Hi Everyone – I thought I would write and tell you what I have been doing now that I am growing up.

It has been really hot this month, so mummy fills my paddling pool and we play water fights. I chase mummy around the garden, it is good fun when I throw water from my bucket and her clothes and hair get all wet! She screams because the water is so cold, it makes me (and anyone walking past) laugh.

Many of my friends have been around for the holiday months, December and January. It has been good fun to have John, Shanita, Shadrach, Kabandize and Anthony. We sit on my swing, play football and I sometimes let them push me on my tractor and sometimes I even let my best friends have a turn on my tractor. Shanita had a birthday last week and we made buns with mummy (I really enjoy cooking), then Shanita and I decorated them with icing, coloured shapes and sweets. They tasted soooo good. I even got to lick the bowl and the spoon!

Shadrach had a big sore bit on his leg from when he spilt hot milk on it. My daddy is a doctor so he helped Shadrach. Shadrach sometimes cried when daddy put on the medicine, but I gave Shadrach a sweetie, and mummy let me have one for being a brave boy too. Shadrach’s leg is much better so he can walk again and his mummy is very pleased. She took him away to go to school so we can’t chase the baby cat any more.

The hot weather is drying up the water in our garden. I can still swim in it (with daddy’s help), but soon I will only be able to paddle in it. We take picnics down to the garden and after we have done some digging or wash the car, we have juice, coconut or jack fruit – this is a big fruit that grows in our garden. It needs to be cut open with a panga (a big knife which Daddy says I can’t have until I’m a very big boy), then all our friends sit around and share it all at once. I have fun splashing daddy in the water. Usually water from my paddling pool makes me clean, but this water makes me look like my Ugandan friends with brown coloured skin.

Mum and dad say that I am such a big boy now because I am getting taller, I can say prayers myself and I can almost put my clothes on and off. Last Saturday mummy and Tania went away with all the mummies and left daddy and me alone. Paul helped us fix mummy’s bed and I was a good boy and slept all night. We made pancakes after church on Sunday and I was so excited when mummy got home that I wouldn’t let go of her.

Sometimes I go to Tania and Paul’s house myself to visit them. Tania plays with me, or Paul teaches me how to collect wood and make a fire for a BBQ. Sometimes I see mummy watching me run to Tania and Paul’s house but I don’t mind as long as I can go myself. I have also visited the guesthouse and Dr Corrie’s house. At Dr Corrie’s house I usually have a juice and a biscuit.

We have had a lot of visitors come to our house. They all like to play with my tracks and Thomas the tank engine. I don’t mind sharing with them, but mummy says I need to learn to share better. Often the visitors talk to Mum and Dad at the table for a long time. I wonder what can need so much talking, but they often bring me sweets so I don’t mind.

I enjoy making people laugh. People enjoy it when I show them how the Mr Men on my DVD walk. The children at Sunday afternoon ESUUBI club also enjoyed my dancing this week. I found it hard to join in the songs when we were there, but afterwards I enjoyed singing them to daddy when I was in the bath.

I hope that all my friends reading this are having fun too.

Love from Gideon