Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It seems that Winter has well and truly arrived here in the Western Cape, and at the risk of sounding ungrateful: I'm not at all happy about it. Usually, given the choice, I always take cold over warm, but it seems the last few weeks of mild, sunny weather and pleasant autumn evenings have spoiled me much.

Heading to 12 degrees, with a real-feel of 6 - Brrr....

Right now I want nothing more than to be at home, curled up on the couch in a labyrinth of arms, legs and duvet with Zac and Andel, listening to a good cd or watching a movie (because reading a book with the two of them around simply isn't possible). Instead I sit at my desk squinting at my screen, with frozen hands and feet, a nose that won't stop running, and a tongue that's still stinging from the hot soup I ate (too eagerly) for lunch.

My little Bat-boy Eskimo

And yet, I'm grateful for the seasons - they are proof that nothing lasts forever. Not only does it give us hope for the future, it also reminds us to appreciate what we have, with us, right now.


So I'll try not to dwell on all the negatives. Rather, I'll look forward to Sunday afternoons in front of the fire, my Mom's homemade bread, sharing hot chocolate and melting marshmallows with my siblings, nights in with Andel, and lingering hugs and cuddles from Zac - because who knows: next year this time, I may not be so fortunate...

Mommies' Pamper Party

In celebration of our motherhood - and as a good excuse to get together and relax for a bit - my sister Ashleigh and I hosted a little pamper party for our sisters, mom and local-living aunts last Saturday.

It was a beautiful autumn day, there was a selection of teas and muffins on offer, we were minus our children (who were being looked after by uncle Andel and Papu - yes, all of them), and we had Romy to work our feet and faces while we enjoyed some girl time over lunch - what wasn't there to enjoy?

A selection of tea and muffins for the morning

 My mom getting her eyebrows waxed

Dom and aunty Heidi looking on in amazement - or horror?

Dom's turn, and she's thoroughly enjoying the set up

Quality control? Or wondering about her kids?

The finished products...

(Can you guess who the feet belong to?)



Adventurous Auburn

Racy Red

Glamorous Grey

Lovely Lilac

Sole-ful Sangria

Like my aunty Heidi put so well, "When you've laughed and cried and loved and hated and skinnered and advised and passed comment on, and, and, and.... all within a 4 hour period... then you know you've spent time with people you love. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon"

If this is a benefit of motherhood, I can't wait for more of these!

ps. The feet (in order of appearance) belong to: Heidi, Bonita, Dominique, Robyn and Ashleigh :)

Crouch, Touch, Set

Literally, since Zac was born, Andel has been trying to teach him to scrum.

At first, it was as if he was reciting some kind of rhyme, and Zac would gaze up at his face with his then characteristic frown, as if wondering why on earth his father would think he needed to know this strange sequence of words. To be honest, most of the adults around us at the time (me included) were wondering the same thing.

Then Zac got a little older. He was able to hold his head upright, and later his upper body, and Andel started to show him how to set up for the scrum. He would bend Zac's legs, tap his forehead towards his, and guide Zac's (then) little legs to push off powerfully. At this point, everyone around us was wondering if we had another Richard Williams (father of Venus and Serena) or Earl Woods on our hands. I was wondering how a baby so 'regular' in size was going to play as a forward, if he wanted to play at all - and how I was going to deal with Andel's disappointment if he didn't!

Well, 10 months into rugby 101, all Andel's hard work has paid off, and somehow Zac knows what to do, when to do it, and (since Andel's been teaching Ethan how to scrum too) can do it against opposition.

If you don't believe me, here's proof: