Our Family Moon

A few months ago my Dad pitched us an offer I couldn't refuse. He said he was going to Hanmer Springs and would be hiring a holiday home. "Do you want to come and have free accomodation?" he asked. HECK YES WE DO!!! I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to take a second BabyMoon (We went to Australia for our "official" one). Basically, a BabyMoon is an opportunity to take a mini break away while its just the two of you to connect, love and make memories together before your little one arrives and makes a very busy and stressful life for you both. Essentially, its a time to fill each others love banks. A weekend in Hanmer ought to do it!

Infact, it was included in last weeks Huggies pregnancy update. I figured it was meant to be!

Lesson #1 - Be extremely upfront about your expectations with yourself and your partner. 

Subconciously in my head I had dreams of candles, romantic dinners, swimming in thermal pools, building snowmen and light hikes to geocache. Although I had these pictures swimming around my head I never actually vocalised them. 

Lesson #2 - Be adaptable.

Last week I found out some of our family would be attending this Hanmer trip. I have a big family. There was 12 of us staying in this one house. 12 People + a feotus makes for a lot of adapting. 

Lesson #3 - Go with the flow and have a ridiculous amount of fun.

We almost didn't make it there. Our beloved car, Max, started to give up on us and wouldn't change gear. We soaked up half the petrol in a very short distance and considered calling for a tow. While away for the weekend we had to breathe out and not let it worry us. We topped up the transmission fluid and made it back but will need to be replacing our transmission and finding a new car verrry soon. This could have dampened our weekend, but we both prayed about it and decided to not let it get us down. 

I seriously love my big family. Most of the time they are crazy and most of the time I have so much fun with them. I'm the youngest of my brothers and sisters and I'm finding that as I get older I'm realising they are pretty cool too! I actually enjoy their company. It's a wonderful thing. 

I'm glad that Graeme and I got to spend time with them all before Camilla arrives. I don't see them nearly enough as I should and we probably wont have another chance to before her arrival so It was really great to have quality time with them before hand. 

There was no romantic dinner, instead there were joint lunches and dinners. No candles but lots of dancing, two trips to the thermal pools and Graeme got to hydroslide with our nephews while I watched and laughed. No geocaching but lots of games of cards, and no snow men but an extremely excited household when the snow did fall. And one extremely romantic moment being in the hot pools and having snow flakes land on our heads. Bliss!!

I love family holidays and I am super thankful that my family is really really good at doing quality time together. That's something Graeme and I both want to be good at installing in our family too. 

I had such a good weekend that this was the only photo I took as a few of us were entering the pools. 

What a good time! It wasn't really a BabyMoon, more of a FamilyMoon. Stoked on it.