Rejoice! A look back at our year in our annual Christmas letter...

While 2014 held many changes and adventures for us, it did not quite hold up and compare to what 2015 had in store for us. As the year closes out we rejoice for all that God has blessed us with this year and cannot wait to find out the blessings to come in 2016. If you have read any of our latest blogs than you know a great deal about our changes in 2015, but if not, here is a quick look back at it.

The first half was one of our most "uneventful" in recent years. As is par for the course of a household of an auditor, Steve was extremely busy with work at Ernst & Young for the first few months. When Steve's work finally started to come back down to a reasonable pace in late March it was just in time for Abby's work to pick up at SSM Health Care Foundations. She enjoyed close involvement with several major fundraising events again - especially one at Ballpark Village in St. Louis that included a large majority of the Cardinals lineup donating their time to raise money for Cardinal Glennon. We were fortunate during this time that Emma loved her preschool teachers and school friends so much and were surprised when she was already moving up to the three year old room in March. It was certainly a moment that caused us all to pause and reflect at just how far she has come in such a short time! While there was about 3 minutes of hesitation on Emma's part when we discussed the change, any sense of nervousness was quickly gone. In the months to come we found ourselves hit with many more birthday party invitations than we could have anticipated, and with it many stories of budding friendships at school.

With work consuming much of our time, weekends included, our travels were limited to start the year but didn't remain that way for long. Despite Easter coming at a busy time we were thankful for a weekend trip to meet Abby's parents and sister's family in the Amana Colonies and celebrate Easter together. Then, at the end of April, Abby snuck in a very quick trip across the pond to visit a good friend from our time in Zurich and her family, who have since relocated to Dusseldorf, Germany. It was a much needed break, time to catch up with friends, and see the beauty of a new part of Germany as well as Bruges and Antwerp, Belgium. Steve held down the fort and while Emma was sad asking mommy via skype why she didn't get to go with to visit her friends too, they both seemed to manage just fine for a few days at home without mom.

Not long after that we all enjoyed a great trip together to Central America in early June. It was fun to see Emma's anticipation build as she truly seemed to understand the concept of vacation for the first time. We spent the first few days exploring the unique mix of old world meets cosmopolitan in Panama City, with the highlight of seeing the impact of the Panama Canal on the city and country. From there we spent a week driving around many areas in Costa Rica. Steve was the dedicated travel planner as he spent a summer there in college. We loved having so much time together in a beautiful country where we could enjoy a volcano, rainforest, time at the beach and unique wildlife. It was difficult to pick out just one favorite area.

Shortly after returning back to St. Louis, Steve and Emma were also able to join his parents and both of his brother's families on a trip to the Smoky Mountains, while Abby had a few work commitments to tend to. It was a great meeting spot for all to make the trip and watch all the little ones play together. From there we were fortunate to have both sets of grandparents and many of Emma's friends join us for her third birthday party at our house. It was her first real birthday party with her own guest list. I think it is safe to say that the princess bounce house, tutus and wands were the hit of the morning.

We were sad to see her birthday party at our south city house come to an end as we suspected it might be the last big celebration there. Just a little bit later in July it was confirmed when Steve was offered a new job opportunity, still with Ernst & Young, but this time in Sydney, Australia. It was not an easy decision to make, especially as there were a few other options and factors to consider, but in the end we thought why not? We loved our time in Zurich and didn't want it to end, so why not have another adventure abroad or really two new adventures as we had recently found out that we were expecting as well!

So needless to say the rest of our July, August and September were spent packing, selling most all of our furniture, living in a temporary apartment after the house was sold, filling out countless applications and paperwork (Steve gets most of the credit here), a short weekend in Chicago with good friends from Zurich, saying goodbye to family, friends, and our beloved dog and cats who all had to find good new homes this time around, wrapping up very busy jobs (for Abby this meant one more of her favorite benefit events - a polo match), a quick trip to Minnesota for Abby and Emma, waiting for our visas to be approved, and the one we rejoice for the most - completing a healthy first trimester of pregnancy. A big thank you to so many of YOU who helped us out in every way imaginable during this time.

By the end of September we arrived in Sydney and hit the ground running to secure a place to live, buy furniture, open a bank account and do everything imaginable when you relocate to a new country. Since our arrival Steve has quickly become busy with his job here, although a very similar role to the one he left, it is still different with new clients and colleagues. Abby has settled back into a role back at home with Emma for the time being. While everyday life with a three year old is no walk in the park, it is precious time that she knows is fleeting. The immediate plan is for her to stay at home with Emma and the new baby once it arrives (scheduled arrive for mid-February). Although transition to Australian life is no doubt easier than it was to Swiss life, there are still many things to learn and do and it is certainly a blessing that one of us is able to stay at home and help with this transition. Yet, we are also lucky that she was immediately granted a work permit as well, so whenever the time seems right she may or may not also look to join the Australian work force!

While we had hoped to potentially do a bit more traveling upon arrival, everyday life and work seems to have gotten in the way. Yet, we were lucky to find our way to Tasmania for the week leading up to Christmas and it was much welcomed family time. Steve has some nice time off for the holidays, but unfortunately a trip back to the U.S. would be just a bit too far at this point in Abby's pregnancy, so we will continue to fill it with another nearby coastal trip for a few days and enjoy taking in the Sydney's New Year's festivities. Celebrating Christmas during the summer seems a bit strange, but we will survive going to the beach.

It's hard to believe that the year is already gone, but it's safe to say we stayed busy. So busy in fact that it was the first year since perhaps before we were married that Abby did not complete a marathon (don't worry she's already scoping out her 2016 options). It is difficult to be so far away again from our family and friends, but we look forward to treasuring every experience. We pray that all of you found many things in 2015 to rejoice over as well.

Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Happy New Year & Happy Australia Day!

Love & Blessings,

Abby, Emma, Steve and Baby coming February

Our New Home in Oz

While I don't know that our new place in Oz is anything to write home about, nor is it that different from an American home, but I know how curious everyone always is about living conditions in different countries, so I thought I'd share a few photos. Our apartment is on what is considered the "lower north shore" of Sydney. So relatively speaking it is on the north side of the harbour. The south side of the harbour is where you will find the Opera House and downtown Sydney or the CBD as you find Aussies more commonly refer to it.

While our main decision to live here stemmed from various distances Steve would commute to his office and client locations, it turns out it is also arguably one of the nicest areas to live in Sydney, especially with a family. We have some of the nicest views of the harbour and the city, we're close to the zoo and many great beaches for kids, its safe (keeping in mind that all of Sydney is very safe when it comes to comparison of most any other city of its size), and there are many great activities all while just being a short trip (which showcases fabulous views) across the "big bridge" as Emma calls it to get downtown.

Of course all of this comes at a price. The housing market is pretty absurd in Sydney and the lower north shore is close to the top of the list. It seems to be a constant topic of conversation here. While rental prices might seem high, the cost to buy in comparison to other major markets is even worse. Without a doubt it takes $1.5 to 2 million USD to break into the actual housing market in this neighborhood and at least half a million USD to buy a 2 bedroom apartment.  I think our first clue to all this was the fact that rental pricing is done on a weekly rate here. What at first seems like a great rent is actually an outrageous one. And the rental prices don't even seem as outrageous as the purchase prices.

Without further ado here's what our 900 or so square feet, 2 bed/1.5 bath of Aussie living looks like to us...

Our apartment is part of a block of six that is up one flight of indoor stairs that leads to a quiet outdoor entrance.

Entry in the front door leads upstairs to the right, kitchen to the left and combined living/dining room and patio straight ahead.

Straight ahead into the living area.

Through the huge sliding patio doors to the outdoor area. I love this area for how safe and big it is for Emma to play. I strongly dislike this area for how noisy it is from the busy street below. At least we cannot see it and if you have headphones on you might even think you're in your own private sanctuary.

Back inside, more of the living/dining room. Every parent of a young child can now cringe when they see our table on carpet. Hence why we like to eat outside when we can...

More of the dining area with a view back into the kitchen. 

An essential item, sofa bed for any future visitors. Also note the Christmas tree with 95% homemade ornaments is quite impressive.

One more view back to the entryway and stairs.

View into the kitchen. Strangely, nearly all the kitchen finishes are identical to our Zurich apartment.

In between the entryway and the kitchen is our teeny tiny half bathroom. If you thought our sink and bathroom was small at our most recent house in St. Louis, you'll have to check out this one.

About halfway through taking photos someone noticed what I was doing and started wondering why she wasn't the focus of all my photos. Keep your eye out for the girl in the blue Elsa shirt in a few more of the photos, it's kind of like Where's Waldo.

Upstairs you'll find two bedrooms and a full bathroom. One of the other selling features of this apartment was the fact that some might consider these "double" bedrooms because of their size. While they are far from being massive, let's just say that they are a whole lot bigger than some of the other bedroom apartments we viewed during our search. Here is the entrance to the "master" bedroom.

More large sliding doors lead to a narrow sun porch that has become more like a storage area for us. These windows are north facing like our patio downstairs which means they get the hot afternoon sun (remember we're in the southern hemisphere). Luckily the patio has a good overhang and stops too much heat from beating in downstairs. Not so much in our bedroom. So despite my love for natural light these dark blinds stay mostly closed right now during the summer. Unfortunately the lack of view out this window might mean they continue to stay pulled a lot during the winter too.

Our Ikea bed finally fully assembled after many phone calls and exchanged parts with Ikea (just come talk to us before you ever buy a Malm Bed with underneath drawers).

One more view of our room and closet. Built-in closets are not entirely standard here, but we found them in most bedrooms we viewed (unlike Europe where we had to buy wardrobes). Aussies seem to really like the massive sliding glass door style. Not exactly my style but I'm getting used to it. Emma on the other hand loves to looks at herself in the massive mirrors.

View from inside the bathroom. Fortunately we got used to only the one full bathroom in our 75 year old house in St. Louis. At least a bonus is that this one is newly remodeled and has a little more room than the last. It also houses two very important appliances - a washer and dryer (hidden behind the door). Unfortunately it also has one of those modern really flat sinks and the "half shower door."

Half shower door doesn't hinge open like many, and the tub is really long, so at least it doesn't leak out much water while showering. This also means that Emma likes to goof off in the bathtub and "hide" at the end where it is nearly impossible for us to reach her without also getting in.

Entry into Emma and baby's room. Thus far Emma says she is really excited about sharing a room... oh how I bet that will change.

While the crib is in place there is still some adjusting to do before baby arrives. 

Emma loves to crawl into the crib or put her animals to sleep in it.

Emma's big kid Ikea bed. This big kid Ikea bed was something we have talked about with anticipation from the day we started talking about moving to Australia with her.

I think she likes it.

That's the tour folks.

Tourists in our new town

Our first family photo since arriving here!

I have no idea where the month of November went, but I guess that pretty much sums up how I feel about the last six months or so. With Emma's help we have gotten settled in quickly... furniture assembled, playgroups joined, church found, endless exploration of every park in our area of the city, favorite nearby beach determined, the list goes on and on. While Steve has been very busy at work, I cannot say that we have been busy, but Emma and I certainly keep busy. We are tourists becoming locals in our new town. Other three year olds might whine for their old house or to go to the same place everyday, Emma instead whines when I say we might go to the same park we went to one day last week instead of finding a new one or demands over breakfast that "we must do something new and really fun today." Let's hope by the time February comes around that she's found a few favorite activities that are acceptable to repeat when her baby brother or sister arrives.

Enjoying one of many nearby parks.

Nearby Brightmore Reserve is an amazing scooter/bike park for kids, but it's better when your wheel doesn't fall off...

She insists on my taking a lot of videos of her doing who knows what.

I love the parks here for the gigantic trees!

It is still strange to think that we live in a tourist destination. While many people traveled to Switzerland, not that many actually made Zurich much of a stopover, at least not any more than a few hours between train changes typically. Instead we are reminded most everyday when we see one or two huge cruise ships in the Sydney Harbour how many tourists come through this city, especially during the summer (which was officially welcomed this week on December 1 and unofficially by the two or three November days we had that reached over 100).

A familiar sighting at Circular Quay.

The cruise ships often hide the beautiful Opera House on the side of Circular Quay.

An afternoon spent enjoying the harbour meant mostly goofy pictures.

A likely bribed "normal" photo.

My buddy.

And while I don't feel like most days we have done any big tourist things, I am reminded that people love to visit this city not necessarily for one specific thing to do. Instead, it is the atmosphere. It is the wonderfully friendly Aussies whom I am coming to appreciate more and more everyday. It is the amazing weather. It is the countless beautiful beaches, gorgeous skyline, and relatively laid back attitude about daily life (despite the terrible traffic and ridiculously high housing prices). It's hard not to feel spoiled at certain times, even when it is just a normal day. Take for instance an outing to the mall where I cannot help but greatly appreciate their attitude towards families and children. I feel spoiled by their ridiculously nice family rooms that seem to be the norm here where there are plenty of nice, clean changing tables, kid size toilets (right next to the adult one), private areas for feeding, and small areas for playing.

Beautiful, nearby beach, check.

As a result of all this, learning to live here just seems that much easier than it was in Switzerland. There is no doubt that I absolutely love Switzerland and it will always hold a very special place in my heart, but Australia is just that much more natural of a transition. They speak ENGLISH (well, most do, there is still a huge immigrant population and I hear many more languages spoken than I anticipated). Let's just say when you understand and speak the same language as most others do it certainly makes everything about daily life that much easier. And even better when they realize you're not from here they most of the time go out of their way to help you or ask how you are finding things. While there are still plenty of differences and things to learn, I do not think it seems much more extreme than it might if we had moved to the center of Los Angeles instead. Hopefully I will continue to say that over the next few months.

Here's a look, in mostly pictures, of everything else we've been up to the last month. It's nice to feel like we know Sydney so well already, but I am excited to do a little bit of traveling (in Australia) over the holidays. Stay tuned!

We're "Zoo Friends" (members) at the nearby Taronga Zoo, and of all the animals Emma could see, petting the bunnies and seeing the pigs are her favorite.

She was only semi-impressed with the bush walk and the close-up encounter with this fellow.

Her joy at visiting the three little pigs.

This zoo has the best view of the lions when they lounge. Don't worry, there was glass between us.

Feeding time!

This is the image that stuck in my head from my first visit to this zoo 12 years ago... the giraffes have the best view!

Emma is really into "looking" at maps lately, she must see us doing this a lot...

When she's not reading maps she's reading Ikea instructions.

A view from nearby Cremorne Point at night - absolutely stunning!

Cremorne Point by day.

Every now and then we run into these gorgeous birds at nearby parks.

Although a larger fridge/freezer than I anticipated having here, I'm not a fan of how low to the ground the whole thing is. Just a short stool needed and someone was finding herself ice cream on her own when she knew she wasn't supposed to have any.

November started with my birthday and several doctors appointments as a part of navigating the Aussie health care system... 25 week check-up for the start of my 33rd year.

Part of my birthday festivities included a trip to one of Sydney's many great markets, the Sydney Fish Market. I think this was Emma's "I'm impressed" face.

Love looking at all these sea creatures, I have no idea how to prepare most any of them...

Especially not sure about eating these guys, but evidently it can be done.

I stuck to the prepared food... salmon and scallops and a whole lot of cheese in a huge shell!

Emma was my partner at the fish market. While she's taken to eating calamari, she stuck to just french fries this day or just "chips" as the Aussies say.

I think these monstrous live lobsters were her favorite. At $50 - $60 per pound I don't think we'll be buying one anytime soon.

I felt like this was a scene out of the Little Mermaid...

I tried to convince Emma to take her photo standing next to this guy, but I don't think she was completely convinced he was dead.

It might have been my birthday, but someone else got majority say to the type of ice cream we shared.

Darling Harbour's playground is amazing. I know, I got to spend two hours there on my birthday. Emma insisted Steve climb with her.

The zipline!

Unplanned birthday dinner "date" of Korean BBQ and Emma passed out in the stroller. We got to have our own conversation and didn't even have to hire a babysitter!

She really wanted to get me flowers on my birthday but we never stopped anywhere, so she was very excited when we got some the day after. She said next time we have to tell her earlier so she knows it's almost my birthday. So sweet!

She wants to do EVERYTHING in mommy and daddy's kitchen - needless to say I wasn't after a perfectly frosted cake.

The month of November brought Emma's first haircut after seeing daddy getting his haircut she started insisting that her hair was too long and would get in the toilet (a little paranoid?)!


She just happened to be dressed up as Sophia and I said I wanted to try to clean the patio and she turned into my own Cinderella.

She's also become the resident barista.

On our first "long" train ride an hour north of Sydney to the Hawkesbury River this is how she wanted to act.

Emma loves to check the mailbox and is sad when we don't get any mail (somehow we manage to get hardly any junk mail - at least so far), but she was so surprised when she got an envelope full of drawings from her friends at her school back in St. Louis! We miss The Berry Patch!

My sous chef for Thanksgiving has a lot to learn when it comes to proper etiquette while cooking.

She was so excited for all the food she helped make!

Since Thanksgiving is obviously not a holiday for the Australians their Christmas festivities seem to start extra early. Emma loved her playgroup Christmas party, and I was especially impressed by the simple, but super cute party food.

A party doesn't get any better than one where you have your face painted. Oh and Santa coming with a gift was pretty cool too.

Our Christmas tree has a long way to go, but Emma seems to still think it's pretty awesome, at least for this year. Don't mind the lack of lights and so far only homemade ornaments that she has placed on the bottom third. We found a star that makes it almost touch the ceiling!

We still have a lot to learn about the rules of cricket, but it's fun to see all the parks on the weekends filled with players in their all white!

It was either buy her the inexpensive pink sparkly tie sneakers or the super expensive light up Skechers and somehow I won, although Emma will likely have the last laugh over the next few months while we work on learning to tie these things...

Their work-outs crack me up every time.