Barranjoey Lighthouse

This past weekend we decided it was time for another family bushwalk. Usually the way they work in our family is that I suggest we go on a bushwalk. One or more child/ren are usually on my side while the others complain. It is too hot. I am tired. It is boring. Then we either a) go anyway or b) spend so much time whining that it is nearly lunch time and too late to start the expedition because nap time is quickly approaching. This Saturday was the option "a" variety. I suggested we tackle the stairs up to Barranjoey Lighthouse. Despite a decenter or two, we went anyway. We had a great day!

It was a bit hot and sticky which made the sea breeze that much nicer. It is a lot of stairs - straight up in fact - but we just proved we had strong legs.




We found a neat little rock overhang that was a great little cave and a perfect water stop.


We found a special friend.


Our littlest munchkin got put in the backpack after a bit but the others proved their strength and resilience and made it to the top.


We were rewarded with beautiful views out across the water, a lighthouse, and yes, that gorgeous sea breeze.



We stopped for lunch at the local RSL club. Took a pass on the pokeys and ate our fill of hot chips, burgers and nachos. Yum! Then at home, we realized we had brought a few friends home with us. We first noticed a stowaway in M's hair at lunch. Then again, another crawling on her bed... hmmm. Is this head lice? Please say no, no, no.

No. It is just a paralysis tick.



Lucky for us, they mostly only paralyze dogs and we were pretty safe from their toxins. None the less, we all did the obligatory tick search, stripping the little girls down to check those favorite tick hiding places. Luckily, all was clear and the Monaco family will live to see another day.

Happy Halloween!

Today was Halloween. It is always strange to celebrate a holiday so far from home. Halloween is mostly celebrated by Americans and is not really a big deal down under. In our town, there are a handful of streets that seem to collectively participate in tick-or-treating. Other than that, it is just another night.

The little girls were invited to a Halloween party by a preschool classmate. The big kids were planning to attend a murder mystery night at church. J was going to have a conference call and I would go with the little girls. It was the perfect plan. No costumes needed for the big two and we were all set for the little ones. At the last minute, the church event was canceled. So, we were suddenly trying to figure out what to do with the kids. They almost lost the privilege of trick-or-treating in a mommy tantrum this morning. But, a little grace was in order and I went back on my word and let them go. Phew!

Lucky we have a big dress up closet in this house. We were able to scrounge up two costumes for the big kids and J took them trick-or-treating while I took the girls to the party. I knew it was not an American party when the kids were served vegemite and salmon sandwiches for dinner. My two prefer salmon, in case you were wondering. Then there were spooky cupcakes and a big group trick-or-treat. We went to about 6 houses before heading home. It was perfect for the little girls. They had pumpkin buckets full of lollies and lots of other treats besides. A great evening.



The big kids had fun with Dad but seem to have forgotten that it is just not the same as America. Even on the streets that are "the best" for Halloween, it is still not even close to every house participating. A and M got lots of lollies but the sentiment remains...some things are just better in America!

Happy Birthday - again!

Just ten days after little C turned 4, A turned a whopping 11! How time flies. I cannot believe our baby boy is 11. This year to celebrate, he wanted to have a slumber party and movie night with a few of his best mates. The night was a success - I call it one at least because I got a few hours of sleep. The boys watched Thor, ate junk food, and goofed around. Doesn't get much better when you are 11. A got a new skateboard for his birthday which, of course, he "customized" and it is totally "epic!" Happy Birthday A man!

Happy Birthday!

Little C just celebrated her 4th birthday. The actual day came while we were in Fiji and she had a huge crowd singing to her. It was all a little overwhelming!


To celebrate her birthday here in Sydney, we had a fairy party. C and 11 other little fairies joined together for a morning of fairy dancing, wand making, and more. They all had a great time and were absolutely adorable. It is hard to believe this little one is already 4!!!!

All the little fairies playing pass the parcel. We were first introduced to the game in England and are happy to continue playing in Australia. The girls all love it.

No party is complete without a fairy cake!

Bula!

Our family has done the near impossible. We have successfully executed another holiday where we secured the never sought after, unseasonable, unlikely, downright annoying, rain storms! Yes, that's right. We just spent another week playing cards in a hotel room. The destination this time - Fiji. By all accounts early October is one of the best times of year to go to Fiji. Mild temperatures and virtually no rain make it a holiday makers paradise. If only I had a dollar for every holiday rain drop our family has felt. I would be rich!

But, alas, all that family time spent together in cramped quarters makes me rich in spirit! Despite the rain, we had a lovely time in Fiji. We flew into Nadi and took an hour boat ride out to none other than "Paradise Island." Paradise it was. The beaches were gorgeous and there was nothing for us to do but relax. Even with the rain, we were able to have a wonderful holiday together.


The resort itself was very basic but perfect for our family. I had a very hard time finding accommodations for a family of 6 during school holidays. Paradise Island is a 3 star resort which can be a little scary. But, it was perfect for us. Our first bure (that is a little fiji cottage) was not renovated and was awful. We complained (of course) and were moved to a nicely renovated bure which was great. Nothing special - no tvs even - but we knew that coming in. It was 3 rooms with beds for everyone and views of the ocean. What more do we need?

So, what did we do in the rain? Most days there was at least an hour or so where the rain slowed to a sprinkle. So, we swam. We snorkeled. We ate. We had a great time. The snorkeling off the beach was fantastic. There was a reef just a short swim off shore so we were all able to see some amazing sea life. In fact, our snorkeling here was much better than the Great Barrier Reef. It was nice and shallow as well so we were able to paddle the little girls out in kayaks so they could see the reef too. We all saw tons of butterfly fish, huge bright blue starfish, and J even spotted a sting ray! The resort also had a kid's club with an indoor bouncy castle and slides. They had activities like hat making, crab racing, limbo and more. All the activities they had planned helped pass some of those very rainy days. In the end, the sun even decided to join us and our last 2 days in Fiji were the gorgeous sunny days you expect!

My forty precious toes...

Coconut time! The kids collected coconuts all week and had plenty of fresh coconut milk.

The resort had several pools and two waterslides. One in the baby pool and one in the big pool. We loved them!

We had lots of fun kayaking through the week. The resort had kayaks scattered around the beach that we could take. With the water so calm and shallow, we were all able to enjoy paddling around.


No vacation would be complete without a little adrenaline. The big kids had fun on the banana boat. The only complaint - it did not go fast enough!

Ahhhhh.... milkshakes by the water. Life lived on Fiji time is well worth it!

Headland Park

This morning (after much moaning and groaning from the kids) we decided to head out on a little family bushwalk. We joined onto the trail that runs from Balmoral to Chowder Bay and spent most of our time exploring around Headland Park. The views out to Middle Harbour are amazing. We could see right across to Watson's Bay. It was lovely. Most of all, the kids enjoyed the cannons and old tunnels. They spent lots of time climbing on cannons and wishing they could get into the old fortification tunnels that were designed to protect Sydney over 100 years ago. They do give tours once a month so we will have to add that to the list of things to do. After much exploring, we had lunch at the cafe at Headland park followed by more frolicking in the sun. The kids loved the modern art sculpture that seems to be more of a climbing frame with all the kids on it. Here are some photos from the day.