Summer Loving...

 Well, once again, I'm left feeling a little embarrassed about how slack I've been at blogging.  I mean 2 months... seriously??  So, I'll start way back in November, where I left off - prepare for a completely unedited photo overload!  The pic above is of Jake watching a local wildlife program, 5050.  We watch it most Sunday evenings and always enjoy every one's photo contributions.  For the first time ever, I entered some of Jake's Kruger photos.  The guys at 5050 called to let us know when it would be on and there it is.  They shared 4 of Jake's beautiful baboon photos and gave him a special shout out on air, telling him to keep up the great photography.  Very special!

Little Rylee continues to grow more and more gorgeous every day.  He's such a kind, caring little boy and I love that we all get to spend so much time with him.  It's just so special having another little boy around.  Plus, this guy's got such good manners!! 

 In other news, my baby has finished primary school!!  I can't believe it myself, but he starts high school next Tuesday.  He's quite nervous, but it's going to be such an exciting time for him.  Did you know he's had braces fitted?  Just the top ones for now...

 Jake's also grown past me during the last couple of months.  I had hoped to snap a shot of us back to back at the same height, but that's gone.  And yes, I have put on 3kgs and no, I don't like them.  Hopefully the new year will see me getting fitter and healthier again...

 So much love in my heart for this teen...

 I was there to pick Jake up when the bell rang on the last day - doesn't he look happy with himself???  Lots of the kids were in tears and there are quite a few of them going to different schools for grade 8, so it's really the end of a chapter...

 We spent lots of time eating watermelon outside this summer...

 Nom-nom...

 Hi Jake xxx

 You have beautiful eyes and you have my whole heart...

 Jake and Stinky...

 He loves her too.  I think she loves being the rose amongst the thorns - all these boys loving her...

 Gogga loves having the older kids around him too - he's learning a lot...

 We tried to swim, but it's not so simple with the current water crisis...  The pool gets too low to clean and we have our downpipes leading to the pool, so that we can catch every drop of rain water when it does rain (we have had 1 or 2 days).  Then we have bins that we backwash the water into, to try let the yucky stuff settle out of, before we pump it back into the pool.  Our pump also broke.  It's been expensive.  So that blue mat on the pool is to help reduce evaporation.  It keeps the water quite warm too, which makes the algae grow.  Anyway, as you can see in the pictures, you can't keep the kids out of the water, even when the water looks like a swamp.  And they were too lazy to take the entire cover off, so just paddled in the shallows...

 Jake's been quite good for most of the holidays, without his Concerta.  It's not easy for him and he tends to over-react and get a bit loud and rough, especially with Corky, so he does get into trouble more, but it's been good to have him full of energy and fun too...

  This little boy is just like his dad.  There's so much of Rosie in him too, but his mannerisms and the way he says and does things - totally Gareth...

 Bianca loves being the center of attention at the moment.  It's gorgeous to see her self-confidence shining through...

 As a Christmas time treat, Jo baked gingerbread houses for the kids to decorate.  These have suddenly become quite trendy in Cape Town and the kids had a ball decorating them...

 Little heart breaker...

 It's always entertaining to see how girls do the creative thing, vs boys...

 Rylee's new funny face!  He enjoyed eating the sweeties and his mom did a lot of the decorating for him...

 

 Jake's inappropriate sense of humour...

 Jake and Corky getting ready to decorate.  These two can be so competitive with each other over the silliest things, but they adore one another too...

 Corky with an orange moustache...

 Rylee definitely eating icing and sweets...

 Jake with his fresh holiday haircut...

 Rylee's creation - he can't wait to get stuck in!!

 And my big boy with his.  Sadly, Jake's collapsed just as we arrived home and so we didn't get to enjoy having it on display.  He did enjoy the sweeties though...

 We had a real family Uncle Paul's this year, which was a real highlight for me.  I love it!

 It wasn't the warmest day for it, but we had fun regardless.  Here's Jake and my mom on the tractor ride up to the party...

 And Jo with her kiddies and Jake...and half of Gareth...

 The straw fight at the start of the party is such fun.  You spend the rest of the evening with straw in places you should never ever have straw, but you don't care...

 Stinky with her arms loaded for combat...

 Her target - Nini...

 The straw really does go everywhere...

 I love this child, my twinnie...

 And I love this child...

 When I look at photos of Jake these days, I get quite a weird feeling... how did he get to be so grown up?  And so handsome? 

 Rosie and Rylee taking a break from the straw fight...

 But not Stinky - she plays till the end.  So does Nini!  I'm not actually sure who has the most fun...

 Bi volunteered herself to help the band and then landed up having to get her mom to help her...

 Jo had to do the actions to Do-a-deer, it was most entertaining...

 Boys marching behind the band.  See how Jake and Connor both hold Rylee's hands?  That's because they both want to be his favourite cousin - totally a competition and Rylee's really stuck in the middle.  Thankfully, he doesn't have to chose and he can love them both...

 Just checking that his mom's still coming...

 Rylee had a chance playing the drums.  Isn't he just too cool...

  Corky had a go to - did I tell you that I love this child too?

And not to be outdone by her big brother...

The boys rushing off to go see Noddy and co...

All of us singing Carols in the dark and waiting for Father Christmas to arrive...

I just love this photo - look at Rylee's cheesy smile!! 

Finally Father Christmas arrived and Jake took Rylee up when his name was called...

Connor and Bi were amongst the last to have their names called.  Bi was starting to stress out.  My mom asked her if she'd been good and she said "I don't know, I tried".  Hahahaha...

  Christmas arrived without much fuss this year.  Jake and I spent a few days camping in Kommetjie with Jacques family, which was really special, but I never took a single photo!!

Rylee slept in late on Christmas morning and phoned Jake to bring his presents over so they could unwrap together...

 Jake was spoilt as usual, but he enjoyed every moment of his day.  This photo reminds me, he hasn't shared that chocolate yet...

 Rylee was so excited with his bag full of goodies.  When he'd finished opening everything, Rosie asked him if he wanted more presents and he said, "no thank you, I got enough" - very sweet...

 TV games to go with the X-box Jake saved up and bought on his own in May.  He's had to wait a long time for a decent game...

 Excitement...

 Trying out his new superhero cap...

 Pre-lunch granadilla champagne cocktails - yum...

 Sadly for us, Gareth, Rosie and Rylee didn't stay for lunch on Christmas day, but they did pop in to share gifts with their family before they headed off to enjoy their lunch with Gareth's family...

 These four are such monkeys...

 Just impossible to get them all to look at me at the same time...

We decided this year that the Christmas meal is always too much of everything and that we wanted to simplify it a little.  Jo made the most delicious prawn starter (divine, right??) and we had fillet steak stuffed with spinach and feta and pine nuts - too good.  2 salads, roast potatoes and some mushroom sauce for with the steak.  We made a trifle for dessert and ice-cream with both chocolate and peanut butter sauce.  It was more than enough and we were all stuffed.  And it was a lot simpler than doing two or three meats and veggies and stuffing and salad.  Stress-free Christmas rocks!

We took these sweet kids on a holiday outing to Intaka Island for a boat ride, bird watching and then went home for a swim and a picnic lunch...

 They do love each other...

 Following the leader - Intaka used to be one of Jake's favourite outings when he was a little younger...

 Exploring...

 Rylee and Bi get on really well at the moment.  He's a gentle soul and goes with the flow.  He even plays dollies with her...

 This is Bi trying to negotiate with my mom.  Unfortunately, since she shares my birthday, she also shares my strong will.  In this instance, she was carrying dirty stones that she wanted to take home with her...

 She wasn't happy about leaving them behind...

And on that note, that's the end of today's post.  One of my resolutions for 2018 is to try post something at least once a month here.  More for me than anyone else.  I mean, how can I keep a diary that I never write in??  

Wishing you all a wonderful 2018, may all your dreams come true.  Look out for the next post about our up-coming travel plans!

Lots of love,

Sue XXX

40...

 Today would've been my sweet Jacques' 40th birthday.  40!!???  I know I'm there, but he will always be just 26 to us, so to even imagine him being so old is impossible.  It's crazy to think that Jake is already half his dad's age.  The photo above is one of my least favourite of Jake, but I love Jacques soft, gentle eyes.  And look how big his hands are next to our tiny Jake.

Not a day goes by where Jake and I don't miss this gentle giant.  I wish with all my heart that Jake could have gotten to know his incredible dad, but that wasn't what life had planned.  We speak about Jacques a lot and I share stories with Jake about the man his father was.  He will always be that man and he will always be in our hearts.  We look at photos often and I hate that Jacques is just a photograph to Jake.  One thing that has been "fun" to see is how much of Jacques Jake has in him.  He definitely has Jacques' sense of humour.  He is also extremely affectionate and loving and cares so deeply for the people he loves most.  He is a protector.

  2 weeks and one day after the picture above, Jacques was gone.  This is him and Jake watching some very serious rugby match...

 

Besides family, wine was Jacques true passion.  He spent so many hours perfecting his craft.  I love this photo of him mixing up the yeast to be added to his wine...

 Jake was the greatest reward for our love and I am so pleased that Jacques got to know the love that a parent feels for their child, even though so briefly.  He was a wonderful husband and father and so very proud of his boy...

 This was us leaving the hospital with our new baby.  Jacques bought Jake this tracksuit, which was a million sizes too big - Jake actually wore it to his first birthday party...

 Jacques was a 6ft 4" giant of a man.  He was clumsy as a bear and I was always conscious of moving things out of his way, especially glasses around the dinner table.  If there was a glass in front of Jacques, he would knock it over.  That said, he was so gentle with our baby...

 Jacques stepped up to the plate and did everything he could to help me and to be the best hands-on-dad that he could be...

 Jake was only 5 days old in these photos and Jacques was way more confident at bathing him than I was - he would rush home from work to do this job for me...

 Seriously, pure love.  I don't think that there was a bad bone in this man's body...

 I'm sure we would've been celebrating in style tonight - especially as it's a Friday!  And if not a party, at least a braai with our family and plenty of wine, because that's what was always a priority for Jacques (the family, not the wine).  After all these years, he stays young in the minds of all of us that he left behind, but a little part of me can't help but wonder just a little about how grey he would've been by now.  I wonder how different my life would've been if he hadn't left us. I miss his laughs, his hugs, his gentle nature and his company.  Actually, everything, really.

Blessings to you all,

Sue xxx

Grade 7 Farewell...

Friday night was Jake's grade 7 farewell dance - I'm not sure how he reached this stage so quickly, or where the years have gone, but we're nearly done with primary school!

This was Jake on his first day of primary school - look how little he was against how big he is now...

 So the dace was a good opportunity for us to take some photos, which Jake doesn't let me do very often these days.  You can see how tall he's getting - just about to pass me...

 Whoops, I think I might be kidding myself!  I think he might be taller than me already...  And he still doesn't mind the odd kiss...

 After making sure that Jake was dressed, I was allowed to pop down to the school to see the decor.  The teachers really outdid themselves and I think they might have been as excited as the kids were.  The theme was cowboys and this was the welcome at the entrance...

 Each class had name tags waiting for them (Jake's teacher is co-incidentally, Mr Kruger)...

 It was very exciting to see everything before the kids got there...

The hall looked magic and I had quite a lump in my throat knowing how much fun the kids were going to have there later...

There were hay bails converted into couches - it looked awesome...

 The stage was decorated for the teachers, who were there to keep a close eye on our little monsters...

 The photos don't do it justice...

 After I'd been to check out the hall, it was a race to get home and take some more family photos before getting Jake back to school for some photos with his buddies.  Here's Jake and Abi...

 And Becky...

 Jake and Becky both have braces...

Rylee was there too, but not too keen on having photos taken...

 Jake loves his cousins and is so proud of how well they're doing with their swimming - both these lovely ladies are SPRINGBOKS...

 And they love him!

 The Moelans family, excluding me, but including a little photo bomber in the tree (oh how this photo has made us laugh)...

 Jake and my parents...

 And there's me again...

 There was time for some photos at school too.  This is Jake and his best friend, Liam - what an amazing kid...

 A group of the boys - it's quite funny to see them all at this stage, they're all growing at different rates and some are tiny and some are huge.  Lots of them took the chance to dress up extra smart...

 It's so much fun seeing these boys growing up.  I've known most of them since they were really little.  Next year they're all off to high school.  Most of them are going to our local (Jake included), but some are heading off on completely new adventures, so their group is going to split and change in the next little while.

Jake came home full of energy and so excited about the beautiful evening they'd had.  They really enjoyed the dance and made some awesome memories to carry with them into the next chapter.

I felt Jacques around us often this weekend.  He is never far from my thoughts, especially when I face Jake's milestones without him by my side.  Jacques would be so proud of our beautiful son, who is growing in confidence and talent by the day.  Jake is missing having his dad around at the moment - there are just some things that moms don't get.  That said, I think we have a very tight bond and I adore the adventures we share!

Till next time!

Sue

Brace Face...

Jake got his braces fitted on last week Friday. He was so excited to get them!  They've started with just the top ones for now.  Once they've moved Jake's top teeth forward, they'll fit the bottom ones.  That'll probably be in about 4 months time.

Jake's been very brave and hasn't moaned too much about being sore.  I have to keep reminding myself that I'm no longer allowed to squeeze his cheeks (it hurts) and there are certain foods that are now banned from our house.  I guess it would be unfair for me to sit and eat a lunch bar in front of him!

I was quite surprised by how much is wrong with Jake's teeth.  He has to have an op done in about 9 months time to fix up a problem with a permanent tooth that doesn't want to move down.  At the moment, they're making space for the bigger tooth, then when they operate, they're going to extract the baby tooth and cut in to the permanent tooth, attach a chain between the tooth and the braces and then pull it into place.  Sounds simple enough, right??  At the same time, they're going to cut the little piece of skin between his top lip and his gum, which is pushing his 2 front teeth apart and remove his lower wisdom teeth.  No doubt he'll be fairly miserable when that happens.

This is the X-ray of Jake's mouth,  You can see that pesky incisor lying skew in his gum...

Aside from that, Jake has been a brave boy this last week.  He's indulged in too much milk tart, custard and jelly.  He hasn't had to take too many painkillers and did manage to eat a burger on Tuesday evening.  He's learning a few tricks with regards to eating and most importantly, he's brushing and flossing like a champ.  I think the orthodontist has him terrified by what can happen if he doesn't clean his teeth properly.

And that's about all our news.  Exams start in about 3 1/2 weeks time and so Jake's already had to start preparing.  I like that he tries to get a little ahead while he can.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,

Sue XXX

Much ado about nothing...

It should be the other way around.  I have little to share and so that's why I've been a bit missing-in-action... To be honest, my camera hasn't even been charged since we got home from the Kruger, which is disgusting for me, who usually has it pretty much strapped to my face all of the time...

 Today marks the start of the 4th school term.  It's Jake's last term of primary school and I can't believe that this journey's nearly completed.  I know it sounds cliche, but seriously - where did the years go???  I know we live from holiday to holiday and the shops are ridiculous about it too - no sooner is Christmas over, when they start selling Easter Eggs!  In our house, we love school holidays.  It's just the lack of responsibility and structure - going to bed later and sleeping in a bit in the mornings.  Not rushing!!  This last holiday was really just a long weekend, I mean, how can you even unwind in a week?  Be that as it may, it was still a nice long weekend.  Jake did really well last term, although it was a manic one and this term is going to fly by even faster.  He's got his grade 7 formal and there's only 5 weeks until exams start!  2 weeks of exams, 1 week for marking and sports day and then the 6-weeks December holiday!  Heee-ha - I can't wait!

Jake has been for his high school uniform fitting and is getting quite excited about it now.  We've decided that our local high school is the best option for him.  It's within easy walking distance from home, so no travelling and the majority of his friends will be going there too.  I'm very comfortable with our decision.

So what else have we been up to?  Jo and Paul and the kids have been to Mauritius for 10 days (we hate them too).  Stinky landed up in hospital for a day, having X-rays, CT scans, sonars, blood tests, only to be sent home with trapped gas...  Despite that, they had a really good holiday.  We met them at the airport and they all looked happy and rested. Gareth's been working away from home during the week and we're all missing him, but it has meant that Rosie and Rylee have been around a bit more, especially in the evenings.

Did I tell you that we're going to Kruger again in July??  Rosie & her family are joining us, as are Corky & Stinky.  My mom and dad are going too, so there's a total of 9 of us.  We're super excited and Jake can't wait to share the bush with his cousins. 

Oh, besides Jake's great report, he's also been told that one of his photos that I entered into a competition on his behalf is going to be featured on one of our local TV shows (50/50).  The presenter has phoned us, which was very exciting.  It'll probably be on in another 2 or 3 weeks and Jake is super excited.  There are some really nice prizes, which he is holding thumbs for too!  It's one of his baboon shots that I shared in my last post (not sure which one, but here's one of them anyway)...

Abi and Becky are doing amazingly too.  Becky's been to the Bahamas to compete in the Junior Commonwealth Games, as well as Indianapolis for the Junior World Competition.  Abi's just returned from Italy, where she took part in a 5 & 10km swim.  They are both doing so well and making us so very super proud!

The drought in Cape Town has started to make us all very nervous.  Bathing is a thing of the past and we are allowed 2 minute showers only.  You have to lather up and rinse.  And you skip a night here or there and we try stretch washing our hair with dry shampoo.  We try catch as much water as we can to use for flushing toilets and watering the odd plant.  Our gardens are dying fast and there's no way that we'll be swimming this summer - we're not allowed to top our pools up.  The municipality has plans to reduce water pressure and to have intermittent outages.  The next phase is for drinking water to be made available for collection at certain drop off points - there just isn't water and it's starting to get quite frightening...

Jake and I had an awesome catch up on Saturday morning with Michael and Cameron and their mom - turns out their dad did hook up with the woman I suspected, so I'm learning to trust my instinct a bit better for future!!

And on that note, time for me to run.  Lunch is calling.  Today is the start of a new go at a healthier lifestyle, let's see how long it lasts!

Love,

Sue XXX