Paris

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Christmas Morning

A few photos from Christmas morning.  Up at 5:45am!  Kids had fun playing in the morning and took the parachute men out in the hall so they could drop them down the stairwell - not sure the neighbors appreciated the noise so early!?!  Later we walked down to Bondi Beach and Skyped home while they were having Christmas Eve dinner.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year!  xoxo

Happy Christmas

Getting Ready for Christmas

We have had some fun getting into the Christmas spirit in Sydney.  What a fun adventure experiencing a warm beach Christmas!  The kids are thrilled it is almost time for Santa and it is so fun to see their excitement!  Here is just a little of the fun we've had getting ready for Christmas.

Missing Snow

We hope everyone at home is enjoying the snow.  Looking forward to finding some in Europe very soon!

Sinterklaas

We were Americans celebrating a Dutch tradition in Sydney, Australia...confused?  oh well! the kids don't mind.  There was children's music and singing of Christmas carols and even some traditional food to try.
Each little one had their name called to receive a special gift from Sinterklaas.  They all waited very patiently and were sweet and grateful.

  
Thank you, Kate for inviting us and letting us be a part of this fun celebration.  You can read more about the tradition here:   Sinterklaas

Threeeeeeeeeeeeee

Sparkle cupcakes and a Birthday dress that twirls...

Christmas Visitors

We had two surprise visitors pop in on us the last few days!  Our Christmas Elf, AaKah (named by our then 3 year old) came the same day our Christmas Tree arrived.  Did I also mention it was 95 degrees!?!   Kids are having lots of fun, although I am re-thinking this whole advent calendar for next year.  They are up way too early every morning checking the elf's new hiding place and the advent calendar for treats.  I need more sleep!

Another surprise visitor decided to come last minute and hopped a flight from KC and arrived in Sydney on Monday! Oh what fun we'll have this week with their Great Aunt!

Missing the sales

With no Thanksgiving the last Thursday in November, there is no Black Friday; or Small Business Saturday; or Cyber Monday.  I'm missing the sales and all the emails that have been bombarding my inbox about the great deals are just taunting me!  Not to mention shopping in Sydney is very expensive.  I was going to grab some mascara the other day and it was $27.95 for Loreal! yikes!   
In the mean time, I will be making a long wish list for when we get home and looking forward to the Paris Soldes in January. Oui!

New pajamas in a fun pattern
Glitter ballets since I regretted not getting a pair last year
Cozy sweaters are not needed in Bondi, but I can't help wanting one and adding lots of bangles
On the other hand, I do really need some new sunnies
Mascara that doesn't cost a fortune will wait until I get home. or Paris maybe?
A little chocolate with peppermint. Yum!
Are matching sweaters for me and my tiny girl too much?  hmmm...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  We had a wonderful dinner with a few family members and am glad to report everything turned out great!  Turkey and pumpkin pie were a hit and we had very few leftovers!

American Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home! We miss you!!!  But we are not missing out on the fun. After looking at 2 grocers and 2 butchers, we finally got ourselves a turkey and will be hosting Thanksgiving for a few family members here in Sydney.  We hope they enjoy themselves and the turkey!  Now if only the pumpkin pie turns out...

Turkey / Pumpkin Pie / Classic Bread Stuffing

Happy Weekend

It is shaping up to be a great weekend.  Spending time at our beach pad.  Lots of sweets and a picnic in Bondi with family.  Thanks for all the wishes!  Happy Weekend.

An Aussie Wedding

The Ivy in Sydney was the best space I have seen for a wedding reception!  Such a great venue and the decor reminded me of the Viceroy in both Santa Monica and Palm Springs.  Yellow and green with stripes.  So good!  It is setup in a square with the center cut out!?!? The open interior looks down upon a courtyard that is a nightlife hotspot in Sydney (so I hear!) One side is an open-air walkway while the rest is enclosed in glass.  I am terrible at describing it, so the pictures are necessary to see how beautiful it really is.

The wedding we attended beforehand was just as lovely and was held at Christ Church St Laurence in Sydney.  It is a beautiful church built in the 1800s and holds a special place for the bride and her family. Have a look at the stained glass!  Congratulations Ben and Kate! We were happy to be a part of your happy day. 

MCI...LAX...SYD

First, to put many of you at ease, we have made it here...



but we have lots to recap from the previous weeks and will fill you in on our first few days in Sydney!  Its been fun!

Visiting KC was great.  We enjoyed catching up with many friends and family and were a bit sad that it will be so long before we see everyone again.  Being away gives a great new perspective and appreciation for being home and that is a good thing.  We were able to attend one of our favorite events, Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk, and other than it being so much fun and having lots of kids activities, the biggest thrill for the kids has to be the shirts.  They get plenty of wear and we are in desperate need of a new one by the time the walk comes around again.

Every picture with vampire teeth, of course!

While editing pictures in Picasa, I noticed this pencil sketch effect.  Looks great on this photo of Juliet

We were back to LA for less than a week and soaked up as much as we could before our flight Halloween night. 

The flight to Sydney was long but the kids were Rockstars!  Lots of candy and electronic devices do wanders ;)

Sydney is great.  Our first morning was a fun adventure as we had serious jetlag and were up at 3am!  We finally had breakfast at 6am when we found a cafe that had just opened and then we watched a cruise ship dock in Circular Quay.  The kids enjoyed it. 

Our first early morning in Sydney

We've already attended a beautiful wedding and reception (I'll post about that next) and have had invites to visit cousins on the south coast of Australia where kangaroos run wild on the beach,
a trip to visit cousins in the Czech Republic!!!  and an invite to attend a wedding in the south of France.

Needless to say, we are having a fabulous adventure.

A Quick Trip Home

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Home for a few days to visit our favorite people.  Then back to LA before catching a flight to Sydney Australia!