Brand New Baby!

She's here, and I can breathe again.  Its been a tough few weeks, with no working camera to keep my spirits up.  I actually think I'm a camera-aholic!  I think I need to take myself down to a Camera's Anonymous meeting and declare my addiction, once and for all.  And how liberating it is to get my hands on such a nice piece of equipment.  Granted - I'm still learning, just getting a feel for her, but she's really quite spectacular.  The lenses are good, but not the best, and I'm now saving up for my 50mm, after which I will, (hopefully) relax and enjoy the ride....

So here are a few of my first test/trial pictures...not too shabby for a first time!

My cute widdle puddy tat!

And of course, I couldn't just stop short, at one of the little girls that I had kicking around the house today...

And here we are, the two of us...it was love at first sight - my brand new baby and me!

Banana-tastic!

We LOVE Bananas in this house - get through a ton of them every week, but it's nice to kind of shake it up a bit sometimes.  So today we made Banana Bread.  Not just 'plain old average Banana Bread' - oh no, we took it to another level!    Try this - if you dare! :)

And a few little people watched, waited and drooled.....

And now for the fun part....on loaf number two, we heated, poured and heated under the grill until hard, a delicious toffee crust....

And then, we devoured every tiny little last morsel of it...while still warm... Happy Days!

Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread
Batter
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Topping
6 tablespoons butter
10 tablespoons dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 to 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
Cream butter and sugar. Mash bananas. Beat 2 eggs and add to bananas with vanilla extract and buttermilk. Mix well and add to creamed butter and sugar.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and beat well. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until bread pulls away from sides of pan. Cool.
To prepare topping, melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar and milk. Cook until very syrupy. Remove from heat and add chopped pecans. Pour over bread, spreading to all corners; place under broiler until brown and bubbly. Watch closely, and DO NOT let it burn.

A Daughters Request

My little Poppy Princess, Poptart, Poopy, Pops, Poppy Doppy, she is a tender little flower sometimes.  Her Daddy has only been home a few weeks, and she is just beginning to centre her little self again, to get used to the idea that he's home. It's so hard on all the kids, but on a 4.5yr old, somehow it seems just downright cruel.  I watch her little face, big saucer eyes, and trembling lip whenever he leaves the house, and each time a little piece of my heart breaks with hers.  She runs around the house checking to see that he's still here, calling him and the panic on her little face if he's not there, is the saddest thing to see.  She's like a little fairy, so tiny, weightless, with her candy floss hair, husky voice and sweet heart shaped face.
She's had one request, before her Daddy leaves again this weekend.  She wanted a picture of them together, so that she could see him hugging her every day, even if she couldn't really hold him tight.  She gives the tightest, most passionate cuddles I've ever known a little girl to give, she puts all her might into crushing you with her tight, tiny little arms, and when you've been Poppy hugged - you know it!   I know that Poppy hugs are one of the things that her Daddy will miss the most.
So, yesterday, we made her request a reality and I did the best that I could to do them both justice.  They are framed and ready to be hung, Daddy's last 'todo' before he leaves us early tomorrow morning.

I've looked at these pictures over and over while editing them and choosing them, and I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to look at them enough, even though they'll be hanging on my wall.  And when Poppy feels extra sad, we'll look at them together,  while I'm giving her one of her Poppy hugs!

Warm Balmy Winter Days!

Winter in Oz is amazing, I think.  The weather is absolute perfection.  Think cool Mediterranean summer days, or warm English spring days, where the gentle rays of the sun feel as comforting on your skin as cupping your hands around  the perfect cup of tea. We wake up chilly, pull on our 'cooler weather gear', i.e. socks, and maybe a cardi over our usual Aussie winter uniform of Jeans and t-shirts, only to strip off the the extra layers as the day progresses...

David spent the day cleaning the carpets with a rented cleaner today and I took the opportunity of capturing a few moments of outside weather perfection, while the girls were wiling the day away..

Poppy is one of the most expressive little girls that I know....

And Lucy watches every single thing that her sister does, and emulates her....it's the sweetest thing to see, it just pulls at my heart strings......

I don't know how many more perfect Oz Winter weather days are left, but when they are gone, I'll be left with these two lovelies and a whole summer of poolside fun, and swimming lessons....bring it on!!

Birthdays and Besties

What a great idea to celebrate a Birthday Party during the week.  Few of us Mamas think to do it, and we have to organize and arrange party capers amid the usual weekend shenanigans, but my sweet friend Vanessa chose to celebrate her daughters on a Tuesday.  It was perfect.  And none of the fancy stuff either.  Just a fantastic circus style tent, a climbing frame and a bunch of princesses who see each other twice a week at Kindy for the whole day.  They frolicked, they laughed, they gave each other big old bear hugs, licked their sticky cupcake fingers and they played beautifully together... 

The Birthday girl in the middle, Annabel left, Kenzie right.

Ella, Annabel, Tara, Kenzie and Poppy

And as the excitement escalated, there were the inevitable tears...they didn't last long and Poppy was there to give her bestie a few birthday cuddles to help cheer her up..

Happy Birthday Tara - we think you're pretty special! xx

And Poppy wants you to know that she loves you, 'as much as bear-bear' :)

While Daddy Sleeps!

David arrived home this morning.  Lucy clung onto his neck for about an hour and wouldn't be out of his sight, until she realised that he wasn't going anywhere.  A month is a long time in her little life and, she can't quite believe that he's home!  A few hours later, and the jet lag set in...so we sent him to bed.  I took my happy little people to the park, so that they could run, shout jump and play without waking the sleeping beast...

Lucy loves the slide - she made Joey take her on it at least a dozen times, clapping like a crazy thing when they reached the bottom.

.Poppy loves it too....

Little lulie, so tired after running flat out for about two hours.....she fell over and didn't have the energy to pick her little self back up again for a few minutes...

Hometime...

We walked home singing 'she'll be coming round the mountain' all the way..and Lucy feel asleep in her cheerful Bugaboo with the bright orange canopy!