Australian Nature

Australia has some huge trees here.  It never freezes so things never die back!  Eucalyptus trees shed their bark in the summer so the ground is littered with bark and the trees look disheveled.  Then we also have the magnificent birds here.  They are so colorful and loud!  Magpies, cockatoos and parrots are just a few of the birds that live in Perth.  And insects that I thought were big in Texas (like the roach) are gigantic here!  See the picture of the grasshopper below that I took in the backyard.

Shedding eucalyptus

Yards everywhere!!

Red-tailed black cockatoo

Grasshopper as big as my foot width

Chris's 40th Birthday

Christmas Eve was Chris's 40th birthday!  The kids had tennis camp in the morning and then we met the Cook's at the Naked Fig for a late lunch and onto the beach for a little while.  After some fun in the waves and sand, they came back to our house for an Almond Joy cheesecake (that Chris made for himself).  Just another day in paradise.

Beau wrapped this newspaper page (with Emilia's help) for Chris's birthday.  He thought his daddy would love this picture.

New wallet (how exciting!)

What's in the big box??

A backpack to take to NZ!  No more diaper bag as a travel bag.

Cheesecake.

Hip, hip, hurray!

Happy Birthday and many more!

Christmas Cookies

An annual Chapman tradition is decorating cookies.  This year we made sugar and gingerbread cookies.  We had Aussie ones (crocodile, koala, kangaroo, Australia), Ikea animals (moose, squirrel, echina, wolf, bear, snail), stars, candy cane, gingerbread men in all sizes, & Christmas trees but no snowman or Santa!  We also didn't have the red and green sprinkles but we had fun!

Beau was great at the candy details this year

Look at all those cookies!

All of the decorated cookies!

Beau's cookies

 

Tracey's cookies #1- The only moose that didn't lose one or both of his legs.  Notice the one above it that is swimming (Emilia's brilliant idea)

Tracey's cookies #2

Emilia's cookies #1

Emilia's cookies #2

Chris's cookies

Ellie the Elf 2014

Our elf Ellie has been pretty mischievous this year!  Although Emilia and Beau loved the Lego Advent calendars she brought for the 2nd year in a row.

November 29 - Brontosaurus vs. T-Rex

November 30 - T.P. Zip Line and Tree

December 1 - Leopard and Bunny pictures

December 2 - Hanging out on the tree's star

December 3 - Hanging out on the kitchen cabinet

December 4 - Marshmallow fort in the fridge

December 5 - Hostage of the army men

December 6 & 7 - Ellie hung out for 2 days in the candle holder next to the tv.

December 8 - Safe in the flowers

December 9 - Reading "Santa is Coming to Perth" with Woody

December 10 - Trapped in their rooms

Who took these pictures?

Where we found Ellie sitting in the morning.

December 11 - Ellie trapped by the Lego Police

December 12 - Blending in with the Candles

December 13 - Ellie making something with the Rainbow Loom

 December 14 - Ellie hid in the Christmas tree

December 15 - Hanging out on the pictures in the living room

December 16 - On the kitchen shelf

December 17 - Coloring an elf picture

December 18 & 19 - Taking a rest in the tissue box

December 20 - Back to the kitchen shelf

December 21 - Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

December 22 - Keeping an eye on Beau between Stripey and Llama Llama

December 23 - Spiderman

December 24 - Happy 40th Birthday Christopher!