The Australia adventure is rapidly approaching its end! Boo!

We lounged around on Sunday.  The weather was still wet, but muggy. The rain did not stop the kids, though. Their dads still took them to the pool and the beach. 

I have no beach photos as of yet because I am always off shopping or getting a massage when they head to the beach. 

Sunday was Louise's birthday so we went for a massage in the late afternoon.  While we were relaxing, strangely in the same massage room which was very unexpected, the dads were on beach patrol with the kids.  After our massages we headed back to the resort to the chaos of kids showering and getting ready for dinner. 

The kids really enjoyed the teppanyaki grill master. He fried eggs and tossed them into our mouths. Jack actually caught a piece of egg. We were all very entertained by the grill master. 

After dinner we walked to the fun fair happening on the beach. The kids rode some rides and Lou and I shopped a bit. We then went up to our room and played music while the kids danced. A friend of James and Matt joined us for the meal and the after party. We didn't get to bed until after midnight. Yikes!

You can tell how much fun Jack had. Monday morning came too early for all of us. 

We went to see the movie Big Hero 6 on Monday morning, hoping the rain would go away by the time we were out. The theater held 30 people and each seat was an electric reclining chair. It was 'flash' for sure. We ordered food and it was delivered to our seats. Millie actually napped toward the end of the movie  because of her lack of sleep the previous evening. 

Too bad Jack and Josh couldn't relax in their plush seats. 

After the movie we returned to the room and got ready to go to the beach. The weather was perfect. The dads, along with Jack and Josh, played game of rugby, while Millie and Billy played in the sand and the ocean. They were all having a wonderful time. It warms my heart to see the relationships the kids are building with each other. 

Louise was off getting her nails done. A kind person walking by volunteered to take this picture. The wind caught my dress, making me appear a bit overstuffed. 

Millie and Billy like playing together. 

I thought this was a blue plastic bag. Turns out it was a blue dolphin jellyfish. Glad I didn't pick it up. 

Even after seeing the jellyfish, everyone went in the ocean, everyone except Josh. Heat have been the smartest one of all. Fortunately no one was stung, but Stuart said they saw the jellyfish everywhere in the water, which is why they didn't stay in the ocean for very long. 

One picture before they showered off. 

Ice cream after an ocean adventure only makes sense. They needed a rinse off after the ice cream as well. Although it wasn't super hot, it was super humid so the ice cream melted exceptionally fast. 

We had dinner at the Surf Club just up the road from our place. We could have walked there but why would you when you could ride in a pedicab?

The kids had fun and really the walk was further than we had been told, so it was best. 

We called it an early night and were all in bed by 10 pm. 

Tuesday morning the sun was shining and all traces of rain had vanished, just in time for us to leave this surfer's paradise. We had to check out at 10 am but our flight was not scheduled until 5 pm. So we packed up a bag of swimmers and toiletries and still used the pool all day. It was perfect. 

When I first got up Tuesday morning and noticed it was clear skies, I decided to walk along the beach instead of working out in the gym. It was so great to hear the waves crashing, see the seagulls flying around, and watch the surfers on the water. It reminded me of my walks in San Diego with my good friend, Ken Green. Because we are both early risers we walk every morning while at their time share. I love times that bring back super memories of my besties. 

The sunrise was superb and definitely something to behold. 

Millie had to have these pancakes with Nutella and marshmallow fluff on them. She had about 3 bites. Money well spent, clearly. 

We were able to take showers at the pool then left for the airport around 3:30 pm. The flight was uneventful and we got home around 8:30 pm. The kids went to bed and we followed shortly after they did. 

Wednesday we got up and lazed around. Louise and I went to the mall again to return an item and maybe to shop a bit as well. We stopped at the grocery store and got food for our New Year's cookout. James had purchased a new fire pit and tiki torches for the evening's event. We bought poppers and sparklers. 

When we returned from shopping the guys went to play golf while Lou and I got ready for the evening. I blew up water bomb balloons and she started on the food preparation. When the dads returned the water balloon fight was on! The dads loved it as much as the kids and as you would guess the water hose was eventually involved. 

The water fight was over and here you can see the damage, wet kids and adults. 

We ate, lit the fire by the beach and enjoyed some music while the kids made s'mores and played with sparklers. 

We reeked of the fire pit by the end of the evening, but rang in 2015 in style. We saw fireworks across the water and enjoyed the moon lite waves slightly crashing on the shore. 

One more than one occasion someone nearly caught on fire by the sparklers. In the end the only injury (which was slight) was Jack's ear. He tumbled out of the trampoline, onto a chair. 

We barely rang in the new year. The kids were able to watch the Family Fireworks on television at 9 pm and then went to bed. We stayed up, napped down by the pit, and then finally woke up a few minutes before midnight and walked down the jetty while fireworks shot off across the water. 

We retreated up the stairs to watch the fireworks on television from the Sydney Harbour  the television coverage was not so great, but the fireworks were still spectacular. 

Thursday morning we got up and headed toward Matt's house. He lives about an hour away from Louise and James. We hadn't seen his house so thought we would make the trek. He spent most of the time with us at James and Lou's.  

On our way to Matt's we headed to Featherdale, a nature reserve, to see kangaroos, koalas, dingos and other wildlife native to Australia. It was so fun. The kids loved it. It was really hot, but we survived. 

We couldn't hold the koalas but we were able to pet them. It was an incredible experience. 

The wallabys were out and about as wel. 

We finally got to Matt's just after 1 pm. The kids played crickett, swam, and played in a little doll house in the yard. We had gigantic steaks that must have come from an enormous cow. They were huge. We just relaxed and played all day. 

We left just before 8 pm with kids showered and pajamas on. It was sad leaving Matt's. Jack and Josh created such a close bond in the two weeks we were there, and of course it is always tough for Stuart to leave his brothers. Jack was sad, which naturally made me cry. 

Friday morning we took one last trip on the boat. We went to the marina to have breakfast and then checked out some of the gorgeous homes on the water. It was a great way to end a much too short holiday. 

We left for the airport around noon. Jack was terribly sad. He didn't want to leave. He played so hard with his two cousins and Millie for two solid weeks. Our life will seem quite boring once life resumes as normal. 

The Sad family leaving for Abu Dhabi. 

Our travel was long. The seven hour time difference was rough on us as well. We had turbulence over the area where the plane crashed last week. It freaked me out until I remembered that I am not in control. That made me relax just a bit. 

We transferred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia again. After a five hour layover and some very restless children, we boarded the plane for Abu Dhabi. 

The kids slept for the majority of the flight, which allowed Stuart and myself to get some rest as well. 

When we arrived in Abu Dhabi we had to circle the airport for about 30 minutes because the fog was so bad and the landing of planes had been postponed for many flights and therefore there was a back up. Once we did land we stayed on the tar mack for almost 2 hours. 

Once we finally arrived at the gate we were well over it all. The good thing was there was no line at immigration because we were one of the first flights to land in the morning. Although we were to land at 6 am and most likely would have been home by 9 at the latest, we got home just before noon.  We had stopped at the grocery store for some needed items and then drive home.  It was a long journey. 

When we did get home the kids were asleep. We decided to take them into the living room and let them sleep while we unpacked. 

By the time we unpacked it was around 2 pm. We woke the kids up and let them open their Christmas presents that Santa had left, plus gifts from Grammie and Pop and from us. They were spoiled once again. 

Miss Millie got a bike from Santa and took to it like a duck to water. She rode up and down the hallway for most of the afternoon. 

That naughty Santa gave Jack a Nerf gun that holds 12 bullets. And Grammie and Pop got him this new chair. We hope we get to move soon because we have started to accumulate furniture that has no home. We will work on moving this week. 

The rest of the day was spent playing with the new toys and just lounging around. The kids were bathed, fed and in bed by 6:30 pm, and Stuart and I followed closely after, well at least we were sleeping. I'm not sure we were both in bed until late, but we were asleep by 8 pm. In fact, Stuart slept on and off from about 4 pm. 

A true assessment of a great holiday? Everyone is wiped out and needs another vacation from their vacation when they return home. That was us!

Christmas celebrations all week long.

We woke up Sunday morning and took the boat to the marina for breakfast again. 

Louise and I took Millie and went to the grocery store to get some bits for the day and week. Louise's family was coming over for an early Christmas celebration. 

The boys went out tubing again on the boat while I helped get things ready for the party. Really I just vacuumed once everything was set. 

Louise's parents, brother and his family, and many friends of the family who are like relatives, came over and brought so much food. It was all very wonderful. There was a lady named Myrna who is Ev's (Louise's mother) best friend. She was lovely and so interested in our lives in the UAE. Her family was from Lebenon so she was asking a lot of questions. She nearly cried when Jack counted to ten in Arabic. She was so sweet and really   interested in the conversation we were having. 

Being with Louise's family made me a little lonesome for my own family, especially at this time of the year. However, the party was great and a huge success. 

The rest of the evening the kids played soccer in the yard as we all cleaned up. We order pizza around 8 pm. Millie fell asleep on the sofa after she ate some cereal and Jack fell asleep after he ate his spaghetti. In fact he fell asleep on the table, poor boy. He actually ate a big bowl of spaghetti, which thrilled me. He hadn't eaten much since we arrived. We chalked it up to being jet lagged. Maybe that has now passed. 

Monday was a day of Christmas shopping. We had a continental breakfast at the house, the boys went to have the oil in the boat changed and let the kids play at the park by the marina, while Louise and I got ready for shopping. We had a fair bit on our list because the kids need so much, not!  Gifts had to be purchased from grandparents, aunties and great grandma. Plus Stuart and I needed to buy for Billy and Josh. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to be finished with my shopping before Thanksgiving. Needless to say I was a little stressed with the whole process.  

The boys returned with the boat and then went out to go bumper tubing. It's funny to watch the boys bump all over the place. They absolutely love it, as can be heard from miles around by their screams of delight. What awesome memories these boys will have of time with each other as they get older. I'm so thankful for that. 

Louise and I finally got going and went to a mall in Miranda. It was huge. We started at Target, which sadly is not as much like our Target as I had hoped it would be. I found a few things there for the kids, but then we had to have lunch, of course. We had to have nourishment to carry on. 

After we shared some sumptuous appetizers at the Italian kitchen, we forged on with our shopping. We hit Toys R Us and were very successful. We had valet parked. So each time we had packages we took them to have the valets put them in the car. What a fantastic service!  

When we finished at Toys R Us we decided to separate to get the last bits finished. I still had to get something for Stuart from the kids and something for Jack from Grandma and Grandpa in the UK. During all the hustle and bustle, Santa might have bought a few things for me in the shopping trip as well. 

At any rate, I finished with plenty of time to spare in order to meet Louise at the valet. Sadly, I got lost, like I always do, and was a few minutes late getting back to the car. Oops! But I am proud to report that I got it all completed. 

We met the kids and men at a park where they dropped off the kids and headed to the pub. They were quite ready to hand off the kids. We then let the kids play at the park for about 45 minutes, then rounded them up in order to go eat. 

We had a lovely dinner, just pub grub type of food, and then I drove home since the men had drank some beverages. I drove on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the street (or should I say other side?) when I lived in England, but that was almost 9 years ago. I have not done it since. Well wouldn't you know, Australia drives on the left and the steering wheel is on the right, just as it is in England. 

I was nervous because Stuart rode with Louise and I drove Louise's car with James and all of the kids. What were they thinking? It turned out fine, except for the fact that I kept turning on the wind screen wipers instead of the indicators and I hit a curb, pretty hard. But I did a phenomenal job when coming down their death trap of a driveway. There are two places where you can't even see the driveway because it is so steep. But the view and access to the water they have is worth the fear as you descend down the driveway. 

At the restaurant the kids were nearly asleep. However, they caught their second wind and were a little rowdy once we got home. Millie ended up stripping in Billy's room. That move bought her a ticket to bedtime. She was none too happy with me. The boys stayed up for a bit and watched a movie while Louise and I wrapped presents. Now just waiting for Santa to show up. 

Tuesday we went into the city to spend the night. We stayed right next to the cafe where the guy took those people hostage last week. The scene is so surreal. Australia has never had an incident like this occur so the outpouring of care and concern has been a bit overwhelming. There were flowers all over the plaza by the cafe that had just been cleaned up before we got there. But a small memorial just across the street had been set up for those who lost their lives.  

We were waiting for the train to arrive. 

This was one of the beautiful trees in the city. 

They also had a Lego tree in the city. Jack was amazed. 

Naturally no day of Chrostmas shopping is complete without a visit with Santa. This was an awesome display. We came to a little area behind a curtain that had two rooms. We knocked on the second one and there was Santa. The kids loved it. 

After walking around and shopping for a bit, we headed to lunch. We had taken the train into the city with the kids and the men met up with us after lunch. We checked into a 5 start Westin and went to our rooms. We did the ceremonial 'jumping on the beds' that we always do when we go into a hotel room, a tradition started by Uncle Mitch. Josh, Jack and Millie loved it!

After taking the kids to get some dinner and walking out on the town listening to music and seeing the lights, the adults headed out to dinner. Louise's mother had come with us and was 'babysitting' the kids. It was a nice treat for sure. 

The city was very festive. 

We went to a place called Sake. It is Louise's favorite restaurant in Sydney. As you can see, it is a Japanese place. We had excellent food, all presented so beautifully. 

This was a dessert. The blue is jello and the fish are made of chocolate, caramel, and some other delicious sweet creamy thingy (the technical name). It was called Koi Pond and it was yummy. 

Here are the six of us. Sitting by Stuart is Matt and his girlfriend, Jo. And then Louise and James are sitting beside me.  

These brothers are having such fun together. 

After dinner we walked down to the jar our. In the background you can see the Sydney Opera House. Beautiful!

Wednesday morning we got up and had breakfast at Jones the Grocer, which happens to be a place we eat in Abu Dhabi. We then went back to the room and checked out. Louise and James needed to do some shopping for food. So we decided since most likely we would not back it back into the heart of the city on this trip, we would head down to the Harbour and do some walking around. 

The Harbour Bridge is in the background. What a phenomenal view we had. 

We hopped on a Harbour cruise that took us all around the Harbour and gave a little commentary of the area and its history. It was great and the weather was really nice. 

Jack almost didn't get in this picture. Lovely background, eh?

We finally caught the train back to James and Lou's around 3 pm. Once we were back Stuart prepared lasagna for dinner and I showered the kids. James, Matt and Stuart went golfing while Louise and I took the kids to Christmas Eve mass. It was hot, we were sitting in the infant's room, a glasses in room behind the pews where you can still see and hear the sermon but they are not to see or hear you. However there were so many people there, it would have been impossible for them to not hear us. We ended up leaving after communion. I was very dissatisfied with the Christmas Eve event. So when the boys and Millie went to bed, I googled 'the story of Christmas' and read them the story, explaining to them that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. It was so good and they really were listening. It made me feel better about the evening. After the story I sang them a few Christmas carols. It turned out to be a satisfying evening. 

Christmas morning had the kids up early. Of course everyone wanted to see what Santa had brought. Jack and Millie received an email from Santa that had pictures attached. He said he left most of their gifts in Al Ain and they could unwrap them when they got home. They were very excited. 

Once the kids were awake and the adults had coffee in hand, the opening commenced. As usual the kids got more than they needed. Everyone was terribly generous to the kids. Jack and Millie bought me a ring from Pandora and Stuart bought me earrings from the same store. 

Once presents were opened and the house was clean we had a bit of breakfast and began preparation for the Christmas dinner. 

The kids played with their new toys right up until dinner time. Louise's parents came and then the air conditioner had to come on. It was just too hot. 

The kids played in the ocean and we also got out in the boat. We had great fun all day long. It was unlike any other Christmas I have ever experienced, and just as enjoyable as any other Christmas. 

The little paddle canoes were the favorite for the kids. They could stay out there for hours. What an amazing holiday this has been so far. 

We had dinner around 3 pm. There was plenty for everyone, as there always is. We had Christmas crackers, and plenty of conversation around the table. 

No aires put on here. All the boys stank like the ocean for Christmas festivities. 

The kids had their own table. 

After dinner there were more presents to be opened. Jack and Millie got a present from Nana And Papa Bates (Louise's parents) and Josh opened all of his presents. Another round of fun for sure. 

One gift Josh and Billy received were racing boats. So on Friday morning, before we headed to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the kids had some boat fun. 

You can see the yellow boat just off to the right. Once the boats had a near crash. I suppose that's what happens with a 9 year old and a 4 year old are driving. 

We left the house for the airport to fly to Brisbane. Louise booked us 4 nights on the Gold Coast; one night in the middle of Brisbane and the other three nights at a resort called Soul Surfers Paradise. 

Once at the airport we went to the Qantas lounge for free food and drinks. When your sister in law travels all over the world there are some perks for sure. We had some lunch, then Lou and I went down to shop the sales for a bit before boarding the plane. 

The ride to Brisbane was just a little over an hour. Once we arrived, naturally Millie was asleep, we headed to get our bags and head to the hotel. We checked into the hotel and then took a walk down to the Southbank area of Brisbane, which was about a 3 minute walk. 

There we found a sandy, secluded beach where people were swimming. We didn't get Jack and Millie dressed for the occasion so we're a bit bummed. But when Uncle James sees a problem, he sets into motion and fixes the problem. He went to a little souvenir shop and bought Jack and Millie some swimmers and towels. We really could have walked back to the hotel, but in the end we didn't have to. So nice and generous!

Before we ran upon the beach, we saw this levitating street performer. Huh?

All four kids were loving the water. Jack may have just been splashes in the eyes. 

Sand castles were attempted, but not too successful because there were no sand toys. 

Try as she may, the castle would not stand. 

Here might be the real reason James went to but the swimmers and towels. This was where we found them once we finished with the swim. Hmmm.....

After the kids had been showered we headed out for dinner. This was the scene when the kids saw their dads. I love that my kids love their dad so much, because so do I. 

Saturday morning I got up early to go to the hotel gym and work out. My biggest loser group in Al Ain is going to be ashamed of me if I gain back one ounce of what I've lost. So I'm going to try to combat it as much as possible this next week we are here. I know there is a gym at the resort as well, so that will help. Christmas goodies can kill a person. 

All nine of us were up early because we went to bed so early the night before. So we met for breakfast just before 7 am. After breakfast, because it was raining, we decided to take the kids to see a movie. We ended up watching Paddington, which was adorable. It was the first full movie Millie has sat through in the cinema. There was a bit of a sad part at the beginning and when I looked over, her lip was turned down and her eyes a bit weapy. I think she might have been crying. It made me feel so badly for her. But then the movie turned funny again so she was fine. 

After the movie we checked out of the hotel, and it was still raining, then we ate lunch at the cafe in the hotel. 

At 2 pm, our Gold Coast cab picked us up and shuttled us about an hour south of Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Again, we had a terrible view from our room as you can see below. 

The men took the boys to the beach, while Millie napped and Louise and I sat in the great room with the sliding glass doors open, listening to the waves of the ocean, and starting to watch Sex in the City 2. The setting is in Abu Dhabi although they were not allowed to film there. Although it was still overcast, it was no longer raining. 

We couldn't get the movie streamed so had to put off watching it until after the kids went to bed and the men went out for a beverage. 

Prior to the kids going to bed, we went down to the shopping center below the resort and had dinner at a Greek restaurant. 

We then took the kids to Time Zone. It's like Fun City in the UAE. You pay a lot of money, play some games, win tickets, and come out with cheap prizes. But the kids love it so that's why we did it. 

We headed back to the resort to have a much needed rest. 

A successful week if you ask me. I can't believe we have already been here a week. Time really does fly when you're having fun. 

One week left of school, but someone forgot to inform the students.

Well, as we assumed, there were not very many students at school on Sunday, and by Tuesday morning, the buses arrived empty. Not one child came to school. We sent school-wide texts and let the kids know we would still be instructing, but close to any break in the school calendar, students stop coming to school. Maybe each year it gets better, but I'm not sure. Our boys side has been relatively empty since our National Day holiday 2 weeks ago. 

We woke up to a surprise from Elfvis on Sunday morning, and now that Jack can read it was even more fun. Jack especially gets a thrill out of finding Elfis each morning. I will cry the day the magic goes away for him. 

Sunday was the last rugby practice for the kids until after the new year. Yahoo! Because Jack didn't join rugby until late January last season, the actual time he played rugby didn't seem so long. However this year I am looking forward to the end of the season. We all love it, but it will be nice when we have a little more flexibility after the first of March. 

Monday evening Stuart went and did a fitness test for his rugby team, while I went to the orthopedic doctor to have him evaluate my knee and see if there is a problem that needs further medical attention. He told me that usually arthritis doesn't set in before the age of 50, but that since I need to lose weight (exact words- wallah (I swear)) it may have set in earlier than usual. 

I kind of skirted around the rugby thing when talking to him about how my knee was injured. He asked me what I was doing when I hurt my knee. I told him I had started running and exercising to lose weight. He asked if I played any sports. I told him I played basketball and tennis in high school. He asked, 'And now?'  I fessed up and told him I was playing rugby and he chuckled as if to say, 'Thank you for finally telling me how you got here.'

As he twisted my knee around he discovered what he thinks the problem is, but won't know for sure until I get an MRI. He thinks there is some torn cartilage. Now if I were in the states I would just suck it up and not have an MRI no matter how much pain I was in because it would cost me too much in the end. But here it costs me a co-pay of about $14. I can afford that. 

I will keep you informed of the damage done. In the meantime he told me to lay off of rugby until we know what the trouble is. I told him I would be out of the country for two weeks so staying away from rugby would be easy. 

Tuesday, as I said earlier, there were no children in school and Jack woke up with a sore throat. I debated whether to take him to school with me and duck out early. But after a dose of Tylenol he miraculously recovered and went to school. The boy loves school, which makes me very happy. 

School for me was so boring on Tuesday. I had literally nothing to do. I am sure I could have found something to do, but opted out. Consequently I nearly fell asleep at my computer once during the day. I could have hung out in the pods and chatted with teachers, but then I would be found out and everyone would know I had nothing to do. It's a balancing act for sure. 

Tuesday evening we headed to the Turners house for a farewell to our friends Lexi and Bob. They are moving back to Scotland. We have gotten to know them fairly well in the last few months and will surely miss them. It just gives us one more place to visit. The comings and goings of people here is so common, yet still so unsettling. Investing your time in friendships becomes a bit painful at times. 

At any rate we had a lovely dinner and great conversation. We will miss our Scotish friends (well, Bob is actually English) but we will see them again for sure. 

Wednesday I had training on how to effectively teach writing. It was, by far, the best presentation I have experienced since moving here. The presenter was entertaining and his techniques were doable. It was very worth my time. Especially when I consider the rest of my school was allowed to go home at noon because they didn't go to the training. We were there until 2 pm. So I would deem it worthy. 

Once I arrived at home, Millie and I had a date with the salon. We were going to get a pedicure. This was the first time Millie has had her toes painted. I am pretty sure this will now become a habit for her. We went to the salon opposite of where I usually go in the Co-op just in front of our complex. My usual place is not what I am used to. Instead of massage chairs they have you sit on a bench and they just have a basin for your feet to go in. The basin is not even big enough for my size 10s. There is no comfort and in fact, sometimes I feel I'm doing the work by holding up my feet. Needless to say, when I walked into the salon just across the hall, saw the massage chairs and the proper pedi stations, I vowed that this would be my new stop for all my pedi needs. However, the water pressure was very low after my pedicure and the ladies after me barely got enough water in their foot sink to get the jets going. Water in this country is a big issue. It's strange. 

Once Millie was finished she sat and waited for me. About a half hour into the sandblasting they had to do on my feet Millie announced to me, 'I have to poop.' I told her that she'd have to wait. But then I knew it would be at least another half hour before I was finished. The bathroom wasn't in the salon, so I was the only choice. Much to his dismay, I called Stuart and he and Jack had to come and get her. No men are allowed in the salons so the Muslim women can be free to uncover while they are in there. Also, with a pedicure the women would show their legs and men are forbidden to see that as well. So when he got to the salon he called me and one of the sweet Philipino ladies took her out to him. Note to self, poop before the pedi starts. 

Millie sat so nicely. However she only got her toes painted. She is too young to have the crusty mess on her feet that I have going on with mine. 

Here is the end result. Jack just needed to feel a part. I have snowflakes on my toes. This is also the first salon I have been to that does nail art, which I like a lot. 

After Millie and I returned home, the kids ate and went to bed. I, on the other hand, went to a wedding. The son of my Arabic Head of Faculty, Azza, got married. Although he didn't come to the party until the end, I was able to see some of the teachers without their abayas, which was amazing. It is hard to believe what some of the women look like under their black shaylas. They often look totally different. If they didn't call my name I definitely would not recognize them. I love weddings here. 

Thursday morning our principal told us we didn't have to be at school until 8 am. Then once we got there all we had to do was fill out a survey and then we could leave. It was a great Christmas present. 

Some of us went to breakfast after leaving school. The rest of the day was spent with the final details of getting ready to leave for Australia. Stuart and I went to the mall to get lunch. Don't judge me for eating two meals within a few hours of each other. It had to be done. We visited the grocery store in the mall just to waste time. The ornament we saw in the Christmas section cracked me up. 

Oh yes, that is an ornament for full price from 2012. Ha!

Jack was so excited about our trip to the land down under. His countdown had come to an end. Elfvis had left the building, providing a 'selfie' and a note stating he would see us in Sydney. 

Jack and Millie got home from school, took a shower and finished up their chocolate advent calendar as well as their Lego advent calendar. We had decided not to take the calendars with us, so we had to do several a day  for a few days before leaving. On Thursday we had to do three doors.

After all chocolate was gone and Legos were put together, we left for Abu Dhabi. We met Gina at the Abu Dhabi City Golf Club. The kids had a run around and played at the club. We ate and talked for a while. After a bit the kids got restless. We decided we would go on to the airport and get the kids settled. Our flight wasn't until a little after 2 am, and we were super early, but it is always better to be there and not have to rush around. 

This was the scene with Millie around 11 pm. We are really hoping jetlag is no big deal, but time will tell. 

We finally got on our flight just after 1 am, and took off around 2 am, but not until we had to switch gates from Gate 51 to Gate 7. That was quite the walk. Fortunately Millie was fast asleep in the stroller. Jack was out of the stroller when he was her age, so we are very lucky she is still so small. 

The funniest event of the night was when I went to the bathroom to put a pull-up on Millie. She hasn't worn one in several

months, but due to the travels I would rather not risk her wetting her flight seat and just having to live with it. So I rolled her into the bathroom and up close to the sink to get her out of the way. As I got her changed and picked her up to resituate her in her stiller, me head must have gotten too close to the hand dryer because it went off. The air hit both Millie and myself. She woke up for a bit but then dropped right back to sleep. Numbskull am I. 

I am proud to report that she made it through the entire ordeal without waking up. 

The flight was fine, but long. Jack and Millie sat in the middle, between Stuart and me so were at each other most of the flight. The second flight we sat in the places that just had two seats, on the side of the plane. It was better because each of us had a child and it wasn't as difficult to keep them away from each other. 

Our first flight landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were there for 5 hours so we decided to get something to eat. Sadly the only thing that appealed to us was Burger King. Although there was this    restaurant. 

Obviously we could not choose this place in which to eat. 

When we boarded the plane in Malaysia I was really hoping the kids would sleep and we would have a peaceful flight. Not really the case. They did sleep, but it was the last three hours of the flight which was not enough. Neither Stuart nor myself were able to sleep much so we were a bit weiry once we arrived in Sydney. 

Coming through customs was very uneventful. We arrived just before 7 am and were through customs by about 8 am. Louise, my sister in law, was caught behind a wreck so wasn't there to get us until a bit after 8. 

Once we were picked up we went to a cafe for breakfast. It just happened to be at a marina. James (Stuart's brother) and Billy (our nephew) met us there. After breakfast all the boys went back to the house via the boat and the girls rode in the car. 

This is their boat. By Saturday afternoon Jack had had so much fun on the boat that his trip was complete. 

We really just relaxed, had a two hour nap on the sofa, and played in the water. Josh, Matt's son (Stuart's other brother), arrived and all boys had a blast playing together. 

This is the view we have from the main level deck. It's a gorgeous setting. We love that all of our relatives have such fabulous homes. 

These next two weeks are sure to be full of fun for everyone.