They are huge and can deliver a kick that have killed grown men, but these are in a touch farm and used to people (and behind wire!)
Head over to Candid Carrie for some more great Friday Fotos.
Friday, 23 January 2009
Phriday photo phinish phiesta
Some more moments from our December holiday - this is an Ostrich up close and personal - she ate out of my hand! The Ostrich is the world's biggest bird and is commercially farmed is South Africa for their excellent healthy meat, skin and feathers. It is also indigenous to South Africa and is represented in our National parks.
They are huge and can deliver a kick that have killed grown men, but these are in a touch farm and used to people (and behind wire!)
Head over to Candid Carrie for some more great Friday Fotos.
They are huge and can deliver a kick that have killed grown men, but these are in a touch farm and used to people (and behind wire!)
Head over to Candid Carrie for some more great Friday Fotos.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
What a busy day!
Yesterday was such a busy day! I had an almost full day of work and did some more.
The Little Miss had her first ballet lesson yesterday. I was so proud of my little girl - she showed heaps of confidence and just proceeded to do everything the teacher asked them to do. She was so eager to start and to ballet just like Barbie.
Learning to walk on tippy toes and curtsy.
Ready in front of the line to do her dance.
And what is cuter than a 4 year old in ballet gear.
And saying thanks to Grammy who is paying for the lessons and taking her every Wednesday.
Little man L got his glasses. And yes, by golly, he is wearing them! He does take them off now and again, but most of the time it is going well.
Our little professor.
We had a great good-bye dinner with friends Thomas and Sarita who are leaving for the US on Sunday for at least two years, possibly forever. He got a great offer form the Pennsylvania University in Hershey and she will have to learn to be a SAHM - she is currently an attorney.
The men having a cheers!
And what is better than a great cocktail?
We are already looking forward to their first holiday back in July.
The Little Miss had her first ballet lesson yesterday. I was so proud of my little girl - she showed heaps of confidence and just proceeded to do everything the teacher asked them to do. She was so eager to start and to ballet just like Barbie.
Learning to walk on tippy toes and curtsy.
Ready in front of the line to do her dance.
And what is cuter than a 4 year old in ballet gear.
And saying thanks to Grammy who is paying for the lessons and taking her every Wednesday.
Little man L got his glasses. And yes, by golly, he is wearing them! He does take them off now and again, but most of the time it is going well.
Our little professor.
We had a great good-bye dinner with friends Thomas and Sarita who are leaving for the US on Sunday for at least two years, possibly forever. He got a great offer form the Pennsylvania University in Hershey and she will have to learn to be a SAHM - she is currently an attorney.
The men having a cheers!
And what is better than a great cocktail?
We are already looking forward to their first holiday back in July.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Way back WHEN-sday.
To go with yesterday's Two for Tuesday, here is The Little Miss and her teacher Leah on her birthday celebration at school last year. Yes, she is wearing a sweater, it was cold and rainy. Exceptional for January.
And here is the "cake" in a bit more detail. I love to make birthday cakes. This was build out of cupcakes to make it easier to hand out at the school.
For some more trips down memory lane, head over to Twinfatuation.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
My little Braveheart.
Oh gosh guys, my heart is aching so much for my Little man L. Why does everything that goes wrong have to be with him? I wish I could give him a break but true to his personality he is taking it all in his stride.
We had him at a Strabism Eye specialist yesterday as the Paediatrician suspected that he has a "lazy eye" due to his low muscle tone. It turns out he has many more problems than just that. His one eye is -6 - guys, the glasses for that is like a coke bottle bottom. He had us looking through it to see how much he can actually see with that eye - like nothing! Just a blur of colour. His other eye is perfect. He also has the "sleeves" that cover the nerves to the retina growing over the retina and blocking about a third of the retina. This is the opposite of what happens to Hipotonic children - their "sleeves" stop too short and have to grow. We now have to take him to a retina specialist to confirm this. The course of action is glasses - they can only correct to a -3 as the correction is too big and the glasses will be too heavy for him. He will then be monitored to see if there is any improvement as well as if the nerves grow into the sleeves or they recede.
I will know more on Friday, but for now the challenge is to get a 15 month old to wear glasses and to stop his twin brother from pulling them off. As preparation while his glasses are being made, we are all wearing our glasses at home to show him that it is pretty normal to wear glasses. When he is older he will be able to wear one contact lens, but the doctor can really not predict what will happen in future. At least we know he has one good eye!
If I can once more ask your prayers for God to heal his eye, to rectify the retina. I know that a lot of children are dying and very sick (please continue praying for little Tuesday as I am), blind etc, but I also know that God in His grace can heal in infinite grace. Thanks for your love and support!
We had him at a Strabism Eye specialist yesterday as the Paediatrician suspected that he has a "lazy eye" due to his low muscle tone. It turns out he has many more problems than just that. His one eye is -6 - guys, the glasses for that is like a coke bottle bottom. He had us looking through it to see how much he can actually see with that eye - like nothing! Just a blur of colour. His other eye is perfect. He also has the "sleeves" that cover the nerves to the retina growing over the retina and blocking about a third of the retina. This is the opposite of what happens to Hipotonic children - their "sleeves" stop too short and have to grow. We now have to take him to a retina specialist to confirm this. The course of action is glasses - they can only correct to a -3 as the correction is too big and the glasses will be too heavy for him. He will then be monitored to see if there is any improvement as well as if the nerves grow into the sleeves or they recede.
I will know more on Friday, but for now the challenge is to get a 15 month old to wear glasses and to stop his twin brother from pulling them off. As preparation while his glasses are being made, we are all wearing our glasses at home to show him that it is pretty normal to wear glasses. When he is older he will be able to wear one contact lens, but the doctor can really not predict what will happen in future. At least we know he has one good eye!
If I can once more ask your prayers for God to heal his eye, to rectify the retina. I know that a lot of children are dying and very sick (please continue praying for little Tuesday as I am), blind etc, but I also know that God in His grace can heal in infinite grace. Thanks for your love and support!
Two for Tuesday
I am busy doing posts for The Little Miss' birthday celebrations. But in the meantime ( as I am running around like a mad person), this is me and the Little Miss at her birthday celebration at school on Friday.
Go and have a look at Deanna's blog for more great Two-somes, Two-fers etc.
Go and have a look at Deanna's blog for more great Two-somes, Two-fers etc.
Friday, 16 January 2009
Phriday photo phinish phiesta
I have so many Photos to share after our holiday, but for today, let's stick with nature. Africa is known for many things - corrupt governments, crime and bribery and disease. But it is also known for it's friendly people, The Big 5 of game (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo) and yes, the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.
This was the sunset on the 2nd of January on the farm near Bethulie in the Free State through my creative lens:
And a more conventional view:
Pop over to Carries to play along with Friday photo finish - you often find lots of lovely pictures to look at.
This was the sunset on the 2nd of January on the farm near Bethulie in the Free State through my creative lens:
And a more conventional view:
Pop over to Carries to play along with Friday photo finish - you often find lots of lovely pictures to look at.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
What's up?
Well, you may be asking that! I have returned to work on Monday after a 4 week holiday - our yearly summer break when the building industry closes. It was great, but tough. I have even more respect for you who are SAHM! I am truly exhausted after my 3 weeks of being this. Adding to that is 3 nights with very little sleep - Little man L has tonsillitis and Little man C might have the beginnings of asthma.
Over the holidays the plan was to catch up on some sleep, but alas! Did not happen. I tried to give H the chance in the very short week and a half he had his holiday and then never got the chance to do this myself - but that is another post on its own all together. And my excellent sleeper, The Little Miss was a very bad sleeper while we were on holiday. Ugh!
I am also busy with the preparations for her birthday party on Saturday which is turning out to be a huge affair. We are in the midst of making party boxes, decorations etc - but I love doing all this myself so I am not complaining - just tired. And the sweet hubby is so eager to help - he is truly a star!
Over the holidays the plan was to catch up on some sleep, but alas! Did not happen. I tried to give H the chance in the very short week and a half he had his holiday and then never got the chance to do this myself - but that is another post on its own all together. And my excellent sleeper, The Little Miss was a very bad sleeper while we were on holiday. Ugh!
I am also busy with the preparations for her birthday party on Saturday which is turning out to be a huge affair. We are in the midst of making party boxes, decorations etc - but I love doing all this myself so I am not complaining - just tired. And the sweet hubby is so eager to help - he is truly a star!
Way back WHEN-sday
Today is "Back to school" day for all the children in the non-coastal provinces in South-Africa, and The Little Miss is no exception. She was quite keen to go when we were home but saying good-bye after a 5 week holiday and heaps of time with mom was tough.
Going back for Way back When-sday - The Little Miss' very first day at school in January 2007 - she was 2 years old and loved every minute of spending time with some new friends.
Have a look at Cheryl's for some more "Way- backs" and share your memories!
Have a look at Cheryl's for some more "Way- backs" and share your memories!
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Two for Tuesday
I have so many great Twosomes after the holidays, but today, it is me and my little Princess, on the farm with the gorgeous Free state sunset behind us.
Have a look at Deanna's for some more great Twosomes and play along!
What a year 2008 has been!
2008 has been at the same time the most trying and also most amazing year of my life! It has certainly been the most exhaustive.
As a family we have survived the first year of raising twins and a 3 year old and we have finally snapped out of pure survival mode into doing more for ourselves and really living life again. Well, we hope to. That is our family's resolution for 2009.
On a personal level I have grown tremendously - I have experienced a huge growth in my dependency and love of God, I have grown as a mother and I have grown towards trying to take better care of myself on all levels. I am also 7 kg (15,4 pounds) lighter than I was before I became pregnant with the twins and am now in a relatively good weight ( last time I weighed this little was in the first year of our marriage), although not shape - gosh, if I could only move fat around I'd look great! I also read 21 books this year - it is down from my average of about 35 a year, but not bad for a working mom of 3, I think.
So, this was our year in pictures and words:
January
Started with a visit to the farm near Bethulie in the Free State.
The Boys were tiny tots and still shared a camping cot on holiday - Little man C on the left and L on the right.
The Little Miss had her 3rd birthday party with a butterfly theme.
February
The Boys both learned to roll and hold their toes and I had to give supplementary formula for the first time. They also sat in their Bumbo seats for the first time - we had to prop Little man L with a blanket.
We had a day trip to our local game reserve.
March
My mom celebrated her 72nd birthday.
The Boys grew in leaps and bounds.
The In-laws came to visit for Easter and H's birthday.
And we had a family get-together with my cousins on H's birthday.
April
I started this blog.
The Boys started on home-cooked solids.
The Boys had a week long hospital stay due to RSV and Bronchiolitus.
May
The Boys both cut their first teeth about 5 days apart. Little man L had his second hospital stay of 4 days.
And we celebrated becoming an aunt and uncle for the very first time when little Madelein was born.
June
Little Man C says "Mamma" - his first word and claps his hands
The In-laws came to visit on their way to and back from Dubai where they went to visit little Madelein.
July
H went on a hunting trip and I flew solo at home for the first time. Little man L said "Pappa" - his very first word and clapped his hands. We had to move The Boys' cribs apart and they slept not being able to touch each other for the very first time in their lives.
The Minivan became part of the family and twin prison got erected in anticipation of mobile babies.
August
Little man C crawled on the 10th of August after just a week of sliding.
The Little Miss drew her first recognisable drawings. Little man L started with physiotherapy and even The Little Miss' dolls did their exercises every day.
September
On the 4th of September Little Man L started leopard crawling well and at last he was mobile. Uncle Werner came for a quick visit from Dubai.
We attended SAMBA's Spring day at the Lory park Zoo. We are holding a Caracal kitten.
We had a lovely holiday at San Lameer.
We celebrated The Boys' first birthday.
October
On the 7th Little Man L did his first crawl at the Physiotherapist. At last we had two crawlers.
H led a trail in the Pilansberg National park and I flew solo again. On the 30th we got great news from the Neurologist for Little man L. The Little Miss and daddy build a birdhouse - the first of many craft projects.
November
On the 2nd Little Man C stands on his own.
And the Little Miss has her school concert.
December
On the 1st Little Man C took his first steps and on the 10th Little man L stood on his own.
On the 4th we celebrated my 40th birthday.
My BIL and SIL and little Madelein came for a visit. The 4 cousins together for the first time.
And we had a family get together with my cousins. The next generation in the picture.
We had a lovely holiday and celebrated Christmas at home.
As a family we have survived the first year of raising twins and a 3 year old and we have finally snapped out of pure survival mode into doing more for ourselves and really living life again. Well, we hope to. That is our family's resolution for 2009.
On a personal level I have grown tremendously - I have experienced a huge growth in my dependency and love of God, I have grown as a mother and I have grown towards trying to take better care of myself on all levels. I am also 7 kg (15,4 pounds) lighter than I was before I became pregnant with the twins and am now in a relatively good weight ( last time I weighed this little was in the first year of our marriage), although not shape - gosh, if I could only move fat around I'd look great! I also read 21 books this year - it is down from my average of about 35 a year, but not bad for a working mom of 3, I think.
So, this was our year in pictures and words:
January
Started with a visit to the farm near Bethulie in the Free State.
The Boys were tiny tots and still shared a camping cot on holiday - Little man C on the left and L on the right.
The Little Miss had her 3rd birthday party with a butterfly theme.
February
The Boys both learned to roll and hold their toes and I had to give supplementary formula for the first time. They also sat in their Bumbo seats for the first time - we had to prop Little man L with a blanket.
We had a day trip to our local game reserve.
March
My mom celebrated her 72nd birthday.
The Boys grew in leaps and bounds.
The In-laws came to visit for Easter and H's birthday.
And we had a family get-together with my cousins on H's birthday.
April
I started this blog.
The Boys started on home-cooked solids.
The Boys had a week long hospital stay due to RSV and Bronchiolitus.
May
The Boys both cut their first teeth about 5 days apart. Little man L had his second hospital stay of 4 days.
And we celebrated becoming an aunt and uncle for the very first time when little Madelein was born.
June
Little Man C says "Mamma" - his first word and claps his hands
The In-laws came to visit on their way to and back from Dubai where they went to visit little Madelein.
July
H went on a hunting trip and I flew solo at home for the first time. Little man L said "Pappa" - his very first word and clapped his hands. We had to move The Boys' cribs apart and they slept not being able to touch each other for the very first time in their lives.
The Minivan became part of the family and twin prison got erected in anticipation of mobile babies.
August
Little man C crawled on the 10th of August after just a week of sliding.
The Little Miss drew her first recognisable drawings. Little man L started with physiotherapy and even The Little Miss' dolls did their exercises every day.
September
On the 4th of September Little Man L started leopard crawling well and at last he was mobile. Uncle Werner came for a quick visit from Dubai.
We attended SAMBA's Spring day at the Lory park Zoo. We are holding a Caracal kitten.
We had a lovely holiday at San Lameer.
We celebrated The Boys' first birthday.
October
On the 7th Little Man L did his first crawl at the Physiotherapist. At last we had two crawlers.
H led a trail in the Pilansberg National park and I flew solo again. On the 30th we got great news from the Neurologist for Little man L. The Little Miss and daddy build a birdhouse - the first of many craft projects.
November
On the 2nd Little Man C stands on his own.
And the Little Miss has her school concert.
December
On the 1st Little Man C took his first steps and on the 10th Little man L stood on his own.
On the 4th we celebrated my 40th birthday.
My BIL and SIL and little Madelein came for a visit. The 4 cousins together for the first time.
And we had a family get together with my cousins. The next generation in the picture.
We had a lovely holiday and celebrated Christmas at home.
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