Easter Weekend

We are enjoyed the Easter Weekend at home this year.
Sebastian had a great time making his own Easter basket and was very keen to help with Zachary's too.
We started to make the homemade chocolates on Saturday, but after a quick go Seb decided his hand was not steady enough to make it from the melted chocolate bowl to the mould. So it was up to me to make a bowl full for him to share with his friends on Sunday.

Good Friday this year has also seen the discovery of the new Australian Cricket Team opening batsman! Very big new I know. Zachary was playing with a cricket bat, dragging it everywhere. It could not be prised from his hands.

So much to catch up on!

I have been very slack with the blog. Christmas seems a lifetime ago, so much has happened since then.

Mum and Dad came to visit in January. This was Mum's third visit so she knew what she was in for, but it was Dad's first so he was in for some totally new experiences - some good, some bad. We were just glad they came.

We headed off to Ocean Queen, Pelabuhan Ratu for some time out of the city. The drive through the rice fields, tea fields and palm plantations was a perfect way for Mum and Dad to see some of the Indonesian 'countryside'. The strong surf had both Dad and I on our backsides! Totally hilarious, but it meant poor Seb didn't get much boogyboarding in.

The rest of their trip was a whirlwind of shopping, relaxing, restaurants, playing with the kids and of course brunch!

At the end of the visit it was also time for Seb and I to go back to school. Seb jumped straight back into it, of course being a big Year 2, he was no longer one of the youngest.

Just a few short weeks after saying good bye to Mum and Dad, Zach took his first steps. A little hesitant at first but he is now running around the place. Unfortunately in between we have had a couple of fat lips, (its hard to get those hands down quickly when you have tripped over a ball!). Also we have had one trip to emergency! I hear you saying, "he is Seb's little brother so what should I expect!" Thankfully after a couple of stitches he is perfectly fine and will only have a small red scar near his eye to show for the whole ordeal.

At the beginning of March I took the boys down to Sambolo for a long weekend which happen to include Zach's first birthday! Unfortunately we had to leave Manuel back in Jakarta as he was in the middle of his first week back at work. We all had a wonderful time until the car trip home during which Zach threw up everywhere twice! Being covered in vomit is just another joy of motherhood!

I celebrated my birthday with a nice brunch with friends. It was a wonderful day which maybe went on a little too long making it very hard to get out of bed the next morning.

The end of March has brought with it another big change, I have changed jobs, meaning Seb has also changed schools. But of course Seb has taken no time at all to settle in and make friends. I have no doubt he will feel right at home in his new class.

Zach's First Christmas

It was Zach's first Chrismas and our first as a family in Jakarta.

The boys were very excited, but little Zach was not really sure why!! He was just enjoying all the decorations, the tree and of course the wrapping paper!

Manuel spent the day helping Seb construct some of his toys and cooking a beautiful Christmas dinner. Unfortunately I spent most of Christmas day in bed. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least I made it through the "present opening" excitement.

End of the Football Season

The end of the football season was actually in November but its taken me a while to find the time to update.



Seb and Manuel both enjoyed the U7's Football League. Seb scored his first goal ever and quickly followed it up with a second and third. He now has a trademark celebratory run around the pitch pretending to be an aeroplane! Certainly something to see.



Australia (Seb's team) finished top of the table at the end of the season with no loses recorded!



Go Aussie Go!

Palabuhan Ratu

Term Three holidays coincided with Idul Fitri so we joined the millions (Literally) of other Jakarta residents and escaped the city. After hearing so much about Ocean Queen at Palabuhan Ratu we decided to check it out ourselves, so that was our chosen destination.

The journey down was an adventure in itself with Zachary never being in the car for three plus hours before, the hairy mountain roads and one stop thanks to Sebastian's car sickness. (Something that has never happened before!)

Manuel took a day or two to unwind but the boys and I headed straight to the pool. We spent the next 7 days, swimming, setting off fireworks, swimming, playing cricket, swimming, surfing, swimming, walking along the beach, swimming, playing football, swimming, getting massages, swimming, relaxing and swimming!

Sebastian was a little hesitant at the start of the week about going into the surf. He may be a little fish in a swimming pool but the ocean sure is a little scarier! But after a little encouragement his confidence grew and by the end of the week he was paddling out on his own and riding the waves back in! And as soon as he hit the sand, he was up and out there again.

Zachary experienced the beach for the first time. He loved the sand but the waves were a little daunting, so we stuck mainly to the pool. He floated around for ages watching all the other kids, then when he had had enough of that it was play time under the palm tree before nap time.

Manuel enjoyed a chance to relax, in fact he couldn't have done any work even if he had wanted to as the whole of Indonesia was on holiday. So he was able to teach Seb how to boogie board, play football and cricket with all the kids and invested god knows how many hours in a game of Risk with friends in the bungalow next door.

Truly a family vacation!

Absolute Madness!

Just when I thought we couldn't get any busier! Goodness knows what it will be like when the boys are a bit bigger.

Seb is busy six days a week - and yes on the seventh day we let him rest! Two days of Tennis, two of Swimming, then there is Football training in the middle and a Footy game on a Saturday! We certainly like the fact that he is pretty much exhausted at the end of each day. And he even managed to come away with a Runners Up trophy from his first ever Tennis tournament!

Manuel has taken on the role of Football Coach. Although, he wasn't too happy about being given the Australian team. But he managed to get passed it and now dons the good old Green and Gold to run on the pitch with his 11 five and six year old players. I cheer from the sidelines, although there is something a little strange about yelling "GO AUSTRALIA" at a pitch of tiny boys running all over the place. In fact during their first game I couldn't stop laughing!

Seb managed to lose his first tooth after it being wobbly for what felt like months and just two days ago Zach's first one has arrived. Fingers crossed the teething process won't be too bad.

Zach is doing well, hard to believe he is six months old already. We have had him in the pool a few times and he absolutely loves it! Think we have a little water baby on our hands.

The first week of September also bought with it Fathers Day. The boys and I took Manuel out for Brunch with friends then we all finished the day with a game of ten pin bowling! Entertaining just wouldn't quite cover it!

This weekend its off to the ANZA Ball. Still can't get use to the popularity of Balls here, but hey its another excuse to dress up and go out for the night. Not that we have needed any excuses lately, Manuel and I have been going in all directions.

Now we are counting down the days til the end of term. The end of next week will be the start of Idul Fitri and for us that mean off to the beach! So looking forward to it, just hope the rainy season holds off a bit longer.

Mid Year Holiday

Bali was our choice for a mid year holiday. Basically for two reasons, firstly it is only an hour and a half from Jakarta - perfect for Zach's first experience of air travel. And secondly, it was an ideal location to meet Jane who was flying in from Sydney.



After a delayed departure from Jakarta we finally made it to Bali a little after midnight. Zach made it through his first flight quite well, he was only a little upset on the way down. And of course Seb, our little frequent flyer - he slept through pretty much the whole thing.




It was fantastic to see Jane, who had arrived a couple of hours earlier, and after getting through customs only ended up having to wait 40 minutes or so. We all bundled into the hotel four wheel drive (a lift we were not expecting because airport transfers had not been mentioned in booking, but no one turns down a lift like that at 1am, with approximately six bags and two small children!).




We stayed at Casa Indigo in Seminyak, a newish boutique hotel with a strange concept of small blue spiky plastic balls in each room!! After checking out our adjoining rooms we were pretty pleased (never to sure when you book over the internet). Although, the sliding, GLASS bathroom door was a little puzzling!










We had a couple days of down time thanks to our late night arrival and poor Jane's busy schedule prior to arriving. Although, on the first morning we did head in search of the beach. Not knowing quite where we were thanks to the late arrival, we grabbed a map and headed off. The beach was a little further than we thought but as soon as Seb saw the water his little legs seemed revitalised and off he went. The paddling soon turned into a drenching thanks to a particularly large and unexpected wave. It caught Seb completely unaware and left the rest of us in fits of laughter after seeing the surprised look on his face.


Before we knew it the days were passing too quickly. We had trips to Nusa Dua and Kuta beaches as well as plenty of shopping trips (Seminyak is definitely the best and most hassle free). We joined a few friends at Waterbom, a fantastic water park. Jane and I raced on the Race Track slide only to be left with sore shoulder blades, Seb and I jumped on the tubes and went flying down a few other slides and I also managed to freak myself out but spinning around and going down an enclosed slide backwards! I am definitely Queen of the whimps! Might just stick to the Lazy River next time.

I was feeling particularly brave on one day so we hired a car - yes I drove in Indonesia! We headed towards Ubud, and with a bit of luck managed to find it. Definitely the place to go for Art, as long as you stay away from the major galleries and stick to the small shops on the side streets.

Jane and I had a beautiful dinner at La Luciano in Seminyak overlooking the beach and watching the sunset colours and the stars come out, (yes stars! We don't see many of those in Jakarta!). The food was excellent (thanks to an Aussie chef) and the cocktails were fantastic.




Our last day we spent finishing off the shopping before stopping for lunch. At lunch Seb was able to throw on an apron and chef's hat and make his own pizza - star shaped no less! He was very proud of his creation and ate it up very quickly. After that it was time to hit the surf. Sebastian is getting use to the waves and loves jumping over them or diving through them!

Unfortunately the time came when we had to say good bye and after Jane cuddled Zachary for one last time we headed back to Jakarta and poor Manuel who had been working while we were away.