Thursday, December 2, 2010

I didn't mean this to sound quite so melancholy.

Mom and Dad headed back to the States on Tuesday morning. I am trying to be a grownup about it. This means that on Monday night I chose not to take their passports, shred them into tiny pieces and bury the bits of paper in the backyard.

Adulthood is full of hard choices.

We had a great time! In spite of the stomach virus that eventually found its way to all 7 of us, we managed to do a lot together. I am so thankful they made the trip! Hugging them goodbye at the airport, I uttered my customary farewell: "I'm sorry we live 9,000 miles away." "Yeah," my dad replied, "Four or five thousand would've been bad enough."

Since then, it's been raining, and even though the weather is miserable, the first day of summer (!) was yesterday. I've set myself to decorating our house for Christmas. Even after nearly 6 years here, it is strange to get used to having Christmas in the summertime, so I like to really decorate to remind myself what time of year it is. This will actually be only the 3rd Christmas we've spent in Oz, the other times we've made the great trek across the Pacific. But this year is different. This year we have:
Grace, Lord love her, is in a trying phase at the moment. As in, she is trying to break local noise ordnance laws with her high pitched screaming and the rest of us are just trying to survive. Hopefully, she will have mercy and choose to let us live. I am not a wimp about traveling with children, but even I have my limits, and this is it. Look, I know it's a cliche to bemusedly complain about your crazy toddler. But if you had to chase her, as I did, through Target yesterday--losing your place in line and wresting a tin of breath mints from her claw-like grasp while she screamed the shriek of death, you'd be busting out the cliches too.

So, for that reason, and a few others, it's an Aussie Christmas for us! Should be fun! Christmas in summer has its charms...you should try it sometime. Wanna come see us? We supply earplugs to all houseguests, and Grace only bites if you don't offer her the food you're eating and/or your iPhone.

Christmas down under?? Think it over.


6 comments:

  1. Haha! Mellie has a face just like that!! Miss you!

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  2. I think David and Grace are sounding quite a lot alike...he tries me everyday and even thinking about flying to FL w/ the 2 of them alone gives me hives. Much less around the world. You're not helping me decide if a 3rd child is in my future...

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  3. A summer Christmas has it's charms indeed: Picnic on the beach; scurfing for the kids; BBQ; seafood, mangoes, icecream....Bliss. You couldn't do that in the cold & snow. Erk!

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  4. So true, Ganeida! We usually head to the beach on Boxing Day--so fun! There's a lot to love for sure!

    Susan, number 3 is totally worth it! At least when they are in this stage you know it will eventually get better--or you'll be too tired to care. ;) Email me if you do the trip with the kids...I've got lots of tips!

    Steph! Happy bday to the twins! Miss y'all. :)

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  5. My husband and I used to live in New Zealand and I'm from KY. The first time I heard the song "Christmas on the Beach" I laughed and cried. It it different in the S. Hemisphere, just not quite the same in the summer! However, New Year's Eve in the summer is pretty cool!:)

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  6. Oh I miss that little face- and the shriek! What a fun time we had with y'all! I was more than a little melancholy on the flight over the ocean coming home. Kiss everyone for me.

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