Little Aussies

Little by little, our girls are becoming Aussie-fied.

Ellie is picking it up at school from the other kids. One of her best friends sings with a volume and intensity that is unmatched, and Ellie usually sits next to her at song time. This means Ellie learns songs from her friend rather than the teacher. Funnier still is this friend has a child's lisp, so sometimes the versions of songs that come home are quite hysterical. An example that pops to mind is a song they've learned about the months and the seasons. Her version of the chorus sounds something like this (shouted, as her friend does):

SUM-MAH!
AW-TAH!
WIN-TAH!
SPWING!
The seasons change and evwything.

(the last line is usually mumbled with uncertainty about the words)

Stephanie is more taking on the Aussie style in her outfits. She has an extreme aversion to shoes (many Aussies seem to live barefoot), and she has become quite adept at their removal. Now that it's warmer, she also loves to be naked. She'll whack her little belly and announce, "Wanna get out!" (of the shirt/dress/clothes). Her speech mostly comes from me, so there isn't much Aussie in it yet, though we did have a funny moment Sunday walking back from the train station. A lady passed us on the sidewalk with the usual greeting (hello), which our darling little parrot repeated back to her: "Huh-loy!"