Australia - Week 1

After the 16 hour flight there were some very excited Aunties and Grandparents waiting to see Riley. We said hello to the girls before they headed off to school and Susan to work. We took the day pretty easy and I was very excited to have my beloved meat pie and sausage roll for lunch...one of my guilty pleasures that I enjoy frequently when we make our trips to Australia.
We took Riley up to Laura's school that afternoon to pick her up and allow her to opportunity to introduce her nephew to her teachers. She isn't very keen on the idea of being called Aunty! Guess that is understandable when you are 8!!

Laura couldn't wait to get home from school to play with Riley

Poor little Riley was still a little tired from the long couple of days of travel Aunty Lizzy was eager to help out too! Boy, was he spoiled this trip!

Pa was also excited to see Riley again...what a change from last October!!

Riley playing with his Aunties in the backyard

After arriving in Brisbane and spending the weekend with Dad, Susan, Elizabeth and Laura, we boarded another plane for Sydney. This was just an hour and fifteen minute flight...no biggie! We were excited to see Nana again and introduce Riley to some other family members.

No trip to Australia would be complete without a t-shirt! Thanks, Nana! We realized after leaving the country that this is Riley's only souvenir from the trip.

Our first full day in Sydney we decided to go to Taronga Zoo, one of the most beautiful zoos I have ever been too. It is located on the Sydney Harbor and had amazing views of the city and harbor.

This is a shot from a pathway through the zoo. Just beautiful and it was a gorgeous day considering it is the middle of winter.

Of course, we saw Koalas...sleeping as usual

Riley took care of his Grammy, holding her finger and leading her through the park

Couldn't get over how beautiful the giraffes were...they had an amazing view of the harbor too!

The lioness was magnificent

After a lovely day at the zoo, Nana prepared one of my favorite childhood dishes...curried sausage...mmmm!

Riley and his Grammy...so sweet!

While in Sydney we were lucky enough to be able to rent a unit/efficiency apartment at my grandmother's retirement village. It was so nice to have our own kitchen and more room than just a hotel room. The one thing missing was a bathtub for Riley. No problem, Nana had a plan...

Riley enjoyed bath time in his special tub!

Chris had one request when we were booking our trip to Sydney. He wanted to go whale watching. So, on Tuesday, June 21, we boarded a large boat and headed out to sea to find the whales. And, we had success! We followed a pod of whales north up the coast for a couple of hours. The sea was very choppy that day and they warned us that it may be a little much for Riley and we should reschedule. With no other options for rescheduling we boarded anyway. Riley did fine...I, on the other hand, almost lost my lunch. I have never gotten sea sick, but the continual rocking and sitting inside with Riley was almost too much. Once I traded with Chris and headed outside I recovered quickly. Anyway, it was worth it and we got some fabulous pictures from the experience.

We were fortunate enough to see one good breech and a few tail slaps while out. Of course, we saw them moving through the water for quite a while and they are just beautiful and amazing animals. The boat was close enough that you could hear when they would breath through the blowhole. At one point, one came up right next the boat. Just amazing! Unfortunately, it started to rain and go very cold towards the end of our cruise. Riley was rugged up and cozy for our trip back to Nana's on the train.

On Wednesday, we headed down to my hometown of Wollongong to see Nan and Pa and Aunty and Michelle and Uncle Alan. Heath, one of my cousins was off that day and able to join us for lunch too. It was no nice to see family and spend time together.

Riley and I with Aunty Michelle, Uncle Alan and Heath

Chris, Riley and I with Nan and Pa. We had a lovely time, just a pity the visit was so short.

Wednesday was a very busy day. It also happened that this was the only day we could organize to catch up with my cousins, Rebecca and Danielle (My mom's, brother's girls). We met them for dinner back in the Sydney area along with some other family that was available to meet.

Danielle, Rebecca and I

On Thursday we spent the day with Nana. She enjoyed spending the time with Riley.

Riley took in every word as Nana read to him. So cute!

Friday was our last day in Sydney. After packing up and eating a bite with Nana, it was time to head back to the airport again. Chris did great driving on the opposite side of the road all week in the rental. I think he only turned the wipers on instead of the blinker about once a day! We had a lovely week catching up with family. It was very busy, but very worth it.

One last cuddle with Grammy before leaving...I love this picture!