2011: A Summary

It's been 12 months since I last posted, so this is well overdue. This edition is a summary of the year 2011. It charts the return to Australia of our family from nearly three years in Samoa.

November-December 2010: A new job
OK, November to December 2010 is not 2011, but it's worth mentioning that I started a new job during this period. We flew into Sydney and  straight down to Canberra on the afternoon of 10 November to spend time with Heather's family. The next morning I had a telephone interview with the NSW Office of Water. I was offered the job of Senior Natural Resources Officer (Surface Water) and by 13 December I had started. It certainly didn't take long to be shaken out of Pacific time...

By this time, Heather was 30 weeks pregnant, which only slightly curtailed our adventurous spirit. I participated in the the Triple Triathlon with the Dixon family team (they generously gave me the relatively easy 13km final run leg). We also enjoyed some relaxation time with family Dixon in Katoomba between Christmas and New Year - Australia certainly has its fair share of beautiful places...

In Sydney, we stayed at my parent's house until their three-bedroom townhouse in Balgowlah became available to rent. It was on New Years Eve 2010-11 that we moved in and spent out first night as an independent family in Australia.

January-February 2011: New school and new life

January to February 2011 was always going to be big period for us. Isabel would begin high school in late-January and Heather was due to give birth on 5 February. Isabel also had her 13th birthday on 28 January (which turned out to be her first day at school!) and things would begin to pick up at my work.

Isabel began high school directly into Year 8 (second year) due to the differences in the schooling system in Samoa. She managed to get a place at Monte Sant Angelo college in North Sydney, a Catholic girls school. Rather than adopt the standard curriculum for schools in NSW, they use the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program for years 7 to 10 and then give students the choice of either the IB or the NSW Higher School Certificate for years 11 to 12.

Language learning is given a high priority, with Isabel choosing to study German. The school has an international and social justice focus, which matches well with our recent experiences working in development in Samoa. A friend of ours who teaches music there had recommended the school and so far we are really happy with it. Isabel quickly made new friends who seem to be very kind, generous and fun.

The other big event was, of course, Heather's growing bump. We had hoped that baby 'Kanoot' would delay its arrival until after Isabel's birthday and first week at school. Heather however didn't want to wait much longer than that! Kanoot's timing could hardly have been better.

At 5:25pm on Thursday 3 February 2011, a healthy baby girl was born to us. At 4.08kg and 56cm long, she was bigger than expected. It wasn't long before we named her Ava Marie Wrathall. At 9:30am the next morning, Heather discharged herself from hospital to spend time with our new daughter and sister in the comfort of our own home.

Of course, the subsequent few days were the hottest of the summer, with temperatures peaking at 41.5C on 5 February. My parent's air conditioned house came in handy that day...

March-August 2011: More firsts and the 100km Trailwalker 

The majority of this period was dominated by Ava's rapid growth and Heather's incredible endurance. It was exciting to see this dependent and sleepy little baby develop into an active and engaging child. During this period, Ava's curiosity and happy demeanor became more and more evident. She began rolling over after 9 weeks, sitting up unassisted at 4.5 months and doing an amusing commando crawl just before 6 months. As expected, us parents thought she was the most beautiful and advanced of the children we knew!

At the same time as caring for a demanding child, Heather was busily training and organising a team for the Oxfam Trailwalker in Sydney on 26-28 August 2011. This 100km event is undertaken by teams of four and is one of those extreme physical challenges that doubles as a fundraiser. Heather coordinated a group of women for regular weekend training walks in the months after giving birth. It was a pretty significant undertaking, but one that Heather thrived on and was supremely motivated by. The team achieved the feat in just over 30 hours and raised almost $4,000.

At the end of June, we also managed to take a week off to have a holiday in Fiji. My parents had previously arranged a trip to Lord Howe Island in January 2011 which we couldn't take due to Heather's late-term pregnancy (although Isabel had an amazing time there!). We were able to redeem the unused flights for a trip to Fiji and had a relaxed international holiday at a budget we could almost afford.

Ava loved the stimulation of a different environment and being able to crawl around with minimal clothing. Isabel enjoyed chillaxing alongside and within the warm pool water while Heather and I managed to do a bit of exploring further afield.

A particularly memorable experience was climbing up a steep, remote mountain to the north of Nadi with a local village guide. Heather once again demonstrated her endurance by reached the summit carrying Ava in a baby carrier the entire way up.

September-December 2011: New house and Heather's new job

The event that dominated the last part of 2011 was buying and moving in to our new home. We'd been looking at houses on and off for most of the year without much success. When Isabel and Heather first saw this house they both fell in love with it... along with dozens of other people.

We persevered through a prolonged contractual process, eventually made a low offer and amazingly it was accepted! We moved in on 6 November and continue to be amazed at how great a place God has blessed us with.

It has a beautiful leafy backyard, with an in-ground pool and a sizable grassy area in the vacant block next door. The kitchen-dining-living area is open plan and ideal for entertaining. We occupy three of the bedrooms while a vacant guestroom with ensuite is perfect for visitors. We're already trying to be hospitable and love sharing this space with others.

The other significant happening during this time was Heather's new part-time job with Relationships Australia. She started in December and is working on a community development program addressing areas of social need in the Pittwater area of the Northern Beaches. The job has flexible working hours, is reasonably close to home, and is alongside some passionate and competent colleagues in what seems to be a meaningful role.

As usual, she already manages to exceed in balancing the multifaceted and demanding areas of work and family. I am very blessed.