Big Grandma and Little Grandma Come to Visit

My mum and grandma came to stay with us the past five days. They got to meet Caleb (the first of my family to do so) and spend time with the girls; Abigail, particularly, has enjoyed the extra attention and energy (Grandmas are so much more fun than a tired mummy!). I have much appreciated the extra help around the house, with the girls, and with Caleb - having two extra sets of arms to pick him up when he grizzles has been very helpful!

Now that our family of five fills our car, out and about-ing with extra family isn't so easy; but on the Sunday we all caught the bus into Southbank for the morning to go swimming there. Though I thought we'd gone in reasonably early the place was already pretty full! However we found a place to park the pram and had a bit of a swim; the girls enjoyed playing with the sand. Our trip home wasn't straightforward - the bus we caught took us on a long scenic tour; our lunch stop at Garden City ended with me losing the nappy bag (thankfully someone turned it in at the Concierge Desk); and then we had a 45 minute wait til our final bus home! So the last leg of our outing was prolonged, but we got home in the end for much needed rests! :)

Jon worked all of New Year's Eve on a gig (9am til after midnight) so having mum and Grandma with me that day was wonderful (he worked Christmas Eve eve on a gig and that was a little trying - a long day/evening at home with the kids). Grandma and mum made the beds with fresh sheets and took care of the washing; mum took the girls to the park in the morning, and wore them out playing in the afternoon; she then cooked dinner. I spent my morning sitting and the afternoon sleeping :) Because of that, I couldn't get to sleep that night and nearly saw the New Year in; thankfully sleep came by 11:30pm; Caleb slept 7 hours straight that night!

Jon and I have wanted to have a child-free meal out together so one night we went out (with Caleb though of course) to Sunnybank to do just that. I was amazed at how lively Sunnybank was on a Sunday night! We ended up at a Malaysian place Jon had been to for a work lunch and I was very happy to find laksa on the menu (I only recently was introduced to laksa and I love it!) - so we had a HUGE bowl of Malaysian laksa and a plate called Nasi Lamek. Good stuff. I am sure we will be back, and hope to take various family there in the future if possible! Caleb slept soundly for the whole time we were out, snuggled up under a blanket in the pram (maybe his way of shutting out the noise? and a very nice God-gift). We went for a walk afterwards to help our full bellies settle a bit before getting some dessert at the Coffee Club. I had a great time. Thank you very much mum and Grandma for 'babysitting' the girls!

Today we are on our own again - mum and Grandma both flew out yesterday and Jon is back at work today. Funny how quick the clean washing is piling up now that my 'laundry fairies' have gone! (Thank mum and Grandma for keeping on top of it while you were here). We went to the library this morning (and Caleb finally fell asleep in the car on the way!); and all 4 of us napped this afternoon. It is so wonderful when all 3 kids go down for a nap at the same time! Mum and Grandma's visit was a great way to see out the old year and see in the new. Happy 2013!