well, it is the celebration of her 60th year on the throne of course.  

A friend of ours (from England), invited us to a Diamond Jubilee celebration today.  It turned out to be a rainy and yucky day and the thought of standing in a bus stop in the rain and then walking from the bus stop to her house was more than I could deal with today. So, we graciously declined- sort of at the last minute... I feel bad, but not so bad because I got to nap and that was so needed!

Anyway, Coop was, of course, disappointed that we couldn't go "celebrate the Queen" so, I whipped up a celebration of our own.  I had just bought this week's issue of Time Magazine which happened to have the Queen on the front cover. I took that off, glued it to a cereal box so it would stand up and set it on the table. I made hot tea and cocoa and served the cupcakes, chips and dip I had made to take to the party. And what kind of celebration would it have been without crowns? Luckily, I had some gold paper so I cut out a few crowns and we were reading to celebrate.

The boys loved it and it was enough to settle Coop's disappointment.  As we ate, I asked Coop what he knows about the Queen. His response?

The Queen lives in a castle. There are dragons there. She cannot go out because 

of the dragons, but the knights can go out and fight the dragons. The Queen 

can go outside for her parades.

Enough said?

"This is the Queen and her chair" also known as a throne. 

Tucker called the towel on the table, "the Queen's blanket."

Tucker enjoyed the celebration, but not as much as Coop.
Tucker REALLY enjoyed 3 cups of hot cocoa though. 

Tucker decorated his crown with Dora stickers.
Hmmm,wonder what the Queen would think. :)

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

I know that the Queen of England is somehow still connected with Australia. Not quite sure how it all works, but I do know that today was a big day as it was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  What is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee you ask (at least I did). Well, it is the celebration of her 60th year on the throne of course.  

A friend of ours (from England), invited us to a Diamond Jubilee celebration today.  It turned out to be a rainy and yucky day and the thought of standing in a bus stop in the rain and then walking from the bus stop to her house was more than I could deal with today. So, we graciously declined- sort of at the last minute... I feel bad, but not so bad because I got to nap and that was so needed!

Anyway, Coop was, of course, disappointed that we couldn't go "celebrate the Queen" so, I whipped up a celebration of our own.  I had just bought this week's issue of Time Magazine which happened to have the Queen on the front cover. I took that off, glued it to a cereal box so it would stand up and set it on the table. I made hot tea and cocoa and served the cupcakes, chips and dip I had made to take to the party. And what kind of celebration would it have been without crowns? Luckily, I had some gold paper so I cut out a few crowns and we were reading to celebrate.

The boys loved it and it was enough to settle Coop's disappointment.  As we ate, I asked Coop what he knows about the Queen. His response?

The Queen lives in a castle. There are dragons there. She cannot go out because 

of the dragons, but the knights can go out and fight the dragons. The Queen 

can go outside for her parades.

Enough said?

"This is the Queen and her chair" also known as a throne. 

Tucker called the towel on the table, "the Queen's blanket."

Tucker enjoyed the celebration, but not as much as Coop.
Tucker REALLY enjoyed 3 cups of hot cocoa though. 

Tucker decorated his crown with Dora stickers.
Hmmm,wonder what the Queen would think. :)

Sun, Fun, Bubbles and Cockatoos

Fall has arrived in Sydney and the weather has been incredible.  Gorgeous sunny skies, cool, crisp mornings and afternoons that are a bit warmer, but not hot. The perfect weather to throw on a pair of jeans and a cozy sweatshirt and to drink a cup of tea or hot chocolate.  The weather reminds me of home and I keep expecting to see pumpkins and Halloween decorations in the stores, but no such luck.  Thankfully, the parks have been full of tons of leaves to crunch and play in!  Coop and I even had a leave throwing fight the other day! :)

Today, the boys and I ventured out to the Royal Botanic Gardens. We hadn't been there in quite some time.  Cooper had found an old, dried out palm tree frond that he insisted on taking to the Cockatoos at the Gardens. He thought they needed it to clean their teeth...

baby duckling

We took our usual path to the Gardens and saw many of the usual birds- Magpies, Butcherbirds, Darters, Ducks, Kookaburras and Ibises.  But the cockatoos were no where to be seen.  Coop was very sad. I explained to him that you have to be patient when bird watching and you have to listen as well as watch for the birds you want to see. Finally, we then heard a Cockatoo call coming from the distance and headed that way. On the way, we came passed the duck pond and to our surprise there were 4 baby ducks and 2 baby Dusky Moorhens (duck like bird with a bright orange beak and a crazy honking call). They were adorable! We watched the ducks for quite some time. While we were watching, a Cockatoo landed in a nearby tree.  Then another came along and another.  Coop took the stick he had been carrying the whole time and approached the Cockatoos. The Cockatoos bit at the stick! They even played with it a bit! Cooper was SOOOOOOOO happy! It was truly a dream come true for him.

A sad Cooper wanting to see a Cockatoo.

While walking back home, we came across, Mr. Incredi-Dubble or the Bubbleman. We stayed to watch and play in the bubble for almost an hour.  

The boys loved it!