Mega Massive Catch up!

Oops!  I have not done much on here for ages, sorry!

So what has been going on in our upside down land?  Well the main thing I suppose is that mum and dad have been here for a month, the boys had school holidays, we all went to the Gold Coast for a week and basically it has been a very busy month or so.

Now we are back into school and work and study.  Yes, study!  I have started college, training to be a teaching assistant.  I am doing this by open learning and through the boys school, so it all works out really well, I have had to drop tuck shop but have increased my volunteer hours at school working with the prep and grade one years doing extra literacy support. 

So life is very busy for us all, our weeks are full of school and work, the boys have started swimming lessons after school one day a week and are loving it.  It is amazing to see them improve so quickly, especially as they are both self taught swimmers so far.  Just a little direction perform a stroke correctly and breathe and they are well away.  Unfortunately our pool is a bit too cold for them to go in at the mo, but they go to the leisure centre once a week and are usually in the sea at least once on the weekend.

Tris has really got into surfing, he is totally hooked!  He has his own board (early birthday!) and is in the sea most days on the weekend and also after work if he finishes early!  Rowan really wants a proper board now too, he is improving on his body board but wants to do the whole standy up thing!  I have been getting into paddle boarding which is also great fun, nice and relaxing, paddling off around the lake.

We have been up to so much that I think I will stop waffling and just put up photos, be warned though I have quite a few (it may take a few days to get them all on here!)........................................

All along the Gold Coast they have these koalas, all wearing different patterns - this one was a tiger

The beach at Surfers Paradise (where we stayed), the beach has not yet recovered from the cyclone, but it was still very busy

The view from our hotel window

Movie World

Tris and Wonder Woman

Two little super heroes

Rowan and Grandad on the dodgems

v's Reuben and Tris

We watched a car stunt show, which was really good fun to watch, the stunts were great.  The boys loved it

One of Reubens favourite rides

Reuben loved all the characters walking around and wanted to have his photo taken with them and give them all high fives

Rowan loved this little train and the tea cups!  He still didn't really want to go on many rides as they are all too scary for him, but he still thinks it's the best place ever!

They have a parade at the end of the day, where all the characters walk and drive along the main drive.  Reuben didn't stop waving!

He even got a high five from Flash!

We kept driving past this park on our home from the theme parks, so one day we went there and the boys had a great time

This bouncy thing was such good fun, it was really, really bouncy.

I couldn't work out how to get off - Rowan showed me the easiest way!

Making friends

Full moon rising

It was the start of the Surfers Paradise festival whilst we were there, it started with a parade by local schools and groups

And some awesome fireworks.  They launched them off a boat out at sea

The moon was beautiful that night

Sea World - Dinosaur island

Nanny and Grandad blasting poor innocent children with water!

Dad got well into it!

Rowan wanted to go on this pirate climbing course and had no fears at all about walking along very thin beams, very high up

Relaxing

On the cable car

Another stunt show - Jet skis this time

We went to Bryon Bay on our last day, unfortunately it was cloudy and rainy.  It has changed so much since Tristan and I were there 15 years ago.  Shame to see it so poncey, but I'm glad we went.