Vietnam

How we make Iced Lemon Tea

 

Boil some water to make two cups of black tea 

Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey or sugar and stir until dissolved. Add ice and voila`

Delicious iced lemon tea - now we can drink it!

 Miam miam - it's perfect!

Cookie and Ziggy have learnt the art of making Iced Lemon Tea. This is their new favourite thing ;-)



Our dear little elves trim the tree

Christmas tree 2011

Christmas elves 2011

Our little friend Gracie had a fairy and elves birthday party today and Cookie & Ziggy's Peter Pan costume got a new reincarnation. Cookie wondered whether elves could fly - he decided his elf did, so he got to work making wings and a wand for his elf too! We added some elf ears and a collar to Peter Pan's costume and VOILA`! Two beautiful little elves...with many skills and identities mixed into one!

When we came home we were busy little elves indeed! It took us over 3 hours to make and trim the tree - and consensus was that it is even better than last years'!! We also set up the nativity but baby Jesus' manger needs a little repair job so mamma is onto it now!

The joy of brothers reading

With papa in Sabah and mamma dreading the potential early Sunday morning chaos, mamma was delighted to see her two beautiful boys devouring a book together...a doctor zeu zeu seuss book of course! Cookie is reading so eloquently and expressively for his mere six years. Quite amazing! I enjoyed listening to the book too!

I love you to the moon...and back!

Like two little church mice or should I say little Nutbrown hares, Cookie and Ziggy were upstairs involved in some crafty activity. When they came down, big Nutbrown hare was in awe of the magnificent rockets they made. The pictures definitely do not do them justice. I love you right up to the moon and back, my little Nutbrown hares xo

Ibu Mahdi Sports Day at International School of Bogor

ISB had their sports day a few days ago and cookie and Ziggie were raring to go! they were in the blue Bali team. The event was held at CIFOR and Diana Jo and Papa came along to cheer. All the kids had plenty of fun, although by midday it was pretty damm hot! There were plenty of higlights; Sasha in the sprint stoppped for his friend Mason when his shoe fell off, thereby losing the first place, Luca came second in the 200m run, Mama won the mothers sprint and Papa didnt break anything in the father's race! 

Pensive painting

29 August 2011

Cookie and Ziggy are on school holidays and today they’re sitting out at their little table painting. Ziggy drew a beautiful painting of Cookie climbing a tree. He worked out that he could make green by mixing blue and yellow and he also discovered orange is made from red and yellow!

Cookie decided to draw a painting and write a story for his OWN children when his children are grown up! We talked about what a thoughtful idea that was and how our beautiful boys would grow up to be dads and uncles etc…and how I would become a nonna and papa a pa!!

An extraordinary, ordinary day

February 2011


An extraordinary,  ordinary conversation. So many questions without perfect answers.

Our beautiful, sensitive and deep-thinking eldest son moved me deeply this evening. We starting talking about how he wanted to become a father and he inquired as to how he might go about that.

We discussed this basic role of  the “seed” and the “egg”.

Cookie" Where does the seed come from? How will I know where to find it?

Me: It’s produced in your testes when you are older and comes out your penis.

In his pseudo American/International accent he said “You’re joking, right?!?”

He cried when he thought that he may have to leave his mamma and papa when he met the women he love and chose to have a child with.

Cookie asked how we met and we explained our lengthy periods of separation over our long courtship and friendship. Did you miss him? And he cried at the idea of our years of painful separation before we got married....

Is that possible?

17 March 2011

Dear little 3 y.o. Ziggy was wandering around the breakfast table singing “Hey diddle diddle” this morning” and then he stopped after singing  "…the cow jumped over the moon…”

He thought for a second and then he said “Is that possible?”!!!!!

Love, Love, Love

The advent of reading and writing is a miraculously beautiful thing. It can bring the level and form of communication into another realm. Ziggy has learnt to draw the most beautiful awe-inspiring love hearts and this transpires into love letters to his family. I remember your first love hearts drawn in the sand on the beach in AoNang, Krabi Province Thailand when you were just 3!

Ziggy you're a star! You have only now just turned four and we are blessed with your notes all around the house stating "I HEART MAMMA", "I HEART PAPA" and even "I HEART MAMMAPAPLUCASASCHA". Zig you said to me, "I have to love me too because I'm part of this family!" And you are absolutely right, a beautiful, important and exquisite member of our family. How blessed we are. I HEART YOU too bello xoxox

Aunty Diana's visit

Our intrepid travelling godmother Diana came up for a week in November to Bogor which was lovely. She kept herself busy and inquisitive as only she can and it was wonderful having her.  Diana has the most remarkable people skills and she very much enjoyed Bogor and its surrounds. Love you, Diana.

Teaching the boys weaving

At the local coffee shop drinking something that surely is healthy for you based on the colour!

On the smooth machine that transports us around Bogor and to and from school...

Luca's classmates loved the weaving lesson from Diana, Cookie was very proud and they all got to make friendship bracelts. A few weeks after, one of the girls came up and said "I love Kumihimo" to me! 

HAALLOOOO-WEEEEN!

One not-so-scary skeleton

Now that's more like it!

Too gorgeous to scare me! But wait until we see you with your skulls in place!!!

You were the scariest (and cutest) two skeletons in town! Do you remember that we found your fab costumes in Vietnam when were on the Mekong Delta - well spotted by Cookie!

Unfortunately it was another rainy evening for trick-or-treating but we all stoically marched on despite the weather. You did such a great job holding the rain back for Diwali. But this time your incantations of "Oogggaa Booggaaa Ooggaa Booggaa, don't rain until it's 8 o'clock" didn't quite work ;-(. Maybe the rain Gods thought we meant 8 o'clock that morning ;-)

The disco was the highlight for Cookie who showed us some new cool moves - impressive! Zig-Zig on the other hand just loved hanging out with his favourite black kitty cat Miss Gaby. Maybe next year you might even venture up to the scary haunted house.....baa-haaa-haaa-haaa.....

S-S-S-S-SAIGON SAIGON

Now if only i can make my legs longer..

Who me?

Vietnamese cheong sam boys

Best pizza in Can Tho

We're taking the bus, the bus, the bus

The boys showing us the way to Unicorn Island from My Tho port

Cookie patiently waiting for his cane, cane cane, sweet sugar cane

During term break our family ventured to Vietnam for a holiday. It was a significant occassion for mamma who was in Vietnam 20 years ago. In many ways it was a dream (or nightmare papa might say!) come true visitng places with our special family. We stayed in south Vietnam this time but we managed to visit the beautiful Mekong Delta and see the Cu Chi Tunnels as well.

La nostra storia, il nostro futuro

Non dimenticate mai la nostra storia. Ecco qui la foto del tuo bisnonno Giuseppe. La storia della nostra famiglia sara` la vostra storia. Vivra` sempre dentro di voi due.

Vietnam-inspired Eggshell art

During our trip to Vietnam in October 2011 we encountered several art & craft workshops where Agent Orange-affected people had various disabilities due to the toxicity they were exposed to during and after the war. The range of magnificent eggshell art they produced, inspired Cookie and Ziggy to make something of their own. Here is a letter 'L' and letter 'S' they recently made.

Cookie's 6th Birthday

Cookie rocks! Happy 6th Birthday bello xox



Cake demolished within minutes



Reception class enjoy their hand made pasta that they made themselves!

15 June 2011 - Happy 6th Birthday beautiful Cookie! Together with his reception clas we made homemade pasta. For lunch the class got to enjoy the fruits of their labour - they did so well. A great birthday treat for Cookie who can eat pasta until it's coming out of his ears. Some kids even came back for thirds!! Desert of course was the guitar birthday cake and personalised cup cakes for everyone.