Alex's words III

A few choice words lately -

What the heck? (hands on hips - explains it's what another child at school says when angry...hmm, going to have to work on this one)

Why is he old? (pointing to an older gentleman)

Did he draw on himself? (seeing a tattooed gentleman - this coming from someone who regularly draws on herself)

For Memorial Day (a combination of ANZAC Day and Ancestor Day): Why did they die? Why are they having a funeral? (plus a million other death/war related questions)

Why is it raining? (Because the meteological conditions favor it?...)

Oh boy...are we in trouble...

Developmental Milestones

Alex will have another 2 inches cut off her hair this week in an effort to get her to stop chewing on her hair. No matter how it is "done" when she heads off to school, each afternoon it is out and the front pieces almost always in her mouth. Either that or she's twirling them.

Plus, she's developed a "taste" for her fingers and thumb. Some of the children suck their fingers and thumbs and (accordingly) so does Alex. How frustrating! Maybe I could cut 2 inches off those as well...no?...maybe just ignore it and it'll go away...

Sebastien is coming ahead in leaps and bounds. He will "walk" when holding onto two fingers and loves to pull up (so long as it is to something his height - he isn't going higher...yet) and, of course, stand.

Plus he is on the verge of crawling - and I swear if we had carpet he would have already - the tiles are a little difficult to get a purchase on.

Peace at last

Sebastien is now sleeping through the night - most nights. However, he is getting up at 5am, ready to face the day. Brett has a knack for getting him to go back to sleep before Alex gets up around 7.30am. I didn't believe him until he took this photo of his results...

End of another year

The playgroup Alex and Mummy attended, where we live, is finished for the year. They take poloroid photos of the participants at the start of the year - and give them back to you at the end. Here are ours:

Mummy and Alex

Aunty Chelle and Alex

Can I have fries with that?

For Christmas, Mrs Claus brought Alex $5 worth of MacDonalds vouchers. Well, although they are all gone now, it was amusing to watch her "spend" them. She had the voucher and therefore I told her she needed to order from the person behind the counter. So we practiced a little before we got there so she knew just what she wanted. You can't tell from the receipt, but when she was asking, it it went something like this:

Excuse me please. I'd like a hamburger, a serviette, and some chips, and a serviette...and some water.

I'd have to translate the chips for the person behind the counter (no bags of chips here!) and also serviette. But I loved that the second item (and fourth item!) were serviettes! Cool!

Sebastien shows his love

This won't be new to the USA people, but this is a photo of how Sebastien shows his love - seemingly only to me (maybe because Brett's usually too "spicey" in Alex's words - meaning spiky!)He's pretty strong and isn't afrad to grab both sides of your face to wrench it around so he can get at the chin - this will have to stop once he gets teeth as he usually munches on it then.
New nickname - Barnacle Bill.

Meme of Five

So I read on Shannon's blog about this meme and thought "Why not?!"
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read the player's blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

Hmm, let me think - five years ago was 2003. So I was in Geneva, Switzerland. Having originally gone to visit Brett and travel onto the USA when he started his PhD, I ended up staying almost a year to work in the UN - breaking my shoulder skiing and ending up with a frozen shoulder! I think that's about it...

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

1. Update the blog.
2. Cook three quiches.
3. Wash-up
4. Sort through books on bookshelf for donation/throw/keep piles.
5. Try out "CVS-ing".

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1. Chips- actually I think I just crave salt.
2. Mint chocolate chip icecream.
3. Mango - preferably not dried - nothing beats a Bowen mango but it's a little messy.
4. Cashew nuts - actually pretty much any nut except peanuts.
5. Jen's shortbread cookies.

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Um, duh! Invest sufficient $$ to ensure it's not a fleeting richness and hence live off the income for the rest of my life.

2. Buy a house in Switzerland - actually, two, a chalet in the Alps and a house in Geneva. Buy a house in Australia. Buy a house in the USA. Maybe buy a house in China...

3. Not advertise the fact that I was a billionaire - I have heard so many stories about lottery winners being bugged forever about donating money. I'd prefer to donate money on the quiet as and when I want to whom I decide - actually, this is one of the reasons I get frustrated with non-profits soliciting over the phone.

4. Make sure the people I love were looked after - no handouts but be there if and as needed.

5. Similar to Shannon, I would fly family and friends to one location once a year to have a get-together.

What are five of your bad habits?

1. Not taking care of my skin.
2. Relying on caffeine and sugar to get through the past 7 month sleepless situation - though now Sebastien is sleeping 7pm-5am I guess I don't have an excuse.
3. Not making time to exercise.
4. Perfectionism sometimes means I never get to do something for fear of failure (wait, is that two?)
5. Staying up late (when Sebastien is guaranteed to rise at 5am) using the computer.

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Armidale, NSW, Australia
2. Canberra, ACT, Australia
3. Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
4. Urbana, Illinois, USA
5. Xiamen, Fujian, China (OK, technically I haven't lived there - yet - but I thought it was appropriate. Plus, although born, and living for two years, in Sydney, NSW, Australia - I wanted to add China instead).

What are five jobs you've had?

1. Darrell Lea shop assistant
2. Accounts Officer
3. Business Manager for University Residence Halls
4. Data entry operator for TAB, UNCTAD
5. Mum

Tag - no-one specifically as it'd be interesting to read about all of you, so answer in my comments if you don't have a blog, or post a comment linking your blog if you post it there!

Alex's words II

From the back seat this morning:

A: I'm a lady.
Me: Pardon?
A: I'm a nice lady.
Me: Why are you a nice lady?
A: Because I helped carry Sebastien's jacket to the car - and I help the kids with their carseats, kids can't do their own seats.
Me: Are you a kid?
A: I'm a big kid!
Me: Am I a nice lady? (gulp)
A: Yes, you say 'thankyou' so you are a nice lady.

Phew!

250 posts and still going strong!

I'm amazed that I've hit the 250 mark with posts to the blog. It's definitely something I'm glad I started (still can't believe a friend and I started on the same day!) Stay tuned as the blog ventures across the ocean to China...

It seems appropriate to rest on this post for the evening - I still have a couple more to do but they'll wait until tomorrow!

What's in a name?

I used to think that "Alyssa" was a pretty unusual name - certainly growing up in the 70's I knew no-one else who shared it with me. Brett and I have been amazed at the tremendous variety of names we've come across - and uncertain that the same freeness would occur in Australia. Here's a recent example:

Clothes, clothes, clothes

More clothes I just had to take a photo of before (gulp) letting them out of the house for the last time...My best friend from highschool sent both Alex and Sebastien a hat to celebrate their births. Alex lost hers before I could take a photo of it. This is Sebastien's.

Aunty Lyndall and Uncle Pip gave this t-shirt to Alex and I have photos of her wearing it. Sebastien may just squeak into it once this summer but that's all.Grandie and Poppie gave this shirt for Alex when they visited here the first few weeks after she was born.
Now this; this is pure, unadulterated Alyssa! A black t-shirt no less!This shirt Mummy had made up for Daddy's first Father's day. Note the Illinois colours!
Aunty Chelle gave these cool trousers to Alex - and even though they're pink, they were a hit with Mummy too!
I'm guessing now, but my memory says that Great Aunty Sharn gave this gorgeous linen outfit to Alex - and she wore it to her cousin Chelsea's christening. I love it - it's green - and did I mention that I love it?This shawl Aunty Chelle gave Alex - who just doesn't get how to wear it. The detail is amazing and I wish it were still winter, just for this item of clothing!
Sigh - bye bye.

Celebrating the 4th of July

I've been going through all the boxes of baby clothes I have stored - sorting them into "sell, give away, throw" piles. They bring back memories - particularly the clothes Alex wore that Sebastien won't be wearing. For example - here are the July Fourth clothes Alex wore for her first 3 celebrations:

Playing with friends

Now that the weather is improving (I wish spring were longer than about 3 weeks!), we are getting outside more often. Our friends, Donita and Sarah, invited us around to see their new deck in action and play after preschool. We had a terrific time! Here is a picture and some video from the day:

You say "To-may-to, I say To-mah-to"

I know that whenever Brett goes to Australia, people there say he's picked up a bit of a US accent, and that on his return to the US, people comment on his strong Australian accent - and the same with me. Well...

Alex has really developed her american accent now that she's at preschool. We have "warder" for "water", "to-may-to" for "to-mah-to" and "bah-nan-nah" for "bar-nar-nar". It's funny how Brett and I instantly look at each other when we hear it - I guess because everything else sounds "Australian" that this word here or there is jarring. We'll see what else she picks up in the last couple of weeks of school!

Don't whinge!

Um, I thought that I spoke english...until I got quizzical looks from Americans... often! Picking on the foreigner is so easy ;)

So I thought I'd get some down before I forget all about it (feel free to add more in the coments - ok, I know that you will anyway!):

(US) Pretty many=a lot
(US) Needs fixed=needs to be fixed (also needs cooked etc)

whinge: whine
nappy:diaper
rubbish:trash
boot:trunk
fortnight:two weeks

Hmm, I'll keep adding to this post I think, as more come to mind!!

Alex's words

Brett's about to begin a mammoth lead-up to his prelim in early June so I'm flying solo with the kids for the next couple of weeks. Tough, but doable.

Tonight after Sebastien had gone down for the night, Alex was getting in some cuddles while she could (read: stalling bedtime) and insisted:

A: I get five cuddles because I'm five.
Me: Hang on, if you're five then you should be at big-school, not preschool. I'd better take you there tomorrow instead.
A: No, no, I'm three so I go to pre-school.
Me: Ok.
A: But I can see my statue in your eyes.
Me: That's your reflection
A: I see one here (finger perilously close to my iris) and one here (not so close). Why is there white bits?
Me: (thinking furiously - how low do I set this explanation..) Well, our eyes have lots of colours - what colours can you see?
A: Black, brown and white - hey, you haven't given me five hugs yet!

(Nicely deflected Mummy)

Let's go check the mail...

Alex loves going to check the mail. She's forever asking who pieces of mail are for and loves carrying them up the stairs to the apartment. She'll even ask to open them. So I've taken to signing up for freebies (through several blogs I frequent). They arrive when you least expect it and they give Alex something to have. I took a photo of my stash from the past couple of weeks - you should note that several packets of chips/crisps, another razer, and a granola/cereal bar didn't make it into the photo.

Not bad really! And all for free! And Alex is happy - staying out of Mummy's mail!

Ahh, the memories

So I'm kind of, sort of starting to throw things away in preparation for our move. Going through the dresser, I came across my Jean Perret Sapphire Crystal watch in navy that Brett sent me from Switzerland for my birthday - oh about six years ago now! I wore it to death, loved it and was sad that my skin reacted to the metal - nevertheless I continued to wear it, swapping wrists each day, until it stopped, short, never to go again...

It is irrepairable and I had to take a photo before it went to the big watch shop in the sky.

Bunco

A friend was kind enough to invite me to play Bunco - now I'm sure Australian friends will correct me if I'm wrong, but this is not something we play in Australia (though I'm thinking it'd make a great drinking game!) It kind of reminded me of Yahtzee but not really.

In any case, I had a blast and came away with a prize - very unexpected! I'm looking forward to the next time they play, in a month.

Eeek! Explanations

One of the songs we like to sing is Miss Mary Mack which is also one of the clapping songs we used to play at school. The version we have on our cd finishes:

She went upstairs, stairs, stairs,
And bumped her head, head, head,
And now she's dead!

Alex has grown increasingly upset about some of the words - specifically "and now she's dead."
She asks:
Why is she dead?
But why?
But how did she die?
I don't want her to die.

And she won't take "I/We don't know - the song doesn't tell us." for an answer.

School Week Eight - no, wait....

Um, somewhere I've made an error and made two posts out of one week of school...
So, it's actually Week Seven this week (Alex started school on 31st March) - sorry.

So this week saw quite a bit of art come home: caterpillars (the sparkles were glued to the bodies until they reached the car-ride home), Alex's body outline, some grass in a personally decorated pot, and a drawing (Alex calls it her map).














The WILL (local radio/tv channel) reading mentors returned for the last time to the classroom and Alex came home with The Little Red Hen storybook and a DVD about reading.














On Tuesday Alex got her wish of riding in a school bus! The class visited the U of I's greenhouse

It also saw Mummy volunteer in class one morning. Very interesting to see what they get up to - and how Alex acts at preschool (though I know that the very fact I was there changed that). I checked out the small groups list and was amused to see Alex listed there - take a look and see what you think (leave me a comment).













This is where Alex sits during "circle/big group time".










Alex must have enjoyed my being there as she has since asked me whether I would be able to come back "and stay" again. We'll see, it required Brett staying home to look after Sebastien for the morning.
Point of interest: when I volunteered, I spent some time in the playground with the class. They found a snake in a built-up planter and were all standing around, poking their fingers into it to try to coax it out...my first instinct was to say "stay away from the snake" - being from Australia where more often than not, a snake was venomous. Luckily Alex didn't see what was happening so I didn't need to talk with her about not going near any snakes - because China has venomous snakes too! for a fieldtrip.

School Week Seven

This week saw: no art home, glitter on the face coming home (see photo), an excellent naptime that warranted a special certificate (guess the stickers just weren't cutting it), us finally getting a monthly menu sent home which stops the "what did you have for lunch?" "I don't know." situation, and two field-trip permission slips sent in (for the university's glass house and for a large park with a fort play structure). Only three weeks left of the school year - what will they bring?

Oh shit, oh shit,oh shit!

This is what I thought I heard from the back seat when driving to the shops yesterday.

Me:"Excuse me Alex? Did you say something?"
Alex: *pregnant pause* *giggle* "I laughed."
Me: "No, before that. I thought you were saying something to me?"
Alex: *giggle* "No."
Alex: "Oh shit- it's what you say when you don't know the song."
Me: "Really? Who do you know who says that?"
Alex: "No-one. Me."
Then I tried a little reverse psychology - to finally get a name.

Me: "That's not something we like to say - ok?"
Alex: "OK Mummy."

***
This morning -

Brett:"I got the 'Oh shit' this morning."
Me: "Oh..."

***
To think I've spent the past, goodness knows how long, biting back choice epithets...

A life of crime

Exhibit A

Because I'm confident that Alex will not be reading this in the next couple of years, I wanted to document our first shoplifting experience. This evening we went shopping for groceries. At the checkout - Brett and I had "caught" Alex collecting small vials of spectacle screws off of a cardboard sheet. Having asked her to put them back and thinking I'd addressed a comment to Brett along the lines of "check they're not in her pockets", as that is the current fad - putting items in pockets - I returned my attention to paying for the groceries. The family had returned home from shopping and half an hour later, Alex comes over to me in the kitchen and says "Look at what I have" whilst pulling out a vial of spectacle screws from her pocket.

I tried not to react - and said "oh, we didn't pay for that so we need to return it to the store."

The vial is sitting on the table next to the door for our return there tomorrow morning on the way to school.

Uh oh!

I guess I can't complain - my life of crime started at kindergarten when I took a purse from lost property. I was old enough to know it was wrong - she isn't old enough to know that yet so we're playing it low key - saving the heavy stuff for the teen crime spree.

A Haircut for Alex too

So Alex has been chewing/sucking on strands of her hair (it's that long)...














...so I decided that she needed a haircut to remove that possibility and also for the heat of summer. So after I collected her from pre-school this afternoon, we headed off to the hairdresser. Whilst initially happy/excited to have her hair cut, once we were there and waiting, she said she wanted to sit on my knee to have it cut - something I didn't want to happen as that's how it was cut the last time and it was quite awkward. So I convinced her that if she sat in the big girl chair then I'd let her take a photo at the end.

Here she is waiting her turn.














She was very interested to watch the two blokes having their hair cut while she waited - especially when she heard the electric clippers buzzing.













Then she was in the chair, getting a "ride" in her sea-cape.









Sebastien waited very patiently the whole time - must have been sufficient traffic to keep him amused.










Then the cutting began. It was the same hairdresser who had done my haircut in the morning.










I have no reason to include this photo other than it is cute - she is showing me a "fish face".










Her favorite parts (aside from the chair-ride) were having the clip in her hair and having it blowdried at the end - at least, they are the parts that were recounted to Daddy.










The finished product.












And for being such a good client - looking down when asked, holding her head straight and not squirming - she was "suitably" rewarded. The lollipop didn't last very long.














Um, oh yes. And that photo that I promised she could take? Well here it is:

Early retirement?

The spring football season is over and Brett's poor boots
finally were laid to rest in the rubbish bin/trash can.

Going, going, gone

My friends have been making not-so-subtle comments about my lack of haircut - you see, it was me who said that I would be getting my haircut short for the summer - and that, after all, it's only hair! So with three of them having had their hair cut...I was struggling to find time (and a hairdresser) to have mine done. Well, today was the day! Brett stayed home this morning and after I dropped Alex off at school, I "walked in" to a hairdresser and had it chopped off. I had heard a little about Locks of Love but had been told that they had strict requirements about treated hair and % of grey which ruled me out. But that's not true!! So 10 inches came off - and I got a free haircut out of it!

***Update
Sebastien just woke up and wasn't sure what was on my head - he's only ever known me with my hair in a ponytail or braid - and even after smiling at me and "talking", his eyes kept searching my head. Wonder what Alex will say?

Enjoying Time in the Sun

While it is now raining steadily, we managed to enjoy some time in the park with friends last weekend. Here are Alex and Anna playing in the sand (making "presents" for their families).










Sebastien and Olivia enjoyed the grass.













Alex surprised me by swinging on the big swing - I guess she's growing up!

Lacrosse

Of the Spring Football game tickets that Sebastien and I won, we gave half of them away. Then we set out to see the game, walking from Orchard Downs, through the Arboretum to the Stadium.










Having put the tickets carefully in my back pocket - I realised that they were no longer there when we were almost at the Stadium. So Alex, Sebastien and Brett watched the university's lacrosse team (something I've only read about in novels - but seems to be something between field hockey and football?) while I backtracked - all the way to the Arboretum.














There they were: lying next to each other in the grass.