Things Lili likes

Pulling people's hair, food, hugs, having her stomach tickled, food, pulling people's hair, headbutting, waking up at 3 am, watching her brother goof around, trying to climb out of her bathtub and this

Chores

So while Dada was away (in Kyiv or if you don't stick to the strict Ukranian translation- Kiev) this past weekend, I thought I would relax. Wake up early and rest a bit on the couch, watch a little TV, play with legos, do some artwork, take a nice nap, maybe go on a little stroll to the park, the usual. As it turns out, Dada does a fair amount of work around the house, and with him not here, and a long week of work behind everyone, I felt like my Mama was a little overwhelmed. So I decided to help out. As it turns out I am very handy, and probably already outdo Dada (because I am super enthusiastic and he is not really into doing the laundry). I helped to make bread pudding (yummy!), loaded and unloaded many loads of laundry (ok, most of it was my stuff but still), and then did some sweeping (although I was pretending to play doctor at the time- seemed like something a doctor would or should do, no?). Anyways, it was a good weekend and I still spent some serious time with the legos.
Miki

What were my parents thinking?

I think I might be too small for that basin. I still love it, but really, who are we kidding, I am a big girl now. Not to mention that I can probably open the faucet ( see my hand right there?), which might not be such a good idea ( especially since we are in the land of uncontrolled hot water temperatures). But I do have to say, I am pretty cute, even in my new slimmer state.

Lili

Editor's comment- disclaimer- Lili is no longer bathed in the sink like that. These pictures were taken when, due to unforeseen circumstances, she required an immediate bath at a time when the bathtub was already occupied. But I do agree, she looks cute.

Back when...

Back when it was warm, back when Noja was here, back when Lili only had two teeth, or in other words, forever ago, we went on a daytrip to Castel Gandolfo. This is the Pope's summer residence, located up the hill from a beautiful volcanic crater lake called Lake Albano. We walked around a bit, had a nice lunch with a superb view of the lake and then went swimming. The water was beautiful and clear. We had bread for Lili to snack on, a boat for Miki to play with and rented a bed for Mikael to nap on. What a perfect day!

Cool Cousin Kristof

We had another visitor this weekend and of course automatically this meant a new playmate for me.

Look at how cool we are, hanging out at my favorite place- Piazza del Popolo. ( for those of you not in the know- this is where I work parking cars... differents kinds of cars, to be precise)

Miki

Sadness

This was a hard weekend for Mikael and I. We lost our dear friend Claudia to cancer. Although we only got to know her here in Rome (she worked as a vet on avian flu at FAO), her love and enthusiasm for life and her ability to truly enjoy every moment in the short time we get on this Earth has really left a deep impression on both of us. She had a wonderful husband, Fletch, who was by her side every moment and a daughter, Cati, who is Miki's age. I so clearly remember the very first of many lunches together when she told me that she had had rectal cancer (this was before the cancer's recurrence). We had many lunches after that - some spent discussing issues at her job, some about her scooter adventures, others about trips our families were taking, and still more about potty training and transitioning our kids out of the crib. We had many servings of rice and beans at their house, hung out at the zoo, at Miki's 2nd birthday... So many friends in our life come and go, I guess it is the nature of this kind of lifestyle. But when you find someone you click with I find the bond is really quick and strong- at least it is for me. It is still hard for me to grasp the fact that she just did not go on to her next posting in Ottawa, like planned. I could go on and on but there is simply no good end to this post. I want to just say - I believe in God, I can accept these things but I will never understand them. But I also have to say - I believe in science, I can understand how these things happen, but I can never accept them. So I am not exactly sure where that leaves me in the end.
Claudia---- we miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my sister

She screams for attention louder than I can, she eats more than I do these days, she can really pull my hair ( I admit it - sometimes it makes me cry). But she likes playing with balls just as much as I do, she likes sitting in my tent with me and her face lights up when she sees me. I just want to say- I love my sister.
Miki

I get around

I just wanted to say that I have been very busy these last 2 months. I am on a strict exercise regimen- reach, grunt (this is not mandatory, only if I am really excited), stiffen left leg, bend right leg and kick... again... reach, stiffen left leg, bend right leg, and kick and again... I do this every opportunity I get, the dirtier the floor the more I want to get down. My father is currently thinking about attaching a swiffer to my belly ( I don't mind, I am all for pitching in with the chores), my mother is horrified at the things I lick. For me all is well, I have lost some weight though I would not call myself skinny. But most importantly I GET AROUND. Some say I should crawl ( but who wants to lift up that booty), some say I should pull up ( Why? I scream and I get picked up) and like I said I GET AROUND.

Lili baba (or LB as my Dada calls me)

Sleep

This is a difficult subject in our household this summer. In the end everyone gets some, but it is not when, where, and with whom we necessarily desire. Lili hates the idea, fights really hard, but in the end needs no blanket, no pacifier, nothing. Miki can be much more easily convinced and lately has been pulling up the fish quilt Nana made for him. Mikael- well, I don't think the picture needs any explanation. And me, well, it is almost 1 am and I should really be in bed. Good night!

Noja

August is vacation time in Rome. So even though we did not go anywhere, 'school' (daycare) was closed, and we had a great time. This is because of Noja- our babysitter. She was here from Budapest and what can we say- she was great! She is good for all kinds of things. She can sing to us, play the guitar for us, she can exercise- with and without us (she is much more flexible and acrobatic than either of our parents), she can make art with us- just to name a few.

Miki- I learned a lot this month. My favorite new words are persze (of course), hat (well...) es szegyen gyalazat (this does not translate well- but a funny sounding expression along the lines of 'shame, disgrace'). My favorite new song is 'Sarga, fekete, sarga, fekete, jon a dzsungel fenegyereke'- a song about a tiger.

Lili- My favorite new activities are pulling Noja's hair (it is nice and long), and sleeping on her (very comfy).

Sadly, she has to go back to university soon- :-(. Not sure what we will do without her ( this includes the parents as well). But for now, we will say thank you and hope for a reunion very soon!

Miki & Lili