Willbanks' Down Under: 391 + 287 Weeks

We have had another busy week, but our Christmas / New Year's activities are finally over. I am really looking forward to some quiet days at home and at the beach. We started this week with a trip to Gerroa to see a very old and close friend of mine who is in town. I haven't seen Ellie in over a decade, and we got to meet each other's children. We had a play at the inlet and then we took the kids to lunch. It was a really lovely day, and it was great to meet her little boy Gustav, who had fallen in love with Carmie by the end of the day.

We also had quite a few beach meet ups with my cousins who were still down here, as well as a dinner at Narrawallee Inlet. My cousin Rupert and his family had come for a visit, so we met at the park for dinner and then we had an impromptu beach soccer match. It has been really nice having family around. It took a while for Carmie and Arley to gel with their kids, but they got there in the end.

The carnival came to town again. It is ridiculously expensive, especially for a small town carnival, but the kids were desperate to go. They even made outfits for themselves. They had a good time on the bungee trampolines, and in the big bubbles, but Carmie was too old for a lot of the rides and got totally ripped off by one of the games there. Her carnival bubble was popped, so to speak, but Arley still had a blast. His t-shirt also got them a free ride - see the photos below :)

We spent New Year's Eve over at Lolo and Dida's house, as they have such a great vantage from which to watch the fireworks. It wasn't a late night, as the fireworks were at 9pm, so the kids got to stay up and watch them. The fireworks were pretty amazing, and the kids LOVED them. We were all in bed and asleep by midnight though, which is a little sad, but really, who has the energy?!

We have been to the beach a lot, because Arley's love for ocean swimming seems to have no bounds! He has been coming on my morning walks with me so he can also go swimming, and every time we say beach, he is all for it, as opposed to before when he was all complaints. One morning he did three big swims during our morning walk, even though the water was freezing, and then we went to the beach again that afternoon for more, and he was begging to stay there. It is so great now that we can tell the kids we're having a beach day and they are excited. It seems a little surreal, because we have been waiting so long for this to happen!

We have also had some play dates this week. Arley's little Scout friend Scarlet and her twin sister came over yesterday. It is great to have them both, because Matilda played with Carmie while Scarlet played with Arley, and then sometimes they all melded together as a group. However, we have realised that the kids get really ratty around friends, and our house is much calmer when it is just us! It was funny the morning of the playdate, as Carmie was teasing Arley that his crush was coming over. He just looked at her blinking and didn't answer. Then Carmie asked him if he even knew what a crush was, and he answered, "Yes, it's when you are falling in love with someone." So cute!

Arley's little friend Jemma is back for two days for a visit, to finish up with the odds and ends left in their house since they've moved. The kids were SO excited to see her - they have really missed her over the last two weeks. When Jemma's family go back to Wagga, I think this really will be the last time they see each other. It is nice to have Jemma around, because she keeps Arley entertained, but boy is she loud, and as I said before, the kids get really ratty when other friends are over. And I am really looking forward to some peace and quiet :)

Slo-mo bungee trampoline video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcPeveF9jrQ

Ellie & little Gustav