Making a Gingerbread Train

Here's how it goes when you make a gingerbread train with a toddler:

First, to delay assembly, you tell the toddler that it would be nice to save the train for when grandma and grandpa arrive in three weeks (like the toddler would agree to that idea even if the grandparents were due to arrive in three hours).  What if we wait until Daddy comes home?  No.  

Because you don't have the right sugar to make the frosting, you mention the idea of going to the grocery store to buy the icing sugar.  Of course not.  So you make do with regular sugar.  While you make the gluey frosting, the toddler proceeds to unpack the gingerbread pieces from the box and nibble on most of them.  Fine (although you wonder about the ingredients now entering the toddler's body as they came from an item that is packaged loosely in a cardboard box, without any airtight plastic).  You are flexible.  It'll be cute to have a train that has his unique little teeth marks in it.

You try to follow the pictorial instructions, separating out the different shapes to make the engine from the ones to make the coal car.  Since the toddler continues to eat the gingerbread pieces, you don't have the time to distinguish the miniscule difference in size between the rectangles so you just start building.  You realize early on that you really need to hold the pieces in place while the icing hardens (this is either by design or you didn't make the icing thick enough).  You ask the toddler to hold a piece in place. No.  He pulls off the piece and takes another bite. You'll need to do the building yourself.

Meanwhile the toddler has lost interest and begins to play with other things on the table.

  

You finish the engine and ask the toddler to look at what you've constructed, hoping to verify that what you built actually resembles a train.  The toddler says, "train."  You are happy.

You move onto the coal car.  You realize that the engine didn't quite fit on its base b/c you used the wrong gingerbread piece for the base.  You will have a train with a small engine and a big coal car.  Then, as you build the coal car, you find that it isn't squared properly b/c you used the wrong pieces when building the sides of the engine.  Nothing additional frosting can't fix.

You decide to engage the toddler in the process again by having him "glue" some of the decorative candies to the train.  In hindsight, you KNOW that a toddler does not have the gentle touch to decorate the train without collapsing the sides so you quickly decorate with the candies yourself (seem to be missing the blue candies).

Finished.  You look at the picture on the cover of the box then look at your train.  You realize that the instructions asked you to make a tube to squeeze out the frosting for gluing and decorating.  While the glops of icing from using your fingers are functional, the train is admittedly not very pretty.  There is no way to decorated the train with icing using your fingers.  Fine.

An hour later, toddler climbs on a chair and pulls the decorative candies off the train.  Eats the  coal out of the coal car.

Two hours later, while you are in the kitchen area of the Great Room (just on the other side of a half wall that separates you from the table on which the gingerbread train rests), the toddler disassembles the rest of the train and eats more.  You decide that you don't want him to have free access to gingerbread cookies for the next week or two.  After chipping the icing off it, you give him one piece of gingerbread.  You toss the rest in the garbage bin.

Daddy didn't get to see the train.  It didn't even last long enough to take a picture of it.

Later the blue candies mysteriously appear on the table.

Changing Security Settings

I'm just letting you know that I am changing my security settings for the blog.  If you want to be able to view it in the future, please either leave your email address as a comment or email me your address so I can send you an invitation.  You may have to set up a blogger account to visit my blog in the future.

Camping on Moreton Island

We went on another camping trip with our friends, Madeleine and Joschka (Volker was ill at home).  Madeleine suggested Moreton Island since it is close to Brisbane (the ferry is 1/2 hour from our house and the ferry ride is 1 1/4 hours).  Moreton Island is a national park so we figured the camping would be pretty good.  After further inquiry, we also discovered that some campsites were within meters of the boat landing.  Sounded like a good trip with toddlers in tow. 

Tim agreed to come along despite his dislike of sand.  As it turned out, the trip was awful for Tim but I was thankful for his presence: unlike Joschka, Max would have been difficult for me to handle on my own at the times when I had to juggle gear and him.  Unfortunately for Tim, the flies were pretty bad and, unfortunately for all of us, since driving is allowed on all beaches in Queensland, we had a major thoroughfare on the beach near our campsite around the times of the ferry landing.  We all agreed that we would not camp at that spot again.  (Oh and Tim had a sore back so he wasn't walking very well).

Despite the beach traffic, I had a good time.  It was a hot couple of days so the beach was the perfect place to be.  Max loved walking in the water and along the beach.  I've heard the snorkeling is spectacular at the Tangalooma Wrecks (where we camped) but we didn't have proper gear to swim out to the reef.

There were a lot of group tours in "safari vehicles" (they reminded me of Tanzania).  When these groups departed the ferry, they immediately parked on the beach in front of our campsite so the tourists could snorkel at the wrecks.  In some ways, that would be the best way to see the island since one needs a 4-wheel-drive vehicle or a boat to reach most places.  I heard that some of the inland lakes are gorgeous, but it is highly unlikely that we'd make it that far with toddlers.

I took this picture as we were leaving.  I climbed that sand embankment so I could see what the center of the island looked like (forest).  Kids rode their boogie boards, wooden boards, and even cardboard down the embankment although they didn't usually walk all of the way to the top.  It's hard work walking uphill in sand!

This isn't a particularly good picture (my links above provide a few better ones) but it shows the area where we camped.  The shipwrecks were towed to this place to creat the reef.  I think there were three big ones in total.  The actual campsites were located  in the forest about 40 meters from the beach.

The Micat unloading cars at the Tangalooma Wrecks.  There was very little beach at the time so the cars couldn't go more than 200 meters down the beach.

Max enjoying a beach walk.

He wanted to wear the headlamp.

Ahh...naptime.  Actually, I had to take a walk with him in the backpack to lull him to sleep.  Fortunately, we were able to transfer him to the tent.  He slept for 3 hours!

Balancing: Joschka was particularly good at this.  He fetched Max from down the beach to show him this feat.  Pretty cute.

Those are the wrecks in the background.

One of the wrecks in the background.  Max fell in a tire rut in the foreground :-(  One of the many boats that docked for the day (some stayed overnight) in front of the wrecks.  They had the best set up for snorkeling.

It's hard to see but Max and Joschka are holding hands.  Joschka came to fetch Max then Max took the lead dragging Joschka to the shore.  Joschka is not much for holding hands so this was definitely a kodak moment.

Max and I playing in the water.

Destroying sand castles

Burying Joschka (Tim is in the background)

I don't think any of these pictures captured the beautiful colors of the water.  It was very clear and became blue-green in the shallower regions then bright blue in the deeper areas.  The beach was a gorgeous white sand.  Can you believe how close we live to a place like this?  It felt like we should have been on vacation somewhere.

Visiting Friends in Wallangarra

I planned a trip to visit some friends in Wallangarra during the U.S. presidential election.  Because they don't own a TV, I wasn't able to watch any of the coverage of the election night results.  On the drive, I tuned into an AM radio station at a time when the commentators were debating whether or not McCain/Palin had any chance to win.  They decided not.  I tuned in at just the right time.

Max and I left Brisbane in time to spend an hour or two at the Rail Museum in Ipswich.  Since Ipswich is enroute to Wallangarra, I figured I could wear out Max at the museum so he would nap for the remainder of the 3-hour car ride.  It worked--he didn't wake until I was ten minutes outside Wallangarra.  Despite Wallangarra's small size, I managed to get lost twice and took fifteen minutes to find Bill, Caz, and Baxter's home.  I have to give myself a little credit: most of the streets are cut into three sections by a highway and railroad tracks so it is difficult to know in which section a street number will be.

Caz and Baxter were a part of my Mom's Group here in Brisbane.  Caz and Bill decided to make the big move to the country which they had been dreaming of for years.  They chose an absolutely beautiful spot.  Wallangarra is located on the west side of the Great Dividing Range.  They have four seasons and much more rain.  I found myself comparing it to Denver--the air feels very dry yet storms move through the area frequently.  It doesn't get nearly as cold as Denver.

Wallangarra is in the middle of a wine growing/fruit growing region and is near 4-5 national parks.  Caz and Bill decided that we needed to buy a local winery that they saw was for sale.  Sounds appealing!

My place of rest while Max napped

This is a close up of the view from Caz's house.  The mountains are in Girraween National Park.

Caz's Kitchen: the fireplace adds a coziness to the kitchen.  I'm taking this picture from the adjoining lounge room.  I think that I'd copy this layout if I were to design a home.  There is something very appealing about having the woodburning fireplace as a centerpiece in the kitchen.

Max napping in Baxter's room: he rose early and we had active days so he napped really well every day.

We joined Baxter in his daily routine.  He paints first thing in the morning then has a bath to clean up before eating breakfast.

Caz and Bill have a very musical home.  There are lots of musical instruments and they constantly play music and videos on their computer that is set up in the lounge room.  With music, comes dancing...Max now recruits us to join him on the dance floor.

One of us is excited about cuddling

Wheelbarrow rides in the back garden: Caz is excited about the flat back yard (their Toowong rental had a diagonal hill across it) and the chicken coop to raise "chooks."

We took a swim (read: waded) at this dam.  The water is public but the land is owned by a Wallangarra resident on one side and is Girraween National Park on the other.

Bill and Caz watching the boys

Baxter loves the water

Max and Caz holding hands

Caz cooked us a yummy veggie pizza on homebaked bread (although it mostly looks like she is dancing...knowing Caz, she probably was).

The boys chatting on the front verandah (or where one would be)

Playing in big boy underwear after hot tubbing (which was actually an old spa that we filled with cold water from the hose and with hand carried buckets of warm water from the house)

A Mouthful of Banana

Wallangarra's public playground (attached to a rest stop for drivers on the New England Highway that runs through town)

Climbing Skills

We crossed the border into New South Wales (the state where Sydney is located) to visit a pool and rail station museum in Tenterfield.

The museum was small and geared to adult patrons but the kids still liked it, especially Max, the train obsessed super boy.

A play session in the evening.

Max's temperament on our last night--he went to bed very soon after this picture was taken.

Max was really tired the last day that we were with Baxter.  He and Baxter were not getting along very well.  I think two-year-olds, especially ones that are accustomed to being an only child, can only take limited amounts of time together before they start pushing each others' buttons.  There was a lot of attention seeking behavior whenever Caz and I tried to chat.

A last wheelbarrow ride

We returned to Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.  Caz and I drove to Stanthorpe so I could see that town and the boys would have another venue in which to play.  Both Max and Baxter fell asleep during the 25 minute car ride there...and it was only 9.45 am!  We played along the stream that runs through town then headed the a playground and the library.  Max and I parted company from Caz and Baxter at 12.30ish.  I stopped at a fruit and veg shop on the way out of town since the area is known for its apples.  Max did a great job on the car ride, but he did not sleep a wink!  Tonight he happily cut our bedtime routine short so he could sleep.

Model Trains at the Ipswich Rail Museum

We made another trip to the Workshops Rail Museum in Ipswich for the model railway show. 

Max had a ball, as always.  I still have not figured out how to convince him to leave without duress.  We always have lots of tears.

Max and Tim riding a miniature train

I told Max that, if he wanted to leave the toy train table, he could only take one train with him.  He had a difficult time choosing.

Getting an aerial view of the model trains

As we entered the room with the model railways, there was a stack of step stools provided for the kids.  That was such a sweet idea.

Mt. Barney

We took a hike with some new friends (Madeleine and Volker with their son, Joschka, and Madeleine's friend, Debbie: I met Volker and Joschka at the Indooroopilly HS playgroup) last weekend in Mt Barney National Park.  Bushwalking with a map and a compass is the norm there (I think there were only 4 or 5 actual trails on the map of the park), but we took Max on a proper trail to an area called Lower Portals.  He was able to walk most of the way to our campsite (3.7 km) but he crashed in the backpack the last 15 minutes and stayed asleep for another 30 minutes after we arrived.

These pics are not in order:

Max ready to hike back to the car on Sunday morning.

Last shot before leaving the campsite

Another last picture before we left.

Eating dinner: Max ate some of Debbie's extra pasta

Cooking dinner: Debbie, Rachel, Max, and Madeleine

Wading at the Lower Portals swimming hole: Madeleine and Joschka are in the foreground

Throwing rocks in the stream

Max had a pretty cush ride when he wanted it (he has his baya in his mouth and kiki is peaking out just below the neck pillow).

Rachel's poor packing (Tim managed to stuff everything inside the pack on our return trip).  We were told numerous times that bushwalkers never strap things to the outside of their packs unless they want to risk losing or destroying them.  That makes sense when you are not on a trail.  Fortunately, we walked on a nice wide one so there weren't any mishaps despite my lousy packing job.  The purple thermarest would not stay inflated but I think it has a hole from another occasion (Tim might disagree with me).

Most of the trail was through eucalyptus forest like this one.

We had a great time.  We arrived at the trailhead by 9am on Saturday morning and made it to the campsite by 11.30 or so.  Both Max and Joschka napped along the way so they were ready for a play in the stream soon thereafter.  We returned to the campsite for a late lunch then walked to the Lower Portals swimming hole in the late afternoon.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of the little rock climbing we had to do on the last bit of the trail.  We climbed through a hole between some giant boulders.  Max actually did a bit of the climbing himself but he was too short for the last little bit.  I climbed ahead while Tim stayed on the ground.  Then Tim lifted the Max over his head while I reached from the top of the hole to pull him up.  It sounds scarier than it actually was.

After playing at the swimming hole for a bit, we headed back to camp for dinner.  The kids had an early bedtime since their naps were so short.  I think they were in bed before 7pm.  Tim, Madeleine and I didn't stay up much later.  Volker and Debbie both decided to sleep under the stars.  The night began pretty warm but Tim, Max and I had to snuggle together under a sleeping bag in the middle of the night.  Max wasn't wearing anything beyond a diaper in his warm sleep sack so he needed the extra warmth eventually.

We rose by 5am Sunday morning.  Max and I had a play at the stream before breakfast.  We were packed and ready to go by 8.30ish.  Max and Joscka both rode in their backpacks during most of the walk.  I think we tuckered them out.

Tim and I agreed that this sort of camping is the type we like best (there were only three campsites in the area).  We also were exhausted Sunday afternoon.  My conclusion was that we needed to go on overnights more often to build up our endurance.  I'm not sure that Tim agreed with me on that one.