Thursday, June 24, 2010

Melbourne in June 2010

Well it's been a while since we last posted. The days go so fast round here. Jack is two in just under two weeks. He is a proper little boy (just like pinocchio). Being part of a mum's group means that all the birthdays hit at the same time and this is paaaarty season. Just last weekend for instance we had two parties. It was wild. Now that Jack is starting to understand the concept of birthday parties (essentially sugary food, balloons, running around screaming and, most importantly, cake) he is pretty darn excited about having his own.

So what is happening in Jack's world? Despite my better efforts he has developed a serious obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine and watches the epic 'Calling all Engines' approximately twice a day. He likes toys with wheels on. He is a good eater but, like his father, has a penchant for sugary foods. He is still firmly attached to his chupete. He talks - a lot - he can even conjugate the odd verb.

A couple of weeks ago we had the good fortune to enjoy a day off in honour of the Queen's birthday. Also known as the only day of the year that you won't hear Aussies complain about Her Majesty being the head of state. We decided to visit Werribee Zoo, an African savannah-style open-range zoo west of Melbourne. After some lovely couple time spent arguing about how to get into the park ("That's it, we're going home"..."Fine!"), we arrived to find the car park full. Alas our brilliant idea for the public holiday was shared by many a family.


However, the park never seemed too full and we had a great time. Included in the entry fee to the park is a 45 minute safari ride. Here you see us enjoying said ride:
It seemed that the animals had conspired to stay on the right side of the bus, whereas we were obviously sitting on the left. This guy missed the conspiracy planning meeting:
All the main animal exhibits also had a themed play area for the kids so rather than Jack being confined to his stroller for the entire day he got to play. This old Jeep was set up next to the lion enclosure. There were a few wheel sharing issues with the other children and a few tears when Jack fell out the side.
We stopped for afternoon tea with scones and the obligatory babycino, or 'cino' as Jack calls it:
Just another day out with the family...
...with the rather predictable end result: