bubbanoble: Summer Holidays Fun

The rest of our Summer Holidays had some adventures, fun and good times.

Nana and Poppy dropped around some tasty treats for us to enjoy!

Umina Beach did not disappoint with he kids enjoying playing in the waves. I love Daniel's smile when he catches waves. He really does love it and he's grown more confident doing it too.

The kids enjoyed swimming in Judy's pool again. They also did a week of intensive swimming lessons. It was amazing to see the increased confidence in the kids as they did each lesson. They swam longer and further and also improved their technique. Alexander went from swimming half the pool to swimming the whole length! I was amazed. At Judy's pool I encouraged him to swim across it. He did it easily. Then I told him that the distance of Judy's pool is half of what he was doing a swimming lessons. He got the confidence to jump in the deep end a few times and swim to the edge. After doing that a couple of times, he then had the confidence to try and swim the length of the pool. I was so proud of him! I do love that they all now have the confidence to jump into the deep end of the pool and play games. And also that I don't have to go into the pool either.

My bunch of crazies

James was feeling unwell one Tuesday so he went and got a pcr test. To play it safe, we sent him upstairs to isolate but we didn't want him to miss out on Tuesday Fun Night. We played Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza with Daddy on FaceTime so he was a part of the fun too. So many laughs! Definitely a fun game once you get into the rhythm of it.

We found a very cool and very massive stick insect in our garden.

And got our Covid vaccinations. Every bit helps. (smiles for the photos but there were tears when the needles were done and smiles as they got their lolly snake after).

I was amazed to see new growth on my plant at the front door that I thought had died. Amazing how resilient it was. I honestly thought it was gone and wouldn't come back but watered it anyway just in case. So glad that I did. It's very exciting to see the new shoots forming.

We took the kids to go and see the 13th Storey Treehouse drama performance. We weren't too sure what to expect and Alexander was a bit nervous about it, but it was actually quite great. Just 3 actors who pulled apart the first Treehouse book. A great experience for the kids.

We then headed to the Tramsheds for lunch. It was a nice outing.

I caught up with my school friends which was so lovely. Really nice to go and sit and chat with the girls while the kids played together.

Alexander got creative and made a car from a cardboard box, including seatbelts for the toys. I loved the detail that the included!

We headed back to Umina, this time with Dad, for an afternoon swim and dinner by the beach. It was really nice to be able to hang out together and fish and chips are always a winner! The kids had a blast playing on the boards. Big thanks to Nana and Poppy for giving us their boards.

Alexander caught a wave and ended up on top of Eliza

I love this photo that Eliza took

Judy, our neighbour, was clearing out puzzles and offered them to us. One is a special puzzle that she had as a little girl. It is made on wood and the shapes of the pieces are so very different to puzzles you find today. It's so special that she gave it to us, and so cool to be able to do it.

Eliza went to the dance open day so we could get her a new uniform and we had a little watch of some of the dances that were on display. As we left, they could get a photo with Elsa and Anna so they did.

We went and celebrated Dylan's birthday and the kids experienced their first go at barefoot bowls. So funny watching kids play it! They really didn't understand the concept or the skill to make it happen, but they did have a lot of fun and enjoyed eating some tasty food after.

Donut cake - brilliant idea!

I took the kids again to Umina. This time we went for a walk down to the rock pools, because the kids had asked to do that the other times we were here and we ran out of time. It was very fun spotting crabs (big and little) and watching the waves. The kids had a blast. Apparently they walked a lot further around with Nana and Poppy, but the tide must have been in this time. We ended the walk with ice cream to cool down before going for a swim.

Spotting crabs

Finding cool shells

Noughts and Crosses games in the sand

Thong boat racing

Follow the leader, silly walking back to the car

Popping seaweed (while trying to avoid it bursting in eyes)

Ice cream time!

We then went to the water to enjoy a swim and ride the boards. Eliza decided to try surfing on the board and I loved watching her excitement and joy when the waves came and the board actually moved! So much surprise.

I love that she burst out laughing when she fell flat on her bottom.

I was also really proud of Daniel and the way that he kept going when he got dumped in the waves. They weren't huge waves so I'm sure that helped but I was very proud of him for just getting back onto the board and having another go.