Vegemite Sandwich!

Some of you may have noticed that I've been out of touch lately. Well, I have a perfectly good excuse. I'm on vacation. Since mid December we've been in Australia, and today, Daryl flies home with Gabrielle and I joining him in just over 2 weeks. For national security reasons, I didn't update for the last month, and also because I've been out enjoying the fabulous Australian summer. Our list of activities, jaunts and adventures is amazing, considering we've been carting around a 7 month old (who turned 8 months down here, and is about to turn 9 months in a few days).Looking for a Christmas tree - 34C!Swimming in the Murray River - she LOVED it!Hanging out at the pool with dad.Into the Ocean - she was like a little turtle heading straight for the open water. We had to run after her and catch her. She didn't realize it was getting deeper and deeper - either that, or she didn't mind! She just wondered who kept on splashing her!

Christmas was amazing, although didn't really feel like Christmas with 35C weather. More like a wonderful summer family BBQ and gathering. I must admit, I did miss the snow a little bit, but not the cold weather that the Loops has been experiencing since we left.

Gabrielle has 2 teeth. Although numerous friends and family members have been stating since she was 3 months old and chewing on everything that she was teething, only just after Christmas did the two white buds show their bumpy heads. She loves having her teeth brushed, which I think is hilarious. She opens wide, lets me brush, then chomps down. HARD. Fortunately, she is only munching and gnawing away at her toys and rusks, and hasn't yet taken a bit out of mama. I might bite her back. She is strong.

Our vacation has been everything that we wanted it to be. Surfing, hikes, visiting family and friends, petting Australian wild-life, driving on the wrong side of the road, eating shark and kangaroo. We'll be trying to pack more into the next few weeks, then it's back to reality. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Life is such a blur...