so many visitors!

We got so spoiled this past month with friends and family visiting Melbourne!

My mom was here at the end of 2018, making her annual/biannual trip to visit us (well, mostly Arden!).

She was a great help with Arden, taking care of her both day and night - which was a great blessing especially during my third trimester of pregnancy. We don't usually get such hands-on assistance with Arden on a weekly basis, so we always appreciate the help (and opportunities for date nights!).

teatime with Ahma!

In late December/early January, my maternal cousin Justin was in town with his wife Han and their two kids, visiting Han's extended family who live near Melbourne. I hadn't seen Justin since a family reunion in 2007, so it was great to see him again.

2007! we were in Hawaii, in case you couldn't tell...

2018! I am less tan and very pregnant now.

We got to visit with them several times: meeting up at a mall near our apartment, a trip to the Melbourne Zoo and a barbecue at their AirBnB, and finally a barbecue picnic at the edge of the beautiful Yarra River.

Justin and Han have two kids - a girl and a little boy - so we asked them plenty of questions about their experience with two children, and what the transition from one to two was like for them. Arden especially adored their daughter Olive, wanting to hold her hand most of the time and always asking about the next time we'd see her.

Olive and Arden. Olive Garden, haha

And earlier this month we hosted our friends Matt and Kathryn, whom I've known since college, and their adorable 1-year old daughter Arlynn. And yes, it was often a challenge to keep our kids' names straight.

Royal Botanic Gardens

checking out the Sandridge Bridge and its records of Australian immigration

American football fans.

Arden was... mostly gentle with baby Arlynn. However, every time Arlynn started crying, Arden joined in unison and it took a while to calm her down again. The visit was a good test-run for what an experience with another baby will be like in a few weeks/months... (hint: we've definitely got our work cut out for us!)

"hugs"

The Riemersmas were up for anything and everything, so we took them to almost all the local sightseeing spots, and we had amazing weather to walk around in (on average, we walked from 6-8 miles every day!). We took them to the Shrine of Remembrance, Royal Botanic Gardens, various malls and centres in the city, the Queen Victoria Markets, the Melbourne Museum, and around our lovely Docklands neighbourhood. We also had some amazing meals in newly-discovered restaurants (even with my strange Gestational Diabetes diet, I've finally figured out what I can and can't eat out).

 

Market Lane coffee!

Arden adored Auntie Kathryn.

I found myself feeling pretty sad at the end of our string of visitors, as I usually am. As much as we love living abroad and there is no shortage of wonderful people in Melbourne, there's something truly valuable about friendships and relationships with history. Also, these visits were the last major events in my calendar before our son's due date, and it's a bit surreal knowing that our next adventure will most likely be his birth day..!

We love Melbourne, and we especially love showing it off to friends and family when they're able to visit. And yes, we are always open to hosting (or at least, playing tour guide to) more friends and family who end up on this side of the world! I mean, we hosted friends when Arden was only 2 weeks old (and had a wonderful time despite diaper blowouts, breastfeeding challenges and very little sleep!), so... if you want to come see us, we'd love to hang out.

Thanks for visiting, family and friends! Hopefully it's not too long before we see you all again.

CK