Hervey Bay Road Trip

It has been a while again since blogging so my reflection of our Hervey Bay road trip will mostly be through photos and comments, just so I can catch up.

The day after Boxing Day James and I got up and ready at 3am for our road trip to start. The plan was to be in the car by 4am so the kids could have a sleep while we drove to Taree - beating traffic and cutting down the length of time the kids are awake in the car. According to the nav man, we could arrive in Tweed Heads by 2:30pm (but of course it would be longer because we would be stopping). The kids were pretty excited about the trip.

They did really well. Eliza slept for most of the drive and Daniel was a wake at the start but did have a sleep for a few hours. While he was awake he happily sat there chatting and looking out his window. We made it to Taree foodcourt for breakfast which the kids were excited about.

 Unfortunately it was raining so Daniel couldn't play in the playground but both kids ate well (as did both parents) and then we were on the road again. Daniel was pretty excited about using his travel tray for the car.

And it sure was used well!

Just a few things on it

For lunch we stopped at Coffs Harbour shopping centre and after eventually finding a parking spot walked through to the food court. It was bucketting down with rain so everyone who was on the road seemed to be stopping here for lunch so it made for a pretty stressful time! Once in there and food in our stomachs we were a bit calmer and ready to continue to drive. Again with all the rain, Daniel wasn't able to have a run around. We were hoping that the walk through the shopping centre would be enough for him to get some energy out.

During the next leg Daniel really enjoyed playing with his magnadoodle (great Christmas present Grayma!)

Sleepy Daniel picture

 Daniel would ask me to 'Draw Naniel' so I would draw Daniel doing funny faces - sleep, happy, laughing, snooring, crazy face, silly face, tongue poking out, etc. He loved seeing what face was drawn and then rubbing it out to start again. No joke, this entertained him for over an hour!!

After hitting horrible traffic (a stretch that should have taken 15mins too up to 50mins!!) we were about 20mins out from Tweed Heads and both Eliza and Daniel were quite over being in the car. We were so blessed because they had been sitting in the car since 4am and it was now 6pm!! It had been raining a lot the whole way so Daniel and Eliza weren't able to move around much so they did extremely well. I climbed into the back of the car to help entertain the kids and they were pretty happy to have a new face join them.

Once we arrived at Tweed Heads we got the kids out of the car so they could have a short play before dinner and bed. Daniel was so very hyped up he just kept running from one room to the other, up the step and back down. Totally understandable!

It was the first night that both Daniel and Eliza were sharing a room so we didn't know how they would go. After dinner and a bit of a run around the rooms we went through the bedtime routine and kept reminding Daniel that he needed to stay in bed and be quiet so that Eliza could go to sleep. We were so very impressed with them both! Daniel stayed quiet - just looked at his books while in bed, they both fell asleep pretty quickly (as did James and I after such a long day on the road) and they both slept through the night. The only downside was that Eliza woke up around 5:30 for a feed which woke up Daniel and he wasn't keen to just stay in bed. We decided to get on the road after I had fed Eliza. Unfortunately it was still pouring down with rain so James went for a drive to undercover parking to re-pack the car, we popped the kids back in and then we were on the road again.


We drove all the way to Eumundi which we were pretty happy about and gave the kids breakfast. The best part though was that the rain had stopped and Daniel could get out and play!!! We stayed at Eumundi for around an hour.

 After a decent time out of the car we bundled back in for the last leg. Again, the kids were great - didn't really hear any complaints, they happily slept and played with toys. When we arrived in Hervey Bay the kids were very excited to see Nana J and Boompa (as were we). It was straight into the kids room and they started to play.

After we had settled in Jenny and Maddie came around and it was so lovely to see them! Maddie and Daniel had fun playing together in the backyard and in the playroom while Eliza had a nap.

Everything is about cricket at the moment with Daniel

Who is taller?

Saying hi to Benny (Daniel was quite afraid of Benny at the start but quickly warmed to him)

Our playdough phobia has gone!

Eliza woke up and after a feed enjoyed having cuddles with Aunty Jen.

We then had Noble Christmas present time. Eliza, Daniel and Maddie enjoyed opening their presents (as did we).

Eliza also enjoyed Boompa's present of a small puzzle. The container must have been tasty but also fun to shake like a rattle.

The kids slept pretty well at night which was great, however, thanks to Queensland not having daylight savings, they did wake up around 5am and weren't keen to go back to sleep! Because I had been up to feed Eliza I let James sleep, got dressed and took the kids for a walk down to the beach. It was really nice to get out for the walk and Daniel really enjoyed the walk, although it was at toddler pace!

Daniel had fun looking at different shells on the sand (something he hasn't done before).

We walked all the way down to the mangroves and Daniel enjoyed exploring a log.

We then walked the length of the beach to the rock wall. It was a very slow walk, stopping to look at the water, at shells, at boats, at dogs (while clinging to my legs), etc. but it was a nice to watch and chat with Daniel about everything.

When close, Daniel broke into a run to get the rockwall. He was pretty excited to make it there (and found some more shells to celebrate).

After a play on the rocks we started to head back. I taught Daniel how you could write in the sand with your foot.

Eliza enjoyed her time in the ergo too.

Pretty nice being so close to the beach (although the mosquito bites weren't so much fun) and I think walks to the beach will be lots of fun as the kids grow up (and a good time filler for early morning wake ups).

When Maddie came around she brought her balance bike. It was left there and Daniel loved having a go on it. Maybe a good present idea for in the future?

After Eliza's nap we went for a drive to see Nan. It was really nice to see her and it's so lovely to see her playing with the kids. It amazes me how she is able to play with the kids, particularly Daniel, who wanted to play throwing and catching a material block. Nan has had shoulder surgery and it is still painful at times yet she was very keen to play with him. She's pretty amazing!

'This little piggy' is always a winner.

Grannie's beads are always popular

No one would guess that she's had shoulder surgery while playing with Daniel!

Loves reading a book

Cuddles to say bye

After the kids' nap time Maddie and Jenny came around again. Maddie had fun sitting with Eliza who just loved playing with the box of blocks. I had to laugh at the way Maddie just pats and rubs Eliza's head saying' You're so cute'.

We then got ready to have a swim in the pool! It was Eliza's first swim in a big pool which was pretty exciting and she loved it. It was nice to try some swimming tricks from Daniel's baby bliss classes like holding her on the hips, not being afraid to put water over her head, etc. She just loved splashing, paddling and watching Daniel and Maddie swim around. Daniel just loved going underwater and developing his paddling and kicking as well as bubble blowing. We love Nana J and Boompa's pool!

All dressed and ready to swim

Feeling the water for the first time. Not too sure

Quickly settled into it

Love these kids!

Trying some swimming tricks from Daniel's baby swimming classes

Splash splash

Busy busy

Daniel just LOVES going under the water

More splash splashes

Loving splashing

Drying off with Nana J

The next day James took Maddie and Daniel in the pool and they had a wonderful time flying in the water.

The hot weather at Hervey Bay meant that Eliza got to wear a lot of cute dresses, including this one which was a present from Mum and Dad for Christmas.

Cheeky girl standing in her pretty dress

And cuddles with Nana J are always fun.

The hot weather also means we have lots of fun on the back verandah.

Hi Benny

On New Years Eve we had a nice relaxing day at home which included the pool again. Daniel did some more swimming where we tried out different techniques that Robina used at swimming.

At night we headed to the beach to watch the early fireworks with the family. The kids had a late nap so that worked well. We spoke with Daniel about the fireworks and kept reminding him that they would be loud. He seemed ok about it. We popped both the kids in the ergos and found a spot in the park to hang out at.

Daniel and Maddie enjoyed wandering around a little (with someone as there were a lot of people!).

And then we sat down ready for the fireworks to start.

As the fireworks started Daniel didn't cope very well (the poor little guy). James did his best to calm him down and distract him and help him focus on how pretty and colourful they are but Daniel just wanted to have cuddles with Mummy and to go home.

Not too sure about the noise

Daniel upset by the noise

The poor little guy was shaking, crying and clinging on. He kept saying 'I need to go home Mummy. We need to go home.' Once the fireworks stopped he calmed down but was very happy that we were then heading home. We will see how fireworks go in the future I guess.

New Years Day saw Eliza try some toast for the first time. It was also her first finger food. She really enjoyed her plain pieces of toast! Benny also liked Eliza having some finger food - attempting to have some while she rested her arm.

We headed to a park with Jenny, Maddie and Julie later in the morning to check out how warm it would be to get photos taken there. Fortunately there was a good amount of shade and a nice breeze so we decided that it would work. The kids had fun running around and playing together.

After nap time we headed around to Jenny and Ryan's new place. It is a great house and a very good set up! The kids had fun playing in the pool together which was great to see.

The next day we all got dressed up pretty to get some family photos. I can't wait to see the final photos as it was a good time. The photographer was pretty good with the kids and the kids all did really well.

Hanging out with Aunty Jen

Cuddles with Uncle Ryan

James and I

Love this girl

The next day we headed out to Little Blue Tandem with Jenny, Maddie and the kids. It was nice to sit down, have a drink and a snack and then we went for a wander through the markets. Maddie and Daniel were very cute holding hands as they walked from the car. They especially loved their babychinos.

As with all Hervey Bay trips, we headed to Enzo's cafe for breakfast with the kids and Nana J. Always enjoy the tasty meals we get from there and the beautiful view.

A sign of the future?

Checking out the beach

After breakfast we decided to enjoy the beach. We had been so busy in the mornings we really hadn't had a chance to go and enjoy the beach - something that the kids and I both love doing. So after our tummy's were full we got the kids changed and had a little bit of a swim in the water. The water was lovely! It wasn't even cold to start off with, just refreshing. Eliza was happy sitting on the edge with the water coming up to her feet until a larger wave came and took her by surprise. After that she was quite grizzly. It had been a pretty long morning already so James popped her in the ergo for a nap while I continued to play in the water with Daniel. It was fun taking him out deeper, past where he could stand. It reminded me of when my grandpa would take us to the beach and take us past the breaking waves. I have no idea how he managed to do it. I was exhausted and the waves weren't very big at all!!! But we both had a lot of fun. We also made a sandcastle on the beach and built a moat. Quite funny watching Daniel get grumpy with the waves when they came up to his sandcastle.

Beach baby

Daniel just loves the water!

In and out, in and out. So much fun!

Our friend Jayne moved up to Queensland a few years ago and we decided to do a catch up day, meeting at Eumundi. 

After a play in the park, morning tea snacks and coffees we hopped into the car and headed to have lunch at Noosa - fish and chips! Yummy. It was so nice just sitting and chatting with Jayne, catching up about life, jobs, doings, future. James saw hire boats and decided that we should have a go and get one. Daniel was pretty excited to be on the boat. Eliza had a nap in the ergo during it, but that was good timing as they didn't have life jackets small enough for her. James had a lot of fun driving the boat! Daniel had a lot of fun exploring the boat. Jayne was a fantastic help with Daniel and knowledge of being on a boat.

Definitely something James (and the rest of us) would like to do.


On Sunday we headed to Arkarra Tea Gardens for lunch with Grannie, Nana J, Jenny and Maddie. We visited here last trip and the kids loved exploring the gardens and the food tasted great. I enjoyed taking Maddie and Daniel for a few bush walks.

Lunch with Grannie

Looking at the ducks

Too busy to smile for a photo

These 2 are so cheeky!

See no evil, speak no evil

Swapsies

Grannie's so much fun

A final walk with Eliza, Maddie and Daniel

 It was such a lovely time in Hervey Bay. We look forward to coming back again after Jenny has her new baby. In the morning we said bye to Julie and hopped back into the car ready for our car trip home. We stopped at Eumundi  for breakfast and a play. We stayed there for a while as Daniel was enjoying the time of stretching his legs.

Eliza's first turn on a see-saw

We spent the night at Coffs Harbour which worked quite nicely time wise. The kids had a good time moving around the apartment, ate dinner and then went down for the night. Eliza and Daniel again slept well sharing a room. When Eliza woke up, so did Daniel. I gave Eliza some milk, we had breakfast and then were on the road again. We headed to Old Bar to visit Great Grandma. It was so lovely for her to meet Eliza for the first time (in person). She seemed to be having a pretty good day. At the end of the visit, she said that it had made her day (so lovely to hear).

 
We then headed over to the Taree foodcourt and had our lunch. Daniel had a lovely time playing in the park (this time without rain). It is so lovely seeing my little man becoming more adventurous. He was enjoying climbing up the tunnels, going down the slide.

Again the kids travelled so very well. They were so patient with being in the car. They happily occupied themselves, they didn't complain, they slept at times, they were just great. Daniel did say at one point 'Mummy, you need to hold me to go to sleep.' This was a new strategy to try and stop the car. Another time he kept asking to listen to the Wiggles. I was more than happy to put it on and straight away he became happy again, a big smile over his face. I love that music can bring him so much joy.