Merry in March

The best part about creating a blog with its main purpose being a record for yourself – moments, anecdotes, memories that might otherwise be forgotten – is that when you sadly neglect the blog, you can totally justify posting embarrassingly belated photos and olds (what you get when news is no longer new). I will not care in a year or decade that I posted Christmas snaps in March, I will simply be glad that I bothered at all. That’s my spin and I’m sticking with it!

We enjoyed a lovely family Christmas, nicely spread out over about 5 days – my extended family the weekend before Christmas, our own personal present opening on Christmas Eve morning – this kept it just between us AND meant we didn’t have to cart so many presents to Swan Hill with us ;) and then both a Christmas Eve and Christmas Dad celebration “up the hill” with Andrew’s family where it happily wasn’t 47 degrees for a week like last year.

Andrew managed around 3 weeks off for the first time that I can remember (just look how relaxed and happy he looks) and we swanned around Victoria, staying at one relative’s house after another – after Swan Hill came Ocean Grove, followed by a quick trip back to Melbourne for the fabulous 20/20 cricket match we gave Andrew for Christmas and then back down the beach to Point Lonsdale. We are very lucky.

One of the highlights of Christmas was giving the girls one of the most exciting and best-kept secret presents of all time (and I managed to not accidentally drop the secret too!). We gave them a travel bag with eye mask, travel pillow and travel journal which perplexed all three girls. Kate was on to it quickest, leafing through the journal to find a mocked up Qantas boarding pass to LA and a “certificate” entitling them to visit Disneyland. She just SCREAMED! J But of course Amy and Sophie didn’t know why yet, so they each had to find their own passes – Amy didn’t make a sound but was in Andrew’s arms in a flash and Sophie did a fabulous happy dance.

So yes, we are off, leaving on a jet plane in just 5 sleeps for a family holiday of a lifetime (well, it’s true, we will not be taking the girls to Disneyland again in this lifetime) – Disneyland, followed by a short road trip through the desert to Las Vegas to do the Grand Canyon, Cirque de Soleil at a casino, Universal Studios, Legoland in San Diego and we’re spending a few days in Santa Monica, walking distance from Venice Beach which should be fascinating. Incredibly exciting, although I am a walking list of things to do atm as Andrew will pack for himself, the girls will probably manage to charge their nintendos and ipods (IF I remind them) and I organise everything else of course.

Next term, it looks like I will be lucky enough to have a day off which is like the greatest gift from the universe landing in my lap – TIME :) Trying hard not to immediately fill it up and just breathe….. So hopefully the next update won’t be 3 months after the fact…..

Happy holidaze everyone

xxxxx