Lovely weekend

Well we headed off on another weekend exploring, expedition. Hadn't booked anywhere to stay etc but thought we would check out Austin, as we had heard it was quite a nice place to go. We got a little side tracked but got there in the end. And enjoyed the side track so much we are going to go back.

We left and headed to a small country town that the 'lonely planet' guide recommended as the best BBQ meat around. So we found it and ate, actually it was really yummy. I don't think they have changed much about the place since it opened in the 1930's and it seems to work just fine. No plates.

"Meat Eaters"

We were lucky enough to stop into town in their annual 'Watermelon Thump festival'!! We stayed to watch the local watermelon spitting contest. Sharni didn't want to enter and in hindsight we should have let Nait have a go like he wanted. But erring on the side of caution we decided to just watch this year..... Not really sure what to expect. But extremely self explanatory. Just see who can spit the pip the furthest. A shed in the main street of town with white painted floor, all for the occasion.

Had to smile to myself as there were camouflage painted buggy's all through town. A cross between a golf cart and a 4WD motorbike type thing. Dad you would have had so much to share in this town. Their cooking secrets and their mode of transport!

We were walking around the local market for the occasion and a lady was selling Emu Oil as a treatment for eczema etc. I have being trying so many different things for Nait for the last couple of years. Have taken him to a dermatologist over here and they just want to give stronger steroid creams.... Anyway I thought 'what the hell'. I bought a little bottle and it seems to be working well. Still hasn't gone away but definitely improved and I use it as soon as he starts to itch. It seems ironic that I came all the way to America go to a little (like Kojonup/Katanning little) Texas town in the middle of nowhere and there is a lady selling Emu Oil (informed me it is an 'Australian' bird) and it seems to work. Mum I might have to get you to go out to the Sandalwood factory and stock up for me before you come over.

It was late by now, Dene had stocked up on a couple of Texas iron decorations for his outside bar when we return. The kids finally got a cowboy hat each. We had to drag Nait away from the rocking horse. Which we seriously would have bought if it didn't have an exposed, and not quite strong enough spring, that we could just picture all of them including the new baby getting their fingers caught in.

"I wanna be a cowboy"

We went to San Marcos for the night. I wanted to visit the Outlet Shopping there. Apparently the 3rd best place to shop in the world. Obviously whoever said that wasn't shopping in the middle of summer, 37 degrees, 7 months pregnant, with a husband and 2 kids in tow. Who was I kidding?? needless to say we had a QUICK browse and left. It would have been good had it been inside with air con not outside, individual shops, like Harbour Town in Perth.

Before we got there (as I had hoped the kids might fall asleep in the pram if I wore them out before shopping!) we went to the local swimming hole. It was beautiful. Bloody cold water. But the kids and Dene had a dip. It reminded me a bit of Pemberton. Everyone was setting up with their BBQ's for the day. Texans take their BBQing a lot more seriously than Aussies. They have trailers set up as mobile smoking BBQ's. I kid you not. Didn't get a photo of that though.

Then we headed off to Austin, found the Barton Springs, natural feed really cold swimming pool. It was nice to cool off. We then headed into town to pick up something for dinner. Went to whole Foods original store. I totally pissed off some stranger..... He was so shitty I picked the piece of pizza he was waiting for. He carried on that much I was about to tell him to have it, because really all the pizzas looked yummy and I was happy to swap it for another piece of a different kind. But he stormed off, and well he missed out! Serves himself right. I would have busted my kids for carrying on like that and he was a grown man. Everyone just looked at me as if to say 'don't worry what a tosser' (not that they actually said that). I just had to laugh and by the way that was the one piece of pizza that we weren't that fussed on. Like I said it didn't bother me to have it or not.

Then we headed down to the river to watch 1.5 million (yep million) bats fly out of the bridge into dusk on the hunt for food. A bit like picturing a crowd of people at the narrows to watch the nightly event. Anyway the significance was obviously lost on the kids and I admit after 5 minutes I was almost like well if I have seen 10000 bats by now I might as well have seen all 1 1/2 million. Actually they were really small, they looked like little black birds. I expected them to be bigger, perhaps I was thinking of fruit bats from home?

Anyway that was enough for the weekend and we headed home the next day after a swim in the pool. We had planned on stopping at another small town on the way home but the kids both slept the whole way so we kept driving. I think I prefer visiting small country type places rather than big cities. Perhaps it is because we don't really visit cities at home? I don't know but I certainly prefer the country towns and we will definitely be heading back to the gorgeous rivers and hills district between San Antonio and Austin.

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I have just looked at Nait and although I knew he needed a haircut I started laughing at him as he reminded me of the new Sacha Cohen character 'Bruno'. Thought I would do a side by side photo to share the humour. Just realised the humour is totally lost on this picture. But he had his hair to the side, top off, holding a doll.... hhhhhmmmmmm Dene can't see it. Ok it may just be one of those moments you had to be there!

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Happy Fathers Day

It was Father's Day yesterday, here in the US. And Dene's birthday today! Talk about unlucky.

Anyway we took the kids to Nasa to have a look around. Darth Vader was visiting with a couple of Storm Troopers for photo ops..... Ol' Darth scared the crap out of Sharni and we had no intension of lining up for a photo we just needed to walk by. Funny how Darth did but none of those crazy Disney characters bothered her.

Dene got a BBQ/Grill for his birthday/fathers day so we had a big cook up last night and made enough to feed half the apartment complex.

The kids have been going to swimming lessons all last week and this week. 2 weeks of school holiday swimming lessons. Not quite like Emu Point though. Both of them seem to enjoying it and think it is wonderful. Nait still cries to lie on his back. But I would too knowing they are going to flip you onto your front at any point. Basically his class is about falling and getting them to flip onto their back and swim to the edge to get out. Apparently they do this to them fully clothed at a much later date..... I can imagine a few mothers who will well up when it gets to that point.

They both have male teachers which suprises me only because I know how mostly with teaching back home it is all females. I would say it is about 50/50 with the swimming teachers where the kids go. Sharni wanted to know why her teacher was the only 'brown' teacher? He is a huge (I am guessing 6' 3), very dark African American. 'But why isn't there other brown teachers?' hhmmm don't know the answer to that one. Anyway she thinks he is the best thing ever and 'Mr Rudy said this' and 'Mr Rudy said that'. I am sure you get the picture. They are both excited to show Dene what they are learning. The parents sit behind one sided glass to watch the class. Which as having been a swimming teacher before I think is a bloody good idea.

I can't remember before if I mentioned or not that Americans are extremely conservative. So much so that you can not change your children in public. I sometimes forget this and got in trouble the other day as I changed the kids out in the open not behind closed doors/curtains. There are not enough change rooms for how many people go and the kids were freezing. They have a 'strict no nudity' policy obviously. The poor young guy that had to tell me I think he felt bad. I asked patiently remembering this cutlural difference and not to get too annoyed as to where I could change my children. And there were toilets that I wasn't aware of out in another room. So now I take the kids there. But is a little, but huge difference between our cultures. You would NEVER see naked little kids running around here. Not even babies or toddlers. I guess we don't think much of it but they certainly do. An Australian I was talking too was told by her neighbours that she should not allow her children to run around naked in their own backyard as someone may be able to see them! I think she told them basically it would then be their problem, but of course nicely done.

More pics

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Pics of the kids

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Gorgeous Pics of the kids

It is Father's Day over here next weekend. So poor Dene has Father's Day on Sunday and his Birthday on Monday. I have been trying to think what to get him and will probably get him a small BBQ for our 'garage' come 'patio'. But I also got inspired by a photo book that a friend had done of all pictures throughout the year. My style of scrap booking. So my friend took some beautiful photos of the kids and my tummy and I put them together with some pictures throughout the year and got a book made. Thanks to shutterfly.com it was easy to put together. I was going to wait till after the day to share the pics but I figured Dene never seems to look at the blog or facebook so I think I would be safe to post the pics. (famous last words!) So here is a taste and I will probably post more on Facebook. I think I am going to buy a good camera and start playing around with it, get in some practice before the baby arrives.

Disneyworld Florida

'Well we made it to Disney and survived'. That is the t-shirt we thought would be appropriate for all families with small children. Don't laugh, many families and groups have matching t-shirts made up for their Disney holiday. Great way to spot one another in the huge crowds. But having booked our trip with only a few days notice, we didn't get to add that little American idea to our itinerary.

Disney world is amazing you certainly have to give them credit for that. Very, very glad we went before the summer holidays started. I can't imagine it being busier but obviously it will be! We went to all 4 theme parks and saw some amazing musicals and shows. My favourite was the Lion King and the Finding Nemo, puppetry musical. Really well done with wonderful costumes.

Sharni got to go on lots of roller coasters with Dene and his Dad. So she was happy about that. While Margaret, Nait and I enjoyed the kiddie entertainment.

It is quite a full on experience and although we all enjoyed it, I think we were all happy to leave as it becomes a bit overwhelming. The weather is also coming into the wet season so we had a few torrential downfalls that are still erratic at this point in time. But after being caught in our first one, we quickly adapted for the next ones.

One things is for sure, we should have been wearing pedometers as we would have clocked up a few kilometres walking for the week.

To be honest I think it would have been better had the kids been a little older, but we don't have that kind of time on our hands. At this stage as we all know, the kids would be happy with a pool, some toys and a playground! All in all we had fun. And it was Disneyworld.

We also meet a girl named Kelly. She is 11 years old and had a 'little arm' like Nait. We meet her and her brother on the lazy river and had a good old chin wag about her and Nait's arm. Unfortuneately we didn't get a pic or anything and lost them further on.





Here is a little video clip of Nait charming and grooving..... Sorry it is sideways, but I have no idea how to change a video clip around. Any ideas??