7.5 years, 10th move

We're moving... again. Yes, you heard that right. And yes, you're memory does serve you correctly, we only moved to this house in February.

But when opportunity knocks...

Ben just had his last day at 4Life yesterday and we will be heading down to our new home in Melbourne, Australia to house hunt in a few days this upcoming week.

Life has been filled with excitement, hesitation, nervousness, jubilation, and stress -good and bad. But we are excited at this new opportunity for him to be working at his new job as General Manager of Australasia for Melaleuca, and I'm so proud of Ben!

We will most likely wait out the school year, which ends in December, but we'll know more after this week. Sorry we have been out of touch with most of you on it, in fact, there may be some members of the family who are reading this for the first time not knowing! It has been hard to spread the word and this was all really, really unexpected.

I am feeling good about it, but it was really strange to consider at first. I've loved my life in Sydney, and was excited at the thought of where life was taking us. This wasn't in my plans at all, but once we decided to go for it, we decided to really go for it and wrap our arms around Melbourne and our new life there.

Things have been busy, I've quit my other blog but will still post on it occasionally just for myself and family -as was intended in the first place. We're just focusing on our family and the tasks ahead and getting ourselves organized and ready.

The good news for many of you is that there is now more time than ever for that visit you've been promising us you'd make...

She Dresses Herself Now

Just found several half finished posts, most written in June or July... decided to get it in gear and post them, content may be a little bit old, just a warning

So Laine is obsessed with Michael Jackson dying. I think the kids at school are talking non-stop about it. Today she confused one of our favorite foods with what sounds like it could be a condition you'd die from today when she said, 'Mom, did you hear Michael Jackson died? He had a 'heartichoke''

In other news, Ben just got home from New Zealand today, and per usual he brought {cheap} gifts for the kids. Laine's gift was a pair of pants, that, as described by Ben, the woman Shopkeeper of the store {hard-up for a sale} talked him in to buying. Of course selling him heavily on how much she would like them. At the start of their conversation about buying a gift for his kids, he related that his daughter was 5, but somehow he has arrived home with pants are size THIRTEEN, and he didn't notice that might be weird at any point...

Further, they're not pants, to put this nicely, I think they are Bermuda shorts or capris for a horizontally challenged {read: obese} child. They seem like the right length for a 5 year old, yet her waist could fit into the thighs portion of the pants. And I guess he didn't notice the low crotch or elastic waistband. They made for a good laugh, and I still pull them out when in need of a good laugh, -oh, and they're good for a laugh. I smell this year's White Elephant gift! I've said too much...

Ok, that was all old news, in more recent things seen and heard:

Yesterday our neighbor Josh came over and told us how much he loves Laine and basically that he is going to put her in his pocket and take her home to America when he moves home next month. He said he was outside and heard a sweet little voice coming from no where, only to realize it was Laine who was sitting on our mailbox {it is made from stones, this would make more sense if you could see it}. He asked what she was doing and she said, non-chalantly,

"Oh, I'm just talking to the moon."

Josh said, "Is it talking back?"

Laine, "No, I'm trying to get it to, I'm trying to talk to it, but it's hiding behind that cloud"

-She's also been talking to the road. I'll hear her in the car saying, "Road, Oh Ro-oad! I'm trying to talk to you"

I guess she's been pretty hard up for friends these days, such a pity. The poor wretch!

Also, today when we were driving into the city, she got a little confused as to where we live I think. She shouted,

"There it is, the Eiffel Bridge!"

And I started laughing and she realized her mistake, or so I thought, and said,

"Oh, nevermind, the Eiffel Bridge is in French"

And I laughed again and she said,

"Oh, I mean, it's in China"

Hmmm... gotta work on that geography as well as local and International landmarks.

Gabey is a real talking boy these days. If you haven't seen him in recent months he is a whole new guy, complete with new sexy summer buzzcut, pictures to come.

In Gabey news, I've been running into my share of unexplained, though surely Gabey related, messes in the house recently. However, I couldn't explain the empty conditioner and soap bottles, chased down with little piles of conditioner or soap around the bathroom, resembling what I lovingly call, "Cream Wrinse Terds". Usually in the tub, they remained a mystery until tonite when Gabey grabbed Laine's conditioner and said,

"Oh, great, there's the spider cream, I needed the spider cream"

And I was like, what, what the heck are you talking about? I was not very happy about the sound of this.

And he said, "But the spiders are berry hungry"

And then I realized all of those little piles were to feed the spiders and ants in the bathroom. Duh, what else would they be. He's been squeezing it out and then going back several times a day to check if there are any insects eating it. Naturally. Those little brains! I guess I can at least relish the thought that those messes I've been cleaning up had the best of intentions, right? I'm so glad he's concerned about the wellbeing of our insects. I just hope he doesn't leave anything out for cockroaches!