A couple weeks ago we had our first visitors in our new home. Paul's sister and her two boys flew over from Perth. We had just under a week together. We tried to pack in as much as we could with a rental car for only three days.
We picked them up from the airport at 10:30pm. Luckily, for Vanessa it was two hours earlier in Perth. That left the boys still wide awake and excited for their visit to "Melvin" according to Christian. We got back home around 11, and got everyone to bed pretty quickly. The next morning was a little tougher getting out of bed. But we all managed! We hit the pavement towards Kryal Castle. This was a mock take on a medieval castle. They provide a few shows with faux jousting and other 'thundering drama'. I think the boys had a killer time. All in all it was pretty cool.
The following day we hit Melbourne zoo. It was the coolest zoo I've ever been to. We were there all day long. I got to see several animals that I've never seen in real life; a hippo, platypus, meerkat, and many more! Funny enough the boys seemed to enjoy the reptile enclosure the best. They loved searching the case for each reptile, and showing us.
My favourite was the penguins!
On Monday we got to Science Works. Uncle Paul took a half day of work, and joined us. The boys had a blast there too. The downstairs was geared more towards older kids/adults. Upstairs there was a fake city for the younger kids. Christian was the perfect age for the upstairs. He loved it! Jordan loved testing all the sport related things.
There was a Lego version of Melbourne. I didn't get a photo of the whole thing. But in the bottom left corner there is a Lego version of Paul's work. I thought it was cool enough to take a photo of.
On Tuesday Van, the boys and I hopped a cab to the city. Christian was dying to see the MCG. Unfortunately, footy is over for the season, so we didn't get to go inside. But we did show him the outside. I don't think he'll be content until he gets to see a game there. We did a bit of wandering around, and admiring the Yarra River. After a bite to eat we made a donut shop a priority. We found a tiny, but insanely popular doughnut shop right near the train station. I got a caramel glazed doughnut, and brought an almond croissant back for Uncle Paul. Van and Christian had jam filled doughnuts, and Jordan had a strawberry glazed with sprinkles. You'd hardly know what Jordan had. He had his doughnut eaten within about 30-35 seconds.
That night was the last bit of time Uncle Paul had with the boys as he had to work early the next day. We gave Christian his birthday present (he was here a couple days before). Then the boys put it together. All three of them love Lego. Uncle Paul is just a kid at heart anyway. But according to his Sister he was a Lego-Maniac growing up. It was really sweet to see all of them building and playing together.
Disclaimer: It's damn near impossible to get a photo of all them while still.
Hence the blurred boys in each photo.
On our last day together Van, the boys and I hopped another cab to the Pancake Parlour. This place is the bees knees! Van and I had the chocolate jubilee which consists of a chocolate pancake, ice cream, strawberries, and fudge. The boys each had a stack of three with vanilla ice cream. This was the one meal they finished with no complaints ;) We didn't get any photos at the pancake parlour. Probably because we were too busy stuffing our faces.
The trip was short, but sweet. This was the most time we've got to spend with Vanessa and the boys. Usually we only have a day together when we're in Perth. I loved having them here, and I can't wait for our next visit together.
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