How much fun are backyard wading pools?

After a very long trip from Bli Bli we eventually arrived at the farm near Millmerran. We left in the evening in the hopes of Max sleeping all or most of the way there, but unfortunately the weather was against us. It started to rain near Kilcoy and continued on and off for the rest of the way to Toowoomba, which cooled the air down quite a lot. We were both concentrating on the extremely thick fog that stayed with us the whole way from Esk through Highfields and into Toowoomba and didn't realise that Max was getting a bit too cold in the backseat until he woke up and started complaining right in the thickest part of the fog. We did make it through thanks to Cam's good concentration and driving and stopped at a 7-11 in Toowoomba for a pitstop. I took Max into the toilet since he also needed a nappy change, and thankfully found an emergency hoodie for him in the nappy bag. He was then wandering around a 7-11 in Toowoomba at about 10.30pm wearing his pjs, the hoodie with the hood over his head, and no shoes, while eating a muesli bar. He looked so funny that Cam and I couldn't help giggle every time we looked at him. Thankfully the stop fixed most of his issues and he was good for the rest of the trip.

When we arrived at the farm, Amy, Kurt and the twins were already there and the next day Tammy and Cam arrived as well. We then opened all of the Pfeffer Christmas presents and it was good to see how much more the kids enjoyed it this year than last year. After presents and lunch it was time for a swim in the wading pool that Grandma and Pa had set up.



They all had fun splashing around in their togs for a while before wanting to get out. Elke was happy to swim so long as Max wasn't in the pool at the same time, since he is a bit more boisterous than she is used to and she didn't like it so much.

Later on Gabbie and Max wanted to go for another swim so we just took off their clothes and let them go. They were very happy and cute playing in the water and getting in and out of the pool with little naked bums and we all had fun watching them. Once again Elke was a bit scared by noisy splashy Max and instead went to play in the twins' Christmas present from their parents - an inflatable fort/jumping castle.

Max and Gabbie also had fun taking the inflatable stars from the fort to the pool and back again, doing lots of splashing and running around in the process.

Eating Out

On our last night in Hervey Bay we all went out to dinner, thanks to Uncle Lance, to one of his favourite restaurants The Drover's Dog (highly recommended!). Usually if Cam and I go out to eat in the evening we try and plan to leave Max at home, but this time we wanted to all eat together so we planned his daytime naps and our restaurant booking so that he could come along too.

Max loved the experience and had great fun making friends with our waitress and several of the other diners. He did have a few upset moments, however, such as when our drinks orders arrived and his cousin Rhys received a chocolate milkshake in a big tall glass. Max watched it intently as it was set down in front of Rhys and then let everyone know that he was being robbed if he couldn't have some.
We thought he may as well be let in on the fun, so the nice waitress went and prepared Max a strawberry milkshake of his very own.


Max watched her every move while she was preparing it and then didn't take his eyes off it until we'd poured some into a smaller glass and he was drinking it out of his very own straw. He must have thought we were going to take it away again, because he completely drained his first glass without taking a breath and then wanted a refill! Everyone at the table was amazed at the speed at which he drank the entire milkshake throughout the meal.

One of the excellent things about the Drover's Dog (other than their delicious filet mignon which is what I ordered) is that they provide free mashed vegies for kids under 3, and our very understanding waitress gave Max an oyster fork which was the perfect size for him. After feeding him a few mouthfuls my own meal arrived, so I decided just to not watch Max too closely (to avoid cringing at the mess he made) and let him go nuts with the fork while I paid proper attention to my perfectly cooked steak. Here are the results ...

vegies you say? hmm, tastes better with fingers

actually this fork thing isn't so bad after all if you open your mouth wide enough

who says I can't eat the garnish? it looks like the best bit!

get that camera away! I LIKE being messy!

Bundaberg Day Trip

Another outing we took while staying at Hervey Bay was up to visit the town of Bundaberg. Usually this is a town with much to offer the day tripper, such as the Ginger Beer and Rum factories, the famous Sunshine Kebabs, and the free zoo in the botanical gardens. Unfortunately we chose to go on Boxing Day, which meant that Sunshine Kebabs (and most other dining establishments) were closed, and the star attraction of the zoo, the emu, had been killed only a few days previously.

Still, we had a fun day visiting the zoo's other inhabitants and playing on the playground.





After quite a bit of driving around and finding that most places are closed on Boxing Day in Bundaberg, we eventually discovered that the RSL still opens for lunch, so we went there and had a lovely feed while overlooking the boats on the river.

On the way home we decided to visit Woodgate Beach again since we had such a good time there on the last visit. This time we were more prepared with swimming togs so Max, Cam and I all had a wonderful swim before returning home.

Woodgate Beach

For the first week of our three week Christmas break, we headed up to Hervey Bay to stay with Cam's sister Bronwyn and her family for Christmas Day. We tried to make the most of our stay in such a beautiful part of the country by seeing the area and taking lots of day trips. The first of these was up to Woodgate to visit Cam's great-aunt Maisie, who is visually impaired but still lives alone and is quite independent. While Maisie and Joy (Cam's mum) were chatting and catching up, Cam and I took Max to the beach. It is a gorgeous spot with gentle waves and crystal clear water with lots of golden sand - perfect for Max to play in and explore. He just loves the water so much, especially the beach!





Just about the only negative for Max at the beach is that his eyes get so red from all of the salt, so when they got too bad we left the beach and headed for the playground instead. I don't think Max minded too much, since they had all his favourites such as swings, slides and even a cool tunnel with windows!




When he had had enough we hosed Max down in the outdoor shower and went back to Auntie Maisie's house for lunch. She shares her backyard with some very friendly kangaroos.

After a nice chat and lunch we took a quick group photo of the four generations before heading back home to Hervey Bay.