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I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous in the days leading up to our trip in February. I had heard all the horror stories and envisioned our own nightmare – 2 screaming kids, 30000 feet above the Pacific with a sea of judging faces wondering why we can’t keep our children quiet. Well, the many sleepless nights and hours of preparation were completely unnecessary because we were very pleasantly surprised to find that Chloe and Ethan took to flying like a couple of seasoned globe trotters! Ethan loved the white noise of the plane and slept most of the way while Chloe was entertained by the movie – ‘Cloudy with a chance of meatballs’ which was looped to play over and over. I’m proud to say I’ve seen it more than 20 times now….without sound.

Here they both are…sound asleep in their carseats. The plane wasn’t even off the ground!

After a brief stopover in Sydney…

…we were greeted in Tasmania by a small welcoming party (signs and all). Paul, Heidi and Dad left work early that day to witness the arrival of 2 tiny toddlers who had just crossed the globe. They were very surprised to find them complacent and actually happy!

Mum didn’t skip a beat…upon meeting Ethan for the first time, she promptly plucked him out of Elana’s arms and held tight. Mum didn’t really let go for the next 3 weeks.

Mum and grandson getting acquainted.

Chloe revelling in her time at the breakfast table with ‘Grand’. Apparently the same rules for children don’t apply to grandchildren. If I put my feet on the table like that, you can be guaranteed that Dad wouldn’t be smiling.

I never get tired of the view from Mum’s and Dad’s place. Their house sits high on the hills over-looking the city of Hobart (capital of Tasmania).

Here’s another view from the house – morning sun over the Derwent River.

After Mum and Dad got acquainted to their new grandson, it was time for Chloe and Ethan to meet their Great Grandmother (a.k.a Mema). We all took a road-trip up to Poatina (caravaning in 3 cars) to catch up with Mema for the day. It was so great to see her, just as sharp as the day I left for the U.S. 15 years ago!

Ethan was feeling right at home in Mema’s arms. Of course, Mema’s had good practise…Ethan is great-grandchild number 11!

The entire new family with Mema for the first time.

Heading down to the memorial site where Pa is buried…Chloe is flanked by two very attentive escorts.

Best friends – Matt and Cate Harding – threw a big BBQ shindig at their new house in Kingston. Between the Harding family, Lohrey family and Nanscawen family there were enough kids to start a daycare center! Fortunately, there was plenty of room. The house was beautiful and spacious and I was very jealous of Matt’s garage that was big enough to house a Boeing 747.

The happy Hardings showing off a plate full of blackened meat…cooked Aussie-style! (Matt threw the meat into a ball of fire).

The Pied Piper (a.k.a Jo Lohrey) with his four kids, the Harding kids and one Nanscawen kid.

Ella Harding holding Ethan

Nearly a week into the trip, it was time to introduce Chloe (Ethan too but he wasn’t so into it) to the kangaroos. We drove to a small wildlife park (it wouldn’t do it justice to call it a petting zoo because it’s so much more than that!) on the outskirts of town. It was a quiet weekday and, because it was near closing time, we had the park nearly to ourselves. Chloe was fascinated by all the unique animals that Australia has to offer but she seemed most enamored of the kangaroos (that roam free around the park and are fed by the visitors).

Kangaroos enjoying a late day feed.

Up close and personal (Heidi took this great shot!)

Thanks to the kind generosity of some family friends, the Johnsons, we were given full use of a really nice beach house in St Helens – a sleepy little town on the North East coast of Tasmania. Everything about that trip was very memorable. Including the trip up when we happened upon a surfer dude who lived out of his car.

He was enjoying a beer while typing away on his laptop when we took this picture. Not a bad day at the office!

On the first night in St Helens, we caught this stunning sunset from the deck.

Thanks to Heidi, Mum’s and Elana’s combined efforts…we were never going to go hungry on this trip. Dad and Paul supplied the excellent wines. I supplied the appetite.

Philip and Chloe catching the sunset.

Paul and Chloe on the beach after a long hot walk over the sand dunes. You might think that Chloe is tired in this picture but Chloe was like this with Paul most of the time. She and ‘Uncle Paul’ were inseparable.

Me, Elana and Heidi enjoying a thrill ride on the back of a powerful speed boat in St Helen’s bay. We were on our way to catch fish and I’d just like to note that I was the only one who caught ‘legal-size’ fish that day!

I’m so proud that we produced a Vegemite kid!

Although he’s a little too young to try Vegemite…I can already tell with that big smile and happy disposition that Ethan will, too, become a Vegemite kid some day.

Kym Lewis with her two beautiful daughters – Molly and Amelia – came to visit the morning of our last day in St Helens. Lee Lewis (not pictured) was a good friend from high-school and this was a nice (rare) opportunity for us to catch up.

Back ‘home’ again in Hobart. We enjoyed a bottle of bubbly (or two) to celebrate Paul and Heidi’s engagement. Having been together 13 years before popping the question…I’m a little worried my brother is rushing into this.

Heidi (who is probably more family than Paul these days) and Paul kicking back with their baby – Miffy.

Mum and Dad stocked the house with so much kids stuff before we arrived…nobody would ever have guessed that no-one under the age of 2 had ever entered the house prior to Chloe and Ethan! Dad completely baby-proofed the house (blind cords, electrical outlets, stair gates, table corner-padding), Mum built up the toy chest and they setup a full array of cribs, strollers and car seats. Our arrival was seamless…everything was thought of! As you can see in the photo above, Chloe loved every book that Mum read to her. It became a favorite daily ritual.

And when she wanted to get outside to enjoy the clean Tassie air, Mum and Dad would take Chloe down to the local kids park (down by the beach) where she showed off her mad swing skills to Grandma.

Last day in Tasmania…it was Dad’s birthday so we decided to get him in a group shot with all the grandkids. Of course, we should have known better. Miffy was the only well behaved ‘grandkid’ which is what makes this photo so great. Ethan’s eyes are bugging out of his head, Chloe’s about ready to bolt ouf of Dad’s arms and Dad looks like he’s doing everything he can to maintain a smile. Classic.

Every minute of Chloe and Ethan’s first Australia trip was incredible. Whether it was meeting family, seeing their first kangaroo or enjoying Vegemite breakfasts, this is a trip to remember. Unfortunately, at their age, they won’t remember any of it which is why we took (literally) thousands of pictures so they can one day see what they did. I’ve posted all the good pictures to our smugmug site. Anybody can view them by clicking on the link below:

http://jamesandelana.smugmug.com/Travel/Australia-Trip-Winter-2010/12107942_jvZuV#860566093_s2Vdt

I had to make sure I got one post in before March was over…1. to let people know we’re still alive and well and 2. to start showing off some of the great photos we’ve taken of Ethan and Chloe over the past few months (those will come later). For now, I just want to share this one…

In just the last couple of weeks, Chloe has been noticing Ethan more and more. She was completely indifferent when he first arrived from the hospital but now she’s realizing more and more that the little guy’s here to stay.

Here’s a link to Ethan’s photo gallery:

 http://jamesandelana.smugmug.com/Ethan/First-Days/10579591_AwPdP#735086831_8jRnS

Newborn-mania is not over. We’ve been taking photo after photo of Ethan in every different position, angle and light. He continues to be a very happy, sleepy and manageable baby. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t change too radically as he gets older.