tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53576524640410361222024-03-13T04:43:45.674-07:00Mrs. Moon RamblesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-10410011724749630702013-09-09T21:45:00.001-07:002013-09-09T21:45:22.941-07:00Washington Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So Erik go ta huge scrape on his fave just before Lindsay came to join us unexectedly on this trip.....and it was all my fault! I was pulling him on that fun scooter and he face planted as I was trying to pull him up over the lip of the curb, whoops. Poor kid-I gave him a bloody nose and all. </div>
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Good thing Grandpa Pooper has cool things like BB guns to distract from owies. </div>
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Erik loved loved loved that he was able to shoot a real gun and took all of the advice very seriously. He did pretty well at safety too. We had to remind a couple of times of different things but he was so excited to be shooting targets in the back yard!<br />
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Getting great advice from Grandpa about how to aim. Love these pics. I grew up with guns in the house. My dad was very serious about talking about safety of them, and where they were, what purpose they served, how they were put together. He let us touch them and handle them while they were taken apart for cleaning and we were very much aware of the courtesies of talking about them. It was great to start passing that on to Erik. WHile in Australia (where guns are illegal) we cant help him learn those types of things so this was a big thing for our entire family.<br />
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We shot the lid of a plastic take away container. That small thing on the first tier of the garden bed.<br />
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And I had to take a crack at it. I tell you. I am ok with a pistol but I am horrible aiming with a big gun. I just dont get the whole aiming mechanics. I am sure Erik will be better than me by the time he is 10.<br />
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WHile spending time with my parents we took a weekend and went camping and it was so so sooooooo amazing to be back at the lake, on my parents boat, and just back to where I was familiar being in the summer time. I love the ocean and the beach but I think my heart belongs to lakes. It was the first time I had been to the lake and boat since before Erik was born since we normally have travelled home in the winter for the holidays. It was lovely!<br />
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Once we got to the campground, we immediately went to the lake beach and Erik and Grandpa went exploring.<br />
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My parents brought up some canoes and so that was a fun activity to do.<br />
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And we met up with other people who camped in a site with their RV and brought this amazingly nice and sweet dog that Erik was obsessed with.<br />
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Their little girl cuddle with me one morning while she was waking up and it was fun. She let me do her hair as well which was super fun!<br />
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We fed ducks off the boat..<br />
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did some fishing<br />
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And acted like super cool cats..<br />
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....It was such a nice weekend. A perfect rejuvenation from or typical day to day lives and since the lake has been such a part of my life since I can remember it fed my soul. It really just gave me a good push and helped fill my cup. Its amazing how small things like that can do it. Just basking in such a familiar and beautiful place, watching the sun set, my senses were not overstimulated by newness they were revived by tradition. I do think it feel great to get out and explore new things, take risks, and get newness around you but I love having that home base. And I am so glad that Lin was there to share it with!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-74355746295756234522013-08-27T03:12:00.001-07:002013-08-27T03:12:16.261-07:00Washington part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So in May we realized that Lindsay was supposed to be out of town for 7 straight weeks. I was having a little bit of a hard time and that time seemed daunting so we decided very last minute to fly back to Washington to spend those long weeks with family. In the end, Lin's work all got changed and he desperately needed a break from it all and ended up joining us last second for a few of the weeks. So fun!</div>
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One of the first things we did upon our arrival was Erik helped Papa mow his lawn. With Erik's asthma symptoms and allergies we put a bunch of protective gear on him.</div>
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this picture came on out of order and I didn't want to mess with changing it all up. But Papa had an awesome scooter that the kids loved getting pulled on and riding on their own down small inclines.<br />
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Some of the things that Erik loved when we got to Washington was that he was not confined to our 800 sq. ft. apartment (that includes our balcony). He could be on an entire different level than me, outside while I was in, etc. He thoroughly enjoyed the space and freedom to roam. It really made me excited for the time that we get to live in a neighborhood again. But I have absolutely no regrets about living in our little flat in the city. I have loved every bit of it.<br />
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We had a weeny roast in Nana and Papa's back yard for dinner.<br />
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Nana wasn't grumpy but she was mesmerized by the flames!<br />
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An American hot dog! It had been a long time since we had indulged in one of those. Hot dogs in Oz are longer and a bright orangey pink color, or you get a sausage. Even when you find one that says "American Hot Dog" on it, it's not quite the same. So this was a great treat.<br />
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Then cousins came for the long Memorial day weekend...<br />
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Erik shows off his newly acquired skill of rolling his eyes.<br />
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one of the favorite play spots at the house is the old fashioned mail slot that goes into the house. Before Church the kids were delivering goods to one another. THey loved to pass things through and ring the door bell. <br />
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We had to get some cute pics of them all dressed up for church.<br />
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On Memorial day we attended a traditional bbq at the park with members of Nana and Papa's ward at church. And that evening he held a special family night lesson about the meaning of Memorial Day<br />
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He spoke about the members of the family who had served and why its important to be patriotic. We said the pledge of allegiance and sang some patriotic songs. It was lovely!<br />
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Loved the look on Erik's face on this one! We had fun singing some old school songs like Yankee Doodle Dandy and waving flags.<br />
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The kids tried on Lindsay's grandpa's uniform from World War II<br />
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Then we held a small parade. That part was lots of fun too!<br />
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It was a great end to a great weekend. Just writing this makes me miss family....and it's only going to get a bit worse while I document the rest of our trip. I absolutely love it here in Oz, I really and truly will miss my friends and so much of this place. But family is where it is at my friends. There is something so fulfilling about being around family. One day we will live closer (and that's not too far away)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-60334724921990153842013-08-27T02:50:00.001-07:002013-08-27T02:50:12.510-07:00attack of the monster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My dates are all a bit messed up I think this was in late April but it may have been early May. I had a few friends who were all due with babies within a few weeks of each other. On this particular occasion Erik and I brought home his little friend after we visited his mum and baby brother at the hospital. Once Linds got home from work he dressed up as a bad guy/monster and we had a little knight and batman defending the city. <br />
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The knight was a little freaked out in the beginning (who wouldn't be?) and then the boys got right into it.<br />
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Backed into the corner of the kitchen but giggling...<br />
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They caught him and start taking him down<br />
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Unmasked.....the good guys won!<br />
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Fun times in the moon house!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-57095966728952476652013-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:002013-08-22T01:33:47.656-07:00Family Preparedness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For a long time I have wanted to get our 72 hour kits ready, and I mean fully ready. Not just we have everything or most everything but its in a billion places around the house, I wanted it ready to grab and go. When we first moved to Oz major floods has just happened. Our building had flooded, all the units were safe and dry (although the power went over for a time) but our car park had flooded and our lifts (elevators) were not working. Knowing that we were in the flood zone and just having the urge I finally put my foot down this year around April. It's hard when you move every few years to want to put them together to only pull them apart and start over but I wanted to put a plan into place that would help with that in the future.<br />
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when looking online into what you can put in, the options and advice are endless. I read through a few and then turned everything off and just started making a list of food that would be easy and that our family would eat. I made a master meal list and master shopping list. We had nearly everything on hand but all the food. So Erik and I went and did the shopping and for Family home evening we assembled one night.<br />
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First we did the food. I layed everything on the table and we did one grocery sack for each day for each person. I called out what to grab and everyone filled their bag. We put a sticky note on it to say who's it was and what day. Lindsay and I each took a bit of extra food for even snacks and what have you.<br />
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Next we did clothes and other necessities. Erik loved this part as well because we had gotten him a rolling suitcase for his pack that was spiderman. He was asking for an emergency so that he could use it.<br />
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It's hard with a child with clothing because they grow so fast. But we just made sure it was all a bit big. And plan to change out or pack food and check things each General Conference time (april and October) and so we can reassess then. <br />
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This assembly process took us longer than I thought, you can see we started in daylight and ended in night) but I think it will only take that long this initial time and from now it will just be rotation of things.<br />
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And since it was family night we had a treat after the activity. And there is nothing that can stand between this little man and his chocolate.....Don't even try<br />
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What a goof<br />
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Funnily enough, our complex had a fire alarm happen late at night, and the building evacuated. Erik was pleased as punch that there was an 'emergency' and Lin let him take his emergency pack downstairs with him. Then they practiced a few more times over the next week to time and see how well he could do toting it around. It was super cute!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-19152726389966191732013-08-21T22:55:00.001-07:002013-08-21T22:55:25.515-07:00Preschool at Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been teaching Erik preschool stuff at home this year. To send him away to preschool (or Kindy/Kindergarten as they call it here) is ridiculously expensive plus its just not necessary. I know it's so common place in todays world but not needed. While I definitely have my days where I would love to be able to drop him off for a couple of hours for the benefit of both of us, I have come to get used to teaching him at home and coming up with fun things. And we do so many other social things, he is balanced just fine.<br />
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This day we worked on fine motor skills and put dry spaghetti into homemade playdough and it was extra special because I got a small box of fruit loops and let him put them on the noodles and of course snack on a few. It was a major hit.<br />
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There are numerous websites that have so many amazing printables and great ideas for preschool and other home school grades out there. I use those sometimes and this day we worked on gluing fun pieces onto a superhero.<br />
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I also started writing in a journal with him. I write whatever he wants and he draws a picture. Behind him you can see a board, its a day of the week and calendar/season/weather board that are not perfect at updating but he really likes it. He now knows that days of the week by their assigned color. So he knows the order of the colors but doesn't always know the name. Its funny, he also knows that if Daddy is in town that he will get to be home on purple day (Saturday) and he LOVES purple day for that reason.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-91633791451145737822013-08-21T22:46:00.002-07:002013-08-21T22:46:57.262-07:00Singapore and Malaysia with the RAAF<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It has been quite a process for Lindsay to get all the approval he needs from so many different people and offices to get to go on any of the overseas trips other than back to America. But he finally had all the stars align and earlier this year he was able to go to Singapore and Malaysia (I think that is where he was, seriously he has been gone almost half the year this year). They went to this restaurant where you get meat on a stick. The challenge is to eat 100 of them. </div>
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As you can tell the group was a large group. The man who owned the shop let them order in sets of 10 I think. To give himself time to cook and to see how many would really be ordered. The group told Lin to break his sticks after eating off of them otherwise they will get re-used (so gross!). So they got to somewhere around 75-ish. I am so bad to be blogging this so late, cause now all the details are foggy. Anyhow, the man ended up cutting them all off and saying no more. He didn't run out of food but wanted to save some for other customers. I thought it was funny!<br />
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This was a random market shop along the street where you could buy a variety of different seafood products.<br />
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And some more military style pictures. Couldn't tell you any real details about these.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-90261359832770398322013-08-21T22:38:00.002-07:002013-08-21T22:38:24.142-07:00We do live a "normal" life....really<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While this year truly has been the year of travel for our family....and we are not finished. We do live a pretty normal (well for a military family) life. Here is some evidence of that...</div>
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A sweet little face in a funny winter hat, that he loves because it has a little pocket that he can hide a gold coin (worth one or two dollars) in.</div>
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One lazy day, when we pretty much did nothing majorly productive but enjoyed time together as a family. Erik stayed in his pj's and Lin and I had been watching tv, I went in my room to see what Erik was up to, and he was listening to music on the ipod. He is such a little adult sometimes. You can see he had been playing with his airplanes and destroyed the bedding but was thoroughly enjoying his tunes. <br />
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Then we decided to try our hand at frozen hot chocolate. Erik loves loves loves to help in the kitchen. I have control issues though and I am trying to curb that and let him help more. He often requests to make muffins, or something that we bake.<br />
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He really doesn't like loud noises at the moment. I guess the ninja doing its job was just too much for him.<br />
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Mmmm, those were yummy and sometimes those low key days are so soothing. Today for example, Erik got dressed but I didn't. I have put up a fort for him and read to him and am trying to get over a case of the grumpies. I told Erik last night when I put him to bed a certain code phrase, or question rather to ask me today when he thought I was being a bit mean to help remind me to change my attitude. I sadly admit, he has used that code question about 4 times. Sad, but true, I am trying and I am so glad that I have a little boy who is so much more patient with me than I with him. I am so blessed to have him around. It will be so sad next year when he starts school. I am glad that he has been such a good reminder boy for me today. I definitely need it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-11965925833163035842013-08-21T22:25:00.003-07:002013-08-21T22:25:50.223-07:00Reunited!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A week after we got back from Hawaii we had the fortunate event of having Alex and Haley come out with their kiddos to visit. Unfortunately this post is not going to serve the trip well as all the pics are on our iPad which is currently on a trip with Lindsay but there are a couple here from the trip. I picked them up on my own, so that we could all fit in our one car (plus Lindsay was out of town the first couple of days they were here).</div>
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These two silly goofballs pick up right where they left off which was so nice and Little Landon even just fit into it all. It was such a great time and creative with sleeping but it was like one big slumber party basically for the time they were here. <br />
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We exchanged Christmas gifts when they came so you can see Zoey with her Bon Bon hat on.<br />
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And I think this bottom picture is one of my favorite random pics from the trip. We were headed to the beach and the kids were ready and we were finishing getting everything packed that we needed. I love it because Zoey's hair is all done nice and uniform-similar to her personality, and Eriks is absolutely crazy (we had put a bunch of sunscreen through it to protect his scalp)- also like his fun loving personality. They both are similar in a lot of ways and so different by the same token.<br />
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We packed in so much while they were here, we were all completely exhausted each and every night. Alex and Haley tried their hardest to stay up to 10 pm each night, but unless I am mistaken -- I don't think they ever made it. We had lots of sushi, made a couple of different beach runs, had a yum-cha dinner in China town where 200+ young adults came in for a birthday party that turned the place into an eabsolute mad house. Seriously almost every person who walked in had a bottle of alcohol in their arms and the drinking age here is 18, it was so crazy! The look on the staff's face was priceless. I am so glad that I didn't work there that night. We also went to the Koala sanctuary, went to New Farm park for the markets, the playground, and for Lindsay and Haley to do a 5k run. We rode on the city cat, did a little shopping, went down to our favorite fish market, and spent a day at South Bank among other things. It was so fun to share our life with some of our family. I took Haley grocery shopping with me to show her how different it was here and we all just had a blast. We are so happy they came!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-5865733508728104622013-08-20T05:27:00.002-07:002013-08-20T05:27:51.681-07:00North Shore with Nana and Papa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
For the week with the Moon's we spent the morning getting breakfast in the harbor and then headed up to the North Shore where we rented a home.</div>
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Erik had already been a fish since we came to Hawaii while in the midst of our Aussie summer. While Grandpa Pooper was in town he really worked a lot with Erik in the pool and actually pretty much taught him to swim with no float aids and on his own. Thank you Grandpa! So then the last week we found Erik a snorkel and mask and he loved practicing in the bath tub before trying it in the ocean!<br />
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Playing pretend with Nana on the back veranda. This home was awesome! It was a home split into apartments and on the side of the house was a half pipe. All the apartments had small kids and so when we were around Erik had kids his age to play with which he was sorely missing by that point. They would ride their scooters up and down and slide from the top to the bottom. It was awesome.<br />
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One day we went to walk and enjoy the beach without swimming. And there was this young man selling raw coconuts that would cut up with his machete for you. First he would cut it so you could drink the water, then he would cut it open and give you spoon to eat the raw flesh. <br />
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Erik really liked it, and this was him explaining, what you do, and how good it is...<br />
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Playing with papa in the sand<br />
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this is Erik having a think about something. Trying to decide if he likes it. <br />
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Sadly those were some of the few pictures we got with Nana and papa. Our time spent with them was so relaxing and more on the low key side of things. I think by the end of the trip we were over pulling out the camera for every detail and just went into complete holiday mode. We went to turtle bay, a Budhist temple (if I remember right) and had many a long discussions and enjoyed each others company. The whole trip in general, although stressful in some ways, was so rejuvenating and great. And without realizing it, it started off the year full of adventures for us. This year has been jam packed with trips where we have traveled, people have come to us and it's not over. I think it will go down in the record books as biggest travel adventures!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-10204269290378034462013-08-20T04:20:00.000-07:002013-08-20T04:20:10.575-07:00NCO Academy Graduation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The night before Lindsay's graduation from the NCO academy his parents flew in to meet up with us. It was fun to get ready for a fancier event with his mum, it felt like we were teenagers getting ready for a stake dance or something. So fun. Erik was milling around so excited that he was going to get a babysitter. He asks all the time if he can have a babysitter, that social little boy.</div>
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Lindsay with some of his fellow classmates. Alex was the one next to Lindsay and was from the Singapore Air Force, it was fun getting to know him and another from his force while we were there.<br />
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This is Lindsay and I with Seiler who was his supervisor at the time and his wife. It was fun to have someone we were familiar with at the graduation. And Erik was at their house that evening playing with their son of similar age, it all worked out so well.<br />
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Lindsay took on a lot with this trip. Juggling us and his studies and family and fun. He missed out on a lot of the fun to study and he ended up winning the "Distinguished Graduate" award. He is so humble though I had to toot his horn for him!<br />
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Getting his graduation certificate<br />
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With one of the previous Generals that oversaw all the Air Force.<br />
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This academy that he attended was the whole reason he went to Hawaii and the whole reason we ended up deciding to meet up with him there. It seemed to go by fast and yet drag on at the same time, its a good thing we had so much good company while we were there!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-8599545538841324842013-08-20T04:03:00.001-07:002013-08-20T04:03:25.879-07:00A bit of Patriotism and some sealife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It was such a nice experience spending part of our time on base. This trip was a bit stressful for me in way of accommodation. Reservations got all confused and Erik and I kind of bounced around between off base and on base for a bit, even staying at one of Lin's nice and kind classmate's home for a couple nights. But staying on base and having down time with Erik allowed us to talk to him more about our country and some of our history. One day Lindsay took us into the PACAF headquarters. We had showed him pock marks while driving from the attack on pearl harbor. But at this building he could walk up to them and touch them.</div>
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It was humbling for me and nice to speak openly as a family about such a large and historic even that had affected so many things. At this point in the trip we had already seen a lot of the Pearly Harbor museum which he absorbed completely and fully. He had many pertinent questions that were beyond his years and he really seemed to grasp some things. It was great.<br />
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THat was another favorite moment for me. There were so many, but that one was almost spiritual.<br />
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One weekend while I took the morning to get pampered, Lindsay and Erik and some of Lindsay's classmates went hiking. I was sad that they went without me, but truly enjoyed getting myself a little bit of girly time. Erik loved riding in Jones' jeep with the top off. He was such a cool cat.<br />
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And then one day while there was no family in town and Lin was in class I took Erik into Waikiki and we went to the aquarium. It was a fun little get away. Especially for the $5 admission with a military discount. I loved how many military discounts there were there! It was so amazing, and I forgot how many businesses support the Armed Forces in that way.<br />
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Erik's favorite part was holding this little hermit crab.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-67216368170034122332013-08-20T03:40:00.001-07:002013-08-20T03:40:55.367-07:00Beach days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We had the fortune of spending some beautiful days on the beach. These first pics are from a morning spent on Waikiki. Grandma and Erik spent some quality time playing in the sand.</div>
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That day we also rented a large tricycle looking thing that floated and everyone took turns out on the ocean with it. When Erik, Theresa and I had a go, we actually saw a wild sea turtle, it was so cool. And it was within just a few feet of us. Definitely a highlight of the trip for me.<br />
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Below was a different day. After Marcus and Theresa and Cindy had gone back to the mainland, my parents stayed for a few extra days. We spent those days at the base and it was so much fun. What am I saying this whole trip was fun! We spent an afternoon at the base beach which is nice because although it catches some crowds, it is nice and peaceful away from heaps of tourists.<br />
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We rented some Kayaks and went around the bay.<br />
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Then we got some grub and well.....you can see my Dad's true colors coming out!<br />
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Oh there we go...<br />
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Cutie pie<br />
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And us ladies!<br />
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So much bliss. Almost makes me ready for beach season here in Oz....but not quite because that means I pack around at least double if not more gear everywhere we go to make sure everyone stays hydrated, free from sunburn, dry, fed, etc. In the warm months here I carry heaps of extra weight. Not too mention the sand is fun at the beach but gets old at home. And if only I had a little room to just put all our summer gear, it just gets shoved around and hangs off everything drying. A lovely mudroom, or something would be great! Dreams....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-45576492756523796602013-08-20T03:17:00.002-07:002013-08-20T03:17:49.020-07:00He had a birthday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So Erik had his fourth birthday while we were in Hawaii. And it was so fun. It wasn't super fancy and his only request for his birthday was that he wanted decorations this year. Easy-ish enough. I wanted to totally deck out one of the hotel rooms someone was staying in, but we were so busy having so much fun that it ended up being Lindsay and I running around to get a few things. We put up streamers and a banner and had a few balloons. We covered his eyes and brought him out of the bedroom so it could be more exciting.</div>
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And then we sang him the birthday song and he acted all bashful, it was quite cute!<br />
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the birthday party<br />
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An airplane shirt, wahoo! He is obsessed with Airplanes.<br />
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And excited to continue to open things and chatter away about what he is experiencing and his love for airplanes.<br />
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He was so excited to get this card that had the number 4 on it-which he recognized and was so happy because he was 4 and his card said 4. It has been so fun to see him learn and connect dots like that!<br />
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And finally we went out to dinner and Erik got his own piece of ginormous cake with lots of thick chocolate on it, his favorite. And he sat next to Cindy who also shared lots of her chocolate with him prior to him eating his main meal, he was one happy birthday boy!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-12619948531361412242013-08-20T03:02:00.001-07:002013-08-20T03:02:18.230-07:00Polynesian Cultural Center<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So we adventured over to the PCC and Erik had already become besties with Theresa. He was her little shadow for the rest of the time that she was in Hawaii when we were around. And she was so lovely to him and just took him in under her wing, which helped me a LOT. It was really nice having so many extra distractors and fun people around to keep Erik interested and cooperative. And really he is such a great little guy he just trooped through anything and everything we did on that trip.<br />
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We went to Samoa first, and this presenter was absolutely hilarious. He showed us how to crack and do all the fancy things to a coconut. Started a fire from scratch and told many a funny jokes. And in the background you can see a fellow man climbing a tree with just his hands and feet. So cool!<br />
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Erik pretended he didn't know I was taking a picture but we were watching my Dad in Tonga and it was a blast.</div>
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Here he was following directions from the Tongan<br />
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And a re-enactment just for humors sake<br />
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Then we all got tattoos. You can see Erik wasn't so sure about it, I think he thought it was going to hurt.<br />
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Marcus decided the best place for his was his face.<br />
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And then Erik decided Marcus was the perfect perch to watch the parade<br />
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One of the next places I let most of the group go ahead and watch the presentation while Erik and I stayed outside to get some wiggles out and play a bit. Here he is a playing a Polynesian game where you roll a piece of wood and try to get it between two sticks. He loved it.<br />
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And of course the Luau....It was so fun. And I just realized that picture doesn't show our entire group. Sorry Marcus and Theresa!<br />
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I wish Lindsay had been able to come with us. It was a fun day. After the dinner we went to the show that night which had lots of fire and great story. At one point in the day my dad (who was deemed Grandpa Pooper Scooper by Erik on this trip) went to throw spears. Grandpa pooper was helping Erik to throw the spear and Erik went with the spear a bit. Grandpa felt horrible and I heard the little man crying from a ways away. It was a sad moment but quickly forgotten luckily.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-46494323531510159752013-05-14T22:48:00.000-07:002013-05-14T22:48:27.137-07:00Dole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So before I get too far ahead of myself with this post. For the next little while it is going to seem like our family vacationed for about 3-4 months straight and well it kind of was like that but not totally. So after Christmas fun we had together as a family before Lindsay was going to be gone for 7 weeks....in Hawaii! And what do you do when your husband goes to Hawaii for over a month, you join along of course at some point, and not only that but you have family come meet you there and party with you. Poor Lindsay missed out on a lot of fun doing his course he was in but we enjoyed the fruits of his labors. </div>
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Now Erik and I went to Hawaii for 4 of those weeks. And while we took a lot of pictures we didnt take as many as I would have imagined purely because I didnt want to lug the camera around all the time. My parents and our family friends came first and we had a week before they showed up. Erik and I spent a lot of time playing at playgrounds on the base and he enjoyed having interaction with other children there. I also took him to the waikiki zoo on my own that week. Our accommodations were not real organized upon us arriving back in the states (wahoo!) so we spent our first week hopping from the base, to a hotel, to even spending a couple of nights with one of Lindsay's classmates at his home. Then things kind of ironed themselves out and we stayed on the base and then at the end we rented a house up on the north shore.</div>
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Before I get to far ahead of myself. The first big thing we did while my side of the family was there (and our friends just get thrown into that family category) was go to the Dole pineapple plantation. </div>
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Erik and Grandpa whom quickly earned the name Grandpa Pooper Scooper (although he is still trying to rectify this by asking Erik to call him El Magnificent), hit it off right away. It was fun, because this was the first trip for Erik to really have any memories from. He has spent plenty of time with our families but he is old enough to start having actual memories so it was a great trip.<br />
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we rode on the train to tour the fields. Coming from the middle of our Aussie summer, we Moon people were a bit chilled with the breeze and shade of the tram, but of course our parents coming from the dead of winter were loving the sun and the warm temps. It was fun to see this difference our entire trip.<br />
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Erik and Pooper looking at the colorful bark of this beautiful tree.<br />
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That was the frist excursion and it was so fun. We of course did other things there but were busy catching up and enjoying everything to take too many pics. Actually there were way more pics taken as well but everyone had cameras so I only had the small portion from our camera.<br />
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But honestly as I catch up with the first portion of our 2013, please remember that our life is not one big vacation, ok it sort of has been, but to justify it- I still have done plenty of laundry, organizing things, planning things, taking care of my church responsibilities, cooked, etc. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-86639855405168141942013-05-10T22:32:00.000-07:002013-05-10T22:32:00.952-07:00Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay continued<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So how can you really finish off your adrenalin rush of a morning skydiving? Let me tell you, the BEach of course. Thats the main thing to do in the summer here, it keeps you cool and its fun, its a workout if you play in the water, it wears you out and we usually pack our own food-especially on public holidays when everything is closed so you get good food in your belly. Usually lots of fresh tropical fruit and other things that wont spoil in the heat and humidity. </div>
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So we headed down to Rainbow beach, here is the entrance for 4 wheel drive vehicles to drive the beach, which is a huge draw and many people camp this way. We have yet to experience it but maybe someday (we can't do everything right, just like we wont see all of the south pacific, or even all of Australia)....</div>
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I found these two hits interesting. I dont know if you can tell ( just realized my pics are too small) but the one on the left is a massage hut. While the thought is nice, I wouldnt want to be doing that in that climate, maybe when its not the middle of the summer. And the ice cream hut. So very interesting to me, not sure why<br />
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Giving Erik his first body boarding lessons. This child is fish and I am sure he will go into withdrawals when he realizes that not everywhere in the world has pools and beaches close, free, and easy to get too. However that will not stop us from taking it all in when we can.<br />
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Then we went fishing. Erik has been dieing to go. We went to a sporting store that sold bait and Lindsay asked where the bait was and the cashier replied with an answer that neither Lindsay nor I could decipher with his thick Aussie accent (they vary a bit here, just as the accent varies in the states). We asked him to repeat himself and I got it that time but Lindsay still didnt. I directed us to the proper place we paid for our worms and left. We couldn't help but bust a gut as we got out of earshot. They man has said 'beach worms' but it sounded like a mottled 'beachwams' spoken quickly. Now we joke often about the beach wams up in rainbow beach. And long those suckers were...<br />
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that was only part of one.<br />
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The next morning we were heading out and the one and only thing I was dieing to do up in Tin Can Bay was feed the wild dolphins. Its free other than you pay for your fish that you give them. They keep the dolphins wild by only giving them so many fish (up to only 10 percent of their daily diet). There is a pod of dolphins that come in regularly but each day they dont know which ones will come or how many. This day there were two...the alpha male and his female mate.<br />
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The food<br />
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Erik giving it a go<br />
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And myself. It was soooooo cool! We couldn't touch the dolphins as they were wild but it was cool to be near them and know that through the years they had trusted these volunteers enough to come get a morning snack.<br />
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Mission accomplished. Christmas Holiday was splendidly awesome that will forever go down in our family's history books and one that may never be beaten. I am ok with that-it will long be cherished!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-5675597172388517882013-05-08T22:07:00.001-07:002013-05-08T22:07:33.125-07:00His 'once in a lifetime'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I must be quick, I have a little due who I am pretty sure is in a growth spurt or else I have become an expert mum at wearing him out who is napping again today. Perfect opportunity for me blog! You never realize the value of things until you dont have them anymore hey.</div>
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So Boxing day, we were staying up in Tin Can Bay and that morning we were to be somewhere fun by 7:30 am we will say. I dont remember now I just remember it was something like that. We packed our day's bags since it was a bit of drive and showed up for Lindsay's Christmas present..................</div>
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SKYDIVING!</div>
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Yep I was that cool wife this last Christmas, don't hate me because I only come up and do stuff like this about never, so sorry Lindsay I can't say I will be able to come up with something as equally cool ever again. I had come across a great deal on one of those groupon sites and thought, 1-I never can think of cool things to give him 2- He has always wanted to skydive (even almost went when we were dating) and doing it in Australia would make it that much more cool especially because with this company you land on the beautiful beach.</div>
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So random side note. My family know I have a hard time keeping fun secrets like this from Lindsay because I get so excited about them and he only likes surprises when he can know what it is as soon as he finds out about it. Well my friends I failed again, Partially because I needed to let him know about the weight requirements and make -ahem- any adjustments as needed and partially because he is so darn smart and partially because I wanted to book it, but with his schedule being so wacky I needed his help. I let him know about the weight restriction shortly after I bought it s he would have the time needed to lose a few kilos. As soon as I said what the limit was he automatically guessed it because he had already researched it I guess since we have lived here. I played it cool for a while and thought I had him a bit deterred.He hounded me a bit, but then left it alone, then I needed to book it and I just couldnt contain it any longer and I knew we would need to get accomodation since it was a good 3 plus hour car ride and he would dive in the morning, so I spilled the beans and we planned the mini holiday as a family.<br />
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Back to showing up at 7:30. WE walk in and tell them we were there for the scheduled dive and they tell us we were 30 minutes late, my heart dropped, I had remembered the wrong time. There are no refunds....great. Luckily these guys are cool and they say "well it's been too windy this morning anyways and we couldn't have left yet anyways. phew. Then they see Lindsay and ask how much he ways (mind you he has been starving himself the whole week of Christmas and hadnt eaten anything for a good 12 hours prior to this. He responds and they say, 'it will be close lets put you on the scales........dun dun dun.....300 grams OVER....my heart sinks again. So now we have come late, and he is over the weight limit. Do they let him fly-why yes because they rock. They say that because he is a fit guy it will be ok. They worry about weight for the landing because you have to hold up your legs and land on your bum, you can seriously injure yourself if you are too heavy or out of shape. So On we go. They let Erik and I tag along (with Erik's new toy plane too) to watch it all. We get bussed out to the plane. Erik has his first experience in the pilots seat of a small plane-he has done this before on the big jets but not a cesna.<br />
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He is in absolute heaven! We watch them taxi down the grass strip and take off...<br />
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the real pilot<br />
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the instructor that Lin will fly tandem with.<br />
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On your markey's<br />
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get your car keys<br />
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GO!<br />
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Safe at last! He was able to do a 60 second freefall before the big chute came out and enjoyed the view on the way to the big 'x' on the beach where we excitedly waited for him.<br />
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Both of my men were in heaven that morning and thus I was also. I am glad I didnt have to skydive, it doesn't appeal to me in the least and I am happy I could make my man's dream come true while fueling my little man's passion for planes. It was summing up to be one spectacular Christmas season.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-59913067571644015792013-04-30T22:17:00.001-07:002013-04-30T22:17:23.974-07:00Santa did indeed come!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am alive and thriving and I bring you Christmas day....Santa's helpers put streamers across Erik's door to wake up to Christmas morning and thought it would be a fun touch. Unfortunately Erik woke in the night and it was all ruined when we ran in to see what was the matter. Oh well, maybe next year the elves will try again.</div>
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Such a cutie. Here he had opened his Christmas crackers/bon bons and put on the traditional crown, read the joke and won the prize. The bon bons are a fun tradition and I wanted to send some so badly home to family to experience but they cant be sent because they crack/pop like a pop it kind of, or a cap gun and thus it's considered explosive I think. But we have enjoyed them each Christmas since being here and I am hoping I can find some or order some from a company when we move back to the states to keep up the Aussie tradition (I am pretty sure it stems from their British roots, but not sure). You usually 'play' with another person, each holding one end of the cracker and then pulling, whomever has the bulk of the cracker gets what is inside.<br />
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Santa filled stockings and left Erik a new airplane, the one he had his eye on. He calls it a 'helper' airplane except in his not quite refined language it sounds like he is saying 'hopa' or 'hope' and it is quite cute.</div>
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looking at the back and seeing which ones he has and which ones he wants, isn't that one of the best parts of opening a new toy, looking at the packaging and getting excited. I know it was one of mine!<br />
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And man, Santa had some great ideas this year. When we go to the newstand Erik likes to look at the airplane magazines, and this Christmas one landed in his stocking, he devoured that thing and spent a lot of time studying it.<br />
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His stack of gifts. We decided on trying to keep things simple this year. We gave him three and one was sent by grandparents, the other came from a family at church. Our little guy is spoiled by our church friends I tell you, we really feel like we have family here and it is so nice.<br />
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The Christmas mess. I love it, and Erik loved it as well. I felt bad because shortly after opening and playing for a short bit we headed out to some friends' house for brekkie and then we came home for just a wuick bit to get packed for a couple days away up on the 'Sunny' or sunshine coast and he really didnt want to leave the fun of the Christmas mess and toys. Once we actually got on the road he kept saying he wanted to go back home to Christmas. I felt a bit bad, we did let him bring his airplane with us on the trip and I promised we would leave the mess as is to come home but he completely associated the holiday with all that fun stuff and relaxing. I took a mental note for years to come, dont leave on Christmas day if we can help it, leave the next day.<br />
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We spent the next couple days around Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach. Since we drove up on Christmas day and not the next day (Boxing day-which is a public holiday here and big traveling and crazy day) when we got up into the little town of Tin Can Bay there was nobody to be found. It is a tiny town and everyone I think was holed up enjoying the day. We walked around to a park and small beach and had a great evening. And luckily we have learned enough here, to have packed all our food with us so we didnt have to scavenge for somewhere open to eat which we would not have found.<br />
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We took some fun pictures among the long grass by the beach (keeping thoughts of snakes out of our minds). I love how much personality our little guy exudes and he is such a happy lad.<br />
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spent some time climbing a treet with Dad<br />
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and some cute ones with mum. I have accepted the fact that I am a mum. I dont know if I have mentioned it before, but I have now spent more of my time as a mother known as 'mum' than 'mom.' and while Erik still occassionally calls me mom it's mostly mum or mummy and I relish it, I know he will revert when we move back so I gladly accept my title as mum and have since living here. SOme of these things I will greatly miss and just want to take it all in and wrap it up in a pretty package, which I will do and keep them in my heart forever.</div>
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uh-oh he did get a time out. And Erik doesn't get in trouble real often, but he is a normal child. I just thought it was cute seeing him there...<br />
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And that's all for today folks. Erik actually fell asleep this afternoon for a nap buying me this time. I need to go wake him but I have lots of fun things to share, I can't wait!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-20400959583766717622013-03-17T00:59:00.001-07:002013-03-17T00:59:16.721-07:00Christmas part deaux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isn't that a nice view? Over the Christmas break when it seems nearly everything shuts down for the summer season we spent a lot of time at the beach. Which was good since it's the rainy season and after the new year boy have we seen our fair share of the rain! This beach is down in Coolangatta, which I believe is technically in New South Wales the state just south of Queensland.<br />
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Lindsay went surfing here one morning with a mate and realized that his surfing skills weren't quite up to the skill level of the surf here. The current is strong and you have to walk a long way from where you end up riding in to where you start. But it's beautiful. In fact recently we had our first set of family come visit us and and "Cooly" as the locals call it was a beach that we went to. We played and were able to watch part of a pro surf competition going on that day. Saweet!<br />
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Back to Christmas....in March....On Christmas eve we did an afternoon activity with some friends. We made gingerbread houses- the boys doing one and the girls the other. It was fun to compare the attention to detail between the genders.<br />
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And of course when it's that hot out...who wants to be cooking? Not me so we did a simple yet yummy sausage sizzle for lunch. And then we headed down to the pool for a swim<br />
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That little doll of a face makes me want to just love on her. Her affection is openly given to anyone and I have been able to earn her trust a bit and it makes my heart truly sing. I have even been able to babysit her without any crying, which is an achievement for this little girl. She is very attached to her parents, so it's been nice for everyone that I can help out, especially since she will have a new sibling next month!<br />
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My good friend Jody and the little munchkin. We had a blast with them and tried our best to exhaust our little ones for the big visit from Old Saint Nick. Having Christmas in the summer is not something I want to do forever but right now I absolutely love it! It's so different it is hard to compare and while there are lots of things to miss about a cold and white Christmas, we can create just as magical as a Christmas in the beautiful shining hot sun. Where else can you swim all afternoon to take up a Christmas eve day. Where seafood is plenty and so yummy for the dinner. Where you want to sleep with absolutely no covers rather than piling them on. It's so cool!<br />
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Christmas morning to come!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-57615314058726112152013-03-01T03:37:00.001-08:002013-03-01T03:37:17.214-08:00to stay in habitI realize its been nearly a week since I have posted. And I really want to get back into a regular posting routine. When I take the time o blog I enjoy it. It can get a bit stressful when I am so behind and need to catch up like now, but I WILL get there! This last week was the week I had planned to it and really catch up and schedule out posts because we have our first family visitors coming here to Oz this weekend! I can't wait. 24 hours and we get to share this experience with some family! But Monday morning EJ woke up and proceded to vomit over a dozen times in a few short hours. Finally he exhausted himself and slept for a good three hours and when he woke he finally was able to keep a bit of water down. So basically this week's plans went out the window. <br />
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But my efforts were not completely in vain. I took the time to really get some other projects done that have been hanging over my head. Worked hard on going through all my paper clutter and files and purging. I also spent a good chunk of time making EJ a new chore chart so that his jobs reflect his abilities now rather than a year ago. I also made him a chart for our preschool time that we will start up just after family leaves. <br />
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Its a good thing there are some fun things to look forward to after family leaves because otherwise I think I would be a bit down. But St. Patrick's day is one of EJ's favorite holidays now since the leprechauns made such a cheeky appearance last year. We are going to set out some traps this year to see if we can catch any, and boy is our little man so excited. And also starting a more structured school with him. Then in April when the second school term starts, he will get to start swim lessons and I think we will all have a great time with that. EJ will get to go twice a week and he already does great, but I cant wait to give him that physical and social outlet. <br />
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I am typing from the new laptop and still need to get our photos backed up so I can upload them but until next time friends...I am still around, just running around having a blast with family-well as of tomorrow!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-79771478016587167682013-02-23T01:02:00.000-08:002013-02-23T01:02:00.480-08:00Christmas part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Who still posts about Christmas in February and late february at that.... oh that would be me...</div>
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This year I wanted to enjoy our Christmas just as much the last and it was even more exciting because Ej really grasped the concept of Christmas and was so excited about Santa that it made everything super magical. This year we added lights into the mix and it was so very fun.</div>
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The balcony all lit up at night</div>
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The Christmas tree with the Christmas book advent activity in the basket next to it, which was a blast.<br />
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This year I decided against the activity advent because I didnt want to commit myself to too much. We did however add a new tradition that was a big hit. We started the Elf on the Shelf tradition and Ej proudly named our elf "john john" whom he loved to find each morning after john john had gone back to the north pole for the night and reported on Ej's behavior of the previous day. Ej was not allowed to touch john john or else he would lose his magic but he could talk to him as much as he wanted about anything he wanted. Wow was that so cool to our little man. He still mentions telling john john about different things.<br />
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And below Ej taking a little Christmas themed bath. I found the idea of a blog titled "In leiu of Preschool" about themed baths using foam which sticks well to bathtub walls with water and so we made some fun shapes and he played for quite a while in these fun baths.<br />
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And this was Christmas eve morning. It was sucha great day...<br />
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I know it's lame but to be continued....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-28864837824122733092013-02-21T00:38:00.000-08:002013-02-21T00:38:37.733-08:00How now Brown cow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Back from Hawaii and access to our pictures. I am HOME! It feels so good. Vacation was so wonderful, I definitely felt like I got a good recharge and regained motivation and energy for some good things coming home. Its nice to not be living out of a suitcase and moving every week or so. Its nice to be back in our routine. Whatever that looks like. I often feel like our lives need more structure and have learned that our life as the Moon family is very unique, far from normal and yet we still have things that go on routinely. Not typically on the same day each week but nonetheless happen.</div>
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Anyhow back to the update. I thought I would do a highlights of previous months but I dont know if I will be able to just brush over everything so quickly so I may just be posting as normal things from the last couple of months and try to catch up without too much fuss.</div>
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Back in December we had the chance to go with a couple from our church out to their cow farm and feed their cows bread from another church member's bakery (the leftovers they cant sell) and it was so much fun.</div>
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Here we are unloading the bread, opening the bags full of bread and making sure all the wrappers are off</div>
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Ej starting to take the bread to leave it in piles for the cows once they come in the fence<br />
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Ralph bringing in the cows so they can feed and pointing out different things about his cows. Those cows have a piece of his heart for sure. He has named each one and tagged them and is having a hard time with the fact that he needs to get rid of some because they have multiplied beyond his capacity. There was even a cow with the same name as Ej which was so cool!<br />
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After we fed them we took a break and had some morning tea (snack) and enjoyed the views. The boys took a tour of the property while I stayed behind with Lorraine and gleaned knowledge from her wise and experienced life as a mother of a large family.<br />
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Ralph taught Ej how to play a game that now I cant remember the name of (that's what I get for not blogging it right away) that is similar to horse shoes/ring toss. But this was made out of rope hoops and a wood pole<br />
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Ralph showing off his skills with a whip and teaching the Mister about it all<br />
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Mr. Moon having a go with it. Him.....not so successfull- he actually had the whip backlash and hit his cheek one time...ouch! But he had fun practicing and one time got the satisfaction of the perfect whip sound.<br />
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Ej's cow<br />
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It was such a blast, and something that we will definitely do again! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-84056230322926804082013-02-10T12:01:00.001-08:002013-02-10T12:01:35.895-08:00back on the bandwagonSo I don't have much for you all today. But I know that I need to start blogging regularly again, otherwise I will just fade out. Which would be sad because then it would be hard for family and friends to keep up with us and I wouldn't be able to print out our blog and have our family scrapbook so easily accessible. <br />
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Currently our little family is on a big adventure in the Rainbow state of Hawaii. There has been lots of moon family tales to tell since the last time I posted. Since we are in Hawaii I have no access to our pictures from the last two months I will just try to get into updating what we are up to now and upon our arrival back home do highlights from around October on to now that way everything is documented and everyone can be in the loop. <br />
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With it being the summer in Oz we have spent lots of time outside in the water and have made extra effort to spend more time at the beach this year. Christmas was so fun and EJ really got into the magic of Christmas making it the most fun one yet with him. Mr. Moon received skydiving tickets from me and that brought on adventure for us all. <br />
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New years was quiet and then Mr. Moon set off a few days later to Hawaii. EJ and I joined him a few weeks later and we have been enjoying the escape from the heat, the lower prices and the blessings of having a military base at our disposal. My parents and family friends came and we had the fun of enjoying their company for a week and this next week Mr. Moon's parents are coming for his graduation from the NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) Academy and some vacation time. <br />
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Then its back to Oz to welcome some more Moon's for our first family visit since living down under. We can't wait!<br />
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This year will go by super fast for us I think. It's the year of company, the year of finding out our next assignment in the military, our last year in Oz. Being here in Hawaii I have realized just how many things I miss from living in the states, but also how many incredible things I am going to miss of Australia, a piece of my heart will always belong there even with all the rough stuff. <br />
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So folks, here's to updating more. Getting pics up when we get access to them, and to updating less on facebook. To me it's so hard to update everywhere, it seems to be one or the other for me. More people seem to see things on facebook, but I can't get as detailed-print as easy-and I can easily update here and still see what my friends are up to on facebook. Problem is to stop taking so many phone pics and more with our actual camera.<br />
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Basically this year is back on track with blogging. I don't know how often, but it will for sure be more consistent. We did get a new computer afterall that is so much easier and nicer to work with than our tiny netbook that got the job done but was so little it got frustrating. <br />
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Cheers mates, see ya real soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-60843136926604748352012-12-04T03:32:00.002-08:002012-12-04T03:32:54.010-08:00Still here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I apologize for my recent absence. I really have no excuse other than the temps have risen and instead of heading to a park everyday (it's too hot for that now) we are usually poolside or beachside or somewhere playing in water if not doing our everyday business. So back in July when you all were taking your virtual breaks I was in mid winter and now it's my turn :) </div>
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Halloween has come and gone. I didnt get many pictures but I will try to scrounge up what I can find. We had a blast with visiting Lone Pine Koala sanctuary where we have annual passes as they did a couple of different Halloween events (nearly the only place here) that we attended. We also went to a small Halloween event for the primary kids (aged 3-12) that the youth group from church hosted. </div>
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Thanksgiving came and went. we were lucky to celebrate two weekends in a row with different feasts and different ex patriots. Since its not a holiday here there was no time off, no black friday in the stores, and so we have the feasts on a saturday. It was lovely to have traditional American fare and large group gatherings similar to family gatherings back in the states. It is interesting to see how when you look hard enough and have enough people put in all the effort you can find nearly all the foods that Australia doesnt typically have. Some had been stockpiled from husbands who travel back to the states frequently and others from specialty shops around the area. It was just a good cuple of celebrations.</div>
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And what's a post without pictures....</div>
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a couple of months ago, the Mister was travelling quite a bit and we had spoken of Santa possibly bringing EJ a big boy bike for Christmas. One trip he came home with said bike and I thought we would hide it away...</div>
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Obviously that didnt happen. EJ saw it as soon as his Daddy walked in the door and while I tried to come up with a cover story, EJ would have nothing of it and the Mr. would cooperate with me. I pulled him aside and was asking 'what are you doing? I thought we agreed on this?' and then in his realistic/logical perspective that he always has he told me ' I thought since he would have to wait two months for Christmas and then he would leave a few weeks later for a length of time to go overseas, by the time he got back he would have hardly any time to ride it around before next fall.' Righto my dear, true that. So once again united, EJ was ecstatic that he had a big boy bike like his friends in New Castle and that it was spider man!<br />
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This picture is his I am tring to play it cool and not smile even though I am bounching around face. Notice how he is sucking in his cheeks trying not to smile. What a goof ball! He has also been having lots of fun playing with his backpack and often packs it for walks, play dates, church, and now bike rides. And yes he is still obsessed with airplanes as noted by his sticker book that is now full but he can not bear to get rid of. <br />
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This little man is so full of personality it is remarkable. He is so smart and yet sometimes he makes me want to bang my head against a wall because he seems to lack common sense. He seems to be one of those kids who can tell you all about airplane parts and what different airplanes do and exactly what his Dad does for work (which is pretty complex for a 3 year old) and yet he cant figure out why he trips and falls every time he tries to walk or run backwards for any distance while walking on uneven sidewalk. He makes me and Mr. Moon look at each other shake our heads all the time with his witty comments and hilarious logic that only a 3 year old can possess. Lately he has been telling people who ask him how old he is.. 'on my next birfday I going to be 4 (holding up for fingers), then 5 (holding up one hand), then 10! (holding up both hands)' EJ is cheeky as all get out sometimes, today we were swimming in the pool and when it was time to get out, he of course didnt want to. Finally I got him out and as we started to walk where the towels were he turned, laughed like a mad scientist and proceeded to jump back into the pool. As I jumped in after him and lifted him out of the water he was still laughing hysterically at his own antics. seriously never.a.dull.moment!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357652464041036122.post-23420039542295634702012-11-05T05:16:00.000-08:002012-11-05T05:16:00.780-08:00Seriously Nasty!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Exhibit A</div>
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Plenty of room to breath in wonderful Oxygen</div>
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Upon first glance at this picture you may think, eww, why are you showing me the back of your throat? </div>
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Now let me show you Exhibit B....see the difference? I know this is gross but it proves a point!<br />
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very little space for that precious oxygen to come in!</div>
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Exhibit A is my mouth in a healthy everyday state, nothing out of the norm (well at least I hope!). I actually just took that picture right before posting this to show the difference of the two pics.<br />
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Exhibit B was my throat/mouth last week when I was absolutely miserable, as in take my friends up on their offers for a couple of days to come get EJ for a few hours while I laid around and did nothing because I felt so lousy. NOt typical for me...well I lay around when I am not well but usually keep the little man with me, not this time-I used my friendly sitter passes. And luckily I have awesome friends and more offers than I needed-it's so good to feel loved and have established a support network before needing help like this.<br />
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Back to the comparison. Did you notice in Exhibit B, that the right side tonsil (which was actually my left tonsil) is so swollen it goes nearly halfway across my throat? Did you also notice that my uvula (the hangy down part) is swollen to the size of a grape? That my friends may have been one of the worst parts of this whole ordeal, that <strike>torture</strike> swollen uvula made me feel like I was gagging constantly and was so big it rested on the back of my tongue and sat on my gag reflex. The morning I woke up with that part of the illness I came out of the bedroom and started talking and immediately had to run to the bathroom and heave because it gagged me. Sorry I know, it's way gross. The night prior to the uvula swelling my throat hurt so bad I was brought to a crying fit to Mr. Moon which I think knocked him off his rocker a bit because although he has seen me cry plenty, I don't tend to cry over sore throats. It was ridiculously painful. <br />
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And the whole point of showing you this gross illness which lacks a name (the doctor didn't know what to call it and ended up writing "throat infection"-she also didn't see the uvula-that was a day later, before the antibiotics started working their magic)............I Mrs. Moon get the weirdest most random symptoms and illnesses since moving abroad and leaving my native land. Crazy but true. <br />
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To date I have suffered hand/foot/mouth disease....common to young children, strep throat (common illness) but with vomiting and GI issues....not so common symptoms, remember how I mentioned having 'floaters' in my vision....yeah I am cool like that-rockin the eyes of someone a few decades ahead of myself in the age game, oh and lets not forget about this most recent fiasco. I hope that I never have to deal with this 'throat infection' ever again and would never wish it upon my worst enemy. Luckily the uvula swelling went down within 24 hours but I had a sore throat (mild irritating one) for over a week, then it turned into the Exhibit monstrosity.<br />
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Luckily the Moon men did not get it. They were saved. Hallelujah!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954852519078984631noreply@blogger.com0