October in Oz

Ahhh, October has come, and it marks 3 months for me in Australia. It's getting warmer and warmer here each day, which means the pool is almost ready for us. I can't wait to teach Ai-Vy to swim!

We started off this month by going camping at the beautiful property that Young and Stephanie's friend's parents live on (are you following :) ??). There were endless acres of land... fruit trees, beautiful gardens, walking paths, and lakes. We settled by one of the lakes where everyone enjoyed canoeing, swimming, and fishing.

Young even caught an eel! Disgusting, I know! He put it on the barbie but there was no way I was trying it. Noooo thank you, we had enough wonderful food to eat as it was! We had wine, bread, fresh salads, pastas, fruit from the land, and not to mention the very tasty cheese that was made there on the property... yummm. I also tried Jackfruit for the first time... I had never seen, heard, or tasted it before. It didn't even taste like fruit, more like lollies.

I learned during this camping trip that Kien-Nhu is deathly afraid of bugs! HA HA, I hate to admit it, but it's the funniest thing I have ever seen when they come near him. It's so hard not to laugh but he is truly terrified. What a rough life for KiKi!
Soon he will have to adjust, as Young thinks it's hilarious to put fake spiders around the house and scare me. Look out, Talisa and Maureen.. you're next! I hear stories that the real spiders that come in the summer time are just as big...... :p

I have enjoyed spending some time with Stephanie in the kitchen. We don't always know what it is that we would like to cook or bake but it's always fun to see and taste the end product. I will soon cook something for dinner that is popular in my country, and I will leave them with a couple of recipes to add to their cookbook. The Australian and American culture is very similar in a lot of ways, so I am very fortunate to have an opportunity to learn more about the French culture here.
With such an open family, it's a great and comfortable way to experience and accept our differences/similarities.

I have tried the "Teach me French" program on my computer but find it's a bit difficult to determine the pauses between words. Ai-Vy has taught me a few words.. One night at bath time she thought it was hilarious to have me repeat a word in French, and later I learned it meant "fart"... thanks Ai-Vy! First she wants to eat my brains, now this!

Kien-Nhu and Ai-Vy have really become my little buddies. I can always look to them when I need a smile. I have determined that Ai-Vy is the leader, and Kien-Nhu will always be one step behind her. He always watches and repeats her. KiKi and I are working on how to say "finished" instead of "fishy", and how to say "Please" instead of making a whiny noise.
Ai-Vy still says "Chicken Muggets" instead of nuggets. Hilarious! She loves to sing songs, especially Christmas carols. I am very proud of her for mastering "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Ba Ba Blacksheep" recently.

We have walked to school with the dogs and learned to look both ways before crossing the roads, gone to Southbank to see the events of Riverfire, the arcade, bird watching, and collected snails. We went to the library, picked flowers, and swam at the lagoon. And of course one of their favorites is getting chips at McDonalds :)

I went to Currumbin last week for a surfing lesson with my friends Naomi and Ashlee. I stood up on the board a couple of times but it was very difficult and didn't stay up long. We are planning to go camping and horseback riding at the end of the month, and I will also get to explore Tamborine Mountain finally.

We look forward to welcoming Talisa very soon. One more month until she is here!