Afterwards -

We went to Yum Cha. We were at the Sheraton to say goodbye to the Hammonds and thought we would swing over to the Hotel Royal to have our favourite Yum Cha. Love that restaurant.

A speciality of Yum Cha is chook's feet, very elaborately named Phoenix Claw. I just call it how it is, chook's foot. Tilly asked Steve could she try it one day. I said, I don't think so Tills, that's chook's feet. And they both looked at me a long time, puzzled. And Daddy finally said, So?? And I said, Oh well, go ahead, who am I to tell you what you might or might not like? And she tried it, and ho hum, she loves it.

Perhaps Evie will take after mummy in the food preferences department, coz it sure would be nice for someone in this household to like potatoes and a boring old sandwhich every now and then as opposed to "Phoenix Claw".

Sweet Smiles for Daddy

Heather's visit

Nice family pic. However we generally tend to look more like this......

So excellent to see Chad today.

It's a good thing to have good friends.

Tills loves Mr. Chad.

Precious Noa, what a doll!!!

Mia Joy, Sarah May and Matilda.

Loved having you at our house Heather. As we drove from the hotel today Steve said, "Wow, they came and they went and it was a breeze!" You guys were the perfect guests, come back any time.

Chad rightly mentioned that Lili and Tilly and Noa and Evie are all fairly equally set apart. We've tentatively arranged to swap dates as to the next lot. Ha, just joking.

Not unlike her mother, Evie has a real soft spot for Nykolas.

Lili and Tills playing school. Both of them are rather bossy and are excellent entertainment.

These two really seemed to enjoy each other.

Nykolas, Mia, Lili, Sarah and Tills enjoying popcorn and Toy Story 3.

Photo Catchup Part 2

Evie has a lot of tummy time, and therefore can put her head up quite well. Oh and note the gorgeous quilt Auntie Linda made for Tills. Though Evie sleeps under the pink blanket made by Ethnee, now that the weather has turned. Don't be fooled peeps..... this lasted all of two minutes. Though who am I to complain. She now sleeps from between 7 and 8 in the evening until between 5 and 6 the next morning. Mama is getting herself some good sleep in!!

Sometimes Tills will set up camp beside her and just play. I can't wait for them to be able to play together.

During evening song time, Tilly will prepare her teddies for the night.

Photo Catchup Part 1

A touch of the ridiculous

Taxi Driver: So.... how do you 'teach' your child how to speak English? Me: Ummmm.......much the same way as your mother 'taught' you to speak Chinese. Taxi Driver: Yeah. No.... really.... how do you 'teach' her how to speak English. Me: Yeah, no really. It's her mother tongue. Taxi: Yeah. So how do you 'teach' her to speak English. Me: ......... (silence) (In our elevator we came across our neighbour) Me: saying something to Tilly in English Neighbour: Why are you speaking to her in English? Me: It's what we speak. Neighbour: But why are you speaking in English, why don't you just speak in Chinese? Me: And then how's she supposed to communicate with me and my family and our English speaking friends of which we have many???? Not to mention it's her mother tongue. Neighbour: Oh.... And now for some of our own ridiculousness..... (Tilly watching me change Evie's dirty nappy) Tilly: It's all yellow mummy. Me: Yep, that's how you used to poo when you were a little baby. Except Evie does it everyday and you used to wait forever to do one. And then it was a huge explosion. Tilly: Why was it a huge explosion mummy?' Me: That's just how you did it baby. Tilly: No, that's just how you fed me. (Just now on the phone to a friend Tilly was playing with something and it dropped and broke) Me: (later on in the kitchen and when it just suddenly came to mind) I noticed you broke something in the bedroom before love. Tilly: Yes.... I noticed you can fix it.

So Sweet

The girls and I have firmly established our own little routine. Evie sleeps on and off all day. If we are out, she can go the entire time in the sling dead asleep. If we aren't doing anything in particular, Tilly and I will walk around, either doing a grocery shop or at our local park, with Evie in the pram - also fast asleep (as long as the pram is moving). Tills and I are having many a great play date at the park. Evie is a little Koala and loves nothing more than to be asleep. Though at home she finds it hard to go to sleep without me. But we get through our days easily and I am loving this time that I have now with my girls. Tilly has grown so much. She loves to walk with me around town holding the pram and being a big responsible girl. I took her to the local market the other day which was a big long walk and she handled it without a second thought. As long as Evie is awake at 5 and until 7 she will then sleep all night, with just one wake up at around 1 or 2. Such is her penchant for sleep. I get Tills into the bath, while she is there I bath Evie, we have dinner and then it's brush teeth time and onto the bed for Tills "Jesus songs". While I was last in Australia I looked online at Koorong and found two great CD's, contemporary Christian songs sung almost like a lullaby. For over a week now I have been singing the songs to Tilly while feeding Evie in Tilly's room. They both fall to sleep to my untrained voice as if it is the sweetest thing they've ever heard. Indeed Tilly runs to the bed to get ready for it. No fussing about whether or not she wants to go to bed (afternoon naps have now been extinguised). It's almost like it's the highlight of her day. There are 15 songs on the CD and by about 6 she's out to it. But I stay there feeding Evie and singing my head off and getting her into a deep sleep. By 15, Evie is totally out to it and ready to put down on her bed. This evening we were a little ahead of ourselves and ready for bed by 7. Which is slightly too early. So Tills and I sat there in the semi dark talking about our day, about the songs, which one was her favourite and which one was mine (each one as it came along apparently). And I told her today that it was Uncle Josh's birthday party, his 40th. And all the family will be gathered together to celebrate the 40 years of his life, everyone except us that is. She saw a water bottle and noted that it was Nanny's and that Nanny had given it to her. I asked did she miss her Nanny and Poppy and she said yes she did. And she said she missed me too. I asked her how that was possible as she spends her every waking hour with me. She said she missed me today while she was sitting in the shopping trolley and I had walked off to get things (she was with her Daddy). My heart just melted. There is a season for everything. We were not able to celebrate with my family my brother's 40th, but I have my little family here and this season of my life might just be my most contented. We won't always be here in Taiwan, that is for certain. And even though I miss my family and my home dearly, what I have here now - this season, is truly precious to me.