All about the kids

Daddy Daycare. Ah, Daddy Daycare. These are some of things that just make Daddy Daycare what it is. The kids have continued their daycare training of clearing their own places after each meal. What we've added is where to eat. Most meals are sitting on a phone book with a towel covering the chair (can't stain these cloth chairs purchased for high ranking executives and not for a four or two year old). However, at lunch or brekkie (not dinner cuz mum is around) we often build a tent in the kitchen to eat under. The kids love it and ask for it all the time. They sit on the tile. I drape a sheet over the doors that hide the fridge and pantry and over the counter drawers. It makes a beautiful tent. Haley is getting really good at addition. We haven't been practicing her numbers or letters as much as before (she only wants to do addition or skip the school part). They have been learning their shapes, colors and how to fall and get up and try it again on the playground. I even push them down just for fun if they haven‘t fallen recently. Robbie is getting back to how he was in Michigan with slides and going down again. Neither are afraid of bugs or spiders (not even the 6" diameter Huntsman spiders (those spook daddy but not the kids)). Don't worry though...they know not to touch a red back spider or funnel spider. Those are the dangerous ones here and we've only seen them in exhibits. They wrestle all the time. They laugh all the time too. They play together and do audibles (icon that makes noise during instant messaging). Before we leave for playtime they always clean up their toys and put them away in the toy chest. Well not always but we try. Haley is getting more defiant. I have to ask her to do things a few times before she stops what she is doing and does what she is suppose to. That, in turn, has translated into Robbie following suit. So both are testing me more. Does the “terrible two’s” mean two kids?

When traveling around we are advancing too. We leave the pram (stroller) at home more often and we walk more. We also get onto the trams and trains as a team. Both kids know the routine on how to do it. They also know our tram numbers and train platform numbers while traveling to gymnastics. On the trams they have advanced to being able to stand up. They always ask if they can watch the tram driver. If there is room they run up to the front and sit right behind them. They tell him when he has a green or red T (the light for the tram is similar to your round driving light for an intersection except it is in the shape of a T for tram). They know how he moves the lever to go faster or slower. It is really amazing how quickly they pick this stuff up during observations. They take turns pushing the tram stop button or pulling the cord. They also take turns putting the tram pass into the machine for validation (great, now I can't get on and try to scam a free ride.... of course, not that I would ever try that anyway). Haley has recently discovered that the tram only beeps for the first person to push the button. Therefore, she lets Robbie put the tram pass into the machine first so she can push the tram stop button first. Smart, huh? And they take turns pushing every button. Whether it is on the lift (elevator), cross walk, open door, and every other button. I'm the one who has to remember whose turn it is and they never complain (at least any more) about whose turn it is now and who was last. Haley does calculate and sometimes gives Robbie an extra turn at a stop light so when it comes time to push the button in the lift it will be her turn. Amazing.

They have a new buddy too. There is a shop owner just outside of our apartment. They love going by and waving and saying hi. They get disappointed when he is not working there. He is very friendly. We also have a building cleaner that they look for and say hi to all the time too. She is very sweet. The shop owner is a big time Kangaroo barracker (supporter of the Kangaroo Footie (Australian Rules Football) team). He's converted the kids over too. Their first game they barracked for the Melbourne Demons. Well sort of.....

Two weeks ago we took the kids to a preseason tournament footie game. It was the Melbourne Demons vs. Hawthorn Hawks. Footie is similar to rugby but much faster. The game is packed with action. They play on a oval field about 200 metres (meters) long and 150 wide. The guys are running all over the place. It is exciting when the action is in front of you but because the field is so large most of the action is somewhere else. Each quarter is about 25 minutes (yes, about 25. only the official on the field keeps the time and that’s 100 minutes of play). Each score is worth one point within the outer goal posts (called a Behind), 6 points within the inner goal posts (called a Goal), or 9 points within the inner goal posts and kicked outside of the 50 metre mark (called a Super Goal). Each team scores about 80-90 points per game. The kids loved the game. We cheered when the Demons scored AND when the Hawks scored. We were sitting in the Hawks section and the kids didn't care who scored they loved cheering. They would stand up and clap and yell. It was great. Stacey took them for a walk around the stadium. They got ice cream and souvenirs (fleeces with the Demon logo). What could have been better? The better comes in the next game when Uncle Sean went with them.