Our little Rylee-Roo has turned 2...

Where has the time gone?  And could I possibly be any worse at blogging than I have been in the last little while???  I really just don't get the time at the moment.  And, believe it or not, I think I have about 6 posts waiting to be finished so that I can publish them...  Might be a busy blogging weekend ahead!

So our sweet little Rylee (aka Gogga) turned 2 at the end of Feb.  Jake and I had bought him a tool set for Christmas and so it was easy to add to that for his birthday.  Gogga loves helping his very practical dad do boy things.  A drill was the perfect addition to the set! 

We had a really nice get-together for Rylee's birthday and just about his whole family joined in for the most delicious home-made pizzas to celebrate.  Isn't it funny how excited other kids get about the gifts they give... look how proud Corky looks...

It was a funky car that twists and spins and Rylee was terrified of it when Jake first got it going for him...

Rosie and her beautiful boy...

Rylee had a transport party and they filled the garden with all kinds of toys for the littlies to climb on and crawl through.  Jake found an alternative use for the ring...

Rosie and Gareth always go to so much trouble to make their entertainment area look magical for Rylee's party...

Party boxes...

Wall art...

Rosie's cake was a gorgeous train that Rosie made, full of sweeties for the kids to tuck into...

So special and just gorgeous...

Rylee's oldest cousin, John and his family were here from Jo'burg, so were able to join for Rylee's party this year.  Jake and John get on pretty well, which is great - their dads were both really good friends as kids...

That's John's sister in blue, Abi.  Seriously though, boys will be boys...

Rylee with all his cousins...

Silly faces for a memorable birthday photo...

Rylee worked very hard with his new drill to keep everything together...

Princess Bi really enjoyed herself too...  man, I wish I had legs like her...

It was very sweet to see Rylee with his friends too, we've seen them all grow up from teeny tiny babies.  Some of their mom's were good friends with Rosie at school.  How the wheel turns...

Rylee lighting his candle with his drill...

Waiting to blow the flame out...

He is such a loved and very treasured little boy.  His older cousins all adore him...

And Rylee got so into his happy birthday song, this is him absolutely straining and shouting HOORAY!!

Candle time...

Corky wanted to play outside too.  Not to big yet to enjoy playing with the little kids things...

Stuffing your faces time.  And boy did Rylee eat...

And eat...

And eat...it's no wonder this boy didn't get a tummy ache, but he did enjoy his party so much this year...

Chilling and taking it all in...

Gogga, you're just too gorgeous for words!  We love seeing you grow up into the funny, gentle little boy that you are fast becoming.  Except when you're holding a spade!  We love getting to know you more and more with each day as you learn to speak and communicate with us.  We love you so much!!

Love,

Sue XXX

Phew...

Well, here I sit, wondering yet again where the time has gone...  I don't seem to be getting very much of it for anything at the moment.  Work is manic again and we're busy with our financial year end, which always leads to time wasted searching for inventory and reconciling accounts.  Busy days, but I guess it keeps me out of trouble.

In between, Jake's had a pretty crazy time at school too.  He's had his test week (2 actually) and has had orals and mondelings (I so badly need an Afrikaans friend to help me with the editing!) and reading and projects to get through.  In among that, I'm still playing tug-of-war with regards to his meds.  He's been taking 27mg of Concerta for his ADHD and I love that it means he eats better and has more spunk, but I can see that he's struggling a bit socially and results-wise.  Anyway, we'll get him back on track soon :o)

We recently had the privilege of visiting the Drakenstein Lion Park, which is a sanctuary for rescued lions.  Most of these lions have spent their lives abused or in circuses.  None could fend for themselves in the wild, so this is the best solution for them.  It's amazing to get so close to these amazing creatures, even if a little daunting - those fences aren't really very high, are they??

Jake cooling off in a sprinkler - we did pick the hottest day of the year to go and Jake eventually looked like a tomato about to pass out...

We were there for feeding time too, which was quite a treat.  The lady in the blue dress is writing a children's book about one of the lions, Dodo, who's spent the first 8 years of his life in a concrete pit in Eastern Europe.  His cage had metal bars over the top and during the cold winters, Dodo had to lie in the snow in temperatures as low as -20 degrees.  His life at the sanctuary is as close to the wild as he'll ever get, but it's one heck of a lot better than where he's come from!!

Seeing the lions like this made Jake and I really sad, especially since we've seen the life they should be living in the wild.  It also made us really excited about our up-coming Kruger holiday.  We can't wait!

Nom-nom...

Dead chicken is gooood...

There were a couple of tigers too...

A definite highlight is some of the gorgeous white lions that the park has too...

All of the lions are sterilized and so the owners were very surprised when one of their female white lions gave birth to 3 precious cubs.  We were lucky enough to spot one.  The dad is in the picture above...

In other news, Jake and I finally braved a trip down to Blouberg beach.  It's the one we spent so many precious hours with Marius and his boys.  Re-visiting was really tough for us and we both kept hoping we'd bump into the boys, but we didn't.  We saw the park runners too, which we all used to do quite often on a Saturday morning... another harsh reality of our lives.  For now, things will change again, I have no doubt about that...

Our trip to the beach was made easier by having Rylee and my folks with us...

Rylee's growing so beautifully and he's talking so much these days.  He had the most fabulous 2nd birthday party at the end of Feb - I'll have pics for you as soon as I can...

Jake adores his little cousin...

It's really hard to believe that it really wasn't all that long ago that Jake was so tiny...

Jake's learned to be very patient with his younger cousins and they are all really crazy about him because of it...

Jake tried his luck finding shark's teeth, but it wasn't his day...

The last days of summer were spent by the pool, relaxing with our precious family.  Here's Jake and his Auntie Jo...

Another of Jake's younger cousins, Corky.  These two started out with a real love-hate relationship, now it's mostly filled with love and patience.  They all get so excited to see each other, it's very precious.  Here's Jake trying to teach Corks how to use his new board.  Corky wasn't heavy enough, so they shared the load...

Thank goodness for family...  so much love...

Stinky was there too... she's the rose amongst the thorns, but she loves the boys and they love her so much too...

We celebrated Baden Powell's birthday at the Sea Scout base too.  Jake received a certificate for completing his leaping wolf badge, so it was a special one for him...

Smart boys...

The flag ceremony, which is lead in by a piper...

Jake getting his certificate from the District Commissioner...

And with his two Grandpas - he's a lucky boy to always have so much support from his family...

Jake and Rylee having fun on the board...

Doesn't Rylee just have the most gorgeous eyes and hair???

How old are you going to be?  2!!

There's so much more happening, but my camera seems to be collecting dust at the moment...  I need to start pulling myself towards myself, don't I...

We're going away this weekend with our whole family, just for one night, but we're really looking forward to it! School also closes next Friday for 2 weeks for the Easter break and I'm hoping to get a few days off work.  I have a ton of leave owing to me and if I don't use it, I'm going to lose it.

Sending lots of love,

Sue XXX

Valentine's Day 2016...

Well, it's here... another Valentine's Day where I find myself sitting "alone".  As always, I am surrounded by people who love me, just not the one that I want to. So I'm not celebrating it this year. Call me the Valentine's Day Grinch! If you are celebrating, well, then, Happy Valentine's Day to you, I hope you are spoiled and showered with lots of love!  Love is a wonderful thing.

On that note, we heard from Michael & Cameron last weekend.  They were both chatting to Jake and I via Instagram.  It was both really difficult and really comforting.  They are missing us as much as we miss them and agree that things are so different without us.  It also gave me the chance to apologise for them having to be caught up in our grown up problems, even though this wasn't my decision.  Jake is dying to see the boys again, but I have decided that this little bit of cyber contact is enough for now.  When they are bigger, it will be different, but for now, my heart can't deal with more and I need to protect Jake too.  He has been hurt enough. 

Added to feeling a big bit blue, Jake is also going away this Valentine's Day.  He is very excited about going on a hike with his scout group up Table Mountain. They leave early tomorrow morning and are camping out in the scout hut on top of Table Mountain over night, then hiking back down on Sunday morning.  It's his first overnight hike away from home and he doesn't really like being away from home.  He is a creature of comfort, a bit like me.  It's important that he does these things and I am excited for the learning that comes for him with a trip like this.  Of course, I cannot wait to pick him up again on Sunday afternoon - he will always be my one true Valentine!  We have planned sushi for dinner and will probably rent a DVD, depending on how exhausted Jake is after his hike.

Anyway, that's all from me.  I have updated photos of all the kiddies, so will share them ASAP.

Sending love,

Sue XXX

Busy as you know us...

I seem to have gone a bit off my photography and blogging lately... I'm sorry about that!  Call it a slump, but I just feel uninterested at the moment.  Perhaps it was the lazy school holidays, perhaps it was just a combination of events, but it feels like it's taking a bit of time for us to get back into the swing of things again this year.

I used to suffer from Sunday blues when I knew that my weekends were coming to an end and now I somehow feel a bit like I suffer from these blues on a Friday, which really sucks because I do love the weekends!  It's a silly mindset and I'm so used to packing up and heading off to the beach on Fridays, that I tend to feel a bit lost on Friday afternoons.  Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT miss packing bags, but I did do it quite gladly while I had to.  I won't go into all that I miss about that time in my life - onward and upward!

There are many changes that I've had to go through over the last 2 months.  I decided before Christmas to go back on anti-depressants; there was simply no way that I could help Jake understand his own emotional trauma and deal with my own.  Perhaps some will view it as the cowardly thing to have done, but it worked for us and it meant that the holidays were definitely more bearable.  I don't like being sad.

Jake's had a tough start to the new year.  I took him off his old meds before the end of the 4th term last year and he had a fantastic holiday without them.  He had so much energy and spunk and managed to grow quite a bit and put on some weight too.  His new meds started at the beginning of January, but were a complete disaster and last week was a week from hell for him.  He was sick and I had to pick him up from school twice because he was just so unhappy.  Not my boy at all!!  A trip to the dr saw us reverting back to his old meds and he seems 100 times happier again and is coping much better with his day.  I saw his teacher yesterday and she said he's like a new kid this week - YAY!  Happy kid = happy mom!!

Aside from that, Jake and I have moved back in with my mom and dad for a bit.  I've rented my house out for some extra cash, which means that Jake and I will have the opportunity to travel a bit this year.  We've canned our idea to visit the States, the tickets were just too expensive and so we're heading back to Kruger in June/July for 16 nights.  It'll just be the two of us this time and we're both really looking forward to it.  Living with my mom and dad is great, we all get on really well and we have enough space to not feel like we're living on top of each other.  It's really home from home for us.

Besides having our Kruger trip to look forward to, Jake and I have put our names down for a new dog.  It might take a while before the right poochie reaches us, but it will happen and she will be well trained this time around!!  Duracell has not been well and we nearly had him put down during the holidays, but he's managed to pull himself right for now.  He'll be 15 in July, so we know his days are numbered and we're just showering him with love while we can.  I won't let him suffer and we will do what's best for him when we need to.

Work-wise things are going well.  I have a ton of accumulated leave that I need to start using up, I just wish that I had more money to travel more and I wish that our Rand wasn't so bloody weak!  Our company has a new majority share holder and the changes that we're going through are very exiting.  It's lovely to be part of this process and I think we're all looking forward to the next step!  Speaking of that, I start a little online course next week, so looking forward to some personal growth too.

As for the weekend ahead, we've got quite a busy one lined up and I'm looking forward to it!  This week's been busy, but happy as we settle into our new normal.

Hope everyone's well, promise to try take some photos to post soon!

Love,

Sue XXX