Day 8- Movieworld

On the Friday, we had some family photos taken in the morning by Gina while the kids were bright and happy. It was slightly overcast and a muggy day. The lighting good for Gina to work some magic. Here is a sneak peak of one of the photos of the kids. Auntie Gina bought the kids their matching green outfits, and she made Maddi her gorgeous hairband. Here's a sneak peak of one of the photos of the kids. Maddi's ideal breakfast is watermelon and strawberries. Watermelon is her favourite fruit.



We all did different activities, on this day. Gina and Damien headed to Ballina for the day to visit Damien's grandmother. Liz, Kevin, Becc and William, did another shopping trip. Ness and Brise went to Movieworld for some more thrill seeking and we headed to Movieworld for the stuntshow. The plan was to just go to the car stuntshow, and let the kids on some of the kids rides before the show started. We only had a limited time before the show started so we gave the Phil and Ted pram a run for its money, and discovered that it can be a three seater pram. Maddi sat in the toddler seat with Linc strapped in on her lap. There was no time for photo taking unfortunately. If we had Gina our official photographer with us, we would of got a brilliant shot.

Movieworld had a whole section for the kids, and the kids went on Sylvester's Bounce 'n' Pounce which was identical to the Big Bird Bounce at Seaworld. Maddi and Big Alex went on the Road Runner Rollercoaster. Maddi enjoyed the rollercoaster and let out some screams for the sake of what everyone else was doing.

Little Alex queing up for the Bounce 'n' Pounce.


Maddi's turn

Speedy Gonzales Taxis were a real hit with us. This was great for the kids as they got to drive the cars all by themselves on the track. We had to wait a little while, but it was worth it.

Maddi still hasn't got the idea with steering properly and Little Alex needed help to push his accelerator button. Alex and I were cracking up as they were on this. They held everyone up and everyone overtook them several times before they had completed a lap. They kept bumping into each other like they were on the dodgem cars and Maddi kept telling little Alex to press the button when he would stop.


Here the lady is helping them out. She must be a very patient woman to deal with kids that are bad drivers all day.

Maddi and Alex went at their usual pace to get out of the cars, and kept checking out their cars before they left, (Mum will understand exactly what I'm talking about!). They are such dawdlers when getting in and out of the car, that I would rather put them in the pram and walk several kilometres than get them in and out of the car as I get so impatient with them.

Daffy Duck had a peek at Linc.


Maddi made another friend on another ride. She kept chatting to all the kids during rides while we visited the parks and was so relaxed during some of the fast paced rides, that she would find out their full names, like her friend Zac that she made at Dreamworld while on the fast swings. We have since forgotten little Zac's surname.


We missed the Hollywood Stunt Driver show, as we had been misinformed the time by one of the employees on the phone. We were a bit dissapointed because it was the whole purpose of going to Movieworld for the morning, but then we were glad that we got to take the kids on some of the rides where so many memories were created. Especially on the taxi drive one, where Alex and I were cracking up at the kids' poor driving skills. Lucky none of the other kids got roadrage. Little Alex didn't do too badly for a two year old with the driving really. We keep forgetting that he is only two.

We stopped to take a break, as it was so hot and muggy. How we would wish for that in Tassie right now!

We left Movieworld around Midday and stopped at Harbourtown for some outlet shopping. We took the scenic route home and I showed Alex where we lived in Surfers Paradise while Dad was on his long service leave. That was about 12 years ago. The place has grown a bit since we were there then.


When we got back to the house all of us were back from our outings. Some of us went for a final dip

Some prefered to watch this time.

It was sad to know that our holiday was coming to an end when we ate leftovers for tea. Our final night had come by so quickly. We had lots of laughs when we looked at photos of the weeks' activities that Gina had taken.

Day 7- Wet 'n' Wild

On Thursday morning we had a first from Linc. He rolled while he was on the bed. We knew he could do it as he is really strong in the trunk and has been sitting up since he was 5 and a half months old, but I guess it has taken him awhile to get the opportunity to do so. Good on you Linc!

We had a warm to hot day, the temperature was great for our visit to Wet 'n' Wild. We made Buccaneer Bay our base for the day, and set up all our food and swimming gear up in the picnic table area. It was so nice to be able to bring our own food into the park, unlike the other parks where we had to buy what they had on site.

Linc enjoyed the sights and sounds of the park, but wasn't a keen swimmer.

We thought the kids would love Wet 'n' Wild as they love Launceston Aquatic Centre and love swimming and splashing around. At home little Alex gets to the end of the bath tub, sits down on the edge and uses the side of the bath tub as a waterslide. So this park was definitely one for the kids.


Maddi loved all the waterslides and Little Alex enjoyed watching all the kids having fun in the water just as much as actually playing in the water.


We went on the Calypso Beach ride with the kids which was a relaxing tube ride around a slow flowing stream. The kids must of enjoyed it so much that they had another turn with Moppy and Poppy.


While the kids were in the care of others Alex and I went on some rides together in the Extreme H2O Zone.The final thing we did was had a race on The Super 8 Aqua Racer with 5 people racing. Poppy was the winner, and I was lucky last.

We left mid-afternoon and we weren't cold at all. When we left it was around 30 degrees. We had a great day, and what made it even better was that the sun had no sting upon us.

Alex and I cooked two Sri Lankan curries for tea. Alex is reknown for his curry cooking that he learnt to make while serving his mission in Sydney. The two curries are named Tavilstock Road Original, a chicken curry that is named after the street he lived on. The Green Deceiver is the green coloured curry and is a beef curry. The Green Deceiver is my favourite and is a hot curry, with lots of vegetables in it, that has an after bite of hotness to it. Hence the name 'Deceiver.'

We got the kids in bed soon after tea and headed out for a late night shop with Linc. Linc loved the one on one and sat happily in the front pack. He was a great tool to get some bargains. All the shop assistants gave me some great discounts that I didn't ask for, and the guys at the Fruitmarket gave us some Tamarillos to try, and black sapote fruit which is often referred to as chocolate pudding fruit.

Day 6- Taking a break

On the Wednesday some of us rested from visiting the theme parks and took it a little easier. Little Alex was once again the first up, so we didn't waste any of the day with having a sleep in. Little Alex rarely sleeps in and was always up when the sun was shining, around 5.45am and 6.15am each morning. This is a photo of our room. The king sized bed made us look small. It was lovely to not be so squished during the night when Linc came into bed for his night feeds. The kids would all jump into bed with us in the mornings and watch the Nickelodeon channel.

I know it sounds like I am raving on about the weather, but it was just perfect! Warm and not overly hot. We took the dinghy out for a row on the lake. It was reassuring to know that it was a lake where no sharks could swim up, like they would if the waterway was a canal. There were heaps of fish in the water and the water was so clear in the shallow parts that you could see the fish. It would of been nice to take the kids fishing for the first time, as it looked like the fish would of been easy to catch, but we didn't have time.


Little Alex enjoyed the row so much that he stayed on while I had a paddle. He got so confident in there that he would lean over the side of the boat and swish his hands through the water.

Linc was content on the outdoor lounge while we paddled.

Here Moppy is with her eldest and youngest grandchildren. Maddi was pretending to be a baby. She often says to me " I wish I could be a baby again." Then I remind her of all the things she can do now that she couldn't when she was a baby, and she decides that being a kid is much better.

We broke off into two groups and headed in different directions. The boys headed to White Water World for the morning.

The girls headed to Pacific Fair Shopping Centre for some shopping. Poppy came along and helped look after the kids. While the girls were trying on clothes, Poppy managed to get these two asleep. Good on you Poppy! He got lots of looks from people, especially when he had all 4 kids at once.

These big eyes were peering through the top of the pram while we shopped.

Maddi got an icecream to match her outfit from Baskin Robbins. Little Alex continued to catch up on some sleep and missed out.

The boys were back from White Water World by lunchtime and joined us shopping the rest of the time. The boys told us of the great time they had at White Water World. They had a wonderful time. They said the queing was short if there was any queing, and said how fun the rides were. Alex said it was the pick of the parks if you were going for rides and fun.

What was supposed to be a short and sweet shopping trip, ended up being a long shopping trip. We don't have the best shopping on the North West Coast, so we took advantage of the shopping.

These two visited Toys R Us, which is toy heaven for them. Maddi isn't a keen shopper, but toy and craft shops really excite her. Little Alex was so excited that he wouldn't stay in the pram. These two ended up testing the floor stock and had a wonderful time together as they drove this car up and down all the aisles.

Gina and Damien cooked a delicious tea of roast chicken and vegetables. The kids finished their plates off and came back asking for seconds and thirds (in Little Alex's case).

Little Alex is always ready to be an assistant chef and taste tester. He helped Moppy make some chocolate mousse for dessert.

Another day passed by so quickly.

Day 5- Seaworld

We had a gorgeous day for our day at Seaworld. Maddi was all dressed up in her princess gear and was wearing her Tiara that we bought from Dreamworld the day before.

The last time I visited Seaworld was about 12 years ago. Back then it was my favourite theme park, and it still lived up to its reputation of being my favourite. I love the animals, particuarly the dolphins. The first thing we did was watched the seal show.



The kids loved spending time at the Sesame Street Beach. The Big Bird Bounce was lots of fun for them.



Riding the carousel

The highlight of the day was the dolphin show. We were lucky that we got front row seats, because of the prams.

One of the dolphins was a crack up, as it enjoyed all the praise and attention and lapped up the applause of the audience. It wouldn't return back to the trainers like the other dolphins. After a whistle from the trainer it finally returned.


The kids loved looking at all the different sea creatures. Little Alex was very interested in the Sting Rays.

Little Alex is intrigued by sharks at the moment, so it was a must to look at the sharks.


We went on the Bermuda Triangle ride as a group. It looked like it was going to be a nice tame boat ride for the kids, so we took Maddi and Little Alex on it. Little Alex sat in the front between Moppy and Poppy. When we got inside the cave and it was pitched black we couldn't see what was going on, and the boat took off. Little Alex freaked out and wanted to sit with me. Little Alex's fear got worse as there were all these strange noises, dead people and funny lighting around us. The poor little guy was so pertrified that when we got off the ride, he came up to me and gave me a hug and said " I was scared." Little Alex barely speaks, it definitely shook him up. There was a complete contrast in Maddi who loved it and said she wanted to go back on the "Alien ride" again. Auntie Gina and Damien took Maddi back on a second time.

She got a little bit wet the second time but didn't seem to mind.

Enjoying an icecream

We had a great day at Seaworld and returned home to use the pool. I was hoping Little Alex would have an afternoon nap, and fall asleep in the car on the way home. No chance of that when he found out everyone was having a swim!


Linc loved watching everyone swim, but still isn't a water baby like his siblings.

We went out for tea to a restaurant in Broadbeach called Moo Moo. It specialised in Wagyu Beef. Little Alex was struggling to keep his eyes open on the way to the restaurant. When Little Alex is tired it is a recipe for disaster. Fortunately after a short stroll in the pram he fell asleep and slept the whole time we were there. Here is a photo of him during his short awake period.




When we headed home little Alex stayed asleep and Maddi fell asleep on travelling home. They were exhausted after a full on day and transferred well into their beds that night. They did so well at being pleasant and good kids all day. Thanks once again to Gina for supplying all the wonderful photos of the moments I missed.