off we go on our first family holiday . . .

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So here we are in South West Rocks . . . all 4 of us! This time the adventure revolves around nappies and naps but so far so good: after a 1 night pit stop in Wollongong and a 2 night stop in Newcastle. Ode to family on the way! While driving along the Pacific Highway I had memories of road trips I did to Woodford folk festival in my younger days (driving all the way home in one go often after a week of very little sleep.) We also reminisced about a trip we did together (Jono and I) not long after we had met to Bryon Bay for the blues festival. We drove home to Sydney in one day, through terrible traffic and what seemed like endless road work -- getting in to Sydney finally well after mid night when I had to start a new job the next morning! We laughed about how it now takes us five times as long to get half as far. That is possibly one of the many many many gifts that babies give -- the gift of lowering expectations and slowing down. There were so many road side rest areas along that highway that I had never explored! All of them with different types of ground cover to explore -- whether it is clover or grass or gravel..!

Anyhow, on the note of expectations -- so far mine have been well and truly exceeded. The girls have been fabulous travellers and this trip feels like we are just dipping our toes back in the water -- testing it out for bigger adventures to come. Yay!!

It was great to stop in at Wollongong and be treated to take away Thai with Dad and Cam and Jenna and then to stop in at Newcastle and go for an adventurous 3km bushwalk -- with a swim at the beach in the middle of it. We even got a bit lost at the end of the walk, just like old days!

The cabin we are renting in South West Rocks is really nice. The girls are enjoying exploring lino as a new terrain to crawl over. Today (our first day here) we headed down for a morning swim and a walk up to check out the lighthouse before having lunch in the cafe. The girls made a friend there called Olly -- about a year older then they are but he came and sat with them and almost shared his sandwich with Leila as she went to grab it from him a few times -- not deterred by the fact he was twice her size! Right now it is 7.30, the girls are in bed and I am on my way to bed. Jono might stay up til 8.30 cause he is braver than me.

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