It’s amazing how holidays change when you have kids… this is the second one we have been on since our little one was born and I have been looking forward to it since we booked it one week before we actually left. Yep, u heard me. One. Week. Before. We. Left.

Cutting it fine, coz thats how we role you know? Livin’ life by the seat of our pants and all that.

Sigh, I only WISH we were that cool.

I’d nervously requested the week off from work about 2 months before our actually holiday (and was so stupidly thrilled to receive it) but in the back of my mind I was never really sure if we would actually end up going somewhere other than my own lounge room. I was so excited thinking about all of the places that we COULD go, but at the same time was trying really hard to prevent myself from getting too carried away in case it was a big fizzer and we didn’t end up going anywhere at all.

Why would you feel like that, you ask? Well, because my husband has a small but solid history of being a big old carrot dangler. Whilst he has gotten much MUCH better and doesn’t do it quite as often these days, there was a time there where he would talk about doing something (including most depressingly, going on a holiday) and it would never eventuate. He didn’t mean it. He just changed his mind, or something came up.

He changed his mind again didn’t he? via GIPHY

And I thought that the something that may come up this time was our son. Because we were nervous as hell about what he MIGHT do on the plane. Which is one of the reasons that we didn’t end up booking this holiday until the very last minute. We were giving ourselves a silently agreed upon “out” just in case we lost our nerve.

Oh god. What if he screams the whole time? What if we aren’t able to contain him in those teeny tiny seats? What if he finds a way to baby mastermind the forward doors open, and he sky dives out of them from 35,000 feet? WHAT IF HE VOMITS ON ONE OF US? OR, EVEN WORSE, WHAT IF HE VOMITS ON SOMEONE WHO IS NOT ME AND I HAVE TO CLEAN THEM UP AND THEN EVERYONE AROUND US JUDGES US FOR BEING TERRIBLE PARENTS WHO CAN ONLY RAISE CHILDREN WHO VOMIT LIKE THE EXORCIST ON THEM?

via GIPHY

Okay, okay, I know I am slightly exaggerating, but you get the point right? We were nervous.

And yet at the very last minute we took a deep breath, got the frick over it, grew a pair of big parent balls, and booked ourselves a sweet family va-cay to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast! Woo! Happy Dance!

The second we clicked the “confirm” button on our laptop when booking our hotel we both immediately felt a sense of ease wash over us. Instant relaxation. Yes! Worth it already!

Instant Relaxation. Lol. via GIPHY

And then I started packing the bags. I don’t know why I got lumped with this task, because I tend to overpack and get yelled at over the course of the holiday for having way too much useless crap. But this time I thought I would try controlling myself. And I did a freaking brilliant job at not over packing.

That is, of course, until I started packing clothes for my son.
I filled about a quarter of the bag with my stuff, but for him, I packed just about everything the little bugger had ever owned, just in case. GOD, he is such a suitcase hog.

We woke up super early on the morning of our flight and just about threw ourselves into the car ready for our QLD adventure. We were so psyched to be getting away!!! Our son had no-idea what was going on. The only thing he knew was that we were all smiling a hell of a lot more than normal.

In fact, now that I think about it, we may have actually made him kinda uncomfortable from all of the creepy smiling lol.

Stop it Mum. You’re scaring me. Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

When we got to the airport, we walked calmly to the gate. And by calmly I mean that our little one ran erratically all over the concourse (like he had downed a good 8 full strength beers), trying to launch himself into every toilet or rubbish bin along the way. By the time we finally got to the gate, I was (very fashionably) wearing a full sweat moustache. I was gloriously shiny.

The plane ride went surprisingly well. We sat next to a lady who promptly informed us that we weren’t to worry, and that she had raised 5 sons and 2 grandsons of her own. Yes sir, we had hit the seating jackpot!!

In fact, she was SUCH a seasoned boy raiser, that our son could have done the splits on her head and she wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. Instead, she chatted with him, waved at him, and kindly let him launch his little wriggly toddler body across her seat (and rest one hand on her boob, mind you) whenever the mood struck him, so he could get a totally unobstructed view of the clouds that we were flying over.

And then we landed. Yessssss!! We were there! It was time to get our HOLIDAY on!

Getting our Holiday On – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

We were giddy from our successful plane ride and from all of the sunshine that was already soaking into our skin. Even still we somehow managed to find our hire care and subsequently, our way to our hotel. Yes, I am shocked too kids.

Overall, the holiday was brilliant. It was full of sun, sun, sun, and more sun, and of salty delicious sea air which filled our nostrils. It was pure bliss.

We spent the early mornings at the beach. Our little one happily spent those hours tossing sand at his parents (and all over himself), squealing at (and trying to poke) dead jellyfish, and swallowing at LEAST half of the ocean.

Cop This Sand In Your Face Mum – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

This Is My Resting Beach Face Mum – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

Thanks For Putting My Suit On Backwards Mum – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

We also spent many hours in the hotel pools (there were three PLUS a toddler pool, and thrillingly none were ever busy) where we splashed lazily and happily about whilst our little one pointed and shouted “Shark!” at all the darker points in the pool. Oh hang on, maybe thats why they were rarely busy. Maybe we were “that” noisy family??

In actual fact, our son was so happy and joyous at every moment of this holiday and it was incredibly infectious. So much so, that as a (noisy) family we were treated incredibly well no matter where we went throughout the week. It was wonderful and heart warming.

We visited the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary which was so pretty and fun for all ages. We saw a billion koalas, fed a gorgeous kangaroo who didn’t try to drop kick us (thank effing god), and according to our child we also saw a frightening amount of sharks (cough cough…they were just regular swimmy fish…cough cough). It was the BEST.

Woo! The Kangaroo Who Didn’t Kill Us. Thank bloody goodness – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

One of the billions of Koala’s who just hung around and got high on gum leaves – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

We also spent one very overcast afternoon up on the Skypoint Observation Deck sipping on cocktails (ok, that was just me), watching a pretty amazing storm roll in with an accompanying thunder and lightening show. Our son squealed, ran around the observation deck, and charmed all of the local tourists (who would then panic if he tripped over his own two feet which seemed to move more quickly than he could control). He would then try and steal their food. Especially if they were hot chips, the poor unsuspecting tourists.

Watching The Storm Roll In – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

Flirting With The Tourists With Those Cheeks – Image (c) mummalifelovebaby

We got caught in a rainstorm, which saw us sprinting back to the car getting absolutely drenched whilst our son laughed at us like a banshee from the comfort and relative dryness of his pram. We went on a bush walk to checkout a mountain top view on a misty afternoon when there was ZERO visibility. We gave up half way on that one because it was a really long walk cross country style through a rainforest, which was totally daft trying with a 19m old who was still working through his balance issues.

The hardest part of it all was when we went out for dinner… We went out for the yummiest of dinners every night, and each time it was the biggest exercise in patience. Food was tossed all over the place and squealing was completed only at the absolute top of our sons lungs. Luckily since we had our dinner early (at 5:30pm) every night there were very few other foodies out. And generally the only other patrons eating out at that same time were other families with young kids who were doing exactly the same thing.

But it was worth it, coz we actually felt like we had a bit of a life again. And that was nice. And weird.

It was hard coming home, back to the hum-drumity-drum of what is annoyingly known as “real life”. But we came back. And we have what are truly the best and the happiest memories of our little one flirting his way through QLD.

Now to plan where to go next… (Yessssssss!) xx

What is the best holiday that you have been on with your kids? Leave a comment below and tell me all about it! xxx

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xxxxx