I hit the jackpot!!!

I have so many new toys that I got for Christmas that I feel like I hit the jackpot! I now stand in my living room and tell everyone that will listen to "look at all my toys!"

Our Christmas celebrating began on the weekend before Christmas when Mom, Dad, Kaden, and I went down to Southbank by the Brisbane River for a traditional Aussie sausage feed and to watch the Christmas fireworks. I got to ride a ferris wheel with mom for the very first time! We even timed our ride right and were able to watch the fireworks over the Brisbane river as we were sitting at the very top of the ferris wheel. It was a great time!

On Christmas Eve we rode the train out to the airport to pick up Grandma and Grandpa Dammast. I even saw Santa as he greeted all of the kids at the airport! On Christmas Day I was able to open all of my own gifts and Kaden's too since he's too little to open them on his own . . . so it was double the fun for me! (Mom had to hide all the presents before Christmas otherwise I would open every single one of them the minute I found them!) Grandma and Grandpa's suticases didn't make it to Brisbane until the day after Christmas (and one didn't make it here until 6 days after they got here.) So, Christmas continued for me for several days as they gave us the many gifts that were packed in their suitcases.

Hope you had a great Christmas in America!!

The rest of this week we took Grandma and Grandpa around Brisbane to see the sights. We went to Mt. Tamborine to see the rainforest, drove to the Sunshine Coast to the Mary Cairncross Rainforest and to see the Glass House Mtns., went to Lone Pine Zoo, and went to the Australian Outback Spectacular dinner show (or "cowboy show" as I would call it.) I loved the cowboy show and even got to wear my own cowboy hat and dance to cowboy music!

Boats, Planes, Trains, Automobiles . . . and a Gondola!

I rode all of them within 2 weeks!!
I rode a plane to Cairns to vacation with my family.
I rode an automobile (minivan & taxi) to Mossman Gorge, Millaa Millaa Falls, and to the beach front park and lagoon in Cairns.
I rode a train through the rainforest to visit a village called Kuranda.
I rode a gondola over the rainforest on the Skyrail Cableway after leaving Kuranda.
I rode a big boat out to Green Island (on the Great Barrier Reef) and rode another boat, a submarine, while on Green Island so that I could go under the water and see the reef myself.
Boy have I been busy!

You'll see in some of the pictures that the Asian Paparazzi followed me around as well. For some reason they all squeal with delight when they see me and want pictures taken with me. They even buy me treats and give me candy (that mom and dad won't let me eat) for taking a picture with them. Gee, is this what being a celebrity is like?

I had a fun two weeks with Grandma & Grandpa Perry here spoiling me rotten and am now ready to celebrate Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Dammast as they arrive in Australia on Christmas Eve!!

My weekend with G & G Perry!

Grandma & Grandpa Perry got here last week and I have been having a blast with them! We have been going, going, going since they got here, which means that my routine is off and I can be a real BEAR at times, but they seem to enjoy me and put up with my tantrums! We rode the train to the city and saw the Christmas lights go on, rode a boat up and down the river, and walked to see the pretty plants last weekend. We went to New Farm park and there was GREAT playground equipment that I ran and played on. Mom also slipped in some "extra" pictures . . . me and one of my terrible twos tantrums, making cookies with mom, and playing with Grandpa Perry. Stay tuned next week for pictures of our first Australian "holiday (vacation)"!

I'm FAMOUS!!!

We went to Lone Pine this weekend to take some pictures for Christmas and I became famous. I decided I wanted to cuddle ("cuddle" is the term for "hug" in AUS)the kangaroos and all of these foreign men (I think they are Japanese) wanted to take pictures of me! They waited and waited for just the perfect picture and then got really excited to snap a picture of me and the kangaroo. Dad calls them the "foreign paparazzi" and mom thought we should have started charging for the pictures being taken. Check out the slide show below to view me cuddling the kangaroos and my entourage of fans!

Curious 2-year-old

I have been keeping busy and getting into everything lately. I still love playing in the fountain on our back porch but now I've discovered a way to wash my hair and get REALLY wet! I also know how to turn the fountain on and off now, managing to get into more trouble.

I love holding my little brother and ask to hold him almost every day. Mom dressed us alike the other day - we looked like twins! I also have had fun going to swimming lessons with dad this term. I can now jump of the top of the high tower in our pool. Mom says she is going to get better picture in the next few weeks so you can see dad and I swimming together.

Last Friday we went into the busy city with Angie, Paige, and Christian and we took the train from Oxley all the way into downtown Brisbane. I loved riding the train . . . I had never ridden a train before! There was a kick-off Christmas parade in Brisbane and we got to see Santa.

Busy Being a Big Brother!

Wow, it's been a long time since I wrote anything! Well, I have been busy learning how to be a big brother. Mom has been busy too so our computer time is limited. Mom & Dad say that I'm fitting right into this new role of "big brother". I have been trying to be a big helper and try to give Kaden a bath with mom and try to rock him when he cries. I have to be reminded to be gentle with him as I often forget. All he seems to do right now is eat, sleep, and cry - so not much fun overall but I can't wait until he's big enough to ride bikes with me and play footy!!

I have also been busy going to the Kiah School (child care center) two mornings a week. I really like this new school and can't wait to push mom or dad out the door when they drop me off! We have had lots of visitors here to meet my new brother and even had a playdate with Jack and Lachlan, two boys from our playgroup. I enjoyed digging in the rocks with them in our backyard.

More Swimming!

Here are a few pictures of the past weekend. I went swimming at my friend Alex's pool and had fun in the hot tub making "whiskers" so that I would look like Santa Claus. I have lots of fun with Alex. Her parents work with dad at John Deere Limited and she is like a big sister to me . . . and spoils me . . . can't you tell? I'm eating all of her chips!

Evan's Spring Break

Sorry it's been awhile again since we posted . . . we have been busy WAITING for baby to arrive and finding things to do during spring break. The past two weeks all of the school kids have been on "holiday" (vacation) for spring break. Whenever kids are on holiday everything else gets cancelled . . . so no playgroup or swimming lessons for two weeks . . . uugghh! So we have been busy finding other things to do for the past two weeks.

Last week we went to this kids cafe called Crazy Critters. They have a HUGE indoor playground and jumping castle that we can run and play in while mummies (or daddies) sit and have tea. I really liked going down the slides and running all over.

The weather is starting to get hot here as summer approaches. This has been kinda nice because I got to experience some of summer in the US and now I get summer again!

Today we went to a local swimming pool in Oxley. The pools open around 5-6AM here and close around 7PM so we went in the morning before it got too hot and before I had to take an afternoon nap. There are four different pools where we went. I spent most of the time in the toddler pool where the water came to my knees. I did the crocodile that I learned in swimming lessons all the way across the pool and enjoyed going down the slide and getting my hair wet with the fountain toys. There was also a bigger pool right next to the toddler pool that I went in but it was deeper . . . of course, I had NO FEAR and just plowed through the water and immediately wanted to go down the bigger water slides by myself. So, Angie took me to the top of the slide and mom caught me at the bottom. It was lots of fun!

They call me "NO FEAR" Evan

because I love to feed the kangaroos and am not afraid to march right up to them, stick my hand in their face, and offer them a treat! We had to stay close to home this weekend because mom might have a baby soon, so mom and dad took me to Lone Pine Zoo and the Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

On Saturday we went to the zoo and since we have a family pass for a year we get free kangaroo food. I loved feeding and petting the kangaroos and mom said I had "no fear" because I wasn't scared at all (and believe me kangaroos have some long, scary looking claws!!)

On Sunday we went to the gardens at Mount Coot-tha to see flowers and plants . . . and so I could feed the ducks at the lagoon. I loved running after dad on the trails and trying to skip. Mom also caught me trying to smell as many flowers as I could. It was a fun weekend!

As promised . . .

here are some pictures of me at swimming lessons here in Australia. We had a make-up lesson to complete so mom scheduled it when dad could come (in the evening) and watch and take pictures. Some kid threw up in my regular pool so they had to shut it down and move us into one lane of another pool. We were crowded, and I had a different teacher, and we didn't do our normal routine and songs . . . but at least dad got to see me swim. Mom calls the swimming lessons here in Australia "hardcore" because even at my age they are teaching us to swim under the water as well as how to jump in the water without being scared. My regular teacher, Jen, always scolds my mom because she says that mom is too protective of me in the water and that she needs to just let me go. I think mom is learning as much from the lessons as I am!!We have one more week of swimming lessons before "holiday" (spring vacation) starts here in Australia. The next term starts in two weeks and dad is going to be taking me to swimming lessons on Tuesday nights then.

I have also discovered a new treat that I love . . . suckers! (Or "lollies" as all candy is called here in Australia.) I was so amazed that my blueberry sucker turned my tongue blue. Mom has to be careful because when she says "ready for SUPPER" I always think she is offering me another SUCKER . . . hmmmmmm.

Daddy's Home!

Dad came home from being gone a long time and we had a fun weekend. He actually wasn't gone that long but we were so used to him NOT travelling that it seemed like a long time for us. We spent the afternoon on Saturday at the park down the block from our house. Dad helped teach me how to throw a frisbee and we watched the ducks at the lake and found lots of these REALLY BIG lizards out roaming around. (I guess there are alot of lizards in Australia but the ones we saw at the park were probably 2-3 feet long!) I also had fun on the play equipment, going down the slide, walking on the balance beam, and swinging.

On Sunday we went down to the Queen Street Pier and Queen Street Mall to the street-side market and shopping area (along the Brisbane River.) Dad and I enjoyed the good weather and walking around . . . mom enjoyed buying things. They have some really cool trees in downtown Brisbane amongst all the skyscrapers and I had fun playing "peek" with mom and the camera. I also got to see several (weird) mime's as we walked.

Dad leaves again this week for New Zealand . . . but only for 3 days this time. He is getting all of his travelling out of the way before the baby comes.

Happy Father's Day . . . again!

We are celebrating Father's Day again this year. Yep, in Australia Father's Day is the first weekend in September so dad got lucky and gets two this year. Poor mom, she still only gets one Mother's Day as they celebrate it at around the same time as they do in America. So, I made dad some special Father's Day presents when I went to my school. Dad also bought me a new helmet for bike riding (my melon is getting REALLY big and I already grew out of my last helmet!) AND, my present to him for Father's Day was to actually WEAR THE HELMET without fussing! I like to be the same as dad so it was fun to both wear our helmets! Our neighbor, Billy, is a policeman and he told me that we have to wear helmets or mom and dad have to pay alot of money if we're caught without helmets. Since things are so expensive here in Australia I thought I would save mom and dad some money and just be cooperative and wear my new helmet! We also brought our Burley bike trailer from America so this is what I ride around in while dad bikes. Everyone looks at us funny because these trailers aren't as common here in Australia.

So many fun things to share . . .

Hi Everyone!

This week was our typical week but I have so much to share! On Monday mom bought me this cool backpack. Everyone here has a backpack and I am always wanting to wear their backpack so mom decided I needed one of my own. She thought I had too much Bob the Builder stuff so she got me a Thomas the Train backpack. Look at me! I am so proud of my backpack and it's almost as big as me!! Mom said this might be the only backpack I get for the next ten years because it cost ALOT more than a normal backpack for a 2-year-old!! Hmmmmm . . .





On Friday dad came home from work with a surprise for me. He won the lottery! Well, according to my definition it was the lottery . . . he brought a cool John Deere pedal tractor home that he won in a raffle at work. I love it . . . even though I can't reach the pedals. We are still waiting for a few pieces so that dad can finish putting it all together for me but for now I sit on it anyway. I sure hope this BIG tractor can fit in one of our crates when we return to the US!!!





Then, this weekend we went to Underwater World at the Sunshine Coast. I was able to see lots of water animals AND the ocean . . . AND it was sunny outside! I really enjoyed the overhead aquarium (kind of like the one at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha) but at this one I was able to stand still and the floor moved (see my pictures) so I didn't have to concentrate on walking and watching . . . I could just watch!

Evan the Builder

Isn't as catchy as Bob the Builder . . . but I still love pretending to be like Bob. I got this cool toolbelt for my birthday and love to wear it around. It even plays the Bob the Builder theme song (with a British/Australian accent.) I know all the words to "Bob's song" and love to sing it.

Not much else here going on yet this week. Mom says that we'll try to post some pictures of my swimming lessons later this week. Last week was the EKKA state holiday here in Queensland so I didn't get to go to swimming lessons. I am getting better and better at swimming and am learning to jump into the pool and swim to mom. Yep, that means my head is going under the water. I don't LOVE to go under yet but I'm learning!

All Aboard!

Hi Everyone!
I haven't posted in awhile . . . I've been sick! I had a high fever and a cold at the same time (it's flu season here in AUS) and mom and dad THOUGHT I had the flu bug going around BUT they took me to the doctor and he said I had tonsillitis. So . . . I have to take medicine everyday for awhile - but I'm feeling better now! Since I was sick we had to hang around the house all week long - boy was it a long week (for mom and me!)

We have this really cool park near our house (Australia is full of cool parks) and so I have included a picture of me driving the boat at the park. (You can also see the soft, white sand they have here - this is what I called "snow" when I first saw it.) While driving this boat I would yell out "All Aboard!"


We went out for a long drive over the weekend and I got to check out some cool planes too. I love planes, trains, boats, taxis, and cycles and can spot them from miles away!!



I had my first playdate over to play today. Emma, a girl that just moved here from the UK came over to visit and play. I was very protective of my toys - who would think that a girl would want to play with my combines, tractors, and diggers! Anyways, I am slowly learning to share (but I don't really like it!)

Another day for a Birthday!

Here are my Friday, August 3rd, birthday pictures. I know August 3rd isn't my birthday but mom and dad planned a small party for me on August 3rd . . . and they said it was still August 2nd in the U.S. so we could continue to celebrate. I might like this kind of birthday - two days of celebrating!! We had some of our John Deere friends come over for my Thomas the Train party, a family from America and a family from here in Australia. I got a cool racetrack (from mom and dad), Bob the Builder things, and a stuffed koala bear. We played with all my toys and the 25 balloons that mom and dad blew up for me. It was alot of fun! I was excited to try my Thomas the Train cake and wanted to eat the biggest pieces I could!! I didn't get to bed until 10PM . . . it was another great day.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Here are my Thursday, August 2nd birthday pictures. I should have a few more tomorrow after I have my Thomas the Train party with some of our friends. I enjoyed my day today. I opened TONS of presents this morning (in mom and dad's bed) from everyone. I went to Thursday morning playgroup and everyone sang to me and I got to blow out my candles. Mom made a cookie pizza for everyone to share. We also had "ice boxes" at playgroup to celebrate. Yes, they call popsicles "ice boxes" for some reason here. Oh well, they still taste the same! Yum, yum, good!

Koalas, Kangas, Bats . . . Oh My!

We went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary this weekend to visit the local wildlife. (We actually went 2 days in a row because I cried the entire trip on Saturday so we had to go back on Sunday.) Anyways, I was able to get up-close and personal with so many cool animals! I sang "Baa Baa Black Sheep" to the black sheep, helped dad feed the birds, got to pet some kangaroos, and sat close to these weird looking birds called emus. I also saw so many different kinds of koala bears. We bought a family pass to this "zoo" because it's only 5 miles from our house and we might go back alot!

Evan . . . the cool dude!

I just had to share one of my latest accomplishments with everyone! I am now sleeping in a big boy bed! Mom and dad thought it was going to be a really hard adjustment but they were wrong! There is still a room in our house that has a crib in it like my crib in Moline but they tell me it's for the baby. I love to go in the baby room and play with all my old toys! Oh yeah, I also love to sit in the drivers seat of mom and dad's car - it is so cool. I wanted to share a picture of the great Pop-Tarts & Goldfish crackers that dad's John Deere friends brought me from America (there are ALOT more than what is in this picture!) Can you believe they don't sell these things in Australia??!!