A caterpillar, a bear and the moon

Yesterday I took mummy to the Kennedy Center to see a puppet show based on Eric Carle's books.

We took the metro and a bus before we arrived in the Hall of Nations with lots of pretty flags - I found the American Flag, the Australian Flag and really liked the one with the leaf on it.

After a drink in the lobby we went into the see the play. I was anxious for it to begin and it was very exciting to watch the other families come in and wait for the lights to go down.

It was a no shuussshing show so I got to yell out loud which was great!

I liked all the puppets - Mummy particularly liked the hungry caterpillar when he got very fat and built himself a cocoon

We rode home again on the Metro and I walked nearly all the way home without being carried

It was a big day and I flaked out on the couch before dinner

It was a very nice (if exhausting) Keating-Mummy date.

A Keating snow dome!

Christmas snow

It didn't snow on Christmas day, but we got a flurry on Christmas Eve and when I woke up on Boxing Day it was snowing with some decent coverage on the ground.

The snow falling in our front yard

Our Aussie flag had a blanket of snow this morning

We walked to school in the sleet - but I rode in the pram behind a net so I was snug as a bug in a rug while Mummy and Daddy braved the weather.

I hope it snows enough during the day that I can make a snow crocodile when I get home this afternoon (in the meantime Mummy is going to hit the shops in search of after Christmas deals on snowboots, waterproof gloves and extra warm jackets)

One month anniversary

Today marks our one month anniversary in America.

Lots has happened - we've moved into a new house, I've started a new school and we've become metro-catching pros.

The best things about America are that they have aligators as well as crocodiles and doing art at school.

I was very happy when my toys and books arrived from Australia yesterday and couldn't wait to get re-familiarised with my zoo maps and plastic animals.

 

Tonight we went to see the National Christmas Tree outside the White House. I was very impressed by the trains running around the tree especially the track with Emily and Thomas engines. Then we had dinner at 'Silver Diner' at the end of our street. Lemonade, fries, hot dogs and ice-cream sundaes!

My first week

Now I've nearly adjusted to the time difference, life in Washington is starting to look pretty good.

I visited the dinosaur and crocodile bones at the museum and discovered the joys of battered fries.

Last night I went to see a play for the first time. It was 'A Christmas Carol' and there were lots of children and a dog in the cast. I thought it was pretty good but I was a bit confused by how long the clapping went on.

Had dinner with an American family at a Southern Style restaurant and enjoyed more fries and an enormous bowl of ice cream. Cherry is getting into the swing of it too - she had a hotdog and fries and a chocolate brownie sundae.

Today we move into our new house - it will be a bit bare for a while as our stuff hasn't arrived from Australia yet. But at least it won't be cluttered when I go searching for the platypus I lost during our inspection yesterday..I'm not sure what noises a platypus makes so it is hard to call out to him!

3

Today is my third birthday - I am less than impressed about getting older

I was pretty happy with my good haul of talking dinosaurs

Walked through the cold streets of Arlington to get a birthday cake with mummy (or should that be mommy) and daddy - we had to wear gloves and hats and big jackets and technically it is not even winter yet!

Me and my 'hot chocolate' birthday cake

touch down!

I have almost been in VA for 24 hours.

It's already my birthday in Canberra but there are still 4 more hours to wait here.

Leaving Bungonia St behind

Today the movers came and packed up half our house to go to Washington and the other half to go into storage.

I was a bit miffed when I first discovered that my bedroom had been emptied of furniture and toys and replaced with boxes of shoes, clothes and books for uplift.

I'm particularly sad to be leaving our mint patch - which I sample from each time I go outside.

My house was very echo-ey with all of our trappings removed - it was good fun to yell and hear my voice come back to me.

In Kingston the next two nights before heading up to Sydney to pick up Cherry.

Corindi - or Co-windi?

Just back from two days at the beach at Corindi - it was great even though it was extremely windy.

Had a lovely time with mummy, daddy and poppy and had a lovely visit from Aunty Diana and Nat.

I love the waves and if I could I'd play for hours in the water.

Back in the 'berra now for the last two weeks of packing up before our Amercian adventure.

Love ya Brisbane

Our whirlwind tour of Brisbane was lots of fun.

I got to spend a lot of time playing with Arwen and hanging out with Nan.

I had a few trips to the Manly foreshore and visited the 'beach' at Southbank before checking out the crocodile skeltons at the Qld Museum.

Blue skies and lots of fun in Brisbane

On this trip I've picked up a few bruises, grazed my knee and developed a passion for Frosty Fruits.

Saying goodbye to Nan, Jim, Aunty Emma, Uncle Scott and Arwen was very sad but I'm looking forward to seeing them all in our new home in VA.

Choo choo!

On our 'things to do before leaving Canberra' list was the Kingston model railway

I wasn't sure at first - but once we were there I insisted on two train rides - once on the steam train 'The Bunyip' and once on 'The Ghan'

Poppy I might drag you back there when you come to visit in a few weeks

What a lovely day today

Had a lovely day today with my mummy, Charmaine, Sarah and Tommy.

We had lots of fun on the big slides at Lollipops and then got down to serious business - buying up Vegemite and Milo at Costco

I got a huge delivery of size 3 clothes from Tommy and couldn't wait to try out the Giggle and Hoot PJs

hangin' with the Smiths

Supplies for DC

Having dinner in my newly acquired Giggle and Hoot PJ top and Thomas the tank boxers

All hail the Chairman

Today Chairman M(i)ao went to live with a new family

I'll miss her but I think she will enjoy being on a farm more than a 24 hour plane trip

Bye-bye Miao-miao

Packing up and clearing out

Saturday was one month and one day till we leave the 'berra - and our garage sale

It was fun to play shops for real

Though I was sad to see my rocking horse get sold I quickly cheered up when mummy and daddy said I could have the $10 we sold him for



$5 for a slippery dip - cheap at half the price!



Lunchtime at the garage sale - tuna sandwiches and coconut juice in the backyard

Tuckered out after a day of sales 

It's Daddy's birthday today..

It's Daddy's birthday today
He's older than yesterday
Everybody said "Hip! Hip! Hooray!"
And we all sang "Happy Birthday"

Pre birthday lunch at Wasabi

enjoying the birthday sunshine at telopea

The nature of nature

One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back. Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream. "Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?" "Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly. "Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!" Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!" "This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!" "Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog. "Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!" So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current. Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs. "You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?" The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back. "I could not help myself. It is my nature." Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

This morning Mummy thought she'd be nice and take the wasp that had managed to get inside the house back outside and not kill it.

It gave her a nasty sting on the thumb.

Ouch!

Getting ready

In just under two months I'm off to Washington with mummy and daddy.

I really hope Cherryella decides to come with us too!