Our Australian Xmas Adventure!
What a holiday we had! Michael has taken his first road trip driving from Sydney to Brisbane stopping at different beaches every day along the coast. Due to the long drive, most days we made a stop at a McDonald’s where Michael was delighted in finding his “new playground”. By the afternoon, we had reached the next town where a new beach awaited. Whenever Michael got into the car, he’d say “I’m going to find a new playground and a new beach today!” and, of course, he did. After 5 days of travel, we travelled through the Blue Mountains, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie (my favorite) and Coffs Harbour (where the BIG banana was). Thanks to Google Maps and its clever road-by-road directions guide, we finally reached Kingscliff where the Lacy clan vacationed by the beach for a week. We celebrated Poppa’s 66th birthday and all the Lacys and Turners near and far were there. Michael was just so excited to see his cousins, aunties, uncles and grandparents. It was also where Michael’s exposure to sweets began (it was Christmas after all!!!):
- Michael is still not so sure about ice-cream as it was just too cold!
- frizzy drinks just hurt his little tongue and the face he’d make after a sip was hysterical!
- lollies looked a bit too strange and he didn’t quite want to touch them (yet)!
- chips and biscuits are just heavenly. Michael shuffled as much of those chips/bikkies as he could at every occasion!
- the best highlight was probably the “melting moments”. It looked harmless like a little mini-size puff pastry. But boy does it melt. After Auntie Tamara shared the ingredients (butter and sugar), it is no wonder why it was a hit!
Michael was also happily surprised by the amount of toys a little boy can receive in a short span! We are not so sure how much he appreciates Santa but he sure can recognize who he is!
Just like any other visit to Brisbane, every day was colorful and eventful meeting up with Ian’s mates and friends. To Michael, he loved visiting everyone’s home as there is again a new playground to be found (someone’s backyard)! The quieter moments would be where he hung out with Nanna/Poppa’s new puppy Oscar who gave him many kisses and licks while he rode Ian’s childhood scooter. Everyday was an adventure for our little yet quickly growing boy!
We then returned to Shanghai for a relatively quiet new year. However 2010 has had a lot for us already! Our lovely helper is leaving soon and we are scrambling to get a new one. Plus our second baby is coming along at the end of March. Second bubba is a little too small for his size and I am having tests again for gestational diabetes (sigh). All seems a bit crazy at the moment but I hope that as the year progresses, we will get it sorted. As Ian always says, as long as we’re together, we will find the right solution!
In the meantime, enjoy our photos from Christmas:
http://picasaweb.google.com/staceylacy/MichaelSAlbumMyAustraliaAdventures
Love from Shanghai,
Ian, Stacey, Michael (who loves to say “I don’t know” and “I don’t want it”!) and bubba at 29 weeks.
