December 20th & 21st

By Thursday we were all so tired by traveling and going non-stop that we took a vote and decided to have a day off from everything but relaxation. The kids stayed in their pajamas most of the day, and we all just sort of took naps and ate great food. My aunt is a totally incredible cook, and so dinner is a huge highlight of the day.

Kids decorating the outdoor Christmas tree.










Finished product.




A chicken hat? I have no idea what's going on here.





The kids had some time in the small pool.




And then we went up to the Kalamunda market.




There we found an Elf on the Shelf cakepop.




And then we went home and were asleep by 10pm. We know how to party.



On Friday we decided to celebrate the world not ending by going to Sorrento Beach. We got there early, and it was cold and super windy. Not the best beach day, but the kids were insistent that it was fine and that they should swim. Whatever, dude. I'm just going to eat a meat pie and stay totally dry.








Then it was ice cream time at Hillary's boat harbo(u)r.







And then over to swim a bit here.





The kids ended the trip by dancing to that terrible Gangnam style song.





Another beautiful meal on the patio, and I was in bed and asleep by 9pm. I slept in until 6:58 this morning though, so I feel totally ready to rock today. Stephen woke up and had some coffee, and is now asleep on the patio.

On the agenda for today: lunch in Perth with a friend, and then going to King's Park for a while before having dinner with friends and cousins tonight. We're really looking forward to it.

(Sorry about the weird colors and lines on some of the photos...I'm too lazy to fix them right now.)

December 19th

One of the longest days ever, but still a good one.

We started out the day with a slow morning at our motel. If you're ever in Warragul, Victoria, I highly recommend staying at the Best Western. Peter, the owner, will take good care of you, as you'll be the only people who have stayed there in the past six months. It's clean, has beautiful gardens, and he's great for talking. (Note: he puts out a delicious continental breakfast, and we assumed that it was free. Don't be like us. It was actually $20 per person. So skip the breakfast.)






Then out with Jeff to kill some time before meeting up with Lou. This photo of Jeff driving a minivan full of kids will only be funny to those who know him, but it made my day.




We went to a park for a bit, and it was great for the kids to get to run wild.






A walk down to town, where we got to visit Lou's dad's store (Megasports) and even meet Captain Megasport himself.




Lou and Jeff are lovely.






Aw. Good crew of guys.




Then the drive to Melbourne, turning in the rental car, dragging five or six suitcases and three kids through an airport, and four hour flight with the most screaming babies ever assembled in one place. So the idillic start to the day took a rough turn there for a while, but at the end of it, we were in Perth. And with an additional three hour time change, we had some good time to hang out on the back patio.

Felix needed a bit of a rest first though.








Aaaaand, they're all out.

December 18th

Today was totally fabulous.

We woke up early, because that's what one does when jetlagged with young children. Bryan and Stephen went off to retrieve the rental van, and Leah and I very quickly threw our luggage back together and dragged the kids down to the lobby.
That's when I realized that they were all looking especially sassy in stripes. Felix is very proud of his matching socks.




Once the guys showed up with the van (which took approximately 2.5-3 hours, but who's counting?), we did the drive down to Warragul to hang out with Jeff and Lou. We haven't seen them for a long time, and it was so good to get to hug them.
Lou rides horses competitively (dressage), and had invited the kids to get to meet them.






This is Romeo. It was his 5th birthday.




And these two beauties were so sweet. I wish that I could remember their names. I believe that Rosie is on the left, but I may be making that up.




They were especially well-loved by Sophie and Robyn.







Then over to Lou's parents' house. It's on seven acres, and is just incredible. Horses, a pool, a vineyard, and is gorgeous. The most exciting part is that Trent lives there, and the kids (plus Leah) all got to ride him.












Bottlebrush! We must be in Australia.




It's really, really hard to be these kids.




Hanging with Lou. She's wonderful.




Then over to Jeff and Lou's for pizza on their deck. This is the view from there.




Warragul is beautiful. This road is a particular favorite.




Pig farm! I had no idea that pigs were so huge and so ugly. Charlotte's Web is a bit of false advertising.




Watching kangaroos in the paddock.




Roo tracks.




Things get fuzzy after this point. Jetlag is ridiculous, and we all crashed hard after such a big day.



(Ooh, almost caught up!)