Happy New Year 2011!! Bonne Année 2011!!

Greetings!

In France we have until 31st January to send our new year wishes, so I'm not late...yet :)! We had a very full year, as you can see from the photos in the blog and the FB statuses updates. We have moved again, and will probably move again, so I won't bother you with new addresses for now. Etienne is now in primary school first year and doing well at school, he loves football, painting and music, and iPad and computer games which we are trying hard to ration for him! He has started music lessons this year on top of his judo, and is learning to read both in french and english, a tricky stage ("M, M, ME, Mer-- hey it's a rude word!") Elise is enjoying her second year of kindergarten, she still likes pink and when she grows up she wants to be a princess, she is like a cat always climbing something and hanging upside down somewhere, and her teacher says she's very popular in her class despite being a little "chef", a little boss, telling her schoolfriends to listen to the teacher and not to do naughty things! Emmanuelle is a very cheerful and calm baby, walking toddling babysigning talking and becoming very sure of what she wants especially what she does not want ("NO!!" but then she twinkles her eyes and give a big smile and makes it hard to be angry at her!) She adores her brother and loves playing with her sister, enjoys nursery and getting into mischief at home with mummy. As for Julien and I, we love them to bits, but let's just say getting enough sleep is still a big goal in our lives at the moment :)! We enjoy lots of visitors last year and look forward to more this year, and hope to welcome you in our new house if it gets built in time this summer! So wishing you all an abundant new year too, abundant with love, life and joy, precious relationships, and a renewed sense of the goodness of God, who is the source of our joy and love and life :). Blessings and love,

The still very loud and getting louder still, Trouilloud family :)

FB Status updates Nov-Dec 2010

Kae Cherie Another boy vs. girl scenario: Gave my girl a fried egg sunny-side up. She went, "Oooo... it's pretty!" Gave my boy the same. He (whom I thought calm and peace-loving) stabbed it with his fork several times and went, "There there there, now it's dead hee hee... oooo, look it's bleeding yellow blood!" 27 Jan

Kae Cherie right auntie Tzu-Anne Loh, my three year old is now saying, "Bye see you later alligator crocodile BABOON!" :) 27 Jan

Kae Cherie Research shows that joining a group that meets just once a month produces the same increase in happiness as doubling your income. No wonder I feel so rich :)! 26 Jan

Kae Cherie Learnt today that the more a rat pup is licked and groomed by its mother, the more synaptic connections it has (i.e. the better the brain is wired). Soooo.... if you want smarter kids, hug them more :)! 25 jan

Kae Cherie cooking tip to self: make sure I have all the ingredients needed before setting off on a dish, like, enough lasagne sheets if i'm making lasagne! 22 Jan

Kae Cherie is going to old lyon now to buy stuff from pylones for Mayy Chang with Tzu-Anne Loh and her three monkeys, she has not checked her emails for days, just looked some up just now but has no time to reply, pls bear with me, will get back online maybe friday :)!! 19 Jan

Kae Cherie Had a fruitful shoe shopping afternoon with @Tzu Anne :)! 18 Jan

Kae Cherie sorry to miss church today, toddler down with flu again, but quite happy with her roast duck for lunch with the in-laws, burnt marmalade came in handy for canard a l'orange (sounds better than orange duck)! And looking forward to see Tzu-Anne Loh tomorrow, yippee!! 16 Jan

Kae Cherie When papa exclaimed, "Oh boy...", three year old nearby said to him, "Noooo, it's Oh Girl!"15 Jan

Kae Cherie midday marmalade is not as good an idea as midnight marmalade, i burnt it :(! (Too ambitious me thinks, trying to make jam with three monkeys indoors!) 12 Jan

Kae Cherie and yes one year old's resolutions: 1. Learn to talk, suggested by brother; 2. Eat more, suggested by sister :)!! 12 Jan

Kae Cherie Three year old's new year resolutions: Be strong and grow big!! 11 Jan

Kae Cherie Six year old's new year resolutions: 1) play iPad, 2) play computer, 3) help my sisters, 4) help mummy peel apples (ok he did peel a lot last autumn and winter!), and 5) eat more salt!! (this after Tee Chee Beng and Joe Tee's visit, did one of you say to him you have eaten more salt than he has eaten rice, hence this resolution :p?) 11 Jan

Kae Cherie oh but more importantly, praying and thinking of Cynthia Jeffries and Rosie from our Lyon church off to join the Africa Mercy today :)!! If you're in Applebosch, please look out for them and give them a hug! 7 Jan

Kae Cherie Houston we have a problem: toddler has sprung her cot! 7 Jan

Kae Cherie New Year resolutions: Give more. Want less. Live every moment :). 6 Jan

Kae Cherie thinks toddler may have broken her mischief record today: by 9am, she had shredded bits from six pink toilet rolls from the pack; by 10am, spread bits of playdough that she found in a play drawer all over the kitchen floor; by 11am, reached a carton of milk on the kitchen table and emptied it on the same just-cleaned and vacuumed kitchen floor! A promising start to terrible twos :)! 4 Jan

Kae Cherie has never owned a PDA, nor iPod, nor iPhone, nor Blackberry, nor Mac whatever, but the old years are passed, a new year dawns, for she has been gifted for Christmas an....... iPAD :)!! 2 Jan

Kae Cherie had a feast with her Malaysian Santas, some success (pan-fried foie gras was good), some failure (ask them about the half melting half frozen desert :p), but fun anyway! Now trying to stay awake till midnight, can she do it :)? Blessed New Year everyone! 31 Dec

Kae Cherie is home in Lyon, and thankful that everyone was well during the Paris trip, as now the gastrobug is back in her household, but emmanuelle is better today, so hopefully New Year we will be bug free before the next virus hits! 30 Dec

Kae Cherie is in Paris with her monkeys and Malaysian Santas after a lovely white Christmas. Sacre-Coeur church, Montmartre, Notre-Dame cathedral, Eiffel Tower, the window displays at Blvd Hausmann... I love Paris! 27 Dec

Kae Cherie off to in-laws' for Christmas Eve, merry Christmas everyone :)! 24 Dec

Kae Cherie Malaysian Santas have arrived safely! And they just went off to the Christmas market in Lyon with two of my monkeys :) 23 Dec

Kae Cherie agrees with father-in-law's recommendation for a cold.... a glass of champagne, hics :)! 19 Dec

Kae Cherie is dreaming of a white Christmas.... but first let the Malaysian Santas arrive safely :)!! 18 Dec

Kae Cherie has caught the bug from her baby, who caught it from her big brother, who caught it from her younger sister... now the question is, will daddy be spared :)? 17 Dec

Kae Cherie right, i've put the bib on 17 month old and forgotten to strap her in in her high chair, next thing i know when i turned around, she's taken off her bib, tried to strap herself in, fumbled with the lock, gave up, then tried to put her bib on again over her straps like what usually should happen. What an organised child! 16 Dec

Kae Cherie via Walter Fuhrer What Christmas is about, in case we forget :), love it, hilarious and moving, thanks walter! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWq60oyrHVQ 15 Dec

Kae Cherie six year old says, "Can I call my son julien like papa?" "Err, yes, why, do you like papa's name so much?" "No, but then, if i call 'Julien!', and one says, 'Yes?', I can say, 'No, the other one!', har har har!" 14 Dec

Kae Cherie thinks she should probably get cracking with christmas gifts soon!! 13 Dec

Kae Cherie  "To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour." 7 Dec

Kae Cherie learnt today that the small American cockroach is also known as the German cockroach, except in Germany, where it's known as the French cockroach, except in France, where it's known as the English cockroach :). 6 Dec

Kae Cherie everytime three year old calls her baby sister sister it just tingles her heart :) 3 Dec

Kae Cherie is missing mum and tots morning with Rachel Mougeot Foxwell and Christine During due to the snow....i can smell your cookies from here christine, i will bake some too, we can eat together and sulk together online, ha! Miss you gals (and see you Sunday :))!! 3 Dec

Kae Cherie had a full day yesterday: snow activities, decorating the christmas and baobab tree with the kids (but not yet mr giraffe), then made 3 pots of walnut fig chutney and 8 pots of orange marmalade for the sunday church sale. Named them my midnight marmalade coz it took me till then to finish :)! Vive l'école today! 2 Dec

Kae Cherie just saw someone walk by with a snowboard....!!!! 1 Dec

Kae Cherie Snow photos, done. Snowman/cat/dog/pinocchio (extra long carrot), done. Snowball fight, done. Next on the list: snow sledging!! 1 Dec

Kae Cherie at this rate, we'll be able to build an igloo in the garden tomorrow morning! 30 Nov

Kae Cherie at this rate, we'll be able to build a snowman and have snowball fights in the garden this afternoon :) 30 Nov

Kae Cherie is STILL not poking around the vacuum bag for potential toy pieces, not since she invited a giant millipede to join the clan of spiders there! 29 Nov

Kae Cherie For three year old: winter jacket, checked; scarf, checked; cap, checked; pink snow boots, checked (thank you Christine During :))! 28 Nov

Kae Cherie talk about men and their tools... hubby just came home all excited from his newest purchase: a telescopic magnet. I kid you not. He says it's useful to pick up keys if you drop them in the drain. Of course :) 25 Nov

Kae Cherie says six year old to three year old, "Are you stupid or what?!!" (in his defence, three year old is bugging him and breaking up his lego models). Three year old replies, "What." 23 Nov

Kae Cherie three year old has been playing by herself for the past hour. And she has NOT stopped talking. Throughout. In fact, i think she has been talking since we got home at 11:30am. Talk about renewable biological energy! 22 Nov

Kae Cherie is trying to book tickets online with airasia from Paris to KL....yawnnn.... 21 Nov

Kae Cherie says three year old to six year old, "If you need help, call me, ok?" "Ok, thank you." 20 Nov

Kae Cherie feeling very warm in her five-toe socks, thank you so much Sharon Lau :)!! 19 Nov

Kae Cherie enjoyed watching baby trying to chew sautéd green peas with two and a half teeth :) 18 NOv

Kae Cherie wants to sail on a mercy ship again... now can i volunteer three young kids for this too :)? 17 Nov

Kae Cherie is learning a lot about what school is like just by listening to three year old play at being the teacher (and her dolls her students)! 16 Nov

Kae Cherie is NOT poking around inside the vacuum cleaner bag for potential lego pieces, nope, not since she 'invited' a clan of spiders in there...! 13 Nov

Kae Cherie made 12 little pink cupcakes with three year old for six year old's school bake sale... they were gone within five minutes, and i forgot to take photos! Guess we just have to bake some more :) 12 Nov

Kae Cherie is celebrating for one short sweet night.... an empty ironing basket! 11 Nov

Kae Cherie to three year old, "Come on, quick darling or we won't wait for you!" Three year old replied, "It's okay mummy, i"ll wait for myself!" 10 Nov

Kae Cherie my handphone has been found in Italy, hurrah!! Thank you Christine During you're an angel! 10 Nov

Kae Cherie one tooth loss, one tooth gained :).... and hoorah for number THREE :)! 8 Nov

Kae Cherie has lost her handphone. Chief suspect: chestnut hair dark brown eyes female, 86cm, around 11kg, walks with a toddling gait, last seen emptying victim's handbag (actually a baby changing bag) in a restaurant in Italy... may wail very loudly when confronted. Be warned. 4 Nov

Kae Cherie the tooth fairy visited again last night, now someone really has to sing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth :)!!" 4 Nov

Kae Cherie is feeling very loved, thank you so much for birthday greetings, i had a lovely time in Italy despite the rain, celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and my brother's first visit to Europe, and is very thankful to God for His unconditionnal love and grace! 3 Nov