Rio

My week long work trip to Rio was not all work, I was able to get some fun activities in. I climbed up Sugardloaf mountain to enjoy some of the wonderful views of Rio. I was staying at Impanima beach so was also able to get in a few walks in the mornings along the beach and relax and drink coconuts.

Trip to Shenandoah

Enjoyed a nice day hiking in Shenandoah. Dylan is certainly comfortable in his back pack. Ended the hike with a little drop of red, which Dylan seemed to approve off, fun was had by all.

Washington Monument

Before leaving on her trip Michelle booked tickets for us to go up in the Washington Monument - great views of the Mall (and the White House) - everyone should see DC and when they get here...take a ride to the top of this big stone tower thing.

Enjoying a final evening in Melbourne with Bernie, Mum and Dylan. We went and had dinner in the city, in the evenings they have this great fire display, it was pretty impressive. We all enjoyed an evening together wondering around.

Dylan meets his other cousins in Swan Hill at Tamara's and Daniels house. A lot of fun was had by all. Dylan's uncle Terry was quick to ensure that he was supporting the right footy team and teaching him how to cheer, go the blues.

Senic spots at the Prom

Bernie and I enjoyed a walk to Squeaky Beach while Mum looked after Dylan. There had been a few storms so the trails were a little water logged. We braved the icy waters to get out to the beach so we could enjoy some of the fantastic scenes at the prom. love this place.

Wild Life of the Prom

Saw pleanty of animals while we were at the prom. Kangaroos, wombats, wallaby's and all types of birds including roselas, galas and kookaburras

Really Enjoyed getting down to the Prom, it is one of my favorite places in Victoia. I use to spend a lot of time down there, hiking and diving with Friends, so it was great to now enjoy it with Dylan and my family. We managed to get some walks in on Wednesday before the weather turned bad. Even got mum 4WD (the pushing kind) on the beach which was pretty fun. Dylan seemed to enjoy being in the outdoors all snuggled up.

Start of the Road Trip in OZ

Picked up Mum today she came into Melbourne, Dylan has now got to meet both his Grandmas which is great. We then packed up and headed on our big roadtrip, very tight squeeze in the car, but Bernie got it all in. Our first stop was to catch up with an old Uni friend of mine, Gayle who got in contact with me again via facebook, it was great to see here again. We finally got down to Wilsons Promotory the southern most tip of Austraila, later that night. It was a pretty good trip, Dylan was great travelling once again. We even had to stop off and enjoy some American cusine (actually coffee only) along the way. Stayed in a house right down at the Prom, which was a good thing as the weather got a bit wild and woolly.

Started the first few days in Australia catching up with Family and Friends. Bernie Drove down to Melbourne and Lyn flew in for a few days to see us also. Dylan Loved meeting his Aunties and I certainly appreciated all the tips and help on Motherhood. Spent a nice day, first having Brunch with Greg before he headed of to the UK and then visiting some old haunts. Enjoyed a great Turkish lunch down on Sydney Road before a sad goodbye to Lyn.

Home Alone

While Michelle & Dylan have been touring the Southern Hemisphere I've been stuck back here in Maryland... We're keeping in touch via "Skype" an online video conferencing application. It's the next best thing to being there - Michelle has been great about finding the time most days to call back and let me discuss the days events with the little man. Here's my view of their world (via Skype):

New Best Friends Forever?

Had a fun moring with the kids before leaving for Australia, we were flying from Rotorua, to Wellington and then on to Melbourne. Dylan seemed to really enjoy the flights chatting up a storm and charming all the flight attendants. We were greeted by Auntie Bernie and Auntie Lyn, it was fantastic to see them.

Rock Jocks

Enjoying our last few days in New Zealand with a family trip to the rock climbing gym. Managed to do a few climbs with some pointers from Paul. Dylan also gave it a bit of a try, you never know we may have him in a harness soon. We had a great time with Olga and Paul and the kids, we will miss them.

Another Great Day in NZ

Dylan seems to be enjoying the Southern Hemisphere, he has been sleeping great here which has made it real easy. Even though the day was grey and wet we manged to have another fun day in New Zealand. Olga and I went out on a Mountain Bike ride in the Redwoods, while Paul looked after the boys (Dylan and Luke). I think Olga and I may have got the better end of that Deal. The ride was great, got covered in mud from head to toe as there was a lot of water on the trails and that meant a lot of mud. Later in the day we took the boys to town for lunch and some shopping, which they seem to sleep through most of. In the evening we put the children to bed and Olga and I ended the day with a relaxing evening at the hot springs. Thanks Paul for letting us escape for a while!

Cute Kids

Just a few extra pictures of Dylan. Dylan in the the stroller at the redwoods and him showing of his footy team and cute pictures of Luke, Olga's son and Eleni and Olga.

New Zealand part 1

Well it was a long trip to get to Rotorua, but well worth it, 12 hrs from LA to Aukland then another short comuter flight to Rotorua. Dylan was great on the plane, he slept a lot, but had a few times where he wasn't too happy, but we worked it all out. The weather has been great here in so as soon as we arrived and got settled we were out for a walk in the Redwood forest. Have been having a great time with Paul, Olga, Eleni and Luke. Luke and Dylan have been entertaining each other, it is very cute to see all the children together. Today we went for another walk around the Government gardens and Museum and enjoyed the beautiful crisp days.

Dylan's big Adventure

Started our Adventure with a brunch with Daddy before we headed off on the first Leg of our travels. Since we were leaving before fathers day, it was nice that we could spend some time together enjoying a family outing. The first leg was a stop over in LA to visit with Lisa and Greg. First long flight went well, not too much drama at all. Sammy and Emily (the pugs) were not too sure about Dylan they certainly steered clear when he was crying. We enjoyed a long walk along the beach and then spent some time with Lisa's family in the afternoon before heading off to catch the plane to NZ.