Noosa

Noosa must be one of the most beautiful spots on the Sunshine Coast. We spent most of the day relaxing on the beach (with Caleb under the sunshade - thanks, Bev), cooling off in the ocean and watching the surfers. The weather was absolutely perfect!

We are here... at Noosa Heads, just north of Brisbane on Australia's east coast.

Caleb had a terrific nap (almost three hours!) on Noosa's Main Beach beneath the sunshade.

After lying on the beach, we enjoyed a walk in the Noosa National Park. This was our (rather poor) effort at a self-portrait family shot on our way to the park.

Caleb and Mom in beach attire.

In the Land of Oz

We arrived in Australia on Saturday (Anzac Day!). Our flight to Darwin arrived in the early morning so after a walk around the city, watching the Anzac Day Parade and a big breakfast, we were back at the airport. Jeremy was waiting for us at the airport when we arrived in Brisbane that same evening. It was terrific to see Jeremy, Bev, Mabel and Maisey, who relocated to Brisbane from Calgary back in January. We all awoke early on Sunday and after packing the cars and kids, we headed north to the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay. In Hervey Bay, we rented our 4 wheel-drive vehicle and caught the ferry to Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. We were quite a sight with the second row of the 4WD full of car seats! And there was only one short time when all three children were crying - that was quite a sight too! 

The Fraser Island 'freeway'.

The beach was also a landing strip... but just not in this area...

Enjoying the 4x4 tracks.

The soft sand road bumps put Caleb and Maisey to sleep.

Caleb's first steps in the ocean, at the Maheno Wreck.

The Fraser Island Crew: Kevin, Lori holding Caleb, Bev holding Maisey, and Jeremy holding Mabel. Thanks so much for organizing the vehicle and accommodation, Bev, and for bringing along those delicious cookies and muffins!

The picture perfect Lake Birrabeen where Kevin and Caleb enjoyed the soft, white sand.

Quick Trip

Caleb and I just returned from a very quick trip to Singapore.  We left on Monday and returned on Wednesday, giving us really only one day in the city. We decided to join Kevin at the last minute so that Caleb could get a vaccination that is not available in Vietnam. Kevin is in Singapore until the end of the week attending a conference. We had to get back to start organizing for our Australia trip. Poor Kevin will arrive back from Singapore on Friday morning, go to work for the day, and then come home in time to get back in the car to return to the airport. Hopefully he will get some sleep on the plane!

At the airport in Ho Chi Minh City

Caleb and I made a quick stop at the Botanical Gardens this morning to see friends

Hot

April is the hottest month in Vietnam.  With temperatures reaching above 40 degrees Celsius (today it was +42!), we have been spending a lot of time this week indoors. Even when we get out in the evenings when it is a bit cooler, Caleb is still pretty sweaty by the time we pull him out of his stroller.  

Playtime in my jetplane t-shirt (thanks, Aunty Jo-Ann).

Help, I'm falling into the sofa!

Heading out to go shopping today - we were targeting the air-conditioned shops.

Mom and Caleb

Caleb is happy... either because he loved shopping with Mom or because his day of shopping with Mom finally ended?

Chilling on the sofa

And when we did go outside for an afternoon walk this week, Caleb was covered up!

Weigh In

Caleb had his four month doctor's appointment and vaccinations yesterday. He weighed in at 7.3 kg (16 lbs) and is 67 cm long. The Vietnamese nurse proceeded to tell me that if he was a Vietnamese baby she would have thought he was a one year old. So Caleb is big - by Vietnamese standards and is in the 75th percentile for weight now by UK standards. The doctor says his weight increase will likely taper off as he is probably going through a growth spurt which may explain his constant eating and sleeping schedule over the past few days. The appointment went well with nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, the doctor said Caleb was very strong for his age.

Caleb was all smiles until the nurse stabbed him with the needle. He then let out a scream but cheered up after a feed. As we were leaving, he smiled at everyone except the nurse who gave him the needle. He definitely recognized her!

Caleb tipping the scale at 7.3 kg

Easter Treats

We had a great Easter Sunday. Here are some photos of the day...

Caleb's first Easter Sunday Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. He was a star considering that they did not turn on the fans until minutes before the service started and it was packed. 

Can you tell Caleb is getting heavy? 

Our easter chocolate fix: chocolate ice cream treats at Fanny's after church. 

I have a couple pictures of our Easter meal preparation but forgot to take photos of everyone enjoying the food. And now all I have to say is I am very full and tired after a great meal and a fun afternoon of cooking!

Caleb was being a bit grumpy and was not interested in his afternoon nap so Kevin put him in the baby bjorn so he could help out in the kitchen. Caleb was happy and content looking around and sucking on the carrier fabric.

The Easter chefs

Our 'bunny' pies 

Happy Easter Weekend

We want to wish all our family and friends a terrific Easter weekend! We wish we could be enjoying the holiday with you all back home especially Matthew's first birthday party with the family! We look forward to hearing about your ham dinners and birthday cake next week. 

We have invited a few Canadian friends over for Easter dinner on Sunday. The menu will include ham and scallop potatoes as long as some family favourites like perogies and cheesy beans with mushrooms and bacon. I am very excited to put my first ever homemade paska, Ukrainian Easter bread, on the table. Hopefully, it tastes as good as it looks. 

Fresh out of the oven!

My little helper in the kitchen. Caleb will be four months old tomorrow too!

Viva Macau

Our first trip to China was terrific! Macau was much more than I expected. Considered to be Asia's Las Vegas, a gambling mecca, I was not exactly sure how much there would really be to do and see over four days on the peninsula and adjacent islands. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that this once small Portuguese colony had retained so much of its European charm. The Portuguese feel mixed with Asian culture made for a rather unique destination.

Here is my top 10 Macau list:

10. Hotel Royal - what a find! In the centre of Macau peninsula, at the base of Guia Fort and within walking distance of almost everything.

Caleb and I relaxing at the hotel.

9. Exercise stations... wow, can you imagine how fit North Americans would be if every city implemented a few of these! 

The Kevins getting in a morning workout.

8. The double decker hot fudge sundae at MacDonald's, vanilla lattes at Starbucks, African chicken, the old man's egg biscuits, Portuguese egg tarts... the food was delicious!

Portuguese egg tarts are wonderful. They kind of reminded me of creme brulee.

7. The cool weather... Kevin would probably put this as #1. Caleb finally got to wear his pants and hoodie and I even pulled out a sweater for the trip.

Caleb wearing a jacket for the first time in his life.

6. Casino madness  - although we did not spend too much time in the casinos (no children allowed), we did get to check out the Venetian, the MGM Grand and the Grand Lisbon to see how they compared to Vegas. We really liked Vegas but the casinos here were less about having a good time and more about making money (i.e. no free drinks).

At the Venetian, Macau

5. Finding brand name clothing items in the markets for cheap. How do you say no to a $3 Roxy t-shirt?

4. The ruins of the Church of St. Paul and the other UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Macau.

Adelina looking out over the ruins of the Church of St. Paul and the Macau peninsula

3. Cirque du Soleil's ZAIA. It was no Zumanity (remember that, girls?) but it is was a terrific show!

2. Walking along the cobbled streets in the fresh air.

Walking through Senado Square

1. Spending the weekend with great people - Thanks for joining us, Brenda, Kevin and Adelina!

Team Macau

Vietnamese Lessons with Ms. Sau

Caleb loves when Ms. Sau, our housekeeper, speaks Vietnamese to him. My theory is that this has to do with all the vowel sounds in the Vietnamese alphabet, which are similar to the first sounds babies make?

Random Shots From the Week

It has been a great week around home for us. We hung around our neighborhood over the weekend and have been trying to get some rest in preparation for an upcoming weekend away and more traveling towards the end of the month. Caleb has been falling into a rather predictable schedule (we will see how long it lasts though) and we are happy to report he seems to have given up on his 3:00am feed which means more sleep for Mom and Dad. Of course, you never know what tonight will bring...

Hanging out with Dad.

Playing with Dad before watching Friday night's (Saturday for us) Oilers game.

Building a pillow fort with Dad.

Tuesday night we went out for dinner with our friend, Owain, from Singapore. He brought Caleb a cute little boat for bathtime. As you can see, Caleb thoroughly enjoyed dinner!

On Wednesday, the baby group moms celebrated Angie's birthday with lunch at The Deck.

After we went out for coffee today, I had to take some photos of Caleb in his cute overalls (Thanks to Sheila, Tom, Rebecca and Myles).

Check out those long legs... no DNA test needed!

Happy times!