Park Visit

As part of Domu's birthday celebration, we visited a park. The park had a nice playground and an almost dry lake (because of the drought).

Note Pia's new hairdo. All that's missing is the hair.

Just 5 more seconds

After a long night of overtime work, I went to bed at 4am. Five hours later, Pia was waking me up:

Daddy you have to wake up?

Daddy: (Confused) Why?

Pia: Because everyone wakes up in the morning

Daddy: I need to sleep just a little bit more, ok?

Pia: Ok.

...5 seconds pass...

Pia: Finished?

Me: What?....not yet

...another 5 seconds pass...

Pia: Finished?

Me: Not yet

...another 5 seconds pass...

Pia: Finished?

Me: (surrender) Yep.

Sitting up

Look, he can remain sitting position by himself. Give him a gentle but firm push and he won't tip over.

Sammy on the bunk bed.

Air Combat, Girl Style

Pia was drawing some airplanes:

Me: What's that you're drawing?

Pia: I'm drawing a super airplane. It has these so it can kill the bad airplanes.

Me: What are those?

Pia: They shoot poison at the bad airplanes. The bad airplanes will die from the poison.

Me: What if the bad airplanes shoot the super airplane?

Pia: The super airplane will not die because it is strong. It is made of wood and it can turn invisible. The driver has a lever.

Me: Where do the bad airplanes come from?

Pia: From earth.

Me: Where does the super airplane come from?

Pia: From Australia

Dr. Acupuncture

Practicing acupuncture.

Just a part of me

Sammy was asleep. Pia is playing, having fun, and screaming and yelling and laughing out loud.

Mom: Pia, be quiet. Sammy will wake up.
Pia: Why will Sammy wake up?
Mom: Because you are so noisy.
Pia: Mommy...I'm not noisy. Only my mouth is noisy.

Absent for what reason?

Domu: Jarryd did not come to school today
Me: Maybe he's sick
Domu: No, he's not sick.
Me: Why do you think he didn't come to school today?
Domu: He's working
Me: What? He's too young to work.
Domu: No! He can work.
Me: But he's six years old.
Domu: Yes, but he can work. Before school he works. Yesterday he worked fast that's why he can go to school. Today he worked slow so he cannot go to school.

Use 'A' in a Sentence

At Domu's school, they are now teaching spelling. Each pupil is given their own set of words. They seem to be easing Domu slowly, since his assignment is to learn how to spell the following words: a, is,in, and, be, I. Those were very easy for him, since in Hong Kong he was already at the stage where he'd been reading and writing two-character Chinese phrases.

To make the spelling practice a little tougher at home, we made him both spell the word and use it in a sentence.

Me: Spell 'A'
Domu: 'A'
Me: Use 'a' in a sentence
Domu: We went to Australia.
Me: Huh? Where's the a?
Domu: Australia begins with 'A'.

At the Train Station

At the main train station on Spencer Street, Melbourne. Domu loves trains and there's no shortage of them here.

New Bedroom

The children's new bedroom.

Sitting up

Sammy can now sit up, Indian style. By letting him tip over a few times (in bed), he has learned how to balance himself. It's still too early to let him sit up safely on a hard surface like the floor, but he'll be there within a few days.

I Just Can't

While waiting for our train ride home, and thirsty after a long trip around the city, Mommy asked Pia if she had any more water in her water bottle, which she carries in her bag.

Mommy: Pia, do you have water in your water bottle?
Pia: Yes
Mommy: Can you give me some?
Pia: I cannot.
Mommy: Why not?
Pia: Because it's mine.

The Man with the Big Tummy

We were walking along the sidewalk, going to church. An elderly man walked out of his lawn and started walking in the same direction just a few feet away from us.

After eyeing the man for a few moments, Domu exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear, 'Mommy, look at that man. He has a big tummy!' The man heard it, looked around, took it in stride, and just smiled.

Later that night, we spoke to the children about being discreet.

Me: When you are saying something not nice about someone, don't say it out loud. But if you are going to say something nice, you can say it out loud. For example, if you want to say 'that woman has a nice dress', then you can say that out loud. But if you want to say 'that man has a big tummy', or 'that man is very old,' then you should not speak it loud.'

Pia: How about 'that man has no ears?'

Next up, the double back flip

It's official, Sammy is finally able to completely turn over.  He did his first full turnover today.  He can't fully lift his head for more than a few seconds, though, so we need to keep watch over him, just in case he flips over and presses his nose into the bed preventing him from breathing.

Poison

Trying to attract the attention of Domu and Pia, I said out loud, US-Marine-style, "Listen up boys and girls!"

Pia replies: we are not poison girls!

I'm not beautiful!

I was admiring how pretty Pia's face was, and I asked her to turn her face so I could look at her profile.

Me: You're so beautiful

Pia: No! I'm not beautiful

Me: Ok, you're ugly

Pia: No! I'm not ugly

Me: Then what are you.

Pia: I'm angry.

Sammy starting to roll over

Yesterday Sammy started trying to roll over.  He could only manage to turn halfway, so that he's lying on his right shoulder.  I don't know how he will lift his head once he succeeds in turning over.

Also today, we applied for a replacement for his lost passport.  He met quite a few people today, with everyone remarking how nice looking he is.  Sammy actually smiles at strangers when they greet him. 

A woman and her child tickled Sammy's feet at the immigration center today, while at the tram, a few Chinese ladies were doting over him, talking about him.  I couldn't understand what they were saying but it has something to do with Sammy looking like a Westerner.

Waking up in a sea of urine

Pia wet her bed again last night.  The extra bad thing is that she was lying beside her mother, who woke up with a third her shirt dripping wet with Pia's potion.

Smell my panty

As I bent down to clean away bits of food on the floor, I noticed Domu's shorts smelled of urine (he has been trying to hold his wee wee, and it seems to have been leaking out). I reminded him for the hundredth time: "Don't hold your weewee. As soon as you feel you want to weewee, go to the toilet. Look, your pants smell like weewee."

PIa, ever striving to be better than her brother, butts in : "Daddy, smell my panty, it doesn't smell like weewee."