So, I missed a blog post last week because we were on holiday back in Ulladulla, and I didn't have access to my iPad because the morning we left Arley's iPad broke and couldn't be fixed. Such a bugger. But we had a great time. Jeffrey stayed home to look after Bella and the rats, and it was a long 8 days without him. I have to say, I was slightly jealous of his peace and quiet, but it was nice to be back in our old stomping ground. We stayed with my parents, and the kids were so excited to see Lolo and Dida again. The plane trip went smoothly (Carmie was beyond excited). I was sitting across the aisle from her, and upon landing there was quite a bit of turbulence, and Carmie shouted out, "Landing is so much fun!" to the whole plane. After that we caught two trains and were picked up in Bowral by my sister. We stayed there for a few hours, then drove Georgia's car to Ulladulla.
The kids managed to squeeze in three horse riding lessons with Milea. It was great. Horse riding has been pretty rough on Arley up here in Coffs, and I was worried that he had lost his skills, but the moment he was back on Rocky he was trotting around the arena like he owned the place. It was so good to see the kids back up on their horses smiling and laughing again. Good to see Milea too. It almost made me want to move back! We also had lots of play dates with the kids' old friends. It's like no time had passed. Carmie was beside herself to catch up with her friends, and Arley got in some really good plays too, so it was great. It was so good to catch up, and I got to see my friends too. I went out to dinner, had tea with friends, felt like a real person again. It was great to hang out with my parents and let my mother beat me at Scrabble. We went to our old haunts, and the beaches there are just as beautiful as ever. I do miss it, however I also know that we made the right choice by moving. It was time.
After Ulladulla we drove back to my sister's in Bowral and spent a day and a night there before catching the trains back to Sydney. Carmie played her first games of ping pong, and Arley is obsessed with Georgia's pets. He just loves them.
So, we have been back for a few days and we have given the kids some home time to settle in. We took them out for a little this afternoon, but Arley was really dysregulated and so it wasn't much fun. Afterwards I had to rush them off to their swimming lesson, and Arley didn't improve. He got in the water and cried the whole time. His teacher and I agreed that he should stay in for the whole lesson, regardless of whether or not he was swimming, so we made him stay in. We didn't want to set a precedent. He cried and cried, and told me his knees hurt (who knows why?) and it was heartbreaking. I almost caved at least three times, but he made it through the lesson (he just stood in the water though). He is quite unsettled and I'm looking forward to getting into a routine with him again.
After swimming we saw a beautiful dog that had one brown eye and one blue eye. The kids were petting it, and Carmie stood up and told me that having two different coloured eyes is called heterochromia. I think there's nothing she doesn't know!
I am totally swamped with work and doing my best to catch up so I can get the kids back into a routine. Vacations are great, but there is always a bit of stress before and after!
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