First Week of our Aussie Trip:
Christmas at Wangi Wangi
with Nana & Granddad

First of all, for my USA friends and maybe most of my Australian friends too...Wangi Wangi, where in the world is Wangi Wangi? If you fly into Sydney, drive 2.5hrs north and you reach Wangi Wangi. Its located on Lake Maquarie about 30mins before you get to Newcastle. OK so I am bad at directions but hopefully that will give you a little idea where we stayed and where my parents live.

Oh a map......even better! (Its the point in the middle of the lake)

The noise of cicada's, the bite from a mozzie, the annoyance of blowies, thongs on feet, cozies on the boys and a VB in hand on a hot humid Aussie summer day....it feels good to be back!
We stayed at my parents for a week and it felt like a beach vacation, it was wonderfully relaxing. Dave and I stayed out in my mums art studio which made it feel even more like a holiday. While the kids stayed in the house with Nana and Granddad....brilliant! A whole week of not waking up to the kids, got to love grandparents. We really didn't do much this week, except hangout around Wangi, catch up with family, play cards late into the night and eat lots of well loved Aussie food!

Here are some of our favorite Wangi memories:

The boys enjoying Fairy bread or as we now call it "Nana bread" Bread with butter and sprinkled with hundreds and thousands....yummo! Traditional Aussie kids party food. This photo was taken out on the side veranda (covered patio) even when it rained we sat out here and played cards, it was usually too hot to be indoors and the coolness of the rain was quite welcoming, not to mention familiar to these Seattlites!

The sandpit that Granddad built just for the boys stay....thanks dad, they still talk about it!

The local pub which has a children's playground in the beer garden....gotta love Aussie kid friendly pubs! We did and we made the most of that.

Hayden's Christmas present to everyone this year was a yummy dinner out at a beautiful restaurant on the lake called Brown Sugar. What a fun family get together and oh so fancy!

We spent a "early" Christmas day together as we were going to be in Tassie for the real Christmas day. Kids won't know the difference and I really think more the better...hehe!
We had pressies, Family which included all of my immediate family, Gwanny, Auntie Kath and Fiona from Canberra and Uncle Rob and Jo from Syd.
Fresh local prawns, mums potato salad, yummy leg of ham and lots and lots of sides....mmmm
And the good old traditional Christmas desert...Trifle! What a memorable Christmas day, one which my mom had been planning for along time, thanks mom!

I also picked up a paintbrush while I was there, something I really hadn't done since high school. Mum had her painting group on Thursday so I tagged along and all I can say is, I am hooked! I have since completed 5 paintings and loving it.

Wonderful time had by all!