Last time it was ziplock bags, this time the tissues. I was racing around the house the night before we were due to leave trying to pack & get 2 children & a husband fed, washed, clothed & sent to bed. I left Little Bear in the playroom building towers & climbing all over the furniture. I walked into our bedroom a short time later & found this sight! I love the expression - the only thing missing is the halo & wings. Normally I would be a little frustrated. This time I was just glad she was amusing herself because I had things to do.
This photo is of Bear & her Daddy riding the Go Kart at one of the places we stayed. There is no seatbelt so it was a bit of a juggling act for DH to keep Little Bear in the seat while steering & braking (as there was only a hand brake). She didn't like putting on the helmet but once she was going she didn't want to stop.
Just before leaving for our second destination we took a detour through Kuranda where we visited a Butterfly Sanctuary. Little Bear LOVES butterflies and you can see the wonder on her face as she was surrounded by literally hundreds, maybe thousands of butterflies everywhere she looked. I would love to move to Tasmania sometime but I must say I would really miss the Ulysses and Cairns Birdwing butterflies. They are just awesome.
Cheetah & I also visted the Venom Museum where there was an interesting collection of snakes, spiders, scorpions, and some frogs. I was a bit concerned when I saw the frogs as I thought they might be food for one of the other creatures, but apparently they were actually part of the display. I didn't ask if they were venomous. When we left the museum we got to hold a snake (Black headed python to be more precise). I was a little concerned about this too, as there were quite a few in a group who got to hold the snake ahead of us & I thought she might be a bit riled up by the time Cheetah & I got to her, but she was OK & didn't try to bite, although she was a little restless. I have a photo of me & Cheetah with the snake, but I was the one holding it & I wanted to post the one where he is actually handling the snake.
Here we are at the final destination & we found a HUGE house (3 huge bedrooms, 2 huge bathrooms, huge kitchen (are you getting the point that it was big) equipped with all the mod cons, extra toilet, laundry, huge back deck, river running through the backyard - you get the picture).
Litte Bear was a bit pensive during her first canoe ride & alternated between total excitement at all the new things she was experiencing, and fear of the canoe & the weird rocking sensation (it was a bit rocky, mostly because of the fact that she wouldn't sit still). She loved it when we went out the second time. Cheetah took this picture from the river bank as the Canoe only held 2 people (plus one quite little Little Bear)
Cheetah loved the hammock on the back deck. It would be lovely in summer during the evening to see all the daytime animals getting ready for bed & watching the nocturnal creatures begin to emerge. As it is winter it was a bit too chilly on the deck after dusk, even with our jumpers & thick socks on. I love the second photo of Cheetah in the hammock. It is very hard to get a lovely photo of him because he can't seem to act naturally in front of a camera lens. This one just has the beautiful relaxed expression that I love but don't see enough of anymore.
Cheetah loves Little Bear, but she doesn't always reciprocate that affection. This was one of those less than kodak moments but I liked the series. First we tried a nice photo with Little Bear in between us. In that one she is trying to cuddle up to me at the same time as pushing her poor brother away. The next one I held her as far away from Cheetah as possible but she is still insisting that he is too close. The last one she is laying down the law to him that I was HER mum & he should rack off. I don't think Cheetah took her too seriously!
This is an incredible family shot of our family as everyone has a very natural expression on their face (Even Cheetahs expression is one you will often see on him). Usually one of the kids is crying, the other sulking or pulling silly faces while one parent looks frustrated and one parent is looking at the ceiling through raised eyebrows. Although Little Bear is sucking her thumb, this is her usual pose & I think she looks very sweet (especially as the thumb sucking usually indicates she is getting tired).
Little Bear by this point was a bit over the whole photo thing. Here she is standing at one end of the deck by the gate where all the Pademelons & Turkeys & sometimes other creatures too, would come to be fed by us. She loved to just be out here on the deck. The birds were amazing too, with all sorts of rainforest birds flying right down & landing in front of us.
Being a family vacation there wasn't much at all of this going on at all. This was one of those rare moments while Little Bear was pre-occupied with the Pademelons and Cheetah was happy because he was behind the camera lens!
Really we had a wonderful time, but I wish we had more time at the river. We would love to go back there with family & stay a bit longer next time, as this house would easily fit two couples and some kids comfortably and there was an even bigger residence owned by the same people next door which could fit 3 couples comfortably (another plus - you couldn't see any of the neighbours from the house or even the canoe although we went upstream & downstream for a couple of hundred meters in each direction).
Cheetah & his dad actually saw a platypus while canoing, but unfortunately it only made that one appearance and Little Bear & I missed out (probably didn't help that she loved to stand at the front of the canoe yelling with joy at all the new things and banging her hands and jumping up & down in her excitement - Poor platypus is probably still nursing a headache).
Unfortunately Little Bear was sick with a fever for 3 days & 2 nights of our trip but she still managed to have fun during the day. We just didn't get to sleep at night, but who needs sleep anyway. She slept brilliantly last night (our first night home) and I don't remember anything from the time my head hit the pillow to about 6:30 this morning when my body clock told me it was time to wake up even though Bear was still snoozing. I managed to stay under the covers until 7:10 but paid for that by being late for work. Little Bear woke up as soon as she heard me moving around outside.
Back to the daily grind today (except for DH who is enjoying another week & 2 days off work until he starts his new job next Wednesday). Little Bear was excited to be back at daycare & had a good day but she ALWAYS has a good day at daycare. Cheetah also had a good day at school but was glad to see me this afternoon as he wasn't sure if he was meant to catch the after school care bus or not, I hadn't reminded him that morning like I usually do. Luckily he did catch it and it was the right thing to do.
This afternoon Cheetah was practicing his clarinet & I noticed that one of the songs was a bit out of tempo. I went in to help him with his rhythm & was told that he "doesn't like to play it the way it's written, he likes to play it the way it is meant to go". I guess he was talking about the way HE meant it to go, because I am pretty sure the person who wrote the tune didn't intend it to be sung the way Cheetah sings/plays it. I tried to talk to him about the importance of learning to play the music as it is written & not always playing the music that is in our head but I am afraid my suggestions fell on deaf ears. I will leave that one up to his teacher !! He really is playing very well & I am very proud of his progress including his determination not to conform, although I think this skill (of playing the music in his head) will be much more appreciated by me and others after he learns the basics about rhythm, tempo, pitch, etc.
