BINDEEZ CRAFT

So, if you haven't heard yet, these have been recalled. If ingested the glue turns into GHB (the date rape drug). I think in the states they are called Aqua Dots. Madi has been dying to have these since we came to Australia - they are everywhere and made by an Aussie company. I actually bought her some for Christmas - but have to return them now. Hopefully they can fix the problem because they actually look like a fun crafty toy.

MADI'S FUN AT SCHOOL THIS WEEK!!!

Madi's own words:

This week I got to go on my first excursion to a farm. I saw an emu, koala, some sheep, a sheep dog, kangaroos, cows, chicks, and pigs.

I got to pet the koala!!! It feels soft and cuddly. It was medium. It was super cute!!

I got to milk a cow by myself. It was easy peasy to milk the cow. The cow liked me petting it.

We watched the sheep dog chase the sheep into a gate. It was cool to see!! Then we got to go sit by a stage and see the sheep get their fur cut off.

One fun part was riding on the bus!! I got to sit by Allison.

I also got to ride on a tractor. It was bumpy and fun!!!

On Friday we had Chelsea Fair at school. There were lots of activities. I bought a teddy bear and a little pony. I played a ball game. I had to throw the ball. I threw it into a bucket that had colored pencils. I took the colored pencils!! I got some lollies. My mom and dad gave me money before I went to spend at the fair. I got to wear normal clothes - instead of my uniform - and pay .20 I went in the spooky house. It wasn't even scary!! I was brave!!

MISC NEWS FROM OZ

There have been a few little things going on that are not worthy of a whole post so I thought I would post them all together.

#1. We tried pavlova for the first time last week. Some friends came over for dinner and they brought us this authentic Aussie dish to try. It is a dessert and we all thought is was yummy!!! Even Cooper liked it - you know it must be good if Cooper likes it.

#2. On Sunday last week Kev made Cooper and Madi "houses" out of all the blankets in the house. They were up for a few days before I "demolished" them. I then had to make the "houses" again the next day and they were up for a few days again. I so remember doing this as a kid. It is so much fun. It actually gave the kids something to do since it rained straight for six days or so. Sydney sure needs the rain so it is good that it kept coming - but it does get old really fast and the kids got a little bored at home all the time.

#3. Cooper got a sword and a head band from church last week and was so excited about it. The only problem was the the sword broke before we even left the church - he was fighting with it of course. Kev fixed it with some electrical tape which helped for a few more days before it ended up in the rubbish bin. He was such a handsome Stripling Warrior, I couldn't resist taking a photo.

#4. I love this photos of Rylee and Kev. I made a scrapbook page of it that says "anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy!" Rylee is doing really good. She has even slept all the way through the night a couple of times this week. There has been a cold spell with all of the rainy weather and she has woken up cold some nights -we are hoping that the sleeping through the night thing becomes a habit. She has been eating a few solid foods. She only really likes apples and bread - rice cereal and pears she screams at now. She rolls over on her stomach all of the time and then gets mad because she can't roll back over. She likes to sit up, but really she just folds herself in half. She has started putting her feet under her and soon will probably figure out that this will help her move around. We love to have her around and she brings such a feeling of peace with her.

#5. I found out this week that Cooper will be going to pre-school in January. They had a cancellation and since he was #1 on the waiting list he is in!! We are hoping that this will help with the shyness that has come back a bit and with the anxiety of making new friends here in Australia. It is going to cost us a lot, but we think it will be worth it. I thought pre-school was bad back home - the $55 I paid per month there is nothing compared to the $32 per day here.

#6. Last, but not least, a guy in the ward who is also from Utah told me of a web site I can go to where I can watch the BYU games. Usually they are on really early Sunday morning here - but since Thursday was a night game I got to watch it on Friday afternoon. Awesome!!! You can't believe how excited I was to watch a little football - BYU of course is the best. They won, which was even better!!!

FAMILY PHOTOS!!

The Sunday before we left for Australia my cousin Devin came and took family pictures of the Cooper Clan. Here are some of my favorites!! BTW - if you ever need a photographer Devin is the man!!

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

SCRAPMATTERS.COM

http://scrapmatters.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=24&pos=5

Hey, everyone, I need a little help. I entered this LO (layout) in a challenge at scrapmatters.com and the more votes I get the better chance I have of winning. Just click on the link above and it will take you to the file vote by clicking on the stars above the LO (it is easy to see). While you are there you should check out my entire gallery - you can see what I have been up to digitally. Thanks!!

For those of you who like to digiscrap - this is a great web site. I love it. They just started about a month ago and they are great people and the web site is easy to use and fun!!

8 things you may not know about me... (Kev)

OK, apparently I have been tagged by both Stacy and Chelsea. Chelsea did it a while ago and I have to blame it on Stacy! I have been waiting for 5 minutes where I could get on the computer but Stacy wouldn't let me get on! I kept telling her that I have to answer Chelsea's 'tag' question but she was being whingy (Ornery is not a word that they understand in Australia!) and wouldn't let me. [Ha ha -- Just kiddin' Stace! Sorry Chelsea, I am really just a slacker!]

I will answer Chelsea's 'tag' first since I was so rude to make her wait for so long to get a reply! So here it goes... wish me luck!

4 jobs I've had:
#1- Construction: Mostly sofit, facia, and siding. This was during the summers in high school. I was fortunate enough to do it with Kelly Newman! I still remember shooting the nails from the nail guns at the wasps that were attacking us! We are just lucky we are still alive!

#2- Toy Shop: Yes this was one of the funnest and worst jobs that I ever had -- all in one! During the normal (non-peak) season we got to play with the toys in the aisles when there weren't any customers around. It was fun. HOWEVER, you will understand my pain when I tell you that the majority of my job was during the Christmas season. TIS' THE SEASON TO HAVE A TISSY... [If there isn't a song by that title there should be]. This is dedicated to all of the parents (mostly mothers) for when you are told by the poor little toy shop worker that they don't have any more of the toy that 'your child' [more like YOU!] need to have for the season to be jolly! Like it's going to help by taking out your frustrations on the 18 year old at the cash register!)

#3- Kev the Copy Maker [Yes, that was my official title :) ]: I think I made about $3.50 an hour in Jr. High working at the copy store. Apparently this store was exempt form paying minimum wage. The best thing about this was all of the R.S. teachers [That is a guess, but I bet I am right] banging on the door, just after locking it at 7PM and yelling that they just need two copies. Then we you have COMPASSION on them and let them in they keep you there until 7:45 or so trying to pick out the best handout!

#4- Slave to 2 girls and a boy! [I am leaving Stacy out of this because I currently don't have a couch to sleep on if I get kicked out of our room!]: Yes, those three would be Madz, Coop, and Rylez. Whaaaaaaaaaa!, Can you play trains with me?, and please dance with me! [Which is soon followed by my toes turning black and blue.] But who can resist, right!

4 movies I could watch over and over
#1- Better Off Dead!
#2- The Matrix Trilogy
#3- The Bourne Trilogy [No, I still haven't seen the last one but I have heard from many that it is the best one of the three so I don't have any problem listing it here.]
#4- Other Clean Comedies! (MP and the HG, Mobsters and Mormons, Princess Bride, etc.)
[I guess that is more than 4 huh! Oh well, I guess no one can stop me from putting them down! Ha! ]

[Intermission -- I guess I need to cut down on the commentating or I will never get this done. [And Stacy wants the computer back! Ha ha! Just kidding.]

4 favorite t.v. shows
#1- Heros
#2- Lost
#3- Criminal Minds
#4- The Chasers War on Everything - This is an Australian comedy show where the people on the show just basically make fun of everything. Ok, I have to tell you about one of the skits on the last show that made me laugh. They wanted to see if they could find a person that would stop for every type of solicitation that was put in front of them. They had a person that almost made it, she accepted all but the last one. The first person that approached her was an American Express solicitor saying, "Would you like a card?" The second person in a shirt, tie, and black name tag said, "Hi, I am from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...!" The third person was dressed as a big koala and said, "I am from the Koala National Wildlife Foundation [or something like that] would you like to donate?' And the last one was a big koala dressed in a shirt, tie, and name tag and said something like, "Hi, I am from the Koala Church of Latter Day Saints. Would you like an American Express card?" At that point the person finally ran away. I think it made it funnier just because they included Amex and our church in the skit. I was laughing out loud, which many of you know does not happen very often.

4 favorite reality shows
#1- Stacy the Super House Wife of Australia! [It's about a lady that can do everything! Even put up with her weird husband that is showing signs of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 31!]
#2- Mad Madz [It's a spoof off the old show Mad Max!]
#3- Coop -- there it is! [It's a show about trains and cars!]
#4- Rylee Smiley! [Need I say more!]


4 of my favorite places I've been
#1- Home!
#2- Australia
#3- Japan
#4- Hong Kong
#4- China
#4- Brazil
#4- England
[I am starting to count like Cooper!]

4 of my favorite foods
#1- Chili's Southwest Tacos [I think that is what they are called.]
#2- Katsudon - Japanese style [Breaded pork with an egg sauce over rice!!!]
#3- Bundagurg Ginger Beer
#4- Tim Tams! [Can't forget those!]

4 websites I check daily
#1- WWW.HUTCHDOWNUNDER.BLOGSPOT.COM [Isn't this on everyone's list though!?!]
#2- www.google.com [I like my iGoogle page that has all my gadgets on it.]
#4- www.stayingsain.com [OK, I am thinking of creating this one so I can go to it every day!]

4 hobbies
#1- Computers
#2- Basketball
#3- Soccer
#4- Kids

4 family and fiends I would like to tag
#1- Madz
#2- Coop
#3- Rylez#
[I just tagged them and they tagged me right back - I guess they don't know how to play!]
#4- Kev W [This just means you will have to come over here and tag me back, since you don't have your own public blog!]

Now for Stacy's tag:
8 Things you didn't know about me!
#1- My best friend'a name is Stacy! [And you all thought she was just my wife.]
#2- I fell through a window when I was 17 and cut through my upper left arm and muscle. I now have a 6 inch scar on my arm as a result. The doctor told me how 'lucky' I was because if the cut had been in any other direction or moved by even 1 cm I would have had permenant damage to my arm.
#3- I am the best singer in the world! [When I am alone in the car and the radio is turned up so high that you can't hear yourself think!]
#4- I took first place in a district school swim meet in high school in the 100m breast stroke.
#5- I still keep in touch with a number of my friends from high school and I love it! They are some of the best people in the world!
#6- My belly button hurts when I stick my finger in it and it has always been that way! [That last part was to fend off all the responses from people that are going to tell me that I need to get that checked out!]
#7- I am not wearing socks right now!
#8- Don't laugh, but some day I would love to write a book. [I don't know what it would be about but I would like to.]

Wow, that was painful! But I am done. I hope you enjoy learning more about me me me!

8 things you may not know about me... (Stacy)

Here are 8 things you may not know about me!

1. I can touch my tongue to my nose.

2. I have a "dent" in my shin of my right leg from running into a rock playing football at BYU. I was playing pass with some of the boys in my ward on Saturday afternoon and being a good football player I kept my eye on the ball and was running back to catch the ball. I didn't notice the huge rock sticking out of the grass and ran right into it. I took out a chunk out of my shin and hurt really bad - I still have a scar to prove it.

3. I was in about 6 car accidents in my early 20's (I have actually lost count) one of which we rolled and I have a bad back to show for it.

4. I have a degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training from BYU which I have never used. However, I watch sports mostly for the "good injuries" - LOL!!

5. I have a dream to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl (too back you have to be famous to do that).

6. I have an incision on my uterus which is very thin due to three c-sections. I can never go into labor or it may rupture. This may be too much information - sorry.

7. I am a sucker for reality TV - luckily they don't have much of it here in Australia (maybe this will help me get over it).

8. Last, but not least, I love to take long, hot baths to relax with bubbles and a good book!!

tag: Amy Glaizer, Kev, Kelli and Jessy Jones

HALLOWEEN AUSSIE STYLE :)

We had a witch, ghost, and fairy princess at our house for Halloween this year!! There really wasn't many choices in the stores (maybe an end cap with costumes instead of rows and rows.)

Originally I had planned just to have a little party at home with the kids to celebrate Halloween and I was a little bummed by that because I love Halloween and it just didn't seem the same. Not many kids here trick-or-treat. It is getting bigger they say, but not nearly as big as in the States. However, a friend of mine from the ward planned an impromptu trunk-or-treat (the day before literally) and it was so much fun. There were only 10 cars there - but not bad for the short notice. A few people kept saying what a great idea this was and we told them that we do them back home and explained how big they get - they were amazed. The kids loved it and it made Halloween more like back home!! The nice thing about having less cars is you have less candy to take back home with you and less to ration out for months and months. However, with less kids they get more lollies at each car than the normal one, maybe two, at each stop. I told Kev that next year he needs to plan a Elder's Quorum/ward Halloween party. It would be a blast and I could get my Halloween fix!! I also think that I will plan a party next year for the kids - the Jones' did this in Adelaide and I am going to steal their idea next year.

Here are some pictures that I love of our kids in their costumes:

THE WITCH

Madi's friend Antoi from church - she didn't know what she was

THE GHOSTCooper's friend Jocelyn from church - she was Shrek.

THE FAIRY PRINCESS

I have been feeling a bit homesick about Halloween and fall in Utah - but Halloween turned out better than I had anticipated!! Next year will be even better. I miss seeing all of my nieces and nephews in their costumes, the trunk-or-treat at mom's church (100's of cars - okay that may be an exaggeration), my Halloween party, and sloppy Joes and homemade rootbeer (mom, I still need your recipe) but all in all it wasn't bad. I will just be more excited when I get those things again!! I left all of my decorations back home though, and I am kicking myself. I really should have brought them with me -oh well, nothing I can do about that now.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!! EAT SOME SNACK SIZED CANDY BARS FOR ME (BUTTERFINGER AND SNICKERS ARE MY FAVORITE). We would love to hear about Halloween back home - let us know your costumes and you activities for the big night!