Tuesday, February 16, 2016

CATCH UP


Time is flying by and life does not seem to be slowing down.  Every time I want to sit down and update the blog, I am sucked into another project, errand or task.  So instead of blogging about all of these events as individual items, I am going to catch up in one BIG summary post.

School started at the end of January and the girls are all pretty happy with their teachers and classes.  There is always a little bit of anxiety as we head into a new school year because if you don't love your classes and/or teacher the academic year can be a VERY long one.  I was very prayerful this year because I wanted the girls to be happy - :).  When I went to pick up the girls from their first day of school, they had smiles on their faces.  It could only mean one thing...we had received a tender mercy.  Prayers were answered and our school year was off to a fantastic start with some lovely teachers and exciting classes.  Why do they have to grow up so FAST?
YEAR 6
YEAR 9
YEAR 12
We had the opportunity to go down to the city again this year to celebrate Chinese New Year.  It is the year of the MONKEY!  Jane happens to be a Monkey so we had a great time in the city soaking up all of the Chinese traditions as we celebrated her year.  We ate Chinese food for dinner in Chinatown and walked the streets admiring the Chinese lanterns BIG and small.  As we wandered the city we eventually made our way toward the RED ROOFED Opera House because there were going to be fireworks in the Harbour just after dusk.  It was the perfect ending to a great day.  Jane is thrilled to be a MONKEY and we are hopeful, it will be a splendid year!
To cap off our whirlwind lives, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day with another American Expat Family (PERRY FAMILY) with a weekend getaway.  We headed down to Jervis Bay, NSW, Hyams Beach (whitest sand in the world)!  It was three days filled with laughter, games, movies, boogie boarding, sandcastles, fat-filled sugary food and a glow stick dance party.  We made memories that will last a lifetime.  My girls had the time of their lives and came home utterly exhausted - that is what I call SUCCESS!
Nothing better than a HOT, SUGARY DONUT!
GLOW STICK GANG!
They became the best of friends - like cousins!
Perry Lovebirds!
Manning Lovebirds!
Hammock Time
Sandcastles inside and outside the house!
No trip is complete without plenty of cereal!