29 June 2009

I had a mound, no, a mountain of laundry to fold today. {I think it's about time to get some folding done when Bryn pleads, in our family morning prayer, "to help mom do the laundry".} Anyway, it was so hot upstairs--30 deg C. That type of heat mixed with the boring job of folding was made so much more bearable with the help of an airconditioned room and live Wimbledon entertainment.

28 June 2009

The easiest and most delicious meal to prepare during the summer. Bryn has some mean braai skills.

27 June 2009

Geslaagd. Upon graduating high school, students hang their school bags on the end of a flagpole to announce their happy news to the neighbourhood.

26 June 2009

I pass this tree everyday on my way home from the gym. And everytime I see it, I cringe. It reminds me of Edward Scissorhands. How can someone do this to a tree?! Talk about high maintenance and just plain eeewww.

25 June 2009

The sun decided to come out again today, so we decided to repeat yesterday's picnic supper.

24 June 2009

A spontaneous picnic supper on the beach. The weather was gorgeous and we just couldn't pass up this opportunity. We found a great spot and enjoyed a lazy hour in the sun.

23 June 2009

Sophie with Miffy--

* 12 weeks
* 5250g
* Rolled from back to tummy twice
* Blows raspberries {soooo cute}
* Laughs and smiles for about 98% of her waking hours
* Bed time is 8pm and she sleeps through until about 5:30 / 6:30am without a peep
* Still loves to be swaddled
* So alert now
* Arches back when we take her out of her car seat

22 June 2009

Madison's turning 5. She wants to celebrate 5 in style and have a jewellery making bash. We enjoyed a creative afternoon, putting the birthday invitations together.

21 June 2009

One year older and wiser too...Happy Birthday, to you!
8 years of fatherhood and three little princesses later. Happy Father's Day!

20 June 2009

What do you do when your garden is about the size of a postage stamp and you want to socialize with your neighbourhood? Simple. Close the street for a day, heat up those barbies, turn on the music and enjoy a fun filled afternoon and evening together. We have such a great street.

19 June 2009

This is a bit of a sneaky shot. We enjoyed a summer fair at the girls' school yesterday afternoon and I spotted a mother there with a cute lil haircut. Luckily I had my camera with me, as I want to take this to the hairdresser to show her what I want. (Trying to describe a hairstyle can be dangerous). Just so it didn't look so obvious, I called Madison over for a 'photo'.

18 June 2009

A mother's precious treasures. I love the little crafty frames, trinket boxes and knick nacks my kids bring home from school. Savannah made this clay bowl a couple of years ago and it's the perfect home for my earrings. I think of her each time I see it.

17 June 2009

Sticky tape. We can't do without it at our house. I've had to buy extras to store all over the place, as the girls love to 'borrow' the tape from the kitchen drawer for construction projects.

16 June 2009

Sophie with Miffy--

* 11 weeks
* She's sporting a double chin
* Sleeps through from 10pm until 6am again
* She's begun to scoot herself around with her feet
* Has her parents wrapped around her little finger

15 June 2009

Savannah flying through the air during dance warm ups.

14 June 2009

Anything strange about this picture of my kitchen bin?

Why, it's 600 calories.

We had Walter and Fiona and their children around for a last minute dinner on Sunday night. Dessert was Nigella Lawson's scrummy chocolate cake. Remember our sugar pact? Well, this is what happens when you've made a pact to abstain from sugar for a month and there's left over cake!

13 June 2009

Sophie was fussing, so Savannah propped her up on her lap and read to her. It didn't last long, as she's a squirmer. The reading fizzled out pretty quickly too. Plan B worked though. Great improvising, Savannah!

12 June 2009

Ahhh, Friday night. The weekend is here. No more strict schedules to stick to. Bedtime is whenever. We can sleep in tomorrow! We are enjoying our extended daylight hours. This photo was taken at 10pm.

11 June 2009

Madison is our newest little reader. She is so proud of her achievements and of course, LOVES to read to her baby sister. Sophie enjoys all the attention and stimulation she gets from having 2 older sisters. Educating the younger offspring certainly becomes easier with all the extra help!

10 June 2009

Wednesday afternoon is a half school day and is therefore a very popular pick for childrens' birthday parties. Madison was invited to her little friend, Dorian's 5th birthday party. Dorian's parents came to collect the ten party guests from school this afternoon by bike and they all walked back to her house for the celebrations. I had my camera with me and snapped a quick shot of the birthday brigade marching down the street.

As it turned out, Savannah and her friend, Jip, made afternoon arrangements to play, so Savannah ended up going home with her. It felt strange having an empty home on a Wednesday afternoon.

9 June 2009

Sophie with Miffy--

* 10 weeks
* 4905g
* She had a growth spurt this week and it kept her up...no, it kept me up each night for a week
* She giggles!
* Sophie patiently allows her sisters to occasionally change her nappies
* She's begining to grasp mobiles hanging from her arched playmat
* She made the big transition from moses basket next to my bed to big crib in her own bedroom at night
* This baby doesn't really cry. She's a happy camper

8 June 2009

I pass a peonie farm on our way to swim and Irish dance lessons each week. When they're in season, I can't resist pulling off the side of the road to purchase a bunch for Eur 5.

7 June 2009

I was tempted, but I resisted. (Fiona and I made a pact to steer clear of sugar for the month of June). Phoning my sugar free buddy yesterday definitely helped.

6 June 2009

These remotes don't live beside the TV or on the coffee table for that matter. They stay hidden. Reading and creativity is what we're trying to encourage. We enjoy watching the odd DVD and TV program once in a while, but for the most part, we enjoy a television free home.

5 June 2009

I love being a mommy. Life seems to have sped up significantly since the mommyhood phase began. Capturing those special moments through a camera lens is my way of pressing the 'pause' button on life.

4 June 2009

Gearing up to return to instructing Body Pump after a 3 month break.

3 June 2009

This is what I have waiting for me upstairs. Just keeping it real, folks.

2 June 2009

Sophie with Miffy--

* 9 weeks
* weighs 4770g
* put on 200g this week. Hooray!
* smiles non stop
* 'talks' to us
* loves stories
* quite alert
* had first round of immunisations. I would have had them instead if I could. Developed a bit of a temp (38.5). 2ml of paracetamol did the trick.

1 June 2009

A warm and sunny public holiday spent at the seaside is a luxury here in Holland. We spent our day with the De Nucci's and the Nelson's.

31 May 2009

A precious moment. Savannah is so good with Sophie.

30 May 2009

Bryn and the girls spent part of the morning cleaning the car while I finished off a catering order for a birthday party.

29 May 2009

The weather has been so gorgeous these past few days. The van Niekerk's decided to braai this evening and invited us around. Walter's spare ribs are a real treat.

28 May 2009

Sunshine in a bottle. It's recommended that children in Holland under the age of 4 receive a daily dose of vitamin D. Sophie pulls quite the face.

27 May 2009

Dutch strawberries are so sweet in season. They don't last very long at our house!