Canberra Turns 100!

 Each year Canberra hosts an impressive hot air balloon extravaganza, but this year it coincided with the Centennial birthday of this great capital city as well. We got out and enjoyed the weekend celebrations from 6am launches to evening fireworks.

The theme was "In So Many Words" so there were word/letter balloons and stickers and word games and activities and giant words beamed onto buildings and built with natural materials and such. Very creative and interesting and random. Like the giant ants or this lady playing the saw, above. Or the techno-disco crazy hairdo station, below. We made a day of it and had fun getting out in the crowds.

look closely at those funky hairstyles

St. Patty's Day Fun

We've noticed that Australians can't be bothered to celebrate most "peripheral" holidays with any fanfare (Valentines/Halloween/St.Patrick'sDay/AprilFools are all admittedly silly I guess), so I'm starting to step up my game at home to keep the kids from feeling too disappointed.

They got all jazzed up the night before making this elaborate "leprechaun trap" called the Leprechaun Inn with enticing signs about the gold and the pool and the treasure to be found within.

Alas, our clever leprechaun escaped his trap... but not without leaving a trail of mischief throughout the house. He must have peed in the toilet, because it wasn't just the milk that turned green... then he tied all our green ribbons along the stair railings and left sneaky notes and gold wrapped rolos to discover at the end of a trail of four leaf clover clues.

 Started the day off at 6am with breakfast at the annual hot air balloon festival (due to the drizzle there were only 5-7 instead of the regular/spectacular 50 or so. oh well.)

 Then home to discover more green shenanigans and prepare more funny meals.

Little guy had a midnight snack of all the green foods he could find, then stole all the green fruit loops and gummy bears out of the package.

 (those leprechauns were supposed to have boiled egg eyes but the kids got impatient...)

Yes, corned beef and cabbage is just right about once a year, I'd say.

Canberra Day

Here is some video taken at the Canberra Day Celebration held March 14th. Will and McKenna try to imitate the break dancers on stage. Each kid got to choose one carnival ride: Will the test of strength and dexterity, Kenna the high-bounce tramp, and Annie the spinner.

Later in the week, we went back to the Civic Center just after sunrise to watch the hot air balloons.

Finally, the weekend fireworks extravaganza spent with some new friends.