Tiva loves to ring the doorbell, and imaginary bells, too (41s everyday life video)!
Tivona rings the fridge's belly button
Taya and Mama share a smile over a gorgeous spider costume that was a tad too small to wear for trick-or-treating.
If she'd lifted her hands much further, it probably would have split. Bummer.
Tivona, like Taya, is wonderfully dramatic and expressive. In this everyday-life video, she claps for more peach. She knows good fresh food, and she won't accept anything less (as in this 43s everyday life video)!
Tivona claps for more peach
Ljuba and I both love to get out. But we find that when we don't push it and have some quiet moments at home, that we generally have some wonderful family moments. In this 12s special-moment video, the girls get excited to run into the bedroom to surprise Mama.
Running to Mama hiding behind the door
One little outing was quite close to home. Not as full of big trees as I (KC) would like, but fun all the same (Deer Lake). Here's Tiva at the fence looking out over the lake. And here's another, similar.
And the same day, Taya enjoying running on the grass.
And here's Taya, Ljuba, and Tivona, all together.
Our little whirling dervishes make us dizzy sometimes, as in this 46s must-see video of T'n'T spinning on their bums while Tiva texting on Ljuba's phone.
Whirling, texting dervishes
Other times Tivona's much more relaxed at home.
We were excited to bring both the girls to Capilano reservoir to meet the salmon swimming up to the hatchery. Here's Tiva (37s special-moment video), and below you can see Taya (27s special-moment video).
Taya meets the salmon
In October, the girls started interacting more. In this special-moment video, they both take the bar (bookcase) as if doing ballet. And in this image, they sit together in the laundry basket.
T'n'T doing ballet
Sometimes the interacting isn't so much fun for us, although it may be at least as much fun for them. In this 24s special-moment video, Tiva the joker sticks her finger in her nose and Taya eggs her on.
Taya eggs Tivona on to stick her finger in her nose
Taya is often a great sport. I really miss doing yoga. Usually my only chance is nap-time on a weekend, but Taya doesn't nap (rest, not sleep) long, so sometimes I start a routine then get Taya out, and she joins me for the rest. In this image she does downward dog, in this one warrior 1, and down below side-angle pose (I think).
Ljuba and I were busy planning for Australia, NZ, and California when Hallowe'en arrived. Fortunately, our dear neighbours bailed us out by lending us this gorgeous strawberry costume for Tivona. As you can see below, she didn't start out enamoured with it (you can also see her alone in this image), but she definitely warmed up to it.
I'm not sure what it is about kids and baths, but they always seem to look cuter there. Or maybe it's just our girls, and that the water tames their crazy hair. In any case, here's Tiva.
Taya and Tiva showing off their Hallowe'en costumes together (also this image).
Tony and Elisa gave Taya and Tivona this fishing puzzle. We didn't think that Tiva was quite ready, but here she is, having picked up a piece, our proud fisher-baby.
Tivona has been learning tons, so we've been trying to keep up with her on videos. In this 79s everyday life video she uses a chair as a walker/shopping cart, in this 39s everyday life video she goes up and down a slide (tummy style), and in this 28s everyday life video she eats and loves a mandarin, as in the photo below.
And here she is proudly sitting in the wicker chair.
Before we knew it, we were off on our travels. Packing was of course a huge ordeal, as I scrambled to finish several pressing work tasks, and Ljuba anticipated the full range of what might be needed in five weeks travel Down Under. We were both rather anxious about the long flight. We boarded the flight to LA at the girls' bedtime, then had a 2+ hour layover before boarding the 14+ hour flight to Brisbane ~ midnight. Taya and Tiva didn't sleep on the first flight, then fell asleep in the stroller in LAX. The flight attendants needed the stroller before they needed us, so we had to disassemble the napping vehicle, interrupting Tivona's nap. It didn't even cause Taya to stir, and she continued to sleep in my arms, so I put her down. There were no seats remaining in the lobby (it was a very full flight), so I had to put her on the ground, resting on our carry-on duffle. She cracked up the folks in the lobby (pretty much everywhere we went, we were a spectacle), sleeping peacefully with fluorescent lights blaring down on her.
The flight itself was of course hard. Taya slept for hours, even after I banged her (unintentionally) through over a hundred rows of seats, while I also carried the duffel, a backpack, and my laptop bag. She wasn't happy when she woke, but she was dry (she's been out of diapers for months, but Lj was nonetheless concerned), and she managed to get back to sleep for several more hours. My job was to get Tivona to sleep. Every time was a major ordeal of pacing and singing. Sitting was not an option, as I discovered. And despite my best efforts, she couldn't sleep through more than ~50 min, and she only had two more of those the whole journey (so <3 hrs sleep over >24 hours in which she'd normally sleep 13+). But she was a trooper, as you can see in this 9s special-moment video in the Brisbane airport of Tiva walking in my footsteps.
Tivona walking in Dada's footsteps
Tivona also cracked up dozens of people in the immigration line when she emulated me lifting the bags (9s must-see video below). I'm quite sure I wasn't grunting the way she does in the video, but I also know that after ~1 hour sleep, I was in no state to remember!
Tiva grunting and lifting bags in the immigration line in Brisbane
Then we went to our apartment, but unfortunately could not check in. So we went on a marathon grocery shop, instead, while Taya had a long nap in the car, stroller, etc. Tiva slept very little, but then once we got hope she finally crashed (also this image). Meanwhile, Taya and I got ready for a swim (this image).
Tivona, like Taya, is a big joker. I wonder where they get it from. When we were waiting around while Mama caught up on some sleep, we worked in some giggles (in this 71s must-see video).
Tiva, Taya, and Dada goof around
Taya is remarkably tender, as you've seen before, but most of all with her toys. In this 43s special-moment video, she rocks her toys then puts them to bed our Taringa Gardens apartment closet.
Taya rocks her toys for nap time
As soon as we arrived in humid Brisbane, Tivona's hair--which had recently got curly--really sprung up.
Taya has been drawing a lot. In this image, inspired by Amelia Bedelia, she plays doctor by "drawing blood". She also does other kinds of exercise with me--in this image she shows off her plank. And below she helps me do pushups.
It was so wonderful to have Nanna there the day after we arrived. She stayed with Auntie Virginia (her sister), but came out to see us often. In the 32s special-moment video below you can see Taya and especially Tiva getting a kick out of her, and also cuddling with each other.
Taya and Tiva getting a kick out of Nanna
We met Auntie Virginia with my cousin Simon and his family at Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens. I somehow failed to get any good pics of them (sorry!), but this desert plant turned out nicely.
We all loved the beets we had in Australia. Especially this little beet-murderer, Tiva.
Tivona is a wonder. Sometimes we just don't get her. Like in this 43s must-see video, where we still can't figure out what she's doing with her diaper and belly.
What *is* she doing with her diaper and belly??
Tiva also got good at scooping, as you can see in this 12s everyday-life video. And this 43s everyday-life video, while Taya sat and talked and talked. (Taya was actually eating only chicken noodle soup, thanks to a violent stomach bug that she and Mama had, and Tiva got.) And Tivona and Taya are often helpful when we need to move things, like this big bed (33s special-moment video below).
Tivona and Taya tries to move the bed
And that was the end of our time in Brisbane! Stay tuned for the vacation part of Australia, plus NZ and more.
