What exactly is a QUOKKA?

In order to solve this mystery, you'll have to come visit and let us take you to Rottnest Island! Easily mistaken for a "rodent" - the man who first discovered the island also discovered that these furry creatures are everywhere! He thought they were rats, and hence the name, Rottnest Island. They're actually small wallabies and they're strangely cute! Their tails weird me out just a bit, because it does make them look a lot like rats - but they're super friendly and they let us get right up close to them! Yesterday we celebrated the Queen's Birthday (it was a Monday off of work, so Tyson was happy!) by catching a ferry with James and Adrian (they're here from the UK office of Mustang, but we actually knew James from when he lived in Houston for a year for the exchange program there) and heading 25 mins out to sea to explore Rottnest Island. Among the countless gorgeous beaches, we saw LOTS of Aussie wildlife...several quokkas, a snake, a scary looking lizard that closely resembles a snake, a peacock, and the best of all - on the ferry ride back we saw 2 WHALES!! It was amazing! I wasn't able to snap a picture of them - but it's a sight that we'll never forget!

A Quokka! They're kind of cute, huh!?

The main "jetty" or port on the island. Loads of people drive their own boats/yachts over and anchor here - Mom & Dad - why not purchase one of these boats to add to your collection?!

Ty & James - thanking the queen for the day off!

The quokkas will come right up to you and beg for food!

We set off on a hike around the island and found this lighthouse!

It's the first real lighthouse I've ever seen!

Gorgeous view from the lighthouse

K&T

It was a long way down to the beach - but I couldn't wait to feel the water! It was BURRRRY!

My mom apparently felt left out and she's not lying when she says she can't wait to get here - she called during our exploration so that we wouldn't forget her! What a sweet surprise! :)

The Schweets!


After lots of walking around - we decided it was the perfect time for a cold beer on the beach!

The guys!

The scary looking lizard that I nearly stepped on!

The majority of the beaches on the island are people free! We were the only ones around for miles and had this whole strip of beach all to ourselves!

Not too bad for our own personal beach. This is heaven to me!

Well, it wouldn't be heaven without my handsome hubby!

He claims he doesn't tan well - but I think he looks like he fits perfectly on this beach! And yes Mom, I did make sure we both had on tons of sunscreen!

Literally in the middle of nowhere on Rottnest!

A peacock out wandering around! Tyson tried to make it open it's feathers, but this peacock was not cooperating!

It's been really hard to adjust to living here....can't you tell?! :)

King's Park

It's the start of Spring in Perth, which means it's absolutely beautiful! The Wildflower Festival is going on in King's Park and today everyone was out having picnics and enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather and flowers! King's Park is a massive park overlooking the Swan River and is literally right across the street from our apartment. Tyson and I decided to go on a walk this afternoon because it was so nice outside - the park was full of fun activities for the Wildflower Festival! I couldn't stop smiling as we walked through the park surrounded by so many people enjoying the beauty of spring! There were lots of activities for kids - and we saw so many precious babies running around that it made me miss Tess SO much. I can't wait to show her everything here! After our walk through the park, we met up with our friend James for coffee and people watching at the outdoor malls downtown. My favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon is in these pictures!

Welcome to King's Park!

Only the beginning of it...

There are trees here with the most beautiful red flowers on them! I'm obsessed with them! Mom - you would love these trees too! I sound like you every single time I walk outside..."look at the beautiful flowers!"

Looking out on the Swan River and East Perth

Downtown Perth from King's Park - what a pretty city!

The best lookout point from the park!

I could stand here all day...

The most peculiar looking, and my personal favorite wildflower...the Kangaroo Paw!

A treetop bridge makes the walk through the park even more fun!

Theses fountains will all of a sudden stop and then shoot way up in the air - the kids were waiting at the edge of the water and then they'd all start to scream when the fountains went off again! They were precious! I can't wait to bring Tess here!!!

Have you ever seen a more perfect spot for a Sunday picnic?!

A real-live Kangaroo Paw!!! :)

How about a camel ride to celebrate the wildflowers!?

Or an aboriginal dance complete with a didgeridoo?! It was such a FUN day at the park!

Look at the hottie I found waiting for the bus!

The malls here are basically outdoor and they're all interconnected...a shoppers paradise!

This couple are here every weekend and they are awesome!

I'm quickly becoming addicted to the Aussie's love for good coffee! This is what they call a "flat white" - basically a cappuccino without the extra foam on top! YUM!

Sea Kayaking!

Our first adventure into the Indian Ocean was a FREEZING and amazing success! :) Neither of us have kayaked before, but by the end of the day, Team Thomas had mastered the art of rowing in sync! We didn't tump over once! Despite the burry weather, we had SO much fun - and we are both going to be tremendously sore tomorrow after rowing our way through the waves and currents of the ocean. Right after we had gotten into our kayak and were waiting for everyone else to set off in theirs, we saw a dolphin swimming around us! It was completely incredible! We just sat in amazement as it went in and out of the water and then finally swam away. I have always wanted to see a real live dolphin in the wild, and it swam right next to our boat! We kayaked over to Sea Lion Island first and saw tons of pelicans. Apparently, it's their mating season right now and they're all "courting" as the guide put it, to try and find the perfect mate! We then paddled around the island and saw a massive sea lion! Simply amazing! After that, we kayaked across more of the ocean and explored Penguin Island. Who knew there were penguins in Australia?! They're called "Little Penguins" and can only be found here! They're precious! We adventured around the island and explored through the ocean and then had our first true Aussie Picnic! Can I just say that they totally know how to do the perfect picnic! The sun finally came out to warm us up while we were eating and of course, it disappeared as we got back in the boats to leave. We froze our tails off! We kayaked back past Sea Lion Island and saw another one taking a nap on the beach and then headed back to shore to come home. It was a perfect day - Ty and I will have awesomely sore biceps tomorrow! I had goosebumps and was shivering for most of the day, but it's one part of this adventure that we'll never, ever forget!

Looking out at Sea Lion and Penguin Islands

T-man is ready for the challenge...

...and he looks so cute playing the part!

Our tour guide made us say a prayer to the Indian Ocean before we set out

K in the front to photograph, T in the back to steer and bring the muscle

All the pelicans checkin' eachother out

It's not as easy as it looks!

How cute is he?! Almost as cute as Journey!

He speaks like she does too!


I wanted to get out and pet him....apparently that is not allowed being that he's wild.

Ty, James and Pete ready to find some penguins

Here they come!

Are they not adorable!!?!

Freezing while exploring for penguins...where are they?!

Look closely and you'll find them hiding under the rocks!

More exploring around the island...

If you look close enough, you might see the goosebumps!

How pretty!

Feeling like Lois & Clark, Christopher Columbus, or one of the other famous explorers we learned about in our history classes.

Yay! Picnic time!

Beautiful Penguin Island

A spectacular way to end the day. Wow.