End of Year Smiles

It would be hard to think that the end-of-year was anything less than happy-go-lucky by looking at the pictures above, but in truth there were the normal antics that go with the daily chores of life. Even our end-of-year trip to Pangkor was filled with difficult moments largely revolving around the fact that most all of us were sick at some point or other during the trip. For the children that meant a good deal of sleeping, or complaining, or whining and the requisite behaviors. For the adults that meant sleeping, short on patience and the requisite behaviors. Not all was difficult, however. As Pangkor showed us a tropical island location isn't such a bad spot to rest and recuperate. By week's end we were all back to normal (more or less) and the days by the beach and in the pool had done their trick to ensuring that we had batteries recharged and were ready to go!  Along the way we got to play a bit, work on handstands in the water, to paddle (even if only a teeny wheeny bit), build castles, bury TTmouz and Amalia in the sand, jump in pools, eat, sleep and watch TV (since we don't have one at home). 

Now back we look to a new year with optimism and verve (I love that word!). Good bye 2013. It was a great year, but time flies and we are already looking ahead, making plans and finding balance in all we do.  Tomorrow dawns a new day. Tomorrow dawns a new year. Let it come with smiles and balance.

Running, Jumping & Throwing

 

 

It's sometimes hard to keep track of what's happening at the school with our girls. Every day they arrive home with things to show mommy and daddy. Often the displays are shared with pride and are rather colorful rainbow effects or smiley faces on a friendly background. Maybe they are writing samples or numerical in nature. And then, every now and again, we get an informational sheet from school. Two weeks ago such a sheet was about the annual Terry Fox run, which daddy completed with his two beautiful girls separately (as the little ones use a different area of the campus to run). All in all the girls covered probably about 1.8 - 2 km, with Amalia completing around 600 meters or so and Irini the rest of it (six times around the field and gym area). 

Then there was Run, Jump and Throw Day. Only the older ones get to do that, so it was daddy off again to watch our older little star doing her thing on the field. Everything, and we mean everything, was done with a smile. From the sprinting 40 meters or so time after time to the potato sack races to short relay races, she was smilin' from ear to ear. And the chicken throw. Well, that's another thing altogether. It seemed rather strange to have a line of little beauties standing there with their respective colored rubber chickens, but when one looked at the pictures afterward there was a projection of a softball pitch in there somewhere and, suddenly, one recognizes what this is aimed for. An underarm toss as far as one can. Oh, wait. There was also the javelin throw, which was actually a nerf-type rocket being thrown across the short field space the students were allocated. 

As you'll see in the pictures, Irini's class was the red group, and they moved from one station to another participating happily. When all five stations were over, the water was consumed, the sweat was dripping from everyone's brow, and then it was time to congregate at the bleachers. Parents were on hand to congratulate the little athletes, to celebrate a day of exercise and to hand out little popsicles to everyone. All in all, a good day.

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I have a sister.

How does your sleigh fly?

May I have a mermaid tail?

Please don't land on my turtles.

Love,

Irini

When Dad's Away the Girls Go Out to Play

October was a month marked by a lot of missing daddy time. He was off to Jakarta for volleyball. Then back. Then off to Tioman. Then back. Then off to Bangkok. Somewhere in there mommy decided that, with a four day weekend available and no hubby, why not indulge in a weekend in Langkawi with the girls. So, while daddy was off doing professional conference meeting stuff all day long, the girls made their way to the island (along with 12 other teachers, we are told) and enjoyed the time with friends young and old. Though there is no photographic evidence of this, daddy was told that his girls even went up in a helicopter for 5-10 minutes, flying over the beach at a low altitude!  All the girls mentioned just how fun that was and no one mentioned the word "scared" so we're counting that as a big success. 

On the ground there was lots of moving around from one place to the next, visiting with people who would otherwise be just down the street. It seems that the change of scenery brought out the discovery and fun in people. Down by the beach the girls met up with friends and classmates and enjoyed their time until they had to return home. They flew back just as daddy was arriving as well, and walked into the door only 30 minutes apart. Daddy was happy to be back and done with all the traveling. The girls were happy he was back but wished they were traveling more. It's all relative. :-)

Baptism by Capoeira!

For about a year now Irini has been taking classes of capoeira. An athletic and heavily tattooed Brazilian man comes our way and spends about an hour working with the little ones (between 4 and 6 years old) working on their kicks, their handstands, their flips, the moves and vocabulary. The start was slow as the kids started from zero going in a direction that no adult watching understood, but slowly, and definitely steadily, the time and experience added up and brought with it a level of skill that was mildly impressive by October. 

By the end of the month the girls (Irini's friend Tara is in the class too) were told that it was time for their first "batizado" (i.e. baptism). It would be across town and involve a good number of kids from a whole bunch of different capoeira groups across town. Off we went!

When we got there the hubbub was hard to overcome. The turnout was higher than expected and the number of kids and instructors was pretty overwhelming too. Irini's first reluctance to even change into our capoeira clothing began to change and finally she changed and participated in the whole group activities. When the children were called up, by group, to "do their thing" though, Irini would have none of this "doing stuff in public view" and so she stayed behind with mommy, daddy and sister as Tara marched out and went through the process involving a whole bunch of bending down and high kicks and moving to' and fro'. For those new to the concept it was an interesting mix of awkward breakdancing and some form of modern tango. 

The day ended with tantrums. We were there far too long but at least we got some indian dinner out of it. The car ride back was rather quiet. Daddy snuck a peak in the rear view mirror. The girls were out within minutes.  

Learning to be a Fish

In the time it's taken us to catch up with at least one blog post a good deal has happened. It seems like it's coming at us faster than we can keep up so that all we have is the pictures that trigger a recollection of things that seem like years ago but were, in reality, just weeks away.

Irini finished her first semester of swimming this week. Her first set of lessons went very well and she was just one three students who was able to perform all the skills within just a couple weeks of the beginning of class. She enjoyed it and didn't mind (thankfully!) about the little checklist that her teacher carried around from time to time. 

Swimming day brought with it a happy wake up each morning but also a little bonus for her as almost all the days either mommy or daddy (mostly daddy) was able to come and help out.  It also gave him a chance to re-live his physical education teaching days and gave him a break from that office job. 

Irini spent her time working on front and back stroke kicks (though the teacher didn't call them that) and in making bubbles under water and diving down into the water to catch things and all than fun stuff that water brings with it!  She wasn't always perfect but she was always happy, and that make swimming lessons with her class that much more fun to visit.  Whatever will we do now that swimming is over until January?  Well, thankfully, she loves PE too!  

Experiential Learning

It happens daily, but we often don't get to see it. Amalia goes to school where, with a class full of friends, she is exposed to language, to color, to fun experiences, to talking, and observing and communicating. She is also exposed to conversations, new words and an incredible new world of learning. Mommy and daddy are often doing their own work and it's hard to identify what it is, exactly, that she does in class. Sure, conversations might revolve around "what did you learn today?" or "did you learn any new songs in class?", but it's not quite the same as seeing little Amalia in action!  

How wonderful it is, on the rare occasion that we can glimpse into her school life, to watch her interact with her classmates and her environment. Mommy visited her the other day to lead her class through a cooking session!  The class read "The Gruffalo" and two weeks ago they went to see the play. They have been learning about the forest, so Natalia guided them to make their own tree with pretzels, cream cheese with maple syrup, and grapes. The children scarfed it down in no time at all!  They say that learning happens best when you experience it, and this little girl is learning some pretty cool stuff each and every day!  In the evening, and sometimes without questioning, she will break out into a song, or tell us a story, or explain what her classmates did in class that day. Those moments, the spontaneous ones shared in the spur of the moment, are quite possibly the very best ones. Watching your child grow can be so much fun! Every day.

By the way, the hair in the face is a natural and daily occurrence. Daddy thinks it's adorable. Mommy thinks it's messy. Hee hee.

Letters Coming Alive

They are just little moments... Amalia is well on her way. She stands there and opens a book and starts, "Oh, en, cee, ee, you, pee, oh, en, ayy, tee, eye, em, ee" and so the story begins. She can do it in Spanish and in Greek too (though in Greek with a bit more difficulty with the letters, of course). She can follow the context of a book and pretend read. Irini models behaviors from her class, opening a book as if teaching it and showing it to the "class" (more than likely the audience is just Amalia sitting on the floor and replying to Irini's questions and requests to repeat). Reading is becoming a bigger part of our day. It starts with a read of a short book (given to Irini every day from class) as we are having breakfast. Then on to school and classes and the like. Then the return with play reading in the afternoon. Then the evening where books are brought out "en mass" to be read before heading to bed. 

But now, ever so gently, words are popping out of the "real world" as well. As Irini works out what strings of letters mean she is announcing "IS" and "THE" and "AND" as she reads them on the walls, on the elevator, at stores and in books. Her enthusiasm and her conviction (as well as confidence) are impressive. Slowly the world has a different twist to it. There are meanings coming out, being discovered. Life's experience is about to become grander, more creative, more far-reaching. Reading has begun, in small steps.

Hosting Friends

It was a moment that almost went by unnoticed. Our little friend Isabella was visiting and the girls were happy to have her over for breakfast. They played like they always do for a while and then the preparations began for a scrumptious breakfast of ham frittata and watermelon (brought by Isabella), french toast and strawberries, and milk. Mommy and daddy were getting things organized when they looked across the divider and saw the girls mulling around, happily doing what they were doing. Quickly mommy turned to daddy and said "we have to put this on the blog". It took daddy a moment to realize why but then, his smile broadened as the recognition of the moment hit him. The girls were doing everything.... Irini was putting out the place mats, followed by the cutlery and plates. Amalia, perched on her small chair, was washing the dishes (pre-screened for glass, ceramic and/or knives), splashing herself, the counter and the wall, but more importantly spraying the plates and cups. She turned the water on and off, as she's been instructed to for years now - to save water when appropriate, and put the plates gently on the rack. At the table, Irini had settled down with Isabella, ready for the meal. Daddy made some coffee. Mommy made the french toast. Breakfast was happily scarfed down with the requisite chit chat and laughter. When the meal was done the girls helped by putting the plates and cups back into the sink and daddy took over the washing as mommy put things away.  If you looked carefully you could see, ever so delicately engraved, the soft smiles of contentment around the eyes and mouths of happy parents.

House life hosting friends. Small things can make for big moments. The girls are growing and the parents naturally go through the bitter-sweet feelings of what that means.

Mommy's Day

A while back a special day came and went. Mommy's birthday was celebrated twice, in quiet and relaxed fashion. Part one was at home, filled with little posters made by the girls, in part accompanied by Tia and the cousins. Part two was an "adults" outing at mommy's favorite Vietnamese restaurant in town. All in all the day came and went much like any other, filled with it's mishaps, smiles, frustrations and celebrations on a family and personal level. But Natalia did receive two sets of flowers (from daddy and also a special bouquet from Scott and Rebecca who, despite the distance from us, continue to be near to our hearts and constantly on our minds). Mommy was thrilled, and so were the rest of us. Happy day to you, Mommy!  We love you completely!

The Tooth Fairy or Ratoncito Pérez?

Over the summer, Irini's two bottom teeth started wiggling around. She was worried at first, about what it would feel like, look like or what pain would come with it.  Over the past month she had learned to deal with it and as the wiggling became more extreme, we were told by her dentist that "it will come out in the next couple weeks". Finally, one day last week Irini rushed into the back bedroom. Daddy was on the computer (much as he is now). "It came out!" she announced, giddy with delight. It hadn't hurt at all and she couldn't wait for the other one to come out too. The other one, though, would need a bit of help from mommy, and that brought some pain and blood, lasting a mere few minutes. This was followed by the note she needed to get mommy's help to write for both the Tooth Fairy and Ratoncito Pérez (we are, after all, a multicultural family and our traditions overlap and diverge as necessary). The next morning she had a note back from both of them!  How cool is that!  Along with the note, of course, came a little gift for her too. She can't wait for the rest of them to fall out now. :-)

First Days, Busses and Uniforms

Amalia had been talking about taking the bus to school with her sister for a whole year. She went to the bus stop and watched her sister depart and she waved and came back home. Over the summer too, she was saying that she was going to the "big school" with her sister this year. And so it was time. 

Last May she had said her goodbyes to her old school, a wonderful little place nestled in a residential area close to where we live. It was from there to the "big school" that she went to visit. On the day we took her to have her "screening", she kept asking why we brought her to the hospital. Daddy kept having to explain that "no, this isn't a hospital, it's your new school". 

So the time came and uniforms were purchased, the day arrived and she was happy as can be!  The day before she had announced that she wasn't going to wear a uniform, and mommy and daddy had prepared for the fight. But when the moment came, and she saw her sister pull out her uniform from the dresser, she followed suit with no qualms at all. 

We walked out to the entrance and, as we walked, other children roughly the same size joined us. All in all there are nine of them, forming a small legion as we prepared to board the bus. Just as the boarding was about to begin, several little cuties realized that this was real. There was no walking back after the bus pulled away this time around. One mother started crying despite her daughter smiling broadly. Our girl began to wail and cry saying "I don't like the bus. I don't like the bus", but on the bus we took her. Irini was happy and tried to calm her down. Amalia would have none of it. Others joined in. As the bus pulled out, there was a mess of parents wiping tears away while inside there was a scattering of screaming children, including our little girl.

The next day arrived much as the first had, with perhaps a bit less anticipation. We walked out and joined the masses. Parents ready for the emotional over-charged moment, but there was none. All of the little ones who the day before had moved the heavens to stay behind, happily boarded the same bus and waved bye-bye. Amalia did too. 

As the bus pulled away and the parents turned around to go back home, one was heard saying "amazing what a difference one day makes". A new era has begun!

Remembering Blue

It's hard to not look back and remember the deep and calm blue of the Aegean...

Skopelos

 

It would be hard to describe Skopelos and not use the word "perfect" in there somewhere. The place is a little glimpse of paradise both in how it looks and in how it makes you feel. It's rather quiet, but with enough open conversation and chatter to keep things alive. It has the perfect fit of wonderful people and wonderful places and, in the small bays where we like to hang out, it also provides a chance to live a full experience in an area of no more than one square kilometer. 

So what if one opens his/her windows in the morning only to walk out onto a balcony with full view of the beautiful Aegean Sea, in all its peaceful splendor (and framed by green)?  So what if the slow walk down the hill crosses a small garden with watermelon, eggplant, peppers, tomatos and honeydew?  So what if crossing the street (after looking both ways, of course) one reaches a small restaurant and pebble beach where home base is established just under the shade of the mulberry tree?  So what if the water is nearly motionless and clear?  So what if children run back and forth in the sun, playing games?  So what if the food is bountyful and completely yummy, served with a smile and a "Geia sas kirie Giorgo" (as pappou was renamed). So what if here time almost stood still and the girls spent hours and hours doing the simple things while the adults... well, they did the simple things too!

It would be hard to find fault in Skopelos, whose quiet demeanor is quite a refreshing change from chaotic Athens. The essence of the place, as beautiful as it is, is also in its people. Simple, open, welcoming, smiling. In the distance you can still feel the pain of economic problems. It comes up in conversation too if you let it, but you often chose other topics and you bask in the light of both sun and people here. It was the perfect place for a mini-family reunion of sorts. It was the only time that all of us - the KL gang, Pappou, Moca and Aleko - would be there together. And it was perfect (there is that word again!) for it. Small talk. A glass of wine, a beer, or retsina (for some). A family table overlooking the darkening sky (through Amalia's organge and Irini's pink) and a post-dinner chat while the children play on the beach (skipping stones?  chasing the little kitten?).

Leaving it was difficult, but filled with smiling good-byes and big hugs from friends both local and visitors alike.