"How ya' going?"

We completed our first week of school for the kids, and a full week of work for Mike. I am trying to get used to packing three lunches and morning teas (snacks), the kids' drop off, and shopping for family meals. The boys seemed to have gotten along pretty well in school with no problems. Their books and supplies for school just arrived in the mail. We had to order them through a separate company that mails all the school supplies, to include all their workbooks and texts, to the home. Some unusual items include a sunscreen roll-on, all sorts of art supplies, and reams of copy paper. They had to share books with their neighbors the first week. Lucas said he was the "student of the week" for his class, and Jonah got entered in the "walk of fame" for exceptional handwriting. He also got to earn 40 extra points for his home team-- House Flynn (so very Harry Potter). Jonah also played a few soccer games against the other house teams. They seem to enjoy school. Jonah's biggest complaint is having to wear a uniform.
We celebrated our first real weekend by driving to the Sunshine Coast (about 1.5 hr north of us) and visiting Underwater World. The Australia Zoo is also here (that's Steve Irwin's zoo). The beach pics were taken on the Sunshine Coast on our way home. The kids enjoyed themselves at the aquarium, but I think they would have had just as much fun just hanging out at the beach all day. It was rather warm on the beach. The waves were mellow. I saw 3 people swimming in the ocean with their wet suits on. We also saw many jet skis out as well. The sand was warm on our feet but the water was a bit cold. The boys were slowly going further and further into the tide. Their shorts were halfway wet by the time we stopped them and we had to leave. We asked them if they wanted to swim, and we got a resounding, "Yes!" Too bad we didn't take our suits.
What is a chook? That's what I asked when I saw the word on Lucas' spelling list this week. We had to look it up. It's a chicken; sometimes used in a derogatory form to refer to an older woman. We're learning something new everyday. For example, all the grocery stores close at 5 o'clock on Saturdays. We wanted to pick something up to grill on the way home from our outing only to find the store closed. Also, one day in front of the grocery store, I had to ask a passing lady how to get the grocery cart unchained. You had to put a $1 or $2 coin in to demagnetize the chain and then return the cart to release the coin out of the slot holder.
Favorite Aussie phrase of the week: "No worries."