Mom & Edward come to Sydney!

Mom & Edward

We are so grateful that Edward and Mom came to visit us in Sydney, Australia. We truly had a magical time. We got up early every morning and just did as much as we possibly could each day. We loved showing them around Sydney and taking them to our favourite spots. We even discovered new favourite gems along the way, and it is now fun to blog about some of the highlights and relive our adventures discovering Sydney together. We love you, and THANK YOU again for coming to visit us. 

Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is one of our favourite places to go to. Stan, the boys, and I come here a lot. Every once in a while, I let the boys miss school and we come to the zoo. We normally take the ferry when coming here, and the ferry ride is a great addition to the zoo's magic.

At the zoo, we take the Sky Safari. It is located at the bottom of the zoo near where the Ferry drops you off. The Sky Safari is a fun way to get to the top of the large hill. The zoo's entrance is at the top and it is very convenient.

The bird show is located here, and what a view! I think that Taronga Zoo has the best city views around.

Maroubra Beach

This beach is wonderful. We have spent many afternoons here soaking up the sun and chasing fish in the rock pools. 

Edward is such a fun uncle. He spent probably close to an hour baring all the boys in the sand. They loved it. Surprisingly, William loved it too. I thought he wouldn't like being under sand, but he did. He didn't want to leave.

Little Bay Beach

This beach has recently become a family favourite of ours. It's a beautiful little bay, and it's known as one of the best places to snorkel. 

Luna Park

Another place we spend a fair amount of time at is Luna Park. It's a great place to let the boys run wild and have some fun in the city.

Sydney Ferries

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Gregory, George, and William just LOVE Edward. He is so amazing and the boys loved being with him, singing songs with him, playing games, and just hanging out. We have missed Edward a lot since he left for home. The boys cannot wait until they get to hangout with their amazing uncle again.

 Sydney Opera House

Manly Beach

Manly is probably one of the most beautiful places to visit in Sydney. I love the town, the beach, the feel... I really loved this day out, because we all had a fun time together. I love spending time as a family, and it's great when we can all have fun and enjoy life together. 

 Epic Sand Castle

This is seriously a cool sand castle. Edward and my boys just had the best time building this together. It took a while, but it was a warm day, and there was nothing better than building a castle together. 

The water was warm, and it was really fun to get out and swim. The waves are big and the current is strong, so after about an hour we were pretty tired, but it was so much fun to get out and have a good long swim in the gorgeous ocean water.

Sydney at Sunset

Coogee to Bondi Cliff Walk

Stan and I have wondered along this cliff walk but have never finished it. It's a long, two hour one way or four hour round trip walk. We started at Coogee Beach and went all the way to Bondi Beach. It was absolutely incredible, long but well worth the effort. It basically is a walk along the cliffs overlooking the ocean,  and you go from beach to beach to beach. There are so many hidden beaches that I didn't know existed. Gregory and George were at school this morning, and it was nice to have the time to talk with Edward and my Mom. We all took turns holding William, but Edward had him and my purse for most of the walk. We stopped along the way to take a few photos. It was a really lovely morning.

This is the end of the walk, we made it all the way to BONDI BEACH. Instead of walking the two hours it would have taken to get back to my car, we just found a taxi and off we went.

Taking the Train to Cronulla Beach

I had never been to Cronulla before, it is about an hour south of Sydney by train. It was a fun adventure away from the city. We had a beautiful day on the beach, swam in the water, played in the sand, and took a small, local ferry to Bundeena where we visited the Royal National Park and found a gorgeous little spot that has become a new favourite of mine. We didn't get home from this adventure until late, but it was so much fun. One of the best days of my life, it was really magical!

Cronulla Beach

Bundeena Beach at Royal National Park

Botanical Gardens

Three times a week, I spend my early mornings running along here. I wanted to show my family my run because it is such an exotic and beautiful walk or run. We walked through the city and stopped off at the Queen Victoria Building and had a lovely breakfast there. Then we continued up to Hyde Park. Then around to the Botanical Gardens where we found a wishing tree and had to go around it three time, walk around it backwards another three times to make a wish. After the Botanical Gardens we came here to this lovely spot and great view of the Sydney Opera House and Bridge. After we walked around the Opera House, around Circular Quay, and up onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I hadn't ever walked over the bridge before, taken and train and driven over it many times, but never had walked it. On the other side, we took a ferry from Luna Park to Balmain East where we were able to collect the boys from school. We got back on the Ferry and stopped off at Pymont Bay and went to the Harbourside Shopping Centre where there is an bowling alley and arcade on the top floor. We spent the remainder of the afternoon playing games there.

View from our Sydney City Apartment 

 Evening Cruise to Sydney Olympic Park

One game that my Mom and Edward played with the boys A LOT was Rock-Paper-Scissors. On the ferries, trains, and around town they all gathered together to play Rock-Paper-Scissors. They got so into it, and really had fun. Mom would usually be winning then purposely loose so that Gregory and George would win.

Wonderful Memories Made

One of the last nights, we went to Hard Rock Cafe to eat dinner. Some famous Aussie singer was there, so there was a lot of fuss around her. We had a lot of fun and had a lot to eat. We ordered two of their giant nachos to share and the boys of course love their pink lemonade. This has become a family favourite because the food is American, the portions are large, they don't mind that we bring our boys, and they can be loud because the music is always louder. We usually sit on the balcony and have our space from the crowds and the music, but it was a  cooler night and they didn't have the balcony opened. I ordered the BBQ pork sandwich with onion rings and of course enjoyed the nachos. I think we all had a good time, ate well, and for me it was another great moment.

It is so important to have good relationships in our lives. Relationships take time and effort to develop. I know that it was a financial sacrifice for my family to fly literally around the world to come and visit, but I am grateful that they did because we made wonderful memories and had a lovely time together. Our relationships were strengthened and these moments frozen in time will forever bring happiness to my heart. Love you Mom and Edward! xx