1017km roadtrip...

Although they didn't have a huge amount of time to explore Chris and Roberta really wanted to see some of the country while they were here. They had friends at the Gold Coast and Cairns so we decided we would take a few days off and drive up to Brisbane with them via the New England Highway, just taking our time and seeing where the road took us . . .
Well 3 days of long distance driving with kids is not easy, I'm not sure Chris & Roberta realised what they were getting themselves in for!!! Roberta must have a really short memory though - when Austy was about 2 she drove with us from Umgazana to Durban, a whole 5 hours of non-stop singing of Old MacDonald, Incey Wincey & Baa Baa. Every time we stopped singing the tears would start. . . it was a very long trip.
Anyway I'm making it sound awful when it wasn't, they were actually really well behaved and Lily was quiet and happy because I sat at the back with her and she could play with her favourite toy the entire way . . . my hand!!!

Just past Newcastle we passed an Information Centre and thought we'd better stop and get a map . . . nothing like proper planning . . . After a few hours in the car Lily was very happy to get out and run around, showing off in her new dress from Granny and Gramps.

Beer stop at a dodgy little pub in Aberdeen, which is somewhere near the
Hunter Valley (I think)

It was hard to take photos out the back window and going at speed but the countryside in the Hunter Valley region was stunning, just a pity we didn't have time to stop and visit a few wineries . . .definately going back soon . . .

Overnight stop in Tamworth. 

We sped past the 'famous' Golden Guitar on the way into town so at least I can say I've seen that, albeit very briefly . . . 

On recommendation from the butcher in St Ives (where we got our biltong from for the roadtrip) we went to the Safari Club. It's a South African themed restaurant, something you really dont expect to find in Tamworth, but it was awesome. HUGE portions of steak and ribs, perfect for the carnivore Brazilian among us!!!

2 very excited little ones enjoying the novelty of breakfast at the hotel...

Lunch stop at sleepy Tenterfield

Not much was happening on the main street but the cafe we had lunch in had a pink dunny which thoroughly amused Austy, who being a 5 year old boy finds anything to do with poo or bums hilarious.

Scary bridge somewhere between Tenterfield and Casino

Amusing ourselves on the long and windy road...

The beautiful Byron Bay . . . another place I am definitely going to return to . . .

Drawing, drawing and more drawing...he spends a lot of time in restaurants and pubs doing this . . .

The fire alarm went off at our hotel in Coolangatta and we had to walk down 10 flights of stairs . . . not fun but it was exciting for the kids and Austin got to jump in the fire truck and talk into the radio

After dropping Chris and Roberta at Brisbane Airport for their flight to Cairns we had 3 hours to spare so we went for a drive and popped into the Campos at Fortitude Valley. Very cool spot but Thing1 and Thing2 were behaving badly so we ate and ran . . .

Our hire car, a Kia Carnival, very nice as far as 8 seaters go . . .

The plane obsessed boy impatiently waiting to board . . . "can we board YET!!!"

little kickers . . .

Since the beginning of the year Austin has been going to 'Little Kickers' at Freshwater Diggers Club.
It's basically soccer training drills, they don't spend much time playing actual games, instead they do a whole lot of kicking, running, jumping etc but always practising a specific soccer skill they will use when they start playing for real.
Austin absolutely loved the lessons and has a natural kicking ability (biased I know), but the closer he came to 5 we could see he was getting bored by the class and would spend half the time pretending to fall over - which is a lot of fun on those slippery wooden floors. So we decided to finish him up and in a few months we'll look at getting him into something a bit more challenging and outdoors, and away from those wooden floors!!!
These are some pics from his last lesson.

slipping over on purpose . . .

tongue out in concentration . . .

happiness is . . .

reaching for the sun . . . owww it's too hot, too hot

cool those hands down in some ice . . .

aeroplanes . . .

one of the many drills . . .

silly jokes with his team mates . . .

squeeze that ball . . .

Little Kickers . . . yay

waiting patiently for a stamp from Coach Ev

taking lily up to get a stamp . . . such a loving big brother at times

a little baby no more....

So as much as I wanted him to stay 4 forever, our little 'Scubba' turned 5 recently. We had this joke going most of the year where I begged him to please stay 4 and not turn 5 and he would say "ok mummy I promise I wont" but then 5 seconds later he would laugh and tell me "mummy you are going to be so sad when I turn 5 you are going to cry and cry and cry". Well I did shed a tear when I watched him sleeping on the night before, but what can you do? They really do have to grow up...

 THE BIRTHDAY MORNING

tearing open his presents, so excited...

Infinity & Beyond....he has been wanting Buzz for ages so was very excited to see him...

 Daddy helping with the aeroplane Lego, still needing a bit of help...

THE BIRTHDAY AT KINDY

Austin goes to kindy on a Monday and a Thursday and was lucky enough for his birthday to fall on a Monday this year. So he got to celebrate with all his school mates, although in this allergy, OHS & fun spoiling society that we live in, we were not allowed to bring in a cake. The only thing you are allowed to bring in is water ice blocks, no dairy of course...let's just be thankful there is no water and sugar allergy...yet.  We also had balloons and bubbles, but no party horns/blowers allowed, imagine the shock horror of children sharing a blower and potentially sharing germs... Don't get me started on child protection laws and the photos of children at his kindy that I shouldn't have taken!!!

Doing his nervous 'hop hop hop' (which he does whenever he is nervous) before handing out the iceblocks, can be such a shy boy at times...

Handing out the iceblocks one by one and choosing the order...such a power trip!!! His teacher told him to give them to the children who were behaving but I think he just gave to whoever he liked best...

One of the teachers collected Lily from her classroom downstairs so she could join in the fun...

Austin's teacher Penny, such a warm and beautiful soul, he loves her to bits...

THE BIRTHDAY CAKE

After school we sang happy birthday and blew out the candles on his cake...I was hoping enough time would pass before bedtime for all that sugar and colouring (mummy was slightly heavy handed!!!) to work it's way through...

 THE BIRTHDAY SCOOTER RIDE

And to end the day a ride on his brand new 2-wheelie scooter (no longer a baby with 3 wheels). So what does the crazy speed demon do? Races off down the road and crashes really badly after about 10seconds, TEARS TEARS TEARS, luckily he had jeans on, and hopefully it taught him a bit of restraint for next time.

 HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY GORGEOUS BOY, YOU BRING SUCH FUN, LAUGHTER & HAPPINESS TO OUR LIVES AND AS YOU WOULD SAY WE "LOVE YOU MORE THAN ALL THE FISH IN THE SEA, THE LEAVES ON THE TREES AND ALL OF THE ANIMALS IN THE WORLD"