We spent a couple nights at Phillip Island this week – one of Al’s wishes for this year being to go away for a couple nights as a family.

The accommodation was nice enough – although let itself down in a couple areas with some rather obvious cost and time savings in how they operated. It did have a good playground that the kids made the most of, and Al managed to get the kids into the pool on the first afternoon before the weather turned cold. (Until the Kamikaze duck appeared, doing well targeted poo dive bombs and swooping, which saw Jack saying we should never go away to a place with a pool again.)

We paid extra for a three bedroom unit, which was money well spent, and allowed all of us to sleep better (than if Grace was sharing with either Jack or us). We visited Seal Rocks, Anzac and Woolamai beaches, the Chocolate Factory, Amaze’n Things, the National Vietnam Veterans Museum (did that one by myself), dropped in to see the display at the Penguin Parade (to find it closed for upgrades), walked around a Wildlife Park and played some Mini Golf. For the most part the attractions seemed expensive, worn out, and in need of some major rejuvenation. Neither child seemed to mind what was in front of them – they were more just into the notion of exploring.

Grace was a little terror. She insisted on walking everywhere, and threw screaming tantrums whenever we picked her up or tried to steer her away from something she had her eye on. Swinging punches, pulling hair, and trying to bite and scratch - I lost count of the number of times Grace ended up a being awkwardly carried under arm as she screamed blue murder. She was also prone to sprinting off the moment the opportunity arise – and it took Al a worryingly long distance before she could catch her.

Jack was ok – although obviously was out of his element, so more prone to tears, and was talking so incessantly it drove us around the bend on occasion.

I think we managed to yell at the kids about three times more than normal. In the worst of cases, at the point in time you regretted the volume or tone, we would suddenly realise someone unnoticed was actually in ear shot. (Like the gardener at the accommodation, or a Ranger at the Penguins, or the tourists at Seal Rock…) Al also resorted on several occasions to threatening the kids with “If you want your Dad to keep taking you to interesting places, you better start behaving”.

Having said that, all told it wasn’t quite as bad as I had expected. We managed to find some of the nicest Chinese food we have eaten in a long time, Al and I got time to watch some Grand Design DVD’s in the evenings (helped by no 3G coverage in the area, so no online games for me), and we were all still talking to each other when we got home.

Grace probably needs another year or more before we are in a position to actually have a family holiday which could be classified as an actual holiday.

Grace under her own steam

Jack at Seal Rocks

 

Difficult to get family photos, Grace hated being picked up

Posted by Doug at 12:54 PM

 

Jack helped put up the Christmas tree this afternoon. I generally only leave it up for a couple of weeks, a traditional Al doesn't especially agree with. This year however she might insist it come down sooner - given Grace's keen interest in it, and the effort required to keep her away.

Posted by Doug at 7:02 PM

It is Jack’s last proper day at his Childcare centre today. He returns for three weeks next year for their holiday program, but that is held in a different part of the building, and only about a quarter of the group will be involved.

A couple of kids are going to the same primary school, and we will separately keep in touch with a couple of his other best friends, but today will probably be the last time he will see many of the kids he has become familiar with over the last four to five years.

I noticed a number of kids talking about it when I dropped him off this morning, and we can tell by how antsy and anxious Jack has been over the last week that he is aware of this as well, although not specifically remarking on it. One of these friendships is relatively new – and to our pleasant surprise, was reported by his main carer as being instigated and formed by the efforts of Jack. There was a very sad little girl when Jack left the room last night, who was waiting at the door and excitedly said hello to Jack when he arrived this morning. The pair of them have spent a lot of time playing recently, and his connection with Holly will likely be another thing lost with his move to school.

While a few years ago we could not have hoped for Jack to be as well prepared for School as he is now, it will be with more than a touch of sadness that we see him move out of the relative safety and comfort of his childcare, which has helped him develop his social skills and confidence so much over his stay there.

Posted by Doug at 11:13 AM

Went out to the shops this morning with Jack to pick up something small for Al for Christmas. On the way Jack remarked that he had already been thinking about what to buy, and he thought a Tiffany Ring would be exactly what Mum would want. (The carer in his childcare room once remarked that she would love one, and Jack has never forgotten it.) I indicated that Mum would probably love one, but that it would be far too expensive. Jack thought for a second, and then remarked "Then we can buy her a bag of lollies. Mum looooves lollies."

Posted by Doug at 12:09 AM

Jack has asked both of us a number of questions over the last week which would suggest either someone at his childcare insinuated Santa does not exist, or his own complex reasoning is already struggling with the logic of it.

On one example he even asked a leading question – how does Santa manage to visit every single child in the world? When we remarked he used Magic, Jack retorted that we had previously said magic did not exist. That brought a smile to my face. I told Jack that the sort of magic he sees in computer games and on TV doesn’t really exist, but there are some miracles and special things that happen in life that are like magic.

He also asked a number of times how Santa really knows if you have been good or bad. Last year Al told him the ants help out by keeping an eye on all the kids and reporting back to Santa. My response was that Santa couldn’t be everywhere at once, so he has lots of helpers (the same explanation I have given regards the different Santa’s in the shops.)

In the end however his excitement at the thought of Santa overwhelmed whatever logical was running through his mind, and he has let himself believe this year.

Posted by Doug at 11:30 PM

We had an excellent Christmas this year. The effort to prepare was balanced well, so that it did not become a focus of the day. We all liked our gifts, and we had a relaxed and enjoyable lunch with Aunty Lis and Pa Q. Al was also really pleased to have got the opportunity to spend plenty of quality time with the kids, who both behaved well all day. All told, it one of the best we have had.

The kids opening their presents on Christmas morning.

Grace with her baby doll, a gift from Grandma Q

Posted by Doug at 11:10 AM