4 more sleeps

Only 4 more sleeps until we fly out to Melbourne and the excitement is starting to set in.  I have started to really think about all the things we will need to pack since we are going to be away for such a long time.  I will need enough toys and books to entertain the kids but not so many that there isn't any room for clothes and other essentials.  We want to keep our costs down as much as possible for this trip as it was unplanned and tacks right onto our planned trip to Phuket which isn't going to be a cheap holiday either.  We have found a house bay side of Melbourne so we will be close to Marcus mum and her partner (easy access for babysitting) and it wont be too far for Marcus to get to and from work each day so we will have more time together and less time spent in the car.  Thankfully we have been offered Marcus mums car for personal use if I need it which will be a godsend as I have alot of friends I want to catch up with and I will need to do a fair bit of shopping as well.  I need to basically re do my entire wardrobe for Thailand, as the weather is usually so consistent and hot we wear the same clothes every week and the shops here all cater to Thais mostly and the sizes are alot smaller fit than in Australia and everything just wears out so much quicker.  I only really like to wear cotton but the downside to that is it wears out so quickly with the hard water and the hard top loader washing machine we have.  So I plan to shop my little head off and amazingly I have Marcus permission as he knows I have barely been able to buy anything for myself these past 8 months.  The fashion styles here are awful as well, puffy sleeves, bows and just plain gross.  I will also have to shop quickly for some winter clothes for the kids as the small amount I brought over with me they have grown out of and it is going to very cold for them when we land.  I hunted down some warmer pyjamas for them in Bangkok but they aren't nearly as warm as they will need to be.  But I love shopping so any excuse works for me.  It is also Marcus birthday while we are home and he wants to hit the town so I also need to plan somewhere to go, who to invite and of course line up some babysitters as well.  Shouldn't be too hard since alot of our family are dying to see the kids.  I am really looking forward to spending time with my girlfriends, I have missed just sitting and having a natural conversation that doesn't involve all the "getting to know you talk".

As I type this Marcus is in Bangkok picking his boss up from the airport and of course the flight was delayed so he will be much later home than we planned.  He has 2 days with him to go over work issues and also discuss our contract extension and whether or not he needs us to stay longer than we originally planned.  We are hoping he does want us to stay as we have had a long term view on our time in Thailand and to pack up and leave with in the next 5 months would feel far too quick.  Things are only now starting to feel like they are settling down, my days don't feel as endless and lonely, we seem to have a crew of friends to hang with on the weekends or catch up with for a coffee at least once a week.  I like the ladies I hang with, they are mostly older than me and their kids are older but its nice not to talk about babies which I normally would if I went to lets say a mothers group or play center.  My entire day is filled with baby stuff so to be able to have conversations about so many other topics is great and they help me to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and at some point I will get my time and some of my personal life back. 
So by the time we go home on Thursday we should be able to answer the inevitable questions of "how long are you going to be living in Thailand for?"
Very exciting week ahead and very very busy.