Just spent the last 2 hours cutting notes and maps, folding release and waiver forms, hand-printing party details on invitations, and stuffing envelopes for Abby's upcoming 5th birthday party!

We are having a combined birthday party for Abby and her best friend, Olivia.  Their birthdays are about a week apart and since this is the big-oh-five, we figured we'd do something special.  Both girls are really into horses these days, so a horseback riding party at a local equestrian ranch seemed like a good idea.

We are so blessed that friends are helping us make this event super special.  My friend and co-worker made these adorable invitations for us and our neighbor - a retired professional photographer and teacher - has agreed to photograph the party!

On the right is a trial-run of the 3-D fondant cake toppers I plan to make for the party.

Happy Memorial Day!

This day we remember the men and women of our armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

It also marks the beginning of summer for many, so as we observe this Federal holiday, we are enjoying extra special time with family.

This weekend, my parents returned from their extended vacation to Sydney, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia, so we had a nice lunch with this this afternoon.

We were traveling back from Sydney on by brother's actual birthday, so quite an extended day for us. It was May 11th for about 39 hours!! Anyway, we actually celebrated it yesterday by taking advantage of IKEA's Eat for Free promotion over this holiday weekend - eat at the cafe and deduct your receipt from your purchase of home furnishings over $100.  We also got Allen a gift card for IKEA, one of his favorite stores.  Needing frames for aboriginal art we brought back from Australia, and necessities such as lamps, coat hangers, paring knives, etc, we had a blast shopping!

We were planning to go bike riding this weekend, but my bike is being serviced, so Paul took Abby riding along Plum Creek trail, which runs right in front of our community through downtown, Castle Rock, while Kayleigh and I went on a 2.5 hour walk around the neighborhood.


Kayleigh and I picked some wildflowers along the way for Abby, which grow throughout our aptly named community, The Meadows.

With the rough schedule at work the past couple of months and preparations for our recent family vacation, we did not have a chance to take Kayleigh in for her 2 year well-baby until last week. 

We knew it was going to be an easy check-up.  For once, no vaccinations were needed.

The girls were in especially great moods and were goofing around the doctor's office while we waited.

I loved watching the two sisters together.  The non-stop chattering, giggling, sharing of books and toys, teasing, and goofing around was exactly what I had always hoped for in a sister-sister relationship between Abby and Kayleigh.  As Kayleigh gets older, the two of them are becoming closer friends. 

I feel satisfied that we did something right as parents by giving them each other. 

Our Silly Girls

Kayleigh is doing great developmentally.  The only issue we brought up with Dr. Bublitz that she felt warranted a book recommendation was regarding how to deal with Kayleigh's excessive stubbornness.  Yes, we were reminded that she's 2 and this is a natural phase where she's realizing there are boundaries.  To help her develop a better sense of confidence, though, we need to enforce those boundaries.  Kids need those boundaries.  They feel more secure knowing that the world operates with boundaries.  But what is the best way to set our expectations and help the stubborn kid understand and respect them?  We were directed to the psychologist, Dr. Thomas Phelan's parenting philosophy and book(s), 1-2-3 Magic.  No arguing, no yelling, no whooping. 

Supposedly a very logical and compassionate approach to dealing with difficult behavior.  Dr. Bublitz gave a quick summary - during a tantrum, explain what you expect of them, then giving them to the count of 3 to turn things around.  With consistency in carrying out "punishment," such as a time-out, when you reach the count of 3, kids learn to respond quickly.  Funny enough that Paul and I have been using what we've called the counting method as a means to discipline Abby and it DID work like a charm with her.  Kayleigh has not responded as well, though.  With each count, she shouts back, "NO!" and continues her bad behavior.  So, it would be worth checking out the book and hearing what the clinical arguments are in supporting the disciplining method we have been using and figuring out how to get through to our Kayleigh!

Our vacation began on Wednesday morning in Colorado and after many, many hours of travel, we landed at the Sydney International Airport just after 6AM on Friday!  Nothing like that kind of a time change to make you feel like you were cheated out of some good vacation time!

Cousins David and Henny were at the airport to meet us and Allen had already arrived and was waiting for us.  Customs took about an hour and we learned that the key to traveling with food out of country is to declare it at Customs and the more processed the food, the less likely they'll care. 

We went to Vodafone and got a local SIM card with some prepaid credit.  Definitely a cheap and simple option when traveling for just a week.  We were lucky to have had a global phone, but even if we hadn't, buying a phone with some prepaid credit enough for a week was around US$35, which is what Allen did.  The nice thing about cell plans in Australia was the you were only charged for outgoing calls; incoming calls did not go against your minutes!

Henny - as consistently organized as ever - called ahead to arranged for a shuttle to pick us up and take us to the car rental place.  We went with the cheapest of all car rentals (East Coast Rentals) and their facility was not actually at the airport, but for the price we paid and the great service we received, I would certainly consider them again.  We hired an 8-passenger van, which made driving in the far narrower lanes of Sydney streets a bit hairy, not to mention having to drive on the left side of the street.  It was a no-brainer that Paul would be the only one driving during our vacation. 

We didn't take a photo of the rental car, but this borrowed photo was essentially it - a white Hyundai Imax 8-Seater People Mover, aka minivan, aka The Bus

David drove separately and led the way to Chatswood's The Sebel.  The Sebel Residence contained permanent residences as well as serviced apartments, which were available for rent.  This was where we would live for the duration of our stay - a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, furnished apartment that was rented for us - yes, rented for us! - by Cousin Henny.  Under who's direction we don't know since she brushed off any insistence that we cover the costs and told us to talk to her dad and my uncle swiftly deflected any questions on the subject and told us to work it out with Henny.  Talking to the residence's receptionists was useless as they confirmed that credit had already been transferred to cover the costs.  Hrmph! 

Needless to say, we are endlessly grateful for the incredible generosity and hospitality our Sydney relatives showed us on this trip.  This was just the beginning...day 1!  We were the last of the out-of-town relatives to arrive and our cousins, particularly Cousin David, must have made an endless number of pick-ups and drop-offs, yet we were greeted with such warmth and welcome - it meant a lot to us.

So, the following photos show the spectacular views we enjoyed from the balconies of our apartment on the 25th floor.  An almost 270 degree view of the city - and what a beautiful city it is!

A view of the Chatswood train station, which was only a 5 minute walk from The Sebel

Inside the apartment, looking down the hall from our bedroom to the living room

The living room, taken over by the girls and their stuff.

The bedroom Paul and I were going to use, ended up being where Paul and Abby slept while I kept Kayleigh company.  Letting the girls share a room meant that they kept each other up so much that no one in the apartment could sleep.  2 of the 4 walls were floor to ceiling windows and sliding glass door to access the balcony.  With mirrored closet doors lining a 3rd wall, it really felt like we were sleeping in a glass aquarium - neat!

For lunch, Bo-Fu and Bo-Mu (Uncle and Aunt) met us for yum-cha (known as dim-sum in the U.S.) at the Westfield shopping mall across the street from our apartment.  It was our first time realizing that mall food in Sydney is NOTHING like the pathetic options we get in the U.S.  A food court is not what you would imagine an American food court being, containing the same set of fast-food chain franchises everywhere you go.  Of course, McDonald's and Subway can be found, but in general, each vendor is an independent owner and the extent of the menu selections are astounding.  Flavors are unique and the service is excellent.

Yum-cha was delicious, but quite frankly we were so tired that I really couldn't concentrate on the food.  Another "problem" was that Henny and her husband Oliver brought their precious newborn baby, Johan, to lunch and we were much too busy cooing over him to focus on much else!  Hendra, Henny's second brother, whom I met for the first time, was there with his whole adorable family as well.  We got to meet Hendra's wife, Stephanie, and their sons Jayden and Ethan, who are roughly the same ages as Abby and Kayleigh.  

After lunch, my parents went to visit Bo-Gong and Bo-Po (Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt) while Paul and I took the girls back to the apartment to try and get some rest, which didn't happen since Abby and Kayleigh found it much too funny when sharing a room that they just ended up giggling and playing in their room for a couple of hours.

Allen was finally able to check into his hotel (he was staying at the Hotel Ibis in downtown Sydney) after lunch, but he met up with my parents and us shortly after and we walked around Chatswood to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings.  Not straying too far from The Sebel, we realized what an amazingly central location we were at to A LOT of shopping, dining, and the public transport!

Dinner was a simple one.  Everyone was super exhausted by then, but we were determined to stay awake - Abby didn't succeed - until a more reasonable bed time, so we headed just down the street to a Japanese ramen noodle house, Makanai.  So wonderful to get a warm, soupy bowl of noodles!  (And no, it's not the same kind of instant ramen noodles you're probably thinking of, favored by the cost-conscious college student all across America!)

My Chicken Karaage Ramen Bowl

Paul's Chicken Karaage rice dish

Interesting wall art!

Abby konking out before we even ordered dinner!

On Wednesday, May 2nd, we boarded a plane on our first of two flights that would take us to Sydney, Australia.  We were attending the 100th birthday celebration for Bo-Gong, my father's uncle - the man who raised my father as his own son.  It would be an impressively large family reunion.

So many of these relatives have been so important in my father's life and we haven't seen them in ages.  Many of them, I only have a faint recollection of from childhood.  However, the thought of having to travel internationally with a 4 and 2 year old was terrifying!  Abby, who is actually almost 5 is a well-seasoned traveler and we weren't really stressed about flying with her.  Kayleigh, though, has never been on a plane and is far more high-maintenance than her sister and we were not at all sure how well she would do.

Months ago, Kayleigh had actually stopped using her pacifier during the day completely.  But for the trip, we babied her and let her get her fill of the pacifier.  We knew it would calm her, gave us a means to mute her if necessary so we weren't nuisances to other passengers, and of course for popping ears during take-off and landing and any other significant altitude changes.

We flew out of Denver International Airport at 11:15 AM.  My parents were traveling with us while my brother, Allen, took different flights.  We arrived around 9 AM to check in and had a scare - no Visas!  I have no one to blame but myself as I went through the whole passport application process, then went through Qantas' booking management site to make sure we entered all the necessary information for exiting and reentering the country.  I was pretty sure I filled out the ETA (Electronic Travel Authority), which is needed in lieu of a Visa, but in hindsight, I was never charged a fee, which I suppose would have been the case if the request actually went through!

Let me digress and mention that passport applications for children are silly.  When a baby gets a passport, they can't expect the passport to last 5 years because a child's appearance changes so much so quickly!  But there's no passport renewal option for updating a passport photo, so they're required to get a brand new one.  Abby had a passport from 3 years ago, which of course is still valid - date-wise.  But she looked nothing like the red-cheeked infant on the passport, so she needed a new one.  Kayleigh was getting her first passport, so we submitted their applications back in March.  In less than 2 weeks, we had their brand new passports in hand, so we were pretty happy at how quick the process was, despite being disgruntled about having to get Abby a new book.

Anyway, back to Visas.  Thank goodness the airline staff was able to request our Visas for us in a matter of minutes.  Luckily, we were traveling to Australia and not some other country that required 4+ weeks for processing Visas.  So, after a few moments of stress and racking my brain trying to figure out how I could have overlooked something so important, we were checked in and on our way.  

The girls were getting pretty restless at DIA, but Kayleigh got so excited to see that our tiny, tiny plane to LAX had finally pulled to the gate.  "Plane! Plane! BIIIIIGGGG plane!

The girls each got a carry-on to lug their most precious items - their lovies and blankets.

 We wanted both girls to feel relaxed and comfortable on the trip - and rather than having to tote all of their stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows ourselves, we got each girl a small carry-on piece of luggage.  Abby, of course, chose a pink Hello Kitty suitcase and Kayleigh wanted nothing but Angry Birds!  They worked out surprisingly well and both girls were excited about carrying their own luggage.

In Los Angeles, we had a nine hour layover.  We originally had plans to leave the airport and visit some surrounding areas of LA, but we were all exhausted by the time we landed at LAX that we just found a deserted gate and lounged there for 9 hours!  We all slept a little, then watched some movies and my mom taught Abby about massaging and accupressure points, while Paul read.

The Beco Baby Carrier turned out to be a lifesaver on our trip.  We didn't bother with a stroller as we knew we could borrow one from one of my cousins in Sydney, but, Kayleigh much preferred to be carried.  It also made traveling a LOT easier without having to fuss with an extra stroller as carry on.

Still looking pretty chipper when we first got to LAX

The girls watching Kung Fu Panda 2, one of about 40 movies we loaded on our iPads to keep the girls entertained in case they were needed.

My parents discover the superb displays of the new iPad, watching Kung Fu Panda 2

Shortly before we were ready to get on the Sydney flight, Allen called to say that he had arrived at LAX as well. We were in completely separate terminals, so he wasn't able to stop by, but our flights to Sydney were nearly identical and he would arrive in Sydney only minutes before us. So, we wished each other a good flight and would be waiting for each other in Australia.

Dad and Mom getting comfortable in their Qantas seats.  A long 14 hr flight was ahead of us.

The Qantas plane was outfitted with entertainment units for each seat - even in economy!  Each unit contained dozens and dozens of premier movies (latest releases), classics, foreign, and award-winning movies, tv shows, kids' programming, video games, and loads of music.  In addition to the little comfort packages (toothpaste, toothbrush, eye cover), blankets, headphones, and pillows that each passenger received, each child was handed a Crayola satchel filled with writing tablets, colored pencils, pencil sharpener, luggage tag, and activities book.  Oh, and the dinner and breakfast menus looked like that of a 5-star restaurant.  We would be well pampered for the flight!

We have learned that flying with a child under 2 required some sort of child-restraint system if they weren't flying as a lap child.  Kayleigh is far too big to be a lap child and we knew she would be more comfortable having her own seat.  Rather than bringing a car seat, though, we used the CARES harness.  Abby had flown well with the harness and it is far, far easier to travel with than a car seat.  Kayleigh absolutely LOATHED the harness, though, and performed Houdini tricks to escape several times, meanwhile screaming her head off!  Luckily, the flights were pretty tame and she was able to be unbelted for most of the flights.

Kayleigh never got used to using a neck pillow, but she thought it was a hilarious headdress! Ok with the CARES harness for the moment.

Everyone was exhausted and as soon as we got on the plane we were getting settled for several hours of sleep.

You can see on Abby's face that it had been a long, long day of travel already.

We planned the flight to Sydney well.  It was overnight.  Of the 14 hour flight, Abby and Kayleigh slept for 11 of those hours.  During the 3 waking hours, they ate, colored, and watched kids shows or movies on the iPad.  Even though there were so many things to choose from on Qantas' entertainment menu, the girls did prefer to watch their familiar movies.

Take off and landing turned out to be non-issues with both girls.  Abby understood how to pop her ears and Kayleigh, with her pacifier, never seemed to be affected.  She fought having to put on her seat belt, but those episodes were brief.

Diaper changes were impossible for Kayleigh in the tiny lavatory changing tables because she had absolutely no room for her legs.  We ended up having to do diaper changes in the crew area just outside the lavatories at the very back of the plane for some privacy.

We did have one potty incident on the plane near the end of the flight.  Kayleigh's constant shifting and moving around caused her diaper to shift out of place and she had a minor leak.  Even though Paul and I both reminded each other to bring a spare change of clothes for both girls in their carry-ons, we both neglected to grab the spare.  So, Kayleigh walked on to Australian soil wearing no pants!

As we had anticipated, Abby was a model flyer.  She never complained and was always finding something to entertain herself and stay content.  She helped Kayleigh whenever necessary - picking up dropped markers and blankets, helping her use the iPad, etc. - and was able to get enough rest unlike the rest of us.

I confirmed that I have issues regulating my body temperature when I'm tired.  I got chills so badly on the flight that I feared I was coming down with the flu.  Fortunately, after some sleep, I was fine for the duration of the trip.

Trip log to be continued....

The family has just returned from a trip to Sydney, Australia. We were there to celebrate my Great-Uncle's 100th Birthday. My Great-Uncle, whom we call Bo-Gong, raised my father and in our minds is like our Grandpa. So, on this momentous occasion, relatives from several countries gathered for a reunion and Paul, Abby, Kayleigh, my parents, my brother, and I all took a trip Down Under.

We were there for just a week, which is just enough time for our bodies to get used to the time difference and now we are back, trying to recalibrate.

Paul and I are fighting with not being able to fall asleep until 2 or 3 am. And during the day, a crash starts around 1:30, when the body just says, "Too tired to function...shutting down." We returned to Denver late Friday night. Today, being Monday, is our first day back to work and school. We are doing ok, but still not quite back to normal. Kayleigh has had the hardest time readjusting, waking up 5 or more times after we put her down - light's too bright, music's too loud, room's too hot, poopy, thirsty, etc. - before she will settle down for the night.

Soon enough I'll sift through our photos and blog the amazingly fun trip we had, best part being the reminder that I have some of the bestest cousins in the world! For now, just trying to recover...













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