2009-01-19 Hannah Banana, and Our Midnight Feast!

Aiysha: I was so looking forward to Hannah coming over this weekend, and it was brilliant! She arrived on Saturday at about 2 O'clock. Daddy picked my up from gymnastics with Nick because they were looking at computers, and we went home, and had sausage sizzle before Hannah got here. It was a bit cloudy, but it did not stop us from going into the pool! We had such a funny time diving in and playing water fights, and doing hand stands at the bottom of the pool. We all then went to Hillary's for fish and chips - second week in a row! It was really funny. We looked at all the boats, and played I Spy while we were eating. We then went on the beach and played catch before we went home. Hannah and I stayed up a little to watch Bratz cartoons, and then we slept in the same room and had our lights on till late.

We had it all planned! We got all the food ready, and we were going to get up at midnight for our midnight feast! I fell asleep before Hannah, as she was awake when Daddy spied on us and caught Hannah awake. But she fell asleep too, so we didn't wake up! Boo! However, we did have some chocolate Kinder Surprise when we woke up in the morning, and we both got cars in the eggs.

We played Singstar on Saturday and Sunday, and it was so funny! I beat Hannah on Material Girl, but she's a good singer, and beat me at all the other songs.

We went in the pool again after, where Clara fell in while she was holding the hose. I rescued her by pulling her up from the bottom - Mummy was a bit scared, but Clogger was brave.

I was sad when Hannah had to go. I can't wait to see her again!

Last week at day care I went to the West Australian Reptile Park in the Swan Valley, and I held snakes, lizards and loads of other things! I love the Wombat!

At gym I was the only one to show Katie my strength practice sheet - even though I only have done 3 sessions with Daddy, at least I've done them.

Clara: Hannah gave me soooo many hugs, and said I was "so cute!". I really like her, and I gave her loads of hugs. She makes me laugh. I accidentally fell in the pool with no armbands because I wanted to spray the girls with the hose - it was a bit scary, but my Big Sister rescued me! She looks after me so well!

C: So nice to see Hannah again - they play so well together, and they really listen to each other. They are growing up really fast!

S: It almost rained for the first time in 6 weeks on Saturday and Sunday, but it didn't. On Sunday night there were loud thunderstorms, and a bit of rain. Oh well. The lake will suffer.

2009-01-11 So Hot!

Aiysha: It is so hot now! We love going in the pool just to cool off! When I go to gymnastics, it is soooo hot!

Mummy got me a PS2 game called SingStar where we get to sing and read the words, and we get points depending on how well we sing. I'm getting good at Material Girl, and Daddy is not good at that song at all!

Beau and Ben came over to visit us with Jill, and we had a great time in and out of the pool. I really like it when they come over, as we play so nicely together - we're growing up together so fast! Luke has also come over to play with us in the pool - he is quite funny.

Yesterday, Cloggy was not too well, and she had such a long sleep that we had to go to Hillary's for fish and chips - we waited so long for them, but when they arrived, they were lovely! Clogger and I ran along the pier, and then onto the beach - she is soooo cute, I cannot believe it! We got home pretty late, but it was cool being out so late.

I also had a lovely talk with Grandma Sik, Granddad Brian and Uncle Dave on the computer - I could see them, and they could see me too! It was fun!

Clara: I got some lovely shoes this weekend - I've jumped from size 5 to size 7! Wow! I am now talking in sentences, and I am asserting my authority on this family!

C: What a lovely evening down at Hillary's - thank goodness for daylight saving!

S: Still cannot run on my ankle after 4 weeks, so doing a lot of running in the pool. We are so lucky to have this pool! The herb garden isn't doing too bad either - Coriander on tap! Lovely!

2009-01-03 It's 2009!

Aiysha: Thank you everyone for your presents! I had soooo many, and I loved every one of them! We spent the morning opening them, and then tried to go to the beach, but it was so windy that we just stayed for a few seconds, and then went down to Hillary's to play there. In the afternoon, we went in our pool, which was lovely.

We thought there would be no swimming between Christmas and New Year, but I am so lucky we checked, as Kat came over and asked me to do my test for Bronze! It was really difficult, as I had to swim 100m freestyle in lane 6 - Mummy was soooo nervous, but I did it, and all the other skills, and I am now in Silver! It is brilliant, as Lauren and Joseph are both Silvers too! I was so proud of myself, and so excited! I had my first lesson as a Silver this week in 2009, and it was very hard. Daddy said it was the hardest lesson I had ever done, and I looked exhausted, but I kept going, and did my backstroke really well even though I was tired!

I love Cluedo, and I love playing it with Mummy and Daddy every night! I love working things out, and I love being Miss Scarlett! Daddy is Professor Plum, and Mummy is Mrs Peacock.

Just after Christmas, Uncle Dave's friend Johnny P came to visit with his baby Christopher and Layla, and we had a lovely day at home in the pool. Christopher was sooo cute, and we had loads of fun in the pool. Daddy made chicken wings, fried rice, and Mummy made a salad. It was a lovely afternoon, and they are a very nice family! Christopher, Rocker, and I even ended up dancing together at the end of the day!

I had a funny, but tiring sleepover at Tiana's. We didn't go to be until after 10, and we got up around 5. I was asleep on the couch in the afternoon when I got home for ages! Joseph and his Dad Nick came round to have a chat and to pick up Daddy's windsurfing gear. We had loads of fun in the pool, shooting Daddy and being thrown by him.

On New Years Day, we went to Mullaloo, and it was amazing! We did some surfing, and built sandcastles. I love coming to the beach when it is sooo sunny and not so windy. Even though we don't have snow, we have the beach, which is great!

I made a list with Mummy and Daddy about all the things I can get on with in the holidays. I have saved up over 50 smiley faces so far, and they say I can swap that for some money to spend! Wow, I'm going to see if I can get to 100!

Clara: It was so much fun ripping up all that paper, and playing with all the toys. I love everyone being at home...why do I have to go to day care when we have so much fun here! I don't understand?

C: Aiysha is a pleasure to have around during the holidays. She is so helpful, keeps Rocker occupied, hardly complains about stuff we do, and is so happy. Rocker and Aiysha get on so well at the moment, and Rocker understands so much that is going on it is quite frightening. She is a clever, cheeky baby!

S: Met up with an old friend Chris Bruce, who was one of my best friends in school - went to Subiaco, and had a funny time talking about school, people, and what we're doing now. A few drinks, and a Mexican. Lovely.

Tried to go windsurfing with Nick after work, but no wind, so we went on Friday, and I spent the afternoon trying to get on Nick's board that he gave me. Sooo hard, and my hands were cut up, but I managed it, even though the wind was not strong enough to take me anywhere.

I love the Ant Farm I got Aiysha and Rocker! Unfortunately, I mixed ants, so have to start again. Can't wait to get the Worm Farm running!

2008-12-22 Christmas Is Coming...and I've Finished Year 1!

Aiysha: School has finished! I am so happy, as this holiday is going to be excellent! Mummy and Daddy are already planning things for me to do such as learning so many new skills, having outings, doing lots of activities, and maybe one or two games of Uno!

On the last day of school, we all went to see Madagascar 2, which I really enjoyed! I keep singing "I like to move it move it!".

I am so excited about Christmas! We bought our tree last week, and we decorated it straight away! It looks beautiful, and Rara loved putting to boubles on in the same place. Silly sister!

On Friday, Mummy took us to Methams Pools, and it was lovely! I couldn't quite do my snorkelling, but I had lots of fun. Daddy was at work, and he was a little sad when Mummy texted him about it.

On Saturday we had a party at Gym, and we played lots of games and ate lots on unhealthy food. After, we had lunch and went into the pool - it was lovely, even though it was a little cloudy.

On Sunday, we tidied up the games room again, and then Daddy took me for a tennis lesson which I really enjoyed. We concentrated on my forehand, and I was hitting some really good shots! I think I am really starting to enjoy tennis now, and me and Daddy had a lot of laughs! We had some lovely sweet corn at lunch, and then we went swimming in our pool again - we did lots of fighting, and Rocker is using the board really well, and swimming a little on her own! We decided to have a BBQ down by the lake while we wait for Santa on his fire engine - we had lovely chips, lamb and salad. We waited and waited, and finally he arrived on his engine. I knew it was not the real Santa, but he still gave out loads of sweets - I collected 31 Chuppa Chups! I met Tiana down at the lake, and we waited together with another girl called Kate from Year 2. We all went for 2 rides in his fire engine too! I made sure I said thank you to Santa, and told Mummy and Daddy it was such a fun day!

My hula hooping is fantastic says Mummy and Daddy - I learnt a new trick where I start the hula hoop on my hand, and hula it over my head and down to my waist! I can also do 2 hoops at a time, and hula from my neck aswell!

Clara: I love jumping in and swimming with my board! I also love kneeling down anywhere and drawing on a piece of paper - it does not matter where I kneel, as long as I can draw on the paper! I also love Hi-5 Holiday - it is just the best!

C: My tooth is finally starting to feel better! I cannot believe how painful it has been! It's the last time I have any wisdom tooth taken out!

S: How many presents for the girls!? This is ridiculous! I'm gonna steal some for myself, tee hee...

2008-12-09 Cheeky Uncle Dave

Aiysha: Uncle Dave arrived when Grandma and Grandad were still here, and that was nice. We had some nice dinners together, and we also went to the beach to play softball and do some surfing!

I played soooo many games of Uno with Uncle Dave. Sometimes I would arrange the cards so that I got all the special cards - Dave would only realise halfway through the game, and by then it was too late!

I had a very strange rash which made my face swell, and I was not very happy about it, but Mummy and Daddy said I was very brave about it. We think it may have been the suncream at day care, but we still don't know.

In the last week of school, Daddy took me to the school disco, and it was so funny. I really enjoyed it!

Clara: Uncle Dave laughed at me lots, especially when I kept on grabbing Daddy's toes, and running to Mummy telling her about it. I did do it a lot though, and it made Dave laugh even more! He was funny to have around, and I loved shouting his name. I also saw pictures of Daddy and kept on shouting 'Dave!'.

C: Great to see Uncle Dave losing to Aiysha at Uno.

S: What an exhausting week! We went a bit crazy with everything!

While Mum and Dad were still here, we managed to go windsurfing twice - once on the Friday, and once on Saturday, which was excellent fun. It was Dave's 40th present, so he couldn't wait to get on the water! We began where we left off - pretty rubbish, but Justin gave us a few crucial tips about foot position, and we were away! A great start!

We went to Mullaloo to do a bit of surfing and a bit of softball - beautiful sunshine, and our lovely beach! Very relaxing!

They watched us play the Maori team at touch, and we slaughtered them! We played a great game, and we ran them off their feet, Dad said that was the best game he'd seen yet!

After we dropped Mum and Dad at the airport (after just managing to get some petrol), we drove straight out to the hills. Dave picked a spot on the map, and we got there in good time. However, when we started hiking, we took a wrong turn, and we carried on walking along the dirt road getting more and more covered in flies! Only once have I seen that many flies, and that was down at Margaret River! It was rediculous! When we finally realised that we had made a wrong turn, we turned back, and by then we had wasted almost 2 hours of our walking time! What a shame! We decided to go back to the car and eat our chicken we picked up on the way at Coles, where we were served by a guy called Trask - need I say more? We set off once again, and this time went the right way, managed to walk for 1.75 hours each way, which was a little more scenic, but we never made it to the hills. Pity, as that would have been amazing.

As we could not go windsurfing, we decided to take the car and head down south to do some snorkelling. Dave said he did loads in the Phillipines, so we got down to Rockingham, and we got some snorkelling gear for him. We parked, climbed down to Peron Point, and set off with our wetsuits - I've never seen so much kelp! It was unbelievable, swaying all over the place! In fact, I feel a bit ill writing this, as soon I was feeling motion sickness! I had to go up, get some air, then I headed back down - oh dear, not good. It was beautiful, but no fish at all! Dave did fine, and we sat for ages on an outcrop for a while so I could recover. But as soon as I started to head back into shore, it came back!

Wednesday was a nighmare for wind surfing! Such a shame after looking forward to it all week! The winds were Westerleys, and soooo blustery! We persevered, and Dave did very well, but I did the walk of shame back up the beach. We both hoped Friday would be better, and it was! We went twice - once in the morning, had Taka's in Shafto Lane, and then went again in the afternoon - the best days surfing ever! We even managed to beach start! It was brilliant, but so tiring. We even contemplated playing touch at lunch, but no way.

Thursday was a lazy day. We re-organised the games room for Claire, and then played Touch in the evening against an A grade side, we lost to 9-7 - so close, and we scored some wicked tries! However, they whinged a bit ("forward and late", "no actually backward and early"), but also scored some good tries. We managed to get roped into a game straight after for a B grade side against Robbie's A grade team, and beat them 4-2! Great game, but we were so tired after! Late dinner, and a bit of GOW.

Saturday we had the intension of going shopping, but ended up not doing so at all, and went windsurfing again. It was a nice way to round off our experience, but we never had a race! Sunday was the Zoo day, and we walked around like Zombies - both of us were soooo tired, but we had a good laugh. We met Andrea, and walked around with her family for a bit, then headed back. The snake was out, and it was a very relaxed day.

A short visit for Dave, but seemed to last for ages! Thanks for visiting!

2008-12-01 Grandma Sik and Grandad Brian

Aiysha: It was great having Grandma and Grandad here! They were very funny, and they taught me so much. I spent afternoons with Grandma learning to paint, which was great! I did 3 really nice paintings, and wrote my name in chinese! I can't wait to do more. Grandma left special chinese painting paper for me, with brushes and paint aswell! Thank you Grandma!

Grandad was funny, and we played lots of games of Uno with both of them!

Daddy went on a hike with Grandad, and all of us went to my school to make cakes - I was looking forward to it so much, and I was so glad that Grandma could come to the school and meet my teacher and friends.

Grandma and Daddy went to the market a lot and chose lots of yummy fruit! Grandma also did lots of gardening, planting chilli plants, coriander and spring onions for us. Grandad arranged the garden really well too, and made it look very tidy. Daddy and Mummy never have time to do this because of me and Rocker!

All of us except Grandad went strawberry picking - it was funny, and we picked lots of big red strawberries! We also relaxed a little after, and I was showing everyone how I do my handstands - both Mummy and Grandma were helping me too.

Grandma and Grandad liked their bacon butties and pancakes - in fact, we actually had them every weekend!

I was so happy that they both came to watch me swim! They said that I have improved so much since they were last here, and that I was very strong.

Clara: Grandma made me laugh so much! She kept on tickling me with her nose! Grandad was a bit scary when I first met him, but after a week, I started laughing at him, and that made him laugh too. I eventually let him hold my hand, and that was nice.

C: Our solar heating has broken! Oh no, what will we do when it drops below 30 degrees!? The Lyons will not be happy at all...

S: The hike was fine, but driving in and out of the bush was a little hairy. We had to drive up a river bed a one point, and on the way out, we forgot which dirt road we actually came on! It was a lovely hike though, but got very hot. Dad and I also managed to sneak a little walk on the beach here and there!