Our little Nemo

Alan has been to three swimming lessons so far. The first two were with Brad and the third was with me. I didn't get any pictures from the first lesson because it was too traumatic. We had to wake him up from a nap to leave for class. 

He's a little obsessed with blankets! Hate to wake him up but he did get a good long nap.

He hadn't been swimming since Key Lime Cove for Grandpa Van Camp's 60th birthday. Though he had since grown to LOVE taking baths. I got some good pictures from the second lesson before all the dunking started. 

The boys before getting in the water.

By the third class he didn't cry at all. He was much more relaxed and started to enjoy splashing around. They have them sit on the edge of the pool and sing Humpty Dumpty ending with a dunk on fall. They have the little ones shimmy along the side of the pool to the tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider to teach them how to get to safety once they get to the edge. 

Dad showing Alan how to blow bubbles.

They also do their fair share of dunking at each lesson. They teach the parents to blow in the child's face so they suck in air and hold their breath (it works).  

Alan getting ready to jump of the float for the first time (things go down hill after that dunk)!

Van Camp Piano Service (skips a generation)

Alan loves his music table from Grandma Van Camp! Recently the batteries were spent and due for a change. I got out my tools and changed them with Alan looking over my shoulder. I had an extra screwdriver (very well aware it's not the safest toy) that I handed over to avoid hysterics. He tinkered happily for quite some time. As I watched him, I wondered if some day he would follow in his Grandma Van Camp's foot steps and work on real pianos? I suppose time will tell. But for now it's precious to see his little mind at work. Maybe some day he'll learn the tricks of the trade - starting with wearing pants to work. 

Armageddon Day

The view from our apartment on the morning of September 23rd, 2009.

We haven't felt the need to purchase an alarm clock since Alan consistently gets up in the six o'clock hour. On Wednesday morning when he first woke up, Brad and I thought it was a mistake because there was a red glow in the bedroom and surely he must be up too early. We didn't think the glow strange at first. We thought it must be a pretty sunrise but not pretty enough to get us out of bed! After a few minutes passed, Alan was back to sleep but suddenly mother nature was calling. As I passed a clock I realized that it was 6:45 AM. I hurried to tell Brad because I wasn't sure what time he was planning to go to work. He hopped out of bed saying that he should get in the shower. We came out in the family/dining room and opened the blinds to discover what was causing the eerie glow. We had never seen anything like it before and both thought it must be fog lit up by sunshine. It seemed pretty special so we hurried to get the camera and snap a photo. There was a nice breeze so we decided to leave the door open. I turned on the news while Brad rushed off to get ready. Of course it was the top story and as I tuned in they were saying that people should avoid going outside, keep your windows closed, etc. Yikes! I ran over to close the window and then to tell Brad that it's actually a dust storm. 

For the most part, the dust settled within a few hours. It was the country's worst dust storm in seventy years. An article said "The haze was visible from space, appearing as a huge brown smudge in satellite photographs of Australia." Conservative projections said that 1000 tons of dust would fall in Sydney alone (crazy liberals were guesstimating 4000 tons but we'd rather take a conservatives word for it). The ferries were cancelled and international flights had to be diverted. Alan and I stayed indoors as much as possible yet I still felt a burning in my chest and eyes from it (our windows leave a lot to be desired). Brad called to say that people walking around outside were wearing face masks and covering their mouth and nose with handkerchiefs. It was a day unlike any other that I've ever experienced and definitely worth sharing. 

Live from Australia

Hard to believe that we've been here for over a month already! A lot has happened in a short period of time. We found an apartment, furnished it, celebrated Alan's first birthday, and managed to find some time for sight seeing. It's funny to reflect on where we are versus where we've been. Brad and I never imagined living in an apartment again. Although I don't think either one of us ever thought we would live in Australia. Life is full of surprises.

View of Sydney Opera House from ferry. Alan with his friend and birthday buddy Annabelle.

Brad attended several wards before I got here. Once he found one that he liked, I started looking online for places to live. For him, internet access was hard to come by at first. He would go to McDonald's at night for the free wifi to check email. On his days off he would try go see apartments and quickly discovered that the rental market here was HOT! People were somehow signing leases before the showing even took place. Given the fact that we were up against so much competition, we decided to use bribery. That was our ace in the hole since we had no rental history, credit history, or references. So we have a nice two bedroom, two bathroom unit with a great view of Sydney. It's across the street from a shopping mall, within walking distance of a library, parks, movie theatre, post office (great for all those packages from home) and the train station. The best perk of all is our great neighbors that Brad met at church who are also from the US. After we signed the lease we found out they live in the same building on the same floor. It's kind of like being back in a college dorm. We visit almost daily so that Alan and Annabelle can play. Since their birthdays are two days apart we threw a joint party.  They've been here for almost a year and have made our transition so much easier. 

The view of Sydney from our apartment and the pool down below.

I owe special thanks to Liesl for showing me the ropes. Alan and I go with her and Annabelle to Rhyme Time at the library, swimming lessons, and playgroup. There are so many activities here for moms with little ones! Maternity leave is one year at most places except for Aldi where it's TWO years. I've seen a lot of women with kids that are barely one already (pretty far along) pregnant with the next one. They go back to work for a couple of months and take another year off. That is one thing I wish the US would pick up on from the Aussies (and most of the rest of the civilized world for that matter). Outside of that, I'd say we've gained a greater appreciation for the US. 

A few of the animals from Taronga Zoo: Luk Chai the baby elephant and a cuddly koala!

For those who want to keep in touch our new address is:

706/581-587 Kingsway

Miranda, NSW 2228

Australia

I'm sure we won't get many phone calls but what the hey

Home Phone: 02 8581 0308