Sunday, December 27, 2009

Dates with papa

We make an effort to bring the girls out on solo "dates". They need the one-to-one time and time away from each other. Two weeks ago, Ellie was sick and had to stay home, so Papa brought Caitlin out to the symphony (Babies Proms) and then lunch and ice-cream afterward. Later that afternoon at home, KM and Ellie are chatting.  Somehow the conversation is about Caitlin's special date with Papa.

Ellie, (You didn't bring me out )"Is it because you didn't like me?"
and the next morning, "When are we going for ice-cream and cake?"

I didn't know a three year old could be so sensitive.

Caitlin. Two years old

Caitlin turned two on December 20th and I didn't even mark the day with a special post. Sigh. We had a little family party for her; something small which she thoroughly enjoyed. A real "strawberry shortcake" cake decorated with actual strawberry shortcake figurines from the toystore. Being able to keep the toys on the cake is better than cutting up strawberry shortcake (the character) and eating it, I thought.
So Caitlin is two. And boy, what a chatty, active two year old! So different from the quiet-easy-to-look-after baby we brought back two years ago, that hardly cried and fell asleep without so much as a whimper. At two she's acquired an amazing vocabulary (all this in the last month or so), suprising us with so many funny things.

"Meimei big girl, not Ah Mei" (when KM calls her Ah Mei from across the table"
"It's a scary monster!"
"Papa, bad guy" (Km threw away Caitlin's squished jelly today, and he thinks Caitlin was sore about it even at bedtime)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Day 8-9. Oct 15-16. Friday to Saturday



I can't believe I am still writing about our trip. Here goes, my last entry about our Aussie Drive Trip.

We drive 6 hours back from Albany to Perth, making 3 stops-the first at a supermarket just 2 minutes from our apartment in Albany to stock up on treats, a midday lunch break at Kooljanup and another at some random bush area. It is hot. It almost feels like Singapore. We have left the cool weather behind. We arrive at the Peninsula Serviced Apartments by 4 in the afternoon. The apartment is basic. Too basic. Our standards are now much higher after the luxurious Rembrant at Foreshore Apartments. We unload and make our way to KM's cousins place. I didn't realise we had so much family in Perth. The kids have a great time playing and making new friends and we catch up with cousins KM has not seen in years.



Here are Ellie and Caitlin feeling very at home with their new friends. Caitlin is busy as usual on the phone.




This is our last night in Australia what we thought was a long trip wasn't that long after all. The girls got better at travelling and the long car rides. "Can we just stay in one hotel the next time we come to Australia?" Ellie remarks. Yes maybe.
  

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Whininess and clothes

Caitlin has begun asserting her will. From a whiny no! to on-the-floor wailing. Tantrums, they call them. Though never as bad as the ones Ellie used to put us through. And over the last 4 days, the whininess and non-cooperation made worse by a stomach flu. 

The issue lately has been centred around clothes. Caitlin has tons of clothes but she will only wear the ones with pictures on them. Almost always it is the "monkey t-shirt", and if that is not available the "lion t-shirt". "No I don't want this", followed by "How about this mama". And if we are going out and insist she cannot wear the scruffy monkey or lion bodysuits it has to be the butterfly t-shirt. And not just any butterfly t-shirt.

With Ellie it is skirts and dresses. Old skirts so short they have become mini-skirts.  
So we have a wardrobe stuffed with a whole lot of clothes but 2 girls who only want to wear the same few things everyday.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Simple and beautiful

Everynight we read one english book, one chinese book and one bible story before we put Ellie and Cait to bed. Caitlin always insists on Jonah and the big fish. "Jonah Big Shish", she asks.  She has a fascination with fish and loves the story and the pictures. So that is always the second bible story we read.

We've been doing this for more than a year now and Ellie's become really interested in Jesus. "Can I see Jesus?" "Can he come to our house?"" I love Jesus". Then on saturday Dec 5th she announced. "I want to follow Jesus". It came so naturally and unexpectedly. I asked if she wanted to prayer to Jesus and then we said a little prayer asking Jesus to forgive her for all the bad things she did and asked him to come into her heart. Just like that. Simple. Childlike. Easy enough for a three and a half year old. I always thought I would have to wait till Ellie was a lot older before I could explain what this whole thing about following Jesus was all about. But she made it so simple,  and yes,  so beautiful.