These photos were posted on a friend's facebook. When you leave your house in Jakarta you never know what you will see. And believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Its been a while...

Well, its been over a year since the last blog. Coincided with the start of a new job which let's just say we'll put down to a learning experience. Now I find myself with more time on my hands and exciting new experiences to come.

For us as a family it has been a wonderful year. The boys are growing a hundred miles an hour and eating us out of house and home! God help us when they get to their teenage years.

Some of the highlights - trip home, two trips to the hospital (stitches and a broken arm), stage debut and work changes.

So where are we at now - bigger, brighter and more time to blog!

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!