tale of two weekends

Oh what a difference two weekends can be. Two weeks ago we went to Port Stephen's.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Port+Stephens,+New+South+Wales,+Australia&sll=21.654282,-158.060646&sspn=0.009254,0.013711&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FVrtDf4dPWARCQ&split=0&hq=&hnear=Port+Stephens,+New+South+Wales,+Australia&z=11

It was about 2.5 hours outside of Sydney- not a bad drive (very peaceful since everyone but me napped). A pretty coastal area filled with many inlets and scenic beaches. It had been a while since we explored a new part of Australia so I was excited to check it out. All in all we had a great overnight there. We stayed at a Holiday Park- think RV park plus cabins. That was one of the only open places left to stay -guess that is what you get for booking it the day before you leave. Good thing there aren't tornados in this area (or at least I think not). Fine for a night and the kids loved the bunk beds. We tried to do some touristy things without much success (go-kart track was closed down; ATVs had a minimum age of 10 and Nate can't pass for 10; and everyone feel asleep in the car on the way to sandboard -huge sand dunes there that you sled down).....but we enjoyed the views. (pictures below)

On the other hand last weekend was a completely other story. Nate and Reese caught a cold and Reese spent most of Saturday and Sunday puking- including twice on the couch. I spent most of the time doing seven loads of laundry (I think I washed every towel we own). Better than Michael who got puked on not once but twice. I am very happy to report that it was a violent but fast case and other than a stuff nose we are all much healthier now. (no puke pictures ;)