I had meant to update the blog before now, but I guess it's better late than never. If I don't do it soon I'll get too far behind and have to miss out on some of the interesting things that have been happening lately! But first I'd better catch you all up on our week away in Nambucca Heads.
We decided that the easiest way to travel the 5/6 hour journey with Max would be to do as much as possible while he was asleep. So on Saturday morning we woke up at 3am, packed the last few remaining things and put a very sleepy Max in the car and headed off. I don't think he had any idea of what was going on, and he stayed awake (but quiet) just trying to figure it out for a while before nodding back off to sleep. We managed to get most of the way to Grafton before he woke again, since at that time of morning the road was almost empty and we had a great run. After a couple of quick stops in Grafton for breakfast and Coffs Harbour for some sightseeing (and running into the Hovell family from church!) we were the first of the families to arrive in Nambucca.
The house we stayed in suited our large group pretty well for the week. Probably the best thing about it was the large second story, which was all open plan and combined a lounge room, kitchen, dining area and opened out onto a deck. It was roomy enough to fit everyone in with enough space that we weren't sitting in each other's laps (unless we wanted to!). It was also a short walk downhill to the beach, but since the walk back uphill was a bit of a struggle we mostly ended up driving there. The beach was perfect for little ones, being very flat with lots of little pools of water sheltered from the waves. Max loved it from the moment we got there. He couldn't get enough of walking around with me holding his hands, splashing in the water, eating the sand, and crawling around.
He also had fun splashing in the bath with the other kids once he got used to the concept of having a bath with other people.
Most evenings the little ones had a group bath since it saved lots of time and water. With up to 5 in the bath at once it made sure that everyone got very wet, including the adults supervising!
There was a fairly good mix of ages between the 5 families. Jaxon and Orlani, both two-and-a-bit, were good playmates for each other when they weren't fighting about something. Nate, who is about one and a half, was left out of their play a bit being a bit too young and not as strong-willed, but there were still enough toys to keep him happy most of the time. Keira, 11mths, and Max, 8 mths, were the next most active, with Kiera walking and Max crawling. We had to watch these ones from eating too many things that they shouldn't! Eli and Amelie, both 7mths old, were probably the easiest ones to look after since both were happy to sit or lie on the floor and play quietly with toys, until one of the older ones came and stole them or got a bit violent.
The adults all had lots of fun as well, as well as some very tasty food. I really enjoyed our evening meals, since with so many people there who like to cook and are good at it, the menu just kept on getting better! We had everything from barbeque to Mexican, and from Indian curries to a roast dinner - all of it thoroughly delicious.
The girls all took the opportunity to go out for lunch one day to the local tavern on the water, leaving the boys at home to look after the children. We all enjoyed and appreciated this rare chance and also visited the local bakery on the way home for some coffee and cake. The boys then had their turn and went out for an evening meal at the RSL.
On the last day of our holiday we went back down to the waterfront to commemorate our holiday by painting a rock, which seems to be the thing to do. Here are the Batkin family and our piece of the Nambucca wharf.
Overall the holiday was a big success. I think everyone came away refreshed and relaxed, and we all got a chance to catch up with what we've all been up to and spend time hanging out together and giving our kids the chance to become friends as well. I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime!
They also bought Max his first pair of Chuck's, which are unfortunately a little too small for his feet. Although they are tiny feet they are quite big for his age and even after much trying we were unable to get the shoes on, to our great disappointment.
We also managed to catch up with some other coastie friends while we were there, including Stacey and Steve and their newest addition to the family, little Timothy. It's hard to believe that Max was that size not so long ago - it seems like much longer! We also had a quick chat with Anthony and Pauline and Mason. It won't be long before they also have an addition to their family which is quite exciting.
