Mundaring Weir Hotel, Tavern in John Forrest National Park, Lucky Shag

Today was a jam packed day of activity for us and Elliott wore us all out.  Grandpa let us sleep in and and we woke up to them watching tv happy as can be.  Bare with me, in one day, I took 171 photos so I'll be posting quite a few of them.

We headed east (again, there is nothing west of here except the ocean) to Mundaring which is a town almost an hour away. We had brunch at the Mundaring Weir Hotel and nearby was a dam you can walk across.  Our child has no fear and would walk across the whole thing on his own if we let him.

Elliott knows "bing" means "cold" in Chinese and likes to put the back of his hand against cold drinks and say "bing bing."  It's so cute!

Walking to the dam.

This side, obviously, is the side with the water.

Nice view back at the water.  Note the beautiful sky again, typical Perth sky.

Note the narrow wooden plank walkway across the dam.  Elliott took off running and it is a full job to chase him down.  Don't worry, the fences were bolted down very well.

This child has no fear, check out the fall on either side.

Grandpa!

One picture of me from the day.

Elliott has been on a tongue kick lately.

We headed back towards the car and then...

Elliott took off back to the walkway.  I had to run back and chase him down.  He is one ball of energy that doesn't stop!

We then headed back west a little to a tavern in John Forrest National Park.  Yup, I just said a tavern in a national park.  Like, we paid $11 to enter the park and went to the tavern there.  Elliott and I napped in the car for an hour and then went inside to meet Dad and Grandpa. Kangaroos everywhere!!

See?  Kangaroos everywhere.

Enjoying beers at the tavern.  Elliott was a trooper all day.

Feeding time. Interesting to see local Aussies just as interested in kangaroos as we were.

Daddy and Elliott switched hats.

The male kangaroo came over right to our table let us know he ruled the area.  Again, our child has no fear while on the other hand, my maternal instincts were on high alert.

You can see Elliott's little hand reaching out to pet the kangaroo when he sees Grandpa petting him.

Just look at that face!  Eager little boy!

Yup, they are really that close to us.

The tavern also had a resident pink bird.

Then all of a sudden, Elliott took off towards the kangaroos and all the other patrons were staring in awe at Elliott while Grandpa had to run and bring him back.  He's such a handful, it's days like this that remind me of why sending him to daycare is a good idea.  He is just too much for one person to watch all day and has so much energy.

We then headed back into the city to the Lucky Shag for dinner and drinks.  It is on Riverside Drive in CBD by Swan River. 

View of CBD heading west into town.

Entertaining himself with the slinky from yesterday's birthday party of his friend Marcus.  Look at the concentration in his eyes studying the slinky.  We listened to our Australian CD and he sang along.  "Aussie Girls and Aussie Boys...."

Being mischevious at the bar/restaurant.  After eating, he wanted to go walking up and down the ramps.

We continued our walk in the park on the way to the car park (parking lot).

Elliott saying "Ready, Set, Go" as he squats down like he's gathering all his energy for the big sprint.  Nice view of CBD and the clouds in the sky.

Everytime he came back to us, he then took off farther and farther.  Do you even see him?  He never once turned around to check on us. 

Daddy had to chase him down before he got too close to the road.

Elliott sees Grandpa and is running back to us.  He's tiny in the picture, but Daddy and Elliott are way in the back.

Elliott insisted on pushing the camera button and this is the picture he took of Daddy.  Not bad.

This was the only way to get him to go to the car, he would've kept running up and down this lawn all night.

Good night, going to bed for another full day tomorrow on Easter Sunday.

Blog? What Blog? October 2011

I had a valid excuse the first 3 weeks of this hiatus and its that we didn't have internet access at our house.  After that, it's been go go go and you know when you start to get behind on a project, you begin to wonder if it is even worth catching up.  In our defense, we've been Skyping and Iphone picture sending by the heaps to our family so I don't think they've skipped much of a beat.  Well, it is probably time, so here I go.  Lets be honest though, I don't remember much of what has happened but I have plenty of cute Elliott pictures to post.

General Comments from Month 2 and Month 3 in Perth, Australia
We moved into our rental property that is a newly rennovated home in the suburb of West Leederville.  Overall, construction of homes is pretty subpar here so while it looks very modern and stylish, windows don't seal, floors are uneven and there are loose "walls."  I won't get into all of that, but renting has its own frustrations. 

At least our place is a brisk 9 minute walk to daycare in the BOB Jogger and then another 10 minute bus ride into CBD (Central Business District/downtown) and another 6 minute walk to our offices.  We are truly embracing public transportation and I for one, LOVE it.  It is directly attributed to my facebook usage increase.  Plus, the weather here is fabulous most of the year and I'm not a stinky mess by the time I get into the office.  Perth has been called "little San Diego" due to the climate. 

We bought a blue (we can't seem to buy cars that are not blue, we are 4 for 4 now) Hyundai I30 CW.  The little wagon has been great for us since we only use it on the weekends and as you'll soon read about, took it down south on a family holiday (vacation).  You'll see some pictures eventually.

Since we've been here in Perth, Elliott has taken a turn for the better (can't get worse) in his eating habits.  Around 16 months, he started eating corn, peas, apple slices, green beans, raisins and dried fruit.  This was a dream come true and I literally cried when I watched him eat green beans for the first time.  This has been a LOOOOOONG time coming. 

Proof Elliott eats on his own

25OCT2011

October 2011 Updates

On Saturday, October 28th, we went to Caversham Wildlife Park and saw kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies, a donkey and a bunch of other animals.  Elliott had a great time but loved the donkey the most because for some reason, when we get the donkey page in one of his books, it cracks him up.  I tried to explain to him that I had to wait 32 years to see a 'roo but he did not care.  This place made my day!!  The only complaint about Perth is that flies are abundant and with all the 'roo poo laying around at the park, they were everywhere! 

The sun's intensity is very strong here in Australia and hats are a must.  Elliott is much better now, but when we first got here, he refused to wear a hat so we had to push him around in the stroller (pram) everywhere to teach him that a hat was required. 

Elliott and I petting a kangaroo!!!

They were everywhere! As was their poo and subsequently, the flies.

Quokkas are cute!!

Dingo

Koala up close and personal

Baldwin Family + Mama Koala

"Who you looking at?"

So real it looks fake.

My 16 month old baby!!

Wombats are cute too!

From the same weekend, I just really liked these photos of Elliott.  

Snacking

Playing in backyard while Daddy was probably cleaning the pool.

From October 28-30, the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) took place here in Perth and Queen Elizabeth II was here!!!!  I've been excited about seeing her since I found this news out back in August.  We saw the Queen!!! 

This is where we staked a spot with the masses to see Queen Elizabeth II.

One of my all time favorite pics I've snapped with Elliott looking very Aussie.

Wide awake and waiting for the Queen!

Starting to get sleepy and crowded.

Passed out, 30 minutes before the Queen arrives! 

Don't worry, we woke him up!

Queen leaving her home here in Perth just down the street from us.

We saw the Queen!