The nice kind of busy

You know, I've written this nice, LONG blogpost about our doings for Christmas and New Years... and then it just vanished.. poof... gone!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! And to be honest, I just can't make myself re-write it again, so I give you a quick wrap up of the last couple weeks... we were BUSY, but the nice kind of busy.... my family is here for a visit.

Ned and I went up to Perth to pick them up from the airport... and as there was some time to kill we had a quick visit to the zoo.

Ned liked the elephants best...

...just after the zoo-train-ride that is....

...and the ride on an antique carousel (why did we go to the zoo again?? Ah! For the rides of course!)

It is so great to be able to show the beauty of my new home to my family. Luckily (thank you GOD that is) Albany weather was on it's best behaviour,

We had a fantastic time for Christmas. Developing ones own "traditions" for Christmas with a true meaning is actually quite fun, especially if you're a cross-cultural family... and to be honest... I loves both sides of Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Saviour as well as giving and receiving presents (sigh.. call me superficial, but I love presents).

Being German we just HAD to have a Christmas Eve celebration which we did with lots of food, fun and chats. After dinner the entire herd went out for a little walk. Just a couple roads around the corner there is this Albany Christmas atraction. People all over Albany hop in their cars after dark and drive past these houses.

Houses of almost an entire street are covered in funky Christmas lights and all of Albany drives past it with their cars. The owners hand out lollies and collect some donations for a hospice... luckily we live in walking distance (but NOT too close, I'd go gaga!!!)

Ned loved the singing Santa

When my family herded off to see the Christmas lights I stayed behind a couple minutes to put most of our presents under the tree and then ran after them.

When he saw the presents Ned WAS excited, BUT....

...he had to wait a little longer, for Ben read the Christmas story to us, for it isn't about presents (as much I like them), but about Christ (or it would have been call Presentmas, instead of Christmas, right??)

But after that there was no stopping them... and yes, Cedric did get a  pink little doll pusher (my doing) AND he loves it, sigh.

Being an Australian German family definitely has it's benefits: there was even more unwrapping on Christmas Day.

And I must say, it is much easier to take photos of the unwrapping on Christmas Day than Christmas Eve. 

It might not look it, but Ned was actually the sick person in our middst...

...well, Ben was a bit sick too, but I don't know if he liked Ned's therapy: he likes fixing things with a hammer lately.

After church we did the true "Aussie" thing and went for a BBQ at the beach (even though my Australian family has never ever done that before, but there is always a first, right?)

While we relaxed in the shade the men did the hard work of cooking the "barbie" (looks like haaard word, eh?)

Well, seems like we did have a white Christmas after all, don't you think??