I woke up really early on New Year's Day and everyone was already up. The brothers and Barry went to golf at 11:30 am. They returned around 3 pm. In the meantime the kids played downstairs most of the time. It was a lazy day, which is how I like New Year's Day to be.
But the kids were in bed by the time we ate. We sat around the table for a few hours. Barry started playing his guitar and I sang. It was a smashing evening, maybe a little too smashing, as I woke up with a raging headache on Monday morning. In spite of that, I had to pull it together because Lou had arranged for us to have family photos taken at 10 am.
The pictures were good fun, and I'm sure they will be great. The brothers goofed around throughout most of the shoot. They can't be serious when they are together. They are still children in many ways.
After pictures everyone scattered. Giles and Barry went into the city for a night, Matt and Karen headed to Castle Hill, Louise went to a meeting for her job, Stuart and I went to the mall, and James stayed at home with the kids and cleaned up Christmas decorations.
When we returned from the mall the kids were content and playing nicely. We all headed to dinner around 6:30 pm. The pokies were not very kind to me. However, I am still ahead of the game and am a winner. The club we went to had a kids club where the kids were entertained for over an hour. It was great! Once we were home I did some laundry and we all went to bed.
We were up and in the city just after 9 am and took all 4 of the kids to Luna Park, which is a little like I imagine Coney Island to be. In fact, part of the park was named Coney Island. It was an exaggerated carnival. The kids had so much fun. However, since I was an 'accompanying adult' it meant I had to go on the rides with Billy and Millie because they were not tall enough to go on their own. Boo! It's more painful to ride those rides when you are older and less flexible. Oh but they had fun, and isn't that what's important?
We left around 2:30 and headed back towards James' office, where we had parked. He was waiting to bring Giles back from the city. We ended up just bringing our two back to the house. On the way back they were able to take a nap, which was a nice way to get them some much needed rest. This has been far from a restful holiday, but it has been one for the memory books and that's also what's important. I hope we have done our best to create great memories, with family, for Jack and Millie, especially since we are all on different continents.
The rest of the afternoon was very low key. James and company returned just after 6 pm, while I was at the store getting a birthday card and some shower gel. When I returned there was Thai food being delivered. We sat and ate. After, the kids showered and were off to bed.
I was awaken by Lou at midnight because Jack had barfed in the bed he and Billy were sleeping in. He didn't get it anywhere but on the sheets. Poor boy! I stayed downstairs with him and he threw up two more times. It then dawned on me that he had eaten about 3 red and yellow bell peppers. I'm sure that was what causing some of the stomach cramps. Once he had stopped vomiting I went back upstairs to bed. When I got up Wednesday morning I was pleasantly surprised that Jack was feeling fine.
We were off to the airport at 9:30 and on the flight just before 12 to Hamilton Island. The flight was just over 2 hours. I tried to catch some sleep since the night before had been a bit restless. We arrived to paradise. It was a beautiful, steamy setting. The humidity was not nice, but the temperature was pleasant so it was relatively comfortable. We met up with Brad (the friend of Matt and James who would be putting us up for the 5 nights) and he took us to his apartment, after we collected our buggy (golf cart).
Jack decided not to stay at Matt's that first night. I think he was just too tired to think about not going to bed with us not there. It was a late night, as it has been on this holiday, but everyone can recover when we get back to Al Ain.
Stuart was up and gone on Thursday morning at 7 am. He and his brothers went to play golf. When he left it was pouring down rain. They had to take a ferry to another island to play. He said they played the first hole and it was drizzling, but then it cleared up. The tropics, this time of year, are unusually very wet.
The kids (Jack, Millie, and Gemma, Brad's daughter) and I sat around the apartment and played games. We then decided to go to the marina just before 11 am. Stuart messaged that he would be back by 11:45 and would take the kids to Matt's place. We went into the shops, grabbed some shopping, and sat at a picnic table to have a donut, which was quickly disturbed by some birds who were looking for breakfast.
Giles, Matt, James and myself stayed at the bar with the pokies, which were not so brilliant, while Stuart took the kids up to the house. Our buggy lost steam on the way home.
When everyone was back at the house, we started the BBQ. Karen and Barry's friends, Janie and Digby, showed up and brought the kids gifts. They are also doing a few months in Australia and will end up staying with us a few days in late March.
Jack had decided he would spend the night with Josh and Billy Thursday night, but as always happens when he's too tired, once we started to leave, he broke out in tears. I finally convinced him that he wanted to wake up with Billy and Josh and we couldn't guarantee what time we would return to Matt's house the following morning. He settled and we left. Millie had already fallen asleep before we left for the apartment. So I had to hold her on my lap, which is against buggy laws, but we really had no choice.
Stuart ended up dropping us off and going back to the bar for drinks with the guys. It being Matt's birthday it only seemed the thing to do. Stuart returned just before midnight. A good night's sleep was needed by all.
We were up just before 8 am. The plan was to go to the bakery for coffee and a roll. Sadly, it was pouring down rain and since there is no indoor seating we had to take it with us. By the time we got to Matt's we were all soaked. The kids had been to get milk shakes and they were showering when we arrived. Once they finished they had a bite to eat and started playing pool. Millie joined in the fun. She's hardly tall enough to reach the table, but she worked it out and ended up with a technique all her own.
Lou and I headed for our massages just before 10 am and it was pouring. What a great time for a massage! The doors to the room were opened to the outside and you could hear the rain falling the entire time. I dozed for some of the massage, which is always a treat. I can always count on Louise to book us a spa treatment that is a cut above the rest.
Once we were home we grabbed a bite to eat and lounged around the house. Stuart took me to the Marina early so all the buggies could get everyone down. We ate dinner at a place called Taco, which was, as you would guess, a Mexican place. The food was amazing, but our reservation was not for enough people and Matt and James ended up sitting up at a high top bar table where they said they wouldn't serve them food. It was a bit silly. I felt badly that the birthday boy had to sit away from his guests so we took the party to him. We all kind of took turns sitting at the bar with him. There were a few beverages that hit that table, as one would guess. I might have a new favorite drink called an espresso martini. Hello! It cranks you up for sure. I was still feeling the caffeine effects on Saturday morning. Wow!
We got up Saturday morning with plans to go on a chartered boat for the birthday boy's official celebration. However, once we were up, it was obvious that the winds were too strong and it would need to be delayed for another day.
Grandma and Grandpa took the grandkids to have breakfast with the koalas. It's a gimmicky thing, but it was really nice. Stuart and I tagged along as well. Millie and I went into the bathroom and were surprised at the window above us to see a possum. Freaky!
Once we were finished eating, I decided to stay in town and look around the resort shops. It started raining even harder, but still yet I decided to walk back up the hill to Matt's house. By the time I got there I looked like a drowned rat. I also had forgotten any dry clothes. So since the brothers were going to the bar, I dropped them off and then headed to the apartment to get some dry clothes and put a load of laundry in to wash.
Once I was finished, I went to collect Gemma from the bar, get some things at the general store, and get some food for Louise at the bakery. I bought more than I needed to thinking the boys would be hungry, but they weren't. I was sure none of it would go to waste.
The big Telfords returned just after 3 pm, which was when the musician showed up. The house party started around 4 pm and didn't end until almost 11, and since both our kids were asleep in the bunk beds at Matt's we headed to the bar for karaoke.
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