May 08

As you can see from the album the girls are doing very well. The first photo is of Suzanne at Erakor Is Resort (as she calls it) where we went last Sunday for a swim and the chocolate cheesecake that she likes.

We seem to take photos before we travel ... Babera is off to Sydney this week and we are all going down to join him on Sunday and then I go to Suva for two weeks.

Babera got the camera out - first Suzanne was asleep and then Samantha was asleep. Samantha is a full blown toddler now - the photos of the both of them with their hands about their faces are them being monsters.

There is a new addition to the house - Mary our cleaning lady gave us a beautfiul big rooster (her mother died so we gave her some money and time off so she could go to her island. DSC01530 is Suzanne saying hello to 'chookie' (although when Samantha says it it sounds more like 'turkey'). So Mary turned up with the rooster and Suzanne gave it a bit of a pat and Samantha just started smacking it straight away. Naturally chookie didn't warm to Samantha; and Cleo the dog chasing it from time to time was a bit much as well - so it took off to the neighbours. We think its still alive b/c we heard it when we were walking around looking for it this morning - but as you can see from the photos it's colouring makes it a bit hard to find. At the time Suzanne was walking around with this blow up ball world globe thing that Dad sent them - they have fun with that so we were planning our Sydney trip and the trip to the aquarium but she was more interested in the toy shop idea. DSC01543 is Suzanne holding Cleo's collar so she won't chase chookie.

Then Samantha woke up so we had some chocolates (as you do) and of course she wanted to 'swim' so we put the hose on ... and she went and found the plastic container (which their fish are now in since we have had a population explosion in our little fresh water fish bowl we had to 'super size') and gave herself a good wash -  DSC01559 is her giving her hair a wash with the soap - we have 'melted' so many bars of soap with those two. They must have their soap when they are in the water and they come out with this white soapy scum/sheen cos of all the soap melting in the water - so they are rinsed off in the shower which they aren't so keen on.

Babera brought them back little make-up (cosmetic) sets from his last trip - DSC01560 is Suzanne looking in the mirror putting on her eyeshadow. I was expecting him to bring back some lip gloss and nail polish but he brought these lovely little wooden boxes. Just the business - they now have lip stick and 'glitter gloss' whatever that means (but Suzanne says it doesn't taste good), nail polish, and two different kinds of eye shadow.

And thats about all really ... a huge milestone for Suzanne yesterday - I had a can of beer outside while they were playing in the water and she saw it and went and got it and said 'here's your beer Mum' - very clever trying to get bonus points from Mum. Samantha would've just tried to drink it.

Love to everyone

Kim & Babera & Suzanne & Samantha (and Cleo the dog and the fish and we hope chookie the rooster is still alive)

Kindy and bicyc...

I have finally gotten my new laptop to read in some digital photos ... so here is a very speedy update! If I didn't tell you yet Suzanne has started what she calls "school" which is afternoon kindy for 2 hours every day. We thought we would wait until after her birthday but cousin Leslene started so there was no way she was going to miss out. Then we said OK maybe twice a week and got no no no again. So she's at kindy and she is very happy there. We are getting a lovely selection of paper animals and paintings and - my goodness - Yaya dresses her up for school (the photos of her inside on her bike are her with her school clothes and school hair). 
Samantha is of course extremely cross to be missing out, and has to get ready for school too and put on her school bag. It is very hard to take photos of her at the moment - Suzanne got her to sit down on the deck for a photo so she sat down for 1 second and then stood up and ran for the camera - so the one photo of her here is that ... I could've taken another one of her face down on the deck throwing a maddie when I wouldn't give her the camera but thought its a private moment. 

Suzanne is going very well on her toilet training and has managed to acquire a bicycle. The deal was that she wear panties and she would get a bike ... so I was managing to hold her off b/c she prefers to poo in a nappy ... anyway - I parked to go and buy some fish food (another story - thanks to Uncle Richard) and stupid me - I parked in front of the bike shop so there was no way she was coming to buy the fish food. So the nice Chinese man was inside eating watermelon seeds - he saw a sale - so he shared quite a few of his melon seeds with Suzanne and soon enough had her sitting on a bicycle and was pushing her around the store. "Look at my yellow bicycle Mum" and "more melon". So that was that really ... again poor old Samantha was very cross cos she didn't get one but they didn't have one for her (she's just a little bit too short for Suzanne's one) so we might try her on a tricycle if I can find one b/c she's far more adventurous than Suzanne so she might need the extra stability and we have a weight issue with her 18+kgs so she needs a sturdy frame.

There is one long range shot of them all washing the dog - thought it might be a way to show how they've grown but I failed - and of course they saw me with the camera so that was the end of that (the camera is not really coping well with their use).

So thats about all from us really - hoping to get more photos on line soon!

Xmas 2007 in NZ

We had a wonderful two weeks in Nelson with Ati and Apu ... the weather was "nice" (if you stayed in the sun - actually we were very lucky we had sunny days) so there was alot for us to see and do. Apu's peas were finished by Xmas day - none made the pot; and Samantha is still asking for lollies at breakfast time. Suzanne seemed to prefer cherries (like her father) and Samantha got stuck into the strawberries. Suzanne was very helpful with Apu in the kitchen cooking meals. Her highlights would be picking boysenberries, Mila and Sophie's trampoline, dancing on Xmas day, swimming in Tatjana's (heated) pool with Tatjana catching her when she jumped in; the children's playgroundS, and probably heaps more things that I have forgotten. Samantha's highlights would be poking at Apu's snapper (fish) in the chilly bin saying "fish fish fish" (she wouldn't let the lid go on), annoying Molly the cat (come Molly come and then trying to kick her), dancing on Xmas day and trying out every seat in the movie theatre (before she was taken outside), the children's playgroundS. Samantha is really starting to talk very well now.   

As usual my photo taking wasn't up to speed. Luckily Cousin Rachael was on the job, and Cousin Lisa has some photos from the "special play ground" as well which we will post later.