A weekend away...

 Marius did a 21km trail run out in Grabouw this weekend.  It was the final run in a series and Marius did brilliantly, coming in 3rd place for this run and 1st overall for the series.  Grabouw's only about an hour away from town, but we decided to use the opportunity to get away for the weekend with the boys.  I did the 5km fun run with the kids and so we were there to welcome Marius in at the finish line.

Marius did take a bit of a tumble, he said it happened so fast, but I guess he can say he's a true trail runner now...

 It wasn't very warm at the finish, but Marius and his friend, Manou, who runs with him regularly, enjoyed a cold one at the end...

 Jake waiting for the lucky draw to begin.  And no, that guy in the background is not relieving himself...

 Michael & Cameron came in first and second place for the fun run too, here they are collecting their prizes...

 They obviously have their dad's genes for this sort of thing.  Jake ran nice and slowly and kept his mom company for our 43 minute 5km jog.  The trail was stunning and we all really enjoyed it...

Our three gorgeous boys, who will be breaking lots of girls heart's in the years to come (not too soon though, please boys!)...

Series winners...

We stayed at a place called Oak Lane.  The chalet is basic, but really perfect for us...

 Out on for a relaxing walk at Oak Lane...

 I love these pics.  Marius is cuddling his boys and Jake just joins in...

 The best part for me is that Michael wants to include Jake too...

 Marius with all the boys getting some love...

  More "bro-love"...

 Me in the orchard, picture courtesy of Jake...

 Pear blossoms...

 Baby pears...

 On Friday evening, I made a pasta for dinner.  We weren't sure what time we'd get there and it's nice to just have something ready to go when you arrive.  We were actually pretty lucky though, I managed to get off work early and Jake finished up school at 11 for the end of the term, so we were able to get going just before 12pm.  We had a little lunch stop and arrived in time to unpack and go for a nice walk.  After dinner, the boys tackled us on the birds and the bees and are now very well informed about a lot of the things expect of their changing bodies.  We're always glad when they're comfortable enough to come to us with their questions and being together gives them the courage to ask.  

On Saturday evening we braai'ed steaks, which was exactly what we all felt like.  Cam keeping a close eye on his dad's braai...

 Being a pyromaniac, Jake can't leave the fire alone...

 It's such fun watching these 3 grow.  Sometimes Michael is much taller than Jake and Cameron and sometimes Cameron and Jake are nearly the same height.  Jake seems to be having a bit of a growth spurt at the moment...

 Michael joined in the fire-fun too...

 Before we hit the road again on Sunday morning, we went for another little stroll...

 The orchards are in full bloom...

 The handsomest boys in town...

 My preciousness...

 The inside of our chalet - the lounge...

 And kitchen...

Our weekend was over sooner than we'd have liked, but at least the kids all still have another week off school, so there's no rush to get back into routine.  We'll probably be spending most of this week with Marius and his boys in any event!  

Hope everyone else had a good weekend.  Jo and her family got home last night from their 9 day holiday in Mauritius and I can't wait to see them all this afternoon.

Lots of love,

Sue XXX