Rockingham Beach

Our first stop was Rockingham, which is about 40 minutes south of Perth. We stayed in a beach house about 2 blocks from the beach and 4 blocks from the little town. The first thing the boys saw when we first walked in were the stairs. They screamed and yelled with excitement and ran up and down the stairs for about 15 minutes straight. Who knew stairs could be so exciting!?

We spent a good majority of our time just walking the beaches and taking in God's beauty. There were a few peirs, the boys loved watching the locals jumping from.

Goodaye Mate!

About a week and a half after mom and dad arrived we were Australia bound. For some cooler weather and some bigger people we were so excited to see! We had a 10 day stay in the Perth and Margaret River Regions of Western Australia. It was absolutely fantastic! These pictures are of the city of Perth.

This is a new thing for Caitlyn, laying on her tummy and playing. Usually when I put her on her tummy, she just laid down and went to sleep, or tried. Now she realizes there is a whole new exciting world to explore! Ethan loves playing with his baby sister getting her toys and making her laugh. So much fun!

Six minutes for Ethan

"Six minutes" is the term we use for special time spent individually with someone. You can imagine how special six minute time with someone is when you have 4 children! Ethan got some concentrated time with gramma and grampa while the older boys were in school. He was getting as much as he could and loved every minute of it!

Six minute time with Dad

Tiger woods golf, watch out! Steve is in his glory having someone to play x-box with, and golf none-the-less. Big boys and thier toys.

Grandbabies

Gramma couldn't wait to get her hands on the "wee one". It was precious to watch her meet Caitlyn for the first time.

Gramma and Grampa Wilson are here!

Steve and the boys woke up very early, around 6am to meet Gramma and Grampa at the airport. They were all so excited at being able to wake early and go to see them. Staying in thier jammies for the airport was alos another treat the thought was pretty cool. Caitlyn and I happily slept in for a little while longer and stayed behind to prepare for thier arrival.

Gramma and Grampa will be here for 6 weeks total. Stay tuned to hear of our adventures and happenings!

Best Buds

Ethan and Joshua, despite the size difference, are the same age, with only a few weeks apart! It's been really neat to watch their friendship grow as they each grow individually. God has blessed us with the Erickson family, and Ethan would agree wholeheartedly! Yesterday we got them together to play and Tracy and I were marveling at the fact that even with them only being 4 years old, they played together for so long (about 4 hours) without any parental intervention. They never came to us bored, or arguing or needing anything, well, besides lunch which doesn't count. A testimony to their friendship!

Happy Girl!

Caitlyn right after she woke up from sleeping for 12 1/2 hours in a row! Mommy is even happier, no doubt. I tried to do the same thing with her schedule again the next night, but it was a bit difficult. She did really well though, slept right through until 7:45am! This is marvelous as any mommy would agree, unbroken sleep comes at a price. Fortunately this one isn't too high.

This is Caitlyn asleep in her carseat fir the first time. Despite the seeming normality of it all, this is actually monumental. Definately photo-worthy in any case!

And let the people rejoice! ( to be said in a sing-song kindof voice :-)

Alelujah! Caitlyn SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!! Can you tell I am exstatic about this!? Well, let me give you the low-down on how it all came about..... We went to a baby shower last night that started at 7pm. It was a weird time and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her home. So, off we went to the baby shower, just the girls. We didn't arrive until 7:45 because the house was in a place I was not familiar with and it was dark with lots of traffic. She never cried until 5 minutes before we got there! What a good girl. So, we said our "hi's" and she quickly got cranky (well, it's passed her bedtime), so we got her changed and I nursed her, then she fell asleep. I passed her to a friend who wanted her turn to hold her, I couldn't pass her up on that offer, so Caitlyn stayed alseep for a few minutes but woke to some woman cooing at her beautiful sight. She was passed around between some longing woman and she got cranky again towards the end so I fed her again and we went home. I told her in a nice firm voice that she had a choice. She could go to sleep and have a happy heart or she could scream in the car like she always does. I got in the drivers seat and told her where I was and talked with her for a minute, then I noticed she was getting fussy. She did this for a minute or so, then promptly went to sleep. This may not seem like a big deal, but, you see, she sleeps on her tummy so going to sleep on her back is very uncomfortable and unnatural to her. What a good girl! So, I took a picture of her when we got back, I was just so proud of her and I wanted everyone to see. This, ofcourse, startled her, but she went right back to sleep. I put her in her bed, at this time it was 9:30 pm. (2 hours later than her normal bedtime). I woke at 8:30 this morning feeling slightly odd. Then I thought about it for a minute...........Wait, what, umm...where did, hmmmm.....when....HUH??? She never woke to nurse! SHE SLEPT THROUGH! WOW!! Well, it is now 9:30 am and she has been asleep for 12 hours! Yahoo! And like all neurotic mommies, I checked to make sure she was breathing. She is. Then I quickly walked out of the room to have some time with Ethan and tell everyone I knew, who would care at this hour of the morning, that she is still asleep. So, I should go do something productive while I have the chance, lest she wake before I get anything done! (will post the pics later)

The Anderson's!!!

Michael, Lisa, Kevin, Matthew, Christopher and Nicole all came to visit us today during their stay in Singapore. We met the Andersons' when first coming to Singapore, they arrived the same time we did and were seeking homeschooling friends to hang out with. Lisa and I met on the homeschooling message board for Singapore, before the actual move, both seeking information. We hit it off right away and continued corresponding through email, walking eachother through each step of the moving process. We met in Singapore on the National Holiday, August 9th, in the busiest place in Singapore, right where they did the firworks. I will never forget it. We have been friends ever since! God provided an amazing support system in this family and we were blessed by them tremendously!

Just me and my baby girl!

McRitchie Reservoir with Aunt Pammy and Uncle Dan

Pam and Dan took Ryan on a hike to the Canapoy Walk with them and had a great time. Ryan was a bit put off by the size of the bridge and stability (or lack there of) but, funny enough, had no problem with the monkeys baring thier teeth at him while he was eating his snack. I guess nothing gets between him and his food.

Ethan found the cable guy quite interesting and followed him throughout the house. Thankfully it was a nice guy and he didn't mind Ethan watching his every move. It was cute to watch.

Life in Singapore

Caitlyn, Ryan, Aaron and Ethan have been quite busy these last few months. It's been interesting to say the least to try and meet everyone's needs with new demands of a baby. I have to give major compliments to my husband, who has been my strength throughout this new beginning. Ryan is enjoying school and doing better and better all the time. He is now up to 10 spelling words each week and progressing with an eager attitude. His report card was great, improving in almost every area. Aaron is getting used to the routine of school and doing well. He seems to be doing well with the work, but have yet to see the progress report. We are having a parent teacher conference sometime this month to discuss how he is handling it all. He continues to make new friends and gets excited about the happenings at school. Ethan is liking the special time home with mom but equally misses his brothers. Since I have been needing more sleep than normal, he gets bored a little bit. Caitlyn, as you can imagine, is growing by leaps and bounds. She is smiling and coo-ing and getting to be responsive to the boys. It's definatly neat to watch! She is loving the schedule that we have developed from reading "BabyWise". She sleeps much better and eats less frequently, making for a less stressed mama and much happier baby. Steve has been busy balancing work, school, family and play. I must say he is amazing at being able to do all of these things. His school weeks are quite busy but I think he thrives on the intensity of it all. He loves playing golf and has gotten quite good! God is using this as a tool for witnessing, it's amazing to hear the stories he comes home with! BTW, don't ever pick up a very large snake with a frog in it's mouth, it won't like it very much! Only Steve IRWIN should attempt this! I have been struggling with health issues lately but am thankful to have found a wonderful Dr. willing to work with me. God has been carrying me through this, showing me that all things work together for good. I have a feeling God is allowing me to endure these trials so I may help others with similar issues in the days to come. This excites me. My husband has been a source of strength as well, for which I am forever greatful! We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of family in the next few weeks. Pam and Dan will be here for 2 weeks and then Mom and Dad Wilson will be here for 6 weeks! We can't wait to share life in Singapore with family. I am sure they can't wait to see our newest family member! Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for more tales from the tropical city of Singapore!