Holiday: Visiting Family and Friends in SA

In January we spent over a week visiting our family and friends in South Australia.  It was amazing!! The good thing about living far away from loved ones is that every moment spent with them is precious - and this trip was no exception.  I am so happy we got to see all of our grandparents, all of our aunties and uncles, most of our cousins, and all of our close friends.  It makes me smile just recalling the memories :)

On Zoe's and my very first day in SA (Andre came a few days after us) we visited my Granny and Grandpa (Mum's parents) on the farm.  I just LOVE going to the farm!  It's like another world and I just love the country life, and now showing Zoe everything just brings a whole new meaning to the farm.

One of my favourite moments in this whole trip

The cellar in the forefront; the house just behind it

Ready to exit the house yard and follow the dirt paths and explore the dairy and chook pen

The old barn

Picking fruit on the way back to the house

Zoe and Grandma, at the back gate

Zoe didn't quite make it onto Grandpa's lap (1. because she was too shy; 2. because he was as dirty as ever. #farmlife) but enjoyed the food he expertly fed her!

Great-Granny and Zoe

Weren't my grandparents the handsomest couple?!

With my cousins!! Love you girls!

It is ALWAYS a highlight to see Nana and Grampy!  They message us all the time, post letters, photos and gifts, email often, and video call regularly - but nothing beats seeing them in person.  We love you!

Playing with Mr. Potato Head - classic!

Grampy has a great love for pickled onions, so we had to introduce Zoe to the sensation!

Grampy and Zoe bonding over pickled onions

Zoe avoided Lottie (Nana and Grampy's dog) but loved the dog bed

With Great-Nana!

25 years ago with my Pop - Nana's Dad; my great-grandfather. Such love

With Nana and Grampy back in the day! Their love for Zoe is the same (more?!) as it was for me all of those years ago, and it's so special to experience.

Mum, Zoe and I took a drive through the city with my great-auntie.  Love the buildings in Adelaide!

We had lots of catch-ups with friends, too!  Some of them weren't documented in photos, but thankfully others were.

We got to hug Lici (and her bubba ;) ) and see her and John's new home. Thanks for the hot chocolate and lunch, Lici!

The way to Zoe's heart is definitely through her tummy...

Catching up with Auntie Maria :)

Meeting Brooke's twins, Eleanor and Olivia, was the greatest joy!! They are so precious!

Auntie Lorraine playing with Zoe on the Macca's playground!

These two are peas of a pod

MY SISTER TOOK ME HORSE-RIDING!!!!!!!! Best date ever!!! 

Jarryd taking us for a drive. Zoe and I were a lot more apprehensive than we look ;)

Zoe carried the egg inside, no worries. I took it and put it on the bench... SPLAT! 

My family, in our original seats at the dining table :) 

Such precious memories from this fun trip!! I just love seeing my siblings with my daughter... they love their niece so much!

~Rachel

Camping: Toowoomba

 

At the beginning of January we took a trip two hours from home to the lovely town of Toowoomba.  We have been wanting to visit Toowoomba ever since we moved to Queensland (two years ago!), and we are so glad we finally made it - it was such a lovely weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring a little of the town and surrounding areas.

Our first stop in Toowoomba was Picnic Point Lookout.

 View from Picnic Point Lookout of Tabletop Mountain (which we unfortunately didn't get time to visit)

We stayed in a Big4 for the first time and loved it!  The gardens were beautiful, the upkeep was faultless, and our tent site was perfect - on a lovely grassy spot with multiple garden beds of veggies and herbs that we could eat (!!!), 5 metres from the BBQ, 10 metres from the pool, 20 metres from the kitchen, and 20 metres from the bathroom... score!

On our full day, we began with a leisurely breakfast and then headed off to Crows Nest National Park for a hike with sunscreen, hats, water, snacks, and baby carrier in tow.

We had a late lunch at Nest Cafe in Cabarlah.  The food was amazing, and they have a sweet little corner for kids to play!

Our next stop was Black Forest Hill - apparently the "largest display of German grandfather and cuckoo clocks"... and it was beautiful!  No pictures of the magnificent grandfather clocks though, thanks to wrangling a toddler in this very expensive shop.

We did the tourist drive around Toowoomba and stopped at the Japanese Gardens.  WOW!!  I am so glad we took the extra 20 minutes to wander around the gardens - it was so peaceful and beautiful!  Perfect way to end our active day.

Our final day was spent packing up our campsite, visiting the Toowoomba Church of the Nazarene, and having lunch with some friends at Kingfishers Cafe & Restaurant (where the food and beverages were divine!).

Overall, a lovely couple of days away from the normal routine of life!  We would love to return to the area to explore more of Toowoomba and surrounds.

Our biggest love and thanks to Nana and Grampy - your Christmas gift became this holiday!  Thank you!

~Rachel