this is how my life sounds

I painted the girls' faces last week. Caitlin was a monster, and Lauren was a fairy. In the video, Lauren says, "My name is Lauren the fairy" and Caitlin says, "My name is George the monster". I think Caitlin really wishes she was a boy, because in every game they play, Caitlin is always the daddy/construction worker/race car driver, etc! And her name is usually George!


The girls made these paper masks all by themselves (I helped with the eye and mouth holes) and were quite proud of them! And of course they had to dress up in costume! And then fight each other. And tear each other's mask.


This past Friday night some friends took me out to a traditional Irish pub in downtown Belfast, called Fibber Magee's! It was a little pub, with live "fiddlee dee" music starting at 10:30pm (way past my bedtime!). I tried a Guinness beer (definitely an acquired taste!). The live band was pretty good, and by the time they started to play, the pub was absolutely heaving. It's quite popular with tourists, as it's the place to go for traditional Irish music, which every tourist wants a taste of! We had an interesting incident with a drunk woman, involving a very low cut top being worn without a bra. Rounding out the night was a broken pint glass (beer everywhere) and watching a drunk man fence...without a partner and without a foil. But he was obviously enjoying himself! I guess that way you always win :) This video is of the band at the pub, and you can't really see anything because it was so dark, but just enjoy the sounds of a Belfast pub!

Dave and Gavin, with their pints of Guinness
Louise (Gavin's wife), myself and Sonia (Dave's wife) with our little half pint ("baby") Guinness!

surveys, how i love thee

Several key things people don't know about you?
I rode an ostrich in South Africa. I've shaved my head. I am a romantic.

What are you allergic to?
Overly optimistic people, the feel of velvet, loud music.

Where does your family originate from (if you can trace it)?
Germany/Russia/Holland (so I've been told).

How many languages do you speak fluently, and what are they?
English.

What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?
"Pick you up at 8"

What is your favorite ring on your phone?
Whatever the factory people set it to.

Do you experience "road rage"?
No.

Where were you born?
Killarney, Manitoba

Where did you grow up?
see above.

Any secret admirers?
I hope so.

Are you a religious person?
No, I am a faith person.

How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None, although I do have hundreds of digital photos on my laptop.

What is the last book you read?
"The Officer's Daughter" by Zina Rohan

Do you know how to whistle?
Barely. I'm no Traci Quiring (world's best whistler).

What do you buy at the movies?
A ticket, sometimes a Coke and popcorn.

Do you know how to play poker?
No.

Do you wear your seatbelt?
Always.

What do you wear to sleep?
Capri pant pajama bottoms and a tank top.

Is your hair straight or curly?
Curly and gorgeous. If I do say so myself.

Have you ever been in love?
Do ebony skinned babies count?

What is your favourite restaurant where you reside?
At the moment I "reside" in Northern Ireland and I love the place where we get chicken curry and rice from.

Do you Work Out, and if so, how often?
Yes. 4 times a week.

Biggest misconception people have about you?
Don't know what other people think of me.

Are you competitive?
Not so much.

Favorite sport to watch?
Diving, volleyball, synchronized swimming (is that a sport?),gymnastics...basically the Summer Olympics.

What things make you roll your eyes?
People who do things differently than I do. Because I think I'm always right. And people who don't have any common sense.

Innie or Outie?
Innie

FAVORITES:

Gum?
Cinnamon.

Letter?
Can't say I have one.

Animal?
Weiner dogs.

Number?
6

Planet?
Krypton. I love Clark Kent (AKA Superman).

Ice Cream?
Rocky Road. Or a baby Twist cone from the Beach Hut.

Scent?
Vanilla. Home. Rain. BBQ. Sunscreen. The beach. Christmas trees.

Body Part of the Opposite Sex?
Hands.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Vantage Point.

Do doctors or dentists scare you?
No.

What do you usually have for breakfast?
All Bran or Special K Creamy Berry Crunch.

What is your middle name?
Noelle.

What food do you dislike?
Fried mushrooms. Cucumbers. Pork'n'beans.

What kind of car do you drive?
Kia station wagon.

Favorite sandwich?
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki from Subway.

What characteristics do you despise?
Self-centredness, lack of thought/concern for others, loudness, vulgarity, snobbery.

Favorite item of clothing?
My sunglasses. Which I know is not an item of clothing, but they are the one thing I love year after year. I get scared just thinking of them being broken or lost.

What color is your bathroom?
White with bluey/grey stone tile.

Favorite brand of clothing?
If it fits and looks fab, I'll buy it.

What was your most memorable birthday?
13th. Driving in the car home from Lethbridge with Clarke and Mom. I cried. Clarke and Mom sang a made up birthday song for me, which we still sing to this day. Clarke provides percussion/drum beat, Mom belts it. It's awesome.

Furthest place you are sending this?
I'm not sending it anywhere.

Favorite saying?
Pretending I'm a local and using words like "wee", "lovely", "so it is", "grand", "Och", "aye", "Cheerio". Let me give you an example.

"It's a grand wee day outside, so it is."
"Och, aye! Just lovely."
"Cheerio!"

When is your birthday?
August 15.

Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning. I have only discovered this recently. But the fact is, once 10:00 rolls around, I'm useless, and I need to get to bed, pronto.

What is your shoe size?
8

Pets?
None.

What did you want to be when you were little?
Someone's wife. A writer.

What are you today?
Many things...mother-type person, chef, author, story teller extrodinaire, taxi driver, fashion consultant, cleaner, popsicle supplier, technology wizard, international traveler, daughter, sister, cousin, soon to be auntie, friend, photographer, nurse, suntanned goddess, student, poet, survivor, blessed.

What is your favorite candy?
Chocolate covered peanuts/raisins/almonds.

What is your favorite flower?
Tulips, tiger lilies, gerber daisies.

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
May 20 (off to Germany)
June 27 (Mom and Dad come to N. Ireland)
July 7 (saying "Bonjour" to Paris!)
August 10 (Canada bound)

What are you listening to right now?
Missy Higgins, "Where I Stood"

What was the last thing you ate?
Pasta

Do you wish on stars?
No.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Green. Turquoise.

What is your pet peeve?
Annoying laughter. People who don't clean up after themselves. People who are late.

Last time you actually wrote a letter, not an e-mail?
A few weeks ago. And it was more of a post card.

Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My dad.

Favorite soft drink?
Coke.

Favorite restaurant?
The Beach Hut.

Hair Color?
Dark brown.

Siblings?
1 Bro, 1 Sis.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
The first thing that came to mind was one of those blow up clowns with a weight at the bottom, and you punched it and it bobbed right back up. We got one for Christmas when we were just kids, and I think Clarke punched it once and it stayed down, permanently. So I guess that doesn't really answer the question.

Summer or Winter?
Summer all the way.

Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate.

When was the last time you cried?
Today.

What is under your bed?
Nothing.

Who is the friend you've had longest?
I've know many of my friend since I was a baby.

What did you do last night?
Went to cell group.

What are you afraid of?
Rejection. Embarrassment. Being alone. Being unfulfilled. Taking the wrong path. Snakes.

How many keys on your key ring?
Four. Plus one garage door opener button thing.

Favorite day of the week?
Thursday.

How many towns have you lived in?
Four. Killarney. Hepburn. Johannesburg. Belfast.

Do you make friends easily?
Usually.

mayhem at the mini golf!

mini golfing with 4 four year olds and 1 two year old does indeed equal mayhem!
and a whole lot of fun.

the first day of may...

here it is, may! my favorite month.
the weather is starting to warm up, and the girls and i go outside and laze about in the sun. they run around picking dandylions and getting on and off the trampoline. they put on routines and shows for me, doing tricks and tumbles they've learned in gymnastics. we go out for ice cream and leave with sticky hands and sprinkles sticking to our faces! (not so much me, of course!)
when i'm not with the girls, i try to see friends from church...going for lunch, out for breakfast, shopping for shoes. my friends who took me out for breakfast were quite impressed with themselves because the cafe where we went offered real maple syrup with their (store bought) pancakes! and indeed, it was a real treat...Aunt Jemima is not something commonly found on the grocery store shelf. it was nice to have a little taste of home...funny how something as simple as maple syrup can make you long for all things Canadian!
last week i had some friends over for dinner! i made them Sloppy Joes, something they haven't heard about, and something i've been promising them for a while now! the elegant meal that is Sloppy Joes was a huge hit, as was the strawberry cheesecake (gran's recipe) that i made for dessert. it was a gift for me to be able to show some hospitality for once...since i've been here it's been other people making me feel welcome, it was a wonderful feeling to be able to do the same.
life in Northern Ireland continues to be an experience. time has flown by...it feels like i blinked in November and when i opened my eyes again, it was May. it is both scary and relieving to know that my time here is going by so quickly. on the days where the girls are driving me crazy, i am SO happy that it is already May! but on the days where i am having fun and the girls and i are enjoying each other, or i'm with friends, or when i'm driving along, and seeing lush green pasture that can only be found in Ireland...then i get a bit scared. a bit nervous. then i try to hold onto each second and make it last as long as i can. but the clock continues to tick on.


for those of you who wish to see my beautiful face...

chops the lamb

this past week the girls have been on their easter break from nursery, so we have been trying to do some fun things during their days off! on wednesday we went to the cinema with their little friend reuben and his mum caroline. we saw "Horton Hears a Who", which was absolutely fabulous! the girls loved it and so did i!! after the movie, we went back to caroline's house to see their little baby lamb, aptly named "chops"!! he is the cutest little lamb ever, and the girls liked chasing him around the garden!
the girls all ready to head to the movies!
chops the lamb!
a hungry little lamb
lauren, caitlin and their friend reuben, with chops the lamb.

next wednesday i am headed to london! i am so excited to be meeting up with my friends donovan and traci letkeman, who are starting their 3 1/2 month european adventure in london! we'll be there for 4 days, and we'll be staying with my friend mark, who lives in london, but who i met in south africa. the 3 of us are really excited to get shown around london by a true londoner! we are planning to see "The Lion King" musical in london, which is supposed to be superb, so i am very excited to see it!

some other very exciting news....i am going to be an auntie!! clarke and alison are expecting their first baby at the beginning of october! they are both very excited, and so is the rest of my family!

leprechauns and easter bunnies

this was probably the one and only time i got to experience St Patrick's Day in Ireland!!! i went into Belfast with some friends to watch the St Pat's Parade, which was actually a disappointment...no huge floats, just a lot of random clubs/groups banging drums! and of course, the required "gay pride" floats! but the atmosphere was really fun and exciting...a lot of Ireland supporters with the Irish flag blowing whistles, tooting horns and yelling!


some random Ireland supporters posing for my picture!!
one of the better floats of the parade...

this past week i also dyed easter eggs with the girls, something they had never done! they only have brown eggs here, so the dye didn't take quite as well, but the girls still really enjoyed themselves and i think our finished product was quite good! caitlin had a bit of a hard time understanding that we couldn't keep the eggs until next easter, as they would go bad long before that! i am glad i could share this easter tradition with them! and of course a huge thank you to erica for sending me the egg dying kit from BC!

caitlin and lauren with our dyed easter eggs!
the finished product: dyed easter eggs, complete with cardboard chick!!!
the girls and i!

events #1, 2 and 3

EVENT #1
March 8 & 9
Ballintoy, Northern Ireland
the ladies from my home group and i were at a B&B in Ballintoy, on the northern coast of Ireland. it was absolutely stunning. one of the highlights of the weekend was our fashion show! we were talking about body shapes, and each group had to choose a model (me!) and the rest of the group had to design an outfit that would best suit the model's body shape (mine is the hourglass). the outfit was made out of garbage bags/paper/string, etc! it was quite the event! we had a catwalk and we had to walk up and down and pose, and everyone cheered for the one they thought should win! i didn't win, but not for lack of trying! i was strutting my stuff like no one's business.
sorry this picture isn't bigger...it was emailed to me from the girl who took it, and i can't get it any larger.




EVENT #2
March 14
Glengormley, Northern Ireland
i went to a "ceilidh" with some girls from home group. a ceilidh (pronounced "keylee" i think!) is a dance! not the kind with flashing lights and pop music. thank goodness. this was a dance in a presbyterian church, a fund raiser for a team going to japan in summer. there was an old man on a keyboard and a middle aged woman with the microphone calling out the steps! so the dancing was more structured routines rather than hip-hop be-bopping, which is what i had thought it was going to be! i excelled at the dances (seeing as i spent most of my childhood summers performing routines!) and had a truly fabulous time! no one really knew what they were doing, and everyone was having fun and just going along with it! one game we played (oh yes! there were games as well!) was the hat game. everyone got a hat, and we formed a circle. as we walked around, the lady with the microphone would take people's hats off them; they in turn had to take the hat off the person in front of them, and so on. if you were caught without a hat when the music stopped, you were out! it was especially hilarious to watch the grown men tearing around the gym in ladies hats, trying to snatch them off one another! they also served a "supper" at around 9:00pm...little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, chips, dainties, and apple pie! with very tasteless whipped cream...blech. the evening was really fun and i am so glad i could experience a ceilidh.


Helen, Bev, Maxine, Sonia, Claire

Claire and I in our hats! (the man handing them out had given me a hat, then looked at me, took it back and proceeded to give me this huge honker of a white hat! not sure what his criteria was for handing out hats! maybe i looked canadian and therefore needed a hat befitting to my country!)

EVENT #3
March 15
i got a haircut! most importantly, i got bangs! finally! i've wanted them for years and have finally taken the plunge! i think i'm ready for the responsibility of them...straightening them and fussing about with them! yep, i think i like it!

2 irish girls + 1 canadian nanny = 3 funny stories

1)
WHO: caitlin and lauren
WHERE: kitchen table
WHAT: coloring

L: caitlin, how are you coloring so fast?
C: i don't know. i just am.
L: did you ask God to help you color fast?
C: yeah.
L: (puts her crayon down, folds her hands, looks up at the ceiling and whispers....) God, make me color as fast as caitlin...(proceeds to color furiously, her prayer answered!)

2)
WHO: caitlin and leah
WHERE: living room
WHAT: watching "the little mermaid" on tv

C: what are those? (pointing to ariel's seashell bra on tv)
L: (stares at caitlin for a minute, my mind desperately trying to think of what to say)...um....
C: my mummy has one of those.
L: really?!
C: what are they for?
L: um...when you get to be a big girl....
C: and you get those bumps on your chest?
L: yes.
C: do you have any bumps? oh yes! there they are! do i have any? (looks down her shirt)...mine are growing inside me....(comes to sit on my lap, proceeds to look down my shirt)....
L: caitlin! don't look there!
C: i was only having a peek!

3)
WHO: caitlin
WHERE: in the car, driving to nursery, in a traffic jam
WHAT: caitlin talking on her pretend mobile phone

background info: caitlin often pretends she has to go "work" with her co-worker "george". sometimes she worked construction, sometimes at santa's workshop (popular during christmas) or on an airplane, etc!

C: leah, are we in a traffic jam?
L: yes. it might take us a while to get to nursery.
C: i'm gonna be late for work. better call george...(talks in a deep voice!...)george...um...yeah...i'm gonna be late. in a traffic jam. yep. are you there yet? i'll be late. ok. bye.
L: what did george say?
C: he's in a traffic jam too! now who's gonna work?? oh man.

just a routine eye exam

this afternoon the girls wanted to play Eye Doctor. naturally, i was the eye doctor and the girls were my patients!

first of all, the girls had to present themselves at the front desk with their names. i think they were really nervous because they didn't seem to know their names...then i had them wait in the waiting area until it was time for their appointments.




first of all, i took a brief history, asking them their age, where they live, what school they go to, what their favorite colour is, etc. i wrote it all down in their file! then the eye exam began! i found several tools to use during the exam lurking around the girls' playroom.



first was reading the eye charts. they couldn't read the alphabet (is this normal for a 4 year old?) so i used pictures instead. i had them look through binoculars and a telescope to test their eyes..."is this better, 1, or 2?"



then of course i had to administer some (fake) eye drops and check their eyes again. i decided they needed glasses! they had 3 pairs to choose from. i made sure the pair they chose fit well behind their ears and adjusted them accordingly.



then they came back to the front desk to pay for their glasses and sign their name.



then of course i was the patient and it was quite a painful experience, as several different pairs of glasses were shoved and pressed onto my face in quick succession. i hardly had time to read the eye charts before they were dropped onto the floor, ready to move onto the next thing! quite a whirlwind appointment, i must say! and i had to hold a doll the whole time, as this was my baby!

i think i'm set until my next eye appointment! how could i not be, with such skilled doctors looking after me???

on a completely different note...some firemen visited the girls' nursery school today and they got these paper masks to bring home, which the girls insisted on wearing out to the shops with me. yup, just me and a couple of firefighters!

things i saw today...

things i saw today....
1. a woman getting onto one of those heart rate/body weight/body fat/health indicator machines outside of a pharmacy. you know the ones...you have to put a coin in and it will tell you how fat you are, how fit you are, if your heart is beating, etc. i have never understood those machines and what's more, i've never understood the people who get on them. i looked on in horror.
2. a grown man, dressed in a suit and tie, playing one of those "claw" games...put in a coin, maneuver the claw, try and win a stuffed animal. again, why? and he was all alone. made the whole situation seem even more desperate and sad.
3. a young boy walking home from school, talking, smiling, making hand gestures. he was walking by himself.
4. a woman at the grocery store buying several cases of vodka. must be the weekend...
5. a man, talking on his cell phone to his wife, describing handbags. topics included color, size, handle/strap length, material. what kind of women sends her husband to buy her a purse???

what did you see today?

saturday

this morning i went into Belfast with some girls from my home group. it was nice. we went to a very funky coffee house called "Avoca". my girl cousins would like it. julie, think "lady of the lake" and "the station", but more mass produced. still very fun to browse. i saw a coat there for almost $400. it was nice. i didn't buy it.

then i went out for lunch with joanne (the twins' mom).
it was kind of a fancy place. i felt out of my league.
the food was served all stacked up high, like in the movies.
i took a stab in the dark and ordered "spring onion frittata with smoked salmon and garlic prawns". i didn't know that a frittata was eggs. i don't like eggs. but, i actually really enjoyed this. i felt very cultured after eating this fancy meal. here is a picture. joanne was embarrassed when i whipped out my camera to take a picture. she pretended i was a food critic for a newspaper. i pretended too.



after lunch, joanne and i went to IKEA. it was fun. we were there for hours. i bought a cheese grater.

when we got home, lauren was dressed up like this....



it was a nice saturday.

alvin and the chipmunks invade belfast!!!

on thursday i took the girls to the cinema to see "alvin and the chipmunks"! reuben, the girls friend from nursery school, and his mum, caroline (my walking partner), also came! we had such fun...popcorn, chocolate, coke, the works. the movie was, of course, incredibly cheesy, but had some funny moments. the girls seemed to enjoy it and didn't even ask when it was over, which is always a sign of success!!!


caitlin, caroline and reuben, waitin for the movie to start!


eating popcorn until your stomach hurts, hooray!


caroline and her son reuben.

leah in cartoon motion

lauren painted this oh so lovely picture of our little family (minus herself and plus her little cousin lily) at nursery school the other day. as usual, she has painted me with a copious amount of brown hair! i love how children see the world.

a feast for the eyes (and ears!)

setting up the Christmas tree!


Caitlin and Lauren being gorgeous! Caitlin in the green shirt, Lauren in the brown.


the girls and i having some fun with the camera.


Caitlin and Lauren playing "Twister" and doing some puzzles.


a night in Belfast at the Continental Market with Louise and Claire! Stalls at the market featured food, drinks, and crafts. There is a "Belfast Eye" set up in the grounds of the Town Hall, and there were Christmas lights everywhere! It felt very British for some reason, and I felt like I was on "Merry Christmas Mr Bean"!!


Caitlin and Lauren singing "Away in a Manger" - a song they've learnt this year at nursery school. i've had to teach Lauren that Jesus is actually a HE not a HER, as you will notice her confusion in the song! if you don't notice it, she's singing "lay down HER sweet head".

december already?

oh how time flies! i can't believe it's december already. i'm so excited; in 20 days i'll be jumping onto a plane and coming home! there are many things to do between now and then, though...christmas is a busy time of year around the world!

caitlin and lauren have a christmas "show" on Dec 17, and i'm excited to go and see what they've been practicing at nursery school. i have been privy to some song rehearsals here at home, and they are so cute trying to remember the actions and words to their new songs. many of the christmas songs talk about Baby Jesus, and the girls are full of questions about Him and the christmas story, as they've never heard it before. i have bought them a children's bible for christmas which should be well received. i'm also pleased to announce that i'm taking the girls to sunday school tomorrow! neil and joanne have said it's alright as long as the girls want to go, so hopefully they will still be in the mood come tomorrow morning.

last night i was at a Pampered Chef party, put on by a girl from my home group. it wasn't all that different from a Canadian Pampered Chef party...same gadgets and all. an interesting point of the evening was when the Pampered Chef rep referred to dried cranberries as an "American" food. i really had to laugh. apparently dried cranberries are quite hard to find and often found in the "World Food" aisle of the grocery store.

on thursday i'm going to the Belfast Market, which is on every year for the month of December. people from all over Europe come to set up their stalls and sell food, crafts, jewellery, etc. it's supposed to be quite the fun time!

other than that, life is fairly normal. it rains and rains here. and it's still only +6 outside! it gets dark at around 4:00pm.

random pictures

girls at the zoo. L - Lauren, R - Caitlin



the girls at the zoo


new friends! judith, claire, louise.

funny story

another funny story:
caitlin and lauren often discuss who will sit where at the dinner table. last night they could not decide who would sit where, and caitin was adamant that i sit at the end of the table, but lauren didn't want that at all. caitlin was crying, yelling, stomping her feet (really going at it) and, trying to make lauren and her dad take her seriously, cries out passionately, "this is coming from my heart!" with her little fist clenched over her heart. neil and i almost burst out laughing, as this little girl tried her best to get us to listen to reason. in the end, we all sat where we normally sit...still, a good effort was made!

another funny story

funny story:
caitlin and lauren were arguing over a foot pump (like the kind you'd blow a dingy up with) - don't ask me why this was in house, but they quite enjoy playing it with...pretending to blow up the furniture, etc. they both wanted to play with it and were having a tug-of-war. all of a sudden i hear caitlin...

caitlin: "lauren. remember what we are."
lauren: "what?"
caitlin: "good friends. now don't snatch that from me."

i just love it.

rugby, ratatouille, relief

despite the lack of new posts on this blog, things have been happening, and life is still being lived.

1) i went to a rugby game on friday night, between 2 irish teams. it was pretty intense. if you've ever watched rugby, you will know it is a wild, barbaric kind of sport. far more violent than american football, and the players wear no padding at all. people here are very loyal to their teams (in this case, Ulster) and when there is a win, all supporters of that team jump onto the pitch in an excited frenzy.


the girls enjoying breakfast in their pajamas.

2) caitlin and lauren have this week off of nursery, so i have been trying to keep us busy. today we went to a movie, ratatouille, which was 2 hours long (what were they thinking? no child can sit for that long). but still, it filled the afternoon and the girls seemed to think it was okay. i think a trip to the zoo tomorrow is in order.

3) last night some people invited me to their house for dinner, along with some other randoms. we didn't eat until 7:30 (normal here) and then started watching a movie about some South African farmer/preacher at around 9:30. i didn't get home until midnight, because i had caught a ride with someone else. the movie was a christian movie, and all i could think was "please, god, let it end". probably not the best attitude. it was a relief when it was finally over.


the girls all dressed up for the Pumpkin Party at their nursery school.

4) i have found a website where i can watch current seasons of american tv shows online. i am really enjoying being able to watch america's next top model and the office. any other suggestions of what is good this fall? i don't even know what shows have started.

5) i got a spray tan last week! i met a girl through church who is a consultant for Temple Spa (a skincare company) and she has a spray tan booth in her house, which is right here in ballynure, where i live. it only lasts about a week or so, but having a tan always makes one look and feel better!


the girls enjoying some cupcakes (or buns, as they call them, which can refer to cupcakes, muffins, rice krispie cake, etc). L- Caitlin; R- Lauren

6) joanne (the twins' mom) and i joined Slimming World, a weight loss program in the UK. we went last thursday to get weighed in and will go each thursday. so far the eating program is not too hard and i think manageable. the other ladies at the meeting had all lost weight, so i think if you stick to it, it will work, so i am eager to get to it and see if i can shed some serious fat.

radical thinking

i just finished the most incredible conversation with caitlin - one of the little girls i nanny for. we were just having some quiet time before dinner; i was reading, lauren was upstairs coloring a picture, and caitlin was looking at a picture book. it had been quiet for about 15 minutes, and all of a sudden caitlin starts telling me that she thinks her Nanny White (her great-grandma) is going to die soon, as she is very old, and old people should never eat sweets. and then she tells me that she is going to die before me, but that when i get to heaven, when i die, it is going to be so much fun! there will be 13 (her fav number) heavens...one where you stand, one where you sit, one with a party, one with a film playing, one with football (soccer), a House Heaven (where houses go when they die, obviously) and a Clothes Heaven. you also have to dress in costume to get into heaven. caitlin said she will dress as a pirate, and i will dress as a fairy. my dad will dress as a tractor. you are not allowed to talk in heaven. "baddies" (bad guys) will also go to heaven, but to the bad heaven, while we will go to the good heaven. there was so much more said, but of course i can't remember it now. she really is the most incredible girl - such wild things come out of her mouth! i love it.