Park at the Beach

All of the beaches have playgrounds. We found a really neat one to play at and the kids had fun running around and making more friends. Also, a few more Christmas pictures.

Christmas Morning

I don't know how we made it through Christmas with so few pictures, but I guess we were too busy enjoying the morning. We started off in our room reading the Christmas story in Luke. Then the kids ran out to see if Santa found us here in Perth. We were still at our temporary housing, and the day turned out great. The kids all got a new bike from Santa and a few simple fun things from mom and dad.

Made it to Perth Just in Time for Christmas

Since we got to Perth just a few days before Christmas, we didn't have any real plans. We got invited over to a couple different houses for a swim and BBQ Christmas, but decided to do our own thing with the kids. We did meet friends at the beach Christmas Eve evening though and the kids loved it. It was nice to feel welcomed so quickly to a new place, and the beach was gorgeous.

Can I just say how lucky I feel? We showed up to Perth on Saturday, December 20TH. We stayed in temporary housing for a couple of weeks. I was very anxious about how Christmas was going to work out in a new city in a matter of days. We didn't have Saturday or Sunday to shop, so really we had two days to get things organized for the kids. We went to our new ward on Sunday and my RS President said, "I'll pick you up in the morning and take you shopping." All of a sudden, something that could have been so stressful was all taken care of in a couple of hours. We hit a few stores, got shopping done, and were able to enjoy a really simple and lovely Christmas. If there is anything that I've learned over the past few years is how much stuff really doesn't matter. As long as I have Matt and we have our kids, we can make fun and happy memories. We don't have to have a thousand traditions or fancy decor. We just need each other. (Being in beautiful Australia is a fun perk too.)

We are settled and doing well now. We have since moved into our beautiful rental home and everyone is doing well with their school or work. We are getting better at communicating with home each day and we are living it up since we think we'll only be here a short time.

Tanner's Quite Memorable B-day Dinner

Tanner had a great birthday on the cruise. By the time night came around though, he was a bit grumpy and tired. We went off to dinner and he instantly fell asleep. So did Abby. We tried and tried to wake him because I had ordered a cake, but then decided to let him sleep. Honestly, the nights that he slept at dinner were much more enjoyable for us because we didn't have to fight him to stay in his seat, eat something healthy, or let him play with his kindle. At the end of dinner, they brought his cake over with the candles. I picked him up and tried about everything to wake him but he wouldn't budge. I had him on my lap and then everyone started singing. He woke up startled, a bit upset, and confused. As soon as he saw the candles though, he got so excited. Half asleep he started blowing at the candles as hard and fast as he could. We were all dying of laughter. He was happy to get his cake and candles that he had been hoping for all day. He took a couple licks of frosting and fell back to sleep. We shared the cake with our friends we had made at surrounding tables all week and took the rest back to our room. Tanner was happy to wake up in the morning to more frosting. 

I can't believe our Tanman is four. He often tells us now, "I can do this because I'm four." I'm glad he is getting more confidence. He is such a sweet boy, but he is also very sensitive and hasn't quite gotten over his screaming fits when he is upset. As hard as he can be at times, he really is such a fun and loving little guy. I think the one thing he says more than anything else is, "I love my whole family the mostest!" He is such a great big brother to Abby and now that the girls are back in school, they are going to have a lot of loves time together.

Tanner loves stories, playing legos, riding his bike, climbing on anything, playing puppy, watching shows, and building "cannonballs" which is just huge piles of pillows and blankets that they jump in. He is a very smart boy and loves to be loved. He is extremely social and makes new friends anywhere we go regardless of age. If there aren't any children, he will get in my friends' faces and talk their ears off. He is growing up fast and we all love our little buddy. Hopefully Tanner is able to start Kindergarten in February at the local primary school that is across the street. Kindergarten here in Australia is what we would call preschool in the states. Age 5 or Kindergarten in the states is called pre-primary here. He is so excited to go to school.

Tanner's B-day

The main thing that Tanner wanted to do on his birthday was play in the arcade, so we played in the arcade. Being on a cruise ship, it wasn't the cheapest, but we lucked out. A couple of games didn't work for us and instead of reimbursing us the couple dollars, they gave Tanner an extra $10 to keep playing. Tanner also requested rice krispie treats and ice-cream cones. I think he had a great day turning 4!