Newly-four Norah!

My baby is four. And to me, she looks like she's going on ten. She famously told me yesterday that she has now officially outgrown my small car. She feels bigger, and check her out: she is big. Big and four.

Yesterday she didn't want me to take pictures early, but I gave it a try anyways. Here she is ready for school. In Guyana, the tradition is to bring treats to school for your classmates on your birthday. So here she is with her basket of cookies:



Despite the pout in the last photo, she really did have a great, great day. Here she is hamming it up for some birthday portraits in the yard:



Mango climber!



Present time! The favorites (ie, those that caused the most fights) were: the tent



The giant ladybug pillow from Aunt Bridget and Uncle Louis



And the big girl bike! Portrait of a four year-old and a (nearly) two-year old who wants a turn:



With Norah always the obliging sister, Kata gets her go.



And she's back! Birthday girl pedals away.



Don't forget the cake...Yes, those are plastic flowers atop N's cake. I asked for icing roses on the top and got this response: "the cake decorator said we're out of those." Huh? Oh, Guyana...never a dull moment.



It's official! Norah is four years old!



In just a few hours, we're off to the local pizza restaurant and playspace for the big fairy birthday bash with her friends. So certainly more pictures to come this weekend!

Happy St. Daddy's Day!

Guyana Girls are always up for any holiday, especially if it involves sparkly jewelry and a dress code. We love St. Patrick's Day!

Norah also decided this morning that she wanted to wear Dad's socks like tights. Makes for an interesting Irishwoman.



Kata reading the punchline in her St. P's Day card.



Checking out the shamrock lights. Thanks again, Aunt Bridget and Uncle Louis! You are the Holiday Heroes!!!

A Big Henry Thank You!!

The girls just received the most fantastic holiday package from the Henrys yesterday! Baba and Zedal sent the girls lots of loot from their recent trip to New Orleans, and Bridget and Louis sent them Mardi Gras beads and many more fabulous goodies for the coming spring holidays. Thank you so very much to our families that keep these girls in touch with their American side!

Norah gets a glimpse of herself as Queen of Mardi Gras, and likes what she sees!



Kata needs a minute to take it all in...



...but then it quickly erupts into a kitchen dance party.



I wish you could hear the Soul Calypso music in my house at this moment. (Stella wishes she had a mask, too, I am sure.)



Norah and Kata found that their Mardi Gras beads (and tiara) were the perfect compliment to their morning dress-up routine.



More pictures to come as we give out more contents of the magic box over the coming weeks. Thanks again, Henry/Rays!

After the rains

Our yard has dried up (which actually happens really quickly once the hot sun comes back out) and the debris has been cleared. That means the girls were more than ready for some quality time with the out of doors. I brought the camera out for our first at-home outing since the flood.

Norah with some of our yard art-- it is really a dried piece of a nearby palm tree.



Sandbox birthday party.



There was an incident involving a pink spoon in the sandbox. This is the resulting pout.



All better.



Flowers!



One of my two favorite faces in the world.

Flood, Part Two (ugh.)

The rain just keeps coming...Tuesday night it rained monsoon-style overnight, and we woke Wednesday morning to high waters all around our house again. We started placing the sand bags around the doors, and even putting towels down as water started to slowly seep in. Sharon bailed water furiously, until we all realized it was going to come in regardless, and I packed a bag and left the house with the girls. Sharon and Patrick stayed until late afternoon moving furniture upstairs and on wood pallets.

Before we abandoned ship, Norah and Kata played wonderfully while Patrick and I tried to save the house. Here they are in the "mouse hole" they made behind the couch:



We spent the night with generous friends, and came home Thursday morning to several inches of water throughout the downstairs. Our landlord's workers pumped out most of the water, and swept (and shoveled) what the pump couldn't get. I brought the girls back home in the afternoon once everything had been cleaned.

Here's the front door:



And the back:



Norah is giving scale to the water mark by our gate. The water would have been past her knees.



It really was fortunate how quickly the water left once the rain stopped. By Friday we were able to play outside again, and went down to check on the clean-up process at Norah's school. The girls were soooo happy to be outside!



Noah's ark 2012!



Silly, silly scream contest



The aftermath. Rain, rain, go away!