A couple of Worlds

Last weekend was fantastic. Sam had Friday off so we declared it a Fun Day. We headed down to the Gold Coast and spent the day day at Movie World. Jackson loved the rides and the Stunt Car Drivers show. Unfortunately Sam and I didn’t get to go on any rides (adult ones, anyway)because we had the kids, but it was still a fun day.

  

Then on Saturday, we headed back down to the Gold Coast and went to Sea World. Sea World was heaps better. We had such a great day. Jackson loved the animals, especially the dolphins. The dolphin show was fantastic. He also really loved the rides here, all with Sesame Street theme. He got the chance to give Elmo a hug and get a photo, which he was really excited about until it was our turn. He wouldn’t go close enough to touch him. It was pretty funny. But he was very excited to tell us that he got to wave to Elmo. Silly boy. Good times were had by all. We can’t wait to visit again soon!

The dolphin in this photo came up right in front of us and poked it’s head up like this and started making noise like it was talking to us. It was so cool!

Boys and boxes

Just my adorable boys. They love playing together. Jackson loves hiding and gets pretty excited when you find him. And they spent about half an hour in these empty boxes one afternoon “driving” all over the place. I wish I was that excited about an empty box!

 

Owen makes this face all the time. I am so glad that I finally got a photo of it.

Slip and Slide

Ashton and Saxon (Jackson’s cousins) were visiting at Grandma’s for a weekend, so we spent the day over there helping to entertain the kids. They had heaps of fun together. We spent a couple of hours in the backyard with the Slip-n-Slide and some dish soap. Everyone had a great time. Jackson was a bit scared to actually slide down it, but he eventually got in on the fun. What cute boys. And thanks for Aunty Charlotte for getting it all set up and soaped up!

 

Tourist-ing Week 2

Week 2 was great. Full of semi-local fun here in Brisbane. Monday was spent at Springbrook National Park on the Gold Coast. We did a beautiful hike through some rainforest and waterfalls. Jackson did a great job and walked almost the whole way. As we ate lunch afterwards I was nearly eaten by a wild turkey, and I never exaggerate.

 

Tuesday Jamie and I went into the city and did some souvenir shopping. Luckily the Queen Street Mall is a pretty cool place to shop…as you can see by the photos provided. It’s not everyday you see a woman wearing a balloon skirt.

Wednesday was awesome. It probably deserves it’s own post, but oh well. We drove up to Australia Zoo, which is Steve Irwin’s zoo. We saw all kinds of cool animals. We also got to watch the crocodile show, pet kangaroos and koalas, and feed an elephant. Jackson loved the croc show. He also almost fed the elephant. He chickened out just as the elephant was trying to take the food. He still thought it was really cool though. We were there all day, and still didn’t fit it all in. Good times. 

     

 

Thursday was another busy day. We left around 7am and drove to Surfers Paradise. We spent the morning at the beach swimming and playing in the sand, followed by a buffet breakfast. Perfect. We then went to Burleigh Heads and did a small hike around the head, along the water. It was beautiful. On the way home we stopped at some outlet stores for some last minute souvenirs, and had lunch at Yatala Pies. Meat pies are a staple here in Australia and Jamie couldn’t go without having one. We spent the evening in Manly, enjoying the ocean and  beautiful surroundings. We were all very tired.

    

Friday was a sad day for us. We had to take Jamie to the airport and send her home. Okay, so I was sad, Jackson was just happy to see so many airplanes. :) We had a great time entertaining our first visitor, and hopefully these posts have inspired someone else to come over. We’d love to have you! We miss you James!

Tourist-ing

My good friend Jamie came to see us! We all had great time being tourists with her and she was a good sport, putting up with the kids and all.  It was great to get out and do things that we should be doing more often. Thanks for motiviating us James!

Monday and Tuesday were spent in the city, checking out the sites of Brisbane. We did have a bit of rain, but luckily it didn’t last all day, either day. 

 

Wednesday we took off for Sydney. (Jackson got to stay with Grandma and Charlotte, which he loved…almost too much.) We stopped at Byron Bay to see the light house on the most eastern point of Australia and then drove on to Coffs Harbour where we saw the Big Banana and spent the night.

  

Thursday we woke up really early and walked down to the beach to watch the sunrise. Beautiful. Then we had a delish breakfast at a little cafe before driving the rest of the way to Sydney. We stayed with Sam’s Nan there, which was really nice. It was great to see her again and really nice to have a comfortable place to stay. We love you Nan!

 

Friday we spent all day in Sydney. We met up with some friends from Utah that moved to Australia as well, so that was fun. We saw the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and the Rocks. Then we took the ferry out to Manly, and on to Darling Harbour, where we went to the Sydney Aquarium. It was all awesome. And of course we had to take Jamie to a Rugby league game, so we finished the night off with the Roosters/Broncos game, which was, unfortunately, a good night for Roosters fans. But still a good game.

     

Saturday needs little mention. We drove from Sydney to Brisbane. All day long. Sunday was a welcome day of rest with church, naps and yummy food.

If you made it through this whole post, congrats! However, there’s one more week to come!