A few photos...

How well do you know me? Ha! A few pictures!! Jake & I have been really busy lately and I'm really looking forward to having a few days off work between Christmas and New Year. Sadly though, for all of you, it will mean my absence from the blogging community for a whopping 11 days (give or take, it depends on how busy work is when I get back).

I am pretty busy at work at the moment, trying to get everything up-to-date, so that life's not a mad rush when I come back to my desk in the New Year. Clean slates and all. So, not much time to write more news, just a couple of photos and a few notes along the way...

We popped in at a braai my sister-in-law had at their house last week sometime. The weather was great and all the kids ended up swimming. I hadn't packed a bather for Jake and told him that he could swim in his underpants, but since my child has issues with taking his pants off (I wonder how long it will last??), he ignored me and climbed in fully dressed. He did have fun though...

Jake sent his letter off to Father Christmas last week. I had intended to do it on the 16th, but he was so exhausted that he went to bed without us doing it. The next night was no better, so he only got it off on the 18th. We promise to be more punctual next year... We also cooked Jake's marrow (zucchini) last week. It was delicious and Jake was very proud!!

This weekend went by in a blur. I have good friends here from the UK, whom I met up with on Friday night in the Waterfront for drinks. I ended up getting home at 2am, which was much later then anticipated, but tons of fun. I really miss having Jason and Sandi here and this trip of theirs has been so rushed that we've hardly seen them. They are leaving again on Thursday evening, so I doubt we'll even get to see them between now and then. Still, Friday night was great and, since I was driving, I wasn't suffering with a hangover on Saturday morning when Jake woke me up at 7am!

On Saturday afternoon, I managed to have a nap with Jake for 2 hours! Seriously, I can't remember when last I managed to have an afternoon nap, it was heavenly. Saturday night, we were invited to Joanne & Paul's for a Christmas dinner. It seems to be becoming an annual event of theirs and it's always a good evening. Sam, Steven & Mikey joined us there, so the kids also had a ball. Jo is a wizz in the kitchen (although Paul still needs a bit of assistance) and her meals are always delicious. This year was no exception. Jake & I spent the night, so I could enjoy a couple of glasses of wine and not worry about having to get us home safely. Pity that Jo couldn't join us, but I'm sure she'll make up for it next year! Thanks guys for a stunning evening, we can't wait until Connor's here so that he can share in all the festivities...

Sam & Jo relaxing with a drink on the stoep (Jo's is non-alcoholic). And who was it that was asking for photos of the bump?? There it is. That's my nephew...

Paul showing off about his braaing skills...

The kids playing with the hose in the garden. I'm still not sure what possessed Mikey to trust Jake with the hose - that face might look innocent, but underneath...

Jo getting the food ready...

And I'm still dreaming about this dessert! It was delicious. Please visit http://www.inapaarman.co.za/ and look for the recipe. It's listed under her cold desserts and it's called a Frozen Chocolate Malt Bombe. Jo said it was pretty simple to make and it was very impressive...

Jake and Mike tucking into the cherries...

This is what it looked like inside...

On Sunday we met some friends at the Blue Peter for drinks, which is always good fun. Jake was really well behaved and the weather was divine. Today it's overcast & raining, so I'm not sure what's up with that. When we got home last night, we collected my parents and took a drive into Bothasig (our neighbouring suburb), to walk around and see the Christmas lights. The residents always out do themselves with lighting up their gardens & homes. Again, I didn't have my tripod with me, so some are a little fuzzy... Our Christmas tree at home... Lastly, all that Jake wants for Christmas this year, is a Ben 10 watch. It's revolting and I decided that I wasn't going to spend money on it, but it's all he wants. On Friday I decided that I'd get it and went shopping. Every single shop in Cape Town is sold out. I called my cousin in Johannesburg and she's looked all over Jhb and there's none there either. She left her details with one store and they sourced one at their branch in Pretoria. Long story short, it'll be arriving in Cape Town at lunch time tomorrow. I can't wait to see Jake's face!! And this is Ben 10, for those of you that care...

Chat again soon!! XXX