Sunday I was not feeling so hot. It might be that I lost track of the bevvies I drank, so it was my own dang fault. I finally rolled out of bed at 9 am to take a shower and head to Matt's. The men went golfing again because the boat trip was off for good. It was a shame, but since it was weather related Matt was fully refunded.
While they were gone I did a lot of sleeping. James stayed at the house as well and looked after the kids, which was really what I was supposed to be doing. I finally started feeling normal again after Stuart brought me some chicken and chips around 3 pm.
Around 6 pm James decided Stuart and I would go to a restaurant called Co Ca Chu. The restaurants on the island were fully booked so we didn't eat out much. James' company insures Hamilton Island so I think James called in a favor and we were treated to a gorgeous meal. Again, the kids stayed at Matt's and we had a night out. Our night ended at the bar with some of the friends who attended the house party, and Matt was there as well.
The alarm was set for 7 am, but since I had been having so much fun and hadn't finished the blog for last week, I was up at 5:30 am finishing my writing and drying laundry. Once Stuart was up at 7 we got dressed and ready for the day. I had a pedicure booked for 10 am and then our flight was leaving at 2 pm.
We headed to the house and tried to help clean everything out of there. Jack hopped in the pool once more, leaving us with swimmers to dry before our flight. Just before 10, Stuart drove me to the spa for my pedi. I still have a very messed up toenail from who knows what so I hadn't had a pedicure in a while. I apologised for the state of my foot, but was told she'd seen worse. It was probably a lie, but I took it as truth.
Once my hour of relaxation was over, Stuart picked me up and we headed to the apartment to finish packing and sort out Jack's things from his backpack. I had packed all of his stuff to go to the house in his backpack and left his plane items on the desk top in our apartment. Once we were all ready, we headed back towards the airport with our luggage. We checked in almost 2 hours early, which avoided the crowds.
We headed to the bar for a bite to eat and then walked down the marina to a shop where the kids spent some of their money. Millie bought herself some glittery flip flops, which would not have been my choice because of the hate I have for glitter, and Jack bought himself a hat that says Hamilton Island. I felt they were sensible purchases.
We then met up with Brad and Gemma and told them thanks for all they had done for us. Really, Brad was the whole reason we decided to go to the island. We needed a place to stay and he had an extra bedroom. We had spent time with him two years ago when we were in Australia. He and his daughter had gone with us to the Gold Coast on that trip. He's a great friend to Matt and James, and was extraordinarily generous to let us crash with him.
We were then off to the airport to turn in our buggy and go through security. We waited for about 15 minutes once we were there. Then we boarded the plane and headed back to Sydney. It's hard to believe we were in Australia almost a month. We had such a wonderful time. Just another day in Oz and then it was back to reality, or at least our current version of it.
We landed in Sydney just before 6 pm, picked up our valeted car and were off to Oyster Bay. When we arrived Karen was cooking food. She made spaghetti bolognese for the kids and was baking chicken for the adults. It was smelling quite delicious.
We unpacked and repacked while the kids all played downstairs. Matt had dropped Josh, Karen and Barry off earlier since they had an earlier flight. Matt thought it would be good to let Josh spend one more night with Jack and Millie before we went home on Tuesday evening.
We got up on Tuesday and decided to take the kids to breakfast in Cronulla, the seaside town we had visited earlier in our trip, you know, the one where I won over $800. This time we had the kids so the pokies were out. We ate at a place called The Nuns' Pool. I'm not sure if the significance of the name, but the food was delightful. We then went down by the beach and ended up at a playground close by. We let the kids play for a bit, but had forgotten sunscreen so they didn't play long.
The drive home was about 30 minutes. With just about 10 minutes left in the drive, Stuart pulled over and because we were in two cars, I did the same, only to find out Billy had blown chow all over the backseat. The kids all made a quick exit. I was shocked that Jack had not given a sympathy barf.
Once the car was clean enough to re-enter we did so and continued our journey home. Billy seemed fine after his episode and at the house the kids carried on with their fun. I went to the shops for a last look around and to get some snacks for our plane journey. Once I was back and the kids were fed lunch, Karen and Stuart headed down for some provisions. Matt came to the house once he was finished with work. It was slowing setting in that we were leaving and I became very, very weepy. There were many reasons for my tears, and all stemmed from the love I have for this family I married into. How thankful am I that God blessed me with such great in-laws?
Once James was home from work, he and Stuart went to collect the Thai we had ordered. It was from a place we had eaten the first week we were in Oz. It was a great meal to end on. Then the dreaded time came when we had to leave. Because of the steep grade of James' driveway, we had to take the bags up to the road and wait for the cab. We bid our farewells and I cried and cried and cried. I'm sure I didn't seem quite stable to the family, but I was so sad. Once in the cab, I realized I had forgotten my phone. So I ran down the drive, which was not the wisest of decisions, and collected my phone, all the while bawling my eyes out. I said goodbye again and we were off to the airport.
The flight was uneventful and seemed to go more quickly than on the way out. In the Sydney airport Stuart and I decided to buy Fitbits. We had done very little activity while we were in Australia and we needed a motivator for the beginning of 2017. So the Fitbit was our choice.
The kids slept most of the way from Sydney to Doha. The layover in Doha was short, and we almost missed the flight. The connection was super tight. We came to the gate as the last bus was leaving to get on he plane. The flight was only an hour, which was nice. We got back to Dubai just before 9 am. Our driver, Bassel, picked us up and drove us to Al Ain. The kids slept the entire way. Had we not had Christmas presents to open once we got home, they probably would have slept all day.
We were home by 11 opening presents. While the kids played with their new gifts, I unpacked and Stuart headed to the grocery store. Once I was unpacked I took the kids to the doctor for their painful ears. Millie's problem ended up being her nose, not her ears, which is why I'm glad I insisted on seeing the doctor who took out Jack's tonsils a little over a year ago. Jack had an inner ear infection and was to come back for a check up the following day. The wait for the medication was the longest because their system was down and they had to wait for insurance approval. I was tired, with two sick kids, and I got a little cranky with the cashier.
Once we were home and kids were medicated, they played outside for most of the afternoon. They came in around 4 pm and had showers. Jack fell asleep around 5:15 pm and slept through the night, fortunately. Millie wasn't so lucky. She was asleep around 7 pm, but woke up four or five times in the night. At 3:45 am she came into our bed and announced that she was hungry. We finally got up just before 5 am. After we were all up and ready, the kids headed off to school and we were off to work. Thank goodness it was just one day and then it would be the weekend.
His new do.
I picked Jack up early from school to take him for the check up with the doctor. His ear was better, thank goodness. Jack and I stopped at the supermarket for some groceries. Stuart had gone to the store as well. We have to go to different stores for specific items, which is irritating some times. We met up at home with all the needed items and were set for the weekend.
Around 5 pm we headed to the club. Stuart walked with Sean, the kids played on the field, and Cathy and I had a glass of wine. When Stuart returned we had dinner and stayed for a bit for the karaoke night. Millie fell asleep at the club, but I still insisted she have a shower when we got home. She was not terribly pleased about it, but mama wins in these situations.
I stayed up to watch television, do some laundry, and I took down the Christmas decorations. I boxed them up and they are still sitting in the living room, waiting for a permanent home.
Friday morning both kids were up by 5 am, downstairs eating donuts and chocolate, which sent me over the edge once I was awake. It's obvious that we have some retraining to do from being on holiday and having no rules for almost a month. Once I sorted out the kids and had a cup of coffee, all was better.
We sat around for most of the morning. Millie played with her toys and set up a fort. Before too long I looked over and she was sound asleep. I suppose the jet lag had escaped everyone but her. She slept for almost 3 hours.
When she woke up, both kids went out to play and Stuart decided to wash the Land Rover. Stuart had first taken off the training wheels of Millie's bike. He tried to help hold her bike and push her, but she wouldn't take any instruction from him. So he told her to figure it out on her own. Well, that stubborn little thing had bike riding down in about 30 minutes. She was so pleased with herself.
The kids came in the house around 5 pm and showered. They went upstairs to watch a movie. In the meantime, Cathy and Mandy came over for a cup of tea. Millie came down and wouldn't stop talking. Needless to say, her little nap in the morning kept her awake in the evening. Jack, on the other hand, hadn't come downstairs which led me to believe he was asleep on the sofa upstairs. I went up and put him in his bed.
Millie finally went to bed around 8:30. Cathy and Mandy left just before 10 pm. I stayed up for a bit, but fell asleep on the sofa. I went upstairs around midnight. Millie came into our bed just after 5 am, and Stuart got up a bit after that. Jack had a rugby match in Dubai on Saturday. Millie and I decided we would stay home. Jack seemed okay with it, which was good. I didn't have the energy to ride to Dubai for the day.
Millie went out to ride her bike while I sat on the sofa and did nothing. It's possible that jet lag didn't escape me either. She then came back into the living room and played with her dolls for a while. Stuart called just after 11 to say that Jack had lost his matches, but he had played well.
They arrived home just before 1 pm. The weather is so great right now that all the kids want to do is play outside. Jack attempts to perfect his pogo stick and Millie goes between her bike and her scooter. It's wonderful! I open the window to the outside and can hear or see them while they play. Bliss!
Around 4 pm we went down to Clare and Scott's for a catch up and dinner. It seems we always have an open invitation to theirs on a Saturday evening for what we refer to as a 'Sunday roast'. We always take the kids' shower stuff and once we hit the road to come home, the kids are clean and often fall asleep. It's perfect planning! The same was true for this particular Saturday evening.
Life is the same in the UAE and we still love it!
School pictures from their one day at school this week. Their teachers are awesome!
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