FINALLY! A little exploring.

Simpson's Gap

This morning we decided to make our first expedition outside the city. We settled on a place somewhat close, since it was our first time (the kid's first time) out. Simpson's Gap is about 20 min away. It is a waterhole and prominent gap in the MacDonnell Ranges. Since we got a later start than intended (whoda thunk?) we ended up hitting it in high sun and heat. Luckily, once you park, it's a short walk to the gap itself. The pictures are in order. You can see that we first walked a trail alongside the dry bed (notice the no swimming sign) down to the gap. When we walked back, we came up the bed itself. It's rocky sand and a little slower, harder walking, so the kids started to complain a bit. All in all, I think they did well for their first walk-about! We had fun. There are some pictures taken in the car on the way home so you can see some of the scenery. Last are some of Cole and Brady playing air guitar and air keyboard to Willie Nelson and Gracie recuperating! Paula, these pics are for you!

A Very Merry Christmas from the Cavanaghs

Christmas

I'm cooking Christmas dinner. Let's hope it goes better than Thanksgiving dinner! Turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, fruit, cucumber tomato and onion salad, yum! Lots of starch but oh well, it's Christmas. Cole woke me up at 5:00 this morning and confessed that yes, he'd been in the living room and yes, Santa had brought presents. Luckily he wasn't too disappointed that his main gift had a part missing (curse Amazon) and the girls didn't care too much that there were no batteries for their toys (curse Mommy). All in all, despite the mishaps and the breakfast disaster, the morning was great (never should have tried to put fresh blueberries in the pancakes - my kids don't like "fresh" anything).

My Mom wrote a poem for me based on the description of our Christmas Eve day. Since it's so cute, I thought I would share: (ahem)

Momma awoke with a sniffle and a tear,
She’s having spring allergies for the second time this year.

But there is no time to feel bad on Christmas Eve day,
There is still much to do Jason would say.

So she hit the floor running at her top speed,
She knew that this man had to have someone to lead.

Getting the kids ready they were out the door,
Hardly letting their feet hit the floor.

To the butcher and grocer this family sped,
With thoughts of Christmas dinner in their heads.

Some turkey and veggies would be just the thing,
It had such a traditional Christmas ring.

Then it was on to the local K-mart store,
But after seeing the crowds it was back out the door.

By now the kids were all fussy and wanted to play,
The pool sounded great on this 90 degree day.

So home they went with their Christmas meal,
Angie’s allergies were better after taking her pill.

With the house to clear and gifts to wrap,
Jason could be heard grumbling about missing his nap.

After having their dinner there was cookies to make,
For Santa to have on his own special plate.

Covered with flour and sugar from their head to their toe,
“What time was Santa coming” they all wanted to know.

“Santa always comes to Australia first”, Pappa said,
So its time for all of you to go to bed.

After giving them lots of kisses and hugs,
They went to sleep, snug as a bug.

And after doing their special job, as good parents do,
They decided that it was their bedtime too.

And by turning the air to fifty degrees,
They knew that they would awake to an Australian Christmas would be as cool at they pleased.

And closing her eyes Angie took time to think,
That some things never change, even outside the States…….

ONCE AGAIN THEIR GIFTS TO EVERYONE WERE BEING MAILED OUT LATE.


So that's it in a nutshell. Once again, I have failed to mail my packages on time. This time, however, it's from halfway around the world ensuring that they will be even later than usual! No one is surprised I'm sure. I'm always late. But I'm consistent. Getting something on time would actually shock most of you so, instead of risking your healthy hearts, I'll just keep on being my old reliable self!

I also had grand intentions of getting Christmas cards out. "The road to hell..." I suppose. Anyway, since they were obviously not sent, I decided to present you with the pic I intended to use (above) as well as the other pics from that photo shoot (double click). Notice how the smiles get more and more forced! I think I got one of Brady pulling wedgie from her butt too. Classic.

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas this year. We miss you terribly but are having a grand ole time!

They Just Keep Growing Up

Cole's Birthday

Cole turned 7 on the 16th. My big man! Well, actually he's a little skinny but that's quite normal for his age I'm sure. Boney little thing he is! Anyway, we had a birthday party with the neighbors. We bought a pool and lots of water guns. The pool tried to get the best of us by needing a special adapter to inflate. But my ingenious husband turned the table. It's amazing what you can do with a tube, duct tape and a leaf blower! The kids stayed in until they were pruned and wrinkly. With only a few minor battle scars from overzealous gun-weilders. Pizza, Skittles and M&Ms rounded out with Chocolate/Chocolate cake and ice cream. All in all it was a good afternoon.

The pictures above (double click on the pic) are from the party but some before as well. Notice the girls' new cuts. Brady's is shorter but she's growing her bangs. Unfortunately she won't keep her hair clips in. She likes it hanging in her eyes. There are also some pictures from when we sat outside the other night with neighbors watching a storm roll in.

Brady Mourns her Later Loss of Hair

So I'm brushing Brady's hair this morning and telling her that both Cole and Gracie will be getting a hair cut tonight. Cole needs it, Grace wants it. So I ask Brady "would you like a haircut?". She's very thoughtful, she loves her long hair. But she feels like she's missing out on something and she really wants to try something new with hers. Brady decided that she wants it cut up to her shoulders, no her ears, no her shoulders, no her chin, no her shoulders. She finally settles on up to the shoulders but immediately begins to cry (very real, very distressed tears). Of course I told her that this was not a mandatory haircut. I really couldn't care less. Yes, it would be easier to care for, but, hey, it's her hair not mine. Her decision. So she insists that she wants a haircut but she continues to cry uncontrollably as I write this. Cole is speaking with her now. She's saying "I can't, hiccup, make, hiccup, a decision." What the hell will we do when she's 15?

Tinsel and Teatowels

Cole's Christmas Program

Cole's Christmas program was called Tinsel and Teatowels. It was fabulous! Unfortunately, my camera flash kept making my photos too dark (couldn't have been user error!) so there aren't as many pics as I would have liked. Margaret from the front office is the one arranging Cole's tinsel and towel. I, having never been to one, had no idea what I was supposed to do with it. By the time I had finished with him, I somehow had him looking like a very fruity version of Super-Man. Thankfully she came to the rescue. Apparently we had too much tinsel, Margaret's job looked better but much like a shiny turban. Regardless, the night was great. We finished by having cookies and milk at our neighbor's house along with a few other families. The kids played outside until it was too dark to see and the adults sat around in lawn chairs chatting it up.

Another Installment of "Christmas in Australia"

Cole's Santa picture. (That's an X-Box in the bag). Guess Santa was having engine trouble.

Man Cold

Ok, saw this posted on someone else's blog and just had to put it on here. Too funny. This is actually from a BBC show "Man Stroke Woman". Look them up on YouTube if you want to see more.

Boy Grows Up

Cole didn't want to hold my hand today in front of his friends. Sniff.

Christmas in Australia

Brady and I were having a discussion yesterday and she asked me if I knew about the "Six White Boomers". Of course I didn't so she told me that Santa's sleigh was led by six white boomers (big kangaroos) in Australia. This explained the huge white kangaroos pulling Santa's chair in the local shopping plaza. Way cool. When Santa actually comes and we take a pic of the kids with him then I'll be sure to post it. Also, today at Brady's school, they played the coolest Aussie Jingle Bells song. I came home and looked it up with the intention of putting on the blog. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure how to put it on. So here is a site to listen and read the lyrics.

http://www.angelfire.com/hi3/austblonde/xmasjing.html

You'll have to just cut and paste, the link thing isn't working for me. Anyway, below is a description of some of the aussie terms in the song. (totally stolen from another website)

1) Holden is a make of car, its main opposition in Australia is Ford or Toyota. See below. Ute is an abbreviation of utility. The ute is usually based on the current model car and is thus about the size of a car and not usually as large as what Americans call a "pick up truck" so "dashing through the bush in a rusty Ford pick up truck" is a translation. Pronunciation Holden - hold den. Ute to rhyme with boot.

2) An esky is a portable cooler to keep your drink and food cool. Say 18 inches long by 12 wide by 15 height. A clip on lid and a handle, we put ice in them to do the cooling. Very well insulated,

3) A Kelpie is an Australian breed of dog. Much like a Border Collie only a rougher coat. Traditionally trained to herd sheep and is a farmers best friend.

4) Swaggie is an abbreviation of Swagman. These were men who during the depression tramped the country side with their few possession in a swag on their back. The english translation would be similar to a tramp.

5) Don't tell me you have not, run off and left your mum to do the washing up of all the dirty dishes after a meal. Shoot through means leave suddenly. This line means load the presents into the car and leave before the washing up is done.

A Holden Ute:

Not sure if that's a Kelpie on the back but it looks like some of the pics I've seen.

Today was cool and rainy in the evening. The kids played and rode bikes in the rain with their friends. I took a couple of pictures and will post when I get more taken (the batteries needed charging but I'm up and running now). Cole has his Christmas program tomorrow night so I'm sure we'll have tons from that too.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far. Miss you!

Brady's got Boobies

A self portrait. By Brady (in case you didn't recognize her). I fear she'll be like her mother, forever dreaming of the boobies she'll never have. Anyway, so sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. Truthfully, there are times when my humor and thoughts stay locked in my head and I sit at the computer...poof, they disappear! Guess it's a blond thing.

We never made it to family day last weekend. After spending the morning in the heat (I thought Cole might pass out at the baseball game) and at gymnastics, we just couldn't see going back out in 105 degree weather. Yes, I said 105. And it's only going to get worse! The kids and I did have a great time at the birthday/pool party until someone went and pooed in the pool (thankfully not until right before we left). It wasn't any of us or anyone from our party (just in case you were wondering). Brady broke the pinata (how do you spell that?). She swung like a champ and put the big boys to shame.

Gotta go, a neighbor's here! I'll write more later.

The Laundry Elf

Cole Doing Laundry

Poppa's been teaching Cole to do laundry. I say "Ha" to that because Jason seems to ruin everything he washes. It's the same reason he always did a pitiful job of putting diapers on the kids when they were little, or why he wipes the toilet seat with tissue when asked to scrub the bathroom...he doesn't like the job and therefore he does it poorly knowing that I won't ask him to do it again. It's genius really. Took a few years to figure it out though (never said I was quick when it comes to Jason's mind...I seem to always be a step or two behind). Anyway, Cole helped with the laundry.

In other news, Brady learned to ride a 2-wheeler. She's a little unsteady yet, but she's doing great. Cole's getting better with his every day too. They've been brave little monkeys so far, getting back up each time they fall with very few tears. Grace is already crying to learn herself (never one to be left out) so we'll have to start working on that soon.

Kid Cavanagh Funnies:
While planning our trip to the Desert Park, we talked about wanting to make it to the Birds of Prey show, Brady wanted to know how it was that birds prayed! (Coo Coo Ca Choo - Betty Sue, that one's for you).

Cole was saying something silly (can't even remember what it was now), Brady kept fussing at him about it. Cole said "I'm just being silly. God Brady (sounding exasperated), that's why I don't like you very much." Classic.


Anyway, click the pic for a few more candid shots and a couple from the Christmas Program.

A Star on the Rise

Thanksgiving Program

These are videos of Brady's Christmas Program at school. In the first, she is not wearing a costume and is standing beside the Christmas tree, in the second she is the third angel from the right and the last she is the last angel on the right.

The second clip is where Brady had her very own solo singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". If you are wondering why she keeps circling, she's trying to keep sight of the star being carried around the group.

She did such a wonderful job!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone for us. I guess it's still going on for all of you unless you've overloaded on turkey and dressing and decided to call it a very early day. (Too much Tryptophan).

Our first Thanksgiving in Australia was uneventful. Jason did get his haircut but the car had to wait (two week wait if you can believe it). We spent the day at home being slugs while the kids played with the neighbors. Eventually we mustered the energy to clean the house. It's always much quicker and easier to stomach when the five of us do it together. And of course the kid's cooperate more because Jason has that fatherly presence that seems to whip them into action, whereas I have to beg, plead and order every tiny chore I get out of them. Anyway, since Brady's Christmas program at school was to start at 6:00, I decided we would eat Thanksgiving Dinner at about 5:00 then head on to the school. I had purchased an imposter turkey (you have to preorder the real ones and they run about $60-$80). It was called "Turkey Leg Roast" on the label. It seemed to be a big turkey leg and lots of dark meat squished into a roast like ball and bound with string. But I figured "What the Hell, turkey is turkey". But the mad chef strikes again! I misread the label (I know, very hard to believe) to say that it should be cooked for 40 minutes - but it actually read 40 min per 500 grams!!! Big difference and it threw off our dinner timing plans since I didn't actually start it until 3:30. Well, the girls were too excited about their new little dresses to worry about eating so we cooked half the food and headed off to the program. We came home directly after, finished cooking and were able to sit down to a meal at precisely 7:45 in the evening. That's a good 15-30 minutes after the kid's normal bedtime. The turkey wasn't half bad. We had mashed potatoes, broccoli, corn-on-the-cob, fresh melon (it's summertime here), and a couple of other things I can't actually recall right now. We had brownies for dessert. It wasn't Momma's Thanksgiving dinner but it was something.

The Christmas program was great! I must brag for a moment - Brady was the only child with a solo singing part!!!!!!! Her teacher said she has a wonderful singing voice. We recored her stirring rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and I hope to have it and a few other pictures downloaded later today so be on the lookout.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! We miss you and wish we could be with you today. Out of all the things we have to be thankful for, our family and friends are the most important. You all continue to amaze me with your love and support in everything that we do. We are blessed and we love you.

And it Continues...

Will the sickness ever end? Cole's still seems to be lingering. He now has very faint polka dots on his face. I sent him to school yesterday thinking everything was fine. When I picked him up, he walked across the campus towards me at a sluggish pace with his head kind of hanging down. Poor baby stayed at school with a headache all day. His temp was 102.5. Those are when Mommies feel their worst. Anyway, why do you suppose it is that, at home, there's no fever and everything's great, but send them to school and everything goes to hell in a handbasket? Well of course he'll probably have the whole week off. We're keeping him out for Thanksgiving regardless.

That's another issue altogether. Gotta get a turkey, or something else that is Thanksgiving like. Guess I need to do that today, huh? Since the Aussie's (by the way, that's pronounced Ozzies) don't celebrate thanksgiving, we've decided to get a few things done on our self-pronounced holiday. We hope to take the car in for servicing, get Jason a haircut (which you have to make appointments for here - none of that walk-in stuff), and do a little Christmas shopping. Oh and of course have a grand meal in a spotless house, giving thanks for all of our blessings. I think we can fit it all in. The meal part will be tough. Last night I screwed up a pork-roast and had to make a quick meal of homemade Chili-Mac to substitute (thanks to my can of Hormel chili from the commissary). Why can't I cook? Thanksgiving here should be interesting. As if I'm not challenged enough, now I have to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius for everything recipe. And the oven's so tiny it's comical. Yes, the deck is stacked against me. Good thing is, if I screw up, nothing's closed, so take-out is still an option.

In closing, Cole told me this morning (it's 7:30 am here) that he wants to learn to sky-dive. I'm sure it took a couple of years off my life just thinking about it.

Gracie Gets the Polka Dots

Polka Dots

The kids have been sick. So what's new? (Although I must admit, it has been a while since we've had to deal with the sickies) First Brady ran a fever, then Grace and now it's on to Cole. Why it can't happen to all at one time is beyond me. Of course now that Gracie is better, we're still unable to take her anywhere because of the horrible spots that have come after the fever. She enthusiastically explained it to the Doctor as "I got polka dots!". Fortunately, the Doctor told us it's not Chicken Pox and she's not sick enough for it to be measles. Therefore it's must be one of those wonderful "other" viruses that kids get from time to time. While she's no longer contagious, she's utterly unpresentable. We've been spending a lot of time indoors. Click on the picture for more pics from a girl's photo session.

All Hail the French's!

Ok, so undoubtedly you all have been wondering where I've been. After all, it's been a while since my last post. And yes, I am in no way kidding myself into thinking that this is more about me (or Jason for that matter) than it is about getting more pictures of the kids! Sorry, there are none to be found here, but I promise to start clicking and uploading more soon - hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, I suppose an explanation is in order.

First, I've been very busy. The holidays are among us. Since everything is quite expensive here and I have to order online to get the things we need shipped in, that means that I cannot be my usual procrastinating self and wait until the last minute. As those of you know who have received their photo books, I've been a busy bee. Unfortunately, most of my time spent online searching for the right gifts ends with a few gifts (not nearly what I need) and a few laughs (I'm easily sidetracked). So while I've been online, I haven't concentrated on blog or email much at all.

Also (and how should I put this without worrying the beejeesus out of everyone?), I've been in a funk. I say funk because saying I've been depressed sounds, well, depressing. We were inundated with tons of information when we moved here about what to expect. The psychologists put out lots of info on what I like to refer to as the "cycle" of emotions on moving to Alice Springs. At first you're definitely on a high just from excitement alone. It's exciting moving to a new place, meeting new people, doing new things. Then comes that place on the chart (there actually was a chart) where the inclining line of excitement humps and becomes the declining line of depression. I woke up one morning and said "yep I'm there". Much like "stop the adventure I'm ready to get off". It's a point where you realize that while everything is fun, it's still basically all the same just with a lot more hassle - new = hassle. So essentially, I walked around in my funk for awhile. Doesn't really feel like the holidays, but I have the pressure of the holidays. Have great new friends but miss the old. That kind of stuff.

Anyway, I'm feeling better now. Probably not 100%, but much better so no worries from any of you! (Did I mention that's like the Australian motto "No Worries" - it's true everyone says it) But isn't it funny how the strangest things can perk you up? Two days ago we received our commissary shipment from Japan (ordering American groceries to be mailed free of charge from one of our commissaries in Japan is one of our perks). As Jason and I were loading our many boxes of groceries in the car, I noticed a sign on the door of the APO that simply said something to the affect of "Property of the Australian Government". For some reason this hit my funk like a ton of bricks - all but shattering it. I am really in another country. And despite the fact that a very rude man gave me a parking ticket that day and talked condescendingly to me, it's been a great experience so far. They are all so wonderful. And it's all so beautiful. And I should be enjoying it not stressing it. Then we get home and unload our treasure (and yes, it's a treasure when you consider you don't know when you'll see your next Chessmen cookie and, oh look, there's some in your box) and the next thing you know, I'm eating an egg and cheese sandwich with, wait for it.......Kraft mayonnaise! And the next day, I had a turkey sandwich with, wait for it........French's mustard! And the last of my funk went tumbling.

All About Me

Tomorrow I turn the big 3-7. One year closer to the big 4-0. But I won't complain as to not irritate those of you reading this who are older than I am. I told Jason that when he comes home tomorrow morning (he's working a night shift tonight), that the only thing I ask of him is to remember to tell me "Happy Birthday". Because, let's face it folks, my husband isn't the best at remembering those types of things. But I love him anyway. The present I requested?...a day of peace in our room. No, no, not that kind of peace...I want Jason to get up with the kids and take care of them for one entire day next weekend so that I might have a full day of rest and relaxation hanging out in our room. (Remember, this is Alice Springs - not many places to go for the day and truthfully, I might not feel like putting on my makeup). I may read, I may write, I may sleep. Whatever I choose, I want to do it without little people bothering me and without worrying about them. Probably not a good sign that he walked out laughing his head off. But I'll keep you posted.

Finalween

Man I'm happy Halloween is over! I'm tired. It got the best of me, I must admit. We did have a blast this year but the price was high. Anyway, here are the pics from the grown-up party. Every year the people from work (Jason's not mine - haha) throw a big bash with a live band in the middle of one of what we like to call "the single people"'s neighborhood. Jason and I went over with our neighbors (it's within walking distance). The pictures here are pre-party since I refused to go around all night carrying my camera. But, hey, that's when we usually look our best anyway. Jason went as Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter (notice the chest wound - we're so morbid). Everyone totally loved him! I went as Axl Rose and rocked in my costume (whoda thunk you could actually find a kilt in the middle of a place like Alice Springs). The highlights: a priest tried to feel my boobs (which goes to show how hard up a priest must be since mine aren't exactly impressive), we got to use Rick James bathroom, Jason was a master at beer pong (but we still lost because I suck), my husband actually danced with me (woohoo!), we partied like we were 20 again except at 11:00 I called it quits because I wanted my bed!!!! We are too old for this!

Grownup Halloween

The Real Halloween

Had a party. The kids had a blast. Got a few pics of our three and lots of shots of people you guys don't know. Our kids never seemed to be around. (Don't worry - they were all being taken care of!) Jason cooked hotdogs until he had to go to work. The kids crashed close to 9:00 on a serious sugar high. Didn't hear anything out of them for the remainder of the night! Click to see the other pictures.

Halloween - Again

Grace and the Prince Get Love - Video

I'm just going to get over my embarrassment and go ahead and post this. It's too cute. The girls had just gotten out of the tub and their hair wasn't combed. Brady had eaten what remained of her spaghetti dinner and had sauce on her chin. The house is a mess - but who would expect anything else. Anyhooo, here's Grace telling you about her wedding and Brady and Cole chiming in on their life. Click the pic to play the video.

Gracie and the Prince Get Love

For All You Red Sox Fans - CELEBRATE!!!

Our Sunday

102807

We didn't make it to mass today. I felt so guilty (I'll make the best Catholic). It was just that 8:00 am rolled around so quickly and I knew that I couldn't get the kids ready and looking presentable by the time we had to leave for 9:00 service. We could have gone at 11:00 but then they don't have children's church and the kids are antsy the whole time, making me crazy and Poppa cranky. So I decided we would have bible study at home. Well you know what they say about the road to hell. Instead we had a fun lazy day. Which I'm sure God will look at as quality family time and cut us some slack (we hope).

Jason wanted a new tattoo, but since we're saving money we decided on the home-made version. For any of you with little kids, this is a fun art project. Just make sure to use washable markers! Later the kids played outside with the neighbors in the water hose. They had a great time.



The boy to the right is Brady's boyfriend "Nick" (one of the twins from our neighborhood). Nick is a great kid and just loves Brady. He does nice things for her like making sure her watergun has enough water, opening her bags of chips, etc. Really, some of you grown men out there could take lessons. I was concerned about this hot and heavy hook-up until I asked Brady a couple of questions yesterday. I asked "Is Nick your boyfriend?", she said "Yes". I asked "What does it mean to be boyfriend and girlfriend?", she looked at me puzzled and had no answer. I figured we were safe.

Click on the pic of Jason for more photos.

Star Wars Meets the Dancing Diva

1st Halloween Pty

Our 1st Halloween Party (in case you're wondering - lots more pics will be coming from Halloween night - hosting a neighborhood party in our driveway). Brady is a dancing Bratz girl, Gracie is Princess Leia and Cole is Darth Vader. Brady hadn't had her hair done yet in some of the pictures, but she was still cute. It was a work party hosted at the work Community Liaison Office. There was face painting, games, a haunted house and costume contests. Gracie came in second in her age group. The kids had a blast as usual! Our day started with Cole's baseball game (they lost but boy did they play well) and the girl's gymnastics class. When we got home tonight, Gracie kept saying "It was a good day Mom". It was a great day!

Click the pic for more! Debbie - make sure to check out Darth Vader the Red Sox fan!

Opinion Poll

I'm taking a poll. Since Gracie has decided to repeatedly wet her pants over the past few days (I'm talking down to the bone wet - not a few dribbles), I'm considering threatening that she will not be allowed to turn 4 on her next birthday, she must stay 3 for another year.

Possibly Effective or Scar Her For Life? What's your opinion?

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

You are looking at the illustrious "diamond fork". The most sought after utensil in the Cavanagh household. Wanted by both girls at each meal - and there is only one. Many tears have been shed and hearts broken over the use of this beautiful fork. It makes all things right and meals taste unbelievable when eaten with it.

Soon, though, Mommy will stab herself with said fork to put herself out of the misery of constant bickering over the little things. How will they feel about the diamond then?

New Pictures

Brady's School

Most of these were taken at Brady's school (Grace will be attending next year). It's a great place with lots of outdoor activities - and yes those are chickens you see running around. The kids help take care of them and they eat the eggs. Make sure you check out the ones with Jason and kids toward the end of the album. And, yes, Brady is half naked in the last picture - but the dress-up clothes that she did have on made her too cute to resist.

One Person's Cantelope...

is Rockmellon to the Australians and Camel-lope to Gracie.

What the Girls Do During Baseball

What the Girls Do

Check Brady out! Diva! This is a picture of the girls during one of the boy's baseball practices - they had the most fun. Believe me, it's hard to scrub a tub after a day like this! Click the pic for more. (Make sure to double click on a picture in the album for a large, close-up view)

Who's on First?

Baseball

The boys started baseball - first game was Saturday. They are the Eagles. They lost but had fun anyway. Cole got a hit and this is him on first base. Isn't he cute? Click on the picture for a few more - Cole is the one in the catchers get-up. Pop's co-coaching with other parents, and me...well I just walk around and act like I know what I'm doing. We'll get some closer up soon and maybe even one with the whole team. Thanks to Courtney for snapping these!

Walk On!

As many of you know, my Grandmother has Alzheimer's. There is a walk today (tonight in my case) benefiting the Alzheimer's Association. My mother, two of my Aunts and some other family and friends will be participating. Just wanted to put a shout out for good luck, don't let your legs buckle up and breath steady, in and out. I'll be thinking of you guys and wishing I were there with you!

I'm a Geek!

Ok, call me a geek. I'm so loving my blog. Check out my new description (under the title). Also, I added a link to Shelley's blog (down on the right under "favorite blogs"). Go girl!

It's Always Something

11:15 pm - Alice Springs time.

Hooray! We received our household goods today and that's it, no more shipments. What we have is what we're living with for the next few years. Everything else is in storage. So the house is a complete wreck. But Jason's really excited because his big, ugly, man recliner is here. You should have seen him sitting in it today - scratching himself. He didn't even seem to care that, because of the boxes, it's in the middle of the kitchen floor. He still sat there and read his book - scratching himself. And we were both pumped about getting our bed. You guys know the one. Our big king size, I-won't-touch-you-if-you-don't-touch-me bed. The one where the mattress is flipped to the wrong side of it's one-sidedness because it makes our backs feel better. Yeah, that's the one. Well, after spending the day carrying kids around and unloading boxes, I was so looking forward to my first good night's sleep in a while. Jason went to bed a little before me and when I came in to go to sleep...snoring. That's right and he was probably scratching himself in his sleep too. So, I push him and make him roll over on his side. Which works, but I still can't get to sleep for wondering where my curling irons are (they never seemed to turn up). So by the time I start to actually doze...more snoring. It's always something. Just thought I would get the bitching out of my system. Thanks for listening. Gonna try to get some sleep - let's hope I don't end up on the couch!

All About Poppa - And Our Love For Him.

Isn't he cute? Just in case any of you didn't know, Jason is here with us and doing fine. We don't purposely leave him out of the blog. It's just that I think so much about keeping you all up to date on the kids. And let's face it, I think so much about myself. Truly, I am having the most fun with this blog! So sometimes I forget about the man behind it all.

Jay is settling in at work very well and being very social (I'm so proud because we all know how tough that one is for him). He's been able to watch one Pat's game and will be watching the big one this weekend. The Red Sox have been on Fox Sports and he watched the game yesterday. He doesn't appear to be suffering too much from lack of American sports. He's been SuperDad watching the kids and he's been attending mass regularly (Gert would be proud).

We love that Poppa of ours! Post a comment for him to show him you care!

The Ladies Jim Jam Party!

Let me tell you about my weekend! Once again I found myself booked. That's right, the calendar was full. I'm penciling people and parties in for ease of quickly rearranging my schedule...maybe I should get a Blackberry...hmmm.

Anyway, Friday night I went the the ballet to see Heather (my wonderful neighbors 5 year old) dance as a Gingerbread boy in Hansel and Gretel, boy was she a cutie. Then last night, I went with friends to a grown-up ladies pajama party. It was a fundraiser for cancer research and man it was a blast. Hundreds of women running around in our jammies, drinking wine and dancing to music from the 70's and 80's. There were booths set up for manicures and pedicures, massages, lingerie, booze! It was the most fun!

Of course to go to a pajama party you must have new pajamas. And of course I had no one to go shopping with me so I couldn't make a decision. And of course we all know that when Angie can't make a decision she buys it all. Three pairs of jammies and some fuzzy slippers later....anyway, you get the picture. Above is me (as taken by Gracie because I feel too stupid going to Jason and saying "take a picture of me baby")the morning after. The cool thing about pajama parties where you drink too much wine is you can go home and fall straight into bed!!!!! (I looked much cuter last night)

Is he Hip or is it the Cha-Cha? You Decide.

School Uniform

School uniform pics as promised (a day late - sorry). Isn't he handsome? Tomorrow I'll try to remember to take ones of his "sports" uniform - way cuter. Brady's in there somewhere too.

School Uniform Photos

Will be posted sometime tomorrow.

Moms World - II The Night After the 1st Day

It's late again and I'm going on to bed instead of waiting up to call everyone, but I'm sure that all of you have been anxious to hear about the first day of school! Everything seems to have gone great! When I dropped Cole off at school this morning, we were both a nervous wreck! We went upstairs to the end of the top floor, room #11, Mrs. Hurley. Mrs Hurley was nice but seemingly no-nonsense. We got him settled, placed lunch and snack bags away and got him his desk (big kid desk now, none of those communal tables). All kids have a writing book that they use so he received that. He has a bit of catching up to do - the class is a combination 1st and 2nd grade level. I believe it is an attempt to get him up and ready for Year 2 as soon as possible. They seemed a bit more advanced in their writing skill and math level, but I was told not to worry and to let him settle in. In other words I was dismissed! Really wanted to smooch him before I left but was able to hold myself back. It made us both feel great that his neighborhood friends all saw us in the breezeway on the way to class and Hoo-Ray'd that he was in school. Such sweet boys. He was able to play with the twins during lunch and he said he met a couple of friends although he can't really remember their names. All in all, he was happy with his day!

The girls insisted on wearing their backpacks to Cole's school even though their classes didn't begin until noon. Grace almost didn't make it because a of a bad case of the fussies! She even said she wasn't feeling very well and she didn't want to go. When we went down to register and pay, she decided to stay. Although she insists that she missed me, I find it hard to believe, she seemed WAAAAY too happy to be there.

Brady was the most nervous of the three kids, afraid that she wouldn't make any friends. When we went in and got her settled she went out to play with the other kids and by the time I finished paying the fees she was in a happy zone with two new girlfriends. She was so excited when we picked her up, saying she got to paint and she met every kid in the school (which by the way is about 15 kids).

So school was a success! The only problem we had throughout the day I think was due to dehydration. The kids seemed to be fussy and cranky until they got a Gatorade in them after school. We have to drink more water - Cole will take a bottle to class tomorrow to drink during the day.

Anyway, thanks for thinking of the kids! And for those of you with more confidence in how the kids would do, who thought more of me and my nervous belly - I feel much better now!
Love to all!
A

Moms World

Hey there everyone! It's almost 10:00 pm here on the other side of the world and I figured instead of possibly waking someone up to call and talk, I could just talk to you all right here! I'm a bit stressed tonight. Tomorrow is the big day...school is starting. To all you parents with grown kids - hats off! How crazy is it that I'm more stressed than they are? I worry that they won't make any friends or that they'll get lost. I stress that they'll come home crying and hating life in Australia. I even called my neighbors tonight to find out what other kids pack for snacks. I guess that's so their snack will fit in with the others - insane! It's quite nerve racking though. I'm sure all will go well. After all, who doesn't love my kids - haha!

We had our first swim lesson today. Gracie's class was great, although she was a bit more advanced than the others (the cross they bear). Cole and Brady were in a class with about 12 other kids and it was total chaos. But you would all be proud of me, I voiced my concerns about the class size (any one of you who knows me well knows I'm not always the best about voicing my concerns). Anyhoo, the lady who coordinates it trampled right back over me and persuaded me to give it a couple of more weeks for everyone to get in the swing of things(I said OK because we all know I'm weak). So we'll give it a couple of more weeks and see where it goes.

Thursday starts baseball and I think Cole is the youngest on the team. (Yet another thing for me to stress about). Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he will do well! Games are on Saturday morning at 8:00 am and the girls will be in gymnastics every Sat. at 9:00 am. Aren't we the busy family?

Speaking of busy, I've been quite the socialite. I went out with the girls Saturday night and danced until I almost blew out my bad knee! That would have been bad since Lindy's not close by to come to my rescue (just saying what you're thinking Mom :-))! Then Sunday I played Tripoli (very fun game by the way) with another group of ladies - and I think I'm in for the monthly. I've also already been invited to a couple of other parties. Am I just the lady to be around or what!!?? Hahaha! Jason may soon regret this move.

On that note, my busy weekend has made for a really tired Momma. Everyone say a short prayer for the kids tomorrow!
Love to all!
A

How much can 8 kids eat?

Kids

1 Lg Pizza - 1/2 Pepp 1/2 Cheese
6 Jumbo Hotdogs
8 Cheese Sticks
1 Lg Bag of Chips
6 Jelly Sandwiches
2 Butter Sandwiches

And that's just for lunch. This is one of the many reasons I stopped at three. Check out the other pics of the kids at play.

The Kids' "College" and Tuck Shop

This is a picture of OLSH (the kids' new school) taken from the top of Anzac Hill. I thought everyone might want to see how different the campus is. It's cool actually. Access to the classrooms, computer lab, library, etc. is all outside (the teal doors opening onto the breezeway). Under the long center awning there is a rolling window to the canteen (aka the Tuck Shop). It looks the same as the rolling window of the concession stand at your little league ball parks. In fact, the Tuck Shop is pretty much our concession stand, except in Australia, the menu changes on a daily basis and the kids purchase their lunch there. They eat lunch and snack outside in the courtyard. If they bring their lunch and snack, they must be in two separate bags and they are kept in the cooler of the canteen. All classes eat lunch at the same time. This campus is known as the "Bath Street Campus" and houses grades Transition (Kindergarten) through Year 4.

The Girls

The Girls

Check out these photos of the girls being girls! A couple of our wonderful grown-up neighbors at the end.

The Reptile Center

Sunday we finally made it to the Reptile Center. It's was great and the kids loved it. The funny thing was that the lizards, and such, seemed to be eying us as much as we were eying them. Look closely at the photos (hard to see on some because of the glare from the glass enclosures) - they're posing with the kids!

Reptile Center

Mary of the Heavens

Mary of the Heavens

OK, when Brady walked in with this get-up declaring that she was "Mary of the Heavens" we thought it was about time we headed on to church. So Sunday, we just barely made it to the 11:00 mass, sitting in the back to avoid causing too much commotion (we knew the kids would get antsy). It wasn't, however, far enough away to keep people from hearing Grace ask "Is that God?" when the priest walked in. Now, some of you may recall that this is the EXACT thing that happened when my friend Teresa took Brady to mass with her over the summer in Columbus. It's a sure sign that we need to have our rears in a pew a little more often!!!! (Oh, Grace tried to anoint herself with holy water when we were leaving - classic!)

Check out the above album for a few pics of the Cavanagh kids just fooling around. They love to take pictures with Mom's camera.

Who's Checking In?

Make sure to comment every once in a while when you visit so that we can know who's checking in. Also, always check out how many posts are new since I tend to post 3-4 at one time. Thanks!

Brekky Burrito

I had to make this large so that you could see the sign - Brekky 7am. Breakfast is known here as "brekky". Been here for four weeks and I still can't say it with a straight face! The Hungry Jacks restaurant is, of course, a Burger King. The Whoppers taste exactly the same!!!! They're bigger though. Huge! Guess you could say they're whopping Whoppers!

Anzac Hill

Last Saturday the family ventured out to Anzac Hill. Anzac stands for Australian and New Zeland Army Corp. Anzac Hill is a local memorial with a beautiful view of the city and the McDonnell Ranges. Visit the page below for more information and check out our pics.

http://www.wilmap.com.au/atts/119.html

Anzac Hill

Note a few on the end are misc. snapshots around town.

E, F, G, Haych, I, J, K....

How the Aussies say "H". It's so cute.

Grace's Better Half

All of you will be pleased to know that our move here did not break up Grace's happy marriage to her "husband". Her husband must be quite besotted to follow us all the way to Alice Springs, but that's just what he did (along with the remainder of her imaginary family). We know this because Grace has told us that he lives down the street. She has asked that I drive her and Brady to his house for a sleepover. She has been on his boat and, not surprisingly, they moved the green bouncy ball with them! This is one happy marriage folks and he is one smart man (or woman, we aren't quite sure). Every argument with Mom begins with "but my husband says"! Anyway, we wish them all the luck in the world and hope their marriage is long and happy (and we hope that the know-it-all starts supporting her soon).

New Photos

Alice Springs 1

I've found a better way for everyone to view new photos. Snapfish is great but I have to email an invite to view. Also, a lot of pics that people might want to see but don't want to order have to end up in the mix. This makes it a bit easier - each person can choose to look at our photos and no one will receive an annoying email! For those of you who may want copies of pics, I will still be uploading a select few to Snapfish for ordering. Hence, you will still be receiving the annoying emails! If one doesn't make it to Snapfish that you like, just let me know and I'll take care of it.

Let me know if you have any questions about the content of some. You'll see a bit of the city during the Alice Springs Desert Festival, some of the kids' friends in the neighborhood, the outside of our very bland little duplex (we need plants) and Mom's new bush-mobile!!

The Cavanagh Kids

The kids in the front yard. Great view!

Cole starts school in 2 weeks!

We've decided on a school for the kids and registered them all! Hooray, they've been out since May and everyone is looking forward to their return!! The school is a Catholic private school. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College (a school is a "college" here and a "college" is a "university"). If you would like to see what it's like:

http://www.olshalice.nt.edu.au/info.php

We purchased his uniforms yesterday, along with an OLSH hat (no hat no play school policy) and an OLSH backpack (Mom splurged). He's going to look so great! We'll take pictures on the first day of school.

Cole will spend the remainder of the school year (their Term 4) in a Year 1 class and begin Year 2 next year (in January). Brady will begin Transition (our Kindergarten) next year. They go for half days the first two months then to whole days. Grace will be in a five day a week, half day pre-K class. (Her preschool seems so exciting - they have chickens and other animals there that they are responsible for taking care of - way cool)

What's that you say?

Sprite is "Lemonade", carbonated lemonade is "Lemontang", and I still can't find plain old lemonade. A trunk is a "boot", napkins are "serviettes", pharmacists are "chemists" and liquor stores are "bottle shops". Vacations are "holiday", a grocery cart is a "trolly" and a sucker is a "lolly". Brush up if you plan to bush-it!!!

Streaky Bacon!!!

A lot of people ask about the little differences between the US and Australia. Well this is a biggie! "Bacon" is really ham. That's right. If you order a Bacon, Egg and Cheese McMuffin it will actually be a Ham, Egg and Cheese McMuffin (or what we in the US have termed The Egg McMuffin). Don't get me wrong, a pork product is a pork product. They all taste good. As most of you know, the Cavanagh's (at least the adult ones) aren't picky eaters. But it was nice to run across what they call here "Streaky Bacon". (Probably because of the streaks of fat in the meat, or more accurately, the streaks of meat in the fat). As with all things here, it's different, but it's the same. Tastes great but you only get a few slices in a pack because they're huge!

Road Rules and the Lessons We've Learned

Number 1 Challenge Thus Far: Driving

The Northern Territory MVR gave us a Driver's License with no testing requirements! Think about it, we just hopped in a car and drove! All new laws, signs, cars and lanes! Very scary and dangerous. The first time I drove, my neighbor Veronica, knocked on our door and said "I'm going to the store and you're driving me". Thus was born an Australian motorist. Ah, the freedom...if only we had a car.

Thankfully, we received a loaner after our first week here - taxis were getting expensive. Funny thing is, the owners weren't in town at the time and had no idea it was being loaned. Their neighbor loaned it to us (and gave us lots of grapefruit and oranges from their fruit trees). That's just the way it works here and lucky for us! This is truly representative of the support given to all the newcomers. So we ended up with wheels and a fruit of the month club membership! When I saw it was a manual, I thought "oh great, as if driving here isn't scary enough". Cole said it was like being on a roller coaster, only not as fast! I was a bit jerky - hopefully I didn't do any damage to the clutch!

We recently bought a '94 Toyota 4Runner. A great bush-mobile! It has a RooBar - so when you hit kangaroos you don't do any real damage. We don't have a snorkel or a roof rack - although I'm voting for the roof rack! The kids miss the "electric windows". I miss my automatic transmission. You adjust.

Rule #1 - when you are driving a stick for the first time in 15 yrs, on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car (shifting with your left hand), in a new town where you don't know where you are going...all children riding in the vehicle MUST be silent!

Wikipedia states:

About 34% of the world by population drive on the left, and 66% on the right.

It also states the following: (Note, I've added the lessons)

• Oncoming traffic is seen coming on the right side.

Lesson: Don't veer too far to the left while subconsciously attempting to line your body up with the left hand side of your lane.

• Right-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.

Lesson: There is no "right on red". There is, however, a "left on red" - we think. Maybe we should look that up.

• Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the left side of the road.

Lesson: If you watch for signs on the right, you'll get a ticket and/or hit something.

• Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes clockwise.

Lesson: Just wait until no other vehicle is on the roundabout....way easier all around. Of course you tick the people driving behind you off but who cares, you haven't even learned to use your rear view mirror yet because you have to turn your head left instead of right. Oblivion.

• Pedestrians crossing a two-way road should first look for traffic from their right.

Lesson: Whether walking or driving, forgetting this biggie will get you squished.

• Most vehicles have a right-hand driver's position.

Lesson: Don't pay any attention to those that don't (the left-hand driver's positions in foreign lands). Seeing them will only screw you up and make you question your position on the road!

Back Online and Feelin' Fine

It's about time! I don't know about y'all but Jason and I don't quite know what to do with ourselves without our laptops. We sure have a lot to catch up on don't we? Also, since we've been out of touch we haven't been able to keep up with you guys. Please email us with your updates!

To start, see if you can play this. It's a video of Brady's actual birthday on Sept. 5th. She turned 5 and was so proud of herself.



Our party went well even if Mom slightly overbaked the cupcakes. New oven! No one attended other than family. However, the Johnsons, our neighbors and newest friends, decided to surprise her with presents! They are also the family who took us to feed the Rock Wallabies (in our Snapfish photos).

The wallabies live in the McDonnell Ranges. These are the series of mountains that our town is positioned beside (the ones that you will see in the background when our Alice pics are uploaded). At night (they are nocturnal) you can go to a local lodge to sit at the base of a mountain and hand feed the wallabies. We even fed a momma with a Joey in her pouch!

If you would like to see the pictures, email me for a Snapfish invite.

Hello Australia

We arrived in Sydney this morning at 6:00 am. I'm really unsure what time that is everywhere else in the world. Between Georgia, California and now Australia, my clock's a little off. The trip from L.A. to Sydney was 14 1/2 hours and went as well as can be expected. We were luckily able to keep the kids awake until we got on the plane at 10:30 L.A. time. They zonked as soon as their little heads hit the pillows and slept for a large part of the flight. Didn't even wake up for take off (or blast off as the girls insist on calling it)!

It also helped that we had in-flight entertainment. Little TVs were in the back of every chair. We had on demand movies and TV including kid's shows. They even had some video games to play. Surprisingly, the girl's favorite pastime was to cover one complete page of their notebook with stickers. Then they would give it to the flight attendants to post on the plane. One day the two of them are going to lose that ability to wrap people around their little fingers - then where will they be?!

They wowed one lady sitting near us on our flight to L.A. Jason recognized her as one of the NBC football announcers from last year. That's about the only "somebody" we saw. Although we saw a lot of people who thought they were someone! You really see some crazy folks in airports.

We'll keep you posted as we're able. Unsure when we'll be back on.

Down to the wire.

Well, here we are on the day of shipping for our household goods. Those will be the ones that will arrive 3-4 months after we do. This move has been quite a pain. I'm so indecisive that making the decision for what goes in luggage, what's mailed, what's shipped (as of today) and what's stored, is horribly difficult. I'll be glad when it's all done!

For the next two weeks we're living off of bare necessities. Paper and plastic for the kitchen! Guess we'll eat out a lot (that's not much of a change for us). In the meantime I have to do all of the ordinary moving stuff, change of address, etc.

Mom and Betty Sue are taking the kids for a few days. Woo-hoo! Too bad I'll be too busy to enjoy it!

My first post!!

Well, here it is. My first post. Makes me a littler nervous. I'm such a dork. Anyway, I thought that this might be a great way to keep everyone back home up to date on what's going on in our lives. Of course the road to hell is paved with good intentions and I have many. Needless to say, we'll see how far it gets.

We are gearing up for the big move. Movers have already come and taken away 800 lbs. to mail to Alice. Hopefully it will be there with no major issues when we arrive. We mailed all of the kids' toys except a few for their backpacks. We'll spend the next three weeks entertaining them! Or maybe they'll be entertaining us.

Our stuff for storage is being packed on the 16th and 17th of August. On the 20th we head for our first trip to Disney World. I'm not sure who is more excited, the grown-ups or the kids! We'll be staying at a cabin on Ft. Wilderness and we have a 4-day Disney hopper. Since none of us have been (except for Jason in high-school) we aren't quite sure what to expect, but everyone keeps telling us it's "Magical". I figure when a normally very serious, very grown-up person says it's "Magical", it must be "Magical".