Finally uploaded some photos

Here are two shots from the lion park, the little cub was eye-ing ike like he was a walking yummy dumpling. Those shoes btw are his favourite (bubbi, it is now tight on him, tomorrow I will try and get one size up in same design). He is quite the shoe fanatic and wants to change shoes several times a day.

Nate and Mickey mouse in Cape Town, loren is taking him to see barney in 2 weeks.

And the two of them enjoying some watermelon on a hot summer day with the usual scavengers surrounding them.

So, Nomsa's family has had a series of tragedies, her cousin's wife died in a car crash, when they finally told the 7 year old son that his mom is gone, he mysteriously dies last week and after the funeral of the 7 year old, his 15 year old brother and Aunt who were taking care of them also die (yesterday)! is this from shock? grief? both kids and the aunt were not in the car.

I am reading Michener's "Covenant" about S. Africa, it is the really easy way to get some sense of history of this place and now I understand alot more of the relationship of the trading with Malacca and Java.

Gong Xi Xin Nian

So we celebrated CNY eve by eating the yummy dumplings from Christine.

Today at the horse riding, her Kelly was so unbelievable, she said to me, "Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year), Wan shi lu yi (everything you do will go smoothly), gong xi fa cai (lots of wealth and prosperity) and something about not growing old (argh and that was the punch line which I can't remember!), anyway I thought it was so touching and well said that I wanted to give her more than one red packet!

I guess I didn't drill Nate as well, his came out as, Xin nin ki le (instead of Xin nian kuai le), he got away with a red packet and Ike can do the gongxi gongxi hand salute thing. Ike also likes imitating sounds... today he imitated drums and had a few more words, but I will need to carry a note book or recorder just to record all these things down!

Just as we were leaving Rinky Dink, I spot this great aloe flowering and others with shoots, it was quite a sight! look at the big white bell blooms!

I found a few punchers I bought in Taipei, nate really liked using them, it strengthens his fingers as well, I think I"ll lend it to his class so that more kids can use it and it was just sitting at the bottom of my pencil case. Today we spent an hour, punching leaves and snowflakes... later nate put it in his cooking set and made me "chao fan" (fried rice).

Ike woke up screaming at 5am today... took a short 50 min nap and did not nap the rest of the day, I tried to put him down to sleep, I had 5 mins of silence and I could rest with nate watching TV, then he started crying again and as I carried him on my arm, I got poo all over my sleeve. Luckily he had blueberries in the am and that was what came out but I wonder if the stains will come out. yucky.

Here is Nate reading the book from school, today is library day and he chose another book, its another thomas the train book. 2 out of 4 weeks... we get thomas! Ike carrying the book bag... he then went to pick up toys and put inside.

Bubbi has gone back to montreal...

So bubs has left... today Ike went to her room and peered in, probably wondering why the bed has no sheets on. When Nate got home he looked everywhere, convinced that she was playing hide and seek with him. Later at dinner he said, I want to go to Montreal.

Ikes naps have been rather consistent at 11am onwards but he would sleep very short naps, an hour or sometimes less. Today he was put down at 9:20 and slept 2.5 hours. If only he didn't wake up at 515! I did chat to his (future) teacher on whether I should start him on a 3 day class week as everytime I bring him to school with Nate, he wants to stay! but she said it would be much harder for him to adapt so I think I will just enjoy him till April the 14.

Here is a pic of Nate behind a car at the car show, apparently he saw Boost, DJ, Wingo but not Snot Rod. I took them to the Montecasino playroom yesterday as it was pouring rain, both of them like to pretend cooking. Ike's eating is never pretend though! yesterday he kept asking Nomsa for more soup.

Today was a hot day and I got them a different type of ice thing. Later we were at the clubhouse and Nate got to roll downhill on the grass with his buddies. They left early so we went to the playground nearby and boy were they lucky, another boy who was taking squash lessons left his truck and big digger there for them to play. A short while later another person I know stopped by and we had a good conversation.

I have been really lucky too, Christine has given me a set of face stuff (perfect timing as I am running out!), an early present for my birthday, I got a luxuuuurious eye patch from Belinda in the UK, exactly what I needed. At the mosaic class with marcia, I won a 6 month subscription to Home and Garden. The article I wrote on recycling and worms has generated a few phone calls to me and it looks like the dainfern community will get more green! Today as Chinese New Year eve, I lucked out as well and Christine gave me a whole lot of chicken dumplings.

Ike has his favourite pair of shoes and insists on only wearing that pair everywhere, even if its soggy and wet. Its the ones with velcro, unless of course there is a newer pair of shoes! Must be the sensation of freedom and the expansion of experience tho I don't remember nate being so obsessed with his shoes. If Ike were a girl I am sure he would want one of those pink ones with fluff in the front.

The boys...

I tried to take a pic of Ike from side profile to show the extent of his curls, or rather the early stages of the hair trying to boing into curls, its really starting... also when the air is moist his hair goes all frizzy... anyway the light distorted the picture, its more a picture of his still well endowed cheeks.

Today we went to Moyo zoo lake (an african themed restaurant), it was a nice day and the kids played so nicely, they each had a big rubber ball to kick around but ike ended up following the gardener around, eyeing his broom for when he left it for a second, ike was off with it! Nate had a boat ride with dada (his new best friend on the weekends). To digress a bit, dada took him to the car show yesterday, he saw DJ, Boost and Wingo there but not snot rod, speaking of which, both their noses are starting to run again.

The boy in the cap is Ike... he now wants to wear a cap everywhere as he sees me and nate doing it. Its thundering like crazy now so will end and switch off all electrical switches to the computer!


There is also a big playground at the zoo lake and they had a good time there.

Ike's the expensive date...

Ike likes his good food and can eat alot so he will be quite an expensive date, but when it comes to objects of desire... brooms and rakes are his favourite...

Here's an image that my granddad did... am sure he did not think it would look like his great grandson some day... the eyes and nose and definitely the love of sticks and brooms! Ike is trying desperately to wear slippers but he can't coordinate it well. If he were a girl he would definitely get a pair of those pink pom pom type pink furry slippers! Back to the painting, if you just imagine reversing the beard and the hairline... and with loren's eyebrow gene's... am sure that will eventually catch up.

Marcia got lots of lovely gifts at the organic market and Ike got away with a handmade broom!

We had brunch under a canopy of trees.

More bits and pieces

Dada left for Austria last night, prob hit the ski slopes while bubbi and I took nate to see an old police car that looks like sheriff in the movie, cars. We also got a daisy sprinkler for the boys to run in and out of as the weather heats up... and we also took them to the lonehill fire station to look at the fire engines.

Apparently all the firemen / women there are volunteers, the driver seat door is kept open so that they can run in... there is a fire pole and best of all... we can use the place for a birthday, so guess where the boys will be having their birthday party this year?! what a great theme? hopefully its not too late to book.

Here is Ike with his bag of M&Ms, Nate with fake bad teeth, I took him to the ped dentist who said the same thing about him knocking his tooth and it turning black. Just have to notice if the gum gets worse... apparently he would not clean the kids teeth till 4 1/2! they will definitely look like the one in this pic!

Nate and Ike on a ice cream truck ride... 2 rand per ride! Ikes first motion car and he seems to really like cars and big fire engines!

Ike at a toy store, pressing all the buttons and very unhappy to leave. This walking business is very calorie consuming for mommy!

Nate's saturday

is "dada is my best friend day".... where he says, "I don't need to go to school today..."

He now has karate with dada... then they go get a ginger bread man, head for a haircut, sushi together, dada rests! and then we all go out to make pizza. While dada rests, mama takes him for a walk, we see a stalk full of yellow ladybirds.

Next pics of Ike who has learnt that pizza place has very magic beans (M&Ms) he now wants his own bag and does not place premium on colors, he does have this habit of sucking it a bit, spitting it out to look at it and then sucking it again.

Over energetic kids

Between the power cuts... a max of 3 times a day and a max of 2 hours each time, ike's short naps (the last two days only 45 mins), carrying ike and their grumpiness at the end of the day, I have no energy to contribute to this blog!!!

The past week, Ike has started his classes, a very nice baby class on monday where he was introduced to some musical instruments (prompting bubbi to go out and buy some!) and where he got to put his hands into jelly, play dough, gooey stuff and paint. The other class was more a motor skill class with jog the frog at clamber hell.

Bubbi has also updated Ike's wardrobe with 2 pairs of new shoes (in case one is wet), the shoes that we have in stock from nate are a tad big, like 1.5 sizes but with the walking ike has been doing, the shoes will wear out before he gains a size.

We have had alot of rain... it was almost like being in Taipei again, the last two days were at last sunny. The electricity cuts here has caused the govt to close many mines and so prices of precious metals will soar, everyone add gold and platinum to their portfolio and not thru SA mining companies! My friend christine, being the super entrepreneur she is, will be bringing in Aussie solar technology, with german certification but manufactured in China. Apparently the Chinese have these installed and sell excess energy back to the govt to combat the energy shortage they will face!

Ike is of course happiest with his broom... of all the things to do at mugg and bean he picked the broom...

Took Ike to the lion park yesterday.

Ike's mileage

This is Ike with a big big smiley face after a good nap, we had another electricity outage but some steamed broccoli and cauliflower, here he is happy to get a big one in each hand and devours both of them.

So it was raining, I head to the supermarket with Ike, before leaving I change his diaper. We get there and finish our shopping, luckily the supermarket had generators and when we finished shopping he wanted to push his own little cart, to kill time before picking nate up, I take him to the garden shop and there was one last pair of tiny boots.

It is a bit big for him but not bad, he loved them, he went everywhere with them. Its quite a challenge balancing in them for him but he really liked them. Then his diaper smelled funny and there were no more diapers in the bag! So I head home and when we get home he parades in front of Bubbi with his new boots (she was immobile as she was getting a manicure and pedicure), change his diaper and head out to pick up nate from school.

Everyone in school said how sweet he looked toddling around in his booties and making splishy splashies. We get home, he is really reluctant to take of his boots but do and then goes down for another nap. In the afternoon, his gege, shows him how to make really big splish, splash splosh. I did not get a shot of him in his boots so I have taken a picture of all his shoe assets now. I think soon he will be able to wear alot more of the shoes that nate did not get much mileage in but knowing me... he will more likely be like a typical South African kid... barefoot! because I keep forgetting to grab his shoes on the way out!

Mother In Laws....

As I am typing this, marcia asks, "what are you writing about me...?", heh heh.... well I said I need to take a picture of her toe nails before her pedicure tomorrow as they are soon resembling bullet's and pistol's long curved claws...

Here is Marcia with the director of the Holocaust museum in Cape Town. She has also met the director here (the holocaust museum is being built). With Nomsa on break I have been experimenting in the kitchen, she has managed to stay alive by avoiding the food I make. Today I made barley water (for kids, read : frog eggs in pond scum). We also made really good chocolate cupcakes which she says she only had one, and the half that nate did not like... but loren's chocolate mint bars are disappearing at a fast rate.

Her consumption of salads rival loren's and the worms... and the dogs are happy that they have someone to cuddle with in front of the TV. Until she learns to input on this blog or her own.... there will yet to be an entry on "daughter in laws (from that hot hot place down south)"

stray pics

ok I pinched these off our friends that were also in cape town... the penguins in Simon Town... drinks at Relish and the new year eve dinner.

What 2008 has brought so far...

1.) lots of electricity cuts or "load shedding", we sometimes get as much as 2 cuts and for several hours... loren is looking into providing all staff with home electricity generators, I am beginning to feel like I live in Indonesia. Every day we have to cook our meals while we have electricity. Today I spent 45 mins getting to a place that should take no more than 15 mins because the traffic lights are out.

2.) a mobile ike - which keeps our eyes and toes in shape, he can push hard to get out of your bear hug and head in directions he wants to go... he wants to look like dada (sunglasses and all) and copies nate's actions alot. My strategy was to have a model first child that will show the second child how to be a model child but nate has hit the "independent three's" of "I, I, I, me, me, me, want, want, want...."

3.) a more communicative ike, instead of uh's and simple pointing I taught him the hand signal for "more" unfortunately he thinks its the signal for "yummy chinese new year cookie" and "MORE yummy chinese new year cookie"

4.) lots of rain (I call it cloud shedding), this year is a lot wetter than last year, we have had 5 days of nice sunshine and today, nate's first horse riding class of the year... it rains from 1pm to 6pm, big thunder show, at least so far we have not had a lightning bolt that has taken out our electronic equipment like Christine.... all electronic good need to be replaced. From my swimming pool, it looks like we got 2 inches of rain, I hope they did not drown my worms.

Even the crabs are wandering out beyond the pond, nate and I spotted this one in our rain gear at least 20 feet away from the pond.

5.) Nate and nightmares, he has hit the nightmare age, says that there are monsters under his bed, I said that could be fun since Mike (Wakowski?) and Solly will be visiting him, worked for a day... last night the nightmare was someone taking his toys. He wakes up twice a night and if not.... then he did a 4:45am and not go back to sleep. Between the dogs, his waking up and the birds.... I now am developing eyebags, its like deja vu of Jan 2007, waking up to breastfeed, well actually not as bad because I don't need to burp and change someone's nappies.