Farewell Party

We had a big party on the weekend to celebrate Rorie's new job, Darian's birthday (yet again), and to bid farewell to Australia.

I am so blessed to have a cake maker in the family named Super woman Marina!!

There were heaps of activities for the kids and the adults loved my jello shooters....

My husband's clown skills came in handy when he was elected to make balloon animals (and other things......)

I made personalized shakers with the little one's, and we emptied a case of bubbles in the yard...

Our next party will be in the Middle East to celebrate Riley's second year. I am looking forward to hosting that. Perhaps I can offer camel rides for her friends:)
One thing is for sure, it won't be the same without my gorgeous family...
Trevor, Marie and Marina.
:(

Aussie animal zoo

We went to a local wildlife sanctuary the other day and had a blast!!




The girls were so good, and even sat still for an entire bird show!!

Darian's Birthday Part 2

Well the school party was full of excitement, games, bubbles, chocolate, and fun. With that comes over stimulation and exhaustion.....but it's all worth it. Stay tuned for the next chapter...
And yes..my hair is DARK!!! (that's another story!!)







































Most little girls love pink. Well mine loves pink and DINOSAURS!! She has persisted about having a dinosaur balloon for weeks now. I finally found some, just to make her day :) As well as a life size Dora balloon !

Daddy's girl

Most little girls look up to their Dad's, I know I still do. Well Darian has always had a special bond with Rorie that goes beyond words. When you ask her "Who's the best?" She replies "DADDY". Nice. This is not something that she has been trained to say, this has simply been her opinion for the last 3 years. I think that being a teacher has paid off for my husband, as he gets so much time off that allows him to spend quality time with the girls. When Rorie is at home, Darian is glued to him, and he is pretty much on a one meter leash. It is great for me, because I have a lot of freedom.
Darian cries every Monday because Daddy has to goto work. She asks for him countless times each day. I never really took offense to any of this, until recently..... The other night Darian woke up in the night for the first time in over 2 years. She was crying and so I went into her room to console her, and the first thing she said was " Where's Daddy?" I told her that Daddy was in bed, and she cried "I want Daddy". So I had to call him and he came to her rescue. My heart really broke, as usually when a child is hurt, sick, tired or sad, they want Mom, but not mine. She is so affectionate with him, and I can't remember the last time she gave me a cuddle.

I guess in her eyes, Daddy is the best.










Not to be outdone, Riley has always been Daddy's girl as well. Ever since she came home from the hospital, he has bathed her every night and put her to sleep, except for weekends.
Yesterday Rorie took Riley out for the day, and this allowed for some serious bonding. It is so nice when you have one on one with a child. This morning Riley woke up and called "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-dy", and this evening she wanted him as well. What am I to do!? Besides be grateful for marrying the best husband and Daddy in the world!

Darian's Birthday Part One

Well our oldest daughter is about to turn 3. We weren't going to get her a 'big' pressie this year, as we are about to move countries, however we are entitled to a large shipping allowance, and so we decide to go ahead and buy her a new bike. As the girls are always with me, we took a trip to Toys R' Us and picked out a bike that had a basket for Darian to store all of her trinkets in. I then took the ticket to the check out and paid, and headed to the car, where Darian was quite concerned where her new bike was! We drove to the parcel pick up where her new bike was all boxed up and ready to go. Little did she know, that tools and patience were required to build the bike!!! That's where Super Dad came in and saved the day. She hopped on her new bike and rode off. She has mastered turning right and left, we just need to work on stopping!!!


Now being a second child myself, I understand the importance of having 2 of everything. I remember when ever my brother had a birthday, I always got something too. My girls are so close in age, and too young to understand why one gets something that the other doesn't. Of course I won't keep this up forever, however this year I have got Riles some goodies as well.

Soon we will move from the Gold Coast, Australia....















To Muscat, Oman.......















We are very excited about the many changes that lie ahead. Change can be very stressful, but I believe that it can also promote so much growth. We are looking forward to experiencing a new country, culture and having the opportunity to travel and explore the beauty of the Middle East. We will be living very close to the beautiful pristine beaches, as living near water is essential for our family. As we say good-bye here, new beaches await us. Have a look, one is calling our names.........

At the Park

Darian comes up with some great ideas. This morning she decided that we should all go to the park.















When we got there, Riley was stuck to Daddy.













I was enjoying this moment, when I heard "MOM, LOOK AT ME"'. I looked over to find 'The Boss' at the very top of the climber :0




















Okay, now that she got my attention, I decided to go and play....






















What a morning. Now it was only 8am by this point...we had already put in a full day!!!!