The Countdown is Over!!

  We have been counting and marking off the days until our family arrives & they are finally here!! I don't know if I could listen to "how many more days?" much longer. The night before they arrived MA could not fall asleep. Too excited. Everyone was up bright and early. MA said, "This is going to be the best day in Australia!" I couldn't agree more. We made a poster the night before and DB was pretty excited to hold it up at the airport. We got there just as the plane was landing. A couple potty trips & the waiting area was filling up but the kids staked their claim early an were directly in front of the customs exit. Then we waited and waited.

  Finally LilBlair came thru followed shortly by the rest of the crew. It was so nice to see and hug everyone! We headed back to the house and got settled for the next 3 weeks of visitors. We didn't do much the 1st day: the pool, naps, & a couple drinks filled the day. Dinner that night was so good. Steak, potatoes, & sweet corn. We also shared part of our dinner tradition wth them. Each night at dinner we go around the table and say our favorite part of the day. Now we just have a few more people to include. EL says, "_(insert name of person she picks)___ part?" It is so cute. Her favorite part almost always involves the pool.

 Someone new to climb on!

 She has more makeup on than I have worn in a year!

 Grandma reading a bedtime story

 Monday, LilBlair headed up to Cairns for a scuba dive and sightseeing trip. He will head back to Brisbane at the end of the week. We hung out at the house again & let everyone get over the time change and just relax.
  Tuesday, we decided to catch the bus to Southbank. So all 9 of us got our goCards ready and headed over. We walked along the river & then the kids needed a swim (it was boiling out) and Mom, Dad, K&K decided to keep walking and ended up at the Maritime Museum. We met back up for lunch at the Plough Inn & relaxed for a bit. Then my sisters took the 3 kiddos back to the beach area and I caught up with them after a bit. So nice to have the extra hands & helpers. Papa took DB to the museum for a quick look thru before we went home. The fam was pretty tired and I don't think anyone did much after a quick dip in the our pool.