Lazy days of Summer

What we've been up to since Christmas Day...................................................



Opening the last of the presents on Boxing Day

Playing with presents

Eating

Drinking

Going to the beach

Picking Berries

and of course eating them!

Relaxing- Watching the arrival of the Sydney to Hobart Yachts out on the deck.

Checking them out up closer.
Going to the Taste of Tasmania and meeting up with old friends.

Meeting up with old uni mates at The Taste. Reminiscing about those Uni days.



Spending time with Moppy, Poppy and Becc, while Mum and Dad have time childless at The Taste.

Cooking marshmallows and a Hungi on the bonfire that Poppy lit.

Bedtime stories with Moppy

Shopping, sleeping, playing the Wii, meeting new people, spending time with the newlyweds. Plus much more. What great holidays we've had so far!

Christmas with the Triffitts

At 1.00pm we arrived at Mum and Dad's. We had Christmas lunch with salads and cold meats. It was such a beautiful day that we ate outside. It was really enjoyable outside. There were tables and picnic rugs set up outside. It also saved the hassle with the mess too. There are so many grandkids now in the family that we fill up a room really easily.




Mum and Dad bought all the grandkids a trampoline for Christmas. I'm sure it will be very loved. Aaron and Alex set it up and I was most impressed at how quickly they put it up. Maddi and Alex love it and enjoyed spending time on there. It's a great playpen enclosure for babies I discovered.


Little Alex enjoyed exploring outside. He is such an affectionate little boy. He crawled up to Kobe and gave him a kiss.


Jay playing with one of his presents. He sang me a post-Christmas version of Santa Clause Came to Town.

Opening presents

The 'Kobester'

Mum cooked a delicious hot Christmas tea of roast turkey, roast pork and vegies. There was so much dessert to choose from. Dad made a pavlova which is his speciality. Mum made Sago Plum Pudding. I love Sago Plum Pudding and since it's only made once a year I had some. We also had chocolate mousse cake, mango cheesecake, chocolate and raspberry trifle, fresh raspberries and pecan pie to choose from.


Organising ourselves for a family photo. We missed Chrish this year. He sent us a package of American Candies. We all had a chat to him on the phone.

We got home at 9.30pm. We had such a great day. One of the good things about Christmas for us, is that we get to spend time with both the families. The company is certainly the best thing about Christmas for us. Maddi isn't so much interested in the toys as she is with the company.

Mum and Dad with some of the Grandkids. Mum must of been exhausted when we all left.

Christmas with the Watsons

On Sunday evening we headed down to Hobart for a pre-Christmas visit. We mainly finished our Christmas shopping off and finished making presents. This year I managed to skip the christmas rush and madness fairly well. Becc and Brise babysat the kids for us one morning and I sent Alex out on shopping missions. It was good that the kids got to have some rest and beat the christmas crowds as they have both been sick since Saturday. Every year we head to Hobart a few days before Christmas to celebrate with the Watsons.

On Christmas Eve morning Maddi headed down to the wharf with Kevin and Liz to pick up some seafood. It is becoming a tradition now to have Seafood Paella on Christmas Eve. Liz made a delicious Paella full of lots of yummy seafood. Maddi is such a fan of seafood and was trying to source out the prawns in the dish and kept asking for more prawns. Becc had made some traditional homemade bon bons for everyone with personal presents inside.

Alex's Nana joined us for tea. It's always great to have her company.

Brise opened an exploding bottle of Maison that left a pool on his plate.


While we were eating a Cruise Liner went past heading out to sea. I managed to get this shot. I really miss not having river views anymore. It was always nice to look out the window and watch all the boats travelling up and down the river. In the next week the yachts from the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race will be travelling up the river.

This boy LOVES food. He is so vocal when he eats. He says "yummmm...ummm" etc.

For dessert we had a selection of Lemon Merigue Pie which Liz is famous for. Chocolate raspberry tarts, Pumpkin pie and a white chocolate and raspberry trifle.

Having a play afterwards.

The kids managed to get a reasonably early night. We left a carrot out for Rudolph, and a cookie and some milk for Santa. Santa left a messy trace of ashes from the fireplace. Maddi and Alex slept in Christmas morning and I ended up waking them at 7.45am. We had a traditional christmas breakfast of fruit salad and yoghurt with Egg Nog and Chocolate milk. Afterwards we opened presents. Every year we do the Kris Kindle thing where we have to buy for one person, and we also have to make a present for someone else. This year I had to make for Becc. I made her a chipboard wedding album. Ness made a present for me and it was just what I needed. She made a haircare wall hanging, which holds a brush hairbands etc. Great for me as our brushes and hair things are always going missing as Maddi moves things all the time. Now everything will be neatly organised on the wall. She also made me a pair of earrings. Ness is very talented at making jewellery.

A happy present opener.

It was this little one's first Christmas. It seemed like it was his second Christmas as he is almost 12 months old now.

Maddi loves Becc's giraffe named Conan. Becc and Brise found a smaller version of Conan and gave it to Maddi for a present. I think Baby Conan will become a good friend alongside with Gordy.

We then packed up the car and headed to Mum and Dad's for Christmas lunch. The kids napped in the car on the way so they were a little refreshed by the time we arrived.

Bedtime Stories

Tuesday night we headed off to Hobart Village Cinemas to an exclusive movie screening of the Disney movie Bedtime Stories. Manny (Brise's Mum) won a family pass from the radio station and kindly passed it onto us. The movie stars Adam Sandler and Kerri Russell and is quite a good humourous movie. We had to hand in all mobile phones and cameras before entering the cinemas as it was a preview screening to prevent anyone from recording the movie. The cinema was packed full of families. Before the movie there were door prizes drawn and handed out.

Alex got a bit restless in the last half an hour so I ended up taking him out. He is at the age now where he won't sit still for too long. Maddi was more interested in the popcorn than the actual movie, but enjoyed snippets of it with her short attention span.