Bell Safari Adventure

Aiden is 8!!

2012-01-30T15:58:00.000+01:00

Aiden had a very Happy Birthday on Friday!! We celebrated at school with cookies then home for an afternoon pool party with his friends and lastly a wonderful, casual braai with our SA Family. A great, busy day! Can't believe it was 8 years ago that I brought my oldest sweetheart into this world...Oh the memories! He seems so grown up now... So Proud!

First Day of School 2012

2012-01-24T08:52:00.000+01:00

Here we go into another year of school. Aiden is very excited to be going into Grade 2 and Evan is a little reluctant but happy to be going to Grade 1. So cute!!!With Daddy before school..as you can see Evan isn't really happy.

Aiden at his table, so ready to work!!

Evan walking around the quad.. didn't know I was taking the photo!!

Both getting so big!! I am a proud mama!!

Ravens Game Day

2012-01-23T12:24:00.001+01:00

We got all dressed for the Ravens playoff game against the Texans. GO RAVENS!!!

Happy New Year

2012-01-13T15:48:00.001+01:00

This amazing photo was taken with all the boys waving sparklers! AWESOME start to the new year! Bring on 2012!!

Time to Relax

2012-01-13T15:42:00.002+01:00

On Christmas day we set out for one of our favorite relaxation spots... Kleinemonde. It is a small little town/village outside of Port Alfred. One big reason we love it there is our great friends the Whitakers have a holiday home there and it is so much fun to hang out there. Since they had lots of family staying with them, we rented a cute little townhouse. Christmas night we spent at the Whitakers enjoying a fabulous dinner. It was very special to be brought in as part of their family! The next 10 days were full of fun in the sun! We were at the beach almost everyday, the boys swam in the lagoon, played rugby, played cricket,swam in the sea, swam in the pool, went knee boarding, and on and on!! We also went to a concert in Port Alfred one day.. The Parlotones http://www.theparlotones.net/.. If you haven't heard of them you should listen to their music. It was a daytime family event so we all went and had a blast. Scott even took the boys up onto a balcony above the stage. We also did some exploring to a another small town not far, Bathurst. A cute little town with lots of shops. It is also home to the Giant Pineapple!! We rang in the new year with great friends and lots of fun. We then had a special birthday braai for Scott!! Happy Birthday!! We had an amazing holiday and some well deserved rest. Christmas Day Family Photos!The Whitaker/Buckley Clan...

Back row.. James, Clayton, Paula, Greg(paula's brother), Sam (his wife), MatthewFront: John (Paula's Dad), Trent (Greg & Sam's Son), Glynis (Paula's Mom)The Grandmothers - Molly (Clayton's mom) and Glynis and the kids...

Our mugs...

SkiingDaddy showing off for the boys...

The Whitaker boys

Parlotones Concert

On the Boat

The Beach ... the boys are getting brave in the sea, went pretty far out!

Aiden and Evan with their favorite friends...

The Big Pineapple - I wasn't kidding :).

Whew what a holiday! Just another amazing adventure! Onward to 2012!!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-13T14:29:00.000+01:00

We had a great Christmas. It was very quiet but great! Spent the day having fun at home and tracking Santa online. We had a yummy Christmas eve dinner of ham, potatoes and salad,and of course cupcakes for dessert. Then the boys got to open their traditional one gift on Christmas eve. We left cookies out for Santa, carrots out for the reindeer and said goodbye to our Elf, Buddy. The boys must have been good this year because they had lots of gifts from Santa under the tree in the morning!! It was a great day. After we had something to eat and got moving we packed up and headed to one of our favorite places in SA.

Ready for a yummy dinner!!

New Books to read

Santa was generous!

Evan - playing his new drum.

Aiden ready for Cricket!

Hope everyone else had a fabulous Christmas! Will be our last in SA. Very Sad! But was Amazing!!! Now onto more adventures.

2011-12-23T13:01:00.000+01:00

A free digital collage by Smilebox

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T12:57:00.000+01:00

Wow can't believe it is almost Christmas! As long as we have been here I just can't get use to having Christmas in the summer. Although fun - a bit strange!! This week we have been busy... building gingerbread houses, finding our Elf Buddy everyday, swimming in the pool, playing with the dog, sleeping in the tent, day trip to Jefferys Bay, went to see the new Chipmunk Movie, wrapped gifts, and making cookies for Santa.Busy Working......

The Finished Products...

Enjoying a little treat.. He was very disappointed I wouldn't let him eat his house.

Aiden camping in his room...

Hanging out by the pool after a swim.

Playing with Sadie

They took these photos of themselves in the boat.... goofy!!!

Boys are really excited for Christmas which makes it so much fun! After all the excitement Christmas morning, we are packing up and heading to Kleinemonde for 10 days of relaxation and fun. We will visit with our "family" the Whitakers and spend lots of time on the beach and in the river. So fun! We hope everyone has a wonderful, safe and happy Christmas and New Year!! Bring on 2012!!!

What's happening?

2011-12-15T08:59:00.003+01:00

Well our long holiday has begun and is going well. The boys are having a much needed break and enjoying having fun at home. They have been swimming, playing sports, chasing the dog, practising piano, and just being boys. They have also been going to a holiday program at SAMREC... an education and rehabilitation center mostly for the African penguins. They have enjoyed the beach and all the fun learning! Our Elf, Buddy, has arrived and has brought the boys advent calenders from Playmobil which was a big hit. And have decorated the house for Christmas. We also got the pleasure of attending the Rugby 7's tournament that was held here in PE. The games are short - 7 min a half, and there are only 7 players a side. Fast paced and lots of fun. A great event to enjoy with friends. So far the break has been great..still alot to come... Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses, Santa's arrival, a lovely escape to Kleinemonde, a new year and lots more.. so keep watching!

Evan playing twinkle twinkle little star

Friends at the rugby! It was HOT!

Go Bokkes!!

Nativity Play

2011-12-15T08:29:00.002+01:00

Evan's last day of school was a fun filled morning... we were entertained with a nativity "play" by the pre-school classes. It was mostly Christmas carols sung as angels,and shepards with Mary and Joseph. So cute. It was suppose to be outside but good ole PE weather was cloudy and drizzly so it was moved inside so it was a little cramped. The Grade R classes also did a few songs in celebration of going onto "Big" school next year! Can't believe he will be in Grade 1!!

Our Shepard .. very happy to see his dad :).

Another Proud Dad moment!

Will greatly miss the pre-primary! Miss Robertson was an amazing teacher and friend. Enjoyed getting to know her and watching all the wonderful things that she taught him this year. Onto bigger things... Grade 1!

Prize Giving

2011-12-15T08:18:00.000+01:00

Aiden's last full day of school included his Prize Giving. All the Grade 1's got merit awards for their accomplishments this year. He did so well!! One of the certificates was given for a "standardized" test taken by many private schools in South Africa. Aiden received an 85% for Numeracy and a 95% in Literacy. So Proud.

A proud Dad with our star student!

What a great end to another year.

Playgolf Year End Golf Day

2011-12-01T13:40:00.001+01:00

The boys recently had their Year End Golf tournament. They always have so much fun playing golf with Daddy. They also played really well. Both Aiden and Evan received a medal for their year end progress. Aiden also got an award for Longest Drive in his age group and a trophy for the golfer with the most potential in his age group. So proud! They did well and had a great time, which is much more important!! Daddy and Aiden before on their way.

Boys on course

Aiden and his winnings

Evan - Didn't want to get his photo taken

Well Done Boys!!

Samrec and Day at the Beach

2011-12-01T12:50:00.001+01:00

Evan had an outing to Samrec (South Africa marine rehabilitation and educational center) They take care of injured penguins in the area. The kids love learning all about the tide pools and the penguins. Such a fun day. We had great weather also.Such an amazing last outing for the kids to have before the end of the year. Just love living close to the beach!!

Christmas Caroling, fa la la la la

2011-11-29T15:15:00.001+01:00

St Georges had a Christmas Caroling service with all the kids in Grades 1-5. It was such a fun evening to hear the kids singing. Makes things feel more like Christmas. All the Grade 1 students were angels... and they were so cute. Just love the events at school, they are always so special.

Aiden is such an angel :)....

A Great Honor

2011-11-29T15:07:00.001+01:00

We had the great honor of being apart of Hunter and Claire's Baptism Service. Scott was asked to be Hunter's Godparent, he was so thrilled! What a great morning. So proud of them. We have really become family so it is always so special to be there for the big moments.

Being Thankful

2011-11-29T14:52:00.001+01:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday a few days early. It was a great evening with our South African family and had a wonderful time! We are sooo thankful for everything we have here. It is such a special time to actually just sit, chat and enjoy our relationships. We hope everyone had a great day with family and friends! I think we have brought our thanksgiving custom to SA. It is one of my favorite holidays and I have so much fun doing all the food and making everyone full and happy. Awesome Day!!

Just a side note... you may notice all the men have a mustache. It is part of Movember to raise awareness for men's cancer. Good thing it only lasts til the end of the month!!!What are you thankful for?

Bafana Bafana vs Ivory Coast

2011-11-29T14:42:00.001+01:00

We got the pleasure of going to a Bafana Bafana (South Africa's soccer team)game. A great day! A wonderful day in the sun and with the boys. Our dear friends, Hunter and Taylor, got to be ball boys at the game. Hunter got to carry the South Africa flag out on the field. So amazing! The soccer games have such an awesome atmosphere. People are singing, dancing and cheering on the team. Love it!!!

Another great South African experience!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T10:44:00.000+01:00

The annual American Halloween party was adult only this year and was a blast!!! Everyone was in the spirit and looked great in their costumes. What a great group of friends we have!! Don't know what I would do without them. Hopefully this will be an event that carries on after we are gone..... AWESOME!!!

The boys went trick or treating in Mill Park and we had a small party at our dear friends home, the Whitakers. The boys were army men this year... they look so grown up!

Another great Halloween! We partied and ate lots of sweets, what else is there????

Bell Family Vist

2011-11-07T11:33:00.000+01:00

Grandmom and Grandad had a great visit and we loved having them! We had some fun adventures and some relaxing days. We went to Seaview Lion Park, Schotia Game Reserve, Addo Elephant Park, Tenikwa Cat Park, Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and Assegaaibosch. Whew.. sounds like a lot but was great! Seaview - always love seeing the lions and the boys were able to play with the cubs. Amazing!

Schotia and Addo Game Reserves... The elephants were amazing as always. And Schotia has amazing Lions... our guide Peter was great! One of the best things in the world.. a game drive!! Wow!

Tenikwa is a wild cat sanctuary where we got to interact with cheetahs, and ceracals. Fun!!

Monkeyland and Birds of Eden is fun! Two big sanctuaries, so interesting to see all the animals....

Assegaaibosch - We stayed at this lovely lodge for a weekend. The boys rode the horses, played tennis, we hiked, and sat by the pool.... what fun!!!The lodge

Aiden talking to the goat... :)

Evan petting the donkey

What a great visit! We had a great time and loved having the Bell's here with us. Love having visitors!!

Evan turns 6!

2011-11-07T10:11:00.001+01:00

Well Evan's Birthday has finally arrived! He celebrated at school before the end of the term with his classmates. On his birthday we had a great day... He was allowed one present first thing in the morning but the rest had to wait for daddy to get home. Then we met our friends for lunch at the Pink Fig. The boys love going there and painting pottery. Had a full day and then home to open the rest of the gifts... Can't believe my baby is 6 already!! Photos from school....

Handing out his cupcakes.

Evan's special friends.....

The Special Day....

Happy Birthday Evan!!!

Evan's Sports Day

2011-11-07T09:50:00.000+01:00

Evan had his sports day at the end of the term. Such a fun day to see the kids have fun and show off for mom and dad! They do a few fun races, running, bear crawling, skipping, etc.... so cute. Getting ready for the big events!

Evan had fun and did a great job!

Day at the Beach.....

2011-11-07T09:41:00.000+01:00

We had a great day at the beach! A lovely spring day. The boys love to run up and down the sand dunes and play in the waves. And of course we ended it with ice cream... what a wonderful day!!

Evan's 6th Birthday Party

2011-09-29T15:23:00.000+02:00

Well since the end of the school term is coming up, we decided to do Evan's party a week early so all of his friends could be there! We had the party at a place called Pirates Cove at Pine Lodge. http://www.pinelodge.co.za/ It is a lovely set up for the kids... a small putt-putt course, a huge jungle gym, trampoline, big chess game, a jumpy castle and included is a donkey cart ride down to the beach. He had a Rugby theme since we are in the middle of the Rugby World Cup. The kids had a blast and we also had a visit from a couple monkeys! I think they liked my cake!!! Can't believe my baby is 6! Wow time flies. This is the first of many celebrations... such a lucky boy.

St. Georges Pre-Primary Concert

2011-09-29T15:02:00.000+02:00

Evan recently had his concert show. The Grade R classes all joined to do a version of Noah's ark. Very Cute!! There were all kinds of animals and creatures... like lions, dinosaurs, birds, etc. Evan was a worm! And such a cute worm if I do say so myself!! Such a wonderful night. The kids all worked so hard on the show and it was beautiful!

Evan singing his songs...

Kids are so cute at this age! Amazing. So proud of my little ones!

Pocket Full of Rhymes

2011-09-21T19:34:00.001+02:00

September 14-17 St Georges Prep put on a very cute school show. It was called Pocket Full of Rhymes, and was a musical about Mother Goose rhymes and fairytales. All the grade 1's were involved by just singing a few songs - but still lots of fun seeing Aiden on stage. He did GREAT! He was exhausted but had a blast. Mother Goose...

Aiden's Performance....

PE City Under 9 Soccer Championship

2011-09-13T20:37:00.000+02:00

Aiden's soccer team has had a great season! They have played wonderfully and made it to the championship cup game! The game was played in the "oval" and were treated like pros being able to use their own locker rooms and coming out of the tunnel onto the field... They played a great game against Callies but came in second place. It was such an accomplishment for these boys who have only been playing together for two years and are a very young under 9 team to make it this far! We are so proud of the boys! They celebrated their medals like champions!! We had a wonderful family braai after the game. Great season!! Thanks to Andy for being a great coach!

Aiden's Grandparents Tea

2011-09-13T20:14:00.000+02:00

September 1st, St Georges Prep had a Grandparents Tea to honor all the kids grandparents. It was a lovely morning of music. All grades 1-3 sang a few songs and then grades 2 & 3 showed off their skill at some instruments. Lovely morning... I know Aiden wishes his grandparents could have been there!Grade 1's

Aiden Singing

Aiden;s artwork hung in the hall....

St Georges Sports Day

2011-09-13T20:05:00.001+02:00

St Georges had their annual sports day for grades 1-3 on August 31st. All the kids participate in a few running races and have a great morning. Aiden did well! He ran a couple of races and did a sack race. He is always having fun with his friends!

Girls Weekend

2011-09-13T19:56:00.000+02:00

We went on a girls weekend to the beautiful Shamwari Game Reserve.... Megan got a free weekend (long story) so we were pampered and treated very well!! It was myself, Megan, Paula, Hilary and Gayle. Our guide Ryan was great! Very passionate and knowledgeable. We had some great game drives and amazing weather. We actually walked up within 25 feet of Rhino... I never get tired of going out to see the awesome animals living wild in this country!! We also had some great food and wine. What a way to spend a weekend....

Springbok Rugby in PE

2011-09-13T19:27:00.000+02:00

We got to experience an awesome event on August 20th. Springbok Ruby in PE! In South Africa they have a professional rugby league much like the NFL and from those teams they select an "all star team". This team makes up the National team called the Springboks. This is the team that will play in the World Cup but also plays in other tournaments each year, like the Tri-Nations. This tournament is played against Australia and New Zealand. One of the Tri Nations games was played here in PE this year. A huge event here in town and it was awesome!! The town was alive with a great hometown pride. New Zealand is a very good team and we won the game!! Wow! What a day!!! Below are two links with more info on the rugby, if anyone is interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_rugby_union_team
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri_Nations_(rugby_union)

Go Bokkes!!

All I want for Christmas is my three front teeth....

2011-08-29T16:52:00.005+02:00

Well Aiden has lost two more teeth... So cute!

Aaahhhh.....Brothers.

Go Peppermints.....

2011-07-20T15:44:00.003+02:00

St Georges has a fun rugby morning for the Grades 1-3. Aiden was on the "peppermints" team and had a ball. What a fun morning to enjoy watching the boys run and roll in the mud :).

Headmaster - Mr Liss handing out the rules....

Tackle Aiden!!!

What fun! Great morning.

School Holidays

2011-07-05T16:34:00.006+02:00

Well the first two terms of school have flown by! The boys both got really good reports for the first half of the year. Then we were on a three week holiday... what to do, what to do...

The first week we went to our beloved Blanco Guest Farm. Such a treat. It was very cold but once bundled up it didn't stop the boys from riding their bikes, milking the cow, riding the horses, playing tennis, playing golf, and any other sport the kids could come up with. check out the site... http://www.blanco.co.za/ An absolute wonderful start to the holiday.

The second week was filled with Holiday Camp at Walmer Methodist Church in the mornings. The theme was the High Seas and they loved it! They also started piano lessons. I found a young college girl who loves teaching and music. The boys are already excited and have been practising on our keyboard everyday. I am reserving the purchase of a piano to see how interested they stay.

We had LOTS of rain!! Which was good since we are in a drought and have very strict water restrictions.. but it became too much of a good thing. Our entire side yard was flooded as if we had a second pool. Our kitchen ceiling was leaking. There was water everywhere!!! Now it has cleared up but still very wet.

The rest of the holiday break was filled with playdates with friends, going to see the new Cars movie, a few art projects, baking, cleaning out the toy stash and relaxing before the grind of early morning school and homework started back up.

Aiden lost another tooth the night before going back to school.. how exciting!! Tooth Fairy money.

And at the end of the holiday a very dear friend Megan turned 40!!! Happy Birthday my friend!!

I guess that was all for our holiday, now back to reality...up early, school, sports, homework. But there are always more adventures to come!

Camping at Sidbury

2011-07-05T11:53:00.003+02:00

Had another great weekend with some amazing friends. We went camping on the farm of our lovely friends, the Hurr's. The farm has awesome views and lots of room for the kids to run. We hiked around the hills of the farm, sat around the fire, and the kids had a ball shooting pellet guns at targets and the older kids did some clay pigeon shooting. It was cold, but we all survived... maybe it was the wine :). We also enjoyed drinks watching the sunset in a beautiful area of the farm. WOW!! What a beautiful country!

South African Air Force Museum

2011-07-05T11:35:00.004+02:00

Evan had a school outing to the Air Force Museum. The kids had great fun. They were told all kinds of interesting information about planes and helicopters. They all got to sit in a huge plane and could get into a gun turret and took turns shooting at me. And at the end got to all jump into a huge cargo helicopter for a group shot. Evan has asked many times to go back and visit again. Fun!!

In the plane with his friend Mats from Germany

Shooting his mommy....

With friends Trishul and Landon

Evan's class.....

Golf Day

2011-07-05T11:24:00.003+02:00

A couple times a year Playgolf has a golf day with all the kids. Aiden loves it because they play at a real golf course. He did really well... placed 4th in his age group. Good Job Aiden!!

Notice the new golf shoes!! So cool....

While I was away...

2011-07-05T11:03:00.005+02:00

Of course, life did not stop while I was off enjoying myself. The boys were still in school and having a great time. We had a wonderful Au Pair Hannah taking the boys to school, helping with homework and making sure they didn't kill each other. All my boys got to spend some great time together and didn't miss me at all!!

One Saturday St Georges had a fun, friendly rugby game between the grade 1's and grade 2's. Aiden played really well. He played two games and scored two trys in one game! (that is equivalent to a touchdown) No photos to share but daddy got some great video for me to watch! So Proud!

The boys also attended the St Dominics School fair. We attend every year since our friends (the McCarty's) go to school there. It is always alot of fun.. games, food, entertainment and of course the beer tent :).

And a big milestone... Aiden lost his first tooth!! (not at the rugby game) He decided to wait to put his tooth out for the tooth fairy until I came home. He got 20 Rand (~$3) for the tooth!! Very generous tooth fairy.

Luckily things went well and my boys enjoyed themselves!

Awesome girls Trip

2011-07-04T20:24:00.017+02:00

In May I went on an amazing trip with some amazing friends!!! It was an extension of my 40th birthday celebrations. Megan & I both turn 40 this year so we thought we would do a little girls trip to celebrate. Well it went from a long weekend to the winelands to a 13 day trip to London and Italy. And we had to twist the arms of our dear friends Paula and Gayle to go with us:). It was an experience of a lifetime. We laughed from the moment we got on the plane and did not stop.

We invaded London for 3 days...saw lots of sites and drank at lots of pubs. Toured Westminster Abbey, rode the London Eye, checked out Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Regent street, Buckingham Palace,and Soho, attended an Eric Clapton concert at Royal Albert Hall and saw the show Pricilla Queen of the Desert... Whew!

If that wasn't enough we were off to Italy. Italy is beautiful beyond your imagination and pictures you have seen. Rome was our first stop... the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, and the most amazing site - We saw the Pope at the Vatican during his Sunday Blessing.

Second stop on our tour was Venice. Absolutely breathtaking! One of my favorite stops of our adventure. Started with a Gondola ride through the canals, a walk to St. Marks Square and Cathedral, A glass blowing demonstration in Murano, and lots of cafes.

From Venice we took a detour through Verona to see the famous Juliet balcony.

On to Florence... Lots of shopping here, leather, gold, etc. Also some sites the Duomo, Pontevecchio Bridge. Also took a side trip to a beautiful tuscan village San Gimignano and a trip to Assisi, home of St Francis. Gorgeous!!

Unfortunately our Italy tour has come to an end.... Flew back to London for a full day of shopping and one last pub lunch. Oh I miss the fish and chips!

So you have seen most of our trip- we had lots of laughs and lots of stories to tell but as they say here... what goes on tour stays on tour :)!! Can't wait for our next adventure.

Lions everywhere....

2011-06-14T19:08:00.007+02:00

What a way to spend a Saturday evening. We went to Schotia Game Reserve just for a night drive. This reserve is know for their lions and is only about 45 minutes from our house! We first saw two young females with a warthog kill. Later we saw the Head male and his son. And then the whole pride was together with the oldest female and her 5 cubs!! We also saw hippo, giraffe, crocodile, rhino (really close) and lots of buck. Amazing!!! Never get tired of seeing the animals.

Here comes the Easter Bunny.....

2011-06-14T16:17:00.004+02:00

For Easter this year we headed East to Fish River. We stayed in some very cute cottages with some our friends.. The McCarty's and the Marchand's (who are Americans here from Ford - but we don't hold it against them :)) We spent a lot of time at the Fish River Sun Resort which is right across the street. What fun the kids had... there is a beach with canoes for the river, a golf course, heated swimming pool, game room, jumping castle, putt putt course, life size chess board... what a blast!! And of course there was an appearance from the Easter Bunny!

Party Party!!

2011-05-31T11:32:00.005+02:00

My wonderful friends hosted an absolutely great party for me! For some reason they always have a theme to the parties so we had a Red, White and Blue theme. It was so nice and I felt so loved by my friends. My husband even rented a photo booth, which was great fun!! The night couldn't have been any better.... how blessed am I???

The Table Set... My gorgeous friend Paula did the flower arrangements

My Cake... how cute!!

Yeah!! Duncan's have arrived in South Africa!!!

2011-05-31T11:17:00.011+02:00

The whole Duncan family has arrived! Poppy, Grammy, Uncle Brent, Aunt Monique and Cousin Kierlin safely arrived and we are soooo happy to have them here. We got to enjoy the amazing Cape Winelands, Cape Town, Kariega Game Reserve, and spent some time chilly in PE. The boys loved having their cousin here!! We had lots of adventures... enjoy the photos!

Cape Town we spent a couple of days enjoying the beautiful city. We went up Table Mountain, Took the boys to the Aquarium, visited Robben Island, and overall had a great short trip.

Enjoying a wonderful evening of music and fun at Kirstenbocsh Botanical Garden in Cape Town.

Franschhoek, South Africa. Still one of my favorite places to visit. The wines and scenery are always breathtaking. We had a blast!!!

Kariega Game Reserve... Just Amazing!!

Well I think I can speak for all of us.. it was a great 10 days. Not long enough!! But it was great to see them all and hang out with the family in my "home" town for awhile!!

End of First Term

2011-05-31T11:08:00.003+02:00

We have reached the end of the first term of school. Aiden has adjusted and done a wonderful job his first term of Grade 1. He is reading, playing all kinds of sports and had made lots of friends. Evan is also enjoying kindergarten. He loves his teacher and has made new friends. They both love their new school and are very proud. At the end of the term Evan had an Easter Bonnet Parade.... We (evan & mommy) had to make hats and then parade to show off our hats. We chose to paint cowboy hats... FUN!!

Judo Fun Day

2011-05-31T10:53:00.005+02:00

The boys are taking Judo at school and were invited to a fun day with friends. They had a great time practising their judo moves on a few friends and daddy. What fun!!!

Watch out!!

Aiden's Splash Gala

2011-05-11T15:57:00.007+02:00

Aiden had a fun Swim day at school in March. Grade 1-3 had a few races against their classmates. It was alot of fun! Aiden did great!!

Getting ready....

Freestyle...Go Aiden Go!!

Kickboard races....

Although you can't see his face really well, he got 3rd place!!

So proud of my little fish!

Thank you!!!

2011-03-23T14:19:00.004+01:00

So I guess this post is about me today... Today I turned the big 4-0! I always remember thinking how old that was, and now it still seems old! :) I have had the most amazing 40 years... some good and some bad, but I wouldn't be who I am or where I am without them both.

I think one of the biggest things you learn as you get older, is how important your family is. How much you need them and their support. Especially for us on this adventure that is even more clear. My parents are my heros! They have done so much for me and still do and I know I wasn't always the best child. Mom and Dad you are wonderful parents and grandparents! I only hope I am half the parent to my boys. Thank you for all your support and love!

I have also learned the importance of friends!!! I think I always valued my friends and family, but I do even more now. Luckily I have the most amazing friends here in South Africa that have truly become our family over the years. I have spent lots of holidays, birthdays, celebrations and defeats with them and wouldn't have it any other way. This experience and these friends have made me who I am today on my 40th! So I want to thank all of you for being there for me.

The biggest thank you goes to my wonderful husband Scott. I know you truly love me for who I am! Also my two sweet boys, Aiden and Evan (ok they aren't always sweet but have their moments :)) Somehow you always can make me smile on the worst of day. I am ready for another 40 years with them! And can only imagine what wonderful adventures we have left.

So, I will raise a glass and drink to you all today and know how truly blessed I am to have you all in my life!! Happy Birthday to me!!

Aiden is 7!!!

2011-02-09T18:30:00.004+01:00

They are growing up right before my eyes...first he is in "big" school and now he is 7! We had a great day... we started with pancakes with a candle and singing at 6 am. (way too early) Then we went out to dinner, opened gifts and had cake. That weekend we had a small braai with friends. I know what you are all thinking.. where is the big party with the amazing cake??? Well since we were only into our first full week at school, we decided that in a couple of weeks we would have a pool party and invite the boys from school once he had made some friends. So it is still to come just delayed a bit! But he did take in star wars cookies for his class that were really cool. Wow another year gone by...

Back to School Excitement!

2011-02-09T18:00:00.004+01:00

The boys started school on January 19th. We switched to St. Georges Preparatory School. www.stgeorgesprep.co.za (in case you want to check it out) It is an exciting year because Aiden is in Grade 1 which means uniforms. He loves it! And Evan is in Grade R (our kindergarten). They are both doing really well and have made lots of new friends.

Aiden is involved in lots of sports..tennis, cricket, swimming, golf and judo. Evan is taking judo, cricket and golf. Aiden has also started reading!!! What fun to watch him...it is so funny to see the excited look on his face as he reads something. So proud of himself! And he was very excited to get homework..I am sure that will wear off eventually.

So here they are....

Aiden's classroom

Evan's Classroom

Kromme

2011-02-09T17:31:00.006+01:00

We were lucky enough to be invited to our friends holiday house on the Kromme river the last weekend before school started. It was a large group of the most wonderful friends! We are soooo lucky!! It was a fabulous relaxing weekend of sun, sand and boats! What more could you ask for.. oh don't worry there was plenty of wine as well :).

December

2011-01-19T08:13:00.021+01:00

Well I am sure you have been wondering where we have been...we went home to the good old USA for the Christmas holiday. It was great to see our friends and family!! We spent a month traveling around visiting and doing some really fun things.

We started the trip in Baltimore (after 31 hours of travel). It was great fun hanging out with Scott's sister Denise & Joe, Grandmom & Grandad and the girls... Devin, Quinn and Campbell. We got to watch Devin and Campbell play basketball - way to go girls! The kids made a gingerbread house... very fun and sweet. Scott & I got to go to the Ravens game!! And we took the boys to the Aquarium which is always so much fun.

In front of tree... chaos!

The first time in years I have gotten the boys to sit on Santa's lap (ok - maybe I bribed them but it worked!!)

The next leg of the trip was a week at Disney World in Florida!! It was great.. the boys have never been there so it was a great trip. They were sooo excited. Luckily we were joined by family!! We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge which was gorgeous with its gigantic tree. It was very festive...We got to explore all the Disney parks and had a ball. Only wish it was a bit warmer.

Main Street, Magic Kingdom

The boys with MICKEY!! I know they don't look that thrilled....

The Duncan clan all at Disney... even the little Kierlin! Sooo cute!

The Bell family....

Cinderella Castle..what a wonderful site.. where dreams come true :).

So after the fairy tale.. we were off to visit friends in Atlanta and then to Nashville to hang out with the Duncan's for Christmas. We crammed alot into our days in the Music capital of the world. We went to a Titans football game, Predators Hockey game, visited with family, had a snow ball fight, went to see the amazing Ice show, toured downtown nashville, and were visited by Santa! Whew....

Go Titans!!!

Right on the Ice of the Predators game! A very nice surprise from Grammy & Poppy! The players were right next to us... so cool.

The annual show "ICE" and this year they added "SNOW"... The entire building is filled with the story carved out of ice... amazing. Then the boys had fun in the snow throwing snow balls at targets (and Poppy & Daddy)

The boys with Santa at Grammy's annual christmas party at work.

Christmas has come.... Boys made cookies for Santa

We had a white Christmas (ok not covered but a dusting counts!) SO the boys had to go out and throw snow balls at daddy...

We went out and looked at lights.. wow!

And the football game in the backyard ... a great american christmas tradition!!

Well after all the fun in Nashville, we headed back east to Fenwick Island Delaware for another christmas celebration with the Bell family and to celebrate New Years. We played putt-putt, built snowmen, and played with our cousins! Then Scott & I got together with some great friends for New Years! Awesome way to end our trip.

There was quite a bit more snow in Delaware.. so the boys were able to make some snow men...first attempt a small version.

Next.. the bigger version...

Then the snowball fight begins!

New Years.. after a great adult dinner with friends we came back to the Bell residence for the after party and to ring in the new year.. Great fun!

So that was our big December adventure..now onto 2011!!!

Who wants cake???

2010-11-07T15:13:00.004+01:00

Well I have stared a new hobby - not like I needed one. I started doing cakes with the fondant icing.. I first did one for Evan's 5th birthday which turned out cute. So then I did one for my friend Megan's little girl Claire. And now I have done two more for friends..

Wizard of Oz theme...

My Dear Friend Hilary's cake... just girly

Mia's Farm Cake

The things I get myself into!!!

Aiden in Uniform

2010-11-07T15:06:00.004+01:00

Watch out girls... if you like a guy in uniform,check this one out :). Aiden got his new school uniform and looks quite handsome in it. All the schools have a uniform, and they look quite nice all dressed up.

His Formal uniform...

His Sports uniform

Aiden has Graduated!!!

2010-11-07T14:52:00.005+01:00

Wow!! I now feel really old!! This past week Aiden had his year end concert and graduation. The kids looked so cute in their cap and gowns. He has had such a great time at Noah's Ark Pre-primary. They are awesome! The concert was Joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat. Aiden was Ruben, one of the many brothers. He did a great job and everyone had so much fun.

Aiden's Graduation Certificate

Aiden as Ruben in Concert

Aiden with Joseph (Daniel)...

Now he only has 4 weeks of school left and then a whole new chapter begins....

EP Rugby

2010-11-02T13:37:00.003+01:00

On Oct 29th, we attended the EP Kings (our local team) rugby game here in our new stadium. It was a great game. There was alot at stake. If we won we would push out the Pumas and would then qualify to be part of the Super 14 league. Sort of like a minor league team being able to play the majors and bump out the lowest team if they could win. Pretty Cool... but we lost :(. It was a great game and we look forward to attending more next season! GO EP KINGS!!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-27T16:48:00.004+02:00

As always this was a big day... We co-hosted a party with the McCarty's. We had games and a jumpy castle for the kids, food, drinks and music for the adults so fun was had by all!! We also did our usual trick or treat game with the kids. Lots of great times!! Aiden decided to be Skywalker from Star Wars and Evan was a Vet (or as he says... doggie doctor). I dressed in a poodle skirt and Scott was a priest (scarry!) We had everyone dress up and they had so much fun! I think we have definitely brought Halloween to PE. The winners of the costume contest were the V family dressed as the Adams Family. Great! Hope you all had a great Halloween as well!
The Boys....

The Adam's Family... so cute!!!

Pat, Deya and Scott...

The dancing....

What a great time... can't wait til next year!!!

Howdy Partners...

2010-09-30T18:29:00.004+02:00

Evan's party was a rootin tootin good time!... the weather was kind of drizzly and cool but that didn't stop the fun! There was a jumpy castle and a pony. Lots of food and fun. Can't believe my baby is 5! Wow it has gone by so fast!!

The Cowboy Cake...yes I made it... don't seem so surprised :)

Awaiting the pony....

Evan on the Pony -- He wouldn't wear the hat!

Party Fun.....

Ready for another year....

Evan is 5!!!!

2010-09-30T15:48:00.003+02:00

Happy Birthday Evan!! Evan is 5 years old today. It seems like it was just yesterday.. the years have flown by. Of course, there will be multiple celebrations..He celebrated at school this morning, he wanted to take in chocolate covered donuts instead of cupcakes. Then tonight we will have a special dinner and more donuts along with the opening of presents and then on Saturday we will have his big Cowboy birthday party with his friends. Here are a couple of photos from school...

Evan with his teacher - Madelyn

Blowing out the candles on his donut and his class.

More to come on the big man's birthday celebrations.....

Whales, Whales, Whales

2010-09-28T17:48:00.007+02:00

And no I am not talking about me on the beach :)

We went to the town of Hermanus (about an hour from Cape Town) for the weekend. They have an annual Whale festival. The humpback whales come in very close to land on their journey this time every year (I think it is for them to have their babies) The Hermanus area is the best land based spots for whale watching. We didn't set foot on a boat and saw about 20 whales! We stayed in a house in a small area outside of Hermanus called Vermont. Our "family" the McCarty's went along for the fun as well. Our house was very close to the water and we were able to spot a few whales from the back patio. We explored the city, checked out the craft stalls during the festival and had some great meals. We also took a day from the long weekend and headed into the winelands for some great wine. It was a great weekend! The boys absolutely loved the whales.

Hermanus...

Kids..

The Crier - He blows the horn when a whale is spotted.

Two whales together... very close to the shore

A whale jumping out of the water

The tail...

Festival

Kids watching the whales...

Views from our house...

The crew...

What a wonderful weekend with friends!! Can't wait for the next :)

One of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World...

2010-09-20T15:08:00.008+02:00

Victoria Falls ... It was a unplanned vacation (due to a little visa issue) But we made the most of the weekend away and flew off to Livingstone, Zambia to see the Falls. The Falls border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. They were amazing even though it is the dry season.. I can't imagine them in the rainy season! We went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, we saw hippo and elephant along the way. We also took a game drive in the national park and visited the crocodile park. In between we hung out at the resort pool and drank a few cocktails! I even had a visitor at poolside. A baboon wondered into the area and stopped right in front of my chair to check what I was doing... a little too close! An Amazing experience! Enjoy the photos... it just doesn't do justice to the site!

Victoria Falls.... Breathtaking!

The photo is dark but this is a zebra right outside our hotel room. Since it is part of the national park the animals just roam. We saw lots of monkeys, baboons and giraffe.

Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River....

Hippo in the river.. We also saw a couple herds of Elephants along the river as well.

Boys swimming in the pool...

Aiden hanging out with the welcome crew.

Crocodile Park... lots of huge crocs! But learned alot about them.

Believe it or not .. this croc is already a year old! So cute when they are this small.

Splash!

2010-09-04T08:18:00.005+02:00

Aiden was in his first Musical this week. The Private school he goes to now put on a production of Splash the Musical. It is about Noah's Ark and a Parrot that needs to get all the animals on the boat...the parrot ends up having to tell everyone they won tickets to a luxury cruise to get them on board. It was very cute and funny! Aiden was a lemming...he is with a group and they essentially just run across the stage a few times. But he loved it and had a good time being on stage. Just in case you don't know what a lemming is..(I didn't either!)

And here is Aiden in his costume... They are very cute as a group.

I was so impressed with the talent and the show. They did 1 dress rehearsal with an audience and 4 full shows. So proud!!

What's Up?

2010-08-19T09:55:00.005+02:00

It has been awhile since my last update, so what is up?

The boys are back at school for the third term, so it is back to the routine of school, and all the other activities!

I have started a pottery class that I absolutely LOVE! I will be posting some of my creations soon.

Sadie is getting big and chewing.. I think we finally have the house training under control now just to work on the chewing and biting.

We took the boys to see High School Musical on stage and they loved it. They were really excited to get the autographs of the main characters :).

We have still been working on the house, getting everything organized and getting all the little things to finish it off. We will take some photos and post them soon.

We had a long weekend at the beginning of August and went back to Blanco guest farm...Yes I know we were just there a month ago, but we took some friends who have never been before. It was a great weekend! I think that kind of place would be a gold mine in the states! WONDERFUL!!!

Right after that weekend, Scott went away for a weekend golfing with the guys. He had a great time and came home tired and sun burnt!

I have been working on our trip home in December. We have our flights booked and working on the Disney trip now. And now am starting to plan Evan's 5th birthday party..yikes! Aiden is getting ready for his big musical debut. The school is putting on a Musical.. Aiden's class has very small parts (I don't even think Aiden says a word). That is coming up in Sept so stay tuned for pics! Scott & I are having a big "housewarming" adult party next weekend... fun will be had!

So lots going on .. and time is flying by! Stay tuned, you never know what we will get into next!

Boys riding horses at Blanco!

The group at the top of the mountain.. What a view!!

The boys with Sadie!

We welcome our new arrival.....

2010-07-09T15:10:00.003+02:00

Evan finally got his dream fulfilled.... We got a puppy! Just picked her up today! We got an adorable 6 week old female yellow lab. She is so sweet and very playful. The kids love her! The name right now is Sadie... unless we seem to come up with anything else. Here are just a few of the first pics of bringing her home!

She is sooooo sweet!!

Going after Aiden's shoes

Cute picture except she moved so she is a little fuzzy...

July 4

2010-07-09T14:45:00.003+02:00

Happy Birthday to the USA! We arrived home from Blanco on the 4th.... so we didn't have the parades or fireworks. The boys wore their Mickey american flag shirts courtesy of my dear friend Megan and both boys finally were comfortable riding their bikes without training wheels!! Look at them go......

Blanco 2010

2010-07-09T09:38:00.005+02:00

We just returned from a wonderful 8 day vacation to one of our favorite places. Blanco Guest Farm just outside a very small town of Tarkastad. We went last year for a long weekend with the same group and had a blast.. so this year we went for a whole week to take up some of the boys holiday. There are animals for the kids, tennis, golf, bowls, squash court, playground, horse riding, hiking and plenty of space to run and play soccer, cricket, etc. I think in the 8 days we were there we saw Aiden a total of 24 hours. The great part is the kids just go and do what they want and when. They have their own dining room and meal times so we have some nice quiet meals. We had a nanny full time that entertained and just watched Evan to make sure he was ok. So there was lots of relaxing, reading, eating and drinking. You take your own beverages and at night after the kids are in bed we head to the bar and have a few drinks with the crew. We met so many fun people. For my South African friends that happen to read my blog -- you should definatly check it out!

On Thursday they had a soccer game between all the kids and the staff's kids. As well as the guys and the guys on staff.

Men trying to get prepared... they didn't have a chance!

Most of the group of kids we were with.

Our last full day at Blanco -- so sad!

So these are from the bar... we had alot of fun!

Ayoba Time!!

2010-07-09T08:23:00.005+02:00

Soccer Fever has struck... We were able to attend two games here in PE. The new stadium is awesome! The first game we attended was on June 18 Germany vs. Serbia. We sat pretty much at center field and 27 rows up. Great seats!! For this game the boys went and had a great time. Vuvuzelas were in full force... the cheers from all the fans were so much fun. It was a great game with Serbia winning 1-0.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

The Boys..

We also were able to attend the England vs Slovenia game on June 23 here in town. This time we went with just adults and had a great time. A few friends of friends from England were here for the games and it was a great time! The England fans are crazy about their soccer. These are definately fans that travel with the team and support full force! England was victorious with a 1-0 win!

Paula, Gogo & Paula with South Africas Royal Guard (haha)

The massive number of England fans! This is just one section of the stadium!

Clayton & me..

The Mascot of the World Cup "Zakumi" meaning .. Za= South Africa Kumi = 10.

Paula and her mom.

Pat with our visiting England fans... GO USA :)

Fun was had by all!! We also got many pics of David Beckham on the sides lines... sooo cute! Very Exciting!!

Where has it gone?

2010-07-09T06:57:00.005+02:00

The boys have finished their second term of school this year... wow half over! It flies by. They both have had a great first half of the year, with school, friends and activities. They both got wonderful reports. Aiden is getting closer and closer to reading and is very strong in math. Evan knows his letter and numbers.

I was just thinking about this experience the other day and how very lucky we are. The boys have learned so much more than I think they would've if we were home... they have realized there are other languages and are interested in learning and knowing the languages, they have come to understand so much about the animals that you would never get from a zoo, and recently with all the world cup hype the boys are actually able to point out flags from other countries (like Portugal, Mexico, Serbia, England, Germany, etc) I am sure there are children much older that wouldn't know the flags. It has been such a blessing and I know even though we really miss our family and friends we will be much better for being here.

Ok - now I want to share a few pieces of the artwork from the boys. Enjoy...

Evan's Artwork - Fire Truck

Tree

Ant

Flowers

Aiden's Artwork - Bus full of people

PE City Hall - they all drew these from a photo of the actual city hall downtown

Elephant

And my favorite - the donkey

Well to help the aspiring artists, we got them desks for their new room....

Now onto the long holiday!

Soccer World Cup Opening

2010-07-08T21:11:00.004+02:00

The Soccer World Cup is underway and we are enjoying the festivities. The opening match was South Africa vs. Mexico. We went to a party at friends for the occasion. The weeks and days leading up to the world cup have been so much fun here. Looking around town and seeing flags everywhere.. on buildings, light poles, cars, etc. It has amazed me how much of a melting pot South Africa actually is.. There are people living here from all over the world. It is great to see the excitement of the SA people and the pride of what the country has accomplished. I am very proud to say I live here and was a part of the remarkable event. A newspaper article that was written by an American reporter about the World cup and South Africa has been circulating here and if you haven't read it .. it really sums up the feelings and excitement here. I have attached it in case you are interested.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shari-cohen/south-africa-rolls-out-th_b_611802.html

Ok - back to the party... we enjoyed watching the game and had a wonderful braai (bbq) with great friends. AYOBA!! (which is a word for hurray) Bafana Bafana (the south african team name) played well and tied with Mexico 1:1.

The Group ...

Our portrait taken by our photographer Evan.

In the middle is my dear friend Paula. To the left is her mother in the green and on the right is her mother in law. GO BAFANA BAFANA!!

Our New House

2010-07-08T20:44:00.003+02:00

Well as most of you know now we were recently extended til June 2012. With the extension we were able to look for a new home...ours was lovely but was a little small so we were just looking for something slightly bigger. We hit the jackpot! The only house on the rental market was awesome and fit our needs perfectly. So we have now moved in and love it. Here are a few pics of the new castle!

The Back of the house

Pool

Trampoline and play house for boys...

Aiden Golf Day 2010

2010-07-08T16:42:00.002+02:00

Well Aiden had his annual golf day with his dad at a "real" golf course! He had a blast! He also placed 4th in his age group. He loves his golf... especially when he can play with his daddy.

Games Evening

2010-07-08T16:08:00.005+02:00

The yearly Games Evening fundraiser for the boys school was on May 15th. It is a fun evening with food and games for the kids to play. It was a great night.. I was busy most of the night with helping to run things but the boys hung out with daddy and had a great time. We raised lots of money for a great school!

Sad Day

2010-07-08T15:51:00.003+02:00

Recently another US family headed back to the good ole USA. Although it is great for them it is very sad for us. The families we have gotten to know here have become family, so it is very hard to say good bye. Kim and Randy Stout are amazing people with amazing kids. Their friendship and support have been wonderful. I will miss them terribly!

Kristi, Kim, Megan & I

The whole family

The Stout Girls and their friends!

WE MISS YOU!!

Oh Baby

2010-07-08T13:07:00.004+02:00

Ok - don't get that excited.. it's not me?! But a dear friend Kristi Fair is having a baby and we had a beautiful shower for her. It was a surprise and somehow she didn't figure it out! We had a sock monkey theme. We celebrated with food, cupcakes, gifts and fun! Baby things are soooo much fun!

The Cake ....

SURPRISE!!!!

Gifts galore...

Oh - since the shower we have found out she is having a boy!!! YEAH!

Rally to Read

2010-07-08T11:42:00.003+02:00

There is a program GM participates in every year called Rally to Read. The program delivers books to schools in need. This year Scott went along and took Aiden. It was a great experience to see the schools that are in desperate need of everything. They delivered to two schools and were very warmly greeted at both. It was a great father son weekend!

Ironman

2010-04-26T08:14:00.006+02:00

A couple of weekends ago was the South Africa Ironman, held here in PE. It is an amazing event to watch. We headed to the beachfront with some friends to watch the swim and then the bike race. A couple of my friends did it! I am so proud! They did an amazing job. They have a kids competetion as well.. next year Aiden wants to do it. FUN! Here are some pics of the event.

The swimmers in the bay...

swimmers coming out of the water.. they do three laps in the sea and then out to the bikes..

Here are the sea of bikes ready to go.

My friends Debbie and Kevin Grey! Kevin has done the race many times and qualified last year for the national one in Hawaii. This year was Debbies first and she did great!!

The boys .. Aiden and Evan with their friend Ethan.

Wow -- soooo impressed!

Soccer Star

2010-04-26T08:01:00.003+02:00

Aiden had his first soccer game last weekend. He LOVED it! He plays for the PE City Club. They won 5-3.... according to Aiden they "smoked" the other team. He did really well. He plays in an under 9 team so most of the kids on his team and the other teams will be older but it doesn't seem to bother him.

His team! 4 of the World Cup countrys are represented here.. US, UK, Greece and South Africa.

Happy Easter 2010

2010-04-04T10:12:00.005+02:00

Happy Easter! The Easter bunny found us here is SA.

Evan found his basket, and quickly ate some chocolate

Aiden found his basket

Our colorful Eggs

Easter afternoon we went for a fun family lunch at The Boma. The kids played in the jumpy castle, rode ponies and had a great easter egg hunt.

The adults... Us, The McCartys, and the Stouts.

Our family on Easter!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Easter!

Term 1 Artwork

2010-04-04T10:02:00.002+02:00

Here is some of the kids artwork from the first term

Evan's Artwork....

Aiden's Artwork....

So Cute!

Update April 2010

2010-04-04T08:51:00.005+02:00

I know it has been a couple of weeks since my last post, time to catch up....

The boys ended the first term of school on the 26th. So the week was busy with end of term stuff.. a school raffle(I am fundraising chair),throw in a birthday party and I was interviewing at a primary school for Aiden for next year. Here you have to apply to schools by the end of the first term for the next year. Oh and.. I had a birthday. :)

Scott and I, with lots of friends went to see Elton John here in PE on the 26th. We had a great time.. at the before party and at the concert but the concert itself was not as good as expected. He played alot of really old stuff and some new songs from a new album coming out, I think there were only 2 songs that we knew and were songs we could dance and sing along to. It was an outdoor, picnic style concert and of course it rained! We are in a very bad drought right now, so it was a welcomed rain but we were soaked.

This past week we have been having fun.. meeting friends for lunch, Aiden had an all day golf clinic, Evan had swimming lessons and we were planning and packing for a quick getaway with 2 other families for the weekend.

On Thursday, the girls and kids all headed down the road to Storms River. It is near the Tsitsikamma National Park. We stayed in two cottages and planned to have a very fun relaxing couple of days. The guys came after work on Thursday. Between all three families we had 11 kids... ranging in age from 4-16. The kids had a blast, playing soccer, cricket, swimming and playing other games. Special thanks to the older kids who kept the little ones busy and happy. On Friday we went into the park and some went on a 3 hour hike, while Megan & I took the little ones to the beach and on a boat ride around Storms River Mouth. We really did have a great weekend with our friends, who have become family since we have been here! The crazy part of the weekend... On Saturday we checked out and then headed to Bloukrans Bridge which has the worlds highest bungy jump! Two of the teens.. Emily and Jono were the victims. You could watch from many lookout points but the best was in the restaurant where they had a live feed on a big screen tv of the jumpers. So we ate lunch and watched. Wow! I was almost talked into doing it...

We have had a great two weeks!!

Kids playing at the cabins

Evan as the photographer took a pic of Taylor, Aiden and Hunter.

Aiden, Evan and Claire at the beach playing in a small rock pool.

While we were at the beach there was a baboon that came out of the woods and took over a trash can not far from the restaurant.

The Bridge

The kids before the bungy jump

We are LUCKY!

2010-03-21T11:22:00.001+01:00

Happy St Pats Day to everyone.. I know a few days late! We had a great day. We had the other US families over for a great corned beef, cabbage and potato meal. And finished with some cute rainbow cupcakes! A yummy day.

The Spread...

My cute rainbow cupcakes

The boys playing rugby before our guests arrive.

We are lucky to have some great friends and family! We love you all. Hope you had a LUCKY day!

Aiden on two wheels....

2010-03-21T11:14:00.002+01:00

Well we finally talked Aiden into taking the training wheels off of his bike. He did well.. not completely on his own yet but a good start. And of course Evan wanted a turn! They are getting too big!

A Day of Fun!!

2010-03-21T10:49:00.004+01:00

Friday March 12 was a busy but fun day!! It started at school with an amazing Sports Day. It is a day of fun races for the kids.. all the families come watch and enjoy the day.
Aiden dressed as his dad.. the first race of the older children is a grown up race where they dress like their parents! Fun

Here is Evan and his best buddy Ethan

Aiden running the race...

Evan running his race.. he is the one in second place! Yeah Evan!

Well after that great morning.. we headed off to a great birthday party. Then hurried home for the big event of the night! Our local cricket team is the Chevrolet Warriers. They were playing in the final game for the championship at home. These games are usually a father son thing.. but a couple of the fathers were out of town for a bike race so Scott offered to take all 5 boys!! They had a blast and we WON!! Go Warriers!!
The team warming up. They are a great team and lots of their players are on the National team.

The 5 boys, with their faces painted.

Whew! A busy day indeed but so much fun!

What have we been up to?.......

2010-03-01T14:54:00.006+01:00

Well it has been a great couple of weeks... We had a braai at Evan's school and it was a blast talking to the new parents and just having fun.
All the boys having a great time... Evan of course would not get in the picture.

All the wonderful teachers hard at work! Love them!!

The boys have also started Karate this term and really love it. They have also learned to count in Japanese. FUN!

Well it only took 6 years....I have always heard all the stories of friend's children getting scissors and cutting their own hair. I have not had that problem until now.. Aiden decided the front of his hair was too long and proceeded to chop it off... I guess mommy didn't schedule hair cuts fast enough. Can you see the chuck taken out of the center of his forehead??? And this is after mommy tried to "fix" it a little....

We also headed to Addo Elephant National Park this past weekend. It is only about 1 hour and 1/2 drive from our house. It is a beautiful park with of course lots of elephants... I think these have become my favorite african animal. The lion of course is amazing.. but the elephant is so graceful and just an awesome animal once you learn a little about them. Although when we stopped to watch a huge herd one crossed in front of our car and turned toward our car like he was going to charge... scarry!! We also had a picnic in the park, it was so nice. Just a great family day!!

OK - Well here is the BIG News! I have told most of you that we were told we would be heading back to the Good Ole USA sometime this year, well things change :) Scott has been asked to stay and help with some upcoming projects so we will be here for awhile. At least until 4th quarter 2011 possibly til June 2012. So all my friends that are interested in coming to visit you have some additional time!!! Start booking those flights. With the extension we will be coming home in December for a visit and hope to see alot of you then! So.. now I need to start looking at schools for Aiden. He will be going to Grade 1 next year.. WOW! My baby is growing up. We will be able to enjoy the great weather and all of the great adventures we have ahead of us. Yeah more traveling!!!

Hope everyone is doing well out there. Keep in touch!

Valentines Day

2010-02-16T15:36:00.003+01:00

We celebrated Valentines Day in style... We hosted a couples sushi party! It was alot of fun... We had sushi made and invited 4 of our favorite couples over for some food,drinks and "love".

The set up... the sushi.. along with that we had beef stir fry and fried rice. And I made red velvet cake and meringue with cream for dessert

The girls... Megan, Charlotte, Kim, & Paula

The boys..Randy, Clayton, Pat, Scott & Stan.

Lots of Love!!!

Get To Know You

2010-02-16T15:16:00.004+01:00

One of the first events at school is the "Get to know you Braai". We had Aiden's this past weekend and it was a great time. We had hot dogs and the kids played.It is a great time to get to know other parents, especially the new ones to school. Then as the evening went on there was a father-daughter/ mother-son dance. Of course, I couldn't get Aiden anywhere near the dance. We also went on a torch (flashlight) walk around the school property.. the kids had a ball doing that. The evening was a great success...

Aiden playing Soccer with his buddies

Our friend Ross dancing with his beautiful daughter and a friend.

Me and Aiden hanging out...

Bikers.....

2010-02-07T11:46:00.005+01:00

Here biking is quite a big sport. We know lots of people that bike on a regular basis and love it. There was a race that most of them rode in and we went out to cheer them on! (won't catch me on a bike!!!) The boys had a great time cheering for everyone and looking for people we knew. We are very proud of all our friends who participated! Congrats!
Boys watching the bikers...

Pat -- having a little too much fun

Stan.. he works with Scott.

Our friend Randy - poor Randy had a flat tire :)

They all did so well!!

Aiden's Birthday Pary

2010-02-07T11:42:00.003+01:00

Aiden had a great party on Friday with all of his friends! There were 30 kids at the party and they all had a great time. We had the party at the Cricket Academy.. they supply two coaches and you choose between cricket and soccer. Aiden chose soccer and the kids were taken out to the field and played and played and played! It was a great time. I also brought along beads for some of the girls. Aiden loves sports and playing with his friends so he was in heaven! Even though it was a soccer party, Aiden asked for a snake cake.. so mommy complied... Enjoy the pics!

Aiden is 6!!!

2010-02-03T15:40:00.004+01:00

Last week Aiden turned 6! He took in cupcakes to school. At school each student draws and colors a picture for the birthday child and the teacher makes a cover for the book, as well as makes a crown. It is very fun. Then of course he wanted a snake cake for his party (which is this Friday) so I thought I would do a miniature version for his actual birthday and practise.. I think it turned out pretty good. He is such a big boy!

Aiden at school with his class...

The book and crown he got... (don't know why it is coming out sideways???)

The mini snake cake, will be attempting a large one for Friday!

Aiden blowing out his candle.

Look for more on the big boys birthday... his soccer, snake party is on Friday! Yeah!

First Day of School 2010

2010-01-25T14:39:00.004+01:00

So the boys started their first day of school here on Jan 19th! Aiden has moved up to the "Lion" class and is in Grade R which is equivalent to Kindergarten. And Evan has moved into the "Zebra" class. They both love school already! Now it is back to the routine with lunches, and sports after school. This term the boys are involved as usual. They are both taking music at school, swimming lessons and now Karate. Aiden is still doing golf lessons and Evan may do a ball skills class at school. Yes they have a full plate but it is fun and it keeps them busy. Happy 2010!

Boys ready to head to school!! Decked out with their new SA Springbok Rugby backpacks.

Evan in his classroom.

Aiden in his classroom.

They have had a great first week. And this week will be just as great! Aiden is turnig 6! WOW! Lots of fun coming up....

A new year...

2010-01-25T14:20:00.003+01:00

Well I know I am behind! But we have been quite busy the first month of the year. The boys were still off school until the 19th so we had lots of time to hang out and have fun. We met with friends, had a few jammie days, did some arts and crafts and tried to reorganize the house... fun fun fun! Ok so maybe the last one doesn't sound like much fun but a necessity and still a work in progress!

Here are a couple of pics of the boys painting their own race cars...

Christmas 2009

2010-01-19T16:46:00.007+01:00

We were home in plenty of time to get things ready for Santa. We made cookies for Santa, and had our Christmas eve tradion of opening one gift. Christmas morning was a lot of fun and we spent the rest of the afternoon flying kites, swimming and headed to friends for a great christmas night braai!

Boys making cookies for Santa....

Opening the traditional christmas eve gift (books)...

Santa's goodies... YUM!!

Evan taking out the food for the reindeer. They get hungry too!

Christmas Morning, checking out the loot.

Out flying kites....

It was a great Christmas! I think the boys got almost everything they asked for except for the puppy Evan keeps asking for..other than that it was a great day! Keep watching for our 2010 adventures..

Cape Town

2010-01-19T16:28:00.003+01:00

Well we hit Cape Town and had lots to see and do. We hit Cape Point.. where the Atlantic & Indian oceans meet, the Aquarium to see some cool fish, Table Mountain a great attraction in Cape Town, with gorgeous views of the city, Robben Island for a historical tour and lots of eats, drinks and shopping in between.

Cape Town is such a great city! We have been here twice and still haven't seen everything! Our trip was not over though.. we are heading home and will stop in Knysna for the night and some site seeing. And then we were home for Christmas.. so lots more posts to come and I know I am late!!! Keep checking.:)

Winelands part 2

2010-01-13T19:05:00.005+01:00

The next day we headed to another wineland town Stellenbosch (only about 30 minutes from Franschhoek) and stopped at two wineries. The views are as always amazing here as well as the wines!

Spier.. At this winery they have a bird show that show off different types of South African birds. You even get to interact with them, which the boys like...

Then we headed to one of our favorites.. mostly for the atmosphere and gorgeous views.. Ernie Els Winery. We had lunch and got a great tour of the cellar. We got to sit at his special table for a quick pic.

It was a great trip! Always love the winelands! Next Off to Cape Town....

Wine, wine, wine!!!

2010-01-13T18:12:00.007+01:00

Well this has got to be one of my favorite places! The wineland are amazing, and we have only really seen a small piece of them. My favorite town is Franschhoek. It is a gorgeous quaint village with the most amazing wineries.. not only the wine but also the scenery and archetecture. We stayed two nights in Franschhoek in a cute little house, but spent most of our time drinking!
Our House...

Here are all of the wineries we visited.

Rickety Bridge

Photo taken by Evan ... pretty good!

La Motte
This winery was very nice! A guy playing the piano during the tasting, the boys got wonderful kids packs and the wine was good!

Moreson - We also ate lunch here and it was very yummy! Another gorgeous winery.

Cabriere - This is an amazing winery with lots of history. They specialize in sparkling wine and it is yummy. We also had dinner here and it was delicious!

Well that ends our Franschhoek tour... now onto Stellenbosch which I will do on a second post! whew....

Touring South Africa's Coast

2010-01-13T17:41:00.005+01:00

After our day of relaxation.. we were off again. We were headed to the Cape Wineland and to Cape Town. Along the way we spent the night in Mossel Bay and saw some amazing views. We also stopped at a predator park Jukani to see some wonderful predator cats. The park is mostly to bring awareness about the endangered animals and how amazing they really are...

Mossel Bay view from Hotel

Jukani Predator Park... We saw lots of cats.. cheetah, white lion, leopard, ceracel, Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, hyena, jackals, and more!

Hyena

Leopard

Tiger being Fed... Still a baby!

The Owner giving his male lion a hug! Unbelievable. Most of the animals have been hand raised by the husband & wife owners.

White Bengal Tiger.

Along our way to the Winelands (Franschhoek) were some amazing views..

Great start to our next adventure!!!

Relaxing...

2010-01-13T17:29:00.003+01:00

Well even if it was only for a day we did some relaxing once we got back from Kariega. The boys swam in the pool, we headed to Sardinia beach and ate at one of our favorite outdoor restaurants.. the Pink Fig. Lots of fun...

We need the relaxation... we are off on a whirlwind tour!

Kariega

2010-01-13T16:40:00.007+01:00

I know it has been awhile since my last real post... the Holidays have been very busy,and the boys have not gone back to school yet! Anyway... Scott's parents, Frank & Marlene arrived on Dec 11, after a very long flight and overnight stay in Joburg. We let them settle in for the day and then were off on Dec 12th to a local game reserve Kariega (about 2 hours away). We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in the Homestead at Kariega which is an old farm house on the property that has been remodeled and is stunning. Staying there means we are the only ones there... we have the whole place to ourselves, we have our own game ranger and private game drives, a chef that cooks all our meals and the manager Adri, who makes sure everything goes well. She is amazing! Of course, we are there to see the animals.. and we saw lots! Here are just a few.....

Oh .. the Lions! There amazing animals! There were a pride of about 6-7.. The mother lioness was HUGE!! At this point we have seen quite a few lions and this was the biggest lioness I have seen! Also another fact not sure everyone knows.. the male lion's have different color manes.. (don't know about you but I never really thought much about it) but the darker the mane the more testosterone they have making them the more dominant. Something new I have learned! We saw them two days and as usual they were napping. Anyway check out the photos..

This is one of the male cubs which is almost a year old.

The pride..

One very interesting thing that happened.. we came across the adolescent male lion that has been pushed out of pride laying in the grass. Out of a watering hole behind him came 3 rhino. These rhino did not like the lion being in "their" territory.. so as we sat there watching the rhino chased him off and as he got up and headed away he literally was 10 feet from the vehicle we were in and looked right at us!!!

The whole experience was amazing! Our ranger Thomas was great. He was a great tracker and knew soooo much about the animals. And the views were breathtaking! These experiences are ones I never tire of. Wonderful!

Website for the game reserve... http://www.kariega.co.za/

Happy 2010!!!

2009-12-30T16:50:00.002+01:00

We would love to wish everyone out there a very Happy New Year!! 2009 was an amazing experience and can't wait to see what 2010 brings!!

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-11T09:45:00.002+01:00

Well this was our attempt at gingerbread houses... With the boys, I wanted to do them the easy way.. you know when we glue graham crackers onto milk cartons and just smear icing on and decorate. Since they don't have graham crackers here I made my own, and now milk cartons so I had to use another box. It was really all about the decorating and the boys had a great time.. I think Evan ate more than he put onto his house. Just another American Christmas tradition we are trying to continue.. maybe one day we will graduate to the Real gingerbread houses! Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!!

Aiden's Masterpiece

Evan's .. He only got to the roof, I think he was too busy eating.

Update

2009-12-07T07:27:00.003+01:00

Well we have been busy... the holiday season is upon us and is coming fast. The boys are out of school tomorrow and Scott will be done with work on Friday. So the last couple of weeks have been filled with holiday parties and "year end" events. The boys have finished up all their sports and classes for the end of the year. They have both graduated to the next class.. Evan will now be a Zebra and Aiden will now be a Lion. They are very excited to move to a new class. I have been busy with lots of things... I hosted a cookie exchange this past weekend and it went very well. Most here had never heard of anything like it so it was fun. The problem is that now we have tons of yummy cookies.. and all I do is eat them! We have decked our halls and are ready for christmas. Scott's parents will be here on Friday and then we are off traveling to show them the sites and be back right before Christmas. So this week will be about the last minute preparations and we are making gingerbread houses this week.. so look for more exciting posts to come. Hope everyone out there has a wonderful holiday season!

Sad Farewell

2009-12-06T20:00:00.002+01:00

This post is a little late but...Recently we said a sad good bye to two of the American families that have been here with us. It was a great night of food, drinks and good memories. They are greatly missed and we can't wait to see them again state side. I know they are happy to be back home! Good Luck and Keep in Touch!

Troy & Kimberly Comiskey..

Joel & Candice Wolf....