Being Bir-Day

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

Mini-Golf, Anyone?

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

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

'Nuff Said.

Say Hello to the Newest Balmforth!

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

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

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!

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

Surprise for Poppi!

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

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!