The first part of our Australia trip was spent with our friend Terry in the Great Barrier Reef. We landed in Cairns where we found an awesome park for the kids, then braved it and drove a minivan on the wrong side of the road up to Port Douglas. There we took boat trips out to the reef for snorkeling and scuba diving (it's about 30 miles out), visited the rain forest, and saw lots of wild life(including crocodiles, kangaroos, cassawaries and koalas).

Hanging out in Sydney with Hannah, Sam, Annie and Silas was a blast! The kids got along great (Henry and Silas were practically brothers, and Sam and Anabelle became fast friends again... and Sophie was happy just trying to keep up!) We had a busy week - we checked out the zoo, the aquarium, the Powerhouse Museum, Bondi Beach, Manly Beach, Chinatown, the Fish Market, the Opera House, walked the Harbor Bridge... whew! Very fun!

One of the highlights of our trip was snorkeling and scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. We went to two different reefs - both near the edge of the Continental Shelf - the Agincort Reef and the Opal Reef. The kids were not nearly as psyched as we were to be in the water! After a 10 year hiatus, it was fun to scuba dive again!

Before heading off to Australia, we made a quick stop in LA for Chanukah with Jill and Brian. We got to see all the awesome progress they've made on their house, and the kids got some gifts that kept them occupied on those long plane rides to and from Australia! Sophie is so cute... she yells "baaaaby" every time she sees her new doll!