February in California and Arizona

We had only just been starting to settle in to California when we had to contemplate a week in Snowy-zona (TS, mimicking me: "I don't know why they call it 'Arid-zona'--it's not arid, it's not dry! They should call it 'Snowy-zona'!"). So Ljuba set about online shopping and otherwise acquiring warm clothes (my last-minute trip back to Vancouver for a faculty meeting gave me an opportunity to bring back some forgotten items). And the girls set about trying them all on, including the bits we hadn't imagined for them.



Dress-up is a fun game for little kids. But sometimes it's hard to separate the imaginary part from the real part of going outside. In the 59s special-moment video below, see Tiva equip herself in Mama's visor and Taya's mitts and attempt to get out.



Tivona dressing up--for snow?

Taya's clothes were a fascination for Tivona in many respects. And not only dumping sand in Taya's shoes. ;) Also, as in this 30s everyday-life video below, dumping it out.



Tivona playing in the sand with Taya's sandals

I mentioned that Taya and Tivona had become even more affectionate with each other? We enjoyed the way that continued.



We were told that it did rain in Santa Barbara in the winter, so we were prepared. We weren't disappointed when it scarcely rained at all--not even once a week through the heart of the 'rainy' season. Taya loved it. When it was sunny, she walked around saying, "I love Santa Barbara! I love the sun! I don't want to go back to Vancouver. It's too rainy." I anticipate having to pull out the photo below at various points in the next few months, saying, "See, Taya: you have fun in the rain--look, I can prove it!"



I can't picture myself doing that with Tiva--that cerebral stuff just doesn't work with her yet. But it's true--she did have fun in the rain, and I've got the photo to prove it!



Of course, after all that running, just like a good Kovacic-Chan girl, Tiva had to do some stretching (see the 27s everyday-life video below).



Tivona stretching

I've got to tell you, it's really hard to be boxed into a concrete office building in a university campus when there's such beauty around. Except that I had a ocean view, which you can see in the building second-from-right in the photo below. I'm going to miss this breath-taking setting!



On the beach, we'd all set about doing our things, sometimes together but not always. We played various games together, but Ljuba and I also loved running, and I did jump-squats and jump-lunges, and here's Taya doing a little eagle-pose.



Here's another of Tivona getting ready for Arizona, here in Mama's new hat.



And another.



I'm pretty sure I've written about Tivona and Taya's uncanny sense of smell. In this 39s special-moment video, Tiva gets a whiff of some chocolate that Ljuba's eating and goes after it (actually she usually smells it immediately and without help).



Ca-ca! (chocolate)

Just before we headed to Arizona, we went down to see the harbour seal nursery at Carpinteria. The girls loved seeing the pups on the beach, some newborns.



Here they are on the trail, T'n'T in their matching jackets.



That truck that I found for Tivona continued to be a favourite.



Away she goes!

Not only would she play with it for ages everyday (as in this 5s everyday-life video), she also did real work with it, in a very business-like fashion, running down the sidewalk too intent to answer questions, as in this 17s special-moment video and in the 10s special-moment video below.



Tiva with her truck and the compost

We weren't actually in Santa Barbara for Valentine's Day, because the 14th was a key day for Tom Sisk in my visit to Northern Arizona University (the celebration of the Olajos-Goslow endowment in environmental science and policy, which funded a major chair that Tom now holds). It was hard for Ljuba to be with the girls all day away from home, and to have to do all the cooking and cleaning, etc., in someone else's house. Even if it was Tom & Helen's wonderful abode. Here's a floral heart wreath the girls found on the beach the week before, more romantic than anything we did this year. :\



I've missed photos of some key events and moments over the past years, and unfortunately, our time with Tom and Helen and their daughter Elinor was one of them. I realized as we drove away that I didn't have a single photo of them. Ljuba and I did however manage to capture a few of the wonderful moments in the girls' lives.

Every time they went out we were reminded why, although snow is gorgeous on first fall, winter weather also means a huge hassle with little kids. So there was plenty of time when Taya and Tiva were romping around while Ljuba (and sometimes I) tried to round up the gear to get out.



Once they were out, they were in a winter wonderland out there, in clear view of us inside, and with lots to explore on their well-managed land and little that could do them harm.



The girls loved it. Even though Tiva had to get used to the snow. Here she is, squinting at its radiance in the sun.



She also had to get used to being all bundled. Here she is getting used to squatting.



When it snowed on the girls, it was at first a little scary for Tiva (Ljuba tells me; I was cranking away at a grant proposal when I wasn't at the university). She kept trying to wipe all the flakes off her mittens. But once they started tasting snow together, she started having some fun.



You can really see how much Tiva benefits from having Taya to watch, learn from, and interact with.



And Taya, for her part, really relishes her big sister role.



Taya seems to understand the genetics of big sisterhood, too. In this 68s special-moment video, you can here her talking a bit about genes. More recently, she has been learning about, and retaining an understanding of, chromosomes. She knows who she got her two X chromosomes from, and that the one from me came from Nanna, not Grandpa.



Talking about genes and chickens

From Tom & Helen's, we went on a little trip up to the Grand Canyon. On the way up, we had a little walk at Sunset Crater National Monument, which was splendid.



We also drove by some Native American ruins. But we were trying to get Tiva to nap at that point, so we didn't even get a chance to stop the car and enjoy them.



The Canyon itself was breath-taking. Of course, Tiva really couldn't appreciate the view. Taya had more appreciation for it, although at first she was decidedly more interested in looking at smaller things much closer by than the huge expanse of the Grand Canyon.



The snow at the Canyon was a special treat. The parts that were blanketed in snow gave a fresh, softer, but emphatic look to all.



There were enough people at the popular photo-taking places that we could easily snag a rare family shot.



We decided to try to give Tiva the benefit of a nap back at the hotel (rather than try to carry her through a nap in the cold), but the downside of that was that we really didn't have a lot of time to explore the Canyon. We did however, hike down a bit, which gave us this different perspective on parts.



Tiva, predictably given her fearless character, wanted to hike it herself.



What an amazing experience. We're just sorry that we don't have photos to show of Tom, Helen, and Elinor, in thanks for their tremendous hospitality and to Tom for providing the inspiration for the trip.



Next up, March in Santa Barbara!

January traveling down to, and thriving in Santa Barbara

The trip down to Santa Barbara was quite an adventure. The big pack-up was epic. After much deliberation, we decided to start our journey on January 1, New Year's Day. We had been busy with all kinds of preparation leading up to that day, so Ljuba and I didn't get to celebrate New Year's Eve at all. We had just got our car fully equipped and hadn't even figured out how to use those racks and the box. We also had never used our GPS before. Plus we had months of clothes, toys, paperwork, etc., to pack up, plus a week's worth of food. All in one compact car. Moreover, we had a 3-year old and a 1-year old milling around most of every day. Taya was very helpful most of the time, but Tivona unfortunately occupied herself much of the time discovering what was in those super-cool mostly packed bags. Ay.

So it wasn't until noon that we managed to get into the car with everything in it and on it. (Not everything, of course--but we didn't forget much.) Boy, was it a weird feeling driving out of the garage.

It didn't take long at all to get to the border. It was also only about a 40 min queue to see the customs officer. Unfortunately, we had to go into the building (as we knew we would), and we were then impressed with how occupied the twenty-plus officers could appear to be when they were quite clearly serving no one. But they looked semi-purposeful as they walked to and fro on their official business, ignoring us. Anyway, when people served us they were helpful, if slow, and it was only two hours or so to process eight pieces of paper (!). I don't blame them. The way Tivona kept attacking the gate, it was pretty clear they considered her a high risk.

Before we knew it, it was past 3pm and we were just getting started. We'd booked into an extended stay hotel in Olympia, Washington, so we had a clear target. The drive was super smooth, but we got hungry and had to stop off for Pizza Hut. Ljuba and I hadn't been to that classy establishment in a decade or so; we didn't realize how much of a dive it can be. The girls liked the pizza well enough, though, and we supplemented with our veggies when we got in. Then we were on the road again, in the same routine that we had established in Australia and NZ, except that we were packing up and relocating every day.

From Olympia we drove 5.5 hours to Roseburg, Oregon, this time arriving earlier in the evening, and with a little more time to do other things. Then down to Arcata (near Eureka), CA, to visit Nathan Gregory, a good friend of ours from Princeton. It was truly lovely to see him and his dog Dozer, for all of us. After I told Taya about them, she was so excited to see the two of them. She kept pointing to big dogs and saying, "That looks like a big friendly dog--is that Dozer?" After several false alarms (starting fifty miles earlier in other towns), we together spotted a big bearded man with a big yellow dog--bingo! Taya had only just met Nathan and she was telling him, "I saw a big dog and I asked my Dada if that was Dozer." It was amazing to me that she could have such a vision for and excitement about a person and dog that she'd never even met before--Nathan and Dozer were real for Taya from the first time I told her about them, well before she met them. Here's a picture of me, Tiva, Nathan, and Taya, with Lj behind the camera.



And here's one of our family of four plus Dozer, thanks to Nathan.



Both of the girls loved that big friendly man and dog. Tivona loved playing with and organizing Dozer's toys. She kept putting them away for him, all dozen of them, back into the bin. She got upset at one point, because she wanted to put one away, and Dozer was playing with it. Eventually she picked up the courage to face-off with him. We all had a chuckle with that. We don't have a good picture of it, but here's one of Taya and Dozer.



From Arcata we drove into the central valley and down to Davis, where we reconnected with Brian and Mary in their big, beautiful home. Like Nathan, it had been way too long since we'd seen them, and it was super to see them again. T'n'T hit it off with them, too, and also with Louie, their French bulldog. And Lj and I thoroughly enjoyed our adult-conversation dinner, after we had the girls in bed. Here's Taya and Brian the next morning, in the park.



And here's Taya walking with Mary.



And here's Ljuba with Tiva.



Next stop was Mountain View, with Marian, Melanie and Cody. It was wonderful to see them, too! We definitely miss hanging out with them as we did in our California days, and now we've got kids almost the same age.



And Taya enjoyed playing with their toys, including this guitar.



As Tivona got more mobile, she took a page from Taya's book and got obsessed with carrying around a bag and packing it. It didn't matter that the bag, around her neck, nearly reached her toes. Here's a 68s everyday-life video of Tiva wrestling with bags in our Mountain View hotel.



Tiva playing with the lunch bag

Taya, of course, has reached her own new heights. Like in razzing us. As when Mama walked around to the right side of the car to help Taya in (Tiva's, not Taya's, side).
Taya: "Mama, you don't know which side, apparently!"

Before we knew it, we were there, on the rugged South California coast. Oh, what beauty!



Settling in was a bit chaotic. Hugely chaotic for me. We arrived on Friday afternoon just before the office closed at 5pm, and dumped our car-full of stuff into our apartment. In the next two days we had to figure out where things were, make our apartment livable, stock our pantry, fridge, and freezer, AND I had to create my syllabus and prepare for first class on Monday afternoon. That was a hard weekend!

Of course, we did our best to insulate the girls from all that, and they had a ball despite our shopping frenzies and mountains of mayhem (stuff, stuff, and more stuff). It wasn't possible to completely insulate them, of course: little ones probably can't go from staying at home for much of their lives to sleeping in 15 different places in two months without a bit of anxiety. So Taya woke up several nights crying for her bunny when she slipped away from her headlock/embrace. But they were still affectionate with us, like Tiva was after she was woken by Taya on one of those occasions. I had Tiva in my arms, and was comforting her, and Tiva said, "Dada," and looked up and puckered up her lips. I kissed her, then she said, "Mama," and puckered up for Mama, and "Taya!"

It was nice to have them so sweet, since we didn't have any time for ourselves for weeks. No blogging during that month! But here's Tiva playing with the same lunch box in our apartment.



Tivona packs her lunch bag and walks

Another thing that changed hugely in a very short time was Tiva's reading. Through most of Australia and NZ, Tiva was very particular about books. Most of the time, she would reject all but one or two books. Fortunately, which books were acceptable rotated somewhat, but there were many books that she never wanted to read. And sometimes, she would reject all books on offer. Around this time, though, she started accepting a far wider range of books, seeking potty-time to read more books, seeking books out for non-potty time, and reading on her own, as she does in the 85s special-moment video below. That is, until Dada comes along and tries to inject a little testosterone into this family that is rapidly becoming too bookish, tackling her over and over. ;)



Tivona reads Baby Words, gets tackled, and does squats

Tivona also became much more aware of her bodily functions. One night she called, "Pauh, pauh!" for potty. We weren't sure if she was just trying to get us into the bathroom for reading, but she almost immediately let out a big fart, then announced, "Toot!"

In the beginning, it was frustrating how little time we got to spend in the nice parts of our surroundings. It seemed stupid to come so far to such a beautiful place and spend our time in stores and our apartment. Every day we did get outside twice--both before and after nap--but quite often it was brief and very local. But this improved, and we got to spend more time on the beach, at the bluffs, etc. Here's Taya playing with some cordgrass.



Here are the two of them playing together.



And here's Tiva on her own.



This is the beauty we were immersed in. For the first few weeks, Taya told us hundreds of times a day how much she loved Santa Barbara and the sun (and the lack of rain). It made us worry about returning to Vancouver winters….



The girls got a kick out of seeing this tree frog, especially because it seemed to think that we couldn't see it and wouldn't see it if it stood stock still.



We did also have some occasion to be social, which was wonderful. We had an amazing dinner at the house of one of my sabbatical hosts, Steve Gaines and his wife Peggy, also with Chris Costello and his family. All were really warm and wonderful. Unfortunately, somehow we haven't managed to get together again yet. Partly because we've had other people to see, too, and lots of visitors. The following weekend we had an amazing evening at Satie and Jeff's place in the hills. On the way back, we asked T'n'T if they enjoyed seeing Satie and Jeff. Taya raved about them ("Ya, they were really wonderful. Jeff took us upstairs and showed us …. and Satie …."), and Tiva said "Pee-poh!"
Taya: "Tiva, you say 'Pee-PULLLLL, not Pee-POH'"
TK: "Pee-poh!
TS: "Tiva, you say 'Pee-PULLLL, not Pee-POH'"
Repeat 10x
TK: "Pee-pul, pee-pul, pee-pul!"
Sometimes, when she can handle the didactic lessons, it's clear that Tivona really is learning from her older sister!

Another really wonderful change in Tivona and Taya was how they began to seek each other out for play and cuddling. This was one moment in a long, long hug they both thoroughly enjoyed.



After observing how Tiva loved to put things in other things and cart it all around, Ljuba told me that she thought Tiva would really enjoy a toy like a shopping cart. In the housing complex's swap shop, I found this Tonka truck and immediately knew it would be great for her.



I didn't realize just how great! She immediately fell in love with this truck, and took it everywhere, as you can see in the 14s special-moment video below.



Tivona the dainty truck-driver

Taya and Tivona are both a bit fascinated by our computers. Watch them typing away on Ljuba's iPad keyboard in this 31s everyday-life video below.



Little hackers

Without the benefit of bookshelves and toy bins, and with the addition of temporary toys in the form of all kinds of cardboard boxes, paper cut-outs, etc., it sometimes felt like we were living in a zoo. It especially felt that way in moments like the one we captured below.



Oh, the outside is so much better! The girls loved it out there, too. But we have to be careful. I know it might look like a bit of a take-down on Tiva in the 15s everyday-life video below, but I wasn't messing around. See, those aren't minuscule waves washing up to the grass there, but rather large waves, down a big cliff.



Taya and Tivona at the bluffs

I mentioned how Tivona had a few favourite books that she wanted us to read over and over again? Here's one that came with us to Australia, and out here, and has been read hundreds of times. It sounds like "Hooo-ay-ya" when Tiva requests it ("Whoever You Are", by Mem Fox).



Although Tivona is generally very affectionate, she sometimes plays hard-to-get, like in this 22s special-moment video below.



No kisses!

After spending many hundreds of dollars equipping our car to bring down our bikes, we were determined to get a trailer to take the girls riding. Finally Tivona's head was big enough to fit in a helmet! Unfortunately, it was on the smallest setting, which meant that there was a lot of helmet poking out the back of her head, pushing into the mesh in the back of her seat, and forcing her head forward and down. Clearly uncomfortable. We couldn't blame her for crying for much of her first few rides. See the look of dread? And does it look like Taya is plotting something? Well, she might just have been--many of those first few rides were full-out brawls most of the way, with shoving and pulling, grunting and screaming. But Taya was also often a very helpful big sister, getting and holding things for her little sister, and only occasionally eating choice bits of Tiva's snack. ;)



Although there might have been trepidation about cycling, there didn't seem to be any about February in Santa Barbara and Arizona--up next!

Xmas in Vancouver, 2011

It was a bit of a shock to be back in Vancouver after such a wonderful trip Down Under, but we had a good time all the same. Most difficult for us was that it was yet another transition: in two weeks, I had to accomplish a few important work tasks, and Ljuba and I had to get settled back in, plus prepare for California by packing up our things and equipping our car. Getting settled back in meant cracking out the winter clothes, and getting the girls used to the onerous task of donning it all. Fortunately, it didn't stop happy Tivona singing and dancing as she prepared to go out (outside has always been exciting for her), as you can see in this 30s special-moment video.



Tiva sings and dances in her snowsuit

If you're especially keen on seeing the girls in action, you'll get a kick out of these hyperlinked videos--a 91s everyday-life video of Kai talking with Taya about what Grandpa likes to do (definitely funny if you know Nanna and Grandpa/Penny and Ricky); and a 44s everyday-life video of Kai and T'n'T singing "If you're tired and you know it". And the 25s special-moment video below, of Ljuba playing chase with Taya and a newly-mobile Tivona, is worth a smile.



T'n'T and Mama chasing each other at Trout Lake

Coming home meant returning to Dada's breakfasts with the girls in their chairs, in our kitchen. You can see a slice of that in the 32s everyday-life video below, where Tivona manipulates her bib to find the puffs hiding underneath.



Tiva holds her bib to find her puffs

Both Taya and Tivona are becoming more and more obviously conversationalists. Taya quite routinely cracks us up with her speech, which sounds way beyond her years. For example, when I engaged Taya to help make the Xmas apple cake (Mum's recipe):

TS: I'm done cutting these apples.

KC: Oh, how about these? That leaves lots for me; can you cut these two more?

TS: OK--I can cut these two. Then I'll be done, OK?

KC: OK. But that still leaves lots for me. (Hoping she'll volunteer to do more.)

TS: No, you can cut these apples. One, two, three, four, five. You can cut five apples. I know you can. You're good at cutting. (Taking a huge page out of Daddy and Mommy's book with the tactical praise.) I need to make a cake for my toys. They told me they want a persimmon cake, so I have to cut persimmons.

And in the 41s special-moment video below, you can see Tivona conversing on the phone while lounging on the abandoned couch Ljuba adopted for the girls.



Tivona lounges and talks on the phone

Although we had decided that a small station wagon was big enough for the vast majority of our purposes, we knew that it meant that we'd need to install some racks for this trip. We actually decided we needed both a roof rack for a box and a hitch rack for the bikes. All this equipment was of course not cheap. It merited a photo, but the time was so hectic that we forgot to document this part of our lives.

Coming home also meant being reunited with our shower. For Taya, that was almost always a very happy place. Tivona, however, was deathly afraid of our shower for a while, or at least being there without Mama. But as you'll see in this 27s special-moment video of Kai and Tiva scrubbing each other, that fear was left somewhere over the ocean. (Don't worry, KC took great pains to edit this to be PG-13 after Ljuba tried to sneak in some gratuitous nudity. You know her!)



Tivona showers with Dada

Before we knew it, it was Christmas time. Ljuba and I really struggle with Christmas for several reasons, including that we want to make a Christmas tradition that has very little to do with consumerism, but we feel pulled in that direction by a multitude of powerful forces. Including Taya, who now has an absolute obsession with gifts. She's forever making presents for her toys. Anyway, we did go modest, as you can see with the stockings,



and our absolutely micro Xmas tree(s).



Inside the stockings were a variety of fun things, but mostly it was what any other child would likely consider filler: tangerines, roasted seaweed, and dark chocolate. Not so our girls, as you can see from Tiva enjoying her chocolate.



And here's Taya inspecting one of her stocking gifts.



They were actually so excited by having the first few things that we managed to spread Xmas gifts out over four days--mostly because they were so overwhelmed by the very few things that we did give them that they forgot to ask about anything else. And we weren't going to force it! On the 24th we had a Skype call with the Chan clan and opened one gift, on the 25th they had their stockings, on the 26th they had their gifts from us, and on the 27th they opened the wonderful care package from the Chan clan (in the background of the photo below). Actually, I think they also had a wonderful package from Tony and Elisa on the 28th--so five days! They were Xmas-happy the whole time.



And then it was time for the big pack-up for California. But the culmination of that crazy story is part of another year, and another blog post! ;)

Adventures Down Under (NZ)

We had a bit of an epic day travelling to NZ: We woke the girls up ~5:30am Brisbane time for our three-hour flight. We then had to pass through customs (major ordeal with all the food we had from Oz), get the rental car, groceries, and do a 3.5 hr drive to catch a car ferry that stopped at 9:50pm. That might not sound epic, but for a baby who until weeks before screamed every car ride longer than 20 min, it was quite a challenge. We initially thought we’d have tons of time to make the ferry, but actually we didn’t get there until after 9pm (even with me driving 20+km over the speed limit in a new car on the wrong side of the road on windy then dark country roads), and then we still had to get into the house and arrange it. Even getting in was an ordeal, because the rental managers gave us the wrong code for the lockbox. So the girls were in bed after almost 11pm NZ time, well late for them even by Brisbane time! But then we were in Russell (Bay of Islands), a gorgeous, picturesque, and peaceful seaside town in the North of the North Island.

Here are the girls, playing around a sculpture at the top of a look-out overlooking Russell. This was right around the time when Tiva started walking confidently on her own. Once she started, she didn't look back.



As we travelled more, we became more of a team. The plane trip down to Australia was pretty rough, just as expected, but we anticipated that it would become easier as we went along. And it did. For example, when Tivona was having trouble one day because she was too tired, Taya told her, "Tiva, when I get tired, I just rest my head and close my eyes and go to sleep. You look tired. You should just rest your head and close your eyes and go to sleep." And here Taya and Ljuba help Tivona climb a statue at Russell, NZ.



The cottage (Chapel Cottage) we stayed at was wonderful in Russell. We splurged a bit, but we'd love to go back! Here's Taya playing inside, teaching Ariana how to do upward dog.



We explored the beaches around Russell. They were picturesque, but after the Aussie beaches and the Queensland weather, given that we got overcast and rainy weather in the Bay of Islands, we weren't inspired to swim.



I had bemoaned how we hadn't got Tiva out into nature the way we had with Taya, and how that meant that Tivona just wasn't as comfortable doing 'bush pees' as Nanna calls them. Well, this trip was good training, and now we have two bush-pee-ers. (Every time I look at this pic I think how much I look like my brother Chee there.)



Because of the rainy weather, we don't have tons of photos from the Bay of Islands. After a nevertheless-wonderful three day visit, we drove down to Arches farmstead near Parua Bay, just East of Whangarei. The weather had cleared up by then, enough that it made the photos worthwhile and inspired me to dip into the ocean. Because I didn't have trunks handy (and you can imagine how fully packed our car was), you won't see pics of that adventure. The girls were inspired to join me, and we've got a bunch of fun pics of them, too, but nothing decent enough for the blog. Here's the gorgeous spot, though!



And here are our girls, enjoying it.



The weather wasn't super the next day, either. Actually, it poured. But we were determined not to let the weather prevent us from getting out. Ljuba and I love the NZ geography, so we were going to go see it, even if it drenched us. OK, that was my attitude. Lj's was 'even if we have to spend hours bundling up the girls so they barely feel a sprinkle'. Turns out that was impossible, because the rain was heavy and the wind strong.



Everyone was fine to start, while it was just drizzling.



The countryside was gorgeous, so I pushed us on as far as I could while the clouds loomed behind. I wanted to make it over the other side of this peak and back, but unfortunately the cloud burst and soaked us. We stopped for lunch under dense-canopied tree, and then we walked and ran back while the wind howled in our faces. Taya was losing it, but she loves stories, so I jumped into stories of my family hiking when we were young. Like the time when Auntie Soo did a ten-km hike near Jasper when she was barely three years old, and we saw an avalanche at the top. And the time that same summer in Alberta when we hiked around a lake in shorts and short-sleeves, with dark clouds looming. Mum/Nanna said, "Well, if it rains, we get wet." Of course, when those clouds burst they emptied hailstones the size of marbles, which soon coated the trail and the forest floor. I remember running the long way back to the car, having Mum/Nanna switch piggybacking Chee and I while Dad/Grandpa carried Soo, only to have my hands so numb I couldn't open the car door. These stories made Taya much happier in our own private adventure.



The Arches lodge (farm-stay) was a wonderful place to hole up in lousy weather. Ada took us out one day, and showed us how to call to the two friendly sheep who actually come greet people, even bringing their lambs. It was so memorable, charming Kiwi Ada hollering to her sheep that to this day, Tivona and Taya both imitate her, "HAAAY-lee! HAAAY-lee! MAAAA-ma! MAAAA-ma! Where are ya girl?" Since one of the two friendly sheep's names was 'Mama', T'n'T now like to do it to get Ljuba's attention. Here's the paddock beside the wonderful big farmhouse we stayed in.



Of course we didn't make sophisticated meals while we were away. We did, however, still eat well. And the girls still had their treats--or at least one of the two kinds they get. You know, a tiny corner of dark chocolate (we didn't find a good source of dried seaweed). It's amazing how excited they can get for those. At first we occasionally tried to eat chocolate without them, but it's pretty tough. Once, after I surreptitiously passed Lj a square of chocolate and she popped it in her mouth without the girls seeing, Taya exclaimed "I smell chocolate! Can I have some chocolate, please? I want some chocolate!" Tiva: "Coc-co-la! Coc-co-la!" After that we just give them a tiny morsel, and they're appeased.

Before we knew it, the vacation part of our NZ trip was over, and we were off to Auckland for my conference. It was hard for me to switch gears, and hard for me to split my time between the conference and all its associated activities and Ljuba and the girls (who don't usually come on work trips with me). In this 42s special-moment video, Tivona shows more of an interest in going than I did. Since Ljuba was on her own with the girls most of them time, we don't have many photos or videos, but here's a 64s everyday-life video of the girls collecting flowers and Tiva feeding herself.



Tivona and Taya collect flowers, Tiva feeds herself

Ljuba took them to an Underwater World centre, where the girls got to stand in a model shark mouth,



and watch penguins swimming (in this 38s special-moment video; more of the penguins than the girls).



Penguins swimming in an Underwater World

And on the last day of our trip, after the conference was done, we all explored the city a bit. In the 35s everyday-life video below the girls drive on a play car.



Tivona and Taya driving a playground car

And then it was time to say goodbye to Auckland, from the taxi (this 27s special-moment video). Thanks for the wonderful trip, New Zealand!



Bye-bye, Auckland!