Mccarty's African Adventures

2011

2012-01-17T17:51:00.002+07:00

2011 was a full and memorable year! The kids finished up their school years, and are ready for their new grades and new schools this year! 2011 has brought us many joys, and some tears!
Taylor has graduated from Primary school with academic honors at St. Dominic's, and will be going into high school. He has made us so proud with all of his accomplishments. He enjoyed playing soccer, swimming and being on the track team for school. He excelled on his club soccer team, and really enjoyed his coach and team this year! Taylor received the silver badge award for community service this year. We celebrated Taylor becoming a teenager with a Disco party! Taylor is becoming a very responsible boy, and seems to have a very good head on his shoulders filled with great aspiration!
Hunter finished up his grade 4 year, and will begin a new school for grade 5! He also wowed us this year with his sporting achievements! He played on the school cricket team, hockey team and soccer team! He was the captain of his hockey team, and received the "Most Upcoming Player" award for hockey. He also shined in his club soccer team, and won an award for being "The Most Determined Player"....which is a perfect representation for him! He continues to be a very sweet and sensitive boy, but definitely has come out of his shell these past few years!
Claire is a strong, and lively character that keeps all of us on our toes! She had a great year with Teacher Lisa, who fell in love with her! She had a busy year filled with therapy, extra curriculars and swimming! She had her adenoids removed in October resulting in clearer speech...yeah! She continues to blow us away with her progress, and as soon as we get worried we are not making progress she makes a huge leap!
Both Claire and Hunter where baptized in November, and Hunter will receive his First Communion this coming year!
Pat still loves working here in South Africa, and definitely finds time for new adventures! Along with cycling and mountain biking; Pat took up paddling this year! This coming year will be very busy for him, as his new launce project is in full swing!
My year has been very eventful...I turned 40! My wonderful friends through me a party, my mom and dad came to visit me; and I took an all girls trip to London and Italy! Besides all that partying, I have happily been a Taxi Driver, a Chef(kind of), a Doctor, a Teacher, a Policeman and too many more to mention to our happy household of 5!
Mom and Dad came for a nice long visit in July to help celebrate my birthday and to see the sights of South Africa once more!
Unfortunately, Pat's mom and dad where unable to come and visit as Pat's dad had a major stroke in October. We continue to keep him in our prayers daily!
We finished off our year by traveling to the US! We where able to visit with Pat's dad and mom, and his brother, Brian! Although the trip was hard on all of us, we where so very glad to spend time with Mike! After our visit in Florida, we headed to my mom and dad's! We welcomed Santa Clause with everyone, and the kids where surrounded by all of their cousins for the time we where there! It was a wonderful way to finish our year....spent with the ones we love!

Spoiled!

2011-07-21T01:54:00.002+07:00

I will soon get back to the first half of the year, but I am going to break in and brag about my birthday!
I have truly been blessed by the friends and family in my life! While Mom and Dad where here, I asked Mom if she would help me throw a luncheon with some of my friends here in South Africa to celebrate my birthday! Unfortunately we had to have it a week prior to my birthday, because Mom and Dad where leaving before! It was a beautiful day filled with laughter, good food, and wonderful conversation! Mom cooked one of my favorite luncheon meals, lime chicken and artichoke rice, and I invited some of my closest friends and even some special teachers! It was so awesome for my Mom to meet all the people that mean so much to us here! The luncheon began at 12, and ended at 9 that night! All of the husbands and children, along with my Dad, Pat and kids helped us finish the night with dinner! One of my favorite moments was when one of our close South African friends corralled the kids; and had then stand up and sing the South African anthem for my parents......priceless!
On my actual birthday I awoke to my sweet kids and all of their goodies they had bought me themselves! Hunter had set up his desk in his room with a card and my gifts, similar to what I always do for their birthdays in the kitchen (maybe I do make a good impression)! Pat surprised me with a beautiful diamond pendant, and of course my Italy trip in May! I was invited to a champagne breakfast with three wonderful friends, I received the sweetest calls; and then to finish my day off another one of my close friends made me dinner! Absolutely a wonderful day, I am extremely lucky!

2011-07-12T20:49:00.012+07:00

The first half of this year has been a whirlwind!
We made it through another hot South African summer, Pat completed another Cape Argus cycling race, my baby turned 13, we celebrated Easter at the beach, I went on an ALL girls trip to London and Italy, Mom and Dad came to visit for three weeks; and now I am turning 40!
To catch up, here are some fun pics from the last few, several months!
It was very hot this summer, we lived in the pool! This little girl is mastering swimming, and next year will be life vest free!

Valentine's Day 2011!

Pat completed an awesome project....This is my dollhouse that my dad made for me when I was little!

Pat turned it into this for Claire.....

A trip to the beach!

Pat's biggest fans ready to watch his 3rd Cape Argus!

Pat in red jersey!

Claire dressed as a cowgirl for a school function!

Claire with her buddies!

The biggest event, Taylor turns 13!

My boy is growing up... not too fast, but he is! He has made both Pat and I so proud to call him ours! Just recently he had a high school interview, which starts here in 8th grade, and I was blown away by this little boy that we have raised! We met with the Headmaster, just Taylor and I, and had an amazing talk! Taylor and the Headmaster spoke to each other, and I mostly listened and even choked back tears a couple of times as I watched some of my dreams become reality....for my baby to grow up to be a good person! He described himself to a tee, and his description made me proud and the Headmaster surprised that such a young guy can have a good head on his shoulders! I realized in that moment that this move has made a mark on him, but a good one, a mark that he will carry forever!
We had a dance and swim party, which included a DJ! What a fun night, Pat grilled while we had about 40 kids playing, dancing and swimming....such fun!

The action on the tennis courts, soccer goal and swimming pool!

The group dancing, notice Claire busting a move!

Taylor surrounded, happily!

Our "South African family" dinner...

Much more to follow....................................

Back to School!

2011-01-19T15:59:00.001+07:00

So I say goodbye to this... Wild Monkeys!

And get this.... School Kids!

Claire's first day back to Theodore Herzl!

Boys first day back to St. Dominic's!

So my crew went to school today after being off for almost 2 months! As with every beginning of every school year, I am a little depressed! It makes me sad to say goodbye to our school holidays, only because it means they are one year older! I can not believe that I now have a 7th grader and a 4th grader! It seems like it was just yesterday that I cried when Taylor went off to kindergarten, and then first, second and third grade; and then I said goodbye to both a 4th grader and a kindergartner...wow it goes too fast!

As much as they need to be back in school, I could have them home forever! Claire was so ready to get back into school, and out of all three kids....she really needed to be back at school(let's just say she can be a little difficult)!

So once again my heart is so very heavy as we pack school bags, make lunches and label supplies! Unfortunately we begin that crazy school and sports schedule(Taylor has already chosen 3 sports for this term!); and this year will fly by... as they always do!

Halloween

2011-01-19T03:00:00.010+07:00

My good friend and I threw a hell of a good Halloween party! The kids and adults all had a ball! We had the party at my house, but equally decorated and cooked! We had close to 60 people...We got a little scared as it started pouring as the guests arrived! Luckily the weather cleared some, and our 2 high school girls that we hired to entertain the kids pulled through and played all of the games that we had set up(ghost bowling, mummy wrapping, spoon race, apple bobbing)! While the kids played their games and jumped on the jumpy castle, the adults partied! We drank and danced until the last family stumbled home....late into the night! One requirement of the night was that everyone must come in costume; we had the Addams family, vampires, princesses, pirates, Minnie Mouse, fifties girl, priest, pregnant nun, doctor, bird,Zulu warrior and princess and lots, lots more!
I would say we succeeded in showing our South African friends what Halloween is all about!
Probably one of my all time favorite times of 2010!
Hunter, CSI Detective

Taylor, Harry Potter

The Lion

The Lion and Harry Potter

Mummy wrapping

Some of the girls...

Minnie Mouse, Zulu Princess and some very interested little ones...

Our very own Zulu warrior and Princess

Early in the evening, as children where still allowed on the dance floor...

Cutting a rug...

The music gets louder, the real fun begins...

Love this....

Dave, our buddy who brings the speakers and the music, what is a party without music?!

OK, my favorite of all things South African....this warrior dance that our friend Clayton does!

Catch Up!

2011-01-18T21:15:00.004+07:00

Over the course of the next week I am hoping to post many posts, beginning with Claire' birthday from October! One of my New Year's resolutions is to keep up with this blog and begin photo albums! This blog serves as a journal for me, I have never kept journals but hope that this blog will help me remember our life! Have fun catching up with me!

Claire turns 5!

2011-01-17T18:36:00.000+07:00

My baby turned 5! So many emotions come to play for a momma of three, when her third is no longer a baby..sadness, happiness, excitement! Claire is a very active, strong willed child that has stolen our hearts! She has scared us to death, with all of the unknowns; but has made us stronger for walking her down this road!
Claire continues to make lots of progress in all of her therapies, and has proven many therapist wrong in what she can achieve! Her biggest issue is her speech, but like everything else she has made remarkable progress this year! She finally is intelligible to most people, and my translation skills are not needed as often!!!
She loves to play outside, and loves to change clothes! She has really had a great year in school, and has made some friends! She recently had her first play date, and loved every bit of being with her friends!
Gosh, she is growing up and with every new word, long sentence; I am able to catch my breath and know that there is a great big future ahead of this little girl!!!!
Birthday breakfast

School Birthday Bash

Claire and friend, Emma

Birthday dinner at local restaurant with friends....

We went all out for her birthday this year, and had a "Wizard of Oz" theme. She loves the movie, and made quite a cute Dorothy!

I made all of the decorations, her dress, and even had the Wizard of Oz gang for display! The food was all labeled with Wizard of Oz names; such as "lion cookies", "red slipper juice", "tornadoes" and many more! My good friend made her cake..OMG! First, she made it a rainbow cake and then with fondant decorated it, so cute!

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor party...

The whole "gang" was represented...

The food table...

The cake...

Love this pic, everyone was quite surprised to see the rainbow cake!

Claire's friends...

The Wizard of Oz party was a hit, and everyone had a great time including "Dorothy"!

Goodbye 2010!

2011-01-01T04:06:00.002+07:00

What a year it has been! We took the kids to dinner tonight for a quiet, as quiet as dinner can be with three children, evening! Before we got our food, I asked everyone what their favorite part of 2010 was...guess what we ALL said, our trip home! If you know me at all, you know that being so far away from home is hard, so hard that I choose not to talk about it! I really miss my mom and dad more than words can say, luckily we where with them for almost 2 months this summer! We spent good quality time together, maybe better quality time than what you get when you live only 15 minutes away!
I am thankful for all that we have been given, especially this assignment here in South Africa! Although it has taken me away from home it has blessed us with amazing friends, awesome memories and incredible, affordable therapy for Claire! I am happy to say that we have come out of 2010 without any cuts and bruises, we are healthy!
I hope for peace, happiness, and healthiness for myself, my family and my friends in the upcoming year! I dream that more people will visit, and we can show off our "home"! It will hopefully be a year to remember, bring on 2011!
Happy New Year!

Christmas....

2010-12-07T01:33:00.002+07:00

I know I have a ton of catch up blogs to do, but I guess Christmas is on my mind! I am so longing for a "traditional" Christmas; where it is cold outside, Christmas lights, Christmas PJ's, Christmas music on the radio, my mom and dad! Oh, I wish I was home for Christmas!
But just like always, we will overcome! We will have Christmas here in South Africa, differently but we will have it! I will try extremely hard to get everybody here in the Christmas spirit, when will they all learn it is not just about what happens on the day....but the whole month?!

September...A Whirlwind!

2010-10-08T13:16:00.017+07:00

Wow, I can not believe it is already October! September was EXTREMELY busy for us...we had Hunter's birthday party, Claire had a ballet recital, went to the Hermanus Whale Festival, Franschhoek, and went to Zambia!

Claire as a sleeping butterfly, being awoken by the fairies!

Butterfly and fairy dancing!

Skinny little feet...doing it!
Hermanus is a small town on the Indian Ocean in South Africa; during whale season this is one of the best viewing spots for the Southern Right Whales! Every year they have a whale festival, and we decided to go with our South African family (our American friends, The Bells) this year! We stayed in a house overlooking the sea...gorgeous! 4 adults plus 5 kids equals great, but very wild fun! We spent 2 days in the town of Hermanus, and you can really see tons of whales! One day we ate at a restaurant that was built into the side of a hill on the rocky shore of the water....within feet of whales! While there, we tried a bottle of wine that had been buried in sea water for 10 months....Very salty! We had a great time in Hermanus...viewing whales, eating, drinking, craft shopping, and just spending time with friends all while surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery! At one point on our last day we where all sitting on a hillside watching the whales; and we (4 adults) all said what an incredible gift this ISP assignment has been for all of us! It will be so hard to walk away from all of this, especially my friends....it is amazing the bonds that can form in such a short time! Here are some shots of Hermanus...it is IMPOSSIBLE to capture what an incredible sight the whales are, as most times it is only their backs or tales that come out of the water...and so very hard to take pictures of!

Our Crew!

Cameraman Pat catches a few whales!

Hunter and Claire at lunch!

Restaurant by the sea!

After Hermanus, we went and spent the day in Franshhoek......it was so gorgeous and quaint! We visited 3 wineries, and each one was beautiful; then finished off another great day with a great meal at an Italian restaurant!
Gorgeous views of Franshhoek wineries...

We were home for two days from that trip and then off to Zambia! To be honest, I was not thrilled about going on vacation again; but wow was I in shock when I got there! We were greeted at our hotel with authentic African Warriors, and then we were shown around the resort....beautiful! Our first day there we settled in and took a quick trip to the Falls, only a 5 minute walk from hotel! Our resort was in a national park, so there where animals everywhere; no predators as this is one of the smaller national parks. We saw zebras, giraffe, monkeys, hippos and elephants(these two where seen on kids safari walk from across the river)! We saw the Victoria Falls and we were amazed, what an incredible site! The next day we took a much longer walk around the Falls, Hunter and Claire stayed behind in the kids camp at the resort! Unaware of what we were doing we went on the actual side of the Falls; and a local asked us if we wanted a tour, we bit! He was awesome and walked us through the top of some of the Falls,and then walked us up to the side of Falls where we got a bird's eye view of the Falls, we actually overlooked the Rainbow Falls! There is always a rainbow there! We hiked through the Zambezi river, it is not rainy season so the water is very low and there are many dry spots...during rainy season where we walked would have been completely impassable on foot! Pretty Cool! After our awesome hike, the boys signed up to ride Segways; they were in heaven! The rest of the day was lazily spent sitting by the pool enjoying some down time!
The next day....well let's just say at least we survived this day! Pat and I went White Water Rafting on The Zambezi River, an experience of a lifetime! We set out at 8:30, we met our "fellow" mates for the day! Let's just say Pat and I were by far the oldest, only three other people close to us...all the others were college kids and most of them from the States! So we get suited up... life vest, helmet and oar and we walk down to the "boiling point"! We had six in our boat and our guide, Tenga! Amazing, fun, crazy, scary, intense, laughable, hard and Memorable...that is how to sum this up! We rode through or paddled through 10 rapids ranging from category 3 to category 5! We did awesome our first few, and then the first cat 5 comes...our boat goes straight down into the rapid and flips! I came up and could not find the boat, I swallowed and ingested half the Zambezi, thought I was done; but put my legs in front of me(in case you collide with a rock) and finally a kayaker came to my rescue and we finished the rapid! So basically not only did I go on a boat through rapids, but I went through a category 5 rapid SOLO! We continued going through the rapids, we dumped on one more category 5 rapid, but we all managed to keep a hold of the boat! Yeah, we survived! At the end of our 1/2 day tour, they let our group out at the BOTTOM of the mountain, same size as what you see the Falls go down; and tell us to hike up! What, we had to go straight up on a man made ladder, made out of tree limbs...thought I was going to die...but again we conquered!

Our resort greeting committee!

Victoria Falls at sunset.

Local who walked us across Falls.

Looking down into Falls, notice rainbow!

Does not look like much, but that is our first rapid, category 3! The bridge is linking Zambia to Zimbabwe...while rafting, there was a point that we were actually on the Zimbabwe side!

Boys on Segways.

Pool!

Pool bar!

So that was our September, exhausting and wonderful! Now we are in October, planning for Claire's birthday party, Wizard of Oz, and our annual Halloween party! Time goes way too fast!

Who Builds US.....

2010-08-31T14:17:00.002+07:00

"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.” Albert Einstein

This quote speaks to me in so many ways! Mostly tells me to show appreciation for who has helped mold me! Mostly there are my parents, my mom! They guided me in the right directions, I swayed off path many times but eventually got on the right path!! My mom showed me how to be a mom, and taught me what true unconditional love is! Pat, has always made me laugh and has showed me what it means to be a provider and a best friend! My friends, especially my ones here in South Africa, have showed me what TRUE friendship is! They have helped me come out of my bubble and enjoy a brand new world, and LOVE it! My parents, Pat and my friends have given me the opportunity to be myself, and love me anyways(or most days!) Thanks to all of you for molding me on the inside and out! Without you, I would be lost! I hope that I am able to give back as well, if only through my children I am able to use my knowledge!

To My Mom....

2010-08-27T13:24:00.003+07:00

Mom
I love you so much and am so proud to call you mine! I am who I am because of you, Thank You! Happy Birthday!
Megan

Hunter is 9!

2010-08-11T02:00:00.012+07:00

Hunter's birthday was last week, I can not believe he is 9! Hunter is still very sensitive, very focused on whatever sport he is playing, independent with his school work, good big and little brother, and is still a cuddler!

Love those sweet freckles!

Hunter is ALWAYS dirty, this after eating ribs!

In his school uniform!

Holding his sweet cousin!

Swimming, jumping...a favorite!

Loved being the goalie on the soccer team!

Two cuties!

Little brother!

Big brother!
We started celebrating his birthday long before August 2nd; while in the States my mom and dad had a birthday party for him at Shogun. All the family attended; and we enjoyed watching our food being cooked, sang Happy Birthday and ate cake!

Getting ready to watch our food being cooked with cousins, Cameron & Caleb!

Auntie Jess, new baby Cailyn, Poppa & Mimi celebrate Hunter's BDay!
We surprised Hunter the weekend before his birthday with High School Musical play tickets. We invited our close friends, the Bells, and we all went out to dinner and then to the show! The kids loved the play, and Claire is still telling everyone we went to see HSM!

The opera house!

High School Musical with Aiden & Evan! Notice Hunter's hat, he insisted on wearing this as this was his "new" look!

Claire ready for the show!
The day of his birthday, I cooked 30 cupcakes to take to school and he was allowed to wear anything he wanted. He chose his new Yankees jersey and his new Under Armour shirt, two of his presents! Hunter decided he wanted to go out to dinner just as family, instead of our usual family party(In SA, close friends)!

His birthday outfit!

Getting sung to!
I hope that sweet freckled face boy enjoyed his birthday as much as I did, I am so lucky to get to watch this guy grow up!

Blanco Guest Farms!

2010-08-10T13:40:00.011+07:00

This weekend we joined three other families and went to Blanco! About three hours away from Port Elizabeth in the middle of nowhere, there lies the most awesome family vacation spot! We had heard lots of stories of how much fun Blanco can be, but until we experienced for ourselves did we understand! Nothing fancy; rooms are definitely not 4 or 5 star, maybe more like 2! It's the stuff that happens that makes Blanco so much fun!

View from our 4x4 ride, Blanco Guest farms to the right of the third mountain!

Cabins!

View outside of our cabin, owners house on far right!

The best part of Blanco for most everyone, the horses!

This is a zebra that comes everyday to stay with the horses, they say it thinks it is a horse!
We arrived on Friday night, and met up with our nanny for the weekend, Portia! She immediately whisked Claire away for dinner in the Kid's Dining Room! Portia brought Claire back for an hour, only to return again so that the adults could go for drinks and then to the Adults Dining Room! Bells ring to let you know dinner is served! Dinner(every meal) is a wonderful home cooked meal, and there is a set menu for every meal. After dinner the adults make their way to the bar to dance and party the night away!
Taylor and Hunter where free to do whatever the entire weekend; we maybe saw them all of one hour a day, literally!
A typical day at Blanco goes like this:
7am Hunter and Taylor race away on their bikes to milk the cows and let the horses out of the stables
7:30 am Portia comes to get Claire to take her to breakfast
8:15 am We meet up with our buddies; Paula & Clayton, Tami & Scott, and Bruce for breakfast
9:30 am Taylor, Hunter, and I ride horses
10 am Portia brings Claire to us so that she can eat breakfast
10:30 am Portia comes back to get Claire (they can ride horses, play on a playground, ride bikes, visit the cows, pigs, bunnies, horses and zebra)
One day girls and I went hiking, one day read or watched guys play sport; or guys went mountain biking!
12:30 am kiddies go to lunch with nannies
1 pm adult lunch
2pm Portia takes lunch, we play with Claire
2:30 pm tractor ride with nannies and kids
Adults napping, playing sport, played tennis with boys

Adults chilling!
5:30 pm Claire has dinner
6pm Portia brings Claire to us, so she can eat dinner
7 pm Portia back, adults to dinner and bar for party
1-2 am arrive home!
The whole day for boys:
WHATEVER they want; bikes, horses, tennis, golf, squash, soccer, and much more! Mostly freedom to do whatever they want to do, all they had to do was run to the dining room when the bell rang!

Claire smiled the entire trip!

Taylor ready to ride!

Fearless Hunter saddled up!

Taylor was VERY fearful on the first ride, and then loved it!

Off they go!

Hunter

Our friend, Matthew!

The twins, James and Matthew!

James and Taylor falling off the mountain!

Our friend, Evan(Claire's age)!

Our new friend, Ashley!
Claire crashed by 7:30 pm, boys usually by 9pm!
This is why this is a true vacation, we (adults) truly get a break!

You can see your children, you can not see your children! The best part, they are happy no matter what!

Happy Kids!

2010-07-30T02:10:00.014+07:00

Taylor, Hunter and Claire are living the life! This opportunity of living overseas has given us many extras; my children have the best of BOTH worlds! They get to live and experience another country, and get a "real" USA summer filled with laughter and happiness! Among the list of things they did were: playing with friends, playing with cousins, going to Disney World, going to the beach, fishing, swimming, playing tennis, playing baseball, meeting a new cousin, going to a wedding, going to a professional baseball game, going to a water park, staying up late, sleeping in, and just being happy kids!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the kids over the last month and a half that we were away!
Claire was the flower girl in my sister's wedding!

Taylor and Claire acting silly at the wedding!

Hunter and Claire on the golf cart, ready to go to the pool! Hunter learned how to drive the golf cart this year, Mimi said he "passed" his drivers test!

Needless to say, Claire did not pass hers!

A must on every trip to Florida, The Florida Gator Stadium!

I love this one, he would die to be a "Florida Gator"!

Claire!

Ofcourse, the kids at Disney! (Lots more Disney pics to come in another post!)

Taylor and Mickey!

Hunter and Mickey!

Claire, getting ready to go have afternoon "tea"!

The Best Part of Our Trip!

2010-07-30T01:12:00.007+07:00

The most important reason we had for going to the USA was to see family! We had not been home for two years, two very long years; and I was ready to see everyone I love! This trip was filled with so many things; but my favorite moments are the simple ones, the best ones...my time with family! I got to be a part of the birth of my niece and the wedding of my sister; I was so thankful to be able to be there for that! I feel as if the time home was "full"; I was there long enough to get to spend good quality time with everyone!
A few of my favorite pictures of the family.....
Mom and Dad!

Cousins!

New baby, Cailyn!

Grandma Lou and Claire, going to tea!

I also got to spend some time with my friends, times that will be treasured! Taylor was quite the social butterfly, and was invited to spend time with several different friends while he was home! Hunter also got to see all of his close buddies...memories made!
A few of my favorite pictures of our friends...
Drinking margaritas and eating Mexican food...

The younger half of the group!

Swimming with buddies!

My friend, Lisa and Claire. Claire saw Lisa and immediately asked if she went to her school! LOL!

Back!

2010-07-29T18:33:00.005+07:00

Our last few weeks of our FANTASTIC trip was spent in Louisiana, home to my family! We eventually had to say "Good Bye" but only After a sweet baby girl was born, after a beautiful wedding ceremony, after sunburned skin and chlorine filled hair, after many sweaty baseball games, after spend the nights and laughing with friends missed, after shopping every TJ Maxx known to man, after 8 suitcases filled, after teary eyes and filled hearts....we arrived "home"!
I can honestly say that we had a GREAT time, a full time, a happy time! But unfortunately all things must come to an end; and I traveled with three kids by myself to the other side of the world to a happy husband and daddy who REALLY missed us! (We missed him too!)
Home is where your heart is, and Thank God I have two homes! The one where my family is that I grew up with, and the one that I am watching my kids grow up! So I said "good bye" to hot, sunny and lazy days; and "hello" to cold, rainy, BUSY days filled with homework and sports!

Home!

2010-06-28T10:45:00.002+07:00

We have been home, the US, for three weeks now and we have not stopped! After a very long flight we arrived in Louisiana safe and sound, and so excited to be on solid ground! We spent our first week catching up with my family, and had a couple of great nights with old friends! The first night with our buddies we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and drank margaritas; then finished the night at our friends house! I kept thinking the whole night..."It feels like just last week I saw these girls"; I guess that's a good thing to fit right back in! The next night our buddies threw us a Crawfish boil, and invited more of our old buddies!
It was awesome seeing everyone again, very bittersweet as I kept thinking I wish this could happen all of the time! The connections we have made here in Louisiana are some of the very best, I hope to always have them in my life no matter where we are!
After a great weekend with friends we spent some good quality time with my family!
After a week, we hit the road again and headed for Florida! On our way, we made a pit stop at Florida Gator land and Taylor took some of the grass for a keepsake! We finally made our way to see Pat's parents in Florida, after three days we headed to the best place in the world! Disney World! What can I say...we had the best time ever! Four days of happy family time, I love that place. Unfortunately after spending a few more days in Florida with Pat's parents we bid farewell to Pat. He headed back to go to work, and catch a few of the World Cup Games! I miss him very much, as our family is incomplete without him!
The kids and I spent another week in Florida, and headed back to Louisiana for a few more weeks of family and friend time!
I am exhausted and shopped out! I think we have hit every TJ Maxx and Target from Louisiana to Florida, and any other favorites along the way!

Sad....

2010-05-26T13:23:00.006+07:00

(Just like Erin is carrying Claire, Kim has carried me...hypothetically of course!)
My dear friend is leaving. Another American here on our SA journey is saying Good Bye! Kim and her family have been such a huge part of our lives here, it is amazing the bonds that we have created in the short time we have been here. She has served as such a support system for me; someone who understands the sadness of being so far away and someone who understands the heartache of having a child with special needs.
Kim, I will miss you more than you will ever know!
(This is the best pic I could find...shows Kim giving advice to newly pregnant friend Kristie, as she so often does)

Group shot of kids at local resort!

Good bye my sweet friend!

Helping....

2010-05-17T21:14:00.015+07:00

Taylor and Hunter with a truck full of books!

Pat recently had an opportunity to help out this country that we live in; which needs it so desperately! Through work they where given the opportunity to participate in "Rally for Reading", a local gentleman has started this program here in South Africa. Basically through donations, they provide some needed schools with books and even some with computers.
Pat was able to take our boys, Taylor and Hunter. What an experience! They left on a Friday, and spent the weekend with the team! They visited two schools in a very rural area, delivered the goods and spent some time with the children!
Both schools welcomed them with open arms and ceremonies!
The following descriptions are from Taylor, age 12.
The first school was much better off than the second; the community has rallied around this school. The mommas encourage the children, and the fathers help out with security....How normal, you say? No, unfortunately many of the schools here in South Africa do not function this way and the children usually have no parental support. The children are usually lucky just to be able to afford or get a uniform to go to school. At first this school seemed OK, but after the visit to the second school...the first school was much better off.
The second school had holes in the roof, the preschool room also served as a garden shed and kitchen. On windy days, the teachers take the children outside in fear of the walls falling.
After the presentation of the books, and a tour of the school the kids got to play with the school children. There where 5 kids in this group, so to be able to go outside and interact with the kids was so important. In Taylor's words.."Kid's should not take anything for granted, these kids play soccer with a popped ball." They played soccer together, took pictures. The school children loved seeing the kids(some had never seen a white child before), one school was chanting "Hunter" as the cars pulled away!
I was unable to go on this trip, but I know that it moved my kids! They where so proud of being able to help, in fact the last night on the trip they had the opportunity to give a speech. Both boys willingly spoke of their experience; as a mom I hope that they carry this forever! Not only do the children who where visited gain, but my boys gained! What? They gained a love for the unfortunate, a love for helping; and the insight to know they have MUCH better!
I often get sad to be away from home and experience the things that are going on there, but then I listen to my boys retelling these stories and look at these pictures....and I know I am raising children that may make a difference. Children that have been witnesses to injustice, but have been given the tools to help! Then I think... what school book could teach this?
Cars loaded and ready to deliver!

First school introductions...

Outside school 1...

Loved looking at their pics on Hunter's camera...

The Mommas (women of community are called)

School 2...

School 2, outside...

Momma dancing and singing with girls (It is very traditional to have cultural dancing and chanting at most occasions)...

Boys dancing...

School 2 classroom...

Preschool classroom, also shed and kitchen...

Boys playing soccer with school kids...

Soccer is HUGE here!

Homemade goal...

Taylor impressing the ladies with dancing skills...

Taylor

Hunter

This is my favorite pic of all, it shows how happy Hunter was to do this!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-11T16:37:00.002+07:00

These three made my day!
I am so lucky and blessed to call these three mine!

I Can Not Wait...

2010-04-20T18:29:00.003+07:00

Now that the tickets have been finalized and days are rushing by...I am giddy! I am so excited to go home!
When I think of my parent's home in the summertime... I think of nice air conditioned coldness(been without ac for too long), chicken salad, All My Children, the smell of sunscreen, bathing suits, lazy afternoon naps, sitting in the sun room, my dad teasing my mom, my mom cooking; and the best thing since I have grown older...the sound of my children laughing as they run in and out! This is what I am looking forward to most, just being home! Time to soak all of it in, remembering the little things that I have forgotten. Oh, how I will want time to stand still! I want my kids to have these memories, I want for them to yearn for family as much as I do!
When I was little I do not remember my grandparents being a part of my everyday life; they where always so far away, and when we saw them they never had very much to do with me when I was little. How lucky my children are that they have two sets of grandparents that love them dearly, and who want to be with them! To make memories with them.
Although this distance has killed me; the lesson it has taught me is...make the most of every minute with family! We have been so lucky to have both my parents and Pat's parents come and stay with us for a couple of weeks each! Now it is our turn to visit them! I hope to get the most out of every visit. My mom asks me what I want to do; I do not really want to do anything but hang out! I want to sit in their sun room and laugh, I want to eat home cooked meals and be stuffed, I want to watch my dad take my boys fishing, I want to go shopping with my mom to all of the best shops, I want to visit my friends, I want the kids to see their friends, I want to sit and laugh around the McKain's kitchen table ...I want to just be! I want to feel like I am at home, not just visiting! I want to go to Florida and eat up Disney World! I want to head to Tampa and see my kids get spoiled by another set of grandparents, I want to have the kids do crafts with Grandma Lou, I want them to go the aquarium, again I want to just be! I really look forward to Pat and I to sneaking away for coffee...and Mike to make fun of my fu fu coffee!
I can not wait, I can not wait to go home!

Taylor

2010-04-11T12:54:00.003+07:00

My baby turns 12! I can not believe Taylor is 12 today, it feels like yesterday that he was little! Time goes to0 fast!

Taylor has SO many qualities that I am so proud of...he is a great big brother, he is a great sportsman, he is dedicated and persistent, he has a huge heart and he definitely has an awesome future ahead of him!

Happy Birthday!

Blogged Too Soon!

2010-04-08T22:55:00.001+07:00

Claire is now sick, and me too! Oh well, would not have been a complete school holiday without someone being sick EVERYDAY of it!

The Latest...

2010-04-07T12:17:00.014+07:00

We ended our first school term with a bang! Both boys competed in a triathlon at their school; Taylor completed his individually while Hunter was part of a team. They both did awesome; Taylor rocked his! He was behind some of his buddies after the swim, but nailed them on the bike and running! Way to go boys!

Taylor finishing bike...

Completing run...

Hunter getting to his bike...

Such determination...

We did a bit of traveling over the holidays, back to the same National Park! This time we shared a cabin with some friends, and another group of friends stayed next door. We had a great time! The kids had a ball; there was a total of 11 kids!

We arrived home just in time on Saturday to prepare for the Easter Bunny! On Sunday after opening Easter baskets, we headed to church! Instead of cooking we joined some of our friends at an outdoor brunch...very nice! On our way home...Taylor puked in Claire's Easter basket! Lovely, needless to say Claire was pissed!

Kids dying eggs, Taylor in charge(of course!)

Easter Bunny left his footprints everywhere!

Easter Bunny brought new jammies!

Too busy eating candy to put dress on!

Over this two week school break, there has been at least one sick child with a short lapse of about 3 days! Started with Hunter, now Taylor. Lets just hope Claire does not get it!

Other news...We got a jungle gym. I finally talked Pat into it, and the kids LOVE it!

Our sweet kitty, Carson...

Claire eating MORE candy!

I have been reorganizing my office, and I am determined to start sewing and crafting!

And the best news...We are planning our trip home! I am giddy just thinking of getting to go home for awhile!

To come...Taylor turns 12!

Weekend Without Technology and Hairdryers!

2010-03-22T12:41:00.009+07:00

Our drive into camp grounds...

OMG! We actually went camping on the beach!
Seriously, on the beach...we slept to the sound of waves crashing! We spent our weekend in Tkiskamma National Park at The Storms River Mouth. The surroundings are absolutely beautiful, there is no way to actually describe the sheer beauty of this country!
Now anybody who truly knows me, knows I am not a camper. Still not a camper, but beginning to truly see the benefit of a nice camp out without the conveniences of technology! My kids love it, I mean absolutely love it...the idea of being outside all day and night running wild!.
We were invited to join a group of South African families on their camping adventures, they usually go every few months. This was our second time attending, and felt like it was time to invest in a tent, blow-up mattresses and some other camping essentials. Loved our new tent, of course it is hard to complain about your sleeping quarters when you are sleeping to the sounds of waves crashing!
For me, my favorite part of camping with this group is hanging around the camp fire drinking wine and laughing! Another plus....two of the families have "big" girls that love my Claire and are a huge help!
We have only spent one night out camping... still trying to get used to the whole no hairdryer, or straightener thing... baby steps before I can embark on two nights! We usually camp where there are nice showers and bathroom facilities..... I will be a changed woman by the time I leave this country!

I am hoping the changes will only be for the good! I know my kiddos are being enriched by their environment, especially when all my upcoming 12 year old wants for his bday is a tent and a watch. There are benefits from being away from all the commercialization of the States, and living a more simple life! Hope your weekend was as good as ours!

Our tent, sleeping quarters and living quarters!

Bathrooms to the right...

Camp swimming pool...

Sun going down...

South African friends, Rob and Andrea...

More friends; Michelle, Theo & Deon...

Bread cooked over the fire(braii)...

A sneak peak at what we drank...

Good morning...

Claire with girls...

One last pic of our view!

The Last Few Months, In Pictures...

2010-03-14T01:37:00.011+07:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures, taken over the course of the last few months, enjoy!
Hunter, on a local safari!

Taylor, had his face painted from a local African!

Claire, on her first day of school...

Kids, one Sunday at church...

Taylor being a good big brother in Cape Town!

A recent craft in Hunter's art club, an African hut made from a phone book.

Trouble, Claire climbing in the window eating chips! Never a dull moment!

Claire was Minnie Mouse for a school festival.

Claire's class...

Claire in line(towering over everybody)

I am not sure who this is, but LOVED the pouting elephant!

Carson, our kitty, waits everyday for our dog, Lily, to come home from her walk!

Lily, hanging in one of our (half chewed) wicker chairs...

White lion at a local lion park...

My fav, the zebra, also at a local lion park...

Our last visitors, Grandma Lou and Poppy!

It Is, What It Is!

2010-03-09T16:37:00.003+07:00

That's right, it is ..what it is! So, we are staying! Staying until June 0f 2012, with the possibility of leaving beginning in Dec 2011. Pat is needed here, and the reality of life has answered our tough questions! Tough questions like... Can you stay past contract(Ending Nov 2011)? Pat's reply, only if the family can do it. Family(my) reply...No! Morning after sleeping on it...Maybe! After many talks with many people, I am reminded of the basic truth...it is two more years of a good, stable job. Two more years of food on the table, good food!!
When we heard what was happening to our friends currently in the States and my family, we felt as if the better hand was dealt to us!
So now my reply, Yes. Yes, I know what is best. Yes, I know what we need to do, but Yes is the hard answer!
When you look at what we have been given; the area where we live, the opportunities that have been laid out for us...an outsider would say "You are an idiot for wanting this to end!" When you look at what we are missing....time spent with family; a smart person would say "I get it, I understand the hardness", but then say "You have to do what is best for the ENTIRE family", and that is Stay!
So, with that said... South Africa is home for a little while longer!

Where My Head and Heart Have Been...

2010-03-02T16:23:00.004+07:00

I can not believe it is March, where have the last two months gone! The kids started their school year in January, both Hunter and Taylor remained in the same school while Claire started a new school! Claire absolutely LOVES school, and who would not love preschool?! I decided to mainstream her this year into a "normal" playschool; after a long stressful search for the right school...we struck gold! Here in South Africa, inclusion is not a part of the normal school system. Unfortunately children with special needs usually attend a special needs only school, and are not mainstreamed into normal classrooms. While Claire is gravely delayed in speech, she is a very bright and energetic 4 year old. She absolutely does not need to be in a special needs only school, but a normal playschool with her peers. Theodor Herzl is a local private Jewish school, but is open to all denominations. Their pre-primary(preschool) is run by an amazing forward thinking lady! She has welcomed Claire with open arms and has never questioned her need for "normal" interaction! We all decided that Claire needed a facilitator to accompany her to school, to oversee that Claire would get all that she needed. She will not need her long, in fact Claire refuses to let her help in any way(Very Stong Willed)! Claire has flourished, and I mean in all areas. Originally when I told her special needs school that I was moving Claire, they ALL were afraid that it was a bad idea....Ha! Showed them! Claire is now making remarkable progress in all areas! But most of all she is happy!
Now, on the back end of that...I now have to add all of her therapies after school, which makes for an extreme amount of time in the car and on the road. Claire sees her speech therapist 3 days a week, OT 2 days, PT 2 days and she is taking swim lessons 1 day a week (see what I mean, its exhausting just typing it out).
The boys have adjusted to their school schedules, and are finally feeling a part of the school. I have a lot of issues with their school, but they are happy. They have embraced the sports program here and continue to excel and improve in all areas that have a ball! They are making good grades, but this is where my beef comes in with the school...their academics and the way they are taught...SUCK! But with that said...I have learned during this time away from home and all things normal; that a little happiness goes a LONG way! I will not rock their boats and change schools; as they will have it rocked soon enough when we move back home(USA)
Speaking of...I would love to say that we are moving back soon! It is beginning to look like we are here for another year. I have mixed emotions about this; as some days it kills me, others I focus on the positives here. Most importantly; as many good things are in place for us here, it will never equal what family means to us there! I have shed a lot of tears over the prospect of us remaining here longer, but I always keep in mind that I believe God has a plan! I think that Claire is in the best place now...all of her needs are met and more! The boys, this is where it gets tricky...they are missing out on a lot at home. Their sports; baseball, basketball, football. Their education, it is definitely lacking here! They also are getting their immediate needs met, but I worry what damage will be done the longer this assignment is dragged on.
The one bright spot in all of this is that I am planning a trip home! If I am stuck here for sure, I am on a plane home to visit! The kids are out of school this summer(SA winter) for 6 weeks due to the World Soccer Cup being held here, so what an ideal time to fly the coop! Watch out Target, Ross, TJMaxx, Marshals..hell and even WALMART! Oh yeah, I will do some visiting with family and friends also!
SO, if you wondered where I have been the last few months....I have been in the car driving from appt to appt, driving from one sporting event to the next; and of course just regular old driving back and forth to two different schools! My mind and heart have been focused on the indecisiveness of our immediate future and the happiness of those around me!
Pics are next!

Do Not Give Up On Us......

2010-02-15T04:12:00.006+07:00

After a few weeks of technical difficulties, we are now up and running!

And Smiling!

Been busy with daily school, sports and therapy schedules; but enjoying the chaos!
We having been "kicking it" here at home in the hot South African summer, as you all experience snow and winter!

My Apologies....

2010-01-27T13:38:00.002+07:00

My blog has been very neglected lately! After Grandma Lou and Poppy left we threw ourselves into back to school mode and then The Cullens overtook everything! Yes, I am talking about the Twilight series. I just finished the last book, and I am actually sad to have finished. Before Lou and Mike left we were in a book store and I was asking her advise on a new book to read..she suggested reading the Twilight book because I already had it and why not! Lou...its your fault! JK! So now I am done, and the blog entries will begin...I have so much to catch up on; our wonderful trip to the wineries, our great Christmas, and the first days of school!

Goodbye 2009...

2010-01-08T00:19:00.004+07:00

Hello 2010! Wow what a year it has been for us! We have lived in South Africa now for almost 15 months, all of 2009. We have survived what I thought would be a long and sad year, but turned out to be a fast and exciting year for us. It makes me so sad to think that these years are going by so fast, my kids childhood is passing me by too quickly.
This year has been a good family year for us, as we have had lots of "us" time. South Africa has given us the gift of Time! Time to slow down and eat as a family every night, time to actually see what pretty cool kids we have, time to watch them face some of their fears and overcome, time to watch Hunter come out of his shell. South Africa has given us time to listen to Claire talk, time to watch Taylor grow up and make new friends. Time....sometimes it is what we need as parents to do what we need to do, better! We have had time to discover a country we would have never, ever come to; and fall in love with it! Time to take our kids on safaris, time to taste some great wines. Time to build memories to last a lifetime. Time to all go and watch an owl in our backyard(just happened), what a gift we have been given!
2009 will always remain close to my heart, as this was the year for our family to overcome. To overcome the fear of new schools, to overcome the sadness of goodbyes, to overcome the fear of the unknown, and to begin to overcome Speech Apraxia and developmental delay!
I look forward to what 2010 has in store for our family! I know there will be hard days, but I hope the good ones will outweigh the bad! I hope to see us settled back in the US before the end of the year, one thing I have learned is that family is everything and being a world away is too tough!

Holiday Travels!

2010-01-04T04:32:00.008+07:00

We have been traveling, visiting and entertaining non stop since the 10Th of December! We picked up Grandma Lou and Poppy(Pat's parents from Florida) in Cape Town on the 11Th of December. We stayed there for 4 days and then hit the wine country for 2 days. We headed back to Port Elizabeth, and spent the rest of their trip doing stuff near home.
While in Cape Town we enjoyed showing them our favorite things to do, and added some things we have never done. We started with a trip to Simon's Town to see penguins and then headed to The Cape of Good Hope. This is where Cape Point is, where the Atlantic and the Indian oceans meet...Incredible!
View from Simon's Town...

On our way to Cape Point, huge Baboon on the side of the road...

Kids being blown away in Cape Point...

We did lots of souvenir shopping, we have learned to always try for a bargain! We went to Signal Hill where you can overlook all of the Cape Town Waterfront, and get a glimpse of the 2010 soccer stadium. Pat and the boys climbed Lions Head, one of the three famous mountains in Cape Town...Pat said at times it was very dangerous, only a small ledge away from falling(had I known!). We took everyone to see CATS the musical; we had second row seats...it was awesome! We visited the aquarium, ate on the waterfront, saw Table mountain; we never stopped!

Taylor and Claire looking at the CATS playbill...

Eating ice cream on Signal Hill...

Taylor trying to strike a deal...

While still staying in Cape Town, we went to a nearby winery. This winery, Spier, is more touristy than most because of some added extras. They have an Eagle Sanctuary and a Cheetah Foundation. The kids loved it! The boys actually held one of the eagles, while Claire just was able to pet some of the owls! After tending to some kid stuff; we moved on to the fun part, wine tasting! Pat has always enjoyed wine, while I have only begun since living in SA. After purchasing some wine (average bottle R30, $4.00) we headed back to Cape Town.
Claire with owl...

My cautious child, Taylor, with eagle...

Hunter with eagle...

Kids playing in one of the craft booths...

Enjoying the wine...

Next stop, Leipzig! Pure heaven, an old wine house where we stayed one night before heading to Port Elizabeth!

Our Christmas...

2009-12-30T23:50:00.002+07:00

We tried to have an "Traditional" Christmas here in South Africa, and by all accounts I think we succeeded! Santa found us, and of course spoiled us! Here are a few of our new Christmas memories....
We started our Santa festivities by making and decorating cookies, and a visit to Santa!
Kiddos decorating cookies for Santa...

Claire, nervous to see Santa...

All three before Santa, thrilled with the camera :)!

Christmas Eve we left out our cookies and reindeer food!
Leaving out cookies for Santa...

Sprinkling Reindeer food...

Look what awaited us Christmas morning!
Taylor's stash...

Claire's Santa stash...

Hunter's stash...

After getting Santa's goodies we ripped through the gifts under the tree.

All presents were distributed into piles, here is one pile...

Claire playing with new castle

Hunter opening....

Claire riding new wheels(Thanks Mimi and Poppa)

Taylor opening new Puma golf shoes(Thanks Mimi and Poppa)

I picked one of these for my gifts from Mom and Dad, Thanks!

Pat surprised me with a painting of our very first house, made me cry!

All Christmas decor is down now,hoping for a good new year; and maybe we will be home this year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T18:36:00.004+07:00

2009-12-23T18:20:00.000+07:00

We have been very busy here...We have been to Cape Town, went to Cape Point(where two oceans meet), climbed Lions Head, seen the musical CATS, been to the wineries, stayed in the most beautiful old winery, been on a safari, and been to local game parks. Oh, and the things we have seen! Lions, Rhinos, Giraffe, Monkeys, Zebra, Elephants, Water buffalo, Penguins; all of which were in their natural environment. We are now home! Cooking, baking, wrapping, and all the other fun stuff we do to get ready for Santa Clause!

Baking, Praying & Wrapping...

2009-12-05T03:18:00.005+07:00

The last few days in a nut shell!
Baking; I have been invited to a Cookie Exchange party tomorrow with 16 other eager (frustrated) bakers. I have had to bake 6 cookies for each person, resulting in a hell of a lot of cookies! Finally done! Unfortunately my cookie bars are a little too crisp-to late to start over (I am a baking disaster)!

Praying, Claire had some dental work done in the hospital today. She was put to sleep for the procedure, but sailed through with flying colors! Me..well, I was a nervous wreck; South African hospital, seeing your child fight to be put to sleep and then cry for 30 minutes as she came to! I said a lot of prayers before, during and after!
(Soundly sleeping after a tiring day!)

Wrapping; trying to get all of my Christmas shopping done and get everything all wrapped. Three teacher/tutor gifts done, seven to go!

Still loving Christmas!

"The Stockings Were Hung....

2009-11-28T13:57:00.003+07:00

by the chimney with care,
In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there."

The preparations have begun! I love Christmas; the magic, the decorations, and getting to watch it all through my children's eyes!
The rest of the decorations will have to wait..big weekend! Birthday party, Thanksgiving Feast, and a Cricket match tomorrow!
Enjoy the weekend, I wish I were braving the crowds at Target; but I do love the simplicity of Christmas in South Africa!

I Am Thankful We Are Here!

2009-11-26T03:52:00.004+07:00

As you all know, Claire has Speech Apraxia along with some other motor planning issues, and we have had her in a special needs school this past year. Well in August/September of this year, I started to feel that Claire may be ready to transition into a "regular" playschool with some type of an aid. I started asking for suggestions. The director of Claire's current school set up the "perfect scenario" for Claire...she recommended a playschool and set up Claire's transition for the next year(Jan). As we all know, nothing is as good as it sounds! End of October, early November comes and I start to grow anxious of our plans for Claire..with good reason. After some follow through on my part, Claire's director never set up anything! All of sudden I felt like a fish out of water...what do we do? Then I start to question everything again; is she ready, can she cope, will she be loved? Side note...Any mother with a special needs child knows how important it is just to have them accepted and loved.
I called one person, Claire's Speech Therapist, the one person that has been instrumental in Claire's life this year. It was all I could do to contain the panic, but I needed advice! She told me to go to Theodor PrePrimary, that there was a wonderful director there by the name of Buffy. I am sure you are thinking this is JUST preschool, yes it is but it will also be our first experience in a "real" classroom. It is actually huge for us, what happens here will maybe give us an idea about Claire's upcoming future in the ability to adapt to a normal school setting.
Well, Buffy is beyond awesome! She is very supportive and knowledgeable of special needs, and sees the benefit of inclusion! This is very uncommon here, people feel special needs kids need to be locked away in their own school!
As luck goes, they were full for the upcoming school year. I went through the processes and put our name on the waiting list, we were third for her class! So the search continued for a place for Claire...I was going to have to settle. I was going this week to put a deposit on the original school! Not that this school is bad, in fact if I was looking for a place for my boys the school would be awesome. It was a feeling I had..I knew they would "take" her, but would they welcome her, would they accept her struggles? I was afraid of the answers!
I did not need to worry with the answers, because....I got a call yesterday, Claire got in! She got into Theodor! Somehow her name moved up to first on the list...I think somewhere there is someone always keeping an eye on my baby! I went today for our interview, and it is the most awesome school for Claire! She will be in Ms. Hannah's class of 3s and 4s, she will be the oldest. Actually that's what we wanted, any extra advantage! She will also have her own facilitator, much like an aid, which will actually be her teacher who she has now! How perfect, her transition will be that much easier as she will be with the girl she has been with for the last year! My heart feels a little lighter today, God gave us another reason to be thankful!
God put us in this country, in this place for a reason! If only to give Claire more angels in her path, thanks for your advice Yvonne! You are everything to us, you have given my baby a voice! Buffy, thanks for your knowledge and passion for special needs, and thanks Hannah for carving a path and a place for us in your classroom next year! Thank you Natasha, for loving Claire this year and wanting to be with her next year!

Thank you God for putting us here, for Claire!

Good Night Africa!

2009-11-25T12:52:00.004+07:00

This was our view last night around 7pm..There was a rainbow and everything had a red glow!

It's Only Going To Get Busier!

2009-11-22T21:45:00.005+07:00

(I love this pic of Hunter, I found him reading without being asked!)
These past two weeks have been crazy! Claire was at the doctors twice in the last week and a half. Once for swollen lymph nodes that were hopefully caused by a viral infection(fortunately have already started to go down), and second because she twisted her ankle and could not walk! After all of this she almost cut off the tip of her finger with my sewing scissors, good thing we did not have to go back to the doctors...I was afraid they would start to think something! Hunter also was at the doctors last week; he had a case of tonsillitis. And last, but certainly not least Pat (after too much wine) had to go to the ER and get stitches in his elbow. Let's just say "What happens in South Africa , stays in South Africa".
Luckily, I have actually found the medical facilities and doctors here quite competent. Whenever my kids go to the doctors they are given a full and thorough evaluation and you are actually listened to! The pharmacies are also incredible. Our local "chemist" knows us by name and is extremely helpful, if you do not have time to wait they will deliver medicine to your house after it is filled(no extra cost)!
Everyone seems to be back to themselves, and the craziness of the holiday season begins! Let's hope we stay injury and germ free!
I remember last year thinking the holiday season here was so less hectic than in the states; I wasn't buying or making a thousand gifts and I had little shopping to do! I think the difference is that I was new here last year and I had brought all of my gifts overseas; so I was prepared. Not the case this year! We now have three teachers, an OT, a Speech Therapist, a PT, 8 tutors from Claire's school; and believe it or not..friends to buy or make stuff for! And of course I have three kiddos to shop for!
In South Africa holidays are less marketed, which makes you enjoy the season with family more! They are just not as commercialized here, there is not as much pressure to have the newest and the greatest! This is great with children, they have no idea what is new in the toy world!
With that said, we do have the next two crazy weeks to get through before the kids are out for "summer"!
Taylor is finishing up end of the year exams this week, so sadly the actual Thanksgiving Day will be a school day. We will celebrate a "real" Thanksgiving this weekend, with all of the trimmings! Sunday, Pat and I are going to a cricket match for a work function. Next week we have two school "prize givings" (similar to honor roll assembly) to go to, a tour of Christmas homes and a cookie exchange party to attend.
Oh, and company to prepare for!
For now; I will take one day at a time because life is only getting busier!

Here is a sneak peak at a craft I have been working on, an Advent Calender handsewn out of felt...

Just Mom!

2009-11-16T05:44:00.002+07:00

That's my only job title. I was writing our Christmas letter and it led me to some personal revelations...I'm just the mom. I started the letter with hellos, and then moved to what everyone has been up to. Taylor, Hunter and Claire had a paragraph full of what they have been doing, and what they have accomplished this year. Even Pat got a paragraph, I had one line...I have taken up tennis this year. Gosh is that all I have done, how pitiful!
Wait! Hold on! The reason my children have three very long and fulfilling paragraphs is because I have been there to allow those things to happen. I have forfeited the role of Megan for the role of Mom. I have given it all up for them! But... whoever sees the man behind the scenes, whoever gives credit to the middle man...Not many!
It is enough to have three happy children...To know in my heart that I created them, and I have given all of my self for them. They are my year. They are my accomplishments. They are who I am. For now that is enough for me, I just hope it is enough for them. So when you see my card(it will surely be late) know that in all actuality all of the first three paragraphs are what I have been doing...I would not want it any other way!

Hold On, Here Is Our Halloween....

2009-11-11T12:16:00.009+07:00

I realize Halloween is way over, but I have just had time to show you a little bit of ours! Because we are in a far away land, South Africa, and they are just getting the jest of Halloween; we celebrated a little differently! One of my other American friends, Kim, and I decided to throw a big kid party! I provided the location and we split the food, the guest list(close to 40 kids), and we all had a ball!
It was a gorgeous day and night... perfect party weather! We set up outside for a grand Halloween party...

The games were a blast; mummy wrapping, donuts on a string, ghost bowling, bobbing for apples, and even some crafting(thanks to a very crafty friend)! Food was easy; hot dogs on the braii, chips, drinks and way too many yummy desserts!

Hunter wrapped up...

Notice the ghost rider...

All in all, I do not think my kids ever missed "real" trick or treating! I think for these three it was a HUGE success...

Dracula Hunter!

Princess Claire!

The Joker, Taylor!

Oh, and after all kiddos had fallen asleep, the real party began and did not end until about 3am! Hee, Hee, Hee...The kid party was just a front!

It's Going To Be A BOOtiful Day!

2009-10-31T12:28:00.005+07:00

The sun is shining, the costumes are made, the decorations are done....It's going to be a BOOtiful day! A very friendly Witch stayed up late into the night to make sure that three little Goblins did not wake to a fright!

We are having a party today to celebrate Halloween, American style! A little apple bobbing , costume contests, and of course some scary food! We are ready, we only now need to wait about 12 hours for the guests... I am not sure the kids can hold their excitement! Here is a sneak peak at our costumes, can you guess who we will be(there is one missing, mom is always last)?

The McScary's and this little blue feathery creature wish you all a Happy Halloween and hope you have a BOOtiful day!

Who Said You Need Electricity to Survive...

2009-10-29T02:37:00.007+07:00

Well, I know we need it to survive; but we sure did a heck of a lot without it! We lost power 3 times this weekend, twice for over 6 hours. It did not stop us from doing a little picture taking, a little crafting, and even some Halloween decorating. I had a photographer come to the house on Saturday and take some pics of the kids, everything went well except for the kids insisted that our small zoo be included! So needless to say, we have quite a photogenic cat... I was hoping it would be one of my kids, but I will take what I can get!
Here is a sneak peak of some of our pics...

I also spent some time getting ready for Halloween. We scaled down quite a bit from what we would do in the States, but we had to add a little spook!

And last, but not least...a little crafting! I have been making some gifts, clipboards, and embellishing them as best I can without my monogram machine. They actually have turned out really cute and have been well received! I only need to whip up about 6-8 more! I am also going to be making some of our costumes, as it is very hard to find costumes here . Luckily Claire has hers all ready, a birthday present from Mimi and Poppa!

Back Online...

2009-10-23T03:09:00.001+07:00

We have had a lot of things happening around here! I would have blogged earlier with everything, but our Internet service was out for almost 5 days....very frustrating! Being so far away, the Internet is our ONLY connection with home. It serves as our line of communication via email and via our Vonage phone. Our Vonage phone is amazing...it allows for us to have a Louisiana telephone number all the way in South Africa, no international fees!
Well, back to the good stuff! We have a new "country club" member, Taylor. I got him a membership to our local golf club, and he played nine holes with his friend this past Friday(without parents). He also went to a game farm this weekend with some kids from school, for a camp out birthday party. More firsts for Taylor, he played in his first cricket match this week and really did good. You know you love your children when you find the most boring sport in the world exciting, because your kiddo is playing it! Taylor continues to make us proud, he really has embraced this new life and has welcomed all of his new adventures.
The rest of us had a little less action packed week. Claire has perfected her bike riding, and can be found most days pedaling away on the tennis courts(remember our house is surrounded by walls, and tennis courts serve as a huge concrete playground)! Pat and I snuck away for our new Saturday morning ritual..coffee and shopping adult style! We are trying to explore some of the older antique stores, we found a gorgeous oil painting that is now hanging in my dining room(dirt cheap)! Hunter also had a good time playing and hanging out, the weather has been gorgeous. Only problem is ..it is making the angels really hard to keep from kissing him, and making all of these new freckles.
We unfortunately have been also perfecting our "Goodbye" skills, we bid farewell to Pat's boss and his family this week. They are headed home to The States after being here for two years. They have been instrumental in showing us the ropes here in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and made a scary move a little easier! Farewell Rick, Diane, Brendan, Austin and Delilah.....Port Elizabeth will never be the same!
We luckily were able to welcome some new guests in our home, two girls from Finland! They were here with their traveling choir, and we were their hosts(scary)! I am sooo glad we did this, it was so fun to have them in our home!
Looking forward to this weekend... Christmas card picture taking(leaving this to the professionals), celebrating one year of being foreigners(not sure what's best...one year closer to going home or one year full of adventures), and Taylor is helping with his classmates First Communion Mass.

Claire is 4!

2009-10-13T12:29:00.006+07:00

Where does the time go?

Just yesterday, Claire was a baby! Today she's 4! Of course, she will always be our baby... What a few years it has been! Claire was by far the easiest baby of my three; but unfortunately has also had the most problems! We have been climbing a huge mountain with Claire for over two years now...We have covered a lot of ground, but still have a long ways to go. Claire was labeled "Developmentally Delayed" by a geneticist over a year ago, and our speech therapist labeled her with "Speech Apraxia" about 6 months ago. She has been attending a school this past year where she receives OT, PT, and speech; along with one on one tutoring 1 hour a day. This intense therapy and natural age progression has made a difference. When we moved to South Africa, almost a year ago, Claire was barely speaking and had a minimum of about 10 words that were understandable. Her speech therapist insists that her vocabulary now has caught up with her age, but the speech is still very delayed! Speech Apraxia is a motor planning disorder, of which there is no cure! Some children will overcome, and some will always have issues! I can clearly tell a difference in my baby girl, but know in my heart that we have a long way to go!

We are going to make a huge step this coming year with Claire and move her into a "normal" playschool, she will start with a facilitator who we will keep as long a s we need her. Her facilitator luckily is going to be her teacher, Natasha, that she has had all year...this hopefully will also help with the transition! Only God knows of Claire's plan, and I hope that He has great things planned for her! As a mom, your dream for your children is that they grow happy and healthy; and when something threatens that it is truly the hardest thing in the world!
Besides all of that, Claire can also be a typical little girl! She is very persistent and stubborn, sweet and loving, demanding and happy! Claire has the best memory, she remembers all details of most events! She may not be able to verbalize everything, but ask her to show you and she will mimic anything! Claire loves to ride bikes; she got a huge bike for her birthday and instantly pedaled away(with the assistance of training wheels); she also has started to become interested in princesses, loves any kind of outside activity, loves play dough, enjoys coloring, and the list goes on! Claire is a huge part of our family, and is loved by all! I think that the people that work with her would also say that she holds a very special place in your heart!
I hope that four brings good things for Claire and keeps her healthy and happy!

We had the house ready for our princess when she woke up...

Birthday clothes all ready for the 4 yr old!

And, of course we spoiled...

She even got to ride Cupcake...

By the way, all those "preparations" where washed away by the rain! The Royal Braii was canceled due to a constant unyielding rain. I chose not to have the party be an inside party(too many kids); the good thing was Claire never knew what she missed! So we just celebrated in our own way...with family!

This was the castle cake that took me forever to decorate for the party, between the rain and the wait it withered away...Oh Well!

The Preperations Have Begun...

2009-10-08T04:52:00.003+07:00

It is all in the details... I love to decorate for holidays and parties, and I love to plan fun stuff for birthdays! My princess Claire turns 4 on Monday, I can not believe it, and she deserves a party fit for a queen!
My invitations where hand delivered by a very cool knight (Taylor) and a very handsome messenger(Hunter) who announced themselves by saying "Here Yee, Here Yee" "The Royal McCarty family has a message for you" and then they delivered the invitation that looked like a scroll. I have been collecting all kinds of pretties for the decorations....glass slippers (deciding on what to fill them with-flowers or jewels), lots of tulle(for decorating and making tutus), crystals, crowns, wands, and many other royal things! So I am just beginning to decide how I will decorate, I know there will be clear and pink crystals hanging from tulle...more to come. I am also trying to make her birthday outfit-my embroidery machine is not working, so I am making my appliques by hand and then sewing them on!
Oh mom, I wish I had your help! This will be the first birthday you will miss...but as you can see your present will fit in just perfectly!

Still lots more to do...the cake..what kind?

No! Not Me!

2009-10-06T03:39:00.005+07:00

So, I thought I would try this out- Every Monday a blog I follow writes a post called "Not Me! Monday!" She posts things that she does "not" do and would "not" do; her mistakes, mishaps or even thoughts- making light of our everyday mistakes. She asks her readers to do the same.
Here goes mine...
I most certainly did not let my three year old run around with mascara covering both eyes for two hours, so that I could capture it all in pictures! It did not take me that long to discover that the camera battery that I was looking for has been misplaced(lost)! Because, I certainly do not misplace such important things! After finally giving up the search, I certainly did not start to wash her face and think she actually is really pretty with a LITTLE makeup! And we for sure, did not go out to dinner with a three year old wearing mascara(could not wash it all off), in a tutu, and sequin tank! Oh no, I would never give the impression to others that we are truly white trash at heart!
After being out of school for over a week, I did not take my three year old late to school on the first day back; because I was enjoying talking to a friend instead! Nope, not me..school always comes first and I would never partake in socialness...Ever!
I absolutely did not miss the heck out of my two boys when they Both got invited to sleep over at a friend's house, not me!
I also certainly did not secretly hate the idea that our school break was over, and that I had to send all my babies back to school!
Last but not least, it really did not take all my will power not to buy and give my littlest her birthday present early! No, I would never not be able to hold a surprise in, just to see a big smile and make her happy!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Hello Normal!

2009-10-04T21:54:00.009+07:00

Normalcy begins tomorrow as we wrap up another school holiday!
We spent our last day in Cape Town visiting the Aquarium. Kids had a ball, we were there for a very long time. It's funny how at all ages something like that can be awesome. Claire loved seeing "Nemo", an Octopus, and would sit forever just checking out the different fish. They also had an interactive area, which Hunter loved along with a huge kiddie area. Claire made crafts and watched a show, while Taylor could not get enough of all of the scientific and factual stuff! Hunter was somewhere in between.
Read caption...

Claire going from one exhibit to the next, artwork in hand...

Hunter in "Nemo" tank...

Taylor pointing out large Sting Ray....

After the aquarium, of course we had to hit the Waterfront mall-we are very deprived of shopping here in Port Elizabeth! There are no TJ Maxx, Targets, but there is some shopping in Cape Town; so we shopped! We found a Build A Bear, not a biggy to you, but we thought Claire would like it. It took her forever to pick which animal, finally a monkey, and then she wanted the Spider man clothes to go with! Oh yeah, my girl picks the ugliest costume for the monkey! Hunter also had fun making a cheetah, dressed in rugby clothes(funny how a year can change someone-we pick the African animals and African sports). Oh well, several dollars or Rands later we take three very exhausted babies back to our hotel to crash!

Claire, out cold!

Next day, monkey is tired of spider man costume(yeah!)

Lovely artwork in room!

On our way home, we stopped off at a winery to visit the cheetah exhibit. We let the boys hang with some baby cheetahs, before being in the car for seven hours! They loved all three cheetahs, one of which was a King Cheetah. There are only 80 to 100 King Cheetahs in the world.

We spent the rest of our holiday at home; we went to the beach, went to the elephant park, saw a movie, participated in a sports camp, went to the driving range and had some sleepovers with friends! Pat and I even had a chance to go out to breakfast, at our favorite restaurant, with some of our South African friends. Afterwards, they took us and showed us some interesting things about PE! My plan is to do a big post on our One Year Anniversary-October 25th, show you what we see everyday!

Our favorite beach(where we can be seen almost every Sunday!)...

Elephant park...

Taylor doing what he loves...golf and bossing his brother!

2009-10-02T03:34:00.008+07:00

The kiddos have been on "spring" break this week, and we have tried very hard to keep busy! We headed up the West Coast of South Africa to do some more exploring....
Our first stop was Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. The tour of the caves began with a brief history of when and who discovered the caves, they demonstrated by turning all lights off and showing the caves with just one small light-much like a small fire light. It resembled what it would have been like to be among the first explorers of the caves, pretty cool! We went through the first five chambers of the cave, each one getting smaller and hotter!

After viewing the caves we went to an ostrich farm! Oudtshoorn is famous for the number of ostrich farms here, ostrich is a very yummy lean meat! We thought we would check one out- We got to pet, hold, hug, kiss, sit and ride on an ostrich! Never thought I would do that in my lifetime, but now I can say we did! You will notice in the pictures of the kids riding and sitting on the birds, they are hooded, this is to keep them calm and not freak them out.

Claire with female ostrich...

Claire with baby ostrich...

Taylor getting a "hug" from the ostrich...

Hunter getting ready to take a ride...

Taylor riding...

Claire sitting on the ostrich, covered in feathers...

Getting ready for the big kiss, note food in mouth....

After shock of a big peck on the mouth...
After a very long first day, all in all we drove almost eight hours, we headed to a gorgeous hotel on the beach in Mossel Bay! We all got a good night sleep and woke up to another day filled with adventure. On our way up the West Coast we came across the cutest "Farm Stall"; had a little lunch, let the kiddos play, and oohed and awed at the views! We again loaded up and made our way to Cape Town, we first stopped at a winery outside of town. Needed to refuel our cars and the parents!

View from hotel room...

View while eating at a local Farm Stall...

Claire getting a push from dad...

This is my view when I turned around in the car, Claire was being mean-what's new :)!

We finally make it to our hotel in Cape Town, only to check in and have a hospital visit! The friends we were traveling with, their oldest, fell and needed stitches! Never a dull moment when traveling with kids!

Will post the rest of our visit in future post!

Practice Makes Perfect....

2009-09-21T05:05:00.007+07:00

Claire and Taylor eager to see the play!

What a week! After lots and lots of practicing, Hunter was in the production "Alice"! The play was based on Alice in Wonderland and set to 70's music, precious! To say this is not Hunter's thing, would be a huge understatement, Hunter is much more the sports loving boy! He seemed to really enjoy being a part of this, and devoted a lot of time into it, rarely complained and may do it again! I also spent a ton of time with the play, I loved watching the practices, and then when they moved to the Opera House I worked the backstage. He played a chess piece in one scene, and was part of two other chorus and dance scenes! There were four shows, and we saw three! We all loved it, but especially Claire-she did not move a muscle and has been singing some of the songs ever since!
The chess piece...

Chess piece with red shirt on, second from left on second row...

Final scene, next to Alice in blue...

This is the other thing that we have been working hard on for the last few months, rugby! Both boys love it, it reminds them of football and they are awesome at it! The only huge and unfortunate difference is there are no pads or helmets! I have been holding my breath for awhile now! The boys had their big rugby match this weekend! Taylor who has NO fear when it comes to sports, tackled like a demon and did beyond good! Now this is where Hunter excels... He made the first "try"(similar to a touch down) and also made some great tackles!
Taylor aka Mad Man in the green tackling...

Some kind of huddle, not sure what the rugby term is. Taylor is third from the left...

Team setting up, Taylor is the one in green on far right of pic...

Hunter getting ready, first on left!

The little free time we had this weekend we enjoyed the outside, went to church, and we are finishing the weekend with some EXTREMELY tired kiddos!

Happy!

2009-09-14T03:24:00.002+07:00

That pretty much sums up our weekend! Happy! The sun was out, the doors and windows open, and smiles were had by all. We began our weekend with Hunter's party, had a buddy spend the night, rented movies, and ordered take-away(SA's word for carry out); then we woke up to a gorgeous day on Saturday. Boys had Rugby practice, Pat had a cycling event, and then Taylor had his hair cut while I got my toes done! The kids and I headed to a great tea garden for lunch and play, after a trip to Toys R Us for Hunter to spend some of his birthday money. Finished lunch, met up with Pat, dropped Hunter at play practice, and headed to the store for Braii(barbecue) fixings! Finished the day with a great family meal and movies! Sunday was also gorgeous; headed to church and then back home for a great day outside, again finished up our day with a Braii! Looking forward to a crazy week, Hunter has play practice every night-play begins on Friday, and I am taking a CPR class.

Finally, We Celebrate!

2009-09-14T02:47:00.007+07:00

Hunter, finally, had his party(we waited a month because of the weather here!)! We had Hunter's eighth birthday party this weekend at a local venue, it was a soccer party. We supplied food, drink, and children; they provided field, coaches, and fun! We had 20 kids, and luckily not a single one got bored for the 2 1/2 hours of the party. We invited his whole class, so for the girls I set up a table where we beaded and made bracelets and necklaces; we never saw the boys except for the breaks. I made the cake, and yes it was good-even had requests for the recipe! An awesome day had by all! Pictures are not the greatest-left camera in the car until the VERY last minute!

2009-09-05T04:32:00.002+07:00

A friend sent this to me.....my life has taken me to "Holland"!

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
byEmily Perl Kingsley.
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

For My Mom...

2009-09-04T03:32:00.003+07:00

My Mom just had a birthday, and I was far, far away. I hate being so far away for these events! My Mom is a pretty amazing person; she has been such a good mom, the reason all I ever wanted to be was a mom! Mom know that you are loved, appreciated, and the best thing that has ever happened to me! I miss you more than words can say, but you are always in my heart! I hope this year is full of joy, health, and happiness!

It breaks my heart not to be there with you, but I am only a flight away if you ever need me!

I love you! My babies love you too!

We're Back...

2009-09-04T03:28:00.001+07:00

We are finally beginning to feel like ourselves again! The boys and I had Swine Flu, and it kicked our butts! Hunter was the first to get sick, and he was really bad! Taylor and I followed, the worst for all of us were the secondary infections; the bronchitis and respiratory stuff! I have been coughing for two weeks now, and am finally able to speak without coughing! Some how Pat and Claire have survived not getting sick, thank goodness because I am not sure how Claire's tiny body could have handled that nasty bug! Our lives have revolved around drugs and movies-We have been taking a medicine cabinet full of meds and we have rented a ton of movies!
To top it off, our four legged friends have all had surgery-both got fixed this week!
We're back in action, and ready to get back into the groove of life!

Do Not Be Fooled...

2009-08-18T20:47:00.003+07:00

Claire loving the kitty.....

Ha! Look closer and see how she is holding the kitty. By the neck!

This is her mean face...

Please can I get away.....

Being loved by a three year old is tough!!!!!

Just Living....

2009-08-18T13:11:00.005+07:00

We are still here, and have not fallen off this side of the world, just living life! Sometimes our weeks seem to roll right along, and then before I know it it has been a couple of weeks since we have slowed down!
The boys have definitely gotten back into the routine of school and sports. We are still doing soccer and golf, and have now added tennis and rugby! Rugby is our favorite, they come home every Saturday morning with big smiles on their faces and mud on their clothes-this adds up to perfection in a little boy's world!
Along with sports we have added scouts! Both boys love this, they go for a few hours each week. It is a little different than in the states, did you know the first scouts were started in South Africa? We have learned about stranger danger, karate, cooked pancakes in the wild, cooked in a tree(pretended to be in a tsunami), and many other really cool things! This is so Taylor, doing stuff outdoors!
Believe it or not we are also practicing for a play! We got Hunter into drama last term in the hopes of helping with his shyness, and he is now practicing for a play! I have really enjoyed going to the practices, they are practicing 4 - 5 nights a week. I still am a little unsure of Hunter, he still will barely speak, how is he going to act?!
Oh, Taylor was invited to his first girl/boy party.... He won a dance contest! He showed me his moves, miracle he won!!!!
Claire is Claire, she is definitely sporting an attitude and a little bit of defiance-age related or just being a girl, who knows!!!! She is doing well with her therapies and has started ballet. She surprised me yesterday, I was naming the days of the week that we have play practice and she chimed in! She knew her days of the week-I was shocked!
We have a new member of the household, Carson, she is a precious kitten that Hunter received for his birthday. We are all smitten with her, I even think Pat is starting to like her, Lilly just stares and barks!
Pat and I have enjoyed a couple of kid free evenings lately, we were invited to a supper club with a couple that we met when we first moved here and had too good of a time! We also had a function through the kid's school that was nice, and sat with some parent's that we have met recently! A close friend recently had us over and made some awesome fajitas and a dessert to die for, Thank God for friends! So I guess it is our turn to have a party and start paying some people back! I am thinking about having a huge Halloween party for the kids, Halloween is new here and is barely celebrated. I hate that my kids are missing out on Halloween, so we better have our own!
Our favorite thing to do is to kick our shoes off and head to the beach! Winter is tough here :)....

Claire burying Hunter...

Taylor joins in...

The life...

See you around, if you are ever in our neck of the woods stop by! HA, I wish!

Eight!

2009-08-05T00:20:00.004+07:00

My sweet Hunter turned eight this weekend! I can not tell you what a blessing this child has been to us, he amazes me everyday! He is probably the kindest, most loving and most considerate child I know. Hunter truly has a compassion for others that I think goes way past his years, he has a heart of gold. He is also very tough and quite a good sportsman, all sports he plays he usually excels in! Hunter makes us laugh, makes us cry, but most of all fills my heart everyday just to see his smile! He truly has had a hard time leaving everyone in the States, he especially misses his best friend,Cyrus!I am proud to call Hunter mine!

Hunter's true love is baseball, I wish we had it here in South Africa...

The smile and freckles that melt my heart everyday!

The Balancing Act...

2009-07-30T15:33:00.004+07:00

A lot of the same old stuff is happening around here! Boys are in school, and the homework has picked up again-unfortunately! I am looking into getting Taylor a tutor to make sure he is keeping up with what he needs to know for eventually returning to the States! He is doing very good here, but I am afraid that we are not being taught what is required back home especially in English and reading. I am hoping that if I keep adding extra work that the transition will not be too difficult when the time comes! He has really gotten "lost" in Hardy Boys books, and I can hardly keep new ones on the shelf that have not been read, makes a momma proud! Hunter is getting assessed for speech here, he had speech in the States but I had not followed up until now! He also might be lacking skills required back home, but with speech I am hoping that it will help him in the areas that are lacking! I feel like I am always in "balancing act" mode, trying to make sure that the boys are socially surviving and then trying to regulate that they are academically doing what is needed to keep up with what is required in US schools! AHHH!
And then of course there is Claire! She started her first ballet class-she did well but she was very reserved and scared to join in. She finally did join in the last 5 minutes! I am hoping that this class will be good for her socially, I know she sure looks precious:). I am having a hard time deciding what our next step is for her, academically and physically she is progressing well in her current situation, but I know she needs to transition eventually into a "normal school"! Only time will tell, I get one child settled and then I have to work on the next. Only mother's know of the constant struggle we feel as we make sure that everything is perfect (as close as it can be) for them-the great Balancing Act of life!
On an irritated note, my cell phone was stolen yesterday! I had gone to the grocery with only my phone and wallet and came out with only my wallet! I questioned the manager yesterday and she saw nothing; today I went back just to double check before I purchased a new one, and the manager was very helpful. She went through the security tapes and is looking into it, I have put my new purchase on hold! I do not think Walmart would have given me a second glance, but here they took the extra time to make sure all is well! Unfortunately, as much as I HATE the phone, it is quite a life line!
On a sadder note, I thought I was doing OK without mom and dad this week until my mom sent us the nicest Thank You-Only made me cry, Thanks for the Thank You, NOT! Just Kidding! I guess you could say this is the balancing act of emotions!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-07-28T01:56:00.003+07:00

Thanks for making us laugh!
We love and miss you very much!

Lilly is lonely without you...

It's Only Been A Week?

2009-07-26T21:51:00.004+07:00

It seems like it has been so long since my parents were here, but it has only been a week. Our house seems a little quieter and our dinners have not been near as good since they boarded their plane, but we did survive the week(only the occasional tears, OK a lot)!
And a busy week we have had...
The boys have started back to school this week, and are very excited about starting rugby! They went to their first practice yesterday, and loved everything about it-being on a team, toughness, roughness, running, catching, getting dirty, and just playing the sport! Although I am a little leery of the dangers that come with rugby, at this age I think we are fine and how can you deny a boy a game with a ball.
Claire also started back to school, at least on a consistent schedule, as these past few weeks we were never on a schedule. She starts ballet on Wednesday, I think I am a little more excited than her! Oh yeah, she is sporting a new do! While Mom was here, she talked me into cutting her thin hair, and what a difference it has made. It actually looks a little bit thicker and when fixed it is precious! Way to go Mom!
I also kept busy, after having a great birthday I did some me stuff this week! I got my hair done, my toes done, and my nails done(thanks to a really sweet friend). I also went to my book club, and caught up with some friends that I had not seen in awhile, I really have enjoyed meeting all kinds of new people. Then one of my South African friends had a birthday, and I was invited to a brunch in honor of her! Now this friend, Gherda, has been a God send-she has included me in so many things and has introduced me to so many new people. A big shout out to all of my new buddies, they have made my new life a little easier and kept my mind off how hard this week has been without my parents! We finished up the week visiting with friends and doing what we do best, eating!

We're Going On A Whale Hunt....

2009-07-23T20:24:00.007+07:00

Our last big adventure with my parents was a whale watching tour in Plettenburg Bay! We drove for two hours to get an up, close and personal view of some whales. Yes, you can spot them from most anywhere along the coast(10 min from our house);and we did ,but we wanted the real deal! We left early in the morning because we heard the earlier you go, the more likely you are to spot the whales. We arrived a little too early and decided to have breakfast at this great restaurant right on the beach. When it was time for our boat to leave, we had to all suit up in life jackets and we where on our way.

Our first sighting was right there as we were taking off, amazing. The most common whale here in the South African waters is the Southern Right Whale, he travels all the way from the Antarctica to breed and to give birth. They are most commonly seen from July through October(so we hope to see many more)! These whales are protected in South African waters, which meant that our boat was only allowed up to 40 meters from the whales! Of course once the boat stops it is up to the whale to move in closer and they did- one swam right past our boat! These whales are magnificent in their size and rituals. They will come in very close to shore so that they can rub their bodies along the sand bars(hate to be hanging out on that sand bar!) to remove old skin and any parasites.

These large formations on the whales are parasites, some come off as they rub against the sand bars!

We were also lucky to see a large pod of about 50 dolphins, playing in the surf!

And some seals, but luckily no sharks!

Here Me Roar....

2009-07-23T19:12:00.004+07:00

(You must turn your speakers to full blast, this is the lion roaring!)
That's what the lions were saying the entire first night of our safari! Our game ranger told us before we went to bed ,that the next morning we were going on a lion hunt. I woke up at 3 in the morning to a huge roar, and then heard a lion roar about every 20 minutes until we left for our early morning game drive at 6am. Just as we left our lodge we came upon the lions with their kill! There was one male lion standing in the road, and right along side of the road was three large cubs, and three females feeding on their kill. We just about died, it was very scary to see them right there. I thought my dad was going to die, the rest of us barely breathed!

Unfortunately, our pictures are not very good and do not portray the awesomeness of this incredible experience. It was too dark and my camera was acting up. We would all agree this was an experience not to be forgotten! They fed on this carcass all day and we spotted them later in the day, and again that night our ranger took us out about 11pm. This time the pride had moved away from the carcass and were lazily hanging out in the field. At first all we saw were the cubs and females, but then from the distance we heard the ROAR! It was coming from behind, our ranger turned the jeep around just in time for that magnificent creature to walk right past us. So close that Taylor was literally shaking, as Mimi will tell you! All I can say is PRICELESS, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, and BREATHTAKING!

Detour

2009-07-23T03:00:00.007+07:00

Back to our safari,we saw so much that I hate to only talk about the cheetahs. The first game drive also included lots of elephants. We saw herds of them-males, mommas and lots of babies! The highlight was when the head male was being tested by one of the young males-typically they will test the older male, but the younger one will eventually give up and go away. We came across a very stubborn "teenager" that did not give up his fight, in fact at one point he picked up an entire tree trunk with his own trunk. We have some great footage of the two fighting...

This video is of a brand new baby elephant. When they are born they are very unsure of how to move around, and this little one was so clumsy with his big legs and his trunk!

We also saw a lot more animals, my favorites where the zebra and the giraffe; but the rhinos are also very cool-they resemble dinosaurs!

Another Year Older!

2009-07-20T03:33:00.004+07:00

Hopefully a little wiser! It was a wonderful sunny day in South Africa and I had a great birthday, just spending time with my favorite people! Thanks to all -loving my new goodies! My sweet boys have been hiding their gifts from me and were so happy to finally give them to me- Hunter gave me a great wooden necklace and Taylor got me a really cool zebra. I also received some other fun stuff, one of them was a beautiful handmade quilt from my mom, and Pat got me my favorite perfume. Here's to another year filled with adventure, God knows this one has been!

Tell Me Again...

2009-07-18T16:05:00.003+07:00

Why we are here? asks Hunter as we leave the airport. I ask him what he is talking about, and he says why are we here in South Africa, when everyone we love is in America? Well how do you explain these tough life questions, when I am so unsure of most answers myself?
We just said good bye to my parents(Mimi & Poppa), and I think I have cried ever since we left them. What an amazing trip we have had, we have done some great things, but the best part was just hanging out. My favorite times were when we were all at home just visiting or sitting in the backyard, or playing tennis. I will miss them greatly, but I do have some great memories I will keep forever!

We're Doing What?

2009-07-15T02:06:00.006+07:00

Our first game drive at Shamwari started off as most do, but soon into our drive we discovered this was not going to be ordinary. Our game ranger was named Jonnie, pronounced Yawny, and was very young and very brave! We came across some typical animals in the bush- Kudos, Impala, Zebra-animals that are easily sited, and then we could tell Jonnie was on the hunt. At one point he stopped the jeep and proceeded to get out with his rifle and head into the bush-we all had no idea what was going on. We were a little scared, thinking if anything happened to him, what in the hell were we going to do? He came back saying he was looking for cheetahs. Then we drove away and once again stopped and the game ranger left again, at this time we were now laughing at our situation(the laughs were to hide our nervousness). Jonnie comes back and starts making calls on his radio, saying he has a group of six and can he go in-I was thinking he was asking to drive his jeep in close to the cheetahs-NO! I was so wrong, he was asking if he could take us in the bush, on foot! OK, a thousand things are rushing through my head-are you serious, are we safe, my two boys are here, what the hell-but then the other option is to wait in the jeep alone! So we set off-I was not prepared, of course none of us were, I had on my flip flops trudging through the fields. He gave us an overview of what was about to happen-follow single file, boys in front, Pat in the back, no sudden moves, listen to him at all times, no pictures until we are there, no talking, if an incident happens listen to his command and DO NOT RUN. I listened to all instructions, took in a huge breath and then off we went. We walked for a while, and then all of sudden we are there! We were within four feet of three cheetahs, three very real, very live cheetahs, three wild cheetahs; and all that was protecting us was this young wild ranger! My heart beat a thousand beats a minute, but what a view. We got to see them in the wild, they looked at us but did not seem interested. Jonnie said as long as we do not go into their personal space we would not bother them, and we did not look like prey because we were in a single line that resembled a unit. My question was, how do we know their personal space? We survived-we saw cheetahs in their natural setting, we walked in an African field and saw wild life at it's finest. We made the best memories of our life, of our boys life!

Best Vacation Ever...

2009-07-14T02:09:00.005+07:00

We have just returned from an awesome safari at Shamwari Game Reserve! http://www.shamwari.com/properties/?MicroSiteID=2 We stayed in a beautiful lodge in the middle of the bush; we had the entire place all to ourselves! Sarilli Guest Lodge has 5 guest rooms, our family took up three and the others were empty. It was first class the whole way, we were greeted with wine and lunch, and then shown to our rooms-luxury at it's finest! Our room overlooked the whole game reserve and a river that ran through-fully loaded with hippos. During our stay we went on four, four hour game drives- early morning and late afternoon/evening ones. We also went out to view the stars and went on one late night ride hunting for lions! Every night as we slept we listened to lions roaring and hippos snorting! The boys did everything we did, and Claire stayed with a nanny for the game drives- she did go on the late night ones! Here are some views of the lodge. Lots more pictures and stories to come!

Looking out of main living room...

Dining area...

Living area...

One of the guest rooms...

pool...

2009-07-09T18:59:00.003+07:00

Well, we have yet to stop! We have done a lot of eating(mom has been doing some baking), site seeing and visiting! We have walked with elephants, ridden through game parks, sat on the beach, watched whales, been to an art's festival and played lots of tennis, and of course, all of this is after our visit to Cape Town. We leave tomorrow for our safari at Shamwari Game Park, we are hoping to see lots of animals as we have ridden through a local elephant park(twice) that has close to 400 elephants and we saw about 5!
This is a face of a very happy boy... (For those of you who know this sweet boy, yes both teeth are coming in:) )

This one has kept us on our toes, but is definitely our entertainment everyday! (She has gotten her bangs trimmed since pic)

The boys at a local rugby game...

We have seen a lot of these, but are hoping to see more!

They Are Here!

2009-07-02T23:53:00.005+07:00

Well, we are back from meeting Mom and Dad at the airport in Cape Town! We stayed in a house overlooking Boulder's Beach and were greeted by penguins everyday! We took in the sights of Cape Town and discovered some really cute coastal towns and ate some great food! We also visited and explored some of the wineries of South Africa. After walking with the elephants, we are back in Port Elizabeth. We have done some local site seeing, been to a local game park and have played LOTS of tennis-having a tennis court in our backyard has been a blessing! Everyday we have played for several hours-the boys, mom, dad, Pat and me-even Claire has tried to play!
We are really enjoying our time with my parents, and the kids are loving spending time with them! On the first night we were with them, my Mom tells Hunter how much she had missed him and he said "Mimi, I have cried a thousand tears..." From the mouth of a boy much wiser than his years!
I will post more on our trip, when I have time...

These were living right outside our house in Simon's Town!

Our house is the tallest-red with black roof...

View from deck...

So Long....

2009-06-24T17:42:00.002+07:00

We are outta here! We are leaving today to drive to Knysna to stay the night, and then on to Cape Town to pick up my parents!!!! Yeah!!!! We have booked a house in Simon's Town overlooking Boulder's Beach where there is a whole colony of penguins living! We can see the ocean, the penguins and possibly whales from our back porch! We are going to see the sights in Cape Town, visit some wineries, and go to Hermanus and see the whales(where they come in and breed)! It should be an amazing week, but the best part will be seeing family! We will head back to PE to spend the rest of their visit doing stuff around here, going on an awesome safari and lots, lots more!
Oh, and to those of you who are use to famous people moving in next to you in Shreveport and Bossier, the new Hollywood, we have just found out that we will have a new neighbor! John Travolta has bought a house one street from us here in Port Elizabeth, oh yeah we will be hanging out with the Travolta's-Ha! The safari that we are taking my parents on is at the place where John Travolta and Tiger Woods frequent! (Hate to name drop, but it is what it is :) )

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T03:11:00.008+07:00

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!
~Author Unknown

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." ~ Sigmund Freud
We will always need you to protect us, even from elephants...

Thank you for doing all that you do for this family; you are a great provider and a great father! I thank God everyday for giving you to me! I love you!

Happy Father's Day Dad!

2009-06-21T03:03:00.006+07:00

I love and miss you very much! Thanks for being a great dad and a great Poppa!

Only 5 more days, we can not wait!

Happy Father's Day Poppy!

2009-06-21T02:50:00.004+07:00

We miss and love you!
Pat, Megan, Taylor, Hunter, and Claire

How Will We Ever Leave.....

2009-06-15T22:25:00.004+07:00

This gorgeous place! Sunday after church we took the kids and the dog to the beach. I still have a hard time believing that I live so close to the beach, and not a beach in the USA but a beach in South Africa! We changed out of our church clothes and into our play clothes, boys in suits, and off we went! I brought a chair and a book, Claire brought a bucket and a shovel, while the boys brought their soccer ball! Pat came with a magazine and the leash with the dog. A day to remember(we will try to forget the time the boys got into a fist fight), a day I hope to repeat a hundred and one times before we have to leave this gorgeous place!

This is really what it looks like, the beauty is breathtaking...

These are huge sand dunes on the right of the pic...

Today...

2009-06-13T20:25:00.005+07:00

We missed the sun! We were very lazy today and did not get out of the house or our PJ's until 12! It looked beautiful out from our windows, so we got dressed and went to Claire's favorite "playground", but the clouds and the rain came within 20 minutes of being there! I was able to snap a few pictures; can you see why this is a kid's dream, even the boys had a blast! After we loaded our wet children into the car, Pat had a grand and great idea to go to the mall-I think he forgot that we were towing with us two boys who hate shopping and a three year old! After roaming a very crowded mall and buying the ugliest WWE PJ's, we left to go out to lunch! We ate a very good lunch, went to the grocery to get stuff to Braii tonight, and we are back home to put PJ's(boys are already in their WWE gear) back on and call it a day! Watch out couch, here I come!
We brushed our teeth and got ready for our day...

The "playground"...
Taylor and Hunter

Claire looking out of the house...

The ship wreck

Castle

Airplane

Lunch out....
Claire and Taylor

Hunter drinking hot chocolate

The cutest three I know...

Happy Saturday!

Our Week...

2009-06-13T04:50:00.007+07:00

The weather has been awesome this week, and has allowed for a lot of outdoor activities! Taylor and Hunter had soccer matches this week, they both did awesome! I have been playing a lot of tennis lately, this week I played three hours on Wednesday and two today - Wimbledon, here I come! One day Claire and I went to a local play place(she calls it the playground), an outside coffee/lunch spot with all of these AWESOME jungle gyms and play forts. They have ship wrecks, castles, hospitals, laundry rooms, play kitchens-a little one's dream place!
Tonight we ended our week eating at our all time favorite place, The Pink Fig. This place is a small cottage that is surrounded by all kinds of wooden play sets,huge swings, trampolines, forts and playhouses. The actual cottage is decorated very shabby chic, and at night trees have twinkle lights in them. There are bon fires going, an outside movie room for when the kids get tired(mine NEVER do), all of this while the parents get to visit over a glass of wine or a really good cup of coffee. To top it all off-the food is AWESOME! We now have a standing reservation on Friday nights, there is another American family that also goes on Friday!

Taylor playing some awesome soccer... (yes, that is Claire swinging from my South African friend,Gherda!)

Notice how much sweatier Taylor is than the rest of the boys-Who's the Man?!

Claire hanging out at the soccer game...

This is The Pink Fig, pictures can not do it justice! This is what it looks like when you walk in...

This is one of the jungle gyms at night...

Picture from our table outside looking into the cottage and the movie room...

Change...

2009-06-04T15:40:00.006+07:00

Change can be good and it can be bad, for a mom I think that change is bittersweet! My kiddos are changing all of the time, simple changes from what they like to eat or a HUGE change like putting our pet squirrel on a shelf! Background, Hunter has had a stuffed squirrel since he was 2 which he affectionately and innocently named "Nuts"! Nuts has been all over the world with us, his first trip was to Cincinnati for Pat's grandmother's funeral. Hunter was only 2 or 3 at the time but would carry him in the front of his pants, and he would nicely ask people if they would like to see his Nuts, while putting his hand into his pants! We have laughed about this forever-oh the looks on people's faces! Hunter is now almost 8, and I noticed the other day that he put Nuts on the shelf with all of his other special stuff! This change is very sad for me, because I know it is a sign of Hunter growing up! Hunter has carried Nuts everywhere with him, and has been a source of great comfort for him; we have lost him on several occasions, but have always been able to find him! Every time I go into his room and see him on the shelf, it makes me very sad-how I will miss the days when my babies where babies!

This is Nuts...

This is one time that Hunter was playing outside and positioned Nuts on the chair so he could watch him...

Change can also be very irritating, Taylor is now 11 and sometimes wants to think and act as if he is a teenager! Ahhhhhh! This change I will put a stop to, I do think it is very age appropriate but will try to hold it off as long as possible! He has a few years left before he can turn into a teenager. I am thankful for being here (South Africa) for several reasons, one is that Taylor would have just graduated from 5Th grade and would be going into middle school this coming Fall-here he is still in 5Th grade, and life seems to roll on at a much slower pace than it does in the states. I feel kids get to be kids a little longer, and there seem to be not as many pressures for kids! Thank Goodness, time to mature for a little boy who would not have been ready for middle school!
Change for Claire is GOOD! She seems to be making a lot of progress, and really is talking up a storm, although hard to understand at times, we do seem to get most of it! I have changed her school schedule, she has been going to her therapy school five days a week, I have moved it to three days. For several reasons, one Claire is progressing nicely where others in her class are not and unfortunately may not, and I wanted to get her out to have a little more "normalcy". She will transition into a playschool with therapies, but the new year does not begin until January! I also think she needs to be a little kid still and have time at home, and not be rushed into being gone five days a week. She will get all of her therapies three days a week and will be home with me two!
Oh how change always happens; one day sad, next day happy! I am sitting back and watching my kids grow, anxious and excited for what is to come, but oh so sad about what I am loosing! There is a line in a song by Mark Harris that I love that goes..."I'll have tears as you take off, but I'll cheer as you fly" This could not be more true!

Recent Photos...

2009-06-01T04:45:00.007+07:00

Hunter at a recent soccer match, notice the view behind the field, yes that is the ocean. The view from the other side of the field is the new World Cup stadium, pretty cool. I will post some of Taylor playing soon, forgot my camera at the last match!

Hunter is the third from the right!

The boys finished up their golf lessons that they were taking, both passed and are moving up to the Young Master's program! Taylor loves it, and Hunter loves it some days and hates it others!

These were taken one early morning before golf, they were thrilled!

And of course here is Claire!
This is how she prefers getting around most days, her trike! She is very fast!

She has started to pretend a lot, and this is one morning before school-she found a snake and it was biting her, momma, and Lilly!

Happy Birthday Pat!

2009-05-29T21:45:00.007+07:00

Happy Birthday to the man who moved me across the world, I love you!
Then...

Now...

Justice Served!

2009-05-27T22:10:00.003+07:00

First off, thanks for all of the words and concerns all of you sent our way! It was so nice to hear such encouraging words of wisdom, the advice was used! I even received an email from one our favorite coaches-thanks! It still amazes me how many people read this silly blog!
Our meeting with the headmaster went well, he is a very fair man! I feel like he listened to us and had a good understanding of the way we feel. Although the two adults responsible for most of the incidents protested their sides and denied any wrong doing; I think at the end of the meeting Mr. Beedon took our word with value and promised that things would change, and that no one, child or adult, would bully my children again! At this stage that is all I can ask for! I will say that at the next boys practice, things were run VERY differently! Even one South African mom said "Why did you not move here earlier!"
I will say that I was proud of myself and Pat in our meeting! I feel like we united and really took a stand for our kids, and showed them that we are on their side-within reason!
Speaking of soccer...My boys rocked in their last games! Both boys hustled more than any of the other boys on the field, and I screamed more than any of the moms on the sidelines! God Bless the Americans, at least I think that's what the other parents were saying-HA! I think that my boys true love of sports showed on the field-way to go McCarty boys!

Anti-American, Say What?

2009-05-22T02:10:00.003+07:00

OK, I have heard this since we have lived here, but only from the Americans so I have not paid much attention to it! Now I am wondering, I am so pissed at the boy's school I could scream!!!! Taylor and Hunter are both playing soccer, all sports are played at school and run by the school, so the coach's are paid by the school! Side note- I wish I could have Mr JR Russell coaching my son(s), how I miss my favorite coaches! Last week Hunter came home crying and said a little boy was being mean, I confronted the coach and he said "Well, there were three other boys crying too" CLUE #1! I left it at that and chalked it to an isolated incident. Round 2! Taylor has practice and is being coached/supervised (HA,that's what they called it) by three teenagers-there are 30 kids on the field running around with no direction, no position while the big boys kick the ball back and forth! At one point one of the big boys even said "shut up" to the little boys!OK this practice(that's what they call it) is irritating on so many levels: 1. waste of time 2. no outcome worthy of anything 3. boys could be doing this in my backyard, heck I could coach them 4. USED to and EXPECT more out of coaching and sports! My boys are athletes and love a true game of competition, but how to improve when no direction or practice is had?
Round 3! Here comes the good part, this is when the steam started coming out of my ears, I go and talk to the lady in charge of sports, Ms. West! First off, not very approachable even in the best of situations but today she was a real B*%@%H! I approached her and stated that I wanted to get a feel for what the criteria was for coaching and as a parent what should I expect! She asked what was I talking about, and I told her of my two incidences. I spoke of how my child had no practice at practice, that the big guys played with each other, and I spoke of how we wanted to improve but how with no coaching. I also spoke of how they promised my boy that if he played good at practice he could move up! She bucked everything I said and never, I mean never looked me in the face while talking (I swear-this was a big kicker for me)! She stated this is what sports was about- when I said that we were use to loyalty to a team, practicing hard, respecting coaches and children being made to behave she said "Well, boys will be boys"(oh, this quote irritates me) I said "I know, I have two but they know how to act on the field-THANKS to Coach Kevin, Coach JR and many more that we have Had the pleasure to encounter! She said well that's the way it is, and not to mention the fact that I said something about the other three boys on Hunter's team who had also been crying that day-she said"I do not care about them, their mom's are not here" Well Bitch, you better ass start caring about mine, because I am now PISSED! I know by typing this I can not portray the true conversation, the true reaction from her but I walked away feeling as if I had been shut down on all accords, and no respect had been shown! I was shaking I was so mad, all she had to do was validate my feelings-maybe, Mam, I understand your concerns, let me look into this- oh no, she said "Well, maybe I should get the three boys(punks) here and we can all talk" I said "Maybe you should" Round 4! Today Hunter has practice and I am sitting and watching from a field away and I see this young kid(one from Taylor's practice) and adult coach call his name and then line all of the team up in front of him. I then see him walking back to the team with his head held down. I asked him what happened he said they made him stand up and they asked "who was bullying you?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! These are all grade three boys while we are grade two, who in their right mind is going to tell! I approach adult coach, Please do not do that to my child EVER again-A. it is a week past, and B. even the police put a victim behind a window-DUH! He said "I just want them to tell me when there is a teammate being mean" we did, you did nothing, and now this! I leave and go to the store, steaming-Hunter proceeds to tell me(while crying) the boy was in the line but he was afraid and all he wanted to do was run away! Do you blame him! I get in my car and head back to school! Side note, I have made an appointment with the headmaster, Mr. Beedon, to explain all of this on Monday! I thought that this adult coach needed to hear Hunter's view now before it was forgotten-I could not find the coach but I did see the headmaster(plot thickens) I go and introduce myself and explain that I already have an appt, he states that he is aware of this, and I tell him that I just had another run in and my boy is in the car upset. He asks what is going on and I explain of the line up, and finally a voice of reason says"You are right, that is not the way to do it, and I will check into this and we will discuss this on Monday" Thank you, all I have wanted was to be respected as a parent and have my thoughts and concerns validated!
To help you understand my feelings of neglect from the school this is the third time that this school has failed me! The first time was when my child was strugglinghttp://mccartysafricanadventures.blogspot.com/2009/02/lines-lines-lines.html with the lines! They were unwilling to see or listen to my point of view. The second time was when Taylor went camping with his class and received a HUGE burn on his hand, blistered his entire bottom of his palm! I was never called, he was never checked on after, it was never even acknowledged that it happened. I was upset at the time, but what do you do? Then here comes this. I do not want to be told how right I am or even given special attention, but when I do bring up issues I want to be respected as an adult and a parent and told that they understand my concerns, how can we help! Pat said he would go with me to the conference, for many reasons I need him A,#1 He is the dad, 2. He is a male and 3. To have someone/one person on my side! I have had talks with the other American parents here, one of which just had to meeting with the Headmaster-this parent said he was aware of the Anti-American ways, but they deserved respect as everyone else does who is paying good money to go to this establishment! Anyone who has taught or been around my children know that they have respect for authority and have NEVER been a discipline issue, they are sweet boys! How do I entrust these people with my children for 6-8 hours a day, I am really wondering what to do! The last place I want to them to be at is there!
I apologize for my rude words, but my head is spinning! Today of all days I wish I could have walked into Stockwell Place and seen the same old gang I had seen for 6 years!

Aunt Peggy

2009-05-21T02:57:00.003+07:00

My Aunt Peggy passed away this weekend. Dad you are in my prayers and I love you!

2009-05-19T20:49:00.004+07:00

It has been a busy week, one with many firsts! Pat left me here for the first time on my own-he flew to Durban for a rugby match with a bunch of work buddies! The kids and I had to do it all alone, typically I would be fine with this but the security here scares me! We made it, in fact we did a lot together-we went out to eat, went to a play place and all got to church on time, actually early! Go Team Mom! We only had every light in the house on, but who was counting!
I was invited to a book club, much like a Bunco night. Lots of drinks and laughs with little time spent on the real deal-loved it! Great group of people, this is exactly what I need- I have been trying to salvage some really hard friendships lately-caddy, caddy, caddy!
I have upped my tennis to two days a week, and I am going to try the Women's League tomorrow! I asked my tennis coach if there had ever been a 37 year old beginner Wimbledon star, just wondering! (she just laughed, what does that mean)
Our maid has moved in with us, we have maid's quarters in the back of the house. We decided to do this because she was needing a place to stay, and it just felt right! So far so good, she seems very happy-I know she is safe and has a place to sleep!
Soccer has begun! Hunter had his first match today, and Taylor has his on Friday! Claire started PT this week with a new therapist, she seems very good-just hoping we see some good results!
ONLY 6 MORE WEEKS until mom and dad come! Oh, I think I will never be able to send them
home! I will probably need counseling after they leave!
One last thing, I finally turned on the monogram machine and made Claire a shirt! It felt so good to get the old machine working! How silly to be missing my sewing, but I do!
On top of all that the typical stuff still happens: taking kids to school, taking kids to sports, feeding my family, went to the doctors twice, dried tears, wiped bottoms and gave lots of kisses!

I Am A Proud Momma...

2009-05-11T04:26:00.006+07:00

This is the card everyone gave me, Taylor added at the bottom"This card tells the truth, I love you"! This is what made my day!

Being a mom is the best job I could ever have- we have our good times and bad times, but at the end of the day I have three great kids that make me proud! It is days like these that I know I must be doing something right! I woke up this morning, after being able to sleep in, to all my goodies laid out on the counter(this is how I always have the kid's bday/special day stuff)! My sweet boys went shopping with daddy and used their OWN money to buy my Mother's Day gifts. Hunter gave me a precious earring and necklace set- he stated that he gave me my favorite,Fake Diamonds! I will take any kind from that sweet freckle face, Pat said after they left the store he was very concerned because he thought my gift might hurt me-he saw it positioned in the package and thought that the earrings were to close and the necklace was to small. Pat had to explain that it was just the way it looked, and mom would be OK!
Taylor searched high and low for a wallet, he picked a real nice and shiny red one! Pat said he was all gung ho while buying it, but afterwards was a little bummed- he likes to keep a hold of his money, so it was hard to part with! In fact after I opened the wallet there was a piece of paper saying it was from him, and then the little toot said "I should have included the receipt", HA! Pat gave me a book and everyone signed a precious card for me, one to be treasured forever! My sweet Claire proudly made me a glittered dish!
We went for breakfast to one of our favorite restaurants, The Pink Fig! We ate outside while the kids played!
After spending the day outside Pat started cooking and the boys and I went to church! We came home to a great meal! Another wonderful Mother's Day with my babies!

One of Hunter's many drawings for me this morning!

The boys had all my goodies waiting for me when I woke up!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T03:45:00.000+07:00

Mom,
All I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a mom, because of you! Thanks for the sacrifices you have made, only now do I understand the sacrifices a mom will make for her children!
I love and miss you!
Love,
Megan

Mimi ,
We love you and miss you!

Love,
Taylor, Hunter and Claire!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T03:42:00.003+07:00

Grandma Lou,
We love and miss you!
Love,
Taylor, Hunter,and Claire

Lou,
Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for all you have done for me and mine! I hope you have a wonderful day! I could not have asked for a better mother in law! We miss you!
Love,
Megan

More Adventures...

2009-05-04T03:30:00.006+07:00

Fish, River, Sun Golf Resort!

Views from the resort!

We went away this past weekend to a place called Fish, River, Sun in Port Alfred, South Africa. It was about a two hour drive from "home", and a nice place to get away with the kids. There were three other American families there the same time we were, so Pat was able to get some golf in. Taylor even joined in on the last nine holes, he is really loving golf and has even grown out of his clubs and is now ready for a new set. While Pat played golf, the kids and I went to the small lake/river on the property for some canoeing-the boys loved it! They would have stayed in the lake the whole trip, in fact they were not interested in the beach at all which was only a few steps away from the lake! I had a nice time, it is always fun to watch your kids loving life! I also canoed a little, at one point Taylor proceeded to tip the canoe that Claire and I were in-all in a days work! We also enjoyed a great hike from the resort to the beach, although we had to carry a three year old half way the scenery made it all worth it!
Claire wanting to canoe!

Hunter having a great time!

My adventurer, Taylor!

The beach, nobody wanted to go to!

Good news on the home front...Taylor and Hunter made the school soccer teams! The boys have really missed their fave sports from home, we have now missed a season of basketball and now we are missing baseball! Soccer is very popular here, the boys like it OK- it is after all a sport with a ball! To be very honest, I like watching a soccer game, so I guess you could say I am now a South African Soccer Mom (who knew?)! I am still loving playing tennis, I am playing twice a week-trying to get good enough to join the ladies league!

Hannah Montana Rocks...

2009-05-01T02:50:00.003+07:00

That's right, I said it and meant it! I took my boys to see the latest Hannah Montana movie last night, and as crazy as it sounds we(I) loved it! It was such a sweet story that had great meaning, and I even shed a few tears-Taylor had to roll his eyes at me a few times! At the end of the movie I almost(ruined my boy's life) got up and started dancing! Oh yeah, Hannah Montana Rocks, even in an "Old Lady's" eyes.

This was the cutest dance, and I am determined to learn it! (I know Elizabeth McKain could rock this one!-thought about her during the dance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93a8Y72C3XA

A Little Of This, A Little Of That...

2009-04-29T03:04:00.004+07:00

Claire on Cupcake!

Kiddos with cupcake!

One of the little American boys turned five this weekend, and Cupcake showed up! Cupcake is Claire's therapy horse, and we got lots of "therapy" at the party! Claire started her gymnastics class today, so far so good. The young girl who taught the class was very soft spoken, and Claire found it a little too easy to walk away! I am hoping she finds her voice by the next class to draw Claire in and keep her attention. I will say though the trampoline was enough to keep us coming back, as Claire loves to jump! I would love to get her into a ballet class, still looking!

We have had a lot of public holidays lately here in South Africa, last week was Voting Day and Monday was Freedom Day. Friday is Worker's Day, I would love to give you a wonderful history lesson on these holidays, but I am just learning myself! We are going to use this holiday weekend to travel. We are going to a resort called Fish, River, Sun that sounds like a lot of fun! There seems to be all kinds of things to do there-golf,spa,pools,beach,game drives, and horse back safaris: so I am hoping to find a little something for everyone!

Amazing Grace

2009-04-26T17:59:00.003+07:00

Amazing Grace was sung at church today, what an amazing song! This is one of my favorite church songs, it gets me every time!

Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

Is It Only A Southern Thing?

2009-04-23T04:37:00.006+07:00

Beware, this may sound a little materialistic-but let me vent for a few!
The stupid things that I miss seeing....
*Bows, dresses and Polo's: Does anyone else but the southerner like a big bow in a little girl's hair or a big pretty smocked dress? Let me clarify, I NEVER see a little girl dressed cute around here, and it baffles me. I see the adults dressed nicely , but the kids are a mess-a little sparkle jeans, a little character shirt and no hair ties! Most times the kids do not even match. I know I am among the select(crazy) few that have a thing for little kids clothes, I know that every child does not have to have a dress that matches a bow for everyday of the week or every color polo, but come on! I will understand play clothes, I have even given into days at home-anything goes-but I have been watching the little kids at church lately and they are in all kinds of get ups! Heck, one day at church a child had on a Batman costume with the face mask on! (Please note, I am not talking of the unfortunate, but the children of parents that are dressed Very nicely) When I was little I remember my mom always making us dress up and we always had to match-maybe I can blame this crazy obsession on her:)! I also remember in the eighth grade having a nun for a teacher, and she told us that when ever she bought new clothes she always wore them to church first, to let God see. I know God does not care, but I like to look appropriate and respectful. I think it speaks volumes of a person, it shows that we care enough about ourselves and others to show respect! All I know is that it is making Sunday mornings a little tougher on us, the boys are getting a little agitated with dressing"nice" when everyone else looks as if they just got back from playing in the neighbors yard. In fact the boys favorite line when I am running around choosing outfits is "It is not a fashion show mom".
Finally got that one off my chest, unfortunately for my kiddos they will still be tortured for as long as I can do it! (disclaimer-title picture of kids was taken while riding horses-bow had been lost and Taylor picked his own clothes!)
*Purses: No one around here seems to have a bag fetish, people keep using the same purse over and over-Is that normal? :)
*Flip flops, where are the Yellow Box people? There are not many selections around here! Again, don't most women have quite the wardrobe of flip flops?
*Monograms-I am not sure people are aware of the monogram thing. I have never seen anyone with anything monogrammed. No little girls panties, we have even donned the monogrammed bikini(Claire, that is), no towels, even the golf towels are monogrammed at our house-nothing!
*TJ Max, Marshals, Ross-Enough Said!
* Target - to stroll the aisles at Target would be heaven on earth!
*Drive thru coffee place, Starbucks! (I have gotten quite good at making my own)
Yes Mam, these are the stupid things I miss (PS, no one says Yes mam, No mam around here)!
OK now that you think I am a complete snob(which I strive not to be), let me explain! I know these are not important for life, but sometimes it is nice to just have/see a little piece of the southern environment! There is no place in the world like the South and I miss it! I miss it for all of the right reasons-home, family and friends; and I miss it for all of those stupid, silly reasons!

Hunter, he would much rather be wearing an Under Armour!

She does not have a prayer, she was born with a bow!

Poor Taylor, he really wishes I was not so anal! Of course, he did choose to keep his collar turned up, am I rubbing off a little bit?

Even a Polo shoe around here!

And what does not speak pure class, than a girl in smocked, bows and puddle jumpers drinking out of the cooler!

A southern girl lost in no man's land-we should have signed up for a reality show, people would get a kick out of how people look at me when I talk-HI Y'ALL or BYE Y"ALL!!

The Small Things....

2009-04-18T02:43:00.006+07:00

Claire has Childhood Apraxia of Speech, which is a motor planning delay that causes little to no speech in some children. Claire is very delayed with her speech, and for Claire any words or phrases spoken is a huge accomplishment. She has started using three word utterances, but as her sentences lengthen they are sometimes harder to understand. Claire is trying so hard! Here is a clip of Claire's speech, although it may not seem like much- it is HUGE! There have been many fearful days and nights of wondering if she will ever talk!
I think only mothers of children with disabilities could ever understand our pure excitement over the small things!

Claire interacting with us over a Sushi lunch. "Tay uuur" is Taylor, and she has "No" down!
(to turn down music, pause music player on bottom right side of blog)

This one is my favorite...

Keep my Claire in your prayers, everyday is a new day!

Meet the New Family Member....

2009-04-17T04:31:00.005+07:00

Taylor and Tebow!

Tebow, the bird! OK, when you feel as if you have turned your children's lives around you(I) will do the dumbest things! Taylor wanted a fish tank for his birthday, but as we were looking at fish a far away chirp caught our(Taylor's) attention. He begged for the bird, we gave in! After getting information on the bird, and loading up on bird essentials we brought our new baby home! Tebow, after our favorite football player, is actually a pretty cool pet! The guy at the pet store said you could bring the bird out of the cage and he will sit and watch TV with you. Taylor now walks around with him on his shoulders, he fits in the palm of his hand and will not get any bigger. My fear was the smell, I am very anal about my house, but I have yet to catch a whiff! Taylor has now taught him a trick-He puts him on his shoulders and starts flapping his arms like a bird, and the bird will start flapping his-Crazy!

Taylor with his new love!

Even Claire likes the bird, we keep a VERY close eye on her, just in case! :)

Taylor turns 11!

2009-04-17T03:48:00.005+07:00

Yes my baby boy is 11! Could it be that 11 years ago I was greeting my first child, how he has changed my life! He has made life worth living, Taylor has turned into a wonderful person. He is a GREAT big brother, and is very helpful and caring of his little sister! Just to give you an example of who he is...As you all know we are now across the world, but as we were preparing for this adventure we had to have some "cultural training". A lady by the name of "Elizabeth" came to our house and spent three days preparing us for our move, with the last day being just for the boys. Everyday we would go out to lunch, and on the final day it was just the kids, me and Elizabeth. Taylor loved the cultural training, he was soaking in all of the things he might see in his new life. Elizabeth finished prepping us and we bid her goodbye, a few weeks later we received an email from her about Taylor. She said that she had not ever met such a sweet boy with such good manners, and it had been a long time since a "gentleman" had pulled out a chair for her, and thought to make sure she had utensils and a napkin-without asking! Yes, that's my Taylor, he is very thoughtful and did pull out her chair. I am a very proud momma! Happy Birthday baby!

Our Easter...

2009-04-17T01:59:00.004+07:00

The Easter Bunny found us, all the way over here!

So we made it through another holiday in a far away country! The Easter Bunny found us and left our kiddos with some great goodies. Claire got a Mr Potato Head along with some other cute stuff, while the boys got a Rubix Cube along with other goodies!
While living in this country I have become very aware of others and try hard to always give to the less fortunate. During this Easter weekend the kids and I made up Easter bags to deliver to the needy! Thanks to Grandma Lou and her craftiness many years ago(Taylor's bday bags), we had some precious Easter bags that we filled with food. Each bag was filled with a banana, a sandwich, chips and a sweet along with a bottled water. The boys did most of the work by making the sandwiches and stuffing the bags-I find it extremely important for my children to be aware of their surroundings, they are the ones that this venture will mold the most, at least I hope it will. I hope that this will teach them compassion and appreciation.

It takes very little to help out...

Taylor stuffing Easter bags for the needy...

Hunter making the sandwiches....

We loaded the bags in our car Saturday morning with the intention of giving to the children that we would see along the street, unfortunately you do see children begging in the street-extremely sad! We gave to some children on Saturday-what an amazing feeling! The children's eyes lit up as we gave them the bags and wished them a "Happy Easter", my boys were so proud of themselves-it made me proud of us. While entering the grocery Saturday night we saw a homeless man outside, I gave him a bag-he smiled and nodded! I also saw Pat sneak some money to him(I knew there was a reason I loved that man)! As we drove away, the man was carefully holding his bag while rubbing the painted images-This is what made my Easter! After church on Sunday we finished giving out the bags- There is so much that needs to be done for these people, we are trying in small ways to make an effort, to make a difference. I thought that I would only give the bags to children, but instantly changed my mind as I saw that man sitting on the curb-We are all God's children!
After church Sunday morning, we took the kids and the dog to the beach! What a way to worship God, to behold his wonders!

My sweet Claire in her Easter clothes, it was actually a little chilly here!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, ours was good-the only thing that would have made it better would have been to spend it with family!

A Thursday in June.....

2009-04-09T03:36:00.006+07:00

This was my happy place, my favorite group of kids!

As much as I wanted it to be a Thursday in June, it was a Wednesday in April!
Sometimes it is so easy to pretend that I am not so far away or that it is really not that hard to be so far away! I am an optimist by nature, and strive to see the good in most things. I unfortunately ignore and push away the bad! Today I was hit by the reality of leaving everything that I loved!
Most people would say that Bossier City,LA is not the place where they would pick to live out their life, but I would! Being the optimist I purposely try to not think of the hard things, the sad things; but some days it's all that I can think of!
Today I took my boys to the movies, I love to take them to movies because they are the age where we can see things that we all like. I preordered tickets, dropped off Claire and got to the theatre in plenty of time to get our snack packs, that is when reality bit me in the ass! I walked in the theater and there was a large group of moms and kids meeting to see the movies together, I wanted so bad to blink and it be my group! I wanted it to be one of my buddies grabbing the kids while another mom saved the twenty something seats that we always needed! I wanted so bad to be able to have Hunter sit with his group of buddies and Taylor to sit with his group of friends, and by God I wanted my group of friends!!!!!!! Where was Christen, Lisa, Candy when I needed them-all I wanted at that moment was one of my friends! Some may not think that a simple day at the movies with friends could mean so much, but you have not left everyone that you call friend! I almost couldn't breathe it hurt so bad! I wish I could wake up and be home! I wish I would have known then what I know now, that I would not have the chance again to sit with this group, to listen to ten of Taylor's buddies laughing or to watch Hunter and Cyrus eating popcorn! Today I hate it here, and I want my old life back! My advise to you- eat it up! Love every moment of it, do everything with your friends that you can; because these are the days you will remember forever! My heart aches for my sweet Taylor, he has yet to find a place to fit in, he does have a few friends and he seems happy but I know what he is missing! He is missing his buddy John E playing sports and guns outside, he is missing his friends Thomas and Cade and the stories they would tell, he is missing Peyton, Davis, Jarrett, Eric and many more! Oh my Hunter, how he is missing Cyrus! There is something about a little boy and his best friend, one that in his mind he has had forever! And how I miss my friends, I miss being able to sit and talk kids, life and whatever else and I miss laughing! I miss laughing with them, I miss ball games and getting to see all of my sweet friends who cared about me and my family!
Today has been a day of great longing, a day of wanting to go home! I would go back to Bossier if I could, I know this is where I am supposed to be , but damn it is hard sometimes! I have gotten good at covering the hurt with a positive, but today it was too hard! Today I would die for it to be a Thursday morning in June and to be rushing to save twenty seats at a movie!

This is our(MY) movie group!

One more night!

2009-04-02T05:41:00.003+07:00

It is so hard to let these babies grow!
Sometimes being a Mom is the hardest job in the world, the emotional trials are endless! This week I sent Taylor on his first camping trip! I was/am very nervous, and have said many prayers for him and me! He is camping in South Africa with a group of children that I know nothing about, and teachers that I really do not know! The hardest part was to say "yes" to this, to face some of my biggest fears-the unknown! I know that we have to let them grow up, but at what expense! Why can they not stay little, Do they have to face this cold, hard world-I would wrap them in my arms forever if I could! The unfortunate part is that being a good mom is to let him have these experiences, to let him grow and learn some lessons on his own!
I wish there was a book with all of the answers about parenthood, at least a book that I would read! I have decided to wing it! I am trying my best to raise these boys into men, and this princess into a young lady! I am sure there will be numerous mistakes, but I hope they remember the few times I have gotten it right! Only one more night of fear and worry, at least fear and worry over camping!
I know in the whole grand scheme of things this camping thing is minor, but sometimes it is easier to fear and focus on the little things because the larger trials can kill you! Speaking of larger issues, my Claire Bear is now using three word sentences!
Tonight I will pray; I will pray for my camper, my babies, my family, our health, and a special friend who knows too much about these mountains we must climb!