tiawan times

Protection

2010-12-03T13:19:00.002+08:00

On the first day of the new unit at school Tr. Sandy read you a story about "Water" which is the subject you will be inquiring into for the next 6 weeks. I was sitting outside with Becky having a quick beer, when you appear in shorts, t-shirt, sandals and swimming goggles.

"Why are you wearing goggles? We can't go swimming just now" I say
You roll your eyes, sigh and looka tme like I am daft and say,
"I am protecting myself again evaporation, and condensation!"
"Huh?"
"Don't you know after it rains and its warm, the rain evaporates and then if there is something colder it sticks to the cold thing, that condensation Mummy, and well my eyes are quite cold!"

Oh my little PYP action taker!

Forwards and Backwards

2010-12-03T13:17:00.002+08:00

Our drives home from school often turn out very interesting.

"Mummy, do you know if you spell poop backwards its still poop!"

This lead you to find other palindromes, which surprises me, I am sure I hadn't noticed this at your age.

"Mum works and so does Dad, but dog is god hahaha!"

Santa is nearly here!

2010-12-03T13:12:00.002+08:00

So Christmas is nearly here again! So this year you have decided to write your own letter to Santa, no help from Mummy!

Here it is....

Dear Snta

I wuld like a miny laptop please, a real one, that can do the intrnet, not a pretnd one like the cinderella one i have already. Can I have a gold or silvr one? or purple if you must.

Ps you forgt to take your presnt last year, so you will have tow this year

Lots of love from Tiana xxxxxxxxxx

I wondered out loud if you had been good about, you looked around checking if anyone else could hear you and said

"Actually Mummy I wasn't very good last year and Santa still came, so I think I am okay again this year"

DVD

2010-07-26T23:58:00.001+08:00

Driving through Kaoshiung city the other day Tiana said "Mummy I feel like a DVD"

Mmmm, I always try to figure out what is going on before I answer and sound stupid so I think for a few second, come up with nothing and say

"Mmm, okay, why?"

"Because people are always watching me!"

Fountain of wisdom

2010-07-26T23:52:00.002+08:00

Okay so mummy's friends wasn't very happy the other day so here is what happened. Everyone was trying to make her see how cool she is, and how much we like her/love her, how pretty she is etc and nothing was working, she was still crying and so it was my turn.

I took her by the hand and led her to the fountain and said "take of your shoes, roll up your pants and put your feet in the water" she did what she was told.

"Close your eyes, put your hand on your heart, breathe, and feel the spirit of the water talking to you"

After a little while, she stopped crying, hugged me and told me I was absolutely right, and I am of course!

miss independent

2010-05-12T18:22:00.002+08:00

"Mummy, I am getting bigger so I can go to the shop by myself right?"
"Right"
"And, I sort out all of my own clothes right?"
"Right"
"Do you know why?"
I shake my head.
"Because I am in the pig pen!"
"What?"
"You know, when you can do something by yourself you are "in the pig pen"

hehe bless you darling I think you mean independent but I like your description better!

Singing in the park

2010-03-13T21:43:00.000+08:00

You have invited everyone you know to your birthday party next weekend (most of my friends too it must be said) and you asked me if Hale would maybe sing you a song with his lovely voice.

I answered "I am sure if you ask him nicely he will"
You said "no, actually I don't think he will"
"Why not?" says me
"Cos Hale only sings after dark!"

Not far from the truth Hale tells me, but I do like your theories.

Hot and steamy!

2009-11-20T08:29:00.002+08:00

On the way to school this morning you turned with a very serious look on your face and asked
"Mummy, do you have a lot of steam coming out of your hot thing?"
I nearly crashed the bike trying not to laugh!
"Why?" I asked
"Well because if you do you will be making a lot of pollution!"

My little caring green girl, I love you!

Summer letter

2009-06-04T12:53:00.002+08:00

Dear Tiana,

It is way past time to write to you again, I am sorry for my infrequent letters but I will do my best now.

You are now wonderfully 5! A big girl, you tell me, as you wait for your baby teeth to fall out and your face to change to match your attitude!

You have decided that being an only child is just fine by you as "My baby sister would need me to look after her all the time, and would push me when she wanted to play with my toys and you would have to look after her too, which means you would have less time for me. Aaand she would cost a lot of money and your money would get lesser and lesser, so I think just me is ok!" Well thanks for considering me in all that and I am glad that you know which side your bread is buttered on.

You have a new best friend, KaiWen, and you two just love each other! Her mummy is an American and daddy is Taiwanese, just like you, so you seem to have more in common (like choosing which language you want to play in, and you are both totally gorgeous). You have had sleep overs at her house and she has slept at yours (half her toys are here and half of yours are at hers, same goes for clothes and underwear). You have spent hours and hours together in the pool playing all sorts of games and you have given her the confidence to be in the pool without her mommy. I would like to recount for you a conversation I overheard you two having:

"Tiana, this is THE bible, which means God wrote this book!" said Kaiwen
"It is A book, Kaiwen, God didn't write it, people write books" you said
"But everything in here is true, and you have to believe it" she said
"You can believe what you want to believe" you said
"But the devil can get you if you don't believe it!" she said
"Not if you don't believe in him!" you said

I never thought I would sit and listen to a 5 year old and a 7 year old have such a deep religious philosophical conversation on the couch.

We had a wonderful weekend down by the beach this last week, all of us together staying in a little hotel across from the beach. You fell in love with the hotel as soon as we walked in and didn't really mind if you went to the beach or not after that, and were happy to lounge on the giant bed, read stories to your Barbies, draw pictures, write notes and watch TV. I forced you out of the hotel as the afternoon wore on to get some beach time, a swim and something to eat. You have a new swimsuit that you wanted to show off, so off we went to give it it's first public performance. You were very sad the next day when we left the hotel, I think you would have liked to live there forever.

You would like to get another pet now, but until you make up your mind and stop changing your mind everyday,I will hold off. You started out wanting a cat, then Kaiwen's kitten scratched you and meowed all night, you changed your mind. Then it was a puppy, and I pointed out that we have a dog Pumpkin, and you don't like walking her, feeding her, and she doesn't chew your toys, or bite you (even when you sit on her or dress her up) you changed your mind once more. Next came a hamster. Then daddy told you that they only wake up at night, and that you would have to keep it in your bedroom because Pumpkin might think it was a tasty snack, and you realised it might keep you awake at night, you changed your mind once more. Maybe you will settle for a fish, which is about all the extra responsibility I can handle right now.

Well darling, I love you, and am amazed by watching you grow so fast.
Mummy

2009-01-02T23:02:00.006+08:00

Happy Christmas Tiana! Here is the Wendy-house that Mummy and Daddy designed, built and painted for you!

You love it!

It has a lounge, a kitchen

stairs,

and a second storey bedroom!

smart eh?

2008-06-10T19:05:00.001+08:00

I came home from kindergarten last night and had lots of things to tell mummy and daddy but i decided to say it like this
"Mummy, I don't need to go to school anymore!"
"Why not darling?" mummy said with an inquisitive look on her face

"Because I KNOW EVERYTHING!"

A long time since...

2008-05-07T09:32:00.002+08:00

I was so small. A long time since my mummy wrote anything about me, so I will let her type some things now.

Dear Tiana,
You are 4 years old now! I am not sure how that can be, I am surprised how quickly the time has past by since your last birthday.

I look at you running around the park, or zooming around on your big girl's bike and I wonder how your legs got so long, when you got so strong, and what you will be like in another year from now.

You ask amazing questions, out of the blue, all the time. Driving to school the other morning you said "Mummy, owls and bats both come out at night but why are the not the same?" I said well they hunt hunt at night but a bat is a mammal and an owl is bird. "What is a mammal?" you asked and I replied "An animal that breast feeds its babies." You smiled up at me and said "I am a mammal." then you got excited and started listing all the mammals you could think of.

"Pumpkin is a mammal"
"Elephants are mammals"
"Cows are mammals"
and so it went all the way to school, you learn so much everyday and you do it so quickly I am sure that you will know more than me is a very short time.

You show a great interest in so many things, music, dancing, painting, nursing people and animals, reading and books, and of course cutting your own hair. You have asked me to let you go to dance classes, or Kong Fu classes and you spend time everyday "playing" piano. Your daddy has written the notes on the keyboard for you and so you sit there saying "CC, GG, AA, G, FF, EE, DD, C" and singing along.

Although you have all these interests you still know exactly what you want to be when you grow up. "I want to be a hospital!" you tell people, oh the smiles you cause.

Well my darling, as always I love you, and yes you may come back and visit us after you get married.

Love from
Mummy

Halloween letter to you

2007-11-01T12:00:00.001+08:00

My darling Tiana,

You are growing so fast my little weed! You grow out of your shoes in weeks it seems, your trousers are all half mast, and none of last winters' stuff is going to do this year! But you want to grow even faster! I love that you think your bum isnt big enough!

Excited!

2007-10-06T23:52:00.001+08:00

Well Gak called the other day and asked if you would like to go to stay with them for a week, after an initial hesitation, not sure if you liked being without me for a whole week again you have decided it will be great (memories of getting everything your own way, doing what you like, only showering if you feel like it must have come zooming back to you!)

This morning you said "How many sleeps til Thailand?" I said i wasnt sure

"But mummy I am excited! My heart is excited, my tummy is excited, my head is excited, my nose is excited, my bum bum is excited aaaaand my fanny is excited!!"

scary things

2007-10-06T23:47:00.000+08:00

Swimming in the pool the other day I was swimming under you and splashing up to get you doing my best shark impression when you said "My turn" and threw yourself face first into the water, came up spluttering and coughing, told me that it was too hard for little girls!

Then you put on your best scary face, raised your arms monster style and said

"I........am..........the................landlord!"

by the look of confusion on you face I am sure thats not actually what you meant to say but we both nearly drowned laughing!

wow its september!

2007-09-10T07:53:00.000+08:00

Well the summer is slowly coming to a close, its still hot, but the days are getting a little shorter. A sure sign the weather is cooling is the AC is switched off at night.

My little darling, we have done so much in the last six months! We travelled to Scotland on three big planes without your Daddy, we have had a film crew following us around, you have a new school, you go to sleep by yourself and now you have a princess bedroom!

I was amazed how well you coped with the 25 hours of daylight to get us from here to your Granny and Grandads house. We changed planes twice, ran through Amsterdam airport, trying not to miss our plane, and then were delayed for more than an hour. You got upset when the man wouldn't put you through the baggage Xray and then we had a long conversation about bones. You made a friend on the long flight, a little boy from Denmark, who lives in Hong Kong. At one point you were holding hands over the backs of your seats and the little boy said "Look Daddy, we are holding hands!" and you smiled your best princess smile, fluttered your eyelashes at him and said "Yes, we are married now!"

You had such a good time in Scotland but I think you biggest revelation was the icecream van! You love going to the trash truck here, which plays a song, so when you heard the tinkly tune you thought of course it was trash time. We ran out to catch the trash and there it was an icecream van. The amazement on your little face when the lady asked you what kind of icecream you wanted was priceless! As was my face when three little cones came to 3 pounds 60!

You speak often of your Granny and Grandad, even using some of the words and phrases that they use. Bloody hell seems to be the favorite at the moment, and bloody in general is your most used word! Whenever you cant do something straight away its "This bloody bloody giraffe, wont sit down, bloody thing!" mmm thanks Dad!

Now, we have been home a while and you still talk with an Italian accent sometimes! And occasionally tell people that you name is "Lila Columbi" (sorry if i spelt it wrong). Whenever you put ont he outfit that Gak brought for you and the other two gorgeous girls you say "I think Olivia is going to where hers to school today!"

Firsts!

2007-06-19T17:27:00.000+08:00

ok these next posts are stuff lying around in the draft box, so as i dont get any puter time just now here they are in all their unfinished glory!!

What a long weekend this was! Not just that we had a 4 day weekend but because of all the things we seemed to have packed into it!

Driving on Saturday in the car, you looked out of the window and proclaimed "Look mummy, you see those mountains there, well on top, see it, that house, thats granny and grandads house in Scotland. I can see it with my big eyes!"

As my eyes are not quite as big as yours, or as young, I guess I cant see that far!

On Sunday, we went to Cheng Ching lake park and drove around in sharks and crocodiles! Great big inflatable sharks and crocodiles surrounding little go kart type of cars, was hilarious!

Then on Sunday evening we decided to try going to the cinema for the first time with you, Shrek the Third is out and you really wanted to see it.

Something has been bothering you

2007-04-29T20:33:00.000+08:00

For a week or two I have noticed that something has been bothering you. You are more clingy that you have ever been in your life and always just for me. It has been worrying me, and I have to say annoying me! I just put it down to the changes in your little three year old mind but I think in the car on the way home from Vuvu's tonight I finally figured out what it was.

In the car you asked to listen to your twinkle twinkle little star (not the regular version) it goes like this

http://www.haoting.com/htmusic/101281ht.htm (here is the link)

I looked round at you in your car seat and you were crying, big fat tears running down you face. I asked you what was wrong and you said "Oh, the little girl in the song is sooooo sad because her mummy isn't there with her." and I asked where you thought her mummy was and you said "She has gone away"

Then you stretched you little arms out to me and sobbed "Please mummy, don't go away and leave me all alone" OK so now I got it and I blame Disney! All the princesses in your life (and you consider yourself one) have no mummys! No mummy for Snow White, not for Rapunzel, nor for Cinderella and neither does the Little Mermaid!

So, there it is! You have figured out I am going to leave you and you have been scared to let me out of your sight for weeks!

How do I sort it?

Do It Myself

2007-04-24T20:02:00.000+08:00

"I can do it myself" has been your favorite for a very long time, and today you proved it.

You had a pair of scissors and were cutting up loads of paper and making snow, then you came over to where i was sitting and said

"Look mummy I cut my hair myself"

"Arrrrgh" I cried

"I don't want to show you" you said, covering your forehead

"What about the back bits?" I said

"Oh, I tried mummy, but the long bits wouldn't work!" (phew)

Then you showed me the front of your hair proudly

You will always be cute darling, but this is not your best hair day!

A spring letter to you

2007-04-13T23:06:00.000+08:00

Sweetheart

I often wonder when you got so big! You are three years old, 95 cms tall and 14 kilos. I barely remember those days when you couldn't walk and couldn't talk, the days when you didn't chose your own clothes in the morning, when food had to be soft and mushy, those days when you would run and I could keep up with you walking.

Yesterday, you stayed at Jo and baby Bella's' house while I went to get a haircut, when I got back Jo told me what a good girl you had been and how you had been helping baby Bella with her crawling. You were encouraging her to come towards you saying "That's it, come to Nana, sweetheart." "You can do it sweetheart" I wonder where you get that from, my little mirror!

I have started teaching in an awful kindergarten and everyday you come to school with me and are now my "little" teacher. You help the kids when they don't understand English and often take over telling stories and asking the questions. Its amusing how not only the other kids (who are all older than you ) and the Chinese teachers all just accept their English class from a three year old!

The other day one of the boys wouldn't put his toys away and you went over to him and said "Scott, I don't want to tell you again, put you toys away or we wont read a story!" then you turned to me with a very dramatic roll of your eyes and sighed "These kids are doing my head off!" I just crumbled onto the floor in giggles and you said "Mummy, it is not nice to laugh at people!" which of course just made me worse.

You often take over the teaching of the class, whether or not i want your help! I will be in the middle of teaching phonics and you will say "Ok kids, time for a story." then start reading whatever story book you fancy. Invariably the kids listen to you, and I have to struggle to get their attention back onto what we are meant to be doing!

You talk a lot about going back to Thailand, and how much you miss Gak and Steve, and how much you love Aunty El and little Lila, we did have such a great time. The beach of course was your favorite place, but you love Gaks house nearly as much.

You love everything about everything at the moment. If i say lets go to the supermarket you say "Oh I looooooove the supermarket!" and you do but you also love places you have never been before.

I love the way you still get some of your words mixed up or pronounce them badly. Its so cute! In the morning you like to sit in front of you little mirror and put on you pretend "lip dick" or sometimes it is your "lip spit" hehe, I do wonder whose child you are really because you don't seem very like me sometimes. When you see a butterfly you tell everyone that a baby butterfly is called a "caterpitter" Your favorite phrases at the moment are "It's a miracle!" and "Mummy, are you fwustrated?" and "Pay tension everybody"

You are struggling between growing up and being a baby. Some days you are so independent, you don't want anyone to help you with anything, and then on other days you ask to be called Tia (your baby name for yourself) and want everything done for you.

You told me how you want to eat more because you want to get bigger and bigger and bigger, then you can go to work and get money and we can all go to Granny and Grandads house. Oh my little darling, you are only three years old, you are not meant to know that Mummy and Daddy have money worries!

You still have the smallest bottom I have ever seen! So getting little pants to fit you is not easy, I bought some medium in Thailand when we were there to put away til they fitted you right but you found them and wanted to wear them the other day, so of course I let you. Later on we had to run down to do the trash and catch the lala truck and you were falling behind and said over my shoulder "Hurry up, we don't want to miss the lala truck" and you said "Wait mummy" i said "I cant wait darling or we will miss the truck" and you shouted "Mummy, just look at me" I turned around to look and you had pulled your dress up and your new pants were just below your knees and you said "I told you, mummy, these are too big!" I laughed so hard watching you trying to run with your pants falling down!

Well my little love, this letter has turned into a novel again and all I really wanted to say was how much I love you, and how much joy you bring me every day.

As always your silly billy mummy

beach babes

2007-03-12T18:28:00.000+08:00

Sand is great but it is even better when shared with a new friend

I dont think we need the umbrella up anymore

Oh, this is so perfect.

Do you see the bikini that girl is wearing?

sorting out the world

2007-02-27T20:15:00.000+08:00

Daddy came home today and told us that the Five Metal shop that we go to alot is going to close down. I asked him why. He told me that the landlords of the shop have put the rent up again and so the will close. I put my hands on my hips and started wagging my finger at the landlords saying

"Ok, you listen to me. I will eat lots and lots and get bigger and bigger then I will come and tell you. You open the shop ok? You listening or not? Open the door ok? No more bad man! Be good ok? See! I am getting bigger already! Look how big my bum bum is now!"

Daddy says I will be the President one day

Flower Princess

2007-01-27T22:52:00.000+08:00

In December you were a flower girl for my friends wedding and of course you were great and loved it. I was worried at one point you were going to bolt, as half way down the aisle you stopped and looked up and saw every person in the church had their cameras pointed at you and were taking photos (photos to follow), with perfect princess grace you put your head down and started throwing your flowers again.

After the ceremony you back into the church and picked up every single petal and put them back in your basket. You went right to the back of the church and walked down the aisle again throwing all your petals again! Three times in total!

So last Friday night as we lay in bed you said to me
"Mummy, tomorrow we are going to a party."
"Oh, are we really?" i asked
"Yes, mummy a wedding party, and i will wear my dancing dress and be a flower princess again."
"But darling i don't know anyone getting married"
"That's ok, we will go to the church and wait ok?"

So if you know of anyone getting married please let the professional "flower princess" know, she comes with her own flowers and has a dress to match any color scheme.

Snow

2007-01-27T22:47:00.000+08:00

You are fascinated by the idea of snow just now, you have watched it on TV and heard me talk about it but of course you haven't seen it. One day recently in Cheng Ching lake park, we were standing under a tree covered in pale yellow blossoms as the wind started to blow we were enveloped in the petals. You looked up, eyes wide and said "oooooohhhhh its snowing and its not cold mummy"

Then today you told me "mummy tomorrow we are going to granny and grandads house."
"oh really?" i said
"yes cause they have snow there and i want to play in it."

i don't know if you do have snow, granny and grandad, but Tiana wants to be there with you.

your smile

2007-01-27T22:41:00.000+08:00

walking to the shop last night the moon was just a little slither in the sky, and you looked up and said "look mummy, its a smile in the sky"
and i said "yes, it is"
then you looked some more and said "its my smile, look my body is here and my face is in the sky and everybody can see my smile"

awww