After our last trip to Perth, we weren't in a hurry to go back but this Christmas, there were two good reasons to go back for another visit. The first reason was that Row's parents would be visiting Australia and second, it was Row's cousin's 21st birthday so we decided to meet up in Perth and then spend Christmas there. It was time to make better, fonder memories of Perth!
Packing for two children is no light matter, hahaha! In addition to packing the normal holiday things like swimsuits, hats, sunblock...we now had to pack nappies, Christmas presents, two car seats, an Ergo baby carrier and a pram. Luckily we fitted everything and didn't go over our luggage allowance plus Qantas are quite flexible (lucky for us) when traveling with children and all their necessities. It was a very early start to the day but Justin was so excited about going on the plane and watching "Jake and the Neverland Pirates' and of course, seeing Ma-Ma and Yeh-Yeh. The flight to Perth is 5 hours and I didn't know what to expect from Ava because she had a bit of a cold...I was hoping and praying that she would be as good a traveler as Justin....she didn't disappoint...both our kids were so good on the plane. It helps when they have their own entertainment unit (for Justin) and food is on tap (for Ava). I would like to say that the 5 hour flight went by quickly but that would be a lie....thankfully both kids were good.
Landing in Perth was like landing in an oven...hot hot hot! We had to push all our luggage, plus pram, 2 car seats and 2 kids to the car rental parking, load everything up, put in the car seats and then we were off. Driving to Row's aunt, there was an air of excitement...this would be Ava's first time meeting the family and Justin was just excited about seeing everyone. The grandparents were over the moon about seeing Justin and meeting Ava, so far, the holiday was off to a good start. No sooner had Justin walked into the house, then he made a dash for the pool...although I couldn't blame him, it was sooo hot.
The following day we took Justin to Scitech which is the science museum...a definite must for any visitor even if you don't have kids. We spent about 3.5 hrs in there and all the adults and Justin had so much fun. There is one section designed for toddlers and Justin spent a good 2 hrs in that section, playing with the wheelbarrow, loading bricks, putting it in the basket and using the pulley to pull the bricks up onto the platform. Even Ava got to enjoy a bit of the science museum.
Row's cousin's 21st birthday party was on Christmas Eve so there was lots of cleaning and prepping and cooking. It was a small intimate party with lots to eat, so much to eat in fact that we didn't have to cook for the rest of the week, although after the second day of eating the same food for lunch and dinner, we were sick of Thai curry, bak chit gai and noodles. We're glad that we made the trip out to be part of this milestone birthday party. Before bedtime, Justin put out some cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer.
Justin didn't wake up too early considering the 3 hour time difference between Perth and Sydney. As soon as his eyes opened and he realised what day it was, he jumped out of bed eager to see if Santa had come and also to wake up the rest of the house. He was so chuffed when he went outside and saw that Santa had indeed visited and eaten his snack. We all got super spoilt...so many presents! A big thank you to all our family and friends in SA who sent presents, we truly appreciate it.
Christmas, Boxing Day and the day after was so hot, the thermometer hovering around 40 degrees, that we spent the days sleeping and swimming.
It was a good holiday and Christmas...definitely made some very good memories this time around.
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| Our little fish |
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| Playing in the fishbowl at Scitech |
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| Making different coloured bubbles |
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Bob Justin the Builder |
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| Fascinated by the mechanics of using levers |
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| Ava enjoying Scitech |
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| Carols by candlelight |
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| Christmas morning |
