It's Christmas time...

I can't believe that the year 2009 is already winding down to its end and this might well be my last post for the year. The year end seems to have come around so quickly this year - a sure sign that I'm starting to get old!

In our household, Christmas has been in full swing for weeks. Jake is just so excited about it this year and I can't wait to share it with him. So, the shopping's done and the gifts are wrapped and I'm feeling quite organised this year around. Fingers crossed that I haven't forgotten anyone off my list...

Our offices are closing up from today until the New Year and I'll be back behind my PC on Monday 4 January 2010. We're spending Christmas Eve and Christmas day with my family this year, since the in laws have gone camping for a few weeks and have decided to stay there for the holidays. We're having an early braai at my Rosanne & Gareth's and tomorrow we have friends and family joining us for a traditional Christmas lunch at home. No doubt that, by this time tomorrow, the presents will have been unwrapped and opened and we'll already be busy with the cooking and cleaning.

Next week, we're planning on joining the in laws for a few nights of camping, probably until 2 Jan. Jake is really looking forward to that; I'm not the world's greatest camper, I prefer my home comforts and I don't like bugs and spiders, but like I said, Jake can't wait. There are quite a few people going this year too, including my very special friend Jacki, so it should be nice and festive.

As always, I'll end off with some snaps of what what we've been up to over the last few weeks (sorry I've been so quiet, things have just been totally off the wall busy at work)...

Jake had 2 advent calendars this year. The first one (top) I bought him for his 3rd Christmas and the Ben 10 one below comes from Sandi when she visited from the UK last month...Traditionally, we put our Christmas tree up on the 16th (don't ask me why, anyone else do it on this day? I thought it had to be 12 days before Christmas, which should have been the 13th. We've always been told it's bad luck to put it up early or late, so have stuck to the 16th. I've googled it and have come to the conclusion that we simply put our tree up on the 16th, because that's what my mom's family did when she was a kid and because the 16th's always a public holiday here. Reconciliation Day, right?), but this year we opted to rather put it up on the 15th as my folks were going to be out for the whole day on the 16th. So far, no bad luck in sight. Also wondering who opts for real vs fake trees. Jacques and I always went real and I've heard that it's more environmentally friendly to have a real tree, but my parents have always had a fake tree and I do like it's simplicity and neatness...

Duracell wanted to be in on the action when we were putting up the tree. By the way, for those who are interested, he's doing very well after his surgery and is walking on his leg more and more. I can't believe how long it's taken for him to heal...Jake came home with an entire bag of Christmas decorations this year. Here's his angel, which took prize spot at the top of our tree this year. Please forgive me for his filthy arms, it was late at night and for those of you who don't have boys, they're this dirty at most bath times; means they've had a good day exploring their world...up she goes...And later, our tree all lit up...Jo and Paul have a dinner at their house every year just before Christmas. This year they had it on the 18th. As usual, it was a brilliant spread, Jo worked so hard and and totally out did herself (again) this year. we all rolled out the front door far too late. Connor slept through the whole thing...The next night was Uncle Paul's Christmas party at Groot Constantia. We were out in full force this year, my cousins had managed to get the same night, so they were all their with their families, including my mom's sister and a few other 'grown-ups'. We got there quite early this year and were on the 3rd tractor going up. It was quite a full party this year, so it was nice to be able to run around a little before the crowds arrived...Jake doesn't believe in doing things in small measure. Go large or go home...I'm pretty much like an over-grown 5 year old at these things (as are some other parents). There's me getting ready to chuck straw in Jake's face... Oh and there's my mom getting me back. She's another of those over-grown kids. Seriously though, you have no idea how much straw I had in my pants when I got home. It was uncomfortable, but rather that then sit in the stands and just watch. It was heaps of fun... Of course, Jake gets nailed along the way, but he loves it. Last year he was irritated with the straw down his shirt, this year it didn't worry him too much...And don't feel too sorry for him. He gives as good as he gets...

And he has so much fun along the way...

The clean stands. Here are my in laws and Rose & Gareth...

There's me looking for Jake. Yes, he's standing right behind me, fighting with Mr Plodd...

After the straw fight, the Salvation Army marching band arrived. That's Jacques' cousin's "kid" in the background, by the way. Uncle Paul's party has been going for 54 years this year and two of the guys in the band have been to every single party since it's start... Jake meeting Uncle Paul...I know it's a shocking picture, but Noddy and the clowns arrived after the band. I wish you could see better how young Noddy was...I totally forgot to take more pictures of Noddy and Company, because I was too busy enjoying my ice cream that they brought for everyone. It's funny how a wafer ice cream is probably the one I'd avoid most in the stores, but I so enjoy it at Uncle Paul's...Next up were Christmas Carols, which were sung way too quickly and then it was time to let Father Christmas know that we were ready for him to come. We blew the magic lights out... And he appeared...Jake couldn't wait to meet him only when he collected his gift...Blowing the lights out for the fairy (excuse my child's top. Jacki gave me some hand-me-downs from her son Steven and Jake loves this one the most. I have never been a wrestling fan and have avoided these tops until now, but he loves it and I am grateful for the extra clothes - kids grow far too quickly and each season means a new wardrobe)... Jake & my cousin's son, Dylan, waiting for their names to be called... Finally, it was Jake's turn. His gift was the green one. The other gifts you can see are the end of the queue and he was starting to panic that he hadn't cleaned his room up quickly enough earlier that day...Finally!! A cuddle from Santa...This is the fairy who brings the kids magic sweets...Jake was so thrilled with his gift - 3 new Bakugan (if you are interested, click here) and went home a very happy little man...

Lastly, I hope that you all have a happy and safe Christmas. Enjoy the festivities and take lots and lots of photos! Looking forward to catching up on all your news in the New Year!

Lots of love and best wishes to you all, Sue XXX

HAHAHA...

So, thank you Anonymous, who read my blogpost for this week's public holiday and reminded me that it wasn't actaully Heritage Day on Wednesday, but rather Day of Reconciliation. I'll just totally blame it on having blonde hair, listening to the radio, not paying proper attention and just generally having a revolting day... What's it all worth when you can't laugh at yourself?? Apologies for those I upset along the way...

2010...

It's the moment that so many South Africans have been working towards and waiting for. Yip, tonight they'll be doing the draw for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, to be hosted on our very door step!! I must state very clearly here, that I'm NOT a soccer fan, but this is pretty exciting stuff. People from all over the world will be flocking to our beautiful city to witness as global sport stars take to the fields around the country. So much work has been put into making our city more accessible and the event has already done much for all who live here (barring the traffic jams caused by the roadworks). The job opportunities, which I realise are short term, have been plentiful and restaurants and shops are gearing up for a busy time mid-2010. While Jake doesn't quite grasp what it's all about yet, I have bought tickets for us to go to one of the matches. It's not a big game, I think it's the first game to be played in Cape Town (picture of Cape Town Stadium above; click here for more), but still. Just to be there and to be part of it all is going to be quite something. Tonight, the draw takes place and teams will be put into groups and matches set. The streets in the city are being closed as they prepare for the party of the decade. We have visiting celebrities (did you know that Becks is staying at the One & Only, which is where I'm going for dinner tonight!) and the atmosphere is quite electric. I went into town last night to pick up a friend and past the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC) - I have NEVER seen so many cameras in my life. The place was swarming with members of the press. This is going to be so good for our country, the tourism that it's going to attract is going to be phenomenal. Once people see how beautiful this town is, they're not going to want to leave. Ever...

I hope you all manage to find a TV to watch the draw on and enjoy being part of this 'historical' moment of being a South African! While not many share my views, I am truly proud to be a South African! Enjoy the weekend, Sue XXX

An expensive week...

This is Duracell. My 8-year old "Jack Russell", whom many of you already know. Poor Duracell has been a very unhappy little man lately and has cost me a small fortune (especially at this time of year!). 2 weeks ago, today, I took him into the vet to have his right hind leg checked out because he's been limping around on 3 legs for a while. Every now and then he seemed to come right and manage on all 4 legs, but generally, the problem was just not getting better. After his examination, the Doctor informed me that Duracell had severed his cruciate ligament, which holds the shin bone to the knee. It's not something that can ever re-grow or heal itself, so I was kinda forced into surgery. The price tag - R4,500.00 (that's nearly $600.00), which didn't including the consultation fee nor the antibiotics I had to give him until the date of surgery!

The op took place on Thursday and my baby had to spend the night at the vet's clinic. I collected him on Friday afternoon and he's been as good as gold ever since. He's normally hyperactive and I was pretty worried about keeping him quiet once he got home, but he's been quite lethargic so it hasn't been too tough. His leg is bandaged up from toe to thigh. It's hard work and I hear the rehab is quite a thing too, but worth it. Duracell's not even allowed to walk around the garden without a lead at the moment, he has to take it very slow too, which forces him to put his foot down. I can't wait for him to be back to his busy old self!

Added to my woes, Amber, my 9-year old Ridgeback has also got some problems that have developed over the last few days. She's always had hormone problems and a non-functioning thyroid and takes huge doses of medication every day to help her overcome these problems, but she's been needing to get outside to 'wee' literally every 5 minutes. It's insane. I had to collect a urine sample on Saturday morning (don't ask, I'll just say that we need a new soup ladle). Turns that while there is no trace of infection, her urine is very dilute. She does drink a huge amount of water though. I was instructed to limit her water intake over night and to re-collect and test again today. I'll probably only hear from them again after lunch time. I am in a bit of a panic that, with all her medication, Amber's kidneys have just decided to call it quits. The vet has assured me that there are a few things they can do to help her, but the fact of the matter is that she is 9. I am feeling pretty down about it. She was Jacques absolute princess.

Other then all these dog related expenses, I also had to replace all 4 tyres on my car on Saturday - I wasn't aware they needed replacing, I went in to have a puncture repaired, that couldn't be fixed and was then told that I actually only had 1 good tyre on my car. Safety comes first, right? So another R2,270.00 (± $300.00) later and I at least have a safe car again...

And on top all of that, I had SUCH a busy weekend. And work's been totally off the wall busy. I had a look at my diary and between now and Christmas, Jake and I have 2 weekend days where we have nothing on, one of them being yesterday. Seems the silly season has arrived in full force. This week, I've got Christmas shopping to do (and hopefully finish), Christmas lights to go see in Town (it's the first tomorrow!) and our office Christmas party, which we're having at Gordon Ramsay's Maze at the One & Only in the V&A waterfront. I'm really looking forward to it this year. There are only 13 of us going, but it'll be fun anyway. People are always so different out of the office. In March I'll have been working at this company for 10 years (!!) and, even though they drive me nuts, I mostly love my bosses and colleagues. They're all men though, so it's quite nice to meet their better halves too!

Hope every one's doing OK, I'm off to go catch up on some blog-reading!

Love, Sue XXX

We wish you a merry Christmas...

Let me start off by saying that I'm really sorry I've been so quiet lately. I have so many photos that I had intended to share here, but that are now outdated. Work has been like a nut house, especially this week and most of the time, I'm not quite sure whether I'm coming or going. Not to mention that the silly season is in full swing already and between Jake and I we have something on every Saturday and Sunday between now and Christmas. Except for the 12th and the 20th. I enjoy being busy and I love catching up with friends, so life's good.

Jake had his Christmas concert on at school on Wednesday evening and what an amazing production it turned out to be! We laughed and we cried and we clapped and cheered. And somehow it left me feel rather nostalgic over the fact that these kids are all growing up way, way too quickly. The kids were fabulous and I love that they're just so spontaneous. They just do what they want while they're up front, it doesn't matter who's watching and taking photos. Most of them take their roles very seriously, but some prefer to play the fool while they have a real audience. Anyway, there are lots of photos to follow, enjoy the show..

The little girl on your right is Jenna. She's Jake's girlfriend; the one he asked to marry him and said no. She's off to grade 1 next year...Here's the whole group...Most of Jake's little group were the animals for 'If I were a butterfly'. Jake was a kangaroo. With skew ears, because he couldn't leave his hat alone. The two little girls to Jake's left played the cat and the mouse for another song... Santa (played by a girl!) and Rudolph...Jake pulled this bored look for the first part of the show. He was really so excited, but I guess didn't quite know what to do with his hands. Further on into the show, he used his tail to bash himself in the face. Unfortunately, I didn't catch it on camera...Starting to get into it now...Mary and Joseph asking the inn keeper if he can accommodate them for the night. The inn keeper's shaking his head 'no'. He shook his head, very seriously I might add, for the entire duration of the song. When we were in pre-school, 26 years ago, I was Mary and Jacques was a Sheppard. There are photos of us both in the same act together...

The angels...Mary and Joseph, sitting as far away from each other as they possibly could...I can't remember which song the kids are singing here, I just like the fact that they all had their own variations to the actions...Same here. See, some chose to over dramatise, others opt to do nothing. Did you notice the elephant in the back row, by the way? His brother was the inn keeper. They're Jake's favourite friends. Their parents (Margaret & Steven) were at school with Jacques and I...Here's my little kangaroo doing his jumps during their song...The butterfly, the robin, the fish, the elephant, the kangaroo and the octopus. Jake's going home with Luke the Octopus today to play, so I've got some time to do some shopping...Some crocs. The guy on the left is Mandy and Darren Scharfenorth's (spelling?) little boy, Cole... Singing about poor old Jerry Giraffe and his funny horns...Even though they look like rhino's, these guys were really dinosaurs. The kid on the left was really funny, running around (in the bathroom where they were all changing) in his underpants after the show. He really enjoyed being on the stage...More singing...Check the ears now... For the final act, all the kids got up and came to stand on the grass in front of the stage, making it quite difficult to get any decent photos, since we were actually sitting right in their space. This is Jake with Rene. Rene's mom was Jake's first playgroup teacher...They sung Michael Jackson's 'Heal the World'. It made us cry...The little girls sat down, the track changed to 'Bad' and the boys showed off their muscles. It was HYSTERICAL. Please also note that my child doesn't like being barefooted. I have no idea why, he was a barefooted baby and I live without shoes on. Even now, at work, my shoes are off...More muscles... This is supposed to be some kind of macho crossing of arms stunt, but they just don't have it yet...The track changed again (another MJ song, I can't remember what) and the girls joined in... The boys sat and the girls did a stint on their own. They're fanning themselves down here...The kangaroo with the skew ears waiting for his next role in 'Heal the World'... 'Heal the World, make it a better place'...

'For you'...

'And for me'...

'And the entire human race'...

What a night, thanks to each and every kid there for making it such a special evening for their families. And thanks to the teachers for all their hard work and planning!!