BrisVegas Balmforth Bulletin

One Heck of a Red

2008-10-23T08:19:00.002+10:00

With all the travelling back and forth to New Zealand that Tara's been making, we've been earnestly searching for a great Pinot Noir that we had recently with our neighbours Stephanie and Adam. And it's been like beating your head against a brick wall, which is an especially painful experience when you're tastebuds are screaming out demanding the sweet satisfaction of this gorgeous wine.

The wine is made by a young winery out of the Central Otago region in NZ. Being young, they are best described as a boutique winery. We were told this is why it is so hard to locate. Well, that's what we were told by those who didn't carry it.

Fortunate for the deprived tastebuds, a retailer was located. And the REAL reason for the difficulty of the search was revealed. Turns out our little bottle of great Pinot Noir was recently voted the Top International Pinot Noir at the International Wine Challenge in London. That's right - we were only searching for The Best Pinot in the WORLD whose vintage had been sold out. That'd be a about right.

Suddenly, the purchase of two bottles doesn't seem enough. Especially with how smoothly the bottle we saved for ourselves went down last night with Stephanie and Adam.

Now the search begins again. So, please let us know if you come across a bottle (or 6) of the 2006 Central Otago Pinot Noir by Wild Earth. We won't blame you if you drink it straight away.

Looking to Buy Property in Brisbane??

2008-09-21T09:45:00.002+10:00

Well then, friends, you've come to the right place!

We recently learned that our unit is FOR SALE. That's right. Our delightful 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car-space unit in the affluent suburb of Ascot (well, the Doomben side of the suburub, not the really, really affluent side of the suburb) is for sale. Want to check it out? Sure thing, mates. Go here or here.

What's the price, you say? Who knows! It's not listed anywhere. But, we know that there's another 3 bedroom in the complex that is (still) for sale after orginally asking $515,000. (Yes, you read that correctly.) They've now dropped the price down to the bargain basement price of $450,000. (We say bargain only because we were told it was a bargain.) It's still on the market.

Either way, it's no matter to us. We were likely to move from the complex anyway. The resident managers have proven themselves quite unreliable and pretty untrustworthy (lying to us) and we've learned about how they're operating their business. And, well, it just doesn't gel with us ethically. And while it doesn't effect us on a day-to-day basis, we're not comfortable here anymore.

Plus, the little ones told us they wanted us to move to a house next. And, in a quite seredipitous way, we think we've already located a gem of a house just 2 suburbs further north. Still working out all the details now (like can we actually rent the place for 2 years or longer), but we should know in a matter of a week or so if it will work out! When we know for certain, we'll update you all.

Being Bir-Day

2008-09-15T11:59:00.004+10:00

So, if you were our newest family member.... just what would you so to endear yourself to the family? Let's ask Bir-Day - the newest member of the Brisbane Balmforths.

Look cute? Check.
Be playful? Check.
Give cuddles? Check.
Bathe in sunbeams? Check.
Hide in the furnishings and sneak into the liquor cabinet? Check and double Check!

School Fete Time

2008-09-15T11:35:00.004+10:00

Last weekend was Poppi's school fete. What a day! Of course, the day really began the night before with questions of "How much longer til the Fete?" repeated every few ~~seconds~~ minutes. Our children were so incredibly excited, we were even surprised they managed to fall asleep.

As with most fetes, each family was asked to contribute. We contributed Fudge (no, not our "famous" Peanut Butter Fudge - too many possible nut allergies floating around at schools). 2 kilos of fudge to be exact - Milk Chocolate fudge buttons (where we learned to NOT try and be fancy with fudge - it just doesn't work), Dark Chocolate fudge and White Chocolate fudge. (We even tried (and failed) to make White Chocolate & Maple Fudge. And this is where we learned that shortcuts in fudge (ie using sweetened condensed milk instead of buckets of sugar) is not really a good idea.)

On the day, we did our best to get to the school at the exact minute the fete started, but we were a little delayed. But, it took no time at all to make up for the few precious moments that were wasted driving in the car. Poppi & Hunter rode spinning teacups, a precariously hung (and somewhat dangerous looking) carousel. And!!! The children had a million trips down the big slide with the burlap sacks. In fact, that slide was the highlight of the day and the scene of much negotiation about how many trips would be made.

(We didn't have the camera with us -DOH! But, here's a few happy snaps captured on the camera phone. Enjoy, despite the quality!)

Gymnastics is in his Future!

2008-09-15T11:04:00.002+10:00

Miss Poppi Clare has been taking gymnastics classes as school on Friday afternoons. She seems to be enjoying herself. From the times we've been able to attend and watch her learn, we can see that she's really taken to the beam. And over the course of the weeks, she's made some really fantastic improvement in introductory vaulting. We are, of course, so very proud of her!

Hunter attends as an observer every Friday as well. And boy oh boy is he picking up some really fantastic tricks. His favourite? The Cartwheel. And he'll show you just how good he is at them - anywhere, anytime, for anyone who will watch! That includes the front room, the shops, the park, wedding receptions, other people's houses....

And at only 3 years old (ok, nearly 4) he has The Cartwheel down pat - even better than his big sister! He's even figured out how to do them one-handed. And thanks to some "coaching" by dad, he's got himself a pretty decent HandStand, too! He was pretty keen on watching the men's gymnastics during the Olympics and reckons when he gets big and strong, he'll be able to do what he saw those young men doing.

And it looks like he'll be starting some actual gymnastics classes like his big sister in the new school year. We just can't wait to see how he goes!

Poppi's Sports Carnival

2008-09-15T10:19:00.004+10:00

We seem to have a shortage of batteries around the joint lately. We find ourselves stealing the AA's out of the camera(s) to power the wireless mouse. Or the motorised (noisy) Thomas the Tank toys. Or the remote. Or one of a couple of dozen other things in the house that require AA's. And when we don't have enought to go around - boy do we hear about it!

Poor Miss Poppi is quite disapointed in our power shortage. It is preventing her from powering her own (Fisher-Price kid-bashing-friendly) digital camera and taking photos to her heart's content. For that matter, it's also hindering us from taking more current photos. (Aren't you glad we have about a year's worth to catch you up on instead?)

Nevertheless, prior to our current portable power deficiency, we were able to attend Poppi's first Sports Carnival. She was very excited to participate in all of the events. And we're quite certain she had a ball with most of the events - Hopping with a ball between the legs, Egg on a Spoon Race, Obstacle Course, Relay Race, 3-Legged Race and the like. Except for the big run at the end - she was quite happy to take it easy. We figure she was just thinking slow& steady wins the race. Too bad it was a sprint. :-)

Poppi's Class lining up for the first event

Poppi's Class after the Big Run event!

Sharin' Some Love

2008-08-15T15:31:00.003+10:00

Poppi & Hunter spent the local public holiday with us this week. You could say we spent it by stayin' in and sharing some love around the house. We played games together, did some baking together and just enjoying each other's company.

So, we thought we'd share some of the warm fuzzies from the day with all of you!

A Little Experiment in the Bathroom

2008-08-15T15:21:00.003+10:00

Haven't you always wanted to know exactly just how much water your standard bath-tub will hold before it goes over the edge?

Well, our kids have braved the depths of their own domecile to find out for you! (Or maybe, just maybe, it's Dean's latest and greatest solution for actually getting them into the tub when asked.)

I Can Dress Myself!

2008-08-15T15:11:00.003+10:00

So sayeth Hunter.

And in what, we are certain, was a moment in which he channelled his best 80's Miami Vice / Don Johnson self - here's what he came up with.... Oh yes.... I can dress myself indeed.

Hunter Style Tip #1 - Why pop your collar to look cool when you can just open up your shirt?!?! :-)

"Poppi & Hunter" by Warhol

2008-08-10T09:55:00.003+10:00

Mini-Golf, Anyone?

2008-08-10T09:23:00.005+10:00

I can remember many times as a child going to play Putt-Putt with my folks. I remember being quite bad at the game. (Go figure.) But, more than that, I remember always having fun and lots of giggles.

I am happy to report that not much has changed in the world of mini-golf since I was a child. I am still quite bad at the game, but it is still lots of fun and brings a smile and a laugh to everyone. In fact, it's probably more fun now to be the adult and watch the kids giving it a go and having a ball.

Some months ago, we took the littlies down the Gold Coast (thanks to some discount vouchers) and had an afternoon of mini-golf fun. Both kids did great - even scoring a few Hole-in-Ones!

And, of course, like any REAL golfer knows, you don't really tell the truth on those stroke cards. Well, that would just be silly, wouldn't it? So, our young Tiger-in-Training, when asked how many strokes it took him to make the above shot (knowing full well that the count was at least 10) had this to say....

Playing with the Art of Giants

2008-08-09T09:06:00.006+10:00

Recently (ummm... like December - January) GOMA here in Brisbane had a fantastic exhibition of Andy Warhol's art. When Poppo Bill was here in Australia for Tara's university graduation, we had a quick visit to the exhibit. During that visit we learned there was quite an extensive (and free!) portion of the visit dedicated to getting kids hands-on with art.

So, one weekend during the run of the exhibition, we took the kiddos to the museum for an art-filled adventure. (We were quite limited in the photos we could take - thank you copyright laws - so there are only just these few to share.)

Hunter's Thoughts on Hooters - Gold Coast

2008-08-08T15:25:00.001+10:00

'Nuff Said.

Say Hello to the Newest Balmforth!

2008-08-08T10:45:00.006+10:00

Wow! We've been away from the blog for nearly a year. Goodness. Well, we're back now and first things first - please join us in welcoming our newest family member.

Say Hello to Bir-Day!

Bir-Day (age 3) adopted us (Dean) when we went to the RSPCA in May this year. According to the kids, she has "special knees". And those "knees" required us to undergo some semi-intense scrutnisation before we could bring her home.

But home is where she is - Indeed! She settled straight into life as a Balmforth straight away. It has taken no time for her to rule the roost! Dean is her favourite human and she is so incredibly patient with the kids. And the kids loooooooooooooooooove her. They can't wait to get to play with her over each visit.

Without a doubt, she is the funniest, most loving cat any of us has ever met. And in saying that, she has a really "familiar" personality about her. Both Dean and I feel like we've known this lovely little girl for quite awhile. We're just trying to figure how... Reincarnation, anyone?

Clever, Clever, Clever

2007-09-18T16:12:00.000+10:00

Many of you know that we are green-inclined in this house. We try to be evironmentally responsible. We try to look for ways to be greener. We're happy to support businesses and other that are also promote responsible green values. And because of that, we had to share this very clever ad promoting wind energy that was delivered to Tara's Inbox from the good folks at Ideal Bite.

Enjoy!

Poppo's "Must Have it NOW!!!" Peanut Butter Fudge

2007-09-10T16:26:00.000+10:00

Recently, we went to the Eumundi Markets just because. It's a quick hour escape and you never really know what the stall vendors will have. We really like it. This last visit, during the Ekka public holiday, we went up. There is a fudge vendor there and I decided I had to have some peanut butter fudge. Well, no joy at the fudge vendor. Turns out Australians aren't as into confectionary with peanut butter as an ingredient as Americans. How silly! What culinary adventures there are to be had.

So, on the way home, Dean and I phoned my Dad (who has now inherited my grandfather's nickname - Poppo) and got his recipe. Mind you, he didn't actually have it written down. You see, his recipe comes from the back of a jar of Marshmellow Fluff. So, he rattled it off by memory.

Dean, my talented and all-knowing chef, was a little concerned about making fudge with peanut butter and marshmellows. Well, that was until he tasted it. He loved it! :-) As a result, it was one of many treats served at Poppi's Suprise Birthday Party. So, straight from the back of our super-secret brown paper bag, here we are posting the recipe here for those who asked for it at the party.

Enjoy! :-)

2 cup of Peanut Butter (or Peanut Butter chips) - You can use smooth or crunchy

1 jar (7 oz) Marshmellow Fluff (Yes, this is available in Australia - at Coles, in the same aisle as Nutella. If you can not find any, substitute an equivilant amount of regular marshmellows.)

3/4 cup Evaporated Milk

2 1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

In a large pot over medium, combine milk, butter and sugar. Heat ingredients until boiling. Add Marshmellow Fluff (or marshmellows), stirring until melted. Remove pot from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Spread mixture out in a semi-shallow baking pan. Allow to cool in refrigerator until firm. Cut into squares and try not to eat them all at once.

Oh what a boy!

2007-09-09T12:05:00.000+10:00

Care to see what Hunter was up to this morning, around 6:30????

Surprise for Poppi!

2007-09-09T11:15:00.001+10:00

Yesterday, we surprised Poppi.

She thought that she, Dad, Hunter and Grandma from Kingston (Dean's mom) were going to drive around and try to find Tara who had gone to "pay her bills." (It was the closest explanation we could give her for what it means to "go do some running around" when you're not actually going out for a run.) Well, it turned out Tara was "hiding" at a party in the park!

Guess who the party was for!??!!? Miss Poppi Claire's 5th birthday! She had no idea what was going on - this was her first party. But, lots of people she knew were there, there were pink and purple balloons and streamers everywhere and a whole pile of presents! Plus - Dad made her a super special pink and purple spotty cake with a princess tiara. AND!! Everyone was at one of her favourite parks. Her friend Jack (and babies Thomas and Thomas) came along and they spent 98% of the time playing. (We actually had to keep bringing them back over to "the party" to do things like eat, open pressies, blow out the candle on the cake.)

Dean cooked up a storm with some help from his mum. The picnic table was covered in goodies. Even though everyone gobbled up the yummies, there was still plenty left over!

All up, it was a really nice afternoon. It was just so special that Cousins, friends, Great Aunts and Uncles and Grandma were able to come and celebrate Poppi's birthday a little bit early. Even Grandma and Poppo and Uncle Will from Florida were able to be a part of the big day! We're so grateful for those who came to be with Poppi on her special day. Just being there, lavashing her with attention was the best and most important present of all!

Here's a selection of photos from the day

Blowing out the candle on the cake! (Of course, the tiara from the cake had to be put on first!)

Opening Presents - "Megsie", a FurReal Friend (Notice the Fairy Wings? A special pressie from Great Aunty Cheryl and Uncle Bob - a birthday party dress-up costume!!)

Another pressie - KidProof Digital Camera (This, of course, had to be taken out straight away so our little amateur photographer could capture her own happy snaps from the party - see below.)

More Pressies - This one from Grandma & Poppo in Florida. A new Disney Princess dinner set! Poppi wanted to know, "How did they know I like princesses?" (Clearly, the answer must be that Grandma and Poppo read the BrisVegas Balmforth Bulletin!!)

A beautiful princess nightgown from Uncle Will in Florida. There was some convincing that had to be done to assure her it was something to sleep in and not a dress she could wear about town.

Poppi's Birthday Party Self Portrait (with her **new** camera)

Cousins Kate and Stuart on the big day!

Great Uncle Bob - he had to drive for 7 hours to get Brisbane! We were so lucky he was in town and able to come to the party!

Great Aunty Cheryl and Cousin Sharon Ashen - both great contributors to making sure the party happened. Aunty Cheryl came to the park early and help make sure Poppi's party had its very own gazebo. Sharon, of course, brought Jack AND her super special tatziki dip!

The end of a wonderful day! One very happy Poppi - Falling asleep in her Princess bed in new Princess PJ's with her new Fairy Barbie (from Jack)!

Theme Park Fun For All

2007-08-11T11:43:00.001+10:00

The easiest way to describe our day at MovieWorld is just to show you the photos. (Not all of the photos, but a good selection.)

We hope you enjoy.

Racing to the Rides

Go on - Can you guess what this face is all about? Just what is Hunter thinking? (I'll give you a hint - he might not be thinking, he might be doing...)

Poppi - The Tijuana Taxi Driver

Hunter - Maybe, just maybe, having a more authentic Tijuana Taxi Driving experience

Mmmmm... Ice Cream

Big Ice Cream Scoop, Little Mouth

How to get to the rides quickly when you only have little legs!

Poppi - The Master of Dodge'em (Bumper) Cars

Let's race!

Is it time for the Hi-5 Show??

Yes, that is Poppi dancing the street! She's a natural STAR!!!

Hunter - First time on a roller coaster! Scared? Maybe before, but not after!

The "MASSIVE" Park - Movie World

First Ride of the Day - Tweety Bird's take on the classic Octopus ride

Future Locomotive Engineers!

Do you think these two had fun together or what??

Hunter - perplexed by the Bumper Cars. But, clearly, nowhere near as perplexed as the other small person behind him!

We've relaxed!

2007-08-11T11:35:00.000+10:00

Hey Kids!

Brisvegas Balmforth Bulletin is now **IMPROVED** and **MORE COMMENT FRIENDLY**

We've heard from some of you that our Comment-Nazi approach to moderating comments is not suitable to how you use the 'Net. So, we've removed the requirement of having to have a Google identity (yes, we know how some of you feel about Google's response to China).

What does this mean? From today, you can all comment to your little hearts content using just your name! We hope this works better for everyone and makes our little piece of cyberspace easier to use.

Love to you all!

Cheers,
Tara & Dean

The Things We're Planning

2007-07-28T11:41:00.000+10:00

Ohhhhhh Boy! It's going to be a BIG weekend for the kiddos. (And the adults are uber-excited as well.) First - It's a bright, beautiful day! The temperature is 25 (let's say upper 70's for you North American folk). The races are on across the road and it feels like winter is supposed to feel in Queensland.

The kids are due in just a few mintues. We'll be having some new ktichen adventures for lunch. (And if that doesn't work - well, we always have a snag (aka sausage) or two lying around.) PLUS - Tara discovered a new park close to home that we will try out this arvo (afternoon for the American readers).

But, the really big deal is that on Sunday we're taking the munchkins to Movie World! We've been tossing around the idea of Sea World with the kids for ages and we came across a pretty decent discounted deal for Movie World instead. We checked out the differences between the two parks and Movie World has about a third of their park dedicated to smaller kids (ahem, Hunter.) Going to Movie World means he won't miss out on rides because he's too short.

We're not going to tell the kids. And Dean just can't wait to surprise them. We've planned ahead and got all the necessitites for a picnic lunch - which, coincidently, seems to be the best way to get them to eat a full meal.

So, watch this space for happy snaps!

But that's not ALL we've got up our sleeve. Miss Poppi Claire turns 5 in September! We were hoping to help LeeAnn throw a party with her school friends, but, unfortunately, that's not going to happen. And Poppi is going inter-state on her actual birthday.

But have no fear fans of little people parties! We're going ahead. Grandma from Kingston will be here with us just before the big day. So, we're going to combine the two events into one really fantastic party for a special 5 year old on September 8. We've already invited friends, other little people and family and we're just trying to decide what kind of party to make it. We're fairly certain pink, princesses and fairies will go over really well.

So, if you have ideas, suggestions or tips on how to throw a fantabulous little people party, please feel free to pass them along to us.

Oh .... He's a funny little bugger!

2007-07-25T17:26:00.000+10:00

Our kitchen adventures with the kiddos were not just limited to marshmallow treat-making. We thought the kids would like to have a go at making pizza! And you don't have pizza without pizza dough, do you?

Dean had the kids make it from scratch. Yeast. Rising in the sun. The whole she-bang. Poppi gave the rolling pin a try after carefully observing the dough rise.

She also gave a whirl to trying to spin the pizza dough in the air like Daddy. In the end, she was successful in spinning the dough. You see, if she spun herself while holding the dough, by default, the dough spun too!

But, by far, the funniest part of making pizza was our little bull. Trying to flatter Dad, he gave his best to trying spin the dough in the air. The result? We had a kitchen and sitting area covered in dough! More funny than the video clips below can do justice.

Enjoy!

It's a Blog-Off! (AKA Let's Start a Recipe Exchange!)

2007-07-25T16:46:00.001+10:00

Janine is up and running with her blog. And we are soooooo excited!

And given the ever-present sibling rivalry, when Dean found out, he challenged Janine to see who could be the best blogger. It was in jest, of course. We're just tickled we'll get to keep up with her family and the future "Great" Scott baby that is joining the world soon. Heck, she's even inspired us to get up off our slack-bums and get our own blog updated.

While there will be no actual blogging showdown, we did run a couple of meal ideas by Janine. They're pretty standard fare in America, but not really something you'd have here. Dean really enjoyed them and when he described them to Janine, her reply... "Yum."

So, since we're a happy little cyber-family, we'd thought we'd share some recipes we enjoy right here. We'll even post some photos (taken with a flair for art by Dean) of the dishes if we have them!

Our first offering - Sloppy Joe's (aka Manwich)

Ingredients (American Names, if needed, will appear in parentheses)

1 can Tomato Puree (Tomato sauce)

1 cup Tomato Sauce (Ketchup)

1 tablespoon Dried Onion Flakes

1 tablespoon Green Capsicum (Green Pepper) diced

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic

1/4 teaspoon Celery Seeds - *Note: We chose to use Cumin, instead.*

1 teaspoon American-style Mustard

0.5kg (1 pound) Beef Mince (Ground Beef)

Directions

1.) Brown the mince in a large skillet and the drain the fat.

2.) Add all remaining ingredients to the skillet.

3.) Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4.) Spoon mixture on to bun of choice. (Standard American serving would be on a hamburger bun. We chose to use Turkish Bread Rolls.) Toast the buns first, if you prefer.

5.) Serve and eat as either a open-face sandwich (as pictured) or standard sandwich. Beware - it's messy as a standard sandwich. And now you know why it's called a Sloppy Joe! :-)

Surprise at the Airport!

2007-07-25T16:37:00.000+10:00

Dean's "favourite aunty" - Aunt Maree - came up to Brisbane to see the newest Balmforth family member - "**New**" Baby Thomas. In some very sneaking planning over dinner with the Mackenzie's, Dean asked (nearly begged and pleaded) to be the one to get to pick up Aunt Maree from the airport.

With the condition of having to supply a silly sign and photographic evidence, Kate and Cheryl agreed. And Dean couldn't wait. Cheryl even kept the gag up on the night of arrival, leading Aunt Maree to believe she was at the airport doing a lap outside of baggage claim to pick her up.

Then Aunt Maree walked down to baggage claim....

Have you ever had a Rice Krispie Treat?

2007-07-25T16:12:00.000+10:00

1 - For those of you who are Australian... A Rice Krispie is the same as a Rice Bubble. Same cereal, same branding, same silly characters, same manufacturer, etc, etc etc...

2 - A Rice Krispie Treat is perhaps one of the easiest recipies ever created. EVER. It's butter, Rice Krispies (Bubbles) and marshmallows. That's it. (Recipe follows.)

3 - Making Rice Krispie Treats is fun for everyone! Don't believe us? Just look at the kids! Last time we had Poppi and Hunter visiting with us - we had alot of fun in the kitchen!

"Swell, Dad. Thanks. How am I supposed to eat it if you stick it to my head?"

(And for you Americans... Check out how BIG marshmallows are here!!!)

We told you it was fun to play with Rice Bubble and Marshmallows!

Poppi Claire - Following in Daddy's footsteps??? Or just a fan of sitting on the counters? Hmmm... We'll let you decide.

The ORIGINAL Rice Krispie Treats Recipe:

Ingredients
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 package (10 oz. about 40) regular marshmallows
or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies (Bubbles)®

Directions
1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S® RICE KRISPIES® cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2-inch squares when cool. Best if served the same day.

Yield: 24 squares

Boys Having FUN!

2007-07-25T15:59:00.000+10:00

Cousins Kate and Stuart welcomed their bundle of joy (**NEW** Baby Thomas) a couple of weeks early. Accordingly, Auntie Cheryl and Uncle Bob came down from Mt Isa to spend some time with the proud new parents.

We were lucky enough to have dinner with the Mackenzies. Dean was keen to remind Uncle Bob of his so-called "job" on Saturdays and invited him for a test ride. And Bob, of course, took him up on his offer!

Did the boys have fun "working"? Gee.... that's a hard one.... You tell me!

Visiting Cousins... Well, kind of...

2007-07-25T15:08:00.000+10:00

Tara's Uncle Brian's Niece (Sharon) lives just up the road from us on Bribie Island. Sharon is mum to Jack (he's 4) and Thomas (he's just 6 months old). Jack and Thomas came down to Brisbane awhile back to meet Poppi and Hunter. And they kids got on like you wouldn't believe. It was soooooo cute. So, in early July, we scheduled another playdate / barbeque and headed up to Bribie to see our "cousins".

The whole way up to Bribie Island, Poppi couldn't stop telling us what she was going to do with Thomas. You see, when they first met, Sharon let Poppi feed Thomas his bottle. Well, she was quite excited to do just that. We heard lots of "When will we get there" and "Are we there yet" type of questions. We told Poppi which numbers to look for on the clock (1130 am) and wouldn't you know - she paid attention and when it was 1130 was telling us that we MUST be there - just look at the clock! (My oh my - she's such a bright little mind!)

And when we arrived, Thomas was sleeping! So, it was off to play with Jack and Hunter. Before long, Thomas was awake and Poppi was in baby heaven while the boys had a ball playing on bikes, scooters, slides, cars and each other!

Poppi's First Favourite Baby Thomas

It may look like Hunter is a bit suspicious of Jack, but it's soooo not the case.

And, of course... what we ALL were waiting for - Thomas' feeding time! Thomas is starting on real food these days. Sharon (and mum Narelle) helped Poppi to give Thomas his lunch. We're fairly certain Thomas got most of it in his mouth. He did get a little cranky with Miss Poppi - She wasn't feeding him FAST enough!

The funniest part of the afternoon (for us anyway) was when Hunter snuck into Thomas' bouncy seat for a bit of a rest and a stretch. He only just fit in the seat. Luckily, he was keen to have a cuddle and share Thomas' seat with Thomas himself! :-)

She's a Wonderful Artist!

2007-07-21T12:27:00.001+10:00

It's not our weekend with the kids this weekend. (We had a big weekend with them last weekend - Pictures will be up soon!) However, Dean had opportunity on Friday to go see Miss Poppi after school on Friday. This, of course, was much to her delight. (You see, last weekend, she had suggested Daddy come have a coffee with her. Ahhhh... she is an Aussie!)

During school, Poppi made us some lovely artwork! Dean was so pleased. Even if he only got ONE pretty picture and Tara got TWO. It makes perfect sense that this would be the case - more than once has Poppi declared herself "Tara's girl". (Doesn't that just tug at your heartstrings??? I mean really... How sweet is that sentiment?)

We'll just use the blog here as a virtual 'Fridge to post Poppi's art. We hope you all will enjoy!

We're Ready For Christmas! Are you?

2007-07-20T13:32:00.000+10:00

Well, we've done it. We've gone rushing out with all the other crazy parents in Brisbane and hit every mid-year toy sale to be had. Well, mostly. And we're ready for jolly ol' Santa and all his cronies come December!

Whew. It was an interesting experience. We definately HAVE to get a tree this year. (Last year, we just had Christmas bauble garland suspended from the ceiling lamp. We'll call that being artistic.) Braving hoards of parents like us looking for a deal to help fulfil the wishes of little ones was a new experience for sure. But, despite the craziness - it was fun. Hey - we got to play with all the goodies along the way!

Some of the highlights? (Can you guess which is for Hunter or Poppi?)

A brilliant idea

2007-07-17T12:53:00.000+10:00

Earth Napkins is a start-up business of a very dear childhood friend - Amy. Amy is a Greenie and we love what she's doing to promote a lifestyle of environmental responsibility.

Inspired by the website Ideal Bite (of which I am a member as well), she decided to more thoroughly embrace the idea of reduce, reuse and recycle by breaking away from mass-produced, tree-killing paper napkin (serviettes).

Plugging into her own creativity, she set out to design some fun and colourful napkins for her family. And then the idea to make her new craft a business was born.

Paying homage to the inspirational women in her life (including yours truly, moi!) she has created collections (sold with baskets) named after each. Check out the Tara Basket!

Online purchase options are available! And, I'm sure if you ask nicely, she'll even ship internationally! :-)

Kids of Today

2007-07-16T14:07:00.000+10:00

Are amazing! Not only are they more technologically savvy than we could probably ever dream of being, but they've got this whole Communicative Inclusive sense of Community down pat!

Up here in Queensland, down on the Gold Coast, are two kids - Hannah and Luke - who are working with the power of the web (and thanks to a little creativity from a Canadian man) to help out a really great charity - Youngcare.

Their idea? Trade-up their beloved pet rock, Oscar, for a special car to be donated to Youngcare. Their inspiration came from someone who cleverly traded up to benefit himself (and probably starting a economic revolution). They've decided to give it a go in a more selfless manner.

Already they've been featured in the national media. Already companies are lining up to support them (a little insider birdy told me a Wallabies sponsor wants to trade a signed jersey).

I'm so inspired! Hope that you are, too!

Balancing Act

2007-06-26T19:29:00.001+10:00

Right, well, not ALL of the amusing photos we're hoarding are of Hunter (despite yesterday's post). Although, you should realise - he is the funniest two-year-old on the planet. To us, anyway.

Nevertheless, here are some snaps of Miss Poppi Claire we believe you will enjoy. (And no, we did not make her vacuum - she WANTED to! I know, we thought it was great and we know it won't last.)

On the J-O-B!

2007-06-26T19:02:00.000+10:00

Sooooo... after much (lots & heaps & lots) frustration, disappointment, despair and even a few tears, Tara has landed an INTERNSHIP!!! Why is this so exciting? Well, it (mostly) ensures she will, in fact, graduate in December of this year.

Check out who picked her up: Sequel Communications. (Do you know she's the first intern they've ever accepted? How cool is that?!?!)

Some Photos to Amuse You

2007-06-25T10:18:00.000+10:00

Look what's happened once again ... Managed to fall behind on the Blog. Oh big shocker. By now, you should be used to it. (If not, it is worthy to probably note it will only get worse before it gets better.) Nevertheless, we hope your visits when we do post will be worth your while.

With the latest edition of the "real" Balmforth Bulletin pending, we realised we have some miscellaneous photos of the Poppi and Hunter from the past couple of months that we think you will enjoy taking a sneaky peek at. It's especially good that we do have recent photos, because, over the past few weekends, we've found that we're getting really good at 1) Not taking the camera with us and 2) going places where they won't let us take photos (ie the State Library). Yes, it does frustrate us as much as it probably frustrates you.

So, here we go. Funny photos from April through last weekend. Enjoy!

Worth Watching

2007-06-06T09:28:00.001+10:00

My dear friend Karen shared this with me. I had to share it with you all. I hope that you will find it as beautiful as we did.

A Day With Each Other

2007-06-06T08:56:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was not the best of days, but my marvelous, loving husband Dean did everything he could to make it better. We met for a food court lunch and a little bit of retail therapy at our favourite shopping centre.

For my 30th birthday, we're headed down to Tasmania for a bit of time away. However, in my not-so-great wisdom, I left all my winter gear at home in Indianapolis. So, since it's been snowing in Hobart, it was necessary to get a jumper. Dean found a lovely, warm cardigan for me at the store where he's on the VIP list. (Trust me, the VIP thing is not a snooty deal - it's a discount deal! However, since they know us by name in there now, it is a bit of a worry. Actually, maybe that's just a Queensland customer service thing. That's the second store that actually "knows" us.)

After work, my darling came home and said, "I want to take my wife out." So, we headed down to Portside for dinner and a movie. We decided to check out Dendy Cinemas for their offering of arthouse type shows. (I had learned that I really enjoyed those type of films thanks to a couple of exhibitions at Nova in Carlton (Melbourne) with the beloved aunt & uncle and Stone Family.) We weren't sure what to see and the gal at the counter was torn for us when we asked between a couple of different flicks. In the end, another movie-goer came up and told us one movie was really sad, so we decided on the other - an Australian flick, Noise. (It was an interesting film - kind of a whodunit meets search for the meaning of life.)

Before the movie, we were going to head over a little, local italian place for dinner. However, when we stepped outside the cinemas it was pouring down with rain! Rain, glorious rain!!! (In case you are unaware, there is a drought occuring in this part of Queensland. Lucky for all of us, the rain has continued all not and into today!)

For more than one reason, the rain was a good thing. We redirected ourselves to the Japanese restaurant across the hall from the cinemas. What a treat! The service was great, the foood was wonderful and we couldn't get over the entire presentation. We were impressed!

We wrapped up the night with the movie, browsing the leaflets and finding another we'd like to see later this month. Isn't Dean wonderful??? :-)

What We've Been Up To

2007-06-04T16:24:00.000+10:00

Yes, I know. I promised lots of updates. And I have failed you all. Apologies. Do you want excuses?? Well, how about a research paper on Corporate Relocations and the Theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour? I know, it doesn't matter. An excuse is still an excuse.

We've had a couple of interesting weeks here. Last weekend my darling husband took me to the ballet! It was beautiful. And, we are quite certain the choreographer was seated in the audience. Who knows - that might be standard practice. Nevertheless - the performance was absolutely delightful.

That weekend we also went to see one of his favourite comedians at the Tivoli. (In my opinion, it was a good thing the show was so incredibly entertaining. The venue left alot to be desired for someone who is slightly claustrophobic.)

On the Sunday, we had a BBQ here at our new place. We were joined by Mark & Jane, our dear friend Constable Jo and..... (drumroll, please).......(attention Steve)..... Cousins Kate & Stuart!!!!! We were so tickled to spend some time with everyone and just have a nice relaxing day. Dean grilled up a feast. (So much of one in fact, we STILL have left overs!)

Over the last week, we have spent some time establishing ourselves with a local physician. I have had a nasty cold and Dean had some areas of concern checked out. We're both fine. But, we're pretty pleased with the doc we chose - Dr Ben Powell - really nice guy.

Uni basically wrapped up for the semester this past Friday. (Hence all the finishing of a research paper versus blogging.) Still on the hunt for an internship. Still hopeful something will pan. Something HAS to pan out. Right?

This past weekend was another visit with the kids. Poppi still has a nasty cough and that made sleep on Saturday was pretty rough. Actually, unfortunately, we ended up having the visit cut short. This weekend's visit proved to be quite a learning experience. Poppi had another school-friend's birthday party to attend (her third!) on Sunday. We took her back to Lee Ann for a couple of hours with plans for her to come back to our place for a trip to the Library later in the arvo.

Well, we ALL learned we just can not break the visits up. We won't be doing that again. It's just too confusing for the little ones. Poor Poppi got herself so worked up we were really scared she was going to cause herself to vomit. And our little bull, Hunter, just didn't know why his big sis was so upset and he got all upset, too. And so in a very heartbreaking good-bye for Dean, the little ones went home with Mum about 18 hours early.

Before all the hysterics, though, we did have a chat to Lee Ann about Miss Poppi sleeping in her own bed. She's of the same mindset about it - it's time she started learning. So, she got some tips from another mother at Poppi's school and we're all going to work together with the help of one special reward fairy!

New Beds!

2007-05-22T15:44:00.000+10:00

I think we mentioned to everyone awhile back about getting Poppi new bedding in an effort to encourage her to sleep in her own bed. (Which is only actually working for a few hours a night. We're trying to find a solution. Still. The answer is hiding from us. We have ruled out using tequila, though. HAHA. I am just kidding.)

She does love the princess bed. (No surprise really. The girl looooooooooooves her Disney Princesses.) Actually, the funny thing is that Hunter loves the princess bed, too! In fact, the introduction of the princess bed proved a more effective teaching tool for our little bull!

You'll undoubtedly noticed the strategically placed "new" Bob the Builder bed (ok, ok, ok, it's only a mattress.) The weekend we introduced Poppi's new bed and started encouraging her to sleep in her own bed, Hunter (as per his usual) wanted to do what his sister was doing. We laid out a little couch pillow bed for him next to Poppi and he slept happily through the night. (The next night of course, he wanted to be in the princess bed.)

So, we went out looking for bunk beds, trundle beds, etc. We took the kids with us and they climbed up the ladders, crawled on the mattresses and generally had a ball. They were happy with just about all that we looked at. Too bad we weren't. (We were hoping to find a bunk bed set with the beds set in opposite directions to each other. But to no avail in the South East Queensland area.)

So, without the kids, we settled on getting another mattress for starters and a bedding set he would like. We got lucky guessing on Bob the Builder. We went out with the intent of getting him something with Thomas or Cars. Selection was limited and the designs were silly. WE actually liked the Bob the Builder one the best, not knowing if he was even familiar with the character. But, OF COURSE he is! Bob the Builder features some of his favourite things on the planet - construction machines!

So, when the Bob the Builder bed was revealed the following visit, there was one very happy little two year old! He's actually got the whole "sleep in your own bed" thing down pat. Such a quick learner!

Funny, he still had a bit of an affinity for the princess bed. But, at least this time, Poppi had a trump card she could pull. Threatening to sleep in HIS bed got his attention and got him into his own bed.

And for us, gave us a perfect happy snap of the two of them having a quick cuddle!

A Southbank Adventure

2007-05-22T15:15:00.000+10:00

After playing around at the Bike Shop, we headed into the city to Southbank to have some lunch. We recently discovered the kids really like to have picnics (especially if it's anywhere near a park), so we've been trying to have more of them.

Southbank was the perfect location! It's on the south side of the Brisbane River and is just beautiful. Heaps of eateries and places for a barbeque, well layed out, beautifully landscaped and a perfect inner-city escape for families! One really special feature of Southbank is Streets Beach - a pool that is really a man-made beach, with heaps of water features the kids can run through. (Of course, we HAD to do this. And the kids LOVED it. So did we! So much so we forgot to get out and take pictures!)

But perhaps the funniest part of our time at Southbank was during our picnic. Young Hunter took it on himself to be our protector. As you can see below, the birds were getting just a little to close for his comfort.
It was really a wonder we could get him to eat anything at all! Everytime he chased a bird off, well, they came right back, didn't they? And as our picnic protector, it was his duty (or so he felt) to chase them off. (Did I mention he learned the behaviour from his dear step-mum?)

And, for as much as he was chasing the birds, Dad was up chasing him. I'm sure you can understand how hard it is to chase a two year when you're buckled over in laughter at his antics. Most times, he slipped away. But, Dad always wins. Even if it means using the whole "I'm bigger than you" fact.

But, his passion for protection could only be contained for so long. It was merely minutes before the pesky birds were back and he was itching to chase them away!

How to get him to stop? Pack up and head for the beach. For as much as he couldn't resist the birds, he can not resisit a swim even more! :-)

Time to Start Updating!

2007-05-22T14:43:00.000+10:00

Hey Everyone! Sorry it's been such awhile since we've posted. And, yes, we've certainly done more since our last movie date. We should get mostly updated this week. Please bear with us. We didn't realise we hadn't posted anything in well over a month.

Soooo... going back to a month ago... when we had the kiddos... we certainly were having some fun! First, because Dean sold his motorcycle, we had to take it down to Team Moto and have a roadworthy done on it. (The kids let Tara drive Dad's car while Dad road the motorbike.)

And there is no doubt that the Balmforth Grubby Biker gene is running strong in the latest generation. Hunter was so excited to see all of the bikes lined up.

There were even some that were his size!

Poppi was pretty excited to see kid sized motorcycles, too!

(I'm sure you can guess what Dad would love to get them as a new toy!)

Then we were off to Southbank for our next adventure....

All Day at Chermside (or aka We had a movie Date!)

2007-04-13T12:37:00.000+10:00

Easter Monday Holiday was a day that we got to spend with just ourselves. Between Uni, Moffat & the kids, we really cherish these days! So, we decided to go out for brekkie and then I would get my nails done while Dean had a browse around our favourite shopping centre.

Well, we had a delightful brekkie together at Toscani's - which is not overly great, but a good staple. Our choices from the menu (Mediterrenean Breakfast & Mixed Berry Pancaked) were just fantastic, though. Plus, we had really nice coffee's - Hazelnut Latte for me and A Kahlua Cappucino for Dean.

We ended up tooling around all the shops just browsing at nothing. Well, ok. Not nothing. Toys for Hunter and Poppi. Partially because Hunter has obliterated his little trike, partially because we started out looking for pressies for Janine's little one and then got distracted. And of course, we had to pop into Kikki K. We always have to go to Kikki K. (Judith-Ann should have never introduced us to the joy that is Kikki K products.)

But, what was different this mindless trip (besides the fact that we were there ALL day) is that we had a little unexpected movie date! We went to see 300. An Australian actor, David Wenham, narrates and is a lead character in the film.

We both like the historical epic-type movies, so needless to say, we loved it! Highly recommended. Well, not recommended if you have an aversion to blood or violence. But, then again, if you did have such an aversion, our review of a movie about a war would be pointless.

Ah well. :-)

There was 387 Photos!

2007-04-13T09:56:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone....
We're going through the photos from The Big Day. We'll get copies of the best of them out to everyone soon. (It's just there are so many, it'll take some time... Please bear with us.)

But, in the mean time... here's a few you might not have seen.

Full-On Morning (Part 2)

2007-04-11T15:04:00.000+10:00

Now, family & friends... Do not think that our "Cram-it-all-in-in-under-4-hours" morning ended with Thomas. Oh No. Not by a long shot. Why - at 9:00am (as soon as it open) - we had to go SWIMMING!!!

Oh boy!

It might just have been the shortest swim session you could ever get away with when you're entertaining a 2 & 4 year old. But, everyone had fun! Especially the camera operator - who managed to escape actually getting in! :-)

Hmmmm... wonder if it'll be cold. Kids! Watch this! Kids? Are you watching??

Hunter is such a good swimmer already! You should see how strong his kick is.

This is the deep end??? But, Dean's touching the bottom of the pool!

Dean's exact quote before Hunter took his big leap: "No, wait! I'm not ready!"

And after the swim, the kids were ready to go. This picture, though posed, was not posed by us. The lil' munchkins went out in the garage to wait for Mom, so they could go to the farm and hunt more eggs! :-) My goodness, they are so entertaining!

The Full-On Morning! (Part 1)

2007-04-11T14:53:00.000+10:00

Our Bonus Visit with Poppi and Hunter was short, but heaps of fun. HEAPS. And by heaps I mean - how much can you fit in to 4 hours? Saturday, the kids were up and at 'em at 6am. And they did not stop until Mom arrived around 10:30 to go to the farm.

First, it was wake Dad & Tara up. Then time for Breakfast. Then it was time for the "Singing Kids" movie (aka The Sound of Music). Then time for Thomas. (We looooooooooooooooove Thomas!)

Who needs a track? There's tiles everywhere! They'll work just as fine!

Let me show you how to do it!

Dad is the Track Master!!! (No, he doesn't need instructions. Ok, well, maybe sometimes.)

Daaaaaaaaaaaad.... This goes here! DUH!

Thomas.... It's a beautiful thing! Fun for everyone!

The Easter Bunny Came Early to Dad's House

2007-04-11T14:34:00.000+10:00

We were so very lucky last week. We got to have a bonus visit with Poppi & Hunter! With the Easter holiday happening on the weekend, it just so happened our visit coincided with an early visit from the Easter Bunny!

The kids were just tickled to see Pressies left from the Bunny herself when they arrived at our house on the Friday. Both little ones received lunch bags of their favourite Disney character (all the princesses for Miss Poppi and Lightening McQueen for Cars Mad! Hunter) filled to brim with Giant Easter Eggs, Tiny Easter Eggs, Jelly Beans and other assorted goodies.

Lee-Ann came in with the kids for a chat and coffee and "help" in the Easter egg hunt that followed. (Earlier in the day, she had helped Dean and I prepare Miss Poppi for her **new** Disney Princess Bedroom! And we were so grateful! The heads-up about the new bed from Mom got Poppi so excited she actually slept in her own bed on the weekend! Well, mostly.)

Afterwards, we enjoyed a (traditional Aussie) Good Friday dinner (or so I'm told) of Fish & Chips! (Well, Fish & Mash. It was easier.)

And then! All Poppi wanted to do was go to bed! (It was only about 8pm.)

The pics that follow are of the Easter Egg Hunt on Friday night!

Is Hunter Hunting? Or Not?

Miss Poppi Claire Finds the Mother-Egg Load!

Only a few left to find... And they're off! (Well, maybe that's just Poppi. Does it look like Hunter might have found and kept one to himself??)

Who's got the height advantage here?

Did you know we went to the Zoo?

2007-04-06T11:09:00.000+10:00

It's true! Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo is just an hour from our house. Earlier this year (yes, we forgot exactly when), we took the kids up the road to have a play at the Zoo.

And what a marvelous venue!!! A perfect family-friendly environment. Not only were the entertainment and interactive options available outstanding for kids of any age, it was as near spotless as you can get for a zoo.

There was so much you could do. Here is a list of what was on the day we visted:

We got to see the Elephants being fed (only just barely - it was quite a popular parade). And then we trapsed over to the Crocoseum to wat the Wildlife Warriors 101 Show! In the Crocoseum we saw some Zoo Employees being silly (one had to chase some birds all around the zoo!) and view Elephants (again!), snakes, more birds and CROCS!

It was such an easy to understand presentation. It really spoke to the kids about conservationism, especially in relation to animals which could easily be turned into a further discussion about overall conservationism and why it's a good idea to "be nice to the planet".

Walking around the zoo, many employees were about carrying animals (blue tongue lizards for one!). Poppi was keen to have a pet of the lizard and a couple birds, but Hunter was a tad shy.

While we were there, we took the opportunity to pay a little extra (in support of animal breeding programs) and have some up close and personal encounters. Age restrictions applied to most, but we were able to get in to feed the Giant Tortoises with both Poppi and Hunter.

And because he loves his wife sooooo much, Dean arranged for me to have my own encounter with my favourite Australian marsupial - The Wombat! Oh, it was so much fun. I was just tickled.

Throughout the rest of the day, we wandered about the Zoo. Other highlights included the Kids Zoo (where we saw Hunter's favourite animal - The Elusive Bob - aka a cow... Like father, like son, huh?) and a walk through the Kangaroo enclosure where we got to pet about 30 kangaroos (and tred on the toes of one poor fella, learning what sound they make when they're "Not Happy, Jan!"). They also had on offer a spinning teacup ride (which we had to do about 3 times), a jumping castle, a giant trampoline and multiple playgrounds.

(The best part of the day? $12 wagon hire for the kids! It kept young Hunter entertained all day!)

Poppi keeps asking when we can go back to "that zoo". Not sure when that will be, we're thinking of doing Sea World with them next. But, for us, we're headed back up in June. The Dalai Lama is giving a talk as part of his Australian tour in June. It's our way of offering support.

If you're in any major metropolitan city in Australia in June, we would certainly encourage you to attend one of his many events. Click on this link for more information: Dalai Lama in Australia.

We LOVE New Farm Park

2007-04-06T09:38:00.000+10:00

Nearly every weekend spent at our house comes with demands to go to "the big park in the trees". Well - that's New Farm Park, in the city. It's a great facility. Huge tree fortress playground area entwined in massive shade trees along with two other areas of playground equipment under the trees as well. It's currently getting an exapansion with a playing field and toddler / age-specific "castle" themed playground being put in seperate to the tree fortress.

Needless to say - the kids go nuts. Last Sunday, we spent a couple of hours swinging, sliding, swinging, see-sawing, swinging, sliding, running through the fort, swinging, running, running, running and having an ice cream!Here's just a few of the MANY photos from that day!

PS - We're still playing catch up on the photos from this year. Hopefully, today, we'll make some more headway.

Let's Go to the Beach! (And new toys!)

2007-04-02T21:11:00.000+10:00

Lucky for us, we'll get to spend time with Poppi & Hunter TWO weeks in a row! So, in an effort to keep our visits fun and lively, it was time to shake things up a bit before our big Easter visit! (Plus, a certain lovely little four-year old informed us we did not have enough toys at Dad's house.)

Friday night arrival at home gave the kids quite a surprise as they came into a whole HEAP of new toys. Sidewalk chalk, a giant beach ball (bigger than Hunter, who, of course, immediately tried to climb it), sandcastle bucket & shovels, Play-Doh, balloon people, Aquadoodle pads (possibly the greatest learning / creative / fun / messy-without-the-clean-up toy ever invented) and.... the piece de' resistance.... Hungry Hungry Hippos!!! (Which, of course, Dean had to have a go at before the kids even arrived.)

Saturday (in a move that we thought was oh-so-clever), we ventured up the Bruce Highway to Caloundra's King Beach. Kings Beach is the main beach of Caloundra and has a great picnic and children's play areas, including a massive waterfountain and community pool which is environmentally friendly - built to be separate from the ocean, but fed directly from seawater. However, after a small picnic lunch - we learned Poppi & Hunter are not too keen about the ocean. Crashing waves and "yucky" seaweed put a stop to the adventure.

But, thank the town planning gods for the play areas and swimming pool. The afternoon was not all lost. As you can see - we all had a ball... even if our trip to the beach itself last all of 5 minutes.

Trying to get caught up (trying!!!)

2007-04-02T20:41:00.000+10:00

So, today we checked Dean's email (which really only happens once a week - IF we're lucky) and received some pictures from Steve that Miss Poppi took during his visit in Mid-March. (My goodness how time flies!!)

They're just so cute we had to share! (Some were published in the recent Balmforth Bulletin, so if they're repeats for you... many apologies!)

We all had a delicious brekkie with Cousins Kate & Stuart at Liquorish. (Dean had been there in October with a heap of mates to celebrate his business partner's birthday and loved it. He was quite keen on checking out their breakfast offerings.) Poppi and Hunter both were on their best behaviour - even enjoying "coffee" with all the grown-ups.

It was quite a lovely day. As a group, we enjoyed a lovely walk to and from the bistro.

(And Tara learned NOT to wear heels when she knows full well she's going to be walking. Result?? Blisters! Blech.)

We learned of the arrival of Young Thomas later this year and saw all the wonderful progress being made at Kate & Stuart's place!

But the best part of all was being able to spend time with family. Especially Pop! :-)

Getting Started

2007-03-21T08:37:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the first "edition" of the Brisbane Balmforth Bulletin. Let's get right in to it!

We know that you're all here to see Happy Snaps of Poppi & Hunter. And you shall not be disappointed! (We certainly have a heap of catch-up to get to.)

First weekend at Dad's House for 2007 (January 5) was packed with fun for everyone!
After a some artistic finger painting creations outside on the patio, we moved inside to change mediums. Who doesn't love a bit of face-painting?

Tara helped Poppi with the "butterflys" on her cheeks, while Poppi "tatooed" Dad's head.

Saturday was a big day out for everyone. After a trip to the Kidspace Park at Chermside, it was back to Dad's house for more face painting!

Sunday morning's highlight was the discovery of Vanilla Yoghurt in the 'fridge! How excited can two small persons get? Excited enough to polish off a litre of it in a few short minutes! (And even to get most of it in their mouths!)

After some tasty brekkie, Dad climbed into the Jumping Castle (Christmas pressie) with Poppi & Hunter for a bit of a wrestle. (Can you think of a better way to work up a sweat than playing with young'uns inside of a giant plastic blow-up toy?)

Well, that sums up our first edition. We'll get used to the layout and functions of this platform and work towards making it look as good as the full-print version of the Balmforth Bulletin. Bear with us as we work out the bumps! :-)