Christmas morn'

Hope everyone had a great holiday! We played it very low key--presents, yummy food, black and white movies . . . The best, tho, was that Ruby is finally old enough (you know, those long two years we've waited) to get what some of it is all about. And she definitley loved the presents.

Sidenote: After two years of owning our camera, we just learned it can record video. Yeah, we're really techy :) So we bring to you some of our Christams morning. It could have been much longer, but once Dave and I edited out our weird facial expressions and dumb comments, this is all that's left :)



Christmas comes early this year . . .

Yesterday our concierge called up to let us know two packages had arrived for us and to ask should he bring them up. "OF COURSE!" For the two minutes it took him to get to our door we danced around in excitement because (1) we had fun packages and (2) we have a concierge! I mean does it get cooler than that?

As it turns out, the packages were christmas presents from mom and pops. Thanks guys! Here are some pics so it's kinda like you were here with us:

These are the paint-it-yourself x-mas ornaments Ruby received. Up until the paint spilled, I was leading her to believe she was involved by letting her choose the color I painted. And she was pretty content. She's every control-freak mom's dream. But then she accidentally spilled the paint and I figured since they were all going to be a muddy blah anyway, why not let her take full credit? I know, I should write a book on good parenting.

Our run-in with the law

Very early this morning we got a call on our home phone. We ignored it as we always do because there just seems to be no way of explaining to telemarketers that we live in Australia so we’re probably not interested in what they have to say. But a little girl with a fever and a little boy who needed feeding kept us up anyway. And, because if my husband is awake more than 60 seconds any moment of the day he checks his blackberry, we were able to find out who called.


It was the U.S. Department of Agriculture—three of them—standing at our front door in Highland, Utah demanding entry into our house. You ask, “what could Dave and Carey possibly have that the Federal government would be so interested in?” We wondered the same thing. As it turns out, they wanted my lemon and lime trees as much as I seemed to last May when Dave ordered them for me for my birthday. No. More. They definitely wanted them more.

They told Sue—who they called and who had to go down and run interference (Thanks Sue!)—that their orders were to “seize and destroy” our trees. As if it were a new crop of anti-patriotism I was cultivating. And apparently that’s just what they did: chopped them into pieces and carried them out in black bags.

I guess the guy in Georgia we bought them from (despite all the online testimonials) had smuggled them in from Florida, before which they had been smuggled in from China, carrying with them a pretty invincible bug posing a big threat to other citrus trees in the state.

The crazy part is, the government has big enough muscles to track down all of this naughty seller’s buyers (19 just in Utah this year!) and take back their trees, but not to stop the guy from doing it again. We’re told this is the second year he’s done it.

At three in the morning the whole thing seemed so funny to us that we couldn’t stop laughing, but now, in the light of day, I’m really kinda mourning the trees. I’m told the lime tree was bursting with white blossoms! That’s just enough motivation to try again next year.

Just more pictures of our cute kids doing fun things . . .

Okay, so when I heard Maisy was visiting the Sydney libraries, I knew we had to get in on the action. After a two hour walk, we got to what I thought was the closest library (it was, I just took the really really really long way), Maisy visited with the kids for about 10 minutes. And it was totally worth it! Ruby loved every second, wouldn't let go of Maisy's hand, and tearfully mourned her loss for a half hour after Maisy left. Ruby's nothing if not passionate about her friendships.

 

Off to the zoo. Ruby is becoming very sensible about sun protection :)

Have I mentioned how much we love the zoo here?

This weekend we decided to do the impossible and load our kids up for a 4-mile walk along the coast. They were angels and we had a great time. The walk connects four separate beaches just south west of Sydney with lots of restaurants and shops along the way. (It's no Cinque Terra, Chole, but it's pretty close :) ) Behind Jude and me is this old cemetery overlooking the water. I told Dave that if he could get me a plot here I'd reconsider cremation.

Yes, yes. I'm aware of my side boobs in the picture.

 And lastly, my sweet husband's birthday. Yes, there are 36 candles on that cake. Happy Birthday, Hubby. You make me very happy.