October 31

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! LOVE SEINFIELD - BUT WHO DOESN'T? ENJOY THE SUGAR RUSH!!!

Thanks Grandma Cooper for the dress....

...my mom made this dress for Rylee and gave it to us the night before we left. It finally fits Rylee, but it is probablly too hot to wear it. Sunday was the first day we put it on. I decided to take pictures to show it off - and then all the kids got in the action.

Remember the 80's ?

Were you singing along? I was!! BTW - New Kids on the Block rule!! A child of the 80's and lovin' it!!!

WHERE IS COOPER?

Last Friday I went to tell Cooper he could be done resting and I couldn't see him in his room. I looked on his bed and didn't see him and there was no noise. I looked under his bed and this is what I saw. I thought it was so funny and cute (don't tell Cooper that I used the "C" word) that I took a picture.

Who needs a mattress? All you need is a car mat, a banana chair, a Mickey pillow, and you have it made. He actually woke up just as I entered the room so he is smiling in the picture a bit.

Kev's Soccer Fix!

For those of you that didn't know my work has a soccer league that plays department against department once a year. The league started sometime before I got here. (I played my first game when I came for my first visit back in July.)


Here are the uniforms that we wore. I only wish I could include a scratch and sniff on your computer because it still hasn't been washed since our last -- and final -- game last Friday. Whoooiiieeee - It is bad! It almost wasn't worth the picture!

We had a pretty good team, but as with any work team there are always times during the season where people can't make it to the games. They were usually played at 8AM on Friday mornings.

We play at an indoor sports center that is really close to our work (It is also right next to Hyde Park). It is a completely different game than I have ever played before. We played on a basketball court with the goals set up at each end. The ball... well, how do I describe it? It is basically a tennis ball the size of a soccer ball. It is the same texture as a tennis ball and bounces the same way (very very bouncy). I have a similar picture at the end of this post. Just imagine that the words have been worn off the ball and that is what we played with.

Anyway, we somehow managed to squeak into the last spot of the top 5 teams that made it to the finals. After that it was single elimination for us (some of the top teams had a chance to lose once and still go on). We ended up beating the 4th place team and the 3rd place team but then it happended. The two people that play goalie for our team couldn't make it to that game. We had to try and do it with out them. Well, if this tells you anything they put me in as goalie for the 2nd half! For those of you that AREN'T LAUGHING right now you should know that you should be laughing!!!! I am not a goalie! and never will be! At least I got to score one of the three goals we did score in the first half. The game ended at something like 9 -3 (bad guys!).

It was fun though and I really enjoyed playing. Now I just have to concentrate on my basketball team. We play ever Tuesday night. I am on a team from my ward. Four of the teams in the league are LDS teams so it makes it fun to play them. Again, like in soccer I am not that great but I enjoy playing!

GOING GREEN

One thing I love about Australia is how conscious of the environment most people are. They are simply "going green" in their every day lives! As we all know our planet is suffering and there are simple things we can each do to help out - at least a little bit.

Some ways that we help the environment at the Hutchinson household are:

1. Recycle, recycle, recycle. I loved it when we moved to WJ and they had a recycling program, and they have a great one here in Epping as well.

2. Turn off the lights when you are not using them. Cooper is having a hard time with this one

3. Try walking or taking public transport.

4. Use the sun to dry your clothes when possible - this is a bit of a pain, but it is good for the earth

5. Try taking shorter showers - I have heard you should not use really hot water, but that is my downfall. I love a really hot shower!

6. Use cloth bags when you go shopping. This is my favorite. Most people here do this. You can buy the bags for about $1 at the store and then you bring them with you every time and fill them up. I love it!! I wish they made it cheaper to buy cloth bags back home - I think more people would do it. I think someone should pitch the idea to Wal-mart - they would save money on plastic bags. If you don't use cloth bags remember to recycle your plastic ones.

We can all do our part to save the environment. We just have to be conscious about what we do and maybe change a few small, simple things. Try one of the things listed above, or one of your own, to incorporate into your life. Help save our planet! Everyone can do something to help!!

Tell me what you think, or give me some more ideas that we can do to "go green".

KANGAROO STEAK....

... wasn't as bad as I thought. Last week Kev went grocery shopping with me and he put kangaroo steak in the cart. I wasn't really excited to try it, but we gave it a go last night. We aren't really sure if we cooked it right - we BBQ it on our new grill.

Verdict: 1 - no
3 - it was okay - still like cow better.
(I am sure you can guess who voted "no" - Coop, that's right he had a peanut butter sandwich.)

All in all it wasn't bad. I thought it tasted a bit like deer. I am still a white meat kind of gal, but now I can say I tried kangaroo and lived to tell about it!!

FIRST SCHOOL DANCE!!

Madi got to go to her first school dance on Friday night! She was so excited. The kids K-2 went for an hour and a half and then the older kids got to do their dance after that. Madi had a blast. She even got a prize for dancing - it was a Bratz plastic folder. (She was mostly excited about this because I won't buy her Bratz stuff.) She danced with her teachers, they had a raffle for prizes, they got to eat chips and have a drink, and she got a lollie when she left. Who could ask for more when you are 6 right? She is such a big girl! Hard to believe she went to her first dance.

YOU THINK YOU HAD A BAD DAY?!

I was driving to get Madi from school on Friday and this is what I saw hanging from the power lines. We went home and got the camera to take a picture. Poor guy - since he never moved I assumed that he was dead. Now I know for sure. It is Sunday evening and he still hasn't budged an inch. You think you had a bad day? What is the story behind this guy? Did he fall from the sky and get caught? Was he snuggled sweetly in his bat wings and all of a sudden a huge voltage zapped him and his heart stopped? What do you think?

MISC NEWS ABOUT RYLEE

Yesterday we headed to the doctor's office for the first time in Oz. It was an interesting experience. Not bad - just different (I seem to say that to myself a lot around here).

Positives:

1. We called the day before right at closing and got an appointment for the next day for a check-up. This is unheard of in the states. You only get a next day appointment if you are sick and even then it is not always with your doctor. At least that has been my experience.

2. You are the doctor's only appointment at that time and he stays in the room.

3. The doctor doesn't seem rushed. Novel ideal. If you only book one appointment at a time you wouldn't feel rushed right?!

4. It was cheaper than an appointment back home.

Negatives:

1. Back home when you do a well child check for a baby they take weight and height measurements. Not here. Maybe they don't care about what is "normal" as long as your baby is developing and hitting milestones.

2. I now have to bill insurance myself.

3. There were no nurses. I felt bad for the doctor because he had to do her shots himself. Usually they like to have the nurses be the "bad guys".

Anyway, she had to get shots, which is never fun, but she seems healthy otherwise. The doctor had to "google" the immunization schedule in the states - he thinks it is pretty much the same here in Australia. By any means, she should get all of the shots she needs by the time we get back to the States. I forgot to take her yellow immunization card. I will have to remember that next time. Then when I get back home I will have record of what she has so that they will allow her in school and she won't have to do them all over again. She has been spitting up a bit (but so did my other kids. I think they inherited Kev's weird "Hutchinson stomach"). I forgot to ask about when you can put babies on solids, but I think it was around 5 months when I did the others so I guess that is as good a time as any.

Also, she has been wanting to sit up and tries really hard. Basically when she is laying down she just bends herself in half trying to sit up. It is funny. So when the baby saucer came we put her in it. She loves it. She likes to look around at everybody. She doesn't spend much time in it before she gets mad - I think it is still too much for her. The only downfall is this toy. It is a plastic large globe filled with little balls and a toy. You are supposed to spin it around and the little balls make noise. You know the type. Well, the kids love to spin it. First she does the "startled baby look", and then out comes a wail. I have to keep reminding them not to touch it. She doesn't mind doing it herself every once in a while, but she doesn't even spin it around so it makes hardly any noise. Madi keeps telling me that she is just trying to help Rylee have fun and that she doesn't know it makes her scared. Apparently she is not watching Rylee's face.

Bogong Moths - It's Party Time!

Hello everyone! It's Kev and I thought I would share with you a little of the fun that we have been having around Sydney. It has basically been party time for the Bogong moths. They are currently in migration to southern New South Wales and they apparently get attracted to the lights of Sydney and stop by for a visit. If you want to read more about them here is a link.

http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=204

Anyway, here is a picture of one of them. I had just sat down to start typing this and Stacy said, "There's another moth! Looks like another job for you!" Can you tell who doesn't like them? I was just going to try and find a picture of them for you but I just took advantage of the opportunity and got one of the latest to find it's way into our house.

I also wanted to share another picture with you. Even though we have only had maybe 3 to 5 a night that manage to make it into our house other places have it much worse. My work, for example, is a great party hang out for the moths to enjoy their time in Sydney. And no, I am not talking about just walking to and from my work, in which I also walk by many hang out spots.

The first time I saw a moth by my desk -- being the naive new comer that I am -- I said to my coworker, "I wonder how this moth got in here?" He replied by saying, "That's nothing, just wait!" I was a little confused until I walked in one day the next week and took this picture with my cell phone.

The picture doesn't do it justice! There are easily over 50 moths just in this picture. They even popped the light out! This just the corner and they are literally everywhere on our floor (keep in mind I am on the 15th floor). I also found out that this is the day after the 'man with the vacuum' came by and sucked them all up so they said it was worse!

It is amazing to me how people have become so accustomed to them that they just ignore them. You can be riding up the elevator with a couple flying around and people don't even flinch. I have even shared a train ride with many that have decided to take the party elsewhere! I have been sitting at my desk and been smacked in the head a couple of times by a wayward moth. They say it shouldn't last much longer but, as I said at the beginning of this, we are still catching them and throwing them outside at our house! Mom, if you are reading this you may want to take note that you don't want to come visit during this time and I am sure you (of everyone) would not like it!

WAR WOUND

Thursday we went to the park for play date and while there Cooper came up to me crying. He told me that he fell down and hurt himself. When I tell you the next part I have to defend myself first. Usually Cooper cries about every little scratch and scrap. I keep telling him that he needs to be tough and that he is okay. So this is what I proceeded to tell him. I then looked closer and realized that he really had hurt himself and he was bleeding. He had falled down while running with Madi and another little boy in the ward. He has road rash on his face. He really was fine, but I felt bad for not noticing right away. I gave him a kiss and he was on his way. I guess it is a little like the boy who cried wolf. How am I supposed to know he is really hurt when he cries like he is dying with every little bump?

GENERAL CONFERENCE

Well, we finally got to see General Conference this weekend. We went to the Stake Center, about 20 minutes away, to watch all of the sessions. We could have downloaded them from the web, but we have limited download and upload capabilities on our package so we decided just to go and watch them via satellite.

People told us that we would be surprised by the numbers in attendance and we were. The first session started at 1:15 on Saturday. We pulled into the parking lot at 1:10 and there were only half a dozen cars there. We wondered if we were in the right place. We watched two sessions of conference with only a 15 minute break in between. The kids did great - but they had enough with about an hour to go. Kev let them go play in a classroom while he listened in the foyer.

Kev them drove us home and headed right back for the priesthood session. There was only a 30 minute break so he was a little late.

Sunday morning there was a greater number of people there. We had to sit in the multipurpose room. There was an hour break in between sessions so we had a picnic lunch on the front lawn. Sunday afternoon was less attended so we got "soft seats" for the last session.

I always love to listen to conference, but I have to admit that by the end I am glad to get up and move around. It is so hard to concentrate that long and to tell my kids to be quiet over and over and over again. However, I would never miss it. I love to "listen to a prophets voice." It is so nice to receive guidance for my life and to receive answers to prayers.

Kev said that he actually likes going to the Stake Center to watch Conference. He said that he got more out of this Conference than he has in a long time. It is true, you stay awake much better when you are sitting in the chapel. However, I was reminded of the conveniences Utah has to offer. I don't think I will take those for grated every again (at least I will try not to). I do love getting up and having a nice breakfast and watching Conference in my comfy clothes while I scrapbook.

I was reminded that we have to stand up for what we believe in. That we are Christians in every meaning of the word and that we should not be afraid to share that with others. I also was reminded personally of something someone told me a while ago. We go to church with our young children to show them how important it is. We don't always get to hear everything that is spoken and we may spend a lot of time out in the halls, but they need to know that we know it is important to attend all of our meetings.

I can't wait until the Ensign comes out so I can study the talks further! I love the Gospel and am so glad that it is part of my life!!!

FOUR MONTHS OLD

Can you believe that Rylee is four months old? I am having a hard time figuring out where all that time has gone. She is such a good baby. Everyone always comments on how happy she is and how much she smiles at everyone. She is almost rolling over on her own - right now she does it with minimal help from us. She wants to sit up so I am sure that will be coming soon.

She is holding toys on her own and has figured out that she has fingers and toes. I love to watch babies when they stare at their hands. She jabbers all of the time and laughs and squeals at the kids. She is a joy to have around and the kids love her.

She is almost sleeping through the night. She only wakes up and we have to give her a binky, or plug as Cooper calls it. She is a good baby, but sleeping is her downfall. She is not consistent and she fights it all of the time. If I lay her down at the right time it is great - but the window is still very small. If not she screams for about 20 minutes until she is worn out and then will go to sleep.

Her eyes are still very strange. One day they are green, one day they are gray, and one day they are brown.

Her abdominal herniation has shrunk significantly. She will definitely have an "outie" but it is not as big as when she was born. We don't know how big she is. Our insurance just kicked in so I haven't taken her to the doctor yet. I will soon since she really needs to get started on her immunizations.

What a great baby. We love her so much. Sometimes I wonder why God sent these special spirits to be in my home.

MORE SIGHTSEEING

Tuesday morning we got up and finished cleaning around the house. We still needed to go and get the kid's VISAs stamped into their passports so we got on the train and headed to the city after lunch. This takes a while. You have to pull a number and wait until it is called. When we got there they were on 150 and we were 178 - not bad. When Kev and I went to get ours stamped we had to wait much longer.

After that we decided to go on the red double decker sightseeing bus. These run around Sydney and stop at all of the sights. You can get on and off when ever you want and get back on a later bus. Madi has always wanted to get on one of these buses and ride on the top.

You should have seen the smile on her face. She was so excited!! It was a cooler day yesterday and the wind was blowing pretty good so it was a bit cold on top of the bus. Cooper rode on the top for a while but then he got "shivery" (his words) so Rylee, Cooper, and I went down to the bottom to get out of the wind.

We got on the bus that went to the world famous BONDI BEACH. It is a human magnet in the summer and it is a huge beach. Now we can say that we have been there. The bus stopped for half and hour so that we could take a look. It was cold and windy, but that didn't stop the kids and Kevin from taking off their shoes, rolling up their pants, and walking down to the ocean in the sand. Rylee and I stayed up by the stairs off of the sand (it is hard to push a stroller on the sand).

They were actually filming something there (a commercial I think) so we got to watch a bit of that as well. We are seeing more and more of Sydney each week and it is so much fun. By the time people come to visit we should have a better idea of where to go. This is such an amazing place with so much to do and so much to see.

all unpacked

Madi's room
Cooper's room
Play room/office


Well we have spent a very long weekend getting everything unpacked and settled. Kev took Monday and Tuesday off of work which helped tons! It is nice to have our own stuff. It didn't take long for the kids to find all of their stuff and begin playing with it.

Casualty report:

1. Our couch and love seat are no where to be found. They are looking for them. Possibly they were put into a container when quarantined and forgotten about. Good thing they replace our stuff if it is damaged or lost - I wouldn't complain about that.

2. The piano is missing it's music stand. It doesn't look like it was broken off just missing. Strange.

3. Madi's desk is broken. They will probably have to replace this - we will see what they say.

4. Rylee's crib is missing a dowel at the top - not a big deal.

5. My wrapping paper box is broken on the top.

6. The garbage can is bend and broken.

Other than that things are fine. I was surprised at how well the dishes and pictures were packed. They all seem to be scratch free!!! I haven't gone through a few boxes in the garage. Hopefully nothing is broken there. We have two weeks to claim everything.

They also came to get the rental furniture today. They didn't say anything about the marker on the table. I actually forgot about it until after they had left. Kev is going to call them and see what they say.

OUR STUFF HAS ARRIVED!!!

Friday afternoon we found out that our stuff would be finally arriving on Saturday morning! I told the kids and they were so excited. Cooper kept talking about getting all of his trains and Madi just wanted Katie (her doll). Saturday morning at 7 am we heard little feet running down the hall and a little boy saying is our stuff here yet? He was so excited!

After breakfast and an attempt to move out all of the rental furniture to the garage (they are coming on Wed to pick it up), the moving truck pulled up! All of our stuff was in this container. The movers were very nice. They took a break mid morning to have morning tea and offered us coffee and/or tea. They were surprised to hear that we didn't drink coffee. In fact one guy said, "Americans who don't drink coffee, that is very strange!" They got to our house just after 9 am and had everything unloaded by 1 pm.

So far we have only found a few casualties. Madi's desk is broken - we think they will have to replace it. My wrapping paper box has a broken lid - not a big deal. Rylee's crib is missing a dowel, the top popped off and the dowel was no where to be seen. Kev can fix the top with wood glue - we are not sure what they will do about the missing dowel. We are not sure if there is anything else broken - the dishes are still in the boxes.
After the movers left Kev took the kids to get McDonalds (surprise) for lunch and bring it back. I stayed behind because Rylee was asleep and began to open boxes. After opening all of the boxes - this is what our house looks like. What?! When did the tornado come by?

After lunch I opened the rest of the boxes - mostly to see what we had. Most of the boxes are in the garage, but there is stuff everywhere. Now I need to find a home for everything. Kev spent the rest of the day putting beds together. He is a little tired of putting together furniture. Imagine that.

We took Sunday off and decided not to work on cleaning up. It is a day of rest after all. Luckily, Kev has Monday and Tuesday off of work. He had two more days allotted him to "settle in". We will post more pictures when the clean up has ended.

OUR FIRST DATE IN SYDNEY - AND IT WAS A GOOD ONE!!!

Last week I received this message in my in-box:

Stace,

You will be going on a date with me on Wednesday night (October 3rd) -- not negotiable!

I can't tell you what it is or where we are going because it is a surprise, so don't ask.

Basically it would be at night. I will need you to catch the train and meet me at the town hall station around 6 or 6:30. I know this is a lot to ask but, believe me, it will be worth it.

Kev

When he got home from work I asked for hints - which he wouldn't give. I started guessing random things, not thinking I would get it. I jokingly said I bet it is Josh Groban at the Opera House! :) I had guessed it!!! I had been listening to his CD earlier that day so I guess he was in my head. The Hutchinsons always comment on how I don't really react to things that are exciting or a surprise or anything. I guess I don't jump up and down enough. Kev was thinking that this might be the time. Sorry to disappoint him - I guess I am quiet and hold all the excitement in like my dad. But I was super excited and was bursting inside! Oh, how I love Josh Groban. WHAT A VOICE!!!

The next night my visiting teachers were coming so I asked them about a good babysitter. Caroline told me that she wasn't doing anything and would love to come and help out! She is so awesome! So we were all set for a babysitter - that is the hardest part right?!

Wednesday came and I was so excited all day - if anything a date is so awesome, without the kids for one night. Dinner without someone saying "I don't like this", "Give me only what I like mommy." You know what I mean. I was nervous about catching the train by myself - usually Kev is with me. The trains were running a little late due to bush fires at the end of one of the lines, but I finally made it downtown and met Kev. We caught another train to Circular Quay and walked to the Opera House from there. We had dinner at a little cafe inside the Opera House and headed for our seats. The Opera House is really cool inside. There are lots and lots of stairs and you can look out the huge windows right to the Harbor. I have wanted to go inside and look around and now I can say I have seen a concert there!!

The picture really doesn't do it justice.

We had to sit through the first act - whom neither of us really liked and had never heard of. Her music was very different and she "howled" a lot (as Kev said) with her high range. I was just waiting for Josh Groban. After the first act we had to wait another 20 minutes for them to clear off the stage - I always hate this part. Why can't you just see the person you paid to see? Just my opinion. "Joshie Boy" (as Jules would say) finally sang his first note, and Kev says that he wishes he had the camera out to capture the grin from ear to ear on my face.

He got it out later to take some pictures for me!!

This one Kev took off of the big screen above the stage so I could have a nice, clear shot!!

The violinist as awesome. She is a bit hard to see in this picture - sorry. Besides the backless, sleeveless, low front number she was wearing, I could see my little sister Julie up there playing her violin with Josh Groban. (Jules - keep practicing. That could be you some day! I know you would love it!) She was so awesome. I thought it was funny that she did the whole concert without shoes.

Here is a clip of one of my favorite songs. I was glad that he only used the piano. You can really hear his voice and the piano is so great!! I love this song!! Okay, I guess I really love all of his songs! He ended up doing three encores before everyone finally decided to pack up and leave (me included). I gave him a standing ovation every time!!

The show was great! What an great time out without kids! Kev is so awesome! Going to the concert made me like Josh Groban even more. He is so funny! He is also just a good guy - that was obvious. He played off of the audience and was very charismatic. Plus, THAT VOICE!!! Have I mentioned that? I told Kev that I dream of him with that voice and it makes him the perfect guy!! LOL!!

If you ever get a chance to see him in concert - jump on it. I have been to a few concerts before (not many), but this was by far my favorite. It didn't have as many bells and whistles and so much going on. You could really focus on the music and the music is good! I also think that it helped to see it in the Opera House. That place is built to have music sung in it. The acoustics were fabulous!

Mom's overture

I have had several people send this to me and it is too funny. ENJOY!!!

FUN IN THE SUN

Today was a public holiday (Labour Day). Kev had the day off and Madi is off for two weeks before the 4th term starts in school. We decided to go to the beach. After asking around at church yesterday we were told to try Newport Beach (no, not the one in California - that is the first thing that popped into my head when they told us to try the beach) because it was family friendly. We put in the coordinates and Sue took us right there - it took about 50 minutes [With only a couple of "Make a U-turn now! Make a U-turn now! Make a U-turn now!" I am not sure why it -- I mean Sue -- has to say it three times in a row, but she does. Just to make you feel good that you went the wrong way!] It was a good day. The water was a little cold [I think it was just right! It helped you to cool off after sitting on the hot beach. Of course I was the only one that would go all the way in.] - I am sure this warms up as the summer progresses.

Since we don't have our stuff [Something we are reminded of daily by Madz and Cooper.], and there are buckets and sand shovels coming, we improvised and brought two mop buckets, the big spoons we are renting in our kitchen set, some tupperware, and plastic bowl and cups we had bought at IKEA. They worked great! The kids had a good time building sand castles and digging in the sand. These are their creations!!

We had bought a beach umbrella for $5 a few weeks ago and brought it with us. There were umbrellas next to it that were more expensive, but being the cheap skates that we are we went for cheaper [What would you have done? A beach umbrella for $5 or a beach umbrella for $45? And the more expensive one didn't seem that much better than the one we bought. The material was just a little thicker.]. We now know that you need a more expensive umbrella to withstand the ocean breezes [Maybe we can find one for $15?]. It got blown away once and I had to chase it down the beach, a nice bloke [Look how well Stace is adapting to the lingo!] helped me put it back in the sand. (Kev was down at the water with the kids and missed the whole thing). It almost blew away about half a dozen times before it was blown inside out for the last time and one of the posts broke for good. It was left at the beach in the rubbish bin. We will have to invest in a better beach umbrella. The sun really is hotter here and can burn you much faster - we like to keep Rylee in the shade as much as possible.

Of course no trip to the beach would be complete without burying daddy in the sand. Madi wanted some of the action and had me bury her as well. Cooper, yes Cooper, also wanted to be buried in the sand, but I didn't catch him with the camera soon enough before he showed his super strength and got out. He thought the sand was cold and he didn't want to lay down, so Kev buried him sitting up. [I think he thought I was going to cover his head up too and got really nervous when I got to his chest so he asked me to stop. Can you believe he didn't trust me?]

We bought a boogie board at a garage sale a few weeks ago for $2 and Kev has been dying to try it out. He worked hard and got some good exercise riding the waves. [It was actually quite fun! I even caught one wave at about the right time and rode it for a couple of seconds before it capped and crashed on the front of my board. Needless to say I felt like I was in the washing machine for about 10 seconds trying to orient myself. I figured out that my problem is that I am not supposed to ride the waves straight! I am supposed to ride them at an angle! I am sure I knew that before today but for some reason I didn't get it down until my last ride. I am sure I will have more chances to catch a wave while we are here! Practice -- practice -- practice!] Madi tried the boogie board with help from Kev. She caught the wave after it came into shore and grabbing onto Kev's hand rode it down the steep incline to the ocean and then back up. [She had enough when a second wave came and hit the front of the board and sprayed her in the face. She didn't like that too much.]

[Stace neglected to share here 'Footie' story with you. There were a grassy area by some play ground equipment where we decided to eat lunch. Well, after we sat down, got everything situated, and started eating a couple of 'blokes' came up to play catch with a footie ball right next to us. The first time she got hit in the back! They were very nice and apologized. Stace got a little nervous and said, 'Maybe we should move!' I said, 'Do you really want to?' and she said no! It will be OK. Then she got hit on the top of the head. It wasn't that hard, since it had a couple of bounces before it hit her, and so it was kind of funny. I couldn't help but to snicker! Again she said that we should probably move, I asked if she really wanted to, and then she said no. I think she almost got hit one more time, after that they stopped playing and went somewhere else. I think it is just that magnetic personality Stace has that was apparently tuned in to balls instead of people today! Ha ha!]

[Nice picture of my 'LOVE HANDLES' Stace! Why did you have to pick that one for the blog? And look, I am almost as white as the wave cap in the back ground! Notice that Coop must get his whiteness from me!]

Madi ended the day by rolling in the sand after coming out of the ocean and ended up with sand everywhere. She didn't seem to mind until she couldn't get it out of her swimming suit. All in all we had a great day! It was fun to spend time as a family! We came back home tired and sun kissed. How fun to be so close to the beach! The worse thing about the beach is coming home and having to clean up the sand that gets everywhere. Even Rylee had sand everywhere and she spent most of her time under the umbrella in the car seat.

[The only other interesting thing that happened was when I had to take Cooper to the bathroom. The 'Man Toilet' -- I love that! -- was under renovation so they had a temporary toilet for the men in the parking lot by the park. I took Coop into the toilet and helped him get his suit down so he could go the bathroom (remember that wet suits are a little harder to pull down). I heard a thud and looked back to see that the wind had blown the bathroom door open so that I could see that a number of people were starring at the little boy with the bare bum about to go the bathroom! I closed the door and thought to myself how happy I was that Coop is still at the age where things like that don't even phase him!]