Might be a pretty brief post here - Friday night and it's 10pm, we've JUST put Lara to bed (she was beside herself but entirely blissful), and are not far off ourselves - just come back from our first proper Oz Barby - yup, they're pretty good. Actually the best thing about this one was that the Non got on SO incredibly well with the little girl there - nicely with the boy as well but the girl is so astoundingly sociable that even the Non was forced to succumb to non-stop full-on PLAY until 10 pm - and left with a dreamy socialite look and careless wave of the hand saying 'thank you for a lovely barbecue, we'll be back tomorrow!' - which I'm not entirely sure they're banking on. Anyway, great stuff all round.
Prior to that, us girls actually had a pretty relaxing day - for once we weren't going anywhere, seeing stuff, petting crocs, buying stuff, or anything. Early beach, followed by light lunch and work in the hot part of the day, and the another dip in the sea afterwards before getting washed and tidied up in general ready for when Daddy came back. We even had a little time in between so had some fun making a finger-puppet set of bugs - you know, one of those little sets that comes all pre-cut and so on and just engage a few fine motor skills for a short time. She liked it a lot actually, it's been a while since we got the time to do anything like that. Today's early beach session was almost entirely spent practicing JUMPING in. Now, this is not Nea style jumping in, Lara's still not at all pleased about getting water in facial orifices, but it's a step up to be able to jump into chest high water from a standing start (rather than sliding in gingerly), and possibly almost a running leap (didn't quite manage to take off the hesitation at the edge there, though it got pretty close to disappearing). May sound like tame stuff, but all good progress. In the afternoon the baths were closed for cleaning, and I discovered what Lara's current idea of 'wave jumping' is (took me quite a while to cotton on): Being held firmly in arms by adult, adult stands in the surf at a level where the large waves just about splash her a bit. Very occasionally get put down in the retreating wave and then run like hell for the shore before the next one comes, preferably while screaming like a baboon under attack. Still, if that's what it takes, I guess.
So that's about it. It's been a pretty hot day today and it's going to be hotter tomorrow - I think there'll be a lot of lazing about, somehow. Anyway, lots of love, V xxxx
Prior to that, us girls actually had a pretty relaxing day - for once we weren't going anywhere, seeing stuff, petting crocs, buying stuff, or anything. Early beach, followed by light lunch and work in the hot part of the day, and the another dip in the sea afterwards before getting washed and tidied up in general ready for when Daddy came back. We even had a little time in between so had some fun making a finger-puppet set of bugs - you know, one of those little sets that comes all pre-cut and so on and just engage a few fine motor skills for a short time. She liked it a lot actually, it's been a while since we got the time to do anything like that. Today's early beach session was almost entirely spent practicing JUMPING in. Now, this is not Nea style jumping in, Lara's still not at all pleased about getting water in facial orifices, but it's a step up to be able to jump into chest high water from a standing start (rather than sliding in gingerly), and possibly almost a running leap (didn't quite manage to take off the hesitation at the edge there, though it got pretty close to disappearing). May sound like tame stuff, but all good progress. In the afternoon the baths were closed for cleaning, and I discovered what Lara's current idea of 'wave jumping' is (took me quite a while to cotton on): Being held firmly in arms by adult, adult stands in the surf at a level where the large waves just about splash her a bit. Very occasionally get put down in the retreating wave and then run like hell for the shore before the next one comes, preferably while screaming like a baboon under attack. Still, if that's what it takes, I guess.
So that's about it. It's been a pretty hot day today and it's going to be hotter tomorrow - I think there'll be a lot of lazing about, somehow. Anyway, lots of love, V xxxx
HELLOOOO! Dont know where to start again- especially since we seem to have so many sites and mails to contact via that have no idea which one to post on anymore- plus that I've been writing up several messages in the past and all the internet and phone systems have been down and up for the past week with the storms and rains- and I keep on losing everything dammit, can't seem to write anything proper. MUCH amused and entertained by your blogs- would like to further comment on all the subjects, can't believe you seem to fit everything in- and hurray for jumping non! Good that she gets on with the little girl- and don't mind the carpet, I laughed out loud at that one, exactly my feelings too when I spill a cuppa- oh NO the waste of it. Chuckle. Hey before the net cuts me off again, what about dear Non's prezzies for her upcoming? She was seriously mistreated from my part with Xmas prezzies and yet with your current situation it would seem daft to send off from here now in case you moved- any suggestions? Especially now she doesn't have so many toys hanging around- but then with all the snakes and Harry Potter and camels she doesn't seem to be at all perturbed by it, sweetie pie. I also loved the Ian's lab one; must say that our kids (me including ) have never been to daddy's workplace, when we pass Downtown I generally wave my arm in the direction of some gigantic buildings and explain " oh well papa's around there somewhere"- on the 70-something level, and has nothing at all as exciting as "do not feed the monkeys" posters up- mind you, given its main occupants they jolly may well have. Everyone oohed at the camel pic- MUmmy can we ride a camel tooo? was Leo's first, then Nea exclaiming " UUUUuuh, kameljg, mami, mine mine!" (which meant of course she wanted one in the house). It's been really bad weather here, it actually hailed today, apparently a unknown phenomenon in LA, (trust it to come around when we do) and all the ants are scurrying around the whole house deranged with their quarters flooded out, I've been perpetually jumping around armed with Lysol trying to EXTERMINATE but was damn pissed off when I took out exhausted my knickers from the drawer in the evening after an exhausting day to find them crawling with ants. Never knew till I moved here what an infernal pest they could be.
ReplyDeletecut this in half, too many words said the blog. Can't believe that the Non has already figured out all the nouns and verbs- trust me, tell her she's outdone poor auntie pie who has absolutely no knowledge of language except her poor spoken one, the closest I ever got to grammar was with Latin classes and my mind decided to cut that unnecessary information out long ago. I think this comes from never really learning a language properly, hey ho though, I'm still miraculously here with a roof over my head ( not my doing, but there ) and well done with all the maths training- I wouldn't worry with the maths part, she has her genetic heritage after all, but most of all, as far as all the studies say ( if they are to be believed) that although kids can count and are taught to add and subtract, they can only really fully understand the concept of why this is happening after the age of 5-5 and a half. (well, unless you're a genius maths kid, but since she is a genius language child I don't think you have to go the whole hog ). I know that although Leo can do let's say both till his 30s now, he still can't grasp the "4 quaters, then we have a dollar" or that 4 times 25 will get you to a 100 cents, but can't seem to get that those 100 cents mean the same as a dollar. We have tried this in many ways, to no avail, and have left it to rest at the moment. Though, let's say many people have problems with the clock teaching, but he seemed to have grasped it the moment he had it in one lesson. Strange. Right now he is all into some strange crystal rage- and he exclaimed how he wanted to
ReplyDeletedrill holes out in the earth to see what is going on underneath, and "mummy, can I be a geologist? So, you see, I think if I gave my savings of 12 dollars, you and papa can give the rest to buy a power drill, how about ebaY?" - great thought son, urm, not just this moment, but keep up the good work! (?) and still is in his obsession with Kanjis, even after homework time he stubbonly sits at his table and says "Right, now it's time for Kanji practice, what can I learn today? They're soooo cooool"- and starts asking daddy how to write Nori or Soba (trust it to be nosh)- to which daddy gives a rather hopeless look and says " Oh lord I really don't know, can we look it up?". Not much of an asset in life in general but anything that catches his curiosity is good.
Nea is left to the drudges of mummy at the moment, we went to some gymboree play classes today that she loved, but generally have no idea what and where and if to enroll her in something yet, especially since most places require them to be potty-trained, and she was force stopped by me since I just couldn't be bothered to go running around every10 minutes running to a loo. I said right girl, stay in those nappies another 4 months or so and thats fine with mummy. Hm. Where was I, I guess I'd better post this before the net goes again- it's been pretty good today, so before I lose the whole letter again like yesterday, I should post this meager missive off. Your blogs really make one's entertainment and have become the first thing I check in the mornings; thank you so much, and will talk to you soon I hope! Oh, and how expensive are those cars? It seems a jolly lot of hassle every day- not to mention when the Non actually starts going to school-
if there is any way I can find anything out via the net (when the hail has stopped) just give me a wink, though could not imagine finding out anything better than you could somehow,still, any help needed is quickly answered (with little or no expertise ) Golly Molly here are those blasted ants again, now they're up the computer. Lots and lots of pusses and loves to ALL, XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO auntie Pifs and throng!