Oh, my...

Jake & I were up pretty early this morning. We rushed through breakfast and making of school lunch. We were out of the door at 6:45. For those of you who don't know, our neighbourhood primary school hosted our local radio station this morning. The DJ on duty was Ryan O'Conner, an ex-Edgemeadian (he finished school a year ahead of Jacques & I). More importantly, the show's guest of honour was Ryk Neethling, South African Olympic swimmer (OK, so he didn't do so well this year, but won gold in 2004). The plan was for Ryan and Ryk to have a race against each other. It was rigged and Ryan cheated by only swimming one length instead of two, but it was tons of fun. The kids had a ball and the atmosphere was electric. The masses turned up to see Ryk in action and we were NOT disappointed. He swims so beautifully, it's like he's just gliding through the water. And he's absolutely beautiful to watch. Not that I know anything about swimming, I can barely stay afloat, but you just have to see his body to believe it!!! I'm still wiping the drool off my chin. Oh, Jake enjoyed it too, I think it was nice for him to see where you can get through hard work and dedication and I think it's also good for him to see that "celebrities" are just people like the rest of us.

Oh, my! Oh, my!!! How will I get any work done today??

PS. He's so much hotter in the flesh...

We had some friends around for lunch on Sunday. This is Jake with Keegan and Ethan, enjoying our pool. The weather was divine and we just had the best day ever. The kids got on really well and it was just a the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon - a wonderful way to end the weekend! Keegan & Ethan's mom, Chanel, is fabulous too and the two of us also get on really well. Chanel lost her husband, Nick, about 4 weeks before I lost mine. Ethan was 9 months old and she was just 8 weeks pregnant with Keegan. That means that, age-wise, Jake's basically dead in the middle. Anyway, it's SO good to spend time with someone who really gets Jake & I and who understands what we're dealing with. I don't have to put on my happy face and I don't feel like I have to "hide" Jacques. Not that all we do is sit and talk about our dead husbands, but it is good to just have someone out there who knows what it's like. And she's also young (ish) and raising boys on her own, so we just have a lot in common...

Check Jake out with his floaty thing - he inisisted on borrowing Keegan's... hard to belive that's the same boy who loves the water at swimming on Monday afternoons...

Jake's cake...

As you know, Jake won the cake in the raffle at school last month. It meant that this time, it was our turn to bake. Jake loves helping in the kitchen and I'm very proud to say that 80% of this was his hard work. Honest. All I did with the actual cake, was measure out the ingredients and work the oven. Jake did everything else. And I cut the cake and gave a few ideas with the decorating. It turned out nicely (I think so, anyway) and he was very proud to take it in to school this morning. There are 2 kids who bake/win for each raffle and the other kid who had to bake for today, brought a shop-bought cake, so it made Jake's look extra-special. They've been learning about butterflies and moths at school...

Ta-daaaa...

We baked the cake in a roasting tray, so had to cut the extra bits off to make it square. We used the left-overs to make a couple of mini-butterflies...

Here's the master chef and his prize cake... He got some of the yummy icing on his finger during our photo shoot and couldn't resist a lick. We're very strict about being clean and hygienic in the kitchen, so since he wasn't actually working with the cake, he took advantage and enjoyed cleaning his finger up...

Till next time!!

XXX

A swimming update...

So, it's back to swimming. For various reasons, it's been a while since I last posted about Jake's swimming. And seriously, you would not believe that the child in the pictures below is the same child!! He's absolutely loving swimming and has overcome any fears he previously had about water. It's all just clicked into place - he's like a little water baby. I love watching his classes and he seems to be learning something new every time. At the moment, he is really enjoying diving in, he loves hunting for fish at the bottom of the pool and can swim an entire length of the pool unasisted, coming up for air on his own. He's surprisingly quick in the water too. I'm really proud of how well he's doing and of what he's accomplished. It's really so exciting that he's so happy in the water again. I can't wait for summer, so that he can start enjoying our own pool. Not to mention what a relief it is to realise that my child is swimming properly and that he's very water-wise (note: not safe!). So, as usual, here are too many pictures of Jake's last lesson on Monday afternoon...

The boys line up to take to the water - I just love those little bottoms all in a row...

See, what i really mean is that I wish my bum was that tiny...

Jake's turn... Waiting to swim across the width of the pool... Floating. This is Jake's worst part of swimming, he's like a rock - just sinks...

All the boys waiting their turn. Jake, Connor, Evan & Darren. I don't know how their teacher copes with four 4-year old boys. I take my hat off to her...Jake preparing to dive in and swim a length...SPLASH... Coming up for air with his teacher reassuring him along the way... Waiting on the steps for the next task... Early backstroke - they're learning to swim with little boards first...

And that's that! Good, hey!!

XXX

What are Little Boys made of??

OK, so I've found myself with a bit more time on my hands today then I originally expected. It seems that everyone's going through changes on their various blogs at the moment. I have a suspicion it has something to do with the arrival of spring and the changing of the seasons. I actually like my layout. I mean, it's nothing amazing, but it's mine and I like it. Since I first set up my blog, I've wanted to change the name, but have just never gotten there. Mainly because I couldn't think of anything that felt right. Anyway, I hope you like the change, I think since I have a little boy and my blog is mostly about him, it's quite appropriate.

The full version of the nursery rhyme, after which I've chosen to re-name my blog, follows:

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of !"
What are little girls made of?
"Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!"

I also did a bit of a hunt with regards to the origins of this rhyme and came up with the following:

The origin of the "What are little boys made of" poem can be traced to the early 19th century - the battle of the sexes was raging even then! The words of "What are little boys made of" obviously reflect this, but what is the meaning of 'snips and snails'? Several interpretations have been suggested but the one with the most credibility is that the original words were in fact 'snips of snails' - the origin of snips meaning 'little bits of'. No redemption there for describing what little boys are made of'! And, of course, little girls love to hear that they are made of "Sugar and spice and all things nice!

Hope you continue to stop by!!

XXX

The number 1 song...

... on the day I was born was 'With a Little Luck" by Sir Paul McCartney (only he wasn't a Sir way back then) & the Wings. Visit http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm to check out your song. Just for fun. Like if you haven't got anything else to do. Not that I'm bored or anything, it's the end of the month and I have a mountain of work to do. I'm just delaying it...

So, to all my friends, here are the lyrics for my Number 1 song, from 17 May 1977:

With a little luck, we can help it out.
We can make this whole damn thing work out.
With a little love, we can lay it down.
Cant you feel the town exploding?
There is no end to what we can do together.
There is no end, there is no end.
The wiliow turns his back on inclement weather;
And if he can do it, we can do it, just me and you,

And a little luck, we can clear it up.
We can bring it in for a landing,
With a little luck, we can turn it on.
There can be no misunderstanding.

There is no end to what we can do together.
There is no end, there is no end.
The willow turns his back on inclement weather;
We can do it, just me and you.

With a little push, we could set it off.
We can send it rocketing skywards.
With a little love, we could shake it up.
Dont you feel the comet exploding?

With a little luck.
With a little luck.
With a little luck, a little luck, a little luck.
With a little luck.
With a little luck.
With a little luck, a little luck, a little luck.

XXX

It's been a while since I updated my blog (sorry everyone). Work has been good, keeping me out of trouble for at least half the day. I realised sometime during last week, though, that I had 54GB of photos stored up on my work PC and it decided to go on strike. Well, not entirely, but everything was just running on slow. I've now bought myself a smart new external hard drive (1 Tb!!) and have moved all my photos onto that. So, every thing's back up and running as it should be and I have an extra 54GB free on my work PC.

Life's been plodding along as usual and Jake & I actually haven't been too busy lately, which has been really good for both of us. During last week, the only "booking" I had was dinner with the girls on Tuesday night. It was great!

Thursday brought the Oscar awards to our humble little suburb, Edgemead. It was the annual matric dance and the crowds flocked to the streets surrounding the high school to watch the girls and boys (a sure sign of age - they really are just boys and girls!) arrive in their finery. We decided to take Jake down the road (we're in the same road as the school) to watch the cars arrive. Traditionally, it's more an event of how you arrive then who you arrive with. Through the years, kids have arrived by all means - from horse driven carriages (Wendy from Lily Land went with Jacques on one back when we were in school - remember?) and motor bikes to parachutes and helicopters. This year however, the rules stated that the matrics could only arrive by car, so it was a bit tamer then most years. Still, the roads were closed off and the crowds flocked to see friends and family arriving at the dance.

Road closure in anticipation of the Edgemead High Matric Dance 2008...

Jake waiting for the cars to start arriving...

Finally, the first cars arrive, much to the delight of the maddening crowd...

The cars varied from the classic...

To the ultra sexy, slinky & modern...

To the funky (this was Jake's favourite, by the way)...

I like old cars. Don't know why, I just do... And what about this little stock car?? Cute, man...And, since we were there to take photos of the cars, I didn't really take many of the people in their finery. They go all out and the girls all look gorgeous as they try to out do one another; the guys wear smart suits and gel their hair up. Quite the thing... This guy managed to organise an Italian police car. Very cool. I think it's a Lamborghini...

And this is Jake blocking his ears against all the noise of the revving engines. He doesn't like loud noise, 'cept for music and movies...

Anyway, on to the weekend...

Jake & I were home alone on Friday night. We hired a DVD (Funky Monkey - it was hysterical) and got Chinese take outs. We were both in bed just after 7 and Jake was sound asleep by 7:30. It wasn't as bad as it sounds - I read until about 9:30, then passed out. What is it about Friday nights as you get older? I can't imagine doing much more then having a quiet (and early) night at home.

On Saturday morning we went through to Worcester for a wedding. It was a bit strange, there were only 28 guests, including about 7 kids. I don't know the groom very well and hadn't met the bride (only found out that her name was Caroline on the way through to Worcester!). The entire Moelans family was invited, so we made up for another 8 of the guests. Since Kobus and Caroline had already married in the UK, their ceremony was more of a blessing, with the bride wearing a long chocolate brown dress and the groom walking her down the aisle. When the minister asked for the rings, they had to take them off before they could put them back on again. From the church, we headed on to the Karoo Botanical Gardens. The weather was a perfect 29 degrees (C) in Cape Town, which must've pushed it up over 30 in Worcester. We sat outside on a covered patio and enjoyed a gentle breeze. The scenery was breath taking...

They had a jumping castle up (for a short while) for the kids to enjoy... As soon as the guys arrived to do the spit, Jake was over at the "fire" with the men trying to figure it all out. Those poor guys had a whole bunch of questions to answer - everything from "what meat is it", to "did you catch the lamb?" He also told them that his mommy doesn't like the fatty bits of meat, because I'm trying to lose weight. Thanks, boy... In the car on the way home. Jake was beat, but I managed to keep him awake until we got home. Fortunately, Grandpa Hubie drove (thanks!!), so we were free to chat away in the back seat... Took this photo from the car just as we'd hit the road. See the last little dusting of snow? And, when we got home, the first thing Jake did was strip down and jump in the pool. We had our pool heated last year, because Jake wouldn't get into the cold water. It means we spend hours in the water...

Saturday night, I was, amazingly, also at home. On Saturday night Jake decided that we were sleeping in until lunch time on Sunday! That's unheard of on weekends for him. He'd love to stay in bed all day when he's got to go to school, but weekends he's normally up with the birds. So, Sunday morning arrived and Jake woke up at 7:20 and much to my surprise, he kept his word (pretty much). We put a movie on (the Water Babies) and only got up at about 10. My mom spoilt us with flapjacks in bed too, so it was a very pleasant start to our day. The weather wasn't great, but we pottered around the house and did quite a bit of work in the garden. It was really nice to have some time to just stop and be at home for a change. Sunday evening, we had a lovely dinner with Jacki and her son Steven (thanks again for the delish mac & cheese) and Jake was in bed by 7 again. Again, this week, I have no plans - it's wonderful for a change!!

Jake woke up this morning asking me if we could go see Mamma Mia again too. I know it's no really an appropriate story for a young child, but he has seen it already and he actually didn't understand the story at all. He absolutely loved the music though and has been singing the songs ever since. Oh and he's very much in love with the shows Sophie. Since movies are cheap on Tuesdays and it looks like it might rain, we might just do that this afternoon. Although I should probably just buy him the sound track...

And one last photo, here's Jake listening to the old records we used to love as kids. He gets MAD when I sing along...

Lots of love to you all, Sue xxx

PS. Swimming/gardening update to follow later this week!