Having Visitors is the BEST!

 Oh how can I even begin to describe our December here in Brisby?  It was truly the best!  My parents arrived on the 4th of Dec. and flew home on the 31st and believe me I was begging them to stay another month or two!  We had such a blast.  It had nothing to do with feeling homesick or missing people...it had everything to do with sharing this place that has become quite dear to our hearts with people that are very special to us!  It was awesome to have them experience our life here.  And my parents are 2 of my closest friends so I was seriously in heaven having all that time with them.  I made sure to enjoy every second I had with them.  Even just sitting around and chatting...a favorite past time of mine, watching the kids swim in the pool or at the beach was so much fun just being together was awesome.  I would always try to be in the bathroom to get ready at the same time my mom was in there doing her hair and make up too--don't want to miss a single second!  Seriously love them! When they got here we had a "Brisbane Bucket List" of all the things we could think of that they might love about Brisbane :  Food to try, places to see, beaches to lie on and flowers to smell.  It was a really, really long list.  Lex said, "Jes, you're not honestly going to try and do all that are you?"  I told him, "No these are just suggestions and we'll let them pick and choose what sounds fun!"  But don't you worry-- we crossed every last thing off that list and many of them got crossed off several times...fish and chips at Chompers for example!!!!

When we met my parents at the airport Oaklee was holding up a sign that said, "My Grandparents are the Best!" and while I know I might be a very biased source...they truly are.  When I saw them I just went running and cried tears of happiness.  They were teary too, but probably because they were so relieved to get off that dang plane.  (Been there before...that flight's a doozy! Makes you really appreciate getting off!)  It meant so much to me that they would make that sacrifice to fly (financially and otherwise) around the world to see us.  People here kept asking me, "Do you think anyone will come visit?  People always say they will, but they usually don't, it's just so much work to get over here."  I always told them, "My parents will come.  They said they would, and I just know they will.  Besides, I have their grandkids here...they CANNOT go a full year without seeing them.  They just can't."

  We hit the ground running and had lunch at our favorite cafe Anesis by our house after we left the airport.  Of course we went to the temple because hello-- it's right next to our chapel on the same lot.  We park in the temple garage to get to our chapel each Sunday.  I loved having them in the ward to show them off a little.  And my ward here loves visitors!

It was great timing because the kids just had one week of school left in their school year when my parents arrived.  Then they were off for summer vacation.  So my parents got to see their school, meet their teachers, tour the campus and be apart of our routine for the week.  Then it was VACA BABY!  And we didn't stop until they boarded the plane home!!!!

We saved our holiday decorating for when Grams and Gramps came.  We didn't know if we were going to get a tree or not...since it's a one time deal for us, until Oaklee said in her sweetest saddest voice, "Well, Daddy I know Santa won't come to our house this year."   "Why not Oaks?" Lex asked. "Well, because we don't even have a Christmas tree so he will have nowhere to put our prezzies (Australian for presents)."  Dad melted...as usual.  So we went to Big W and picked up 2 little trees a green 3 footer and a white 18 incher.  I picked up some koala clips and we cut out snowflakes to decorate with.  It was awesome.  I can't even believe how much I enjoyed simplifying Christmas.  It changed the holiday for me.  It was so nice to just decorate a simple tree and not worry about going crazy with decor and lights and hitting all the traditions etc. etc.  It was really great!

We let the boys handle the white tree.  They used candy canes and lights.

We managed to find some stocking to hang but Lex and I and Grams and Gramps shared Santa hats to be filled on Christmas Eve.  

 We loved showing off Brisbane to my parents.  We did so many things that I am going to have to break this trip into several posts.  I couldn't restrain myself on picture snapping so putting them in different posts will help with the time it takes to upload!!!!  Needless to say, it was such an incredible Christmas holiday!