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May 07 Manly BeachTim just arrived back from his trip to Rwanda and so to celebrate we took a day out to Manly Beach--definately our favorite beach so far. It's the Fall season here--about 70-80 degrees in the day and 50-60 at night--unbelievably gorgeous and still definately Beach weather. Got there for lunch time and enjoyed bags of fish and chips--yummy. Dawson was excited to use his new sand castle kit and built away and then Tim got inspired and built Dawson into Muscle man. Mom played in the ocean with Dawson and Baby and then as the sun started to set, we all walked down (Dawson Biked) to Manly Wharf. It's all so beautiful. We ended our time with fresh Ice cream made that day at a local shop. We all decided that this was one of our favorite days together ever! It's so good to have Tim back home with us. April 15 Beach PeopleSo the question of the day is ... how can you live by the ocean in a world class metropolis and not spend time at the beach. The answer ... you can't, and if you think I'm wrong, then you shouldon't live in Sydney Australia. OK, to put it simply, we love it here. We really do. And, so would you!
Now that we've settled in to a bit of a routine we've started to make time to go down to the city a little more and take advantage of the beaches and eateries. Oh my. The pictures should say it all. There are so many different beaches. Each one unique and interesting. The three we've been to are Balmoral - a family oriented setting with parks and playgrounds, Bondi, and Manly which are more suited to the wild at heart and eager surfers! Such fun.
And when returning home in Sydney be sure to keep your eyes peeled and on the prowl for Australias deadly arachnids. We encountered a local Funel Web Spider - Sydney's deadliest 8 legged crawler! But that was nothing that a little insect spray couldn't handle. A prompt dousing of the toxic Mortein was enough to undo the massive brown spider in our KITCHEN! Dawson was in awe! Thank God Arden was safe and didn't see it first. For if she had we certainly would have been on the way to the hospital, as everything she sees she eats!
Be safe, do good work and keep in touch! February 17 Doing Sydney with Alan & Bryce CaspiToday we had a great time with friends from Lousiana who happen to be visiting Sydney for a short holiday. We met Alan & Bryce Caspi at the end of last year and hit it off. They are some of the most interesting people we've had the privilege to get to know. And despite the short time we've known each other it feels like it's been a lifetime.
So needless to say we had a blast with them doing a little tourism in the beautiful Darling Harbour of Sydney. The weather was spectacular, and the time together was even better. We meandered through the Sydney Aquarium which is very lovely and has a fabulous collection of ... sharks! Dawson was in awe of it all.
Dinner was a real treat too at a great restaurant overlooking the Darling Harbour. The food was fantastic and ranged from Steaks, to Salads, and Pastas. Owned and operated by a South African it reminded us very much of one of our favorite eateries in the world - The Butcher Shop and Grill in Sandton Square, Johannesburg. The lamb shanks tonight though stole the show and everything else was simply superb.
So we had a lovely time with new friends that reminded us of good times with many of you. If you too want to take in the grandeur of one of the world's most breath stopping spots swing by Sydney and we'll be sure to show you a good time. January 24 Hillsong here we areWe Made It!!!
It was a looooong trip - 23 1/2 hours in all, but we did make it to Sydney. It was a great trip and the kids were wonderful. We were collected at the airport by a team of people from Hillsong and brought to a home in Baulkham Hills where we'll be staying till we find our own place. The family is so nice. They're from Norway and have 3 lovely children who Dawson is having a blast with.
Tim registered for classes and now we've got 2 weeks to settle in and get ready for school to start. We'll be looking for our own home, a car, furniture and all. So it's going to be busy.
We love you all and hope you'll stay in touch. January 22 Off to AustraliaThe day has finally come and we're off to Sydney Australia for a year. It's been a miraculous adventure getting ready. Everything has fallen in to place in extrodinary fashion. We have so much to be grateful for. We're going to be at Hillsong Church in Sydney. Tim's going to do a year course in live TV broadcast production. We've been so well received by the people at Hillsong already.
Dawson said, "I'm going to be sad and cry at the airport and on the plane, but when we get to Australia I'm not going to cry anymore because I know that we're going to make new friends." He's really aware of what's going on and knows that we won't be with our Louisiana family for the year, but we'll be back at Christmas.
Aimee's done outstanding with all the packing and preparation and mothering on top of it all. She's extrodinary.
We'll send a big email with updates of how we're doing once we arrive and settle in.
We love you all and thank you for all your love and support December 01 Fall is finally here!After many years of being on the road and away from the States for the holiday season we were absolutely THRILLED to experience the change of seasons. Fall has finally come and with it a host of festive and nostalgic traditions!
Dawson finished up his 6 week YMCA soccer club. The last couple games were played in rather frigid temperatures for south louisiana. I think we've learned that Dawson loves to watch sports more than play sports. He seemed to be more comfortable as a supportive player - i.e. cheering his fellow team-mates on from the comfort of the sidelines!
Thanksgiving weekend - what a blast. We were good - only ate one plate of food despite the tremendous temptation to gorge ourselves on the delights of living in a place where food is number one on the list of important things at get togethers. See the cute picture of Dawson on the logs - very fitting for this time of year. That picture was taken at the home of a relative near New Orleans.
Arden Grace is growing and developing really quick. She's getting stronger and bigger every day. And I think she's going to be quite the conversationalist - she's already very vocal and talkative. It's sooooo sweet to listen to her coo and googah. On Saturday November 26th we dedicated Arden Grace to God at a special service at our church - Healing Place Church. By the way we love it there. Check out www.healingplacechurch.com. The pastors and people at the church are great and have really made us feel at home.
And finally, to kick off the Christmas season Aimee and all the other Landry ladies did a bake fest! An all day extravaganza of creating sweet treats that were neatly packaged in fancy tins and delivered to family and friends with a little festive love and cheer.
We're all excited about being with family for this most wonderful time of year. Hope you enjoy the new pictures of the season and send some of your own our way soon.
Stay in touch and be happy - Christmas is nearly here!
 September 13 Arden Grace - The birth of our daughterSeptember 6, 2005. 8.32 pm
Amid a flurry of activity and excitement our daughter Arden Grace was born at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Aimee had been in the early stages of labor for about 18 hours when she felt we should head to the hospital for the delivery process.
Many of you may know that hurricane Katrina had struck the Gulf Coast about 2 weeks ago. As the city of Baton Rouge is the nearest functional metropolis to New Orleans there has been a massive inundation of people looking for temporary housing as the officials deal with the flooding crisis in the Big Easy. Baton Rouge typically has 500 thousand residents. That number doubled after Katrina, hence the roads in the city are gridlocked and jammed with people trying to get around. We drove on the shoulder of the highway and city streets to get to the hospital and it was a scene reminiscent of our days in Kampala Uganda. But we made it.
Once we got to the hospital Aimee's labor moved exceedingly quickly. We settled into the birthing room and not long after our little girl was born. I must tell you that Aimee delivered this 9.63 pound 20.5 inch baby without a single ounce or drop of medication or pain relief. And it was an excrusiating experience for her. Fortunately it didn't last very long, but even a little bit of that pain was more than I think I could ever bear.
Arden is completely healthy and whole and we are truly grateful.
After 2 days recovery in the hospital we returned home to Donaldsonville to a houseful of lovely people who are with us as evacuees from New Orleans. We've got over 12 full time baby sitters on hand and it's GREAT! August 06 Summer TransitionWe packed up and said our goodbyes in Uganda in April, then it was a long journey home to Louisana. Stopped for some fun in London on the way. Good food, good sites and interesting places to go in England's capital city!
Summer in Louisiana is HOT! So hot, you've got to throw ice in the pool to cool it down! And we know how to spend time in the swimming pool. Dawson is an otter disguised in human form!
And what about the BBQ season? It's been great. Especially July 4th weekend. We hosted a culinary extravaganza with friends, family and the proprieter of an oustanding local eatery called The Grapevine. Marinated Olives, Slow cooked BBQ ribs, oven roasted Parmesan Potatoe Wedges and more ...
The summer's given us a lot of time to catch up with family. Aim's youngest brother finally got married to Lauren. Backyard class act wedding! Lots of dancing, eating, drinking and throwing everyone in the pool. Even the bride did a back-flip into the pool in her wedding dress!
Then we've had time to visit old friends. Tony & Janelle in Nashville, Yvonne came to town, and we've made some new friends around here.
It's been a great summer.
Not long from now our newborn baby will be here. So the Landry girls threw a baby shower bash for Aimee. Another class act event. Amazing food, fabulous games and generous gifts from all sorts of people. Thanks!
So Aimee's been "nesting!" and doing an outstanding job getting everything in place. Doctors say the baby is already 7lbs. Oh my. One more month to go! Bed time storiesAfter reading Dawson his bedtime story and bible one night he said to me, "Daddy, can I tell you something?" "Sure, what is it Dawson?" I replied. "You know," he said with a very serious expression and tone, "even when I don't love you, I still love myself!"
"Wow Dawson, that's great. We all love ourselves don't we?" was about the only reply I could think of. What do you say to a 3 year old? |
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