Cass, Wayne and Fraser were again super hosts at a sausage sizzle on Saturday.  After all of the boys' cricket games, we met the Fabris, Irvin and Bennett families.  Cody and Kent had been e-mailing with the boys in November and December.
In total, there were 13 boys running around the backyard and through the house,  (Cass, you are too patient!)  As is expected when you have 13 boys ages 4-12 running around, one of them hit the laundry pole and split his eyebrow open.  Luckily, his mom is a nurse and she whisked him off to her work.  No stitches required....just glue and butterfly bandages!  Lucas was back at the party in no time!  
Thanks to the Turner/Cook/Holland bunch for hosting us again for the 3rd time in only 5 days!  We appreciate your effort so that our boys could meet their friends before the 1st day of school.  I think they will be come fast friends!

Thank you to our new friends, Cass and Wayne, for hosting an Australia Day breakfast BBQ so we could meet some of the teachers from Griffith East Public School.  It is more relaxing knowing that there will be some familiar faces tomorrow morning and it looks like it will be a great year!  Happy Australia Day, everyone!

We have been at Boongarra Farm for 3 days now and are settling in very well!  The suitcases are unpacked, the dirty laundry is washed, hung to dry, ironed and put away (Yes....I do know how to iron!) , and our stuff is almost all put away.  We have even rearranged a little bit of furniture as we moved the dining room table closer to the kitchen and away from the carpet!  

As I unpack the inside, the boys are exploring the outside.  With Howard, they have put the new rear tyres (I'm in Australia now!) on the quad and taken it for many spins, they have assigned helmets to themselves, played with the cats, petted the horses, learned to ride ripsticks, scooters and skateboards, petted and fed the horses and built/painted a bird house!  (Have I mentioned it's only been 3 days??!)  They are very much making themselves at home!  They are even doing the same things that they do in Canada...Cody is worried about the quad and is playing sports, Kent is watching TV and playing video games, Colt is building  bird houses and making lemonade (from real lemons on our tree! And he is LOVING "his" horses) and Khye is carrying the kittys everywhere, playing on the swing and vacuuming!   They really are happy.

We have also been spoiled by our new friends, Cass Turner, Wayne Cook and Bailey and Fraser Holland.  I will teach with Cass and Wayne.  On Tuesday, they took us for hair cuts, a school tour and school uniforms.  They made us lunch and drafted a school supply list.  After lunch, our family bought groceries and school supplies.  The boys had fun picking out lunch kits, textas, etc.  Also on Tuesday morning, Vince's brother Paul stopped by to meet us and to explain the water system and a bit about the farm.  

I have a bit more unpacking/organizing to do (yes, I like organized....) and thought I would get to that today but updating the blog and talking with Mom and the Conlans was way more fun!  With school starting for me tomorrow, life is about to take another interesting turn!  I will keep you posted!  Thanks for all the great messages from all kinds of friends and family (and complete strangers) all around the province.  We can also be reached at [email protected] .  Remember to check out our extra pictures under "More/Summer Holidays".  Talk to you all soon!  

Our week at Surfer's Paradise was cool and wet at times but we were able to enjoy the beach and amusement parks regardless.  It seemed that we were just able to "time it right".  That was true again as we packed up on the morning of Tuesday, January 17.  It was wet and pouring rain (again) so we made that a driving day.  After loading up on groceries and books, we headed north of Brisbane to Caloundra.  It was only a couple of hour drive.  As we pulled into the Visitor Information booth, I spotted a sign that advertised ice skating!  It sounded like the perfect solution to our rainy day problem!  First, we quickly found a beach, went for a walk (see Kent and Cody taking a stroll!), and had supper.  Then we headed to the Rollerdrome for a 2 hour skate.  We were quite surprised!  Their skates were like downhill ski boots and there were LOTS of people there.  It was like a rollerskating rink complete with music and disco balls.  (Side note - Colt thought we should get a disco ball for our motor home.  When I told him that Trent Dutchak really DOES have a disco ball in his camper, he almost fell over!  That Trent is soooo cool!)  Anyway, we all had to skate in an "anti-clockwise direction" and were advised to "not pick up speed".  To our surprise, there were  some very good skaters (who were not wearing rentals) and, no surprise, there were many very dangerous skaters.  There were no helmets!  After skating slowly (insert complaining here...) there was a "speed skating" challenge.  We all left the ice while the 12 and unders skated around as fast as they could!  You should have heard the comments!!!  Of course, most were about Khye because of his size but still....they were all cute!  Later, I showed them how it was done when the ladies had a turn and Howard carved it up with the men!  During another challenge, we had to skate as low as we could and, at the end, Colt won a slushy when he was chosen as one of the two winners!  We did come away with some sore limbs (but heads were ok) from a few spills.  We are sure the skates had never been sharpened EVER and the ice was very bumpy/sharp.  I was wearing a coat and cut my elbow anyway!  Regardless, it was a great night!  

Wednesday, January 18, we continued north to Mooloolaba.  It is very close.  We spent two nights here and the weather was challenging, as you can see.  Luckily, we timed it right again and missed the rain as we spent Thursday and Friday at the Australia Zoo -  Home of the Crocodile Hunter!  (Thank you Christal for loaning us the videos!)  It was the most wonderful zoo and amazing experience!  We arrived 1.45 hours early (oops...problem with watches/I-pods...)  but were so lucky that we chose to go that day!  Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin were at the huge Crocoseum to help feed Charlie the croc.  Usually the show lasts 20 minutes but we were there on a special day!  They fed Charlie a dead pig and we listened to the Irwins talk as we waited an hour while Charlie broke up the pigs' bones and then ripped him apart with violent head shakes.  With 3 shakes he was able to rip off 3 limbs and swallow them whole!  Crikey!  I have included lots of pictures from the 2 days so please look under the heading "More/Summer Holidays".  It was an amazing and inspiring place to visit and I'm sure it is both difficult and inspiring for the family and staff to work there after Steve's death because his face, voice and spirit are everywhere.  During lunch at a quiet part of the park, I told Howard that it just felt like Steve would come walking down the path to meet every guest and shake their hands.  He really is still the main man at the zoo even 6 years after his death.  

After Friday at the zoo, we said goodbye to the Sunshine Coast and began the long (but better make it quick!) drive south to Sydney.  We had to make it to the motor home dealership by Monday morning.  We traveled back a couple hours to our campground at Surfer's Paradise.  We even got the same sight!  We braved the wind and hit the beach for a short time and then headed back to the pool for a bit longer.  Khye is getting so brave and was swimming in the deep end of the pool with only little water wings!  Gotta watch that kid!  Colt has been swimming across the pool with his face under the water too!

On Saturday, we continued our long journey.  We stopped back at South West Rocks and checked into the Big 4 campsite again.  We enjoyed the surf in the afternoon and had another movie night in the evening.  That has been happening a lot lately!  The campgrounds will often have outdoor movies and, in the rain, we have been renting movies from the registration offices.  Tonight, we borrowed one from a fellow camper!  

On Sunday morning, we intended to get a good start.....but were on Jackson time!  The boys were up early to play mini-golf while we cleaned up, and then it started to pour!  Just as we were finished up, so were they and look at the happy mess that was standing at our door!  Gotta love those boys!  

Our Sunday drive led us (the loooonnnggg way around) to a town north of Sydney called The Entrance.  The boys caught half of the Smurfs movie and Howard and I visited with the family camping behind us.  The weather was very wet and cool all day and night again.  Soooo glad we have the motor home!   

They boys have spent their time with their DS' and I-Pods and eat, color and read too.  They will be very quiet for a long time and then they get restless and the fighting and noise breaks out.  After seat shuffling and more snacks, they usually settle back down and it all starts over again!
We made it to the west side of Sydney to drop off our motor home before noon on Monday and then Howard had the incredible job of packing our treasures into our new van (yah!  It was still there!)  He loaded 9 suitcases, 6 backpacks, 2 camera bags, a cooler, 5 boogie boards, a tent, 12 towels, birthday presents, groceries, a large bag of books, sand toys, ball gloves, a cricket set, 3 bags of dirty laundry and the 6 of us into that van!!  It's amazing and so is he!  We chose to leave the lawn chairs behind (actually, we had no choice!)  Really it was unbelievable.  I would have gotten a picture except....where was the camera in that mess?! 

The drive from Sydney to Leeton (before Griffith) lasted from 12:30 - 8:45 pm.  It is usually a 6 hour drive if you take the short way and don't stop for countless bathroom breaks!  (Apparently the boys like the motor home way of life!)  We met Vince's sister Cathy, her husband Matt and 4 of their children at their home in Leeton.  We had a wonderful visit and a late supper with them.  Cathy and Matt led us to Boongarra Farm at 10:30 Monday night.  We were exhausted but so relieved to finally be at our new home.  We are very appreciative to the Dando family for their hospitality and for the groceries!  After picking rooms, the boys fell into bed and I waited a little longer before calling home and giving Mom a wake up call.  

Our kind, generous, little boy has turned 7 in Australia!  While anticipating our trip, Colt told everyone that we would celebrate his 7th birthday on the beach but, in fact, celebrated it at Sea World Australia.  He's not going to forget that one!  We enjoyed the day while watching the dolphin show and sea lion show again.  We also caught a 3D Sponge Bob show, the sharks and the polar bears.  We bought souvenirs and tonnes of candy.  Back at the motor home, the boys swam in the pool and then we ate birthday supper.  There was a yummy ice cream brownie cake (from 7-11) and presents, of course!  Thanks to everyone who called, e-mailed and sent messages on the blog.  He had a great day!  Colt also has birthday money to spend on toys when we get a chance to go shopping....He's very excited!   

Hi all!  We've been on the road for only 9 days but we've made some miles.....kilometers actually.  Over 1100 of them so far and the motorhome hasn't even moved since Tuesday at noon! 
Saturday, January 7 was spent enjoying more of South West Rocks.  It has turned into the favorite spot for Howard and me.  We really enjoyed the tour of the Trial Bay gaol (even if they weren't taking....) and we didn't believe Colt when he yelled about the kangaroo blocking the doorway to the old kitchen.  (Shouldn't doubt that kid....he pointed out the koala tree too!)  The lighthouse walk was stunning as well and we had lots of questions but there was no one to answer them and the lighthouse itself was not open so that was disappointing.  It sure was beautiful though!  Our favorite "hideout" is a place called Little Bay that some guys at the campground told Howard about.  It too has beautiful sand and shallow water for a very long way.  It is surrounded by huge rock and is just so peaceful (or I imagine it would be without 4 running, yelling boys.....).  The water is too big for my guys to swim in but they liked it all the same.  After lunch, we enjoyed more swimming and boogie boarding back at Horseshoe Bay at South West Rocks and cheap ice cream...$8.60 for 6 of us!  Don't find that at the beach....EVER!  Reluctantly, we packed our sandy selves back into the motorhome for the trip north to Coff's Harbour.

In just a couple of hours, the feeling of a town can change so drastically!  South West Rocks was summer lovin', relaxed and just a comfortable beach town.  Coff's Harbour is a marina.  It is very beautiful in a different way.  There are amazing boats at every turn and the boys liked the police boats.  Shortly after arriving, we made supper and camped up high in a parking lot over looking the ocean.  It had big waves for surfers.  In the morning, we ate breakfast while watching a photographer play in the waves.  We think he was trying to photograph the inside of the wave as it curled over.  Out the back window, a couple was saddling 4 camels for riding.  Last July, the first pictures the Conlan family sent us were of sea lions kissing them.  Well, now we have our own 6 photos to add to that collection!  We enjoyed Pet Porpoise Pool at Coff's Harbour for the morning.  We watched dolphins, sea lions, and reptiles.  We fed fish and little blue penguins.  The boys learned a lot about snakes and Colt made sure we bought the snake book and bandages incase we are ever bitten.  Also, they learned that the emergency number here is 000, not ooo....very important!  To finish our stay, we bought treats and walked along the marina looking at boats, people and wildlife.  Birds always gross me out in marinas!  We walked along the water's edge in Coff's but never took time to play and enjoy the beaches.   

Again after only a few hours, the feel of the town changed completely and this was something we have never experienced before!  The Simmonds/Koebels had warned us and I'm glad they did!  Byron Bay is Hippyville, NSW and I feel as though I have experienced Woodstock!  I have to admit, it freaks me out when I'm buying groceries at the IGA and 90% of people aren't wearing shoes, almost as many are in bathing suits, the guy ahead of me was bleeding from his foot, people were making out....squeezing her melons....and that was only in the produce section!  Seriously, we were in town 1 hour and Cody was very anxious!  The feel of the town was going against all the fibers in his body.  After supper and finding a spot to park for the night  (we totally stuck out around all the lovemobiles)  the rest of the night was uneventful.  We have been rising early because of the heat and the sun so we were at the Main Beach by 7:30 am and spent the entire day there.  We took a long morning walk and then settled in to play, read, eat, swim and boogie board.  We took a walk up town for groceries (better than the first time but still....should grandpas wear dreadlocks??)  and ice cream.  The boys began a ball game using a shovel, pail and a tennis ball.  They do have their gloves.  People were certainly watching them.  Cody was doing a little people watching too.....as he was digging in the sand, a topless lady and her boyfriend chose to wade in the water right in front of him!  He's taking it pretty well.....kept his head down and kept digging.  Did buy a "girly" postcard for Roy Anderson, though, because I wouldn't let him actually take a picture!  We left Byron Bay in the early morning of January 10 and continued north to Surfer's Paradise.  Surfer's is a city set right along the ocean and is a bit fancy, much more expensive and an all around good time!  (No hippies here...)

We are camping at the Main Beach Tourist Park from January 10-16 so have showers, power, a pool, laundry and (very slow) internet.  Speaking of laundry, Wednesday morning, I did 5 loads of laundry from 7:30-8:30 am and got a bit of a sunburn!  It was smokin' hot!  I also loved my first time using the clothes line but am not sure I will love the stiff towels, wrinkled shirts and the number of times I actually have to "handle" the clothes from start to finish.  On January 10th, we hung out at the beach and boogie boarded.  I finally got into the action for the first time and loved it!  We checked into our campsite and headed downtown for an evening out.  Bought UV shirts for everyone, groceries and supper.  On Wednesday the 11th, after laundry, we hopped the bus to Wet and Wild Waterpark.  What a day that was!  Forgot my camera in the camper :( 

Today the weather was cooler (25C) and we spent the day at SeaWorld.  It is way more beautiful than the one in California.  The dolphins were my favorite but the boys loved the jet ski show and the huge rollercoaster.  At the end of the day, we jumped in a pirate ship and tried to attack other boats.  We were soaked to the bone and loved every minute of it!  The park closed at 5 so we have to go back another day to finish our tour and revisit our favorites.  We all promised Kent we'll do the log ride too.  There was an outdoor movie in our campground tonight complete with ice cream and popcorn.  The boys loved that.  Tomorrow, we are off to the chiropractor (Howard has a very sore hip...seriously...shoulder, toes, hip...my guy is falling apart!) and then it is back to Wet and Wild Waterpark.  We are staying late for the Dive in Movie.  You float on tubes and watch the movie!  Colt's birthday is on Saturday so we're counting down to that too.  It will be a great couple of days.  This internet is very slow so I'll do my best to load more pictures but no promises!  If you've called or texted, please tell us who you are because we don't recognize some of the numbers.  Aside from the expected frustration of spending 24/7 together, we are doing great!  (Read between the lines.....Cody is Killing Me/Us!)  They have no IPods/e-mail/friends and are starting to miss those things!  A small price to pay, but I understand.  Remember to check at the top of the blog under " more/summer holidays".  Ther Will update again this weekend!  Love JJ

Happy 18th birthday, Trent!  We hope you had an exciting and memorable day.  The grocery stores sell Coca-Cola here too and they have special bottles this summer/Christmas.  Each one says, "Share a Coke with ...."  and so we decided to share a drink with you!  After swimming, reading, shopping and playing ball all day at Byron Bay, we toasted you at the water's edge.  We hope you know how special you are to all 6 members of our family.  I first got to know you when you were in Grade 2 and I was a substitute teacher at Clandonald.  Back then, I couldn't even tell you apart from Bryce!  And now, you are a kind, generous and responsible young man that family and friends are very proud of.  Enjoy your 18th year, Trent, and if you're undecided for the fall......you would always have a place Down Under!  Love, Howard, Janice, Cody, Kent, Colt and Khye

Our home for the month of January!  We are so glad we chose the motorhome and not a "caravan" or a tent or 2 hotel rooms/night like we were debating!


Michaela is Mary's sister and we couldn't have survived the first 3 days without her or Marg! 

Wednesday, January 4 was the day we picked up our KEA Motorhome.  (Many of you will be as relieved as I was that there was actually a motorhome waiting there for us!)  Michaela again met us at the hotel and led us one hour west to the motorhome place.  After getting the run down and packing in some of our luggage we were ready to melt!  The temperature hit low 40s and we were stuck in the motorhome in a shed.  The luggage that we did not need stayed in the van locked in a compound at the motorhome place.  (Now let's hope that's there when we get back!)  Michaela led us to the ALDI grocery store and then back one hour until we met the freeway.  With a wave, she went back towards Sydney and we were off on our grand adventure!  Within an hour, the kids were past starving, the heat was low 40s, the AC in the back doesn't work for the boys unless it's plugged into power and then.....Kent puked!  Ahhhh....gotta love holidays!  Actually, he was better after he ate, sat in my chair and let the AC blow in this face for 1/2 an hour.  On the drive, we were surprised at the scenery.  It is very much like BC.  The freeway was lined with lush green trees and walls of rock.  It was very beautiful. 

Our first night was spent at One Mile Beach at Anna Bay.  We rushed on the beach at 5pm with our good towels (for showering) and one boogie board.  The view was stunning and the boys loved jumping the waves and trying out the board.  Khye, Colt and I went looking for shells and stopped to talk to a fisherman.  He has just pulled in a shark for supper.  It was about 18 inches long and I imagine it was kind of cute before he cut its head off!  After our walk, I approached a small group of adults to ask where I might shop for towels and a beach umbrella.  They are not locals but do live at the beach for 7 weeks every summer with their families.  It was quickly decided that they could just give us 6 towels and their sun shelter!  Ellie, Paul and friend, Tim (who has worked in Banff and who's Aunt just left Australia for a 1 year teacher exchange in Calgary) delivered it after supper and stayed for a quick visit.  Two of the towels display Paul's favorite Aussie Rules team: the Dragons and I guess that makes us fans now too!

Ellie and Paul's grandsons and friends also taught our boys how to sand board.  It is tobogganing on sand and what a blast that was!  They flew down the dunes and climbed higher and higher each time.  We are all greatful that we learned this on the first day of our camping trip!  We spent that night in the parking lot/day use area under a beautiful tree.  In the morning, Colt  said, "That would be an awesome tree for a koala".  And when we looked up, there it was!  A koala right above our motorhome!  That was BONZA!!

Thursday, January 5 took us north to Forster (pronounced Foster).  After taking several wrong turns and looking for 1 of 3 beaches for an hour, we accidentally stumbled upon one!  Forster Beach is very cool because it has an ocean pool that is perfect for little kids.  They still get the ocean water and great views without the "wildlife" or the waves to knock them over.  There were beautiful shells there for Khye and Colt to collect and we also used the public BBQs for the first time while visiting with a very nice Aussie family.    We camped farther down the road at One Mile Beach (yes, again...) and enjoyed more sand boarding there.  The waves were too huge and dangerous for us so we headed back for another quick spash at Forster Beach. 

And so today, after leaving Forster Beach, we headed north, on the scenice route, to South West Rocks.  Along the way, we saw a group/herd/bunch/family of small kangaroos and poor and rich farms.  The water here has been everyone's favorite because it stays shallow for a long way and the waves were excellent for boogie boarding.  We are camping at a BIG4 site tonight and all had great showers!  The boys were attracting other kids at the playground because they were playing catch and have funny accents!   So that's about it.  We're living the good life...no bugs, great surf, perfect sand....it's been tough!  Just a side note, Howard is an amazing driver....the motorhome is a standard...shifting with the opposite hand while driving on the opposite side and he makes it look easy! I have to go...the driver is trying to sleep.  Will right again soon.  JJ 

Mary's sister Michaela is an amazing and kind woman.  We called her this morning to ask if she could give some of us a ride to a car dealership because we thought we had a lead on a vehicle.  Some of us were going to stay behind and just hang out.  When Michaela showed up 1 hour later, she had an 8 passenger van and we set off for the day!  We jumped from dealership to dealership and called a few private sale numbers but with no luck.  Everyone here thinks that a "people mover" is so big!  They thought I was joking when I said they are called "mini vans"!  Anyway, after lunch (we have to keep Kent happy!), we headed down to Paramatta Road (you knew it Jodi and Rob!).  We pulled into the first dealership and found this great "people mover"!  It is a 2007 KIA Grand Carnival.  It is fully loaded, leather seats and has more options than any vehicle we've owned at home!  It was just brought in, cleaned up and put on the lot this morning.  In fact, the carpets are still damp!  Michaela helped Howard take it for a test drive and then we bought it, registered it and insured it.  All that and we were back at the hotel to swim by 5:00 pm.  Also during the day, Mary's other sister Marg was working for us from home.  She priced out freight for our luggage incase we need to ship our excess from here to the farm.  We'll figure that out tomorrow when we try to load it up in the morning.  These two women have been amazing and we appreciate them both so much.  I know that my family and friends are helping the Conlans in Canada just as much and I appreciate that too.  You are all allowing the 10 of us world travellers have such an amazing experience.  Thank you for that!  

We are heading out tomorrow on our 20 day camping trip in the motorhome.  I am sure the blogging will come to a screeching halt as internet will be sparce on the beach!  We have a cell phone now and the number is:  0427 534 951.  The temperatures here are around 30C.  We are happy and healthy.  Will write when we can.  Love JJ 

Happy New Year, everyone!  We have met our Australian Family in the airport and were instantly connected.  The Conlans are as fun and happy as we imagined they would be.  We could have stayed and visited with them for days but two short hours was all we had.  They continued on to supper and Candy Cane Lane with Mom & Dad and then headed to the farm on New Year's Day.  They are all settled in and have been building snow forts and snow angels already!

After saying good bye to the Conlans and Mom & Dad, we headed through security and had a yummy supper of ribs while watching the World Jr. game.  Our flight to Vancouver was quick and uneventful.  We all watched movies/TV.  I don't think Khye even spoke once!  Our layover in Vancouver was also short.  We toured their airport and checked out the fish in the aquarium.  Two other exchange families from Alberta were also on our flight.  Stephanie will also live a few hours from Sydney and Joe and his family are heading south of Perth.  We may have to head that way for a visit.  They also brought 2 boys ages 13 and 10.  We were late taking off and didn't leave Vancouver until 12:25am on January 1.  The first third of our 15 hour flight was spent sleeping and after that, we ate, watched movies and colored.  No reading, minimal fighting, minimal napping :(  The boys were very amazing and rarely asked how much longer!  As we neared Sydney, we all changed into shorts and started to get very excited!  Customs was a breeze and we anxiously headed down the ramp looking for Mary's sisters Michaela and Marg.  I guess it isn't hard to pick out the Jackson 6 and we were all happy to find each other!  Our 9 suitcases and 8 carry ons were packed into their 2 cars and we were off on our first adventure!

Sydney is full of beautiful buildings and parks and I was thinking of you all along the way, Jodi!  We stopped at the botanical gardens where they were still taking down gates, etc. from New Year's Eve.  At the bottom of the hill was the harbour and across....the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge!  I have to admit, I had a moment....relief, happiness, wonder.  We actually made it!  Walking around the harbour, we loved the gardens, the different birds and the fish & eels.  We had a picnic in the garden and then headed to our hotel.  We enjoyed a swim in the pool and a walk to the mall where we bought groceries and supper at.......McDs!  We all crashed by 8:00pm and we were up just after 6:00 am this morning.   We'll have to work on that!  We're off to buy a vehicle today so have to get going.  Thanks for all your wishes!  Talk soon.  Love JJ