It was such a great weekend

We spent the past long weekend at Sondela, just about an hour's drive from Pretoria where we celebrated my wonderful hubby's 40th birthday with my BIL and SIL from Cape Town and our dear friends S&;I. I received the wonderful gift of the weekend in a lodge I designed for clients a while ago and chose to use it for our celebration. We all had such a great time and got to do some of the things we love most. But most importantly, we spend it with our families. Quality time with my hubby and kids. But as always, the story is best told in pictures (hope you have some tea or coffee - expect a picture overload)

The lodge - when we arrived there all 3 the ladies vowed to bath in those lovely huge baths - we each only did once - the outside showers (concealed but with a view) was just way too tempting.

We visited the farm yard where the kids saw cows being milked and fed goats, sheep and many more. A and some of the other girls tried their hands at milking the cow.

I love this one - all the kids apart from the 16 month old S watchiong the milk process. Note the hats - yes, we live under the African sun.

A milking the cow.

The moms and kids went on a game drive where we saw lots of animals and had great fun on a trailer and tractor drive. Mr L was in heaven! (the men mad a wonderful potjie and watched some rugby)

 

We swam a lot! It was hot and the combination of a cold and hot pool led to many happy hours in the water.

We fed the half tame Nyala that comes to the lodges and the kids could not believe they got so close to wild animals. We did keep a very close eye on the encounters.



There was sand art done, faces painted, manicures and pedicures undertaken and spray on tattoos painted.

And simply time spent together with friends and family in happy companionship.

Apart from the big fortieth celebration, the one thing that stood out was the huge amount of bicycling that happened  The gravel roads lend themselves to great cycling and the area around the house provides lots of safe spots for the little ones to ride too. I had a great ride on Thursday while Hunter had several over the weekend. 



 The big event however was that these two girls (8 and 9 years old) did an 11 km ride with their dads on the gravel roads and paths. It is the very first time that our Princess did a ride more than around a few blocks and on a big bike! We were super proud of her. The two just grabbed their bikes regularly and off they went within the area we set out for them.

 I have to leave you with one of the stunning bushveld sunsets. Just breathtaking.

Imagine....

 You are in Big five country, only you and your beloved alone. All that separates you from the animals out there is a structure(boma) made of split poles and electric fencing that generally houses new animals brought into the reserve for quarantine purposes . A small corrugated iron roof provides very basic protection from the elements.

Imagine....Sitting in a bird hide way after most tourists are gone, watching night fall and seeing nature playing out the dusk routine. Seeing a lone black rhino coming to the dam for a drink right beside a crocodile. Seeing little weavers calling their mates to the nest and kingfishers catching their dinner. Hearing the sound of the hippos calling their mates.

Imagine... sitting outside the boma next to your beloved, staring at the sky with the stars so close you can almost touch them. Seeing the sky turn from light blue to dark in the west and the lightening flashing over the hilltops in the east. Hearing the far off thunder dispersed with only the sound of crickets and a far off lion calling. Marveling at how small we are in this big universe. A spiritual journey in nature.
 

Imagine... eating a basic dinner together under the stars, falling asleep holding hands and listening to Gods wonderful creation around you. Waking up around ten to the sound of huge elephant bull in musk, literally pushing over trees and yanking off branches. So close that you can hear his tummy grumble. A bit of fear mixed with a whole lot of wonder.

Imagine... waking up when the alarm on your phone goes off at 2 am to the wonder of the stars and the silence, quickly breaking up your basic little camp and heading off to do your practical bit for the plight of our rhinos.

Just imagine ...and know that this was our reality - our very special date last Friday. I will always cherish times like these with Hunter, experiencing nature and God's creation on a level that very few have the opportunity to do. To know that we made a difference that night towards the protection of those that need it most.

The future - white rhino cow and suckling calf

It's for that spectacular horn that he might die - just see the comparison below with the horn size of his friend.

 PS. Every day "ordinary" people like us contribute to the plight of the rhinos, some of us in a practical way. This is not the first time that I went with Hunter to do this, but it's the first time I could find some words to describe the wonder of the experience to share it with you. If you want to contribute financially, please support "stoprhinopoaching.com" . Hunter belongs to an orginization that are part of patrols like these which are done under the protection and to the assistance of the anti poaching units in our National and Provincial Parks. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to know more. If you want an experience similar to this they do offer guided wildness trails in big five country ( only persons older than 16)

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Love

This morning started early - just after 5am a "Mamma" sounded from the Boys' room - Mr L was awake and needed some company. I brought him to our room to snuggle in bed. About 20 minutes later Mr C fell out of his bed, crying. I went to him,. cuddled a bit and then decided to get up and get everybody dressed. My poor hubby is not feeling well - a cold and a terrible cough did not make for a good night's sleep. SO I took the Boys downstairs for breakfast and came up again to shower and dress and wake the Princess. We said a quick Happy Valentines day and the morning routine show was on the road.

The usual morning rituals were delayed a bit by the Princess writing a note on her heart for her teacher and prefect, and the boys walking around showing theirs off for their teacher. After a more stressful than usual breakfast, begging, threatening with late to school and rushing to the car, Hunter's cars' battery was flat (no obvious reason?) and he took my car to drop A and C off as L has OT on a Tuesday morning. But just as he left the house, a quick hug and Happy Valentines again.

After dropping off L at school the text message comes from my love - the "Happy Valentines and I love you message". The "I love you" he sends me every day of my life on my phone or by mail. And that I totally adore! And I remember the roses he brought me on Friday before our date night - the flowers he brings me almost without fail on or around the 10th of every month with a "Happy 134 (or whatever) months anniversary". These are so precious to me - to remember our vows every month of the 11 plus years that we have been married  And I know, ours is a love that lasts every day and every year, not just on the 14th of February every year.

Tonight, we will do what we have done for the last couple of years -exchange a little love note and have a dinner together, on our own patio, by candlelight, catered for by Woolworths. A spoil of good food, at half the price of dinner out and none of the over crowded frustrations. Our own little special ritual of love.

May you and your love have a great day of love. Any special plans?

The glue that binds.

All families have this - something that just keeps the family together. That makes it all work. In our family it is homour - laughing and having fun. When the times get tough, the tough goes laughing. Mostly instigated by Hunter who is brilliant at relieving the most tense situation with tickles and teasing.

This is just one of the things that makes him the father he is - I can name so many. But through the many sleep deprived, survival reduced times of our lives, he has been the rock that I rely on. A father every child would like to have.  Fun, fair and dedicated to us as a family.

A late, but heartfelt "Happy Fathers day" to my sweet Hunter. We all love you to  the moon and back.

I love how the kid's schools, although they were all sick and could never complete their little projects in time, completed it for them so that they had something special for dad.

From the Princess - with a poem and drawing

From the Boys.

Happy Birthday my love

My love,

The many reasons I love you will challenge the amount of stars in the sky
So to highlight just a few is  challenge
But just so that you know why
You help me keep my balance

You are the instigator of many games and fun
From riding a quad bike to participating in the run
You are the glue that bind
Our little family in kind

You are my rock
You are my hope
You are the very reason I cope

I love you to no end.

May your year be blessed beyond words.

10 Years ago today...

I married my love.

Through the years we have been through a  lot - a lot of stress, some tears, but way more laughter, fun and love. What does amaze me is that the love still grows. The companionship still grows. The understanding still grows.

My love, you are my rock, my shoulder to lean on, my one true love. The one I want to grow old with. Thank you for the 10 greatest years of my life.

Where we're at today...

• I am at work. Busy day. 2 Major meetings, one minor.
• Hunter is not. Officially he is on leave and is suppose to be by now somewhere in the big wide open spaces of the Free State.
• Now he is spending the day at home with 2 sick kids (possibly 3). 
• He is doing a lot of DIY things at home.
• He spent his day yesterday replacing a car battery, fixing the one broken alarm sensor in the home, replacing a pipe in one of the cars and taking 3 kids to two doctors at two different times.
• He is without a doubt the most dedicated husband and supportive father this world has ever seen. Njannies -kopêla. Trues Bob!
• If all goes well and my prayers are answered the kids will be better and he on his way to those great open spaces by tomorrow morning early.
• I am feeling extremely guilty about the fact that he has lost a day of his vacation due to the kids being sick.
• At the same time I know it is not my fault but I somehow feel that I need to make up for this.

All just part of being a parent and having kids. And I am so happy that I am sharing this adventure with the most wonderful man. I love you my sweet Hunter, I love you.

Dance me to the end of time.

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love


Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love


Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love


Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Leonard Cohen ( go see the great video on my link below and you will understand even more of what I am trying to say)

Hunter is a dancer - and a good one - he used to ballroom. He is also an excellent leader, not only as a dancer, but as a person in general. Me, on the other hand, being the 80's girl never learned to dance "properly". I sort of just shuffled my way through it where really required. I am also the most terrible control freak - yes, I admit it and I am trying hard to change it. Very hard. So for the last 12 years, we have been trying to dance together when the opportunity presented itself. Sometimes I have been really terrible and sometimes just ok. I would love to take ballroom lessons together - some day.

On Saturday night, life changed for us. We danced! We danced together and something just clicked. It just all came together. We had a great great time. Maybe it is because I had great dancing shoes on, maybe it is because I was relaxed amongst friends, or maybe I just learned to follow. Follow with my feet and I would like to think, with my heart and head too.

I am constantly amazed at how we keep growing together as a couple. At how our love seem to grow and grow after almost 10 year of marriage. How Hunter keeps looking at me with loving eyes and how my heart still leaps to my throat when I see him coming in at the door last night. And how I just might have learned how to set the control issues aside and work towards shared control and maybe, quite old fashionably following the leader, in this dance of life.

My love, dance me to the end of time.

Happy Birthday my love.

Today is a very special day. My sweet Hunter is turning, well, 30 something! There is no way that I can truly express my love for him.

My love, thank you for being the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for being the best father ever. And thank you for loving me.

Happy Birthday!

Old friends - or as old as they get when you are all of 5 years old.

Playing along today with Cheryl and Angie:

Bastian and the Lil Miss - about 1 month and 6 weeks old. Dehlia and I did our post natal classes together with the two kiddos and my, have the years flown past. Our second "batch" is also close - her Lisa is just 3 months younger than The Boys.

B and the Lil Miss at his 5th Birthday party on Friday.

 
For the first time ever I have a little gem to share for "Say what" Wednesday at Missy's: (although this was Hunters' -not one of the kids')

While The Lil Miss and I went to her party and shopping on Saturday Hunter and The Boys spent some quality manly time together - playing cars and riding bikes etc. I left lunch to his discretion.

Me: Honey are they napping?
H: Yes, and they ate so well - finished all their food. (knowing that was the second thing I was going to ask)
Me: What did you have for lunch?
H: We had some lamb chops.
Me: Nice, and? (me waiting to hear something like bread or potatoes)
H: Pork sausages - they were yummy.
Me: Great and? (now waiting for some fruit or veggies)
H: Srambled eggs!
Me: What, only protein?
H: Yeah, we had a real mans lunch!

Just another reason why he rocks.

I believe in a good marriage each person need their own "things" - be it hobbies, sports or taste of music. If used correctly they enhance the relationship and provide new interests for both. Those of you who has taken the time to read my profile will know that I love classical music - in fact, my radio in the car is almost permanently stuck on Classic FM. If not that, then I have ABBA or Mamma Mia on the CD player. No surprise that the first phrase I hear Little man C singing was "Honey honey, how you thrill me" (and he can't even speak English!) My ipod is jazz orientated, with a bit of classics thrown in.

Now Hunter, he is a hard-rock boy - all the years. I have learned to love Guns and Roses, to listen to DefLeppard and to tolerate AC/DC. In turn, he has learned to love the classics and listen to the sulky Dianna Krall. With a smirk he got into the car the other day, wielding a cd and with a wink informed me that our kid's music education is about to start. So as DefLeppard filled the air, I was expecting protests. The Lil Miss keep saying. mommy, mommy......Eventually Hunter turned to listen to her, and she said "Turn it up, I can not hear the music!" We have a rock chick in the making. But I digress...

Driving back from our holiday in December, I put Mr Hunk himself, Michael Buble on the CD player. Hunter tolerated it for a bit, and then asked if we can not please change the CD. Suffice to say, not a big fan - has never been. But on boxing day, he sat and watched a Michael Buble concert with his dad and after seeing Mr Charming on the Royal Gala performance on New Year's eve, Hunter had this to say: "He might sing jazz, but boy Michael Buble rocks!"

And that's just another reason why you rock my dear Hunter. Off to buy a DVD for joint entertainment...

Makes my Monday - just look what I got!

Playing along with Cheryl.

Just look what Santa/the Birthday faerie/ The Anniversary mouse brought me.....makes my Monday! In fact, makes my year - even for 2010.

I used to be quite a keen amateur photographer in the good ole days of film and slides. I even did some developing and printing. But slowly as the digital era arrived, my point and shoot digital took over. Even when I bought a newer one I could not spend the money on a proper SLR. Well, my day of joy has arrived and the reliving of an old hobby will bring unmeasurable pleasure. I am so excited! I did not have much time to test it out - our weekend was hectic, but one of each of the kids:





In other news, we had such a great evening out on Friday night - we saw "Julie & Julia" - my gosh, did we both love the movie! We enjoy "food" movies and Meryl Streep is always great. I have to say that Stanley Tuttchi almost steal the show. He is brilliant. After we went to our favorite late night restaurant and ate prawns and steak and just had a lovely time together.

And wow, can you believe it, for the first time ever Hunter posted a comment on my blog! Oh Honey, your are so sweet. I love you.

Makes my Monday - yeah, daddy rules!

Playing along with Cheryl every Monday.

So the going to sleep saga continues....
We live on the highveld are in South Africa, famous for spectacular thunder storms (and scared kids). Friday night was a low point - after battling to get Little man L to sleep, he finally went down at about 9:45pm - way way too late. Just in time for me to catch the rugby (South Africa VS France) with the hubster, when a phenomenal thunderstorm hit us. Little man C was awake and hysterical - Little man L was so exhausted that he slept through it all. The result was me not seeing a minute of rugby and finally getting downstairs 10 minutes after the match ended - around 12:00 pm. Again, no time for mom and dad. At 3 am Little man C was awake again and at 5 am his brother was ready to go for the day. SO dear Hunter let me sleep and I woke up just in time to catch my lift to go riding at 8 am. A definite low point.

On Saturday night we got home late from visiting friends an it took the boys about half an hour to fall asleep - at last a bit of time for us.

But last night Hunter thought he'd give it a go with the Boys and I read to the Lil' Miss. I tell you, wonders never stop. 5 FREAKING MINUTES! He could actually put the to bed and leave the room and join us for storeys, like we always used to do. What is this? Is it ok to terrorize mom for hours but for dad, we'll do it in minutes! I was shocked. Let's hope this is the start to a better routine - and now I am convinced that my little trip is really the right decision. This really makes my Monday.

Makes my Monday - Daddy rocks!

Playing along with Cheryl - what a great way to start the week.

Off course, Daddy makes my Monday! Yesterday on Fathersday we treated daddy with crumpets for breakfast and a great traditional Sunday lunch - although he made the leg of lamb in the Webber kettle, I did all the rest. It was a great day and the picture above was taken when dad took his 5 kids for a walk and a play in the park - poor L was still not himself. (And I had a nap!)

Hunter is just the best dad ever - I could really ask for nothing more from a partner. I asked The Little Miss to tell me what each of them like most about dad and wrote them on separate chocolate covers for Fathersday. The comments were as follows:
The Little Miss likes most: When dad braais for her, "drukkie dans" - that translates to hug dance - he picks her up and does and old fashioned waltz with her and when he paints with her.
Little man L likes most: When daddy tickles him an throws him in the air.
Little man C likes most: When daddy head-bangs with him and jump dance (their own version of disco)

Hunter -you rock my dear. We all love you to bits!

Also making my Monday - after a battery of test over Friday and Saturday, Little man L's fever eventually broke in the early hours of this morning. This is the worst fever I had to deal with with any of my kids up to date having to medicate every 4 hours between two types just to keep it in tact. We almost landed in hospital! An unknown bacterial infection is what the doc came up with. Thank goodness for anti-biotics.

Debi's Baby Picture Sundays - all for Daddy.

I am so glad that I saw Debi's theme early this week, so I can play along. In general I do not get time to blog over the weekend so I pre-post these on Fridays.

Off course we are celebrating Fathers day on Sunday. I will always remember Hunter with his babies sleeping on his chest. He loves it, they (in general) love it. He even brought up the puppies in this way - and if I had a bit more sleep last night I would have remembered to bring the old photo's of that along to scan and also show.

But as to the human babies:

Dad and his little Princess having an early morning nap - she was about 3 months old at the time.

Dad and his boys, 11 days old, taking a snooze on the couch. Little man L on the left, C (still a bit jaundiced)) on the right.