New Forms of Entertainment

I don't know if it just my son (I don't think it is) but he seems to enjoy playing with anything that takes me extra long to clean up. And, it's especially fun if the items are mine and not his. For quite some time, C's favorite thing to do was to unload a basket of travel brochures I kept in the living room. It occurred to me to put the basket up, but I've run out of tall shelves and the activity did keep him busy for awhile. He didn't like to clean it up, but usually agreed to helping me without too much fuss.

Now, C loves to play with all of my measuring cups and spoons. I gave him his own set of measuring spoons but I've never seen him play with them. He opens the kitchen cupboard, holds the box containing the spoons and cups up to me, and motions to the living room, babbling something and nodding his head. He then proceeds to pull 2 empty baskets from the living room shelf and fill them with cups and spoons. He moves them from one basket to the other and back again until finally dumping all of them on the floor. As you can imagine- I LOVE THIS! Especially when I'm about to cook dinner and would like to measure something.

C has been suffering from a cold for the past week and it has left him very grumpy and clingy. He hasn't really wanted to play or be silly or dance or sing. Not much fun at all for anyone in the family. But today, he pulled out a big bag of plastic balls and smiled as he carried it to the living room. He unzipped the bag and one by one, threw all of the balls all over the floor. I didn't mind one bit as he was laughing his head off and allowing me to continue with cleaning the kitchen. When all of the balls were gone, I asked him to pick them back up again and put them in the bag. He did as he was told but after a couple of balls, his interest in the task was beginning to wane. I kept cheering him on, tossing balls to him that had rolled far away. Then, much to my surprise, he went and got the broom from the kitchen and began sweeping all the balls over to the bag! I was so impressed! He loved this game and once all the balls were swept up and placed in the bag, he dumped the whole thing so he could do it again!

We used his tiny kid-sized broom the second time. Less damage done to his surroundings without the long broom stick.

Face Painters for Hire

We've noticed that, here in Australia, face painting is VERY popular at children's parties and other family events. And there are some talented face painters! They are fast and can do amazing designs on the kids faces. A face painter at a birthday party a couple of weeks ago did full faces as monsters, cats, angels, fairies, pretty much anything the kids wanted.
We've seen the market for this skill, and well, flights back to the US cost a lot of money so...
we've got the kids in training.

Call for bookings! Maybe we'll let them use something more than water.

Super Fairy to the Rescue!

I've been enjoying a new imagination creation of D's for the past couple of months. She doesn't have a lot of experience with super heroes but when she and her friend Ryan get together, they are the bravest of the brave. She, as Super Fairy, and Ryan as Super Dragon, save anyone from anything. They do it all.
D also takes on the Super Fairy persona at the swimming pool. (Sometimes she's Super Mermaid.) Yesterday was swimming day and Super Fairy made an appearance. She approached me in a very fluttery way and said, "Mom, if you need help, just call me. I'm Super Fairy. Like, if your toddler sinks. You know, like drowns."
Fortunately, my toddler didn't sink or drown. But Super Fairy looked very bored after awhile so I asked her if she was having fun. She said yes but wasn't very convincing. So, my dependable friend Kelly suddenly forgot how to swim. She flailed her arms and yelled for someone to help her. Super Fairy did not let her down. Later, I had the bad luck of suffering a shark attack. Thank goodness Super Fairy was also available at that time. She flutters with such speed and determination!
Will snap photos next time!

The Loveliest Beach and Cruising

We had excellent weather on our trip east. Wind and light showers on Wednesday caused us to move our excursion to Whitehaven Beach to Thursday. Very glad we did because we were able to enjoy this amazing place to the fullest. From the brochure:

'Stretching like a pure-white ribbon beside a sea of crystal-turquoise water, Whitehaven Beach is stunning as a photograph...and unforgettable in real life.'

And it was! Pure white silica sand that makes this funny little crunch under your feet. And the sand is so fine, it feels more like powder.

The beach is located on an island near Hamo, a short boat-ride away. The boat taking us out, provided a tasty Aussie BBQ lunch and a snack on the way home. It was all nice but what was even better was how they provided anything you might need on the beach; sun shelters, sand toys, drinks, even frisbees! It was such a great day! C literally played until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He was sitting straight up in our sun shelter and was struggling to keep his eyes open as he continued to poke his shovel into the sand.

D found 2 little friends and the 3 girls ran around the beach and played in the waves until we had to drag them back to the catamaran.

Way too much fun.

Our last full day was Friday. We walked along Catseye Beach and collected some seashells in the morning, went for a swim after naps, and then T and I had a booking for a dinner cruise around the island. Our lovely babysitter came and cared for the kids and T and I left for the marina. We met really nice people and had such wonderful evening.

Our flight was leaving Saturday afternoon at 2:45 so we still had the morning to spend doing something fun. The evening before, we met a chef from nearby Arlie Beach and he let us know about a cooking demonstration he would be doing at the resort the next morning. So, once we had our bags packed we drove the golf buggy down to the resort. It was more than just a cooking demonstration. There was a good-sized food and wine show! A large area was filled with booths offering tasty things. Pastries, salmon, oysters, beer, wine, Alaskan king crab, fruit, milk, sausages, chicken. It was all so yummy! Our new chef friend was handing out the crab and it was excellent! Couldn't think of a better way to end the trip. But that also made it even harder to leave. The show was going on all weekend!

C Gets the Hang of Island Life

Flights are rarely fun with little kids. Our two do pretty well but it's never fun to have to stay cooped up in an airplane, in your seat, for hours at a time. Like adults, I am certain they would prefer a nice long sleep in their very own beds with plenty of room to stretch out. The flights to Hamo (as the locals call it) were late and tiring and all 4 of us were eager to arrive and let our vacation truly begin.

On arrival, C went into island mode.

This kid knows how to relax. It might have been the hum and vibration of the golf buggy, the heavenly sunshine, or the quiet calls of exotic birds. But C was the master at closing his eyes and drifting off whenever possible.

Still holding on! Dad is a crazy driver- can't be too careful!

Who needs a hammock?
Sea-sickness can really take it out of you!

Long walks on the beach just wipe me out. Mommy and daddy also got into island life- in a more grown up way. It rarely occurs to either of us to take photos on the plane. I think we're always more focused on ways to survive the flight. But C also had a nice sleep on the flight from Brisbane to Perth. He was fighting sleep when a lovely woman seated up and over from us turned around and smiled at him. He smiled back. She then sang him a couple of songs and rubbed his little feet until his eyes closed. He slept for the duration! I should have taken her picture. I think she must have been an angel.

More days on the Island

I think we managed to have just the right balance of activities and down-time on our trip. We had our excursions booked but also wanted to be able to just run out to swim or hike or play whenever we felt like it.

There is a small zoo on the island that has a koala gallery where you can go to eat a buffet breakfast. It wasn't cheap so we only went once but breakfast was yummy and the whole experience was so fun for all 4 of us.

Right when we were finishing up, a man came out and offered the chance to hold and have your photo taken with a young koala. Couldn't pass that up!So Tuesday was a day of relaxation. After breakfast, we needed a dip in the pool. It is winter here so the temps are cooler right now. The pools were cool, but tolerable. The kids were in and out but seemed to enjoy throwing the ball in to daddy as much as they did being in the water themselves.Much of the developed part of the island is owned by a resort. But, anyone staying on the island can use any of the facilities. For example, the swimming pools, kid's club, babysitting services, bars, restaurants. This was great! We tried out 3 different swimming pools.

After our swim we drove up to have a look at the scenery.

D was on a hunt all week long for animals. She made up songs about Australian safaris. One day, on the way to the pool, she and T spotted a large lizard. But they didn't have the camera with them to prove it! We also had the most adorable possums the would visit us each night on our patio. They were very friendly and D was able to witness them a couple of times too. Much excitement.

Also relaxing were our massages! The relaxation centre on the island was lovely and we treated ourselves to 90 minute massages in the afternoon. Then, Tamsyn, our kindly babysitter arrived and took on the kids as T and I went out for a fantastic dinner at The Beach House. Gorgeous food and service, right beside ocean.

Wednesday was supposed to be our day on Whitehaven Beach. But the weather wasn't really nice enough to enjoy a day at the beach. So we changed our booking to Thursday and spent Wednesday doing other things. The morning was lazy, fish n' chips for lunch, and a hike in the afternoon. D had been begging to go spend time at the kids club so we booked her in for a few hours. C hasn't been in the backpack carrier, probably since our trip to Bali, but he still enjoyed the view from up there.

We hiked up to Passage Peak. I had no idea of the distance we would be hiking. It was a long way! And steep in some places.

But we made it, T carrying C the whole way.

Even saw some wildlife!

So pretty! Totally worth the trek.

Hamilton Island and the Great Barrier Reef

What a trip!!! This might be my favorite vacation ever. Really.

Hamilton Island is located in a group of islands called the Whitsundays off the Queensland coast. It's a small island but has everything I would want in a vacation. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment so that we could do easy breakfasts and lunches and have plenty of room for the whole family. The place was nice and big and came fully equipped. We loved having the patio, grassy area, and a view!

Here's our view from the living area.

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon. We did some grocery shopping and then drove around to do some exploring. The island is small and most visitors get around in golf buggies. It worked out nicely that a golf buggy was included with our accomodation. Riding around the island on it was one of the highlights of the trip for both kids.

The island featured a great little playground arranged like a pirate ship. We visited several times.

C was singing some sea-faring song.

As you can imagine, a highlight for me was dining out! We loved the pizza and pasta at The Manta Ray Cafe. Right on the marina- beautiful, peaceful, and tasty! Not knowing how the weather would be while we were there, we chose to do the most important excursion right away. So, we booked out trip out the the Great Barrier Reef for Monday morning. The company taking us out offers a great deal. The boat docks at a platform right beside a section of the reef. The platform has everything one needs for snorkeling, SCUBA diving, or just viewing the place and staying dry. And, they offer child care on the boat! A morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack are also provided. And it was delicious!

So we set out to sea on Monday morning. We docked at the platform and we all got out to have a look. Lots to see! The reef is right there at your feet and you are surrounded by beautiful ocean. I took the kids up to the daycare and suited up for snorkeling, Todd got into his gear for diving, and off we went! Amazing! Sadly, I had no underwater camera with me and took no photos of myself but here's T.

After a great time in the water, I went up to get the kids. We had high hopes that D would be up for snorkeling as well. She's a heck of a swimmer and we really wanted her to have this opportunity. So, when T came up from his dive, we suited her up and took her out.

She was a little intimidated at first. After all, the snorkel can feel funny and you are out in the middle of the ocean with fish swimming between your legs. Could be a lot for a 4-year-old to handle! But, they had the perfect facility for her and she could get in slowly and get the hang of it. The instructor came by just at the right time with the orange life preservers and took she and T out to the reef. She LOVED it!

We didn't attempt to put C in the water, though I sort of wish I would have, just to say he's done it. He enjoyed the view from the underwater observatory and the glass-bottom boat. Lots to see, even if one chooses to stay dry. There was a photographer on board as well as an underwater videographer so we purchased a DVD that had footage of all of us. T diving, myself and D snorkeling, and C pressing his face against the windows of the observatory, giving fish kisses.

It was a marvelous day. The staff fed us yummy food and took good care of us when the rough seas proved to be a little much for C and myself to handle. That was no fun. The kids slept the whole way back, poor C was ready for a sleep after a change of clothes and a cuddle.

Here's a pic of the islands on our way back to the marina.

More to come...