Wattamolla Beach

We heard of a possibility of seeing the sun on Sunday and optimistically ventured out to Royal National Park, the oldest national park in Australia and the second oldest in the world (after Yellowstone).  We're fortunate to live just a short drive south of the park, and after winding our way through lush, palm-filled greenery, we pulled into the Wattamolla Beach car park and saw this:

Now, we could have been very happy spending the day right there in the car park, exploring the expanse of rock and water and watching the water dragons skitter through the trickling pools.  And seeing the patches of blue in the skies growing larger by the minute, we were all psyched.

We tore the boys away from rock-hopping with the promise of the actual beach beckoning below and began the walk down the path.

see the water dragon towards the bottom?

Just a moment or two into the walk we caught a glimpse of this:

The name Wattamolla is an Aboriginal word for 'place near running water', and this area is a perfect congregation of the waterfall flowing into a lagoon, which then runs out to meet the ocean.

After taking the above picture I blinked, looked around for my family, and spotted them down at the water, already crossing where the lagoon runoff meets the sea.  I took a moment and was so thankful that the sky was now almost all blue with only mere wisps of white clouds.

postcard-perfect

Alex added the Wattamolla notch to his boogie boarding belt.

Sam and I had a moment to enjoy each other.

I played Kenyon's 'count to five and jump in the water' game, his 'count to eight and jump in the water game', his 'start from really far back and jump in the water' game, and his 'start really close and count to three and jump in the water' game.  Then Sam played; Sam didn't capture any pictures of me but imagine me jumping really high and athletic-like just like my husband (and while we're at it, imagine me as tan as my husband as well).

So much fun, and only the first part of our Sunday 'holy crap, it's finally sunny' adventure was over...

Any Australian Child Labor Laws On the Books? Hope Not.

Ahhh, Saturday, the start of which holds so much promise as what seems like a limitless weekend ahead.  I live for Saturday.  Saturday is my stop-by-a-cafe-for-a-coffee day, my lift-Kenyon-over-the-waves day, my play-in-the-surf-with-Jackson-and-Alex day, and my relax-while-the-family-builds-sand-castles day.  There is no room for wind and rain on Saturday, but alas, the rain that had plagued us all week held firm, not budging during this wet, windy Saturday.

Forced to switch gears, we took care of business and did the mundane tasks of grocery shopping and laundry.  And cleaning, but folks, the cleaning that is happening 'round these parts is far from mundane.  Because let me tell you something, there is a little miracle taking place each weekend within the walls of this flat on Corrimal Street.  It all started when Sam told the boys they would be responsible for cleaning their own bathroom.  Instead of an outcry of complaints, there was....excitement.  How curious.  Now, you'd think that the novelty of donning rubber gloves and arming oneself with cleaning fluids and a sponge would lose its luster shortly after the first wipe of the sink bowl; the toilet bowl for sure.

Not so. *said in a fairy whisper so as not to jinx myself*

For some reason, the boys interpreted being responsible for cleaning their bathroom as 'cleaning both bathrooms', and Sam and I conveniently haven't found the time to correct them.  Jackson and Alex scrub these bathrooms top to bottom, and regularly call to each other to come inspect their work before showing it off to us.  "Beautiful," I say as I nod admiringly (and secretly gleefully) as they mop the floor, and tell them I'm going to need to wear sunglasses to inspect the toilet because I can see how shiny it is from all the way across the hall.

Even Kenyon got in on the action--the older boys are a little possessive about their bathroom territories, so he tackled the sliding glass doors.

Sam and I are giddy, wondering why the hell the boys enjoy these tasks.  One theory is that they are so seriously deprived of video games and other electronic toys that even the use of a simple spray bottle feels like they have their hands on advanced technology.  I would come up with another theory, but I'm too busy sitting back with my feet up and admiring my sparkly clean bathroom.  I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts...

Wordless Wednesday--Beach Snapshots Through the Eyes of Instagram

Road Trip Stats and Moments

1,912: the number of kilometers that we put on our trusty 1995 Toyota Tarago, Ferdinand.  No problems at all, except for the fact that the new battery Sam installed was a little loose, so 80% of the time Sam had to open the hood and give it a little jiggle before the car started.  Now that we're home, a wrench will fix that problem in no time.

I'm no birdwatcher, but the birds we've seen are amazing!  It reminds me of Miami right after Hurricane Andrew, when the exotic birds got loose from Parrot Jungle and could be spotted throughout the city.

1: number of times we had to pull over for a carsick child (Alex).  They all now have concrete evidence that tempting as it may be, it is not a good idea to read a book while their parents drive on curvy roads.

taking a moment to recuperate from carsickness before getting back on the road

it feels good to treat yourself while traveling, and Saxby's ginger beer is something we all enjoyed

5: the number of packages of Tim Tams we bought along the way.  Dark chocolate is the best!

Every time he picks me flowers, he says, "Here you go  Mama, you can keep these forever." I will, in my heart.

6: the number of times Sam put his windshield wipers on instead of his turn signal.  Darn Australia and everything in the car being reversed!

7: the number of times we broke down the campsite, which was always more annoying than the 7 times we set up the campsite.  Two of them went smoothly and were enjoyable.  The rest--picture lots of crying and arguing.  The kids didn't do so hot, either.  Just kidding--Sam and I actually never fought during this whole trip, which is a miracle considering the stress.  It was a learning experience for the boys, and the smiles of pride on their faces during the last tent breakdown will hopefully carry over to the next time we do this.

We were all cold some nights...Sam even broke down and bought himself the flannel sleeping bag he had been dreaming about mid-trip.  When I was cold, I'd curl up next to my own personal heater--3-year old Kenyon, who sleeps in the nude and without blankets.  I don't know what's with this kid's basal body temperature, but I'll bet he's wishing we did a teacher exchange in the Arctic.

The CD Sam impulse-bought at a gas station somewhere in Victoria.  I scoffed, but it actually does contain some gems.  Who knew I would still remember every word to Mr. Big's 'To Be With You'?

A typical hamburger in Australia.  It has the usual lettuce and tomato, and cheese--but packed in there you've also got onions, beetroot, pineapple bacon, and barbecue.  A taste explosion, and so big Alex can't even get his mouth around one.

there's a koala far up in the tree above us!

An unexpected surprise is the fact that some of the best highlights of the trip were ones we learned about by chatting with other people as we traveled, like the koalas at Raymond Island.

Alex said the Yarrangobilly Caves were his favorite part of the whole trip

our first swamp wallaby sighting, at Mimosa Rocks National Park

a stop at a rural primary school playground to burn off energy is as good for Sam as it is for the kids

Alex showing off his must-have possum doll that goes with his book by Mem Fox, Possum Magic 

Road trips are almost never completely smooth; add three kids to the mix and you've got a ton of unpredictability. Sam and Inaturally pitched in with washing up the dishes and broke up the campsite setups and breakdowns without officially assigning duties.  If he saw I was getting a little punchy he knew to start brewing some coffee, which usually took care of my grumpiness.

I honestly don't think a family road trip could have gone any better, and I'm so glad we made this effort to see things that we can't see back in the States.  I am so grateful that Garry and Johanna undertook this exchange with us!

Kosciuszko National Park--and the final push HOME!

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