Australia Day: What You Need to Know

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and our separation from England (oh, wait…).

Of course if I were in Australia right now I’d be celebrating with beer and a BBQ, but since we are yet to have the President proclaim the day as a national US holiday (I’m working on it), I will take this moment to share a few educational facts about the country of my birth.

We pronounce it AL-U-MIN-I-UM because we spell it that way. Same goes for AEROPLANE.
The toilets DO flush in the opposite direction, the moon appears upside-down and summer is in winter.
THONG is not a dirty word. (Please check in with me if you would like to be schooled on words which are, in fact, considered dirty in Australia but perfectly acceptable in the United States).
There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia and only around 20 million people.
In 1954 a man named Bob Hawke made it into the Guinness Record Book for downing 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob Hawke then went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia. (true story)

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

Wordless Wednesday: The Last Goodbye

Christmas Is Over – And I have little to show for it

Christmas is done. The month-long build up has reached its climax and I don’t quite seem to know what to do with myself. It saddens me to think that the Christmas tree will be coming down within the next week, yet I am ready to move on to January and all that the new year will bring – more exercise yadda, yadda, yadda.

As has been the case with Christmases past, I took very few photos. I just find it very difficult to work with the lighting in the depths of winter and I prefer to be in the moment rather than behind the camera – although I did spend a lot of time trying not to place my large rear in full view of Kei’s video camera setup.

Thomas woke early on Christmas day and the poor kid had to wait a full 30 minutes or so before Samuel woke up and we were able to head downstairs. Santa was good to both boys this year with a Melissa and Doug castle for Samuel and a Fire Station Lego set for Thomas. This was really the first Christmas that Samuel understood the concept of opening presents and, after a quick tutorial from his brother, he jumped right in.

Of course Thomas is already a pro.

After opening all of our presents, grabbing a quick nap (for all four of us) and catching up with our families in Ohio and Australia via Skype, we finally settled down to eat a massive hunk of meat and some delicious glazed carrots, complete with the Thomas seal of approval. Oh, and my apologies in advance to any vegetarians who may be stopping by the blog.

For Christmas I received a brand new Canon Speedlight Flash for my camera from my wonderful husband so next year I’ll be tasked with taking some *good* Christmas photos next year. For now I’m focused on finding a space for the new toys and disposing of a pile of wrapping paper that threatens to overtake the living room.

Oh, and I head back to work tomorrow. Now it seems Thomas isn’t the only one praying for snow instead of rain.

Only the Best Pre-Christmas Family Day EVER!

We woke up on Saturday without any specific plans, only that we would try to visit Santa at Macy’s downtown. So we headed out the door, parked the car on the outskirts of the city, and jumped on the lightrail.

After hopping off the train and making a very quick stop at Finnegan’s toy store (that place is a parent trap), we finally turned the corner to see this.

I’m sure it’s even more beautiful at night, but I was satisfied with the cold wintery day and the flashing led lights that look like little sprinklings of snow.

After looking at the tree for about 2 minutes before the kids got bored and asked to move on, we headed into Macy’s. Based on past experience I had my doubts about whether Thomas would be comfortable talking to Santa and, since Samuel takes Thomas’ lead on most things, our chances of a picture with the big guy were doubtful. Sure enough, Thomas told us he’d rather stand back and look at Santa from a distance. Unfortunately the setup at Macy’s means that this was the closest we got.

And I’m OK with it. Sure, I won’t have that iconic photo of a screaming child in Santa’s lap, but part me of me likes the fact that Thomas is a little wary of strangers, especially the kind who ask you to come and sit on their lap and offer you presents.

The biggest benefit of choosing Macy’s for our Santa visit was that Santa is not the only draw. Reindeer and elves were there in abundance.

Even Rudolf made an appearance.

We then headed over to Pioneer place for lunch and a stop at a couple of stores (the ipad was calling my name at Apple – sadly I left empty-handed).

And then, without warning, it SNOWED! Inside! Sure it was some weird-smelling foam substance, but for the few minutes that we were in the mall it was amazing.

At one point, Samuel simply looked up at the falling snow and let out a big sigh of contentment.

So, you’d think getting a glimpse of Santa, saying hi to Rudolf and an unexpected indoor snowstorm would be the highlight of our day, right? Wrong.

We headed back outside and looked across the street and that’s when Thomas’ head exploded.

They were there to draw attention to the Salvation Army bell ringer (it was working). Of course Thomas was too afraid to get close – those Storm Troopers are bad guys you know – but Samuel was game for a Chewbacca high five.

He even tried to relieve one of the Storm Troopers of his blaster.

That’s one authentic Chewbacca outfit.

After adding a little money to the Salvo bucket (they earned it), we headed further up the street and that’s when our day reached it’s peak. I think the only thing that would have made this moment better would have been if Carrie Fisher herself walked out in a gold bikini (circa 1985 Carrie, not 2010 Carrie). Since that was unlikely to happen, we settled for a Princess Leia stand-in and the scariest guy in the universe. (and some random child in my photo because it was difficult to avoid other people’s photo opps and there was no way my children were going to stand anywhere near the dark side of the force).

I’m told that the guy above on the right was trying to be Luke Sywalker because he has the green lightsaber – but that he “doesn’t REALLY look like Luke Skywaker mum”. I explained to Thomas that even Luke Skywalker doesn’t look like Luke Sywalker anymore. I hope I didn’t crush his dreams.

Thankfully, this guy never changes.

Alas, Darth and the Ishidas had to part ways – Darth, to collect more money for the poor and the Ishidas to enjoy a little hot chocolate as the perfect end to our day.

Well, almost perfect. Thomas’ snow globe ornament that I let the him choose at Macy’s earlier that day was not long for this world and ended up in a wet, glassy mess on the floor of Peet’s (rookie Mum mistake). And, since I couldn’t let the day end on that note, I quickly ran back to buy a new one before we hopped on the train to head home.

Then it really WAS perfect.

And then Samuel got sick later than night and threw up on me – the end.

Ahhh, reality. It always brings us back with a thud.

Christmas. Taking it Seriously.

We take Christmas very seriously in our house.

We have an elf from Prep and Landing who makes sure the house is ready for Santa…

Uncanny

And of course Santa himself makes an appearance…

Carrying his toys (and a passenger) on the back of his sleigh.

But how would he get anywhere without his reindeer?

It takes a team to make this whole Christmas thing work.

In the Spirit

This year I am definitely in the Christmas spirit. It seemed that the day after (or maybe even a few days before) Thanksgiving, I was ready to go out and get a tree and begin decking the halls immediately. Maybe it’s the promise of opening a new door each day on our Lego Advent calendar (really, it’s embarrassing that I am just as excited as Thomas to see what’s next) or perhaps the thought of experiencing the holiday with two little boys who are now old enough to truly enjoy it. I

Last year I scheduled a few activities in the hope of building traditions. We went for a ride on the Polar Express (fun, but the boys were a little young, especially Samuel) and took in two tree lighting ceremonies, including the one in downtown Portland (at one point Kei was carry both kids). This year, I realized that our traditions can be the simple things like sharing some spiced cider or hot chocolate (and perhaps a little mulled wine for Mummy), trying two separate Trader Joes stores before finding my Eucalyptus wreath for the front door, reading the christmas stories that come out only once a year and finding some time to do random things together as a family, whether that be decorating the tree or spotting Happy the Elf in the morning.

All pictures taken on the iphone with hipstamatic.

And then yesterday the spirit overtook me and I baked cookies. I. Baked. Ok, it was from a cookie mix but I still added the egg and butter and rolled the dough. The kids had SO much fun and were still taking about it today. Of course now we have about 20 cookies to eat over the next couple of weeks (I knew I should have added that gym membership to my wishlist), but it’s a small price to pay for a little bonding time over baked goods. I thought about taking the cookies to work to share with my colleagues until I caught Thomas, more than once, licking the knife that he then used to spread a little more icing. I apologized for the lack of cookies today but said they would thank me when they avoided the plague that has been infiltrating our house.

I still have a few things on my list this year – Zoolights, watching holiday movies, visiting Santa. Thankfully, though, Christmas shopping is not one of them. When you have to send gifts to a variety of different countries, you are not afforded the luxury of last-minute shopping. I like to think of it as a cure for procrastination. Most of the gifts are in my hot little hands and now I just need to package them up and send them. That DOES mean, however, that I need to brave the Post Office during the busiest time of the year. Not looking forward to that little adventure.

Oh, and there’s a birthday to celebrate on Saturday. CAN’T forget that!

Overall, though, I’m looking forward to a relaxed and peaceful Christmas. I would even welcome a little snow should it wish to appear at a time that is convenient to me and then disappear again when I need to run errands… Told you I was in the spirit.

Way Too Much Left Over Candy

I am incredibly grateful that our neighbors ran short and took a little candy off our hands, otherwise I’d be eating candy for the next two months instead of just the one.

I’m also grateful that my annual costume stress is a thing of the past thanks to my decision to wear the very same witch costume every year starting now. You can’t go wrong with an all-black outfit and a fancy hat.

As we close on October 2010, an official Happy Halloween from The Ishidas. Here’s to one more year of hyperactive kids and sugar comas that (hopefully) last all night.

(10 points if you guess Kei’s costume. Hint: It has an Aussie connection).

Thomas took his role as Clone Trouper very seriously.

A Samuel was just as committed to his “cheese” face.

Wordless Thursday – Hood River

Beach Scene

Today’s I Heart Faces challenge reminded me of how I haven’t yet posted the rest of the photos from when the Kellers came to visit.

I chose this photo (with much difficulty) from the hundreds I took that day for a few reasons:

It’s black and white – not what you would expect from one of MY beach pictures (usually full, bright colour).
It shows Samuel taking his time, doing his own thing and enjoying the water – key aspects of his personality that he’s shown us over the past few months.
I love how everything seems so peaceful and quiet, even for just a few moments.

We had a wonderful weekend filled with extended childcare options that allowed us to see a movie, a 40th birthday celebration with a view of Mt Hood, a family hike/carry to a beautiful hidden waterfall and a meeting with a 500 pound sturgeon named Herman.

This week promises work, work and more work – oh, and some golf for Kei.

Happy Monday.

My Fireworks Are Bigger Than Your Fireworks

Yesterday was the 4th of July. I did not grow up with the 4th of July. Well, we had a 4th of July, but not one that with BBQs and big balls of fire. For one, the 4th of July was always cold during my childhood. And, while this 4th of July in Portland will not break any heat records, it’s clear that my children will grow up with a much different experience of this date than the one I had.

Exhibit A:

I wonder who comes up with the names for these things.

This year we were blessed to spend the holiday with three teenage boys who may have pushed the excitement to a whole new level for Thomas and Samuel. Oh, and Kei was right there in the mix.