Playing with Grandma

  Grandma loves to play games- card games, board games, you name it! The kids took full advantage. They even taught her how to play hand ball!

Who Knew?

  There is a whole other side to air travel I didn't know even know existed. And maybe it was better that way. With all the traveling Matt has done for work he has access to the Qantas Lounge. I never really thought about what was behind those doors before I walked thru them. Food, drinks, comfy chairs, the list goes on and on!
  Now every time I walk past those doors I will know what's beyond them. And if any airlines are looking for a suggestion- Those perks should be available to the mum that is at home while the husband is off earning that airline status. Just saying.
  On our flight from Bris to Mel was right about 2 hours long and we were served a simple breakfast. On our flight from Syd to Bris (1 hour flight time) they served us dinner. Now in the States you have to fly 4+ hours to get any sort of meal. You barely get offered a drink or pretzels on anything less than 2 hours. Just another reason Qantas has impressed me. Did you know Qantas is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Services.

Melbourne & Sydney Stops

  We spent the afternoon in Melbourne. Walking around the city, down by the river, hand some lunch. Just took it easy. We ventured to Lygon St. in search of some Italian food and ended up at Papa Gino's for some decent pizza. On our walk back to the hotel I got some gelato for dessert.

  The next morning we hopped a short flight to Sydney. Matt hadn't been back to Sydney since last year when we took the kids. We took the ferry over to Darling Harbour and made our way to Margaritaville. My margarita was delish! We strolled around the harbour before heading to the Opera Bar. Drinks and taking in the sights of Sydney- a relaxing afternoon.

  All week long we had been following the Blue Mountain fires just west of Sydney. At one point the smoke was so bad in the CBD, there were air quality warnings saying to stay indoors. Thankfully the fires were being managed and the wind had shifted by Friday when we arrived.
  Saturday, I headed out for a nice long run around the Harbour and Royal Botanical Gardens. Matt headed to do the Bridge Climb. I don't love heights, so I opted out of that excursion. We met up at the markets and just enjoyed our last couple of hours before we headed back to Brisbane.

Lift Off

  The weather started to clear so we decided to take a helicopter ride over the Twelve Apostles and The Bay of Islands. I got to ride up front next to the pilot. I was a little nervous about it but once we took off I was mesmerized by the scenery. Seeing the coastline from the air is something I will never forget.

Loch Ard Gorge

 The Twelve Apostles

 London Bridge

Off We Go!

  Matt and I have been looking forward to our trip for almost a year. We started taking about having my mom come and watch the kids while we went away for a few days. We decided to explore the Great Ocean Road. There was a fair bit of driving involved and decided the kids probably wouldn't appreciate the sightseeing at their ages. It was a great chance for us to see something new and the kids to have some Grandma time.

  We left bright and early for Bris and landed in Melbourne. Got our rental car (opted out of the convertible because the weather was cool and rainy) & ended up with a Mercedes wagon. No kids and still rockin a parent mobile. Oh well, the car had tons of bells and whistles- Matt was in heaven. I just wanted to get out of the parking garage. I think Matt thought you had push every button before the car would move & adjust something every 5 mins to keep it going!

  The Great Ocean Road did not disappoint! Even through the rain and cool temps it was beautiful. Soaring cliffs meet crashing waves with only a 2 lane road separating them at some points. We visited the Split Point Lighthouse along the way. Stopped to take photos every couple of kms.

So glad the camera caught this move!

  We stayed a a nice place in Apollo Bay for 2 nights. We spent the afternoon at a local pub next to a toasty fire. It was so nice to just relax, enjoy a beverage and talk.
   Day 2 started off with massages. Then we hit the road to do some exploring. On the way to the Cape Otway Lighthouse we saw koalas in the wild. Just hanging out in the trees along the road! Even caught one crossing the road. The landscape was so green and lush. Hillsides dotted with sheep everywhere. Those sheep have some of the best views in the world!

 Woolliest sheep I have ever seen!

Guess Who's Back

  Everyone was so excited to have Grandma back in Australia. She landed bright and early and the kids wasted no time showing her everything they could think of around the house. Had her playing games within an hour of her getting to the house. Good think she loves to play games! I took her to the local travel agent and got her trip to Cairns set up. We swam in the afternoon, Grandma snuck in a nap and had a nice dinner all together. Not only did Grandma have a full day but I filled her brain with schedules, routines, packing lunches, & anything else I could think she might need to know for her week on kid duty!

 EL finally decided she could swim around our pool without holding on to anything. Even though she swims all over at lessons.