Sunday was my niece Zoe's christening. We were up and headed to the church at 9:30 am, which is no small feat with 12 people in the house and 3 bathrooms. It was quite impressive. Once we were at the church, we walked in with the priest and he instructed us on what we would do. It was a full mass, which means one of us needed to be Catholic, so Stuart played the part of a Catholic on that day. The service was wonderful and of course we were so honored to be asked to be her godparents.
Uncle Matt photo bombed our shot.
Lunch followed the service. It was a big affair. Many friends and family attended, included the other set of godparents. The food was gorgeous. It was really like a wedding. Her cake was so beautiful. The entire event was so much fun. The kids danced and had a grand old time. We had such a fab day that in the end we decided to stay in Australia another week and go to Hamilton Island for Matt's 40th birthday. I kind of think we might be crazy, but life is about experiences not things. We were very excited.
The day didn't end so well. When we came back to the house, I was helping bring in all the gifts from the car. I had made about 4 trips up and down the stairs. On the last trip I kicked off one of my heels and fell down the stairs. As I was falling, Louise was standing at the bottom trying to stop me. I started cracking up laughing and in the end I peed myself. I told Louise to stand back and I would clean up the mess. I'm pretty sure I broke my burser sack on my elbow. It was bruised badly, that's for sure.
The brothers and Barry had gone Christmas shopping and Stuart came back with gifts for Billy and Josh which saved me the trouble. The kids played outside while I did laundry, Louise worked, and Karen ironed. Once everyone was back in the house we ordered pizza and everyone ate. We retired downstairs to watch the Sydney carols on television. It lasted for over an hour. Millie was asleep within 10 minutes of the beginning of the show. Jack and Billy were asleep just before it was over, and Josh was still awake because he was sleeping downstairs and basically we were in his bedroom.
I had trouble sleeping because of my fall. I couldn't move in any direction. It was beyond a restless night's sleep. I got up around 7 am and had some coffee. I was super sore and would need to take it easy for a few days. The main thing was I would need to keep injury free if at all possible.
Once everyone was awake, we got sorted out to go to Matt's for a few days and then into the city for a night. While the kids were waiting for us to pack up, Millie fell down the drive and scuffed her forehead, hip, left knee and left elbow. She was a mess. It seems we might all be a bit accident prone.
When we got to Matt's we unpacked and then went to the mall. The boys went to see the new Star Wars movie while Karen, Millie and I went shopping. I was able to go to Target, which was quite exciting for me.
We got back to Matt's just after 4 pm and Matt started cooking. He gave me a new cover for my phone, which had donuts on it. Since they are my favorite, it was perfect. Although I can't eat them anymore, I still appreciate them. Of course, Matt got it from his neighbor Rachel because he calls everyone a 'donut'.
Matt invited his neighbor, Rachel, over for dinner. Her son is Josh's best friend. She's lovely and we like her and wish Matt liked her. However, you can't pick who your brother in law falls for I suppose.
Tuesday morning I was up at 6 am. Matt was off to work and we took the kids to Featherdale, a wildlife park. There were koalas, kangaroo, wombats, and many other animals native to Australia. The weather was amazing. The kids loved the experience, and an ice cream at the end of our trip didn't hurt at all.
We were back at the house and needed to head off to the Towers Mall because my iPhone was not working. I can only assume, in my technology ignorance, that I pushed a button I shouldn't have and the phone went nuts. In the end, my phone was fixed and we were back at the house just after 5. Karen and I went to the IGA. We went back to the house for salmon. Rachel came over again and we sat around and chatted the evening away.
While we were talking I received an email from my illustrator, but it was attached to the original one I sent to her, so I thought she meant she was finish, but in reality she had only finished 4 pages. Still yet, I was excited to show the pages to everyone. The new pages were amazing! It is finally starting to become a reality.
We got up on Wednesday morning and tidied Matt's house, washed a couple loads of laundry, and then headed to the city around noon. We checked into the Westin and went to the food court for lunch. The kids were restless so we came back to ours and had a shower. The plan was to go to the Brewhaus for dinner.
We walked to the restaurant, which is down on the Rocks in Sydney. It was a German restaurant where there was live music, games and competitions and beautiful food. It was an incredible evening.
Louise's Auntie Joyce, her mum and I went to Saint Mary's cathedral to see the lights of the church. This was the church where Louise and James were married. It was what I needed to feel the Christmas spirit.
I got home just before midnight and settled in for the night. Stuart had taken the kids back to the hotel when I went to the cathedral. Millie's ear infection had gotten worse so we knew we would need to take her to the doctor at some stage, but for the time being we were handling it with Tylenol. She was roasting when I returned so her nightgown came off and another dose of meds was in order.
We were up Thursday morning and off to breakfast. We ibuprofened Millie and she got better. However the doctor would be a necessity in the afternoon. We decided to walk to the harbour for a break with the kids. Then we met up with James and Lou for lunch, and collectively we all decided to stay another night in the city at the Westin. Matt had already gone back to Castle Hill, the suburb where he lives. He had to work Thursday so had left rather early that morning.
After lunch, as we walked back to the hotel to check into our new rooms we stopped at the park for a bit. When we were back at the Westin we settled into our new rooms. Then Millie and I headed to the doctor. She's had a bit of a time so far on this holiday. The doctor determined she had an ear and throat infection and prescribed antibiotics for her. For not having insurance here I was impressed that the doctor wasn't any more expensive than it was. She was good to go after the appointment and medication. After the first dose I could already see a difference.
Once we walked back to the Pitt Street Mall, Stuart took Millie from me. I was going to buy a white cardigan at H&M because I had a red shirt mishap in the wash with my white cardigan, but the line was too long so I couldn't be bothered. Instead I headed back to the hotel.
We were down for drinks and the kids had dinner. After about an hour, Grandma volunteered to have the kids for the evening while Lou, James, Stuart and myself went out for dinner. We ended up going to a tapas bar called Subsolo. It was delicious.
After dinner, Louise went back to the hotel while Stuart, James and I went to the pokies, which is the casino in Australia. We won money but then we lost money. I know I came out ahead, but I think the brothers ended up in the hole. Once we were back in the hotel, and the kids were settled, I took a shower and cracked my head on the bathtub as I was drying my legs. What the heck? I'm just an accident prone person this trip. Fortunately, the tiny cut was just that, a tiny cut. A little bit harder and I probably would have needed stitches.
Friday we were up by 9 am and down to breakfast. After having a bite to eat, we headed to Circular Quay to take a cruise around the harbour. We stopped in Manly Bay, shopped a bit, and then had a coffee at Starbucks. We then went to Watson Bay for the kids to play on the beach and at the park.
James joined us for a very late lunch or early dinner at 4:30 pm. I had a lovely sushi boat. We then got the ferry back to Circular Quay and actually headed back to Oyster Bay, our holiday home away from home. We ended up enjoying beverages and a jacuzzi. We didn't get to bed until around 1 am, but it was a good evening.
Saturday morning I woke up just after 6 am. I was tired but when the sun comes in your window you sometimes wake up, even in paradise. I would say I have already had a complete holiday and we are just over a week into it.
Doesn't everyone paint their garage on Christmas Eve?
We putzed around the house for most of the morning. Just after 10 am, Louise and I headed to the Miranda Mall, where we spent about 4 hours finishing up the last bits of shopping needed for Christmas Day. The kids, Grandma, Stuart and Matt were at the house, while James, Billy and Grandpa went to visit Roy, Louise's father. He's in the hospital because of kidney failure. It's a very sad time for his family, unfortunately.
While we were shopping the kegerator arrived. Just what the Telford boys needed.
Once Louise and I returned with the treasures, I decided to get all of the presents wrapped. The kids had taken a trip out to the other side of the river, using the paddle board and kayaks. They had a blast jumping off the rocks and spending time with family.
The weather turned a bit sour, and when the lightning started it was time for showers. With kids cleaned and dinner almost ready, Christmas was surely approaching. We ate Shepherd's pie and lasagne for dinner and watched the carols on television. At 9 pm, the kids said goodbye to Elfvis and Millie cried. She was very sad to see him leave for another year.
Once the kids were in bed, Operation Santa was in full force. The mince pies and carrots were set out. Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase was on the television, and everyone was ready for Christmas. Australia has been all we expected and more. What a wonderful time we are having.
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