Goodbye Australia

Dear Australia,

We just wanted to let you know what a wonderful year we had in your country. We feel like we have seen so much. From learning to drive on the left hand side of the road to living on a busy block we adjusted to the differences. We will never forget the sweet sound of school children speaking in unison with their lovely little accents, and how it is the law for children to wear a hat in the summer months. We won't forget all your interesting road signs and the first time we saw a koala bear in a tree! We were spoiled with the cafe's and restaurants and did our part in giving back to your economy. We were thrilled with your ocean even though it was a tad bit chilly! The fairy penguins were among our favorite animals and we hope you do your part to protect their habitat. We were enamored with the graceful whales that come to shore each year and the stunning beauty of the Great Ocean Road. We will never forget the incredible Great Barrier Reef, swimming with sea turtles was surreal. The smell of eucalyptus trees reminded us of our childhood memories in California. We will remember fondly the people in Australia that made our time so much more enjoyable. Australia, you were just what the doctor ordered. Farewell for now,

Love, the Rentons

Accomodating

Tim and Bec were so brave to let us stay with them again before we left. They made our lives so much easier. We feel like their house is our house:) This is baby Henry. I was so lucky to be the one to drive Bec to the hospital shortly after we arrived in Melbourne. As you can see baby Henry is not so little anymore!

Rosie and Elly loved taking a bath together.

Henry wanted to join in the party. Thanks for all you did for us Tim and Bec. You are SUPER!!

Last Days

Our last Sunday in Melbourne we drove to St. Kilda. You can see the city in the background. It was a beautiful day.

A lovely grassy knoll by the beach.

Friends

Carolina and Emma are mums from school. They kept me good company all year. I consumed countless numbers of decaf mochas with them and occasional pastries:) Our year in Australia would not have been the same without them. I'll miss you girls. Thanks for the memories.

Cars

Here are a few of our favorite cars in Melbourne.

My friend Renee had this car shipped over from the U.S.A!

The mini cars are my favorite:) Anyone who lives in the city knows that smaller is better.

No problem parking this little yellow car.

Goodbye Whales

We drove a few hours out of Melbourne to Warrnambool. This was our very first vacation, so we decided to make it our last.

We stayed at the Lady Bay Resort.

The 2 in charge of the 3:)

They say they have spotted 1 whale here already, but we didn't see her. Last year we came in September and saw quite a few whales. It seems they are taking their time to swim from the Antarctic.

Rosie remembers the whales from last year.

We had fun steering little motor boats around the lake.

John and Sam's boat was the fastest!

Is there anything more fun than chasing birds?

One can never get tired of driving along the Great Ocean Rd. It is always spectacular. Goodbye 12 Apostles!

North Fitzroy Church

Auntie Margaret does a fantastic job of creative crafts for SS.

Vetuta and Claudia cook delicious soup each week for pot luck:)

SS room.

The kids love the run out side after church.

Theater

This is a big shopping center and theater in downtown Melbourne. It's pretty amazing how they built a building around an old building!

Last Day of Gym

Rosie had her last day of gymnastics last week. The boys were out of school, so they had a chance to enjoy the gym, too.

Sam is a great hula hooper:)

Diving into the pit.

What could be better than pizza at the park with our friend Elly?!

Little Friends

This is Rosie's little friend Anton. They were both looking especially grubby and cute that day.

Rosie gets all the credit for putting this outfit together:)

Thanks for all the fun plays, Anton:)

Our Favorite Tree

This is a tree loving family. There is one huge and beautiful tree that the kids love to climb in the zoo. We always have to stop for a quick climb!

Dryer

Mom wondered why I hadn't posted for a week and asked if life was "dull". Life is never dull with 3 children and the laundry never ceases! It has been rainy most of the week and that means the clean wet clothes pile up. I finally went to the laundry mat and dug my way out of the mountain. 3 cheers for the modern convenience of the dryer! Hip, hip, hooray!

A Jolly Good Fellow

It was all about Sam last week! Sam turned 8. Wow! Where did the time go? Nothing says birthday like a balloon chandelier.

The V.I.P!

Sam invited 3 friends over for a little celebration. We walked to the local pizza joint (2 adults + 6 rambunctious kids), ate pizza, got quite a few looks-like I can't believe you guys have that many kids, and walked back home for cake and a movie.

Thanks Kai, Jordan, and Callum for helping Sam have such a nice birthday celebration!

A Culinary Delight

Melbourne is the culinary capital of Australia and we have been sooo spoiled! Rosie is about to enjoy the most amazing ricotta hotcakes with maple infused vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. If you are ever in Carlton, drop by the Rathdowne St. Food Store, you won't be disappointed.

Lorne Beach

We are trying to get a couple more weekends in Lorne before we come home. We walked to the pier and watched the fishermen catching fish.

This is lovely Lorne.

Funny story... Rosie was walking around the pier with her empty sand bucket. I turn around and she has a fish! A nice little man gave her one of his salmon. We took it home and fried it up... gave a bit of it to the neighboring kookaburras.

Autumn colors in May.

Cozy kids.

View from the deck.

Looking for creatures.

Sam laughing at Josh.

Nothing makes John more happy than the beach!

Lunch at our favorite cafe. They have the best fresh squeezed orange juice.

Much of our energy is expended trying to get rid of the kids' excess energy!

They look so sweet sometimes.

Hiking up the big hill (it takes 235 steps).