Advent

This year there's a really special Adventskalendar, because there'll be heaps of people over for Christmas and we don't want to go crazy on presents. Or so we thought. One look under our Christmas tree tells a different story. Oh well, it was fun making the calendar and Zoe is pretty excited every morning.

There's some big fish in Bondi

Her recent school speech on why she's not scared of spiders anymore sure has made Zoe more adventurous...

Getting there on blades

First the scooter, then a bike, now roller blades. Before we know it she'll be driving a car...

Life in a bubble

It's summer holidays and that means keeping the little ones busy during the day. That job will go to Oma when she arrives to help us out in what has become a bit of a January tradition. But for now it's playing in the yard with Joah or Baci from next door - or looking for some fun activities like trying to walk on water in a plastic bubble.

Teething issues

After more than half a dozen false alarms it's now happening: Zoe has a wobbly tooth. And not only that, a new, big tooth is rearing its head, as close observers of the photo will notice. Finally! Zoe was feeling a bit left out among all the wobbly tooth owners in her class. Wonder what the tooth fairy will say.

Sculpture walk in the fog

This year's sculpture walk was every bit as whacky, tacky and crowded as in previous years - but some unusually persistent fog added a special flavour. The big tap was not only zoe's favourite - a day later the Danish royals picked the spot for a rendezvous with paparazzi.

First day of Nippers

Nippers, for the uninitiated, is Australia's way of introducing kids to the fun and perils of beach life. Generations of young Aussies, and their parents, have gone through the arduous Sunday-morning ritual of putting on funny swim caps, lying in the sand and sprinting to some little sticks in the ground. In between they learn a bunch of safety rules like the importance of swimming between the flags. But surely the highlight is the racing. Dunno where Zoe picked up this running style, but it was surprisingly effective.

Meet the official

You may or may not believe it when you see me on this picture, but I have just been elected onto the students' council at school. I am now the official representative of my class and as such get to put in formal requests such as free ice-cream for lunch. Just kidding. But we do have very important meetings where I say what the youngest here at school think. Hope you like my glasses.

Jammin'

Zoe's started playing violin and she's really getting into it. She's got lessons at school, which means she needs to practice regularly at home. Her newly discovered interest has brought Viv back to the guitar, so sometimes now, when we're really lucky, the two join forces for an afternoon jamming session.

Ice on the beach

Only in Bondi: The other day we walked to the beach and to our amazement discovered an ice skating rink. Turned out it was part of the winter festival. Zoe saw the skaters and of course wanted a go. So a couple of days later we turned up in the afternoon, squeezed our feet into the tight boots and stormed onto the ice. Zoe quickly found out that skating is not quite as easy as it seems, and that the ice can give you a wet bum. She was glad there was a barrier or my hand to hang onto, but towards the end of the session she was feeling much more confident. And when we went a second time, at night, she even did a couple of skates on her own. We'll be back next year.

Happy Easter

After successful first weeks of school, it's now Zoe's first-ever school holidays. On the last day of school, kindy and years 1 and 2 organised a hat parade. All the kids turned up in the morning with self-made Easter hats, which they then proudly paraded around. Marking the special occasion 'civilian' garb was permitted. It was a very colourful spectacle. During the Easter break Zoe will be staying mainly at home - Aussie Oma and Opa are coming over - but there's also the possibility of going to holiday care for some special activities and Zoe is booked in for China day...

Lazy Sunday sail

Zoe’s first time out on the sailboat. She’s been pestering us all along and was pretty excited well ahaed of the Sunday tour. It definitely helped that her friend Ari came along in what turned into a fine family sailing afternoon. They spent a large part of the sail chatting at the bow, holding tightly to the railing. Zoe was a tad disappointed she didn’t get to jump off the boat for a swim, but as the pic shows it did get a bit cool in the afternoon. It’s autumn after all. But otherwise it was very exciting - and she never took off those binoculars

I want to ride my bicycle

Zoe has a new bike, a ‘real’ one without trainer wheels, and she’s loving it. We started off doing rounds in the backyard and she got the hang of it very quickly. After half a dozen practices we decided it was time to head down to the playground - and that went well too. Taking the corners is still a bit tricky, as is breaking, but we’ll get there fast, no doubt.

First day of school

Wow, today was Zoe first day at school. Officially kindy, mind you, but still at school, on regular 9am to 3pm hours and in a bona fide uniform. She was excited, proud and a bit anxious - kind of like the parents. In the morning she woke up early, jumped into our bed and hassled us to get up. Only to get the jitters shortly ahead of the big moment. In the end it went smoothly and she stepped into her classroom with a big grin on her face. It was a very hot day, and quite long hours for her (no more naps) so she was pretty pooped went we picked her up in the afternoon. But not too exhausted to conjure up another round of excitement when she heard that at home a real German ‘Schultuete’ filled to the brim with presents was waiting for her.

Go fish

Zoe has turned 5! Already... This year's theme was fishing, inspired by our good friend Stephen's adventures around Sydney Harbour. Luckily the kids were more successful when they cast their rods... Boats were built and decorated, faces were painted and the race was on. It was chaotic and noisy and lots of fun. Like every year the day started off rainy, like every year we considered cancelling and like every year it turned out just fine, not least because of two big tarps, courtesy of Marci, and with the sun making a late appearance.

Too strong

Elevated push-ups - where on earth did she get that from..?

A night at the circus

The circus was in town, and we went, along with Soren and Manou. There were acrobats, magicians, horses and clowns. It was loud and colourful and very spectacular, lasting two and a half hours but no chance of the girls getting bored. Zoe's favourites were the contortionist and some of the acrobats, not least because of their colourful costumes. Ever since she's been practicing her gymnastics.

Ouch!

A balancing act on the small wall in front of our house went terribly wrong: Zoe stepped on the wrong side of the mailbox, it opened, she lost her footing and fell on the jagged, rusty open end. Two big gashes were the result, of which one was so deep that Zoe got her first ride in an ambulance. Luckily the bleeding stopped fairly quickly but the deep wound did need to be cleaned out and stitched up. Zoe was really brave throughout the whole incident. Tears dried very quickly, in the hospital she waited patiently until it was her turn and was surprisingly calm when she was treated - with a little help from some laughing gas. Smiles were back the next day and she was soon proudly showing off her wound and telling the story of her rise in the ambulance.

Singapore slims

On the way back to Australia, we stopped over in Singapore to visit our former neighbours Annie, Tommaso and Lucia, who now has a little brother, Giovanni. Zoe and Lucia hit it off straight away, even though they hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year. Still great friends. Actually they immediately disappeared in Lucia’s room and started the dress-up routine which was to continue over the next two days. This is after one of their bigger efforts. And the pool in the background was Zoe’s other big passion in Singapore. She spent many an hour in the water, and on the last day was even able to swim on her own from one end of the pool to the other.

Tour d'Europe

Six weeks of holidays - hurray. The long flight to Europe was ok; Zoe slept half the time, the rest of us survived bleary-eyed and with cramped legs. And then we were in stinking hot Germany - 37 degrees and no respite in sight. The first week we spent either at the local swimming pool in Esslingen (where I had hung out on the odd summer day, years - ahm, decades - ago) or at the local hospital visiting poor Oma, who has turned into an unfortunate regular this year.

First an operation and then a broken leg, the latter a week before we arrived. She took it in her stride, so to speak, and Zoe did her best to provide some consolation. Next up was a tour of half Europe by car, visiting friends and family in Munich, Innsbruck, Bodensee, Geneva, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt, Brussels (me), Jena (Vivien and Zoe), Bad Neustadt and some other places in between. It sounds like a lot and it was. But it was great seeing everyone, watching Zoe interact with plenty of German kids, start forming whole sentences German and generally having a great time. And we did have nearly three weeks for that. Obviously, Zoe then needed a break from Mama and Papa who she sent to Paris for a long weekend, while she got to stay with Opa and Oma, who was finally back home, albeit on crutches. Good fun, especially Karsperle-Theater and Julius next door. A stopover in Erlangen, several days in Berlin with Tante Irina and a big apartment all to ourselves on the Main in Frankfurt - thanks to Andreas and Karla - and then it was already time to say goodbye to Europe. We’ll be back soon!

First horseride

Girls and horses... At our long weekend in Wollombi Zoe had her first horseride and she loved it. The markets were on and some enterprising young girls had brought their ponies and were offering rides. Zoe took one look and immediately wanted a ride. Admittedly it wasn't a wild bronco but Zoe wasn't the least bit intimidated by sitting the high up and frowned on my offer of joining her in the saddle. I reckon many a horse ride will follow.

Bunk bed

Ever since Zoe saw a bunk bed at her friend Emma's house she's been dreaming of getting her one of her own. Especially after she got to sleep in one a couple of months ago in a holiday house. So we finally gave in and I spent the better part of a Saturday putting together our newest bit of furniture and cursing Ikea. But Zoe was the happiest girl in the street when it was finally done. She loves it, for playing and sleeping, and is as proud as punch. Every visitor now has to come check out her new bunk bed. Have I mentioned I hate Ikea?

Rainy days

It's been raining for days, which is good for Australia but bad for kids used to playing in the backyard or on the playground down the street. Luckily Zoe is pretty good at coming up with lots of new indoor games. But as a true surfer chick even she will get grumpy if there aren't any waves ...

Mein erster deutscher Satz

Zoe tastet sich ganz langsam an die deutsche Sprache heran. Auch wenn sie fast alles versteht, weigert sie sich zumeist beharrlich auf deutsch zu antworten. Doch neulich ueberraschte sie mich mit einem fliessend vorgetragenen "was hast du gesagt?", nachdem ich irgendwas vor mich hin genuschelt hatte. Natuerlich war sie stolz wie Oskar.

Leave me alone, I'm busy

These days it's a race to the phone, Zoe is so eager to answer. Actually, it's not even much of a race as she always gets there first. But she's not much of a talker on the phone, especially if she doesn't know who it is, or if it's Germany calling. She'll usually shout out a ''hello'', add a "good" and will then eagerly hand over the phone to mama or papa. However, she does like pretending she's having a long chat on the phone. And she loves playing with the iphone...

Welcome back

Aww, shucks, how good is it to get a welcome like this after being overseas for two weeks. Plenty of excitement all around, and Zoe didn't budge from my side for two days.

Flyin high

When she grows up, Zoe wants to be:
a) a make-up artist
b) a doctor
c) a cake baker

Constructing chaos

There's a room at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney called ''Zoe's house" and kids can hone their building skills there, wearing a bright builder's vest and a yellow helmet. It's pretty cool.

First photo shoot

Ok, let's turn things around. I'm sick of being constantly harrassed by a parent with a camera in their hands. Look this way, Zoe, stand over there, Zoe, smile, cheese, laugh. What a pain. Even though I do have to say I am quite photogenic... Anyway, Mama gave me her camera and now it was my turn to pester her. She was a decent enough model, doing mostly what I told her. But after a while I thought I'd do some other stuff and went on a rampage in my room. My favourites were - some of the pictures, postcards and photos taped to the wall. Stay tuned, I'm gonna do more of this.

Don't mess with me

Love songs

Zoe loves her music and she loves singing, usually very loudly. It can be Abba, it can be Bruder Jakob - or it can be a self-composed song. This is one of the current favourites:

Skalink-a-dink-a-dink, I love you,

I love you in the morning, and I love you at night

skalink-a-dink-a-dink, I love you.

Maybe she was thinking of little Sebastian (not baby Sebastian anymore...) when she came up with that. He's on the photo just behind her, and when she grows up Zoe wants to marry him. Or Phoenix. Or Garth.

Hunter heat

Oma came for her annual trip to Sydney and we took her on a weekend trip to the Hunter Valley, where we stayed at cozy little B&B called Elfin Hill. Unfortunately we picked the hottest day of the year, with temperatures nudging 40 degrees. It was stifling, but luckily air-condition in the rooms was working and we had a pool with cool water.

Dreaming of mango ice cream

This was on our camping trip to Meroo National Park, south of Ulladulla. Beautiful spot in the forest, next to the beach, pretty quiet. With dolphins playing in the waves right next to us. But it was hot, very hot. Even in the shade.

Happy 2010

Happy new year to everyone out there! Come visit us this decade.
And guess who is likely to get glasses this year...

Rock the boat

How many kids can you fit into an average sized laundry bucket? It looked very squishy, and it must have been very squishy but Zoe and Garth didn't seem to mind. The next time, however, both insisted on separate buckets.

Prima ballerina

Big day - the ballet performance. It was to be the culmination of several weeks of practice, every Saturday morning from 8.45 to 9.30. And Zoe was all gung-ho. Even though I'm not sure if she was more excited about dancing or getting to wear a fancy dress and even a bit of make-up. Yep, we eventually gave in to some lipstick, after all the girls around her got glittered up. On stage Zoe was a great performer, remembering all her steps and moving in time with the music. She wasn't in awe of the crowd - which included Sian, Xavier, Lisi and Gav - and even found time to remind some of the smaller girls of their steps. She was just a bit stingy with her smiles...

Birthday surprise

This year Zoe got a special surprise on her birthday: Opa. He came all the way from Germany to celebrate Zoe's birthday - and his own, which just happens to be on the same day. Merriness all around. Presents in the morning were followed by an excursion to Luna Park in the afternoon and then dinner and cake with Marci. Getting older fast... The big party was a day later and because it was such a roaring success last year Zoe wanted another jumping castle.

Culture shock

This is Zoe's favourite writing and drawing book and as she likes her spelling it's just about full by now. No idea why she chose this specific word, apparently it was a complete coincidence. It's definitely still a coincidence which hand she chooses to guide the pen with, just as she switches between right and left to throw a ball.

Tassie tales

We spent a week in beautiful Tasmania, where you get all kinds of weather from sun to snow, even on one day. You couldn't tell from the first picture, on Bruny Island, but Zoe had already been walking for nearly two hours, with another hour ahead, easily making it her longest hike ever. And there was even some altitude covered, from sea level to 400 metres and back down to 0. There were a couple of complaints, and we did need the occasional distraction ploy but considering she usually whinges if she is supposed to walk the two minutes to the corner store or to the beach, this was a major accomplishment. And boy was she proud afterwards. The next day we built the second snowman of the year, but who would have thought it would be in Australia. There was still a bit of snow on Mt Wellington and Zoe loved every gram she could get her hands on. Until she realised how cold the stuff is.

I can fly

Tearing up the house with Olivia, down in Melbourne.