Sydney Part VII - The Final Installment

Hello Family and Friends –

I rejoin you to finally wrap up Sydney.  The following 3 days is what I got into while Sam was slaving away in the office.  J

Kudos to Dom for capturing this one!

I awoke Wed about 8am which for me is super early on vacation.  However, Dommy had been up for quite some time with the kids.  After having some brekky, we loaded up the kids and headed to a walking trail around Manly harbour. 

Today was probably the nicest day we’d had thus far.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was probably about 72 F with the sun blazing.  It was perfect!  We had a nice walk and stopped off at a little beach with a 50 meter swimming pool fed by the ocean (lane lines and all unlike Singapore!)  This is where the photo shoot began.  I just couldn’t stop taking photos of the kids with the beautiful scenery.  We spent a bit of time here then headed back and to Dommy’s parents’ house where we put Jacob down. 

Now Charlotte just did not want her clothes on because she had seen a little naked girl down by the beach.  We turned our backs for 1 minute and when we turned around she was naked!  Well, I guess there is no harm in that, except we had to slather her with sunscreen.  She then proceeded to water the plants (and the tree trunks and porch occasionally) while I snapped away.  It felt like a staged photo shoot…just adorable! 

Jacob woke up a bit later, then we drove to Collaroy Beach which was just gorgeous.  We pretty much had the beach to ourselves and the lighting was perfect! 

It was then up to Northhead Point for some more amazing views of the harbour and city in the distance.  Everywhere you went it was just incredible scenery! 

That night we went to dinner with Dommy in Dee Why while Dean stayed with the kids.  (Sam included this in his blog along with a photo.)  All in all a perfect day hanging out with Dommy and a small taste of the busyness of having 2 kids running around.

Thursday started much the same about 8am and brekky, then we dropped Charlotte off at Kindy (what they call preschool – how cute!)  where she immediately forgot about us as soon as she saw her friends.  The weather today was a bit threatening and it looked like rain for sure.  We ran some errands then grabbed a coffee at the mall and entertained Jacob.  He started getting cranky so we got home and put him down for a nap.  Then Dom and I enjoyed our takeaway sushi  out on the porch in the sun.  2 hours for just us!  J 

Jacob awoke and we picked Charlotte up, then went to Manly to play on the playground.  Both kids were a bit cranky and our idea of heading down to the beach in the chilly wind didn’t work.  The tantrums came so we decided we’d better get them both home and start the dinner / bath routine.  That night we got a sitter and had an evening out with both Dean and Dom and no kids!  This was the wine bar and Mexican dinner that Sam included (along with pics) in his portion of the blog.  It was a great evening out with all adult conversations!

Can anyone say Baby Gap!

On Friday we went back to the Manly harbour walk we’d done Wed but went a little further along the path.  We stopped on a nice grassy spot for some mid-morning tea of cupcakes that we’d made the other day.  More photos ensued before I split from them to head into the city to meet Sam for lunch. 

Getting them both to look at the same time was downright impossible!  :)

The ferry ride in was gorgeous as always with an added bonus of dolphins in the harbour.  Now that was a 1^st and a very cool treat!  I met Sam and we had a pasta lunch (carbing up) outside in Martin Place.  The weather was just perfect (again.) 

I left Sam and had about 3 hours to walk around the city and take photos.  I walked around Hyde Park and then the Botanical Gardens.  A good portion of that time was spent just sitting on a bench admiring the opera house and harbour bridge.  The view just never gets old! 

I met up with Sam after work where we headed to a pub for a drink and met Dean.  I think this is where Sam picked up last week in his blog, meaning we’ve wrapped up our Sydney adventures!

Thanks to all who have kept up with our sporadic retelling of our adventures Down Under.  J 

Dean and Dom – thank you both so much for having us amidst a very hectic time!  I hope that it wasn’t too inconvenient…sorry again for kicking Charlotte out of her room.  Haha!  We had an absolute blast and it was so great hanging out again.  It was a perfect week in quite possibly the best city in the world.  And the best part?  I’ll be seeing you again in just a few short weeks.  The worst part… Sam won’t be with me.  L  Please tell Charlotte and Jacob we said hi and we miss them very much.  And of course we miss you guys as well.  Here’s to Sydney and to seeing you again soon!

Love,

Jenny and (slaving away at work as always) Sam