THE TRIP HOME

We were all very sad when it came time to leave Numurkah. It is always sad saying goodbye to family there, but this time we had so many new friends we were leaving behind as well.
We made it to Forbes on the first night and met up with Uncle Merv. We got to check out his new motorhome. It was a nice free camp spot by the river.

The next day it rained all day, which wouldn't have been so bad except we ended up by the side of the road in Dubbo for 2 hours fixing a wheel bearing. Well it was actually Darren who had to sit in the rain on the side of the road fixing it while the kids and I sat in the van and the car.
That night we stayed at the Narrabri showground for $14

The kids woke up the next morning to see someone training their horse. We couldn't believe that we'd be back on the Gold Coast later that day.
It was sad to think this would be our last morning waking up in the van together. There were many things we were looking forward to about living in a house again, but the van had become our home and we had shared some amazing experiences together over the las 14 months.
We made it back to the Gold Coast around 6pm that night. Our big adventure had come to an end. I think the experience has changed us all, and certainly brought us closer as a family.
Signing off.......until the next big adventure!

A BUSY MONTH

The title says it all - my excuse for not blogging for a month! The kids had their swimming carnival at school. Casey did really well and made the relay team for Red House.

Brodie and Tara had their 'swimming games' day the following day and had to compete in lots of different activities. They had a lot of fun, but the water was freezing cold.

A couple of weeks ago we went to see a car show at Tocumwal, just over the Murray River into NSW. This pink car was Tara's favourite.

This very cool car belongs to our good friends.

Darren took Casey and Brodie to the Waaia Tractor Pull. The boys weren't overly excited about it until I told them they weren't ordinary tractors, but modified ones which compete to pull heavy weights as far as they can. They had an awesome time amid the noise and dirt and flies!

The other main event of the past month was the school fete. Tara loved having a camel ride with her best friend.

The kids have one more week at school before the holidays, and then we start preparing to head back to the Gold Coast. We're all looking forward to living in a house again and seeing our family and friends again, but we're also sad about saying goodbye to family and new friends down here.

I can't believe our big adventure is almost over!

ONE YEAR IN THE CARAVAN

The 18th of February marked one year on the road. A whole year has passed since we moved into the caravan and left the Gold Coast. A few days later, Casey celebrated his 9th birthday - the second birthday he has had in the van. Just like last year he had a little party at Gran and Pop's with his cousins Liv and Pres.

We gave him an MP3 player and a basketball for his birthday. It can be a bit frustrating in the morning trying to get him ready for school when he's got the earphones in.

It didn't take long to settle into a routine again - making lunches, getting to school, doing readers and homework. Waking up to an alarm is still a bit of a shock to the system though! The kids are loving it at Numurkah Primary School. They have all made new friends and are doing really well with their schoolwork.

Just like last year, Darren and I went along to the Mooroopna Cricket Club ball. It was fun getting all dressed up.

STARTING SCHOOL

We decided to put the kids in school while we're in Numurkah (probably just first term) because we thought it would be good for Tara to start with the other Preps. She missed out on her pre-school year last year so I wanted the transition to school to be as smooth as possible. The big day arrived last Friday (yes they started the school year on a Friday!) Luckily I had decided to sit down and read the information booklet thoroughly just two days earlier and I discovered the Preps only had a 15 minute appointment with their teacher on the Friday and didn't actually start school until Monday. So on Friday we got up to an alarm (shock to the system) and got the boys ready for school. They weren't exactly excited about the idea (see photo above!)

Later that day Tara put her uniform on and we took her to meet with her teacher, who is really lovely. She had a chat to Tara then asked us if there was anything we wanted her to know about Tara. Tara piped up and said, "I'm really smart!"

At the end of the day Tara and I went back to the school to pick up Casey and Brodie. They both had a great day and talked non-stop all afternoon about everything they had done.

Today was the big day - Tara's first day of school. When we got to her classroom, different activities were set out. She went and sat at a table on the far side of the room all by herself and turned her back to everyone. The teacher got her and sat her at a table with some kids who were colouring. I thought this would be a good time to leave. She waved and gave us a smile. I didn't quite make it to the car before I started crying. My baby at school!

I picked the kids up and took them to Gran and Pop's for afternoon tea so Tara could tell them all about her day. She had fun and made three friends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We had a great time at the Mooroopna New Year's Eve Festival with Vaughan, Michelle, Livvy and Presley. It's a fun family night with music, entertainers, rides and fireworks at about 10:30pm. When the kids heard the Chicken Dance they just had to get up do the actions.

Tara had a ride on the merry-go-round while Casey, Brodie and Pres watched on. Casey and Pres were very excited to find out they were big enough to drive the dodgem cars for the first time.

Tara gradually warmed to the fireworks and thought they were beautiful, but she didn't like the really loud ones.

The kids had fun with their glow-in-the-dark lightsabers.

Like last time we were here, the kids helped Gran do the Meals On Wheels deliveries one day. They carried a course each. Brodie thought the soup smelled delicious!

After devouring 8 of Gran's homemade sausage rolls in one sitting, Brodie asked if he could make some himself. We bought the ingredients and went to Gran's kitchen to make them (much more room than the caravan).

It was quite a long process, but he did every step himself with very little help.

The first batch to come out of the oven barely hit the bench before he started eating them. He was very proud of the finished product.