Phuket with kids

[gallery link="file"] It's no holiday, but traveling with kids can be fun and rewarding.  Forget the teething bubs, the tantrums, the water care, the fact that you can't do many tours - and you are in for a great time.  What you can't do is made up for with what you can do.  Massages when they are asleep, afternoon naps for yourself, lots of swimming in the pool, stopping to chat with lots of locals, spending all day with your kids as a family and generally messing about.

We have just got home from Phuket, an adventure that saw us do all of the above and more.  The most 'excting' time saw us up a mountain in a local home for five hours due to a tsunami evacuation.  While we were up there we were told that 1000's had been killed in Indonesia from three waves eight metres high.  When we finally edge down the hill at 9.30pm to find a hotel on the hill, we are told that all warnings have been cleared and no wave is coming.

I'm still wary of staying in our beachside villa and want to be transfered to a room in the main building.  Nothing is available, so we end up back in our room.  Until at 5am we are woken by the fire alarm, this time however we are prepared.  We grab our pre packed backpacks, lock the kids in the pushers, and run to the lobby in our sleepwear.  It's a false alarm.  I want to go home now, so scared of staying and the racing adrenalin tiring me.  We are not aware yet that no one was killed by the tsunami.  We are not aware yet that there was no tsunami.

The kids don't go back to sleep, even though they have only had six hours.  After breakfast I get on the internet to find out what happened.  That's where I read there was no tsunami, only a 80cm wave, with no injuries.  I'm exhausted - thank goodness it's the last day.  No more adventures please, not for a while.

Robe weekender

Robe is a quaint little town on the South East coast of South Australia - well known for its beach, fishing and 4WDing.  I like it because of its cute character, its very eclectic ice-creamery, and now, Mahalia coffee.  I've been to Robe twice, and loved it both times.  Once prior to kids, and now with kids in tow, literally.  One on a trike and one on a scooter.  We down beautiful, strong Mahalia coffee in the mornings, get the adrenalin pumping on the tracks of Little Dip Conservation Park, and then chow down on Vic Street Pizzeria pizza in the evening.  One night, the Big 4 Caravan Park put on a disco for the kids - Belle, my two year, wanted to go.  It made my heart sing.  A little two year old head banging, clapping and spinning in circles with all the big kids to Top 40 music while a disco light and coloured lights scatter beams of light all over the floor.  So worth all the drama throughout the day, and trying to get them to sleep.  Needless to say, she went to bed fine that night.  Here are some pics... [gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Belle's little brother Ashton...

10 days overdue - and still not ready to meet us.  Time travel back to May 30, and I am in Flinders Medical Centre to get little Ashton to make a move on.  And move on he does, after having my waters broken.  After just two hours of labour, he is here, at 12.30pm.  Finally!  In the six or so weeks since then, he has had lots of love and cuddles from his big sister, mum, dad, and everyone else who has visited.  Ashton is not one to say no to a cuddle or two.  He has also come out on quite a few photo shoots with me - libraries to landscaping worksites and land fills.  Yikes!  He's also spent a day in the city with Grandma and Aunty Mary while I worked at Uni SA City East campus.  He certainly does get about.  Today, he's having a good sleep in his own little bed...[gallery link="file"]