WANT A RIDE?

What does it take to make a little baby happy?One empty container with wheels on the bottom,and one sibling to push her around!Sunday afternoon Madi and Cooper put Rylee in this empty container and pushed her around the house for at least and hour. Rylee was so content and happy to be in there having a ride. What a life right?!

On Monday when the kids were at school Rylee found the container again and began playing with it and looking at me. I knew what she wanted so I took a turn pushing her around the house. Then of course I got out my camera and took some pictures - can't resist that!! I can just see the scrapbook page forming in my mind!!! This ride has become a daily occurance - at least once a day if not more. It is so cute!!!

To Our Neices & Nephews...

This next post is directed to all of our Neices and Nephews. We are not sure if anyone is going to be interested or not but we feel like we would like to make the offer.

We would like to extend an invitation for any of you to come and live with us in Australia for a period of time (up to you). The limitation on this is the amount of time that you can get an Australian Tourist Visa for, which happens to be three months. We are more than willing to have you (with some rules - stated below) come and live with us for the full three months if that is what you want. You will just need to pay for your ticket over here and spending money on extras that you want to do. We will take care of the food, but you have to eat what we are having. Don't worry, to Cooper that means PB & J sandwiches almost every meal so you are safe if you like those.

Here are the rules though, just in case you think it would just be an extended vacation.
- We can only accomodate one at a time (If anyone even wants to do it?).
- You must be at least 14 or 15 years old (Realizing what it will take to do this we think there has to be a certain amount of maturity to be able to do this (fly over and back by yourself, take trains by yourself, etc.). Please don't think we are trying to eliminate certain people as we are not. If there are any questions around this the parents are welcome to discuss this with us.).
- You will help out with the housework (cleaning, dishes, lawn, etc. -- the same stuff you are probably doing now).
- I am sure all of you know this but just to state it as a rule, you will be expected to go to church each week (example to our kids).
- You need to realize that you will be living in a four bedroom house with a 6, 4, and <1 yr old. There will be crying, fits, and tantrums, and that's just me -- the kids may cry as well.
- Remember we only have one car and so, if you are 16 or older, you may not be as "free" as you are at home. You will be limited to what we are doing, which you may not feel is that fun. However, we do have an extra bike and the train station is only a 15 minute ride away.
- Your parents must be in full support of your coming over.

We will try and take you to visit as much as we can (beaches, opera house, city, zoo, etc.). We will also try and get you to as many church young adult activities as we can (we have been told that the dances here are amazing!).

There is the offer, if any of you are interested just let us know. Just send us an email and we can discuss.

Love Kev and Stace

"SNAIL MAIL" IS FUN!!

We really weren't expecting anything in the mail and we got two packages and cards for V-day. I know it was a week ago - but I am a bit slow on the update. The cards started showing up for the kids a few days before Valentines Day. Cooper's came first and then Rylee's the next day. They were from Grandma Susan and had a $5 bill (AUD) in them. How nice for the kids to have money they can spend. However, Madi checked the mail box every day after that and no letter for her. I happened to talk to Susan and I mentioned it to her. She said that was odd since she sent them on the same day. (Madi's actually came a few days after Valentines Day - but she did get it!!)

The day before Valentines we got a package from my mom for the kids. There was candy and bubble tape and toys. Rylee got her first Mickey Mouse stuffed animal and has loved playing with it.

We were pleasantly surprised this week to get another package. This time from Brandon and Julie. Apparently, according to the letter inside, they sent it late. Plus it had to go through quarntine and customs. They got more toys, bubble tape (we are set for a while I think), and they sent some good old American candy bars!! (Madi is trying to claim that both teddy bears are hers and Rylee won't even know.)

Seriously, Brandon sent us a bag of fun sized candy bars and it has only been two days and we have almost eaten the whole bag. Kev has actually been craving a Butterfinger and I love the Baby Ruths. We are in heaven. Thanks!!!

I have to say that I understand now how missionaries feel when they get "real" mail. I always thought that e-mail was fine and "snail mail" was for the birds. Now I have had a change of attitude. It is so fun to actually get a letter or package in the mail! Thanks to all of you back home who are thinking of us and take time out of your busy schedules to send us stuff in the mail. The kids love it when something comes with their name on it, and it beats just seeing bills in the mail box!

SICKIE BUGS ANYONE?

Sorry, I haven't been a very diligent blogger as of late. We have been sick around here for a while now. It all started about four weeks ago when Cooper got a small cold. I didn't think much of it - colds come and go. However, about a week later Rylee got it as well and Cooper still wasn't better. Soon after that I came down with it. It wasn't just your average cold either. It was one of those colds that you feel sick and really worn out, but not sick enough to justify laying around all day in your PJs relaxing. So we just kept plugging along. The problem with this cold is that it lasts about two weeks.

Pretty soon Cooper was beginning to yell and not listen. Here we go again. Last time he got a bad cold he did the same thing and we realized that he couldn't hear well. We got his hearing tested and it was caused by fluid behind his ear. It finally resolved itself. So here Cooper is yelling around the house and us yelling at him for not listening and telling him constantly to talk quieter. Finally last week I took both he and Rylee into the doctor. Sure enough Cooper had an ear infection and so did the baby. So thus begins our first round of antibiotics in Australia.

A few days later Kev finally got sick. He had an added cough that the rest of us didn't get to the extent he did. He has actually been sleeping on the couch because he doesn't want to keep me up at night (how thoughtful).

Then on Tuesday I met Madi at the top gate at school just like always. She came up and looked awful. She was running a fever and wasn't feeling well either. When we got home I gave her some medicine to help with the fever and she spent the afternoon watching TV - she didn't mind this at all. That night she seemed fine when I went to Book Club. However, when I returned Kev said that she took a turn for the worse. She was complaining that she had to throw up and her fever was back. He had given her medicine about two hours before, but she wasn't doing well. (She had fallen asleep on the futton with her head in the bowl Kev had given her and he couldn't resist taking a picture.) He had just put her to bed before I got home at 11:00pm. I went to check on her in her room and she was moaning in her sleep and burning up. Kev decided to give her a priesthood blessing and a half hour later her fever broke and she could go back to sleep. At 2 am I was woken up with Madi saying, "Mommy, I threw up and now my tummy feels better." Sure enough in her hand was the bowl I had put by her head while she slept out on the futton in the playroom. Needless to say she missed a day of school and is just starting to feel better. Hopefully we are all on the mend and we can get back to 100% soon.

I HAVE BIG NEWS!!

I am a CT member at ScrapMatters!! I am so excited. This means that I get to do LO for the designers at ScrapMatters! I have to do at least four LOs a month and post them on several sites (if anyone has a good scrap site they like let me know). I can't believe it. I have actually tried a few times before on different CTs and haven't made it. I told Kev that this must mean that I am "good enough!!" If you want to see what I am creating check out my blog or go to the ScrapMatter's gallery. Seriously, you should take a look at ScrapMatters if you haven't yet - it is the best site. I love it!!

SATURDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY, IT'S THE DAY WE GET READY FOR SUNDAY....

Saturday morning always begins the same - it's time to clean the house! I actually love this - after it is all done anyway. I love to walk through the house and see everything picked up and clean and sprakling - at least for about 15 minutes or so.

After cleaning the house, lunch, and a small rest for the kids (I had time to scrap!!!) Cooper and I went for a walk and Madi headed to her friends house. Kev had fun mowing the lawn. I needed to take some pictures for a challenge so we headed over to the little stream by our house where the ducks live. Unfortunately, there were no ducks there, but we found lots of lizards and Cooper had a fabulous time doing his favorite thing - throwing rocks to see the water splash. On our way home we saw two of the ducks waddling on the road and in the grass of one of the houses.

When we got back Kev was painting and Cooper joined in the fun. Kev gave him a few pointers and they had a great time painting together. Kev actually didn't get much done after we returned but Cooper made two masterpieces!!

We then headed off to the Stake Swimming Carnival. Having never gone to a swim carnival before we weren't sure what was going to happen - it was so much fun!! They had races for all age groups starting at 8 and going up to over 35. The younger kids did the 25 m freestyle and breast stroke and everyone else did 50 m. We cheered on everyone in our ward and swam in the kiddie pool. Rylee was in heaven in the pool and Cooper continues to surprise us with his swimming skills. He was jumping in and going under the water - a year ago that never would have happened!

The best part of the night was that Kev entered the 50 m freestyle and breast stroke for the 27-35 year old men. He took first place in both strokes. He actually tied for first place on the freestyle - they couldn't tell who touched the wall first.

I am really mad that my picture of him on the blocks is fuzzy. To my credit I was holding the baby and trying to take a picture as well, plus you only get a split second to take a picture on the blocks and I didn't get out the camera until his second race (the breast stroke).

Kev was about half a pool length ahead of everyone in the brest stroke. He got to the end and the judge was yelling at him. He couldn't understand what he was saying and thought that maybe it had been a false start and he hadn't heard and kept racing (this had happened earlier in the evening on one of the races). He tured around and looked and everyone else was heading his way he was just really far ahead. The guy was yelling at him and asking if he had a motor on his back. When he finally understood what he was saying he laughed and said no - the guy didn't believe him and had him turn around so he could check. We got a good laugh out of that one. The kids and I had a fabulous time cheering him on. Cooper was so excited and after the breast stroke said, "Daddy is really good at that one!!"

The best part was the last race of the night. It was the bishop's push. The bishops of all the wards (or a bishopric member) had to get on something that floats, then all of the kids got to push him to the end. Next year Madi thinks she will be a good enough swimmer to participate. It was fun to see and everyone seemed to have a great time, and our ward took 2nd place. What a fun thing to do.

Really, they should do something like this back home.

HAPPY HEART DAY!

It was hard for me to remember that Valentines Day was coming up. The weather is too warm and it is raining instead of snowing. We have never made a big deal about V-day around here. We have never had much money and it is such a pain to go out to eat with all the other love birds who have decided to celebrate. There was no exception this year. We decided to spend a quiet evening at home - mostly because we are all a little under the weather and because it is a school night.

I was surprised to find out that Kev had gotten a gift for both of us. We don't usually give big gifts on Valentines Day. In fact, the first Valentines Day that we spent together we went to Wal-mart and spent 15 minutes looking at the cards. We then chose one that we would have bought the other person and then showed them to eachother. We then put the cards back, and spent another 20 minutes finding a gift under $10. It was actually pretty fun. We did that for the next two Valentines Days - but the tradition has ended since we had kids. Anyway, back to this years gift. This is going to sound like a dumb gift to some, but I was elated. We got a new wireless router!! Now I can scrapbook in the other room and download papers and upload LO!! There is also the possibility that I will get a new upgraded computer. I need more RAM to meet my scrapping needs. We are still looking into this - it may not happen.

I also made sugar cookies while Madi was at school. I can remember as a kid coming home on Valentines Day and there sat on the kitchen counter a huge heart sugar cookie with my name on it. My mom made one for all of us. As an adult I realized that this was a nice gesture considering it was also her birthday and she was slaving away for us! So I decided this year to continue that tradition and made sugar cookies for my kids. Unfortunately I only had a small heart cookie cutter and not a big one like my mom's but my kids are small they don't care much. We decorated the cookies after dinner - because I thought I had powdered sugar (icing mixture) and didn't so Kev picked it up on his way home. [The one with all the sprinkles is Madi's.] Rylee even had one and was in heaven.

Kev surprised me by coming home a bit early and by bringing some flowers - always a nice gesture!! They were really pretty. Sorry, the picture isn't very good. We had a BBQ of pork chops and potatoes and then enjoyed our sugar cookies for dessert. We did miss Grandma Susan's cheesecake. Every year she makes one for us to eat - can't wait to have that again. I then realized that Kev didn't get his traditional b-day cheesecake either because they don't have Cool-Whip here so I didn't make it for him.

After dinner and our cookie treats we played a game of Sardines. This is like hide-and-seek except instead of everyone hiding and one person seeking one person hides and everyone goes out to find them. You then have to hide with that person until everyone finds them. I introduced this game to the kids Monday night for FHE and Cooper loves it. He wants to play it all the time now. It actually brings back memories of playing this at Ricks (BYU Idaho) in the Snow Building for FHE. This picture is of my favorite place Cooper found to hide.

Hope you had a great Heart Day as well!

DANCING QUEEN

Rylee has been making us laugh so much as of late. She is developing her own personality and it is so fun to see her learn and explore the world around her. The best is when she dances. She has been doing this for a long time, but recently her moves have gotten so big and bold. She seems to have a nack for hearing the beat of any music around here and jamming out.

Recently we found a little piano on the curb during council clean up (more on that at the bottom of the post.....) After some new batteries it works great - well most of the time, sometimes it just seems to need a break and will stop working for a day or two. Rylee loves it. She will sit there and play it for the longest time. She will dance and sing sometimes too. You will have to watch the video to see what I mean. It is so dang cute!!

She also is getting more adventurous and exploring more and more of the house. This means that doors now have to be closed and we have to keep an eye on her always. Her favorite place to go is under the bar stools. It is so funny. She will sit under there and slide the stools around. She will get her feet up in the air to get the most momentum and then fling herself forward to move the stool. It is funny to watch. I took some pictures of a cute moment when Cooper decided to join her one day - what a great big brother!

Council clean up: Syndey is divided into councils - several cities are in one council. Twice a year each council has a clean up. This is much like when we have neighboorhood clean ups in Salt Lake County, except they don't put a big dumpster in the neighborhoods. Instead everyone puts their "junk" out on the curb and a garbage truck comes to collect it. We had our council clean up a few weeks ago. We had been looking forward to this because we needed to get rid of our damaged goods from the move. About a week before the clean up is scheduled to come around people start putting their stuff out on the curbs. Then you can actually go through and take anything that you want! It is so much fun. "One man's trash is another man's treasure" right?! Madi and I love it. We even spent some afternoons just driving around to see what we could find. We got a few treasures! The little piano is one of them - it is in such great condition. We also got some outdoor furniture - it is made of PVC pipe and isn't the best looking, but it will do for the time we are here. We also got a little ride on bike for Rylee when she gets older. Madi's favorite thing we found was a pink boogie board for her. Cooper was excited because we found a skate board for him. We can't wait until next time it is in our area. Each council does their clean up at a different time so we can find other treasures in other parts of the city all year long if we want.

Picture #1 is our stuff - half of which was taken away by treasure hunters. Picture #2 &#3 are some of the stuff we found.

When we were out looking for stuff one day I saw a nice outside dumptruck that Cooper could have. It was in such great shape. I picked it up and took it to the car. Upon arriving at the car I turned it over to show Kev and what was there? A red back spider. The first one we have seen. They are pretty much just like black widows except the red is on their back and not their stomach. I freaked out and threw the truck on the grass. Kev tried to get it out with a stick, but it just went farther and farther up inside the truck. This is the best picture we could get.