NEW YEARS 2014

Christmas passed and we wanted to ring the the New Year with a bang.  Gram and Papa Wardle were staying with us for another week and we wanted them to see some more "Australian" wonders.  Papa Bruce loves to take the grandkids on ADVENTURES.  He planned a huge day of going to the Featherdale Wildlife Park and Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains on the 30th of December.  I stayed home so that I could get us packed to visit Melbourne, Australia on News Years Day.

Claire and Jane had an AMAZING day with Papa Bruce and Gram.  They loved the wildlife park and got to interact with so many wild animals.  It has become a must see for visitors.  They loved it more than the Tarango Zoo. Who would not like to pet Kangaroos and Koalas? (Grace woke up feeling ill so she stayed at home with me.)  Gram and Papa Bruce really enjoyed the day and I am happy to say that they all returned with Tom's car  with NO SCRAPES, DENTS or ACCIDENTS on the car or themselves at the end of a busy eventful day.  The girls said that Papa Bruce was really good at driving on the wrong side of the road and had no problems navigating the Australian outback.  Here are some pictures from their gorgeous day.

Python - no problem - go Janie Girl.

Gram does not mind snakes - she loves them as shoes and handbags best!

Claire even joined in…I could not believe my eyes.

Jane with her FAT Koala.

Kangaroos - YIPPEE!

Petting a baby calf - Jane was in heaven.

Wentworth Falls - Great View

We polished off 2013 with unbelievable fireworks on New Years Eve.  New Year's in Sydney is AWESOME!  They have fireworks all through the night with the HUGE show at midnight.  However, the kids were tuckered out from their adventures with Gram and Papa the day before so we stayed for the family show at 9 pm.  Then we went HOME to bed to prepare for ourselves for our early departure in the morning for Melbourne.

We found some shade with a fantastic view.

Mom was freezing waiting for fireworks to begin, however she would much rather be cold then HOT!

Camped out waiting for the show to begin.

Our view before the fireworks.

We were very excited to ring in 2014.  We know that it is going to be a year full of travel and new experiences.  We are thrilled to have the opportunity to live in such an exciting place and soak up all that life has to offer.  Happy New Year!

CHRISTMAS 2013

Christmas 2013

December was a full month.  We had many activities so I am going to do a big post for the whole month of December -- Get ready for a long one.  It was the "FIRST" of many wonderful traditions down under and so I decided it would be great to just "highlight" each event with a picture otherwise I am going to get really behind on the blog and we will be halfway through the year by the time that I finish what happened in the month of December.

12.1.13 - We decorated the tree.  It was a little strange with the HOT temperature outside.

12.6.14 - We went to visit David Jones Department Store in downtown Sydney.
They decorate their windows with marionettes.  

The puppets were gorgeous and fun to see in "ACTION".

12.13.13 - We held our annual "TENT" dinner.
It was a little unique to eat dinner by candlelight however, it was still very light outside.  

Appetizers for dinner are their favourite meal.

12.14.13 - We went and saw the Life of Christ/Temple Lights at the Sydney Temple.
 It was amazing to see the beautiful lights and not be "FREEZING" from the winter temperatures.

12.19.13 - The girls had begun their "HOLIDAY - SUMMER VACATION".
We decided to kick things off with Gingerbread Houses - it was definitely a "FIRST" to make gingerbread houses in our swimsuits.
Jane's creation is the far left, Grace's house is in the middle and Claire's beauty is on the right.

Jane was so happy to be able to build house out of wafers just like bricks - they don't sell graham crackers in OZ.

12.23.13 - Gram and Papa Bruce Wardle arrived in Sydney to spend Christmas with us - we were JUMPING for joy to have them here.  
Feeling the LOVE!

12.24.13 - Christmas Eve we went to Manly Beach.
We enjoyed our lunch and purchased a few Australian hats to protect from the sun.

12.24.13 - Our Christmas PJs!

12.25.13 - Christmas Day - opening gifts together.

12.25.13 - Christmas Dinner

12.26.13 - Boxing Day - we went to Chinatown and had a delicious Chinese lunch.

Our 2013 "FIRST" Australian Christmas!

BEST 2 YEARS….

I know what many of you are thinking, who could be old enough to go on a mission in the Manning household.  Tom and I are eligible in the age department, even though we don't want to admit it.  So, what is this post about…..drum roll please, Claire got her braces off.  YIPPEE! 

DONE!

Claire had many complex jaw/tooth problems.  She needed braces and a big metal device that moved her lower jaw forward using springs, rods and screws.  Let's just say that she had a mouthful of metal.  It was a crazy and very uncomfortable over the last couple of years.  There were times when she wondered if this whole experience was going to be worth it.  I knew that she would be THRILLED with the results but, I felt bad that many afternoons she was in excruciating pain.  

We moved to Australia with six months before we were finished with her orthodontic work and I worried about the prospect of finding a new orthodontist.  I toyed with the idea of just flying her home every couple of months (I know this sounds crazy).  However, my Cary orthodontist assured me that he would find a good Australian orthodontist that practiced the same philosophy.  He often reminded me that I was not moving to a Third-World country.  Well can I just say that Dr. Bo pulled through for us again in the recommendations department.  We found a fantastic orthodontist and he was able to just step into the whole complicated process that we had started in Cary.  The only drawback was the fact that it took a little longer than we expected due to the move "down under."   

Claire is loving her new smile.  She thinks that her teeth feel quite weird - "slimy" were her words.  She loves all of the space that she has in her mouth and that she can bite straight into an apple when she feels the desire to do so.  She is one happy camper.  It was music to my ears when she stated…."BRACES WERE TOTALLY WORTH IT - BEST 2 YEARS!"

Now we are starting the same process with Grace….and then Jane.  I think maybe I should have considered being a orthodontist myself.  I could have saved us some serious CASH!  

Before

At the beginning - first day :)

The six month mark.

One year to go.

Months to go - 2.

All Done!

RED

Excitement and Anticipation

For Grace and Jane's birthdays, they got concert tickets to see Taylor Swift.  Taylor Swift's RED concert was coming to Sydney.  They have been "singing" down the days to December 4th when they could finally see their dreams come true.  They had everything planned out and were feeling the excitement.  The concert started at 6:30 pm with the opening act (Guy Sebastian - not a guy I even know -- and it is not because I am OLD).  We live about 35 minutes from where the concert was being held and traffic in Sydney is notorious for its crazy congestion so I figured I should give myself plenty of time to get there.  I figured an 1 hour and a half was plenty of time.  We did not need to see much of the opening act and as long as we were there for Taylor, we were good - she would not be on until at least 8 pm.

BOY OH BOY WAS I WRONG!    It took us 4 hours to travel the quick 35 minute drive to the stadium.  Once we were there,  there was NO PARKING.  The event staff had underestimated how many people would be at this event and did not plan accordingly with traffic, parking staff and overall fans.  When I heard Taylor start singing, I was stopped behind an traffic accident and it was 9 pm.  I instructed my three girls to exit our car and follow a mom with her two daughters towards the stadium.  I wanted them to see the concert - BUT INSIDE I WAS THINKING WHAT ARE YOU DOING - THIS IS NUTS!  Jane was crying as she exited the car because she did not want to go without me but, I did not know how much longer it would take me to find a place to park amid the madness.

As I watched them walk into the darkness with the other 55,000 fans, with no meeting plan organized and no way to contact them, my heart sank.  Claire chose not to bring her cell phone because she wanted to be "present" and in the moment with us however, as they got out of the car  I was WISHING that she was a technology obsessed teenager that could not live without her cell phone.  I hoped that she would remember to find a policeman if I never arrived so that they could call me to retrieve them.

As soon as I saw them disappear, I started to beg Heavenly Father for some help.  We had been praying for assistance with the traffic situation most of the night, but, when your three baby girls are ALONE at a concert due to a quick decision that you made your sense of urgency becomes quite heighten.   45-minutes later, I found a parking spot.  It was not close to the stadium (about a 15 minute walk) but I ran towards Taylor Swift's voice.  I really did not care if I got to see her or not, I just wanted to see my three gorgeous girls and assure them that I was okay.  I made it and I got to see the second half of Taylor Swift.  But, I can honestly say that my highlight of the night was seeing my three girls, sitting in their seats, safe and sound and enjoying the show.  I saw them and just wept as I put my arms around them.  They are my LIFE'S WORK and I cannot imagine my life without them.

Claire did a magnificent job of navigating the walk to the stadium in the dark.  She got them settled into their seats and helped to calm Jane's tears and fears.  She reassured them that if I could not find a place to park she would take charge.  I am so grateful for her wisdom and her ability to be hyper-focused on the need at hand.  She can drive them nuts at times but, she will protect them no matter the circumstances and they appreciate it.

The Queen - Taylor Swift - Performing for us.

They loved the concert and only missed one song.  Taylor Swift is one classy young lady.  She has faced some really tough challenges in life and has not given up on herself.  She is a wonderful role model of a strong, confident, happy young lady that is in constantly in the public eye and still managing to maintain composure and grace. These are the three characteristics that Tom and I are trying to instill in our young daughters and it was good for them to see an example of this.

We had a great time despite the rocky beginning that was filled with worry, sweat and tears.  It will be experience they will always remember.  By the way, the drive home only took 45 minutes.  WOW WHAT A NIGHT!

Here they are Happy that we made it.  :) 

The day after, in their T-Shirts.